Although, now that I think about it, she never says she didn't love Chidori. She really just says that they didn't have a relationship, which I guess isn't quite the same thing. So perhaps the misinterpretation is Chidori believing their love meant something, when to Igarashi it didn't come with any of those implications.

Igarashi: Love, yes.
Chidori: Love equals relationship!
Igarashi: Relationship... nope, nada.
Chidori: ...so... no love? ;_;

So... Then Igarashi can accept love between girls but sees no way two girls could have a relationship?

...meantime, I'm still hung up on why her bangs fell differently in that one singular panel. >.<

I've "taken the blame" in every relationship that's ever gone bad: "I was an idiot for getting involved with an asshole like you."

Here's to hoping Chidori reached that stage by now and will watch on with a happy smile on her face when Nanoha smacks Igarashi up her face for what she did and whatever shenannigan's she came to school for. *cheers*

(I'll take it all back when it turns out Igarashi came to apologize to Chidori for traumatizing her and just leaves right after, hapy to know her kohai is now in good and caring hands...)

Yupp, thanks you both.
I was just curious (already was on the same page with you either way), since people kept making a point about that bubble and I just wanted to know if there was any additional or less ambiguity in japanese :)

schuyguy's interpretation is very spot on.
But one could argue that this is why Chidori defended Igarashi in her own mind and "took the blame" (at least back then).

...just out of curiousity, I'd like to know the japanese phrase she used...
(I mean, if it's 好きだよ... then I guess, intent may have more weight than expectation..?)
((that aside, her actions spoke volumes, and even if her abroad studies had her act more casual, she should have known how her behaviour would be perceived... curse you, hairfetishist!))

Gonna go with senpai being a manipulative bitch until we see otherwise.

I am leaning towards agreeing with that...
Seriously, the "I love you" and then "[between us was] nothing of course. We're both girls" is, no matter her reasoning a low-blow. Especially since she was the one being all touchy-flirty-hairfetish'y.

On the other hand, the framing of the "End" chapter gives me pause.
We see her face once, right after being confronted (possibly a sad/resigned expression; that diagonal background easily implicating her hitting a crossroad/juncture),
https://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/hana_ni_arashi_ch44#3
and then no more. Her mouth as she says the lesbian's-words-of-doom is shown, but her eyes are not.
I mean, additionally to the fact it's Chidori's POV and she can't bring herself to look Igarashi in the eyes, the way the scene is presented feels important and intentional.
(And WHY is this the only panel her bangs are curved to the left? Really, I checked! The tip is pointing right every other time she's shown! A hidden meaning? Coindicence? Author's goof? 42? Am I crazy!? (--wait, don't answer the last one..) - and I just double-checked, it's not a mirror - her mole is still beneath her right eye.)

So, yeah... there's a good chance that while Chidori is stuck deep in the closet, Igarashi's like already half-way to Narnia >.>

last edited at Aug 7, 2019 3:09PM

Um... thanks? ^^

And thanks very much at schuyguy for giving a very insightful description of Chidori's character!
So it's not just Chidori hiding in the closet (...ehehe~ https://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/hana_ni_arashi_ch37#13 I still love how literal that is) but quite possibly an overall sorta paranoia / neurosis.
Now, a question could be, if - besides her being on the more introvert end of the scale to begin with - she's gotten more so for her "it" with Igarashi or was like that already (and if so, if her own attitude maybe backfired at her and could potentially be bad for her relationship with Nanoha as well).

^ In the first instance I tend to approach these questions as, “What are the expectations created in this specific storyworld?” Hence my emphasis on the reaction to Abe-Yoshida-senpai relationship—acceptance, of a sort, but not without (fairly benign) social consequences.

You're absolutely right. But... I'd still argue that Nanoha and Chidori were not present there, and might not know their friends are actually this open-minded and casual about the topic (with one of them basically being branded as westernized).
And them being all gropey-touchy could be considered as goofing off and not be taken as their actual stance on the matter (by N&C). So, I guess, in this specific storyworld they can be afraid to come out, because they don't know any better..? (and keep nullifying any opportunities to find out, like the group-chat in ch.8)

If Chidori were dating some guy from another school, she'd probably keep it from her friends for much the same reasons.

I'm not trying to argue that, I could not provide evidence for the contrary, but I would kinda like to know if you have a particular basis for that?
...not to stretch out the discussion, but because I am honestly curious and would like to be given insight.

...did I mention I love the way-too-serious analysis of manga here? :P

Someone should make a book out of the life lessons shared in this forum...
(I mean it, between the weird fights, random meme posts, wonderfully way too serious analysis of the manga in question - which I enjoy deeply - there are quite some gold nuggets here and there. Maybe this forum would benefit from a thread of "life-lessons-motivational-posters"?)

Back on topic, gayness and relationships are both two topics that still aren't handled ...well, exactly openly in japanese culture / society (although it's gotten ahelluva lot "better" / westernly in the past few decades). It's a far cry from the handling of lgtb+ in where I presume most of us readers/commentors live. E.g.: While in most western societies romance and love/relationships were very openly handled, only some 20-30 years ago queer people were ridiculed in pop-culture and shunned in every-day life - ...and now basically anyone even so much as trying to shun minorities gets ridiculed and shunned.
Now, Japan (and to my understanding most eastern cultures) handles the whole topic of romance (or sexuality) much differently (basically "do what you must in your own home behind closed doors, but present yourself according to conformity"), and even though things changed a lot in recent history, even if certain topics are being discussed and presented in a much more serious fashion in pop-culture, there still is a huge difference culturally.

There's also the much bigger seperation/differentiation between media (-consumption) and real life (-expectation/-execution) at play here...
(And as an aside, yes, romance has always been fodder for the muses and enjoyed by the masses, but real-life 'application' was(/is) still handled much differently to western cultures. I am sure we all know about the "holding hands in public" thingy - which to my knowledge has gotten to being treated much less eye-brow-frowny / shock-value'y in the past decade as well, but there's still some truth to it.)

I guess, what I'm trying to say is... when we read these manga we like to perceive them from our own experience and with our own cultural / sociologcial background in mind and easily forget that these are initially stories by japanese for their japanese audience, who share a similar culturalization and therefore understanding; of where the story comes from, what the characters' enviroment is and means to them, how to (not) take the story in relation to real life, and how some things are huge issues that in our mind are mere banalities (and the other way around).

So, yeah, I agree strongly with the above posts but would put additional weight on "trying to fit in" and a not-so-irrational "fear of repercussions"...

last edited at Aug 5, 2019 12:38PM

I imagine Kurogane listening to "Frances and her Friends" when coming up with this story...

https://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/hana_ni_arashi_ch32#7

...somehow, when I went through the entire thing yesterday, this chapter magically slipped through my fingers (and memory).
Your explanation makes a lot of sense too ^^ So, she indeed had been a member of literature club... Seems she was intentionally flirty with Chidori too... >.< what on Earth could she have done to make Chidori swear off love for a while?

Strap in boys and girls, this one's gonna be rough

...read this and realized a moment later how (ecchi) manga ruined me for life. ^^;;;;

Well, with Chidori having been all about "not my kind of love"... senpai could have gone the disgusted/no-homo route, but toying with Chidori for the attention until Chidori was like "love suxx..." and called it quits.
Now she's back, she could be mean and stuff and find out about the girls' secret relationship and go on to threaten Chidori to tell everyone about her gay-ness (pretending it to be a valuable lesson for her kohai).
Eventually she spills the beans to all of their friends, but twist being them all going like "Oh... yeah, we knew." :P
...during the moment of relief, Nanoha who learned about Igarashi being all mean to her precious cleavage-girl might then smack the b**ch up.

I really hope the author is much more creative than me .-.

So, Chidori cut her hair "September of [her] freshman year" to declare to "never fall in love again".
The Japanese school year begins in April, and September is just after summer break.
So presumably she had some "it" with Igarashi between April and end of Juli and/or during Summer break.

The following February / half a year later, the Valentine's Chocolate thingy happened (Ch.10&22)
https://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/hana_ni_arashi_ch10#11
https://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/hana_ni_arashi_ch22#12
(two flashbacks, same time-frame, different POV)
Chidori already has them feelz for Nanoha and decides to "end it" with Igarashi.

Half a month later / Spring, Nanoha confessed to Chidori and they're a couple ever since... in secret, of cos.

A final question is: how did Chidori and the senpai spend time together in the first place?

I kinda thought Igarashi may have been a member of the literature club.
I can't base this on anything but a hunch caused by
https://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/hana_ni_arashi_ch04#5
Chidori thinking "Somehow, it feels strange having Nanoha here" [in the club room].

Me thinks, that maybe, just maybe, Chidori had a one-sided crush on her senpai, confessed before or during summer break, didn't get the desired reaction (judging from the card later, prolly something amongst the lines of "you like me? ...like, in the gay-way? um, can't we be just friends?"), and cut her hair, still secretly swooning over her senpai because hearts can't be convinced so easily as getting a hair-cut.
But, she developed feelings for Nanoha over the time, then - half a year later?! - by Valentine's Day, senpai changed her mind, sent her the chocolate as well as that implicative card ("These aren't just as friends") - but, too late gal, Nanoha has her hooks deep into Chidori's heart already, so Chidori (incidentally spurred on by something Nanoha said) went to Igarashi and told her her true feelings "Yeah, thanks but no-thanks. I mean, what did you expect, keeping me on arm's length for half a year... I MOVED ON, BIATCH!" (-paraphrased).
Lucky for her, a few weeks later she finds out that Nanoha is one whose Love is the same as hers~

That's what I get from the text so far, but I wouldn't mind if things turned out to have happened differently / more dramatic, for the sake of suspense...

last edited at Aug 3, 2019 12:09PM

format cue (like a black border indicating a flashback)

With the amount of flashbacks, I wished the author did use something like that here...

But then, as you previously pointed out, this story features flashbacks within flashbacks sometimes, so how would that be presented in a visual manner.... double-borders? shaded borders? or maybe plaid frames? :P

XD Well, clichee development or not, something's about to happen - and despite these two being cute, the story finally needs to get to the plot implied by its title. I'm fine with that.

But I gotta say, the satirical reactions in this thread are awesome XD

...I don't know, but everytime I spot their braceletts I get a happy :) (the shower-scene last chapter possibly gave me a double-happy XD)

Wait has this been a flash back or real time?

Ch.12 had early childhood flashbacks with Miyuki and present-time chat on a bench at the wedding with Miyuki.
Everything since then is Ch.13, the past 5 uploads all being one consecutive flashback around Miyuki.

Didn't asuka say it was due to "practice" when she mouth molested her mum a fair while ago?

Well, practice makes perfect - meaning, one has to repeat the activity to improve performance :D (Since it's been 2 years she had lessons with Miyuki, why wouldn't Asuka think it good to freshen up?

Probably because people (like myself) tend to read dozens to hundreds of other updating stories, then come back to this one when it finally updates...

...yes. Seriously, I recently confused myself by mixing up a currently releasing story with an older / completed one that I read between the former's releases and got totally confused, because it was a similar setting and even the character designs were more or less eqivalent... I could only solve it by re-reading the current one fully to its present status again (which wasn't a bad thing, actually), a task that may be hard to fullfill for each and every story's new chap-release, whenever such happens...
Part of me even wants to mix this one up with 15Y+ and I don't know why XD

last edited at Aug 2, 2019 2:34PM

@Pyoro:
I pick h) ^O^/

...a lot of the others actually might clash with what's been informed in the present-timeline.

Miyuki so far seems to me as "big bad"

Narrative-wise, she is. At least she's supposed to be during those flashbacks (still gotta see if and how much she impacts the present-time storyline).

I'm personally not quite sure what to make of her...
I dunno, it's just her reaction (that glare o.O ) when Asuka pointed out the hickey was weird...

I had more thoughts about the stereotyping her into predator / predatory or player, but even with going through the last few chapters again, I can't quite nail what's off about her behaviour to me... It's just sorta inconsistent to apply to any stereotype in particular, in my mind. ...well, and Asuka's "just go with the flow" reactions don't really make it easier to pin-point...

On the other hand, I gotta admit, knowing this is just some "Asuka had some bad experience" flashback, that is chopped up into short releases and makes it feel like going on forever-... has it really only been 4 months?!.... *sigh* I still kinda like this manga, but I wish we'd get back to the present soon and the other hanging plot-threads over there and I honestly can't bring myself to care enough about Miyuki...
't is like "she's a bad/corruptive influence, we got it. show us already what horrible thing she did to our MC (main char? mothercon?) and let's move on" ^^;

I'm at this point, where if it doesn't start out with Touko on top and switches then to Yuu getting schwifty and ending up on top, I'd actually be surprised (that is, if Nakatani doesn't chicken out and leaves us hanging with them approaching another and then cuts to the cigarette-after panel....).

I love the observations made and being pointed out here.
Yuu certainly lost a bit of her "courage" (or bluntness or ignorance-?) now things are serious for her as well, and the first name thing is actually a good example:
https://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/bloom_into_you_ch11#21 [the already mentioned scene of Yuu asking for a first-name basis and being rather chillaxed about it]
vs
https://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/bloom_into_you_ch41#26 [Yuu reacting adorably shy over Touko's suggestion to drop the honorifics, too]

Though, their very first kiss after Yuu's confession seemed to have been initiated by her...
https://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/bloom_into_you_ch40#32 f.
So, yeah... there's this and that .-.

last edited at Aug 1, 2019 7:30PM

Now, knowing all that, I might try an attempt at construing that dream:

Yuu's comfortably sitting where she is (calmly 'living' with Touko). Touko has a request / desire, presented by her claiming to be hungry (tho, we all know she's actually plagued by thirst...).
Yuu agrees it's time to fullfill said desire, but only finds an overwhelming amount of eggs (change). Touko wonders if they should still move on (trying to consume their..."food"?), pointing out the rain (overflow of thoughts that need to be communicated) in the kitchen (concerning her/their life style?) - which Yuu contemplates was being "outside" (her thoughts and worries are maybe not quite formed yet, and her watching it, as a sort of difficulty to come, also not part of their one-on-one relationship but literal outside influences/odds). Touko then holds the door open (new opportunities await), offering Yuu an alternative (way of looking at things) which they together go through...

...to sum it up, Yuu knows Touko wants to shag move on with their relationship, and Yuu wants that too, but that leads to change and a lot of things Yuu has to confront, but despite or for the time being ignoring that, as long it's with Touko (taking the lead), Yuu happily moves on with her.

Sounds good? Anyone else?

/walloftext.

Eggs, an uncommon yuri motif?

hnn.. not sure about yuri in particular, but dream interpretation has stuff like this to say about eggs:
"Eggs are showing us the possibilities and the potential we have in life; we only need to confront and defeat the fears which might arise. Eggs are also a symbol of our spiritual development, as well as progress and changes in life. [...] If you dreamed about eggs, your dream might symbolize conception, creation, the start of something new, as well as your growth potential."

...since we can rule out pregnancy, it's safe to assume this refers to the prospect of change... and by the amount of eggs, Yuu's subconscious is expecting a lot of change.

As for the (indoor) rain, dream interpratation has the following to say:

"A rain in a dream might also indicate the need to communicate something. If you dreamed about a strong pouring rain, maybe it is a sign of your conscious spiritual growth."
Rain in dreams itself may also hint to negative aspects in one's life (such as depression)...

Since Yuu was not caught in the rain, but just noticed it (and somehow the kitchen was "outside" and they went out where there was presumably no rain), there's also this:
"If you were inside an object watching the rain, such a dream might indicate not allowing yourself to feel your emotions fully. It might also indicate expecting some difficulties in the near future."

((Additionally, hopefully catching the "indoor" aspect of that rain:
"Dreaming of leaking ceiling can carry a very strong symbolism for a dreamer, and it means the dreamer is entering a new phase of life."
and
"Another symbolic aspect of the dreaming of leaking ceiling represents the room in which one the leaking started as a body, while the ceiling represents the head. In other words – your head is full of many thoughts and you can’t handle it all that those things that are suppressing you start with coming out without you having control over them.
The sleeping room represents relationships, the living room symbolizes the heart and the kitchen represents the style of life."

And for completion, I might as well add the open door:
"As far as symbolism of this dream goes, we can say that the metaphor of an open door is this – you are the person who is finally ready to completely “meet” and change yourself, as well as to find more time and patience for people who are close and dear to you, and which in a way and neglected, because you are preoccupied with your obligations.
Alternatively, this dream is a symbol of family support. They do not want to hide you in life and agree with most of the decisions you make."))

Of course, all these dream interpretations here are just snipplets, there are various interpretations and I may have cherry-picked the ones I found most relevant to the story (...e.g. I left those out that hinted at the loss/death of a dear person, job opportunities / dificulties, physical health implications and financial wealth prospects), but I'd say Nakatani did her homework for this one :)

Tl;dr: Yuu's overwhelmed by the changes in her (love) life, there are some odds/fears she has to overcome yet, mainly by communicating her desires (and possibly coming out to her peers and family) and will grow or already is growing spiritually/emotionally for it.

last edited at Jul 31, 2019 12:04PM

It's a bit strange Yuu wanted to call Touko by her name in chapter 41 and indeed does it occasionally (when she isn't
saying just "senpai") but keeps calling her Nanami-senpai in her mind. Gotta wonder if Nakatani has a reason for this or just sees it as something perfectly normal so far.

Well, not wanting to fully dive into the complexity that is japanese psychology & sociology, I'd take it as Yuu putting Touko, her cool and beautiful girlfriend, on a pedestal, mentally, to the point she just can't think of her without honorifics and the regard that comes with Japanese using the other's last name.
I'm not sure if we can call this distinction "normal", but I'd consider it in-character and even relatable :)

...BV wasn't wrong. Responding to the pic of Yuu's imagination clinging to Touko's arm while fully dressed and the line

That is literally the furthest Yuu imagined anything.

with the actual, previous panel (besides it being discussed already) of Yuu picturing herself with an unbuttoned Nanami and touching her sensually, seems viable.

Boom-Shakalaka incoming~

also:

Yuu " I want to sleep in the same bed"
Touko "I want to FUCK"

QFT.

I don’t understand the end, why did she suddenly kiss her?

I think her Brain.exe failed because heart.exe was taking too much ram and then pfff like when you say something awkward in front of your crush but taken to the extreme.

This. ^^

I like the art and there's hoping it's a well-thought-out plot, so I hope this will be a regular.

I wish people would stop using the word bait. it is very misleading.

...if there's a little of something attracting and luring beings expecting more of that in, only for it to not be more of that thing but something different (to whatever degree), how's that not bait?

Here, there is the premise of girls kissing girls (which tends to be a better part of yuri), the protagonists getting more familiar with another over the course of the story and even a yuri-couple is introduced in the supporting cast (and some yuri crush) feeding into that expectation... but the actual protagonists remained "friends" and besides them "being okay" now with kissing each other, it really didn't lead anywhere further, certainly no sweet yuri (which by definition is girls' love)...
So, yeah, although the yuri-theme was to my knowledge not officially stated on the forefront of this manga, it was featured too much to be coincidental, and I got hooked (by false promises), stayed for the whole ride and leave unsatisfied for the thing I came in for.
It may not be malicious, but is bait non-the-less.

((Usually I'd agree with ppl using certain terms too casually, without being aware what they actually mean, and oftentimes plain wrong - "retcon" and "plothole" easily on top of that list - but I can't see fault in calling this yuri-bait.))

last edited at Jul 29, 2019 7:39PM

From​ what​ I​ saw​ in​ the​ last​ panel, maybe​ the​ one​ who​ is​ going​ to​ die​ is​ Mimi.

She just heal herself from near death. It's probably just blood she didn't wash.

Yeah, her clothes were torn up, but some panels showed her boots were still intact. She showered, got a new shirt from the nurse and put her (still bloody) boots back on.
I think that last panel was only to show the discrepancy between their happy reunion, Shiina's ignorance about what actually had happened ('No injuries' - 'Nope [not anymore]') and the actual body horror Mimi had just gone through (she already admitted she hated the sensation of being chopped apart missing an arm).