come on Ritsu stop pretending you didn't know the date was going to end with some fucking

you wore special undergarments for god's sake

it only took a couple of nuclear explosions in Ayaka's kitchen for Ayaka to fail to get her feelings across

I am not sure which of the two H.P. Lovecraft would have found more horrifying.

He's a man that was horrified that he was part Welsh. And had an intense aversion to math. I'm pretty sure he found literally everything to be equally horrifying.

well if we want to get into Lovecraft’s phobias, in this chapter we already have math (linear functions) and 'Welsh people' (blonde schoolgirls who climb lockers and have a strange acquaintance with bogs)

this manga honestly has it all

'Juicy Fragrance' bruh

Reading a book like that in public is just setting yourself up to be a thirst trap

Yeah, I don't care if the the author came out and swore up and down that "No, no, they're totally straight, this story isn't gay at all." I'd just call them a goddamned liar. Even if the translation were being way too generous, nobody straight daydreams about the nape of their bestie's neck like that.

It's easier to lick your homies out if you say it's not gay

It's hard not to read this as an allegory for Japanese depersonalization.

So many unanswered questions. Where are all the dudes? Are fish girls gay? If grandma has fish eyes, does that mean she’s lesbian too? How did mermaid-san get on top of the lockers? Did Ichika ever get her phone back? Is this whole thing a fever dream after mom ran and dumped?

The author is definitely depressed but that's not much of a stretch to deduce.

Is it just me or are the pages out of order?

No no keep it like this, it's representative of how Hiyama's brain works

last edited at May 10, 2023 8:51PM

In late capitalist Japan, people’s biggest kink is when someone talks to them

Why you should not apply Machiavelli to your budding high school romance, part 43.

What? It worked! Indeed, the results were far better than planned! Originally they were only trying for a defensive delaying action, but what they got was the whole enchilada!

when machiavelli himself ended up tortured, arrested and exiled, you can tell how effective his teachings were

Machiavelli wasn't a social climber and didn't crave power or riches; all he wanted was to be an able adviser to his prince. He was like Zhuge Liang and all the other great ministers in Chinese history, who worked their asses off for the benefit of another man (the autocratic ruler) while getting little or no benefit for themselves—and often ended up tortured, arrested, exiled or dead because their unwavering loyalty didn't allow them to engage in flattery or indulge their lord's vices.

The Italian princelings of his time didn't pay much attention to Machiavelli's theories but other people in Europe listened. Like Ferdinand II of Aragon and Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, to name only a couple.

what I meant to say is that scheming is very effective for digging yourself a giant hole, like for our dear protags in this story

Also, if you spend your whole life working for someone who executes people for fun, you’re probably next, no?

Why you should not apply Machiavelli to your budding high school romance, part 43.

What? It worked! Indeed, the results were far better than planned! Originally they were only trying for a defensive delaying action, but what they got was the whole enchilada!

when machiavelli himself ended up tortured, arrested and exiled, you can tell how effective his teachings were

How to fail your mission in such an epic fashion, it goes the whole way around and succeeds anyway... :D

I'm pretty sure screaming 'I want to have sex!!' in a crowded office is the best way to get HR called on my ass

Sorawo whatcha doin' here?

the otherside wasn't earning enough so she had to get a side hustle

either 'vigorous' means something suggestive in Japanese, or that's some gay ass telepathy going on there

I don’t buy that seeing One Person enjoy a book a lot would lead to a romance

you, sir, might not, but I would marry a person based on their taste in books

by the way, does anyone know if 'Nightscape' by Kosaka Shoutarou is a real book? if not imma riot

Well, if it's any consolation, what looks shitty at first glance can often be a blessing in disguise. (See the story of the Taoist farmer.) Wasn't the issue here Hii-chan going back to Tokyo, while Haru is stuck in a place she can't afford? Maybe it's a sign that Haru should go back to Tokyo too. Sure, it'd be a bit of a 360 after all they've been through, but they'd go back to their original lives a little older and wiser.

Eugh, that’d be a terrible way to end things. Forgive my dramatic flair, but the whole point of them leaving Tokyo is because they felt suffocated by the lives they were living. While it makes sense that they'd have to struggle and make compromises to adapt to the rigors of adult life whilst trying to go against the grain, them going back to Tokyo would represent a total loss. An admission that they can’t carve their own path to being happy, and that the only way forward is to convince themselves that they’re happy as they consign themselves to the machinery of society. At that point, what’s next? Do they need to break up, find husbands, and have kid, all while telling themselves that they’re happy and wiser for their past experiences, because that’s what they’re expected to do as part of “growing up?” Not that I’m saying that’s what would happen, but you get my point. They have to draw a line somewhere, even if it’s hard.

No, I’d rather they continue to struggle against this pressure being piled on them so that they can eventually come out in a place where they can be happy without taking the path of least resistance. Maybe it won’t be exactly what they want. Maybe it will require them to suffer for a while longer, but fighting for it will make that eventual equilibrium all the sweeter.

Hot damn, haven’t written something that dramatic since high school

You know it's a good story when we're rooting for them like they're real people!

Well, if it's any consolation, what looks shitty at first glance can often be a blessing in disguise. (See the story of the Taoist farmer.) Wasn't the issue here Hii-chan going back to Tokyo, while Haru is stuck in a place she can't afford? Maybe it's a sign that Haru should go back to Tokyo too. Sure, it'd be a bit of a 360 after all they've been through, but they'd go back to their original lives a little older and wiser.

Holy fuck there's color

I actually preferred it when it was just a one-gag manga. Now that the author is trying to develop the relationship a bit I can't help to notice they have very little chemistry and I don't dig the pairing.

have you never smashed two magnets together even as they repelled?

the u-haul got dragged in a bit later than usual, but we got there in the end

A beautifully crafted story.

when the chapter number ends with 69, it'd better be good

What sort of 'box' are we talking about?

I wouldn't be able to take an explicit version of this manga. It'd just be ... too much.

I would. Each chapter would have 50 pages of hot steamy lesbian sex.

time to see some ankles