Why swerve with that awful bad end twist at the last minute knowing there’s no follow up? They’ll probably be beaten, disowned and thrown out on the street for all I know, damn I liked everything up to that moment

They have been going to college for a while at the end so they're basically adults already. They were even talking about living together. So I don't see this as a bad end. If they were still kids, then sure, this would be a problem. But they aren't kids anymore, so this is a good chance to leave their parents behind and move on with their lives together.

You'd think but if it was that easy in these series, there wouldn't be half the manga content to read.

What series? This is a one-shot.

Anyway, all I'm saying is that there's no reason to interpret the ending as a bad end. The mum found out, but who cares? The girls aren't kids anymore. They're young adults who probably will be just fine living on their own. They don't even love their parents anyway, so they will probably welcome the chance to leave them behind and finally be free to do whatever they want.

last edited at Jul 23, 2024 12:27PM

Why swerve with that awful bad end twist at the last minute knowing there’s no follow up? They’ll probably be beaten, disowned and thrown out on the street for all I know, damn I liked everything up to that moment

They have been going to college for a while at the end so they're basically adults already. They were even talking about living together. So I don't see this as a bad end. If they were still kids, then sure, this would be a problem. But they aren't kids anymore, so this is a good chance to leave their parents behind and move on with their lives together.

The text is hidden for a reason. You don't have to read it if you don't want to.

last edited at Jun 13, 2024 9:13PM

I'm gonna post a summary of chapters 13 and 14. I know we can't have a decent discussion until they're properly translated but I can't wait so here we go.

Chapter 13

After running way from Koto's place, Aya gets to Erika's apartment. Erika says Koto just called asking if Aya was there. This doesn't surprise Aya because Erika's place is pretty much the only place she could go. She's just a kid after all, and she wonders if that's the reason (the fact the she's a kid) Koto acted the way she did.

Erika asks Aya was going on and Aya says she thought she just needed to do her best to level the playing field with Koto to make their relationship work, but Koto just wanted her to stay put and do nothing, to leave her part-time job and the theater troupe and just stay with her. Once again Aya wonders if Koto is acting that way because Aya's just kid. Maybe that's why even though they have been living together for a while, nothing has happened between them, not even a kiss. Aya talking about that clearly ticks Erika off, who drops the mask for a moment and tells Aya she knows they had already kissed. This surprises Aya because Erika had told her she didn't know Aya and Koto were dating. Erika confesses she was lying. She did know, and the scene gets really tense here. Erika says she was always keeping an eye on them (she was a creepy stalker lol), so there was no way they could keep their relationship from her. That line triggers a flashback from Aya. A flashback to Tanabata, to the mysterious conversation she had with Erika that night. But she still can't remember clearly so she asks Erika if they had this conversation before. Erika doesn't reply and so Aya drops it.

Then Erika tells Aya that Koto changed. The Koto Aya loved is not the current Koto. Erika is not wrong but the general vibe of the scene makes me think she's just trying to manipulate Aya to make her doubt her feelings. Erika then gives Aya a photo album. It's a commemorative album from junior high through high-school. Aya's scared to check it out though. She really loves Koto but she wonders if her love is towards the current Koto or not.

Now it's next day and they are practicing with the theater troupe. The black-haired girl that was introduced in chapter 12 invites Erika and Aya to lunch. Over lunch, the dark-haired girl drops the bomb that Erika is in love with someone (remember Erika told her this in chapter 12). Aya is surprised. She never imagined that Erika had someone she liked. Erika keeps her mouth shut though. She's not about to reveal her secret (and at this point I think she's got many secrets). The dark-haired girl asks Aya if she has someone she likes. Aya admits she does have a person she likes and they're actually dating. She laments that things aren't going that well though. After learning about a side of her that she never knew, she can't figure out what kind of person she is. The dark-haired girl says that Aya idealized that person, and now the real person does't match Aya's ideal image. That much is similar to what Erika said before, but the dark-haired girl has more to say. She tells Aya she just needs to face the real person head on and properly communicate her feelings. Communication is the key to make a relationship work. This re-contextualizes the issue and gives Aya much needed hope.

That night, Aya is thinking about Koto. She wants to see her, but she realizes she's scared. Scared to face the real Koto. That's probably why she couldn't check the photo album.

Aya picks up the photo album. The few first pages contain pictures of her, Koto and Erika, but eventually Aya is nowhere to be seen anymore and there are only pictures of Koto and Erika. Aya realizes that must be when she disappeared. She starts crying as she realizes she never fully understood how her disappearance affected Koto, how it must have felt to have to keep going without Aya in her life.

Aya always thought that even if she didn't know what Koto went through, she just needed to stay by her side and do her best. She thought that would be enough to make up for the time they couldn't stay together. But now she knows that's not enough. As she touches Koto's picture with her finger, Aya realizes she's the one who never understood, who never faced Koto properly.

Chapter 14

This is my favorite chapter. Aya's backstory.

We start off with Aya in her childhood. She must be around 7 years old. She's with her mom and a guy that might be her father (more on that later). Aya is reciting some lines from a tv show. Both her parents are pretty impressed and her mom comments Aya may become a famous actress in the future. Aya is delighted to be praised and her mom hugs her and tells her she loves her. It's a pretty heartwarming scene, but it all comes crashing down from there.

Little Aya goes out to play with her friends but they tell her they won't hang out with her anymore. They said their parents told them that Aya's mom is dirty. We don't get any explanation though. Back in Aya's place, we see that Aya is doing chores alone. Her mom gets home late at night and little Aya greets her happily and tells her she's got something ready for her to eat. Her mom says she's too tired to eat right now. She doesn't even thank Aya though, and we see her general attitude towards her is totally different now, much colder. The man that might have been Aya's father is not there anymore either.

We move on to a scene in which Aya's mom informs her they're gonna move out. They're gonna live with Aya's grandparents. But when they get there her mom tells Aya she's gonna stay there alone. She says Aya's a cleaver and independent girl and she likes her grandparents so she will be fine. Aya's confused as heck and feels like her world is crashing down on her. She wants to ask her mom where she's going, when she's gonna come back, but she can't bring herself to say anything. Her mom says "goodbye" and she's gone.

Now we skip ahead to Aya's first day in middle school. Her grandfather says she looks good in her uniform. Aya says he already said that and he just laughs it off. I didn't think much of it the first time I read it but in hindsight, this was the first hint that her grandpa was starting to develop dementia. Her grandma hopes Aya will meet wonderful friends and gives her a bracelet. This is the origin of the bracelet that Aya always wears. Her grandma says Aya has a floaty kinda vibe to her, like she's gonna disappear at any moment. This bracelet will help them find her wherever she is. Aya accepts the bracelet but thinks she doesn't need friends.

Or so she thought but then she meets Koto and Erika and they become fast friends. So much so that she finds herself talking about them (specially Koto) with her grandma. As they get to know each other better, Aya starts thinking that maybe things are finally looking up for her and she has found "her place." But of course that's a huge red flag. So next scene we find out her grandma has passed away.

If that wasn't depressing enough, the loss was a huge blow to her grandfather, who has become more taciturn, as if he was in his own world. Aya remembers that her grandma had say if something happened to her, Aya would have to look out for her grandfather. Aya's life couldn't be more depressing but she's determined to not let things get the better of her.

Back in school, Aya is alone in a classroom looking through the window, as if lost in thoughts. Koto enters the room, surprised to find Aya there, and says club activities are over. Aya says she was looking at the sky and invites Koto to sit with her. Koto says Aya's gonna get scolded by Erika but Aya says Koto should stay with her so they can get scolded together (lol I love Aya).

Aya comments that Koto always manages to find her. She says Koto is really kind. Koto retorts it's not kindness. Aya knows, because Koto has already confessed her feelings to her. Aya turned her down because she couldn't reveal her feelings for Koto. She's scared, because no matter the feelings you have, in the end everything changes, just like it happened with her family.

Aya touches Koto's hand and says she hopes Koto will never change. Koto says she doesn't have to worry about that because people always tells her she hasn't changed at all. lol Aya laughs but deep down she hopes Koto will never forget about her.

We finally go back to the present. Aya says when she met Koto again after 7 years, she was really happy that Koto still liked her. But something did change. Aya remembers Koto desperately telling her to just stay with her.

Erika shows up and Aya gives the photo album back to her.

Aya wonders if the Aya in Koto's eyes is the same Aya that is here right now. And what about her feelings for Koto? Her feelings of wanting to see her, to have her in her arms. Which direction are those feelings facing?

In order to find the answer to these questions, she decides to face Koto and have a proper talk with her.

last edited at Jun 13, 2024 7:51PM

I'm surprised there are still people who want Erika to get together with Koto. It doesn't feel like that's where the story is going but who knows.

Anyway, I just read chapter 13 and 14 with the help of google translation. Hopefully we'll get a proper translation here soon so we can talk about it. Those two chapters are easily my favorite so far because a lot of stuff is finally revealed.

last edited at Jun 11, 2024 2:14PM

Putting it in these terms, I wonder if there's more to Koto's behavior here than just her abandonment trauma. One line that stood out to me is when she said, "That's how you've always been. Before I realize, you're moving forward. And then, just leave me behind." It feels like she's talking about more than just Aya disappearing. I think Koto, despite her love for Aya, has also always had an inferiority complex about her: the beautiful girl who can do anything. Aya says she wants to be "level with" Koto, but perhaps from Koto's point of view, their current arrangement, with Aya totally dependent on her, is the only way for them to actually be equal. As soon as Aya starts standing on her own again, Koto fears, she'll realize how much better she is than Koto and ditch her for someone she's more suited for.

I don't see it. Re-reading chapter 1, I don't get the sense that Koto had an inferiority complex at all. What I see in chapter 1 is that Aya had the vibe of someone who wanted to run away, and Koto clearly could tell and that's why she was afraid that Aya would disappear on her. Check out these few pages:

https://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/how_to_break_a_triangle_ch01#18
https://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/how_to_break_a_triangle_ch01#19
https://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/how_to_break_a_triangle_ch01#20
https://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/how_to_break_a_triangle_ch01#21
https://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/how_to_break_a_triangle_ch01#30
https://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/how_to_break_a_triangle_ch01#31

See? Koto already had the impression that Aya was going away, even before she actually disappeared. But it has nothing to do with a feeling of inferiority. It's just that Aya was giving off that kind of vibe. She seemed to want to run away somewhere else, and that was so obvious to Koto that it was painful for her:

https://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/how_to_break_a_triangle_ch01#30

last edited at Jun 8, 2024 9:36PM

I think Aya and Koto will be just fine. They have a lot in common because both suffer from abandonment issues, so they can understand each other. They just have to talk it out.

It would help if Erika tells Aya how Koto has been doing since she disappeared, and I think Erika is gonna do just that because guilt is finally piling out in her heart. You can tell she's starting to feel guilty for wishing that Aya and Koto will part ways.

last edited at Jun 8, 2024 6:23PM

I root for Fuuko because she's hot. I don't need to sympathize with her.

Yes, I'm shallow. Sue me.

And in that way Erika and Koto can finally be together yes yes yes.

That relationship is cursed. It's never gonna work out even if Aya and Koto don't stay together.

I have thoughts! They're all over the place though:

I know this is a bittersweet situation for them all but Koto is really dropping the ball on some things here. I know it's Aya's own insecurities and not wanting to be a burden that's forcing her to get a job. But Koto needs to do a little better herself. How have they not talk about how they refer to each other? I honestly see a split up happening whether temporary or not. This new girl who showed up. I wonder if she's really there just to give Aya a job?

That new girl is Koto's age. It wouldn't change anything for Aya in terms of interpersonal dynamics. Her problem is that she's too young for Koto and she would have the same problem with this new girl. That considering, I don't think this new girl is a potential suitor for Aya.

Making her float a little was very smart, or else she would totally feel like a scam and that would be awkward.... I wonder what other things she can do

Didn't she just toss her in the air and immediately catch her again? Not sure it was actual levitation...

Pay attention to the next page. The kid was floating in the air for a while.

A very different take on the story, this one looks to have focused more on the kingdom being actively endangered thus putting a drain on the princess that way.

While the serialized version looks to be focusing much more on their relationship while as of yet saying that the kingdom is going to be more than fine without the sword. With grief over losing her family being the main drain on the princess.

I'm pretty sure the serialized version is gonna end up the same way as this one. The water princess did warn Natalia that without the sword, her kingdom would be in great danger. So regardless of what her brother said, shit is probably gonna hit the fan all the same.

last edited at Dec 3, 2023 12:20AM

Aya's the one with the abandonment trauma. Don't know where people are getting the idea that Koto has such a trauma too. Sure Aya's disappearance fucked Koto up, but we don't know anything about her past yet. The story is actually focusing more on Aya's past than Koto's. First the matter with her grandfather, not that flashback to a woman that seems to be her mother.

Koto might have been the protagonist of chapter 1, but Aya has been the protagonist since she came back. Now I'm more convinced than ever that this is primarily Aya's story.

What are you talking about? It’s made clear since chapter one that Aya’s disappearance has caused Koto trauma. People can experience trauma from abandonment by the death/disappearance of anyone they care about, not just family members. Koto lost Aya at a very pivotal moment in her adolescent life. She 100% has abandonment trauma from this.

All that is an assumption. We don't know anything about Koto yet. Is she traumatized or simply moved on. It's not clear yet.

Also this ain’t a competition on who’s the protagonist lol.

Who says it's competition. My point is that the one we know the most about is Aya. We mostly see things from her point of view and she's the only one who has some of her past revealed to some extent. Unlike Koto and Erika, who are a total mystery and we know very little about, we know much more about Aya. That's what the story is primarily about. Which is interesting, because some people thought Aya would just be a plot device to get Koto and Erika together, but so far it has been nothing like that. If anything, Koto and Erika are the plot devices to explore Aya's feelings.

And just so you know but I've read up to chapter 7 too.

Koto is very attached to Aya. But the mystery is that it’s still not made clear how much of it is actually romantic, and how much is coming from her abandonment trauma. What complicates Koto’s feelings further is that, well, Aya’s an obvious kid (this gap will be presented even more prominently in later chapters). There’s no doubt she cares about Aya though. And it seems she’s lived a pretty emotionally disconnected life since Aya’s disappearance (hence Erika’s desire to have her become “normal” again).

I’ve always read the script scene as metaphorical.

Aya's the one with the abandonment trauma. Don't know where people are getting the idea that Koto has such a trauma too. Sure Aya's disappearance fucked Koto up, but we don't know anything about her past yet. The story is actually focusing more on Aya's past than Koto's. First the matter with her grandfather, not that flashback to a woman that seems to be her mother.

Koto might have been the protagonist of chapter 1, but Aya has been the protagonist since she came back. Now I'm more convinced than ever that this is primarily Aya's story.

last edited at Oct 24, 2023 9:20PM

There's something really fishy about Koto's script. It has Aya and Koto's names in it instead of the character names for the play (and Koto wasn't even acting for the play if I remember correctly). Is this the same script or something else entirely??

What's going on here, Koto? What are you doing? You looked kind of aloof during your date, but now it actually seems like you're super obsessed with Aya, even more so than 7 years ago....

On another note, that little Aya flashback suggests her mother leaving her with her grandpa was a pretty traumatic moment for her. Abandonment issues?

And poor Karen. She looks like she's getting ready to pursue Koto properly now, but I wonder if she knows that Koto writes creepy fanfiction about herself and a high-school aged Aya. lol

last edited at Oct 24, 2023 6:57PM

Yatosaki Haru does have a bit of same-face syndrome. But older Aoi looks literally exactly the same as Yuu's sister, even down to their chest size (recall that the dialogue explicitly calls attention to Yuu's chest size). And while we learn that Yuu's sister is named "Kaho," we never learn what her mother's first name is. Finally, on a thematic level, Yuu deals with very similar insecurities and self-worth issues that Aoi does, but unlike Aoi she never takes it out on her beautiful best friend/crush. In other words, Yuu is basically Aoi post-character development.

This all could be coincidence, but combined with Yatosaki saying that Aoi appears in Ami-chan's Diary, Aoi being Yuu's mother seems the most likely explanation.

That's an interesting theory and all but that's all it is, a theory. There's no confirmation in the text, so the fact is Aoi does not appear in Ami-chan's diary, and no amount of theorizing changes that.

last edited at Oct 7, 2023 2:59PM

She doesn't have to go out of her way to say she was spying on them seven years ago.

I don't know that she doesn't have to, but she definitely wouldn't want to, because spying is kinda creepy...

last edited at Oct 1, 2023 3:46AM

I think she genuinely wants the former, but also can’t help hoping for the latter. But I think that’s very normal for anyone who has held onto an unrequited love for this long. Even if you were the kindest person ever. I don’t think that makes her untrustworthy.

She feels untrustworthy to me because the way she framed the conversation seemed kinda manipulative. She never really asked Koto how she feels about Aya right now. Rather, she said "if you moved on already, you have to make it clear." Koto never said she moved on so why is Erika going there from the get go? It feels like she's pushing Koto in that direction in a moment when Koto hasn't even figured out her feelings yet. That's not what a good friend would do imo.

But you're free to disagree. These are just my impressions. It's not like anything is confirmed just yet.

EDIT: By the way, another thing I realized after reading the chapters again is that Erika lied to Aya in chapter 2. When Aya told her she and Koto had started dating, Erika said "I already knew." However, in chapter 3 she told Koto she found out they were dating from Aya just now. I don't think she would lie to Koto so I think she lied to Aya. But why? What's the point of lying about something so insignificant? It just made her look petty.

I think grandpa may have been distant/emotionally unavailable and she may have been neglected. But they haven’t delved into it yet so who knows. Aya doesn’t seem like someone who carries a huge amount of trauma imo, so I’d like to think the abuse didn’t run deeper. But again we shall see.

Aya did seem like she was carrying some trauma back in chapter 1 though. And also, she had a clear sense of relief when she found out her grandfather was dead. Look at this dialog:

Erika: It was a shame, you know, about your grandpa

Aya: You're wrong, Erika. The first thing that came to my mind was that it was finally over.

If you look at Aya's line on its own, then yes, various interpretations are possible. But when you add Erika's line and Aya's reply, things start to feel like there's something fishy going on. Erika said "it's a shame" and Aya's like "you're wrong, it's not a shame, it's finally over." So there's something deeper going on here. Hopefully we'll get more clues soon enough. Maybe when Aya and Koto have their date. I'm looking forwards to that.

last edited at Sep 30, 2023 8:22PM

"it's finally over" could be anything from "grandpa was abusive" to "grandpa was old and fighting cancer in lots of pain" to "grandpa had dementia"

Those interpretations wouldn't explain her behavior in the first chapter. If her grandfather was a good person and was sick or something like that, why did Aya felt she had no place in the world? It felt like she wanted to run away to somewhere far away.

Somehow I can't trust Erika either. It's nice that she's trying to push Koto to face Aya, but it feels she's doing this more for her own sake than for Aya or Koto. Like she just wants Koto to move on so she can get a chance herself.

Oh no, the horror, she wants her friend to move on from her traumatic experience to have a chance to do something that will not harm anyone. The villain.

Moving on from the traumatic experience and moving on from Aya aren't the same thing. Besides, is she doing this for Koto's sake or for her own sake? That matters too.

That said, I don't remember saying she's a villain. I merely said I can't trust her.

Somehow I can't trust Erika either. It's nice that she's trying to push Koto to face Aya, but it feels she's doing this more for her own sake than for Aya or Koto. Like she just wants Koto to move on so she can get a chance herself.

On top of that it's highly suspicious that the last conversation Aya had in the past was with Erika. What did they talk about?

last edited at Sep 30, 2023 5:47PM

I knew it. I previously posted that there were strong hints that Aya had some severe emotional issues. That she felt she didn't have a place to belong to and such. Now we finally know why. It looks like her grandfather wasn't a good person. Who knows what he did to her.

And as expected, Aya is not here just to give Koto or Erika closure. Aya has her own problems that the story is gonna explore. That's great. Hopefully Koto would stop running away and finally face her properly. Aya only ever dropped her guard around Koto in the past, so I get the feeling we will only learn more about her issues and whatever happened with her grandfather if Koto is involved. Aya won't reveal any of that to Erika.

last edited at Sep 30, 2023 2:00PM

Now the snake bitch is even more in the wrong. (As expected.)

She's not wrong. Her point is totally true. As long as the sword is rooted into Sara, no one can use it, and without it, Natalia's kingdom is doomed. This is why she wanted to kill Sara.

Her methods are somewhat extreme I guess, but everything she said it's 300% true.

She's wrong because she assumed that Sara had stolen the sword and that she was a villainous liar who took an opportunity to sidle up to the princess.

That's besides the point though. It doesn't matter if Sara stole the sword of got unwillingly. The fact is Natalia's kingdom is doomed without it.

That was the point of the comment you responded to. "Intentionally," etc.

I argue the post was kind of vague about it though. Besides, ultimately the larger point is the fact that she's right about Natalia and her kingdom being royally screwed without the sword.

Now the snake bitch is even more in the wrong. (As expected.)

She's not wrong. Her point is totally true. As long as the sword is rooted into Sara, no one can use it, and without it, Natalia's kingdom is doomed. This is why she wanted to kill Sara.

Her methods are somewhat extreme I guess, but everything she said it's 300% true.

She's wrong because she assumed that Sara had stolen the sword and that she was a villainous liar who took an opportunity to sidle up to the princess.

That's besides the point though. It doesn't matter if Sara stole the sword ot got it unwillingly. The fact is Natalia's kingdom is doomed without it.

last edited at Sep 25, 2023 9:10PM

Now the snake bitch is even more in the wrong. (As expected.)

She's not wrong. Her point is totally true. As long as the sword is rooted into Sara, no one can use it, and without it, Natalia's kingdom is doomed. This is why she wanted to kill Sara.

Her methods are somewhat extreme I guess, but everything she said it's 300% true.