This is probably not intended to be, but I'm choosing for a bit to believe the chapter is a meta comment by the author that exclaims in no uncertain terms, "This is a slow burn, motherfuckers!" and the thought amuses me very much.

More seriously, I appreciate the burning curiosity and genuine care the relationship between the two evokes in their surroundings. I've been in Hirose's shoes plenty of times, particularly regarding the idea that sometimes, when something still lingers in your head, it's tough to let it go. I've been burned by that, whew, a hell of a lot, so I like that she's got somewhere more, for lack of a better term, productive to vent towards. Speaking of a slow burn, Hatori's shell, I feel, is cracking as well, slowly, but almost definitely. It'll be interesting to see how her dynamic with her surroundings, with Hirose in particular, develops going forward. Lastly, I'd like to comment that this chapter was just really interesting to read. It gave a lot of breathing room to the supporting cast while also helping to breathe into the main draw of the series, which I find pretty impressive as well. Big fan overall.

"She's a non-industry friend. She helped me when I was ill. In what world does this seem romantic to you sick fucks?" I mean, I know that even in a real-world setting, this would be too idealistic, but I'd still hammer on with that.

Meh. Either case, milkies!

A few points in order of personal importance:

Despite how quickly she turned from heel to face being a bit of a whiplash, big fan of how open she is about it and especially her decision to open up to her friend.

Big fan of the friend's response and supportiveness, even bigger fan of her actual best friend responses™. That "eat shit and die" was bond-stronger-than-steel type response.

That said, something got into my head that Yui is also a potential love rival in disguise and I'm having trouble shaking off that angle lol.

That final panel was top-tier friends banter, but also Kaidou is ruthless. Can't really think of anything other than "eat shit and die" to respond to that lol.

With how many times they said "it's mutual" I'm worried that shit's gonna happen. I have trust issues. Though I don't expect things to go too badly either way.

I love power scaling where the more sexual things get the stronger nana’s magic is. They’re gonna be fucking in the demon lord’s castle eventually at this rate

Ah, the High School DxD treatment. Honestly, I'd probably vibe with a Yuri DxD, especially without Issei's cringe.

Seriously, though, the princess has been having horny creeping up on her for a while so I was expecting and hoping stuff like this would start happening, I really want to know how far they're gonna go. The girl was locked in, too, biting and shit.

Sigh... I'll start by saying that I had a random ass black out while I wrote my initial comment. When the thing came back up, the comment was still there, and I was a happy boy. Then I hit submit, the site prompted me to log in, and it sent me to a blank page with no comment to be found. I am no longer a happy boy.

In any case, so I know we're joking about Takamine's wing-crew, but the girl has grown as well. Both key initiatives in the chapter were hers, she just needed the opportunity and timing, then the god-tier support was there to round things up. She's got what it takes, but also has her own rhythm and approach to things, is all. I did wish she could response to Sakura's look, but it is what it is.

I love how subtle and casual the buildup to the revelation that Takamine did write about Sakura was, but also, the fact we're not shown explicitly what she wrote is absolutely maddening. In a good way. Like, this contrasts/juxtaposes the satisfaction from concretely knowing Takamine did write about Sakura, and creates a yearning, a sense of mystery — to put crassly, I'm being blueballed here, I'm dying to know what she wrote. If that makes any sense, it's like "imply, don't tell" rather than "show, don't tell", from a writing perspective, I love that. As a reader, I want to kick a newborn. And then the immediate transition into Takamine's "vengeance" reading what Sakura wrote was hilarious.

I'll take a step back and gush again about how casual and grounded the whole interaction was. It was clearly a very intimate moment, but there were no bells and whistles, no blaring sirens, no upsetting interruptions. Just their two voices. It's so serene and soothing, sweet, and touching. It's also simply fresh. It's always like that tang of zesty lemon in a flavorful cake. And, I mean, this is pretty much a key component of the series, has been from the start, and I'd say of Kon themselves as an author in general, but I'm a huge fan of this particular thing.

With all the above said, I'll also echo a sentiment from the comments: there's a genuine chance if and when these two get together, that I'll actually melt. Please marry already.

In all honesty, I do not care for omegaverse stories. I do not knock on those who do, but something about many of the key aspects of them (or at least how I perceived them) turns me off. With that said, the key conflict posed in this story is too fucking juicy to withhold from this one, and I'll probably follow it for a while.

With the above said, if anyone may, I need a bit of an explainer on the omegaverse. I was under the impression that the setting was, like, meant to include futa as a default. That was what I gathered the alpha/beta distinctions were for before. Is the omega distinction a new thing? Is there a general purpose to the distinction, or rather is it like a trope that associates with it traits that I am to expect from a character described as an alpha/beta/ometa/etc? I'm assuming each story has nuances, but what is marking on a general level?

The first panel they interacted I was practically contractually obligated to ship Hinata and Hoshino and I'm glad I am not the only one.

I like how Hinata saw parallels between Hoshino and Takamine, and I love how much she cares for them all. Especially for one who looks to be so flimsily attached to the ground, showing that she's actually very present and attentive despite her "stereotypical" airheadedness is something I very much appreciate. She's such a good egg, too, it's hard to dislike her. I will call her out for absolutely selling Hoshino out, in the best way possible, with the art thing, though.

I don't think I remember seeing a cast of side characters as whole (or fleshed out?) and involved in the story as this one in recent times. Genuinely a huge fan of that, with how organically they're incorporated into the overall tapestry, and especially how, for lack of a better term, normal they are, or perhaps well proportioned would describe it better.

Also Hoshino going "I... think I get it now...?" is just utterly amusing to me. Took her like 4 pages to catch up. Love this sort of stuff.

I was originally going to try and transcribe the violently incoherent Taz the Tasmanian Devil-esque noises I made at the buzzer but I may not have enough space. Absolute crime of an interruption there, but also genuinely impressed by the commitment to the edging by the author. Like, I'm not even mad.

More importantly, ayyyy they finally met and kinda set things straight! Or not straight! Whatever, you get it! Truthfully, it is a bit anticlimactic that all that was done just to apologize, but you gotta start from somewhere and that isn't that bad a start, exchanging contact info and stuff.

Also this does signify that the series goes on for a while longer which in itself is great. No clue where it's going now but I'm looking forward to whatever comes next.

I'm curious on how the plot will develop from now... I fully expect Nanao to end up doing it with Mai before Asumi does...

Especially if this is what comes next. Please! It'll be the funniest thing. Even more so if, for instance, Nanao sees the old photo and recognizes Asumi and they bond over her.

The entire sequence at the start was very amusing. Like, pretty certain they could've roped Takamine into assassinating the prime minister with the vibe they had. She's also part of the club in all but name, really, and her quiet resignation to the fact is very amusing as well.

So, you know when something is so goddamn cute and precious that you turn into Smeagol? Page 15 gave me that shit, so I lingered on it, giggling like a madman meets teenage girl (madteenagegirl?) for a good few minutes — did you see how adorable Sakura was? — before moving on, and when I was hit with the parallel/reversal on page 21 I'm full hog Smeagol right now. But also I absolutely adore that from a writing perspective. But also this is so fucking cute, dude. Man, this shit feels good; needed it, too, had a bummer of a day.

Takamine’s going to write about this cute Sakura she met.

I was thinking to myself that she was this close to figuring it out if only she substituted the word cat with a crasser colloquial synonym. More seriously, I do unironically believe she'll write about her recent experiences and inspirations and Sakura's role in all that, at least that's what I hope.

Firstly, yes. Secondly, yes! Thirdly, YES! Motherfucking Hot For Teacher all the way! Go! Big! Do not go home!

Also genuinely don't know what this means for the rest of the series; I don't think this is the endgame, but for the time being, I do not fucking care. Go big!

You just know with how Hiro does thing that their kiss is gonna be in full color and the lighting will be fucking immaculate

I’m expecting something like this: https://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/akebi_chans_sailor_uniform_ch43#32

Likewise, gonna be out of this world in either case.

In any case that was such a cute goddamn chapter, but Komichi getting outgayed at the end and just sitting there, "suffering" the consequences of her own actions was a ten outta ten, chef's kiss moment. Ahhhh! Need more!

The callback to Sakura's little daydream in one of the earlier chapters! I adore that! Staying at home to read this means I'll be late for work but this is 200% worth it, genuinely the best way to start the day.

This little chain of 3-4 comments brought a genuine 5-AM neighbor-waking fit of laughter to this one. I appreciate you all very much.

Maybe it will even turn into a shonen hero moment where Asumi is helped by all the friends she made along the way! And by that I mean, uses every single thing she learned on Mai at once.

This is the funniest thing I've ever read I need this. Ena and Sayaka as force ghosts hovering behind her guiding her fingers while she mindbreaks Mai with the secret techniques collected from 100 different professional sex workers

And this specifically, just the image has me in stitches.

In any case, let's fucking go? Honestly not counting on it, but still, let's fucking go! Though senpai still getting nothing is pure torture at this point.

Noooo, there could've been so much more debauchery and nonsense! Like others, I assume the author was told to wrap things up for one reason or another. A shame, since sex factor aside, it was a genuinely entertaining story with a neat idea or two that definitely could've gone places. Many of those were bedrooms, but still places. Still, definitely was a fun read, and also really hot, and I got my Maid x Mistress pairing. Though as one other commenter mentions, I'm surprised, and in all honesty, a tad bit miffed, there wasn't a full-blown foursome.

I adore every single little thing about this chapter and these developments. I don't even know how to approach everything I'd like to touch on but here goes.

Firstly, this is more of a joke than anything else, but the dashing prince hit Mini Hinata hard, and I'm very amused by that.

Some time ago I commented that I was hoping Sakura would get involved in the play, and while that itself didn't happen, I'm absolutely loving the idea of the collaboration between the clubs. For one, Takamine just pretty much helped bring Sakura's club to life with that, as well as give her (all the more) reason and justification to hang out with herself and the other friends she made over there. Then there's the implication that Sakura and Takamine will work together since I doubt that the theater club will release its clutches from her, and with Sakura being more present, Takamine herself will voluntarily be more present as well. The idea of Sakura writing for/about Takamine was something I was drooling for from the moment it became a possible option, so please and fucking thank you! But more than anything, and I'll slide it into the next section:

In my eyes, the crux of the chapter and of the play, and you could also say of this arc, is (in) the sentence "You were the one who made this world, just for me," and Takamine did just that. She made an entire world, both figuratively one of possibilities and opportunities and literally of welcoming friends and loved ones, all for her. And all because of her, as well. The sentence and idea behind it go both ways, since the world Takamine is seeing right now, one that was entirely foreign and alien to her, was made thanks to and with the help of Sakura and her presence in her life. It was incredibly sweet how in this chapter she realized and admitted that what she was feeling was excitement from the idea her friends, and Sakura in particular, would be there to watch her, and that is directly thanks to Sakura.

I don't know where this development leads and what the idea behind it is, but I absolutely love it. I believe there's so much room for it to develop and so many paths for it to take, and it's also just a perfect backdrop for the main focus of the story which is the developing relationship between Takamine and Sakura. It also just generally screams hey this series is gonna run for a while longer which just in and of itself is a good thing.

I also like how the story slid into revealing Takamine's surprise. It struck me really odd on page 14 that Mikemori and Sakura would be introduced to one another because, like, why? But as pages roll and the full picture is assembled it came as a surprise not only to Sakura but to myself as the (very) invested reader as well, which for whatever reason just made me feel super fucking happy and excited.

It also gave us the bottom panel of page 21. In a series that, for lack of a better way to put it, is known for how warm and affectionate and wholesome it is, this is, probably by far, the most affectionate, warmest expression in the series so far, and it is absolutely gorgeous. Especially with the given context. My eloquence is failing me at this point, but there are like 'girl in love' expressions and then there's this, which is all that and more, the sort of expression that says 'you are my everything', and I just love it so, so much.

And lastly, poor Takamine, the lass cannot get a second alone with Sakura. But I also love how this is contrasted by how both of their lives are visibly fuller and more fulfilling with all those "distractions" and "disturbances".

So yeah, no clue where this leads, what the endgame is, or why, but with a ride this enjoyable and competently executed, I don't really even care. Just give me more. More. Sugar.

Goodness fucking gracious lord almighty. Yeah, I think she can still make it work. Goddamn, the artwork is stunning.

Also I have just now read chapter 80. On the one hand, I'm glad I wasn't in the waiting pit for as long as those who have read it as it came out, on the other, I am in it now and I do not like it. Also it feels like Erika flipped a fucking switch there and I loved it. For lack of a better term there was some intense domme/temptress energy that I very much approve of.

last edited at Jan 3, 2025 6:17AM

...I don't know if Yarai has an iron will and confidence in spades or if she's dumb as bricks and sharp as a spade...

Expanding on this bit from my comment above, I'm more inclined to believe her dome's absolutely hollow. Or rather, she's, like, somehow both as straight as an arrow and as straight as a metal spring, fueled by pure instinct and desire. I love that. Going from "I don't know if I like girls, I never really thought about these things" to " Why can't it be me? Please go out with me!" with smoothness only second to her brain's was just chef's kiss, and the fact that Kaidou cannot wholeheartedly actually hate the girl or be mad at her for whatever reason (I wonder whatever could that be?. My god she was so quick to agree to tongue action that she might as well have suggested it herself) is just so absurdly hilarious to me, that my reaction to the final page was simply a burst of laughter.

last edited at Dec 3, 2024 7:04AM

me when I definitely didn't like being kissed by a girl and don't want to do it again "alright, yeah, sure, let's kiss again so I can make it clear how much I hate it."

I was going to make a joke about how this is very much akin to the universal experience of smelling foul meat (or anything way past its shelf life) once and then going for it a second time just to make sure but I realized it really is kind of like that, only that here poor girl is in denial that she absolutely loved said foul meat and has no idea what to do with herself about it. Not the best metaphor I've ever used but I'll work with that.

In any case, I don't know if Yarai has an iron will and confidence in spades or if she's dumb as bricks and sharp as a spade but I adore her. If nothing else, her being surprisingly perceptive as well as straightforward enough to just act rather than brood makes it so much more entertaining. Also no clue why she decided to straddle the girl but I'm all for it. Cutting it there was diabolical.

It really reads to me that Diana declared that so boldly to rile Lapis up more than anything else. I don't know what she gets out of it, and in truth, I'd prefer them to be on the same team because why the fuck not? I also feel like this is the most contractually obligated sports arc and tournament arc intertwined and I'm very amused by that thought.

Other than that I really do want to dive deeper into Lapis' inner world, so I'm very much looking forward to that. I'm impressed by how well it comes across that she's very traumatized strictly through the art.

Monkey brain out of the way first - shit was really hot. I feel like I should apologize lol.

Any case, I wasn't the hugest fan of the developments of the previous chapter, but this one went along pretty well, all things considered. I'd say in the grand scheme of things, Misa and Io came out better than they were going into the whole thing.

It's odd considering how harsh and impulsive Misa's initial reaction to the whole thing in the previous chapter was, but she still displays kindness and shows consideration every step of the way—or pretty much every step of it, I guess. Moreover, her actions in this chapter show a lot more understanding and deliberation, which would be the least you'd expect from her after seeing her stomp on Io's head in what seemed like unbridled fury. There's also the fact that Misa still genuinely cares for Io and -- the perfect words escape me here but something along the lines of -- genuinely wants to help her, like, to a level it viscerally frustrates her. The words "...replace her professional partner..." jump to me. Assuming this is also how it shows in the source text, I wonder if this is an angle the story could go.

We're also getting to/at the point where she's actively getting into it herself, and I've been waiting for it from the start and I very much look forward to this developing further.

And lastly, look, I don't know what I expected Io's mother to be. Some variation of the controlling, toxic mother stereotype, sure, but definitely not the very on-the-nose and quite literal scissor-wielding dommy mommy. This is some, like, the orange doesn't fall far from the apple tree type shit, but does, I guess, make some sort of sense considering Io. Monkey brain keeps yelling out oyakodon but I have no idea what that means. Odd.

Secondly, I'm assuming it was rather obvious from the start but I do want to call out the elephant in the room. If after all the parallels and obvious hints Yakou's sister is not Meguru I'll be absolutely gobsmacked. More than that, though, the series has a lot of tension in it, and one big source of it for me is the eventual absolute Titanic meets iceberg that would be the reunion between Azuki and Meguru. At the same time, I am impressed by the series still keeping plausible deniability about the fact.

I'm not even sure if I'd call it plausible deniability at this point, more like the author understands it's so obvious we don't need to be spoonfed info about what's right there in front of us.

That too, but what I mean is that with the way Yakou's sister's name was yet to be outright said, and Azuki has not yet spoken the name Meguru aloud, there's still the possibility that it'll be like "Oh, that's my sister, David!" or some such and it'll still technically be "valid". And I find that impressive and amusing.

My thoughts henceforth are based on both chapters three and four. I'm a bit late to any discussion here lol.

Firstly, I'm not exactly sure what Niji's fixation is just yet, beyond Yakou herself, but if I were to hazard a guess, her mentioning things are "wrong" or "not right" makes me think she's reading out of a script she expects real life to reimagine, or rather that there's a character or template she wants Yakou to fill or fit in, and when she doesn't, then it's not as it's supposed to be. Either case she's motherfucking terrifying. She absofuckinglutely knows who Azuki is, she fucking knows what color underwear she's wearing at any given moment, guaranteed, and I have no clue what her angle is. The way she's constantly shown with her phone was what gave me the thought about the script earlier, but much more reasonably... uh... I guess reasonably given the context, she's constantly fishing for info or noting things down for herself. I'm assuming she figured out who Azuki was during their conversation in chapter two.

Secondly, I'm assuming it was rather obvious from the start but I do want to call out the elephant in the room. If after all the parallels and obvious hints Yakou's sister is not Meguru I'll be absolutely gobsmacked. More than that, though, the series has a lot of tension in it, and one big source of it for me is the eventual absolute Titanic meets iceberg that would be the reunion between Azuki and Meguru. At the same time, I am impressed by the series still keeping plausible deniability about the fact.

Lastly, I like the way the dynamic between the two leads is developing. The whole touching thing is really interesting because it is specifically juxtaposed against the two supposedly being so deep into their respective closets they cannot see each other as sexual objects, but I also feel that there's some undeniable tension between the two; the framing and the positioning of the two very much suggests that to me (also the butt thing from chapter 4 was legit pretty hot). I can definitely see them going from weirdos to lovers which I believe I have stated before is what I hope happens.

But all the above said, at the same time, good lord girlies you both need help lol. Azuki specifically is such a bizarre brand of fucked up that it makes her weirdly endearing. Whereas Yakou has her, for lack of a better term, alter ego that gives her an already more approachable and agreeable facade, Azuki has absolutely fucking nothing but the fact that she keeps to herself. Were she any less hinged than she is this series would be markedly different.

Any case, genuinely interesting developments all around and I'm very much looking forward to what comes next. I particularly want to figure out what Meguru's schtick is.

last edited at Nov 7, 2024 9:47PM

Two of my favorite things are otomekai and yuri, so stumbling across this was very much a blessing. Big fan of how it's shaping up, hoping it runs for a while.

A couple of things that stood out to me while reading the chapters just now:

The queen seems amused more by the developing relationship/chemistry between the two useless lesbians than anything else which is really interesting to me and I wonder if the issue of chemistry ever comes into play, considering how the other pair genuinely doesn't seem to get along.

And considering they don't seem to get along on a personal level, I wonder how they truly measure up compared to the main pair. Could they make anything similar to the potions Nana and Luliam (spelling?) have made? I'm inclined to believe they wouldn't be able to.

Also:

The queen is so hot oh my god

and

Miko is adorable...

Just wanted to echo these two things as well.

Gah, these two are so cute I can’t even. And as people here have been saying, the supporting characters are really top-notch.

While in the broadest sense I’m a standard yuri reader hoping for relationship “progress,” I love the atmosphere and the character interactions in this series so much that I’m fine with the story taking as long as the author wants to take. (But I am always greedy for more chapters.)

I genuinely have nothing to add to this, just wanted to shout out and say that I'm in the same boat.

Holy motherfucking shit, I expected Hase's jealousy to fester and that she'd do that eventually but not so soon. She just blew the hell up. I believe this confirms and cements my thoughts about her being obsessed with Io, not sure about being in love with her just yet but that's probably the case as well. To so unabashedly use her control over Io and how she was conditioned to have sex with her is absolutely insane, but I'm also surprised that it doesn't seem like it happened earlier. I guess there is truth in Hase saying she never realized Io wasn't a little girl anymore.

...I hope everyone can see the difference between CNC and true non-consent :)

I think this is a huge part of how brilliant the writing is. There are obvious parallels and comparisons between Hase and Misa and their dynamic with Io, both "control" her, but the difference is also laid out very clearly that one does it through fear and conditioning and the other through both parties' desires and through Io's exploration and expression of self.

I'm also a huge fan of Misa straight up saying she does not accept Io having another, uhh, let's say, mistress? I'll go with mistress. There was what I read as a setup for the two's control over Io to be directly contested, and I'm interested if that's the case and how it'll look.

Two asides -

1. This is monkey brain speaking and I very much know I will not like it and will feel bad for it, but if the scenario already presents itself, go big and show a full scene between Io and Hase.

2. Page 20 - "Io... I want a straight answer from you..." I don't think there's any joke I can make that would be in good taste and funny enough to my taste (maybe just typing "Ma'am, is this a trick question?" or something), but I just wanted to point this out because this always amuses me.

last edited at Sep 29, 2024 7:03AM