What did happen was Aki slapping Shiho in the face when she left the band.

Oh my gosh, yeah! I was reading back through the chapters last night after writing my essay (which I apologize for, ill try not to let it happen again) and I found that and was super surprised! I totally forgot about that, as it seems most people here had as well.

Huh? Do we live in a world where it is okay to grab someone else by the collar and yell at them for expressing their opinion? No, that's not okay in any way. Shiho was emotionally and physically abusive to Aki, and never apologizes for it.

i’m sorry but are we just forgetting the fact that aki literally slapped shiho as hard as she could for saying she wanted to quit the band…? don’t get me wrong, i love aki, but she’s done shitty things too.
also, coming from somebody who’s actually experienced emotional abuse irl, don’t say this kind of stuff. it’s not okay to call somebody who throughout the entire manga has literally been trying so hard to just stay away from aki and when confronted by aki multiple times after wanting her t9 go away snapping a bit. that’s not emotional abuse. that’s not emotional abuse at all.
and when you bring up the collar grab, that’s not physical abuse… not even close. even slapping or hitting somebody once isn’t physical abuse, abuse in general is repetitive.
it feels quite a bit invalidating to call such petty things like that physical and emotional abuse. hope this helps <3.

Thanks loveis_freely for joining the discussion, I appreciate your takes and I really agree with you here. It's really just insane to me how people will twist things to fit their narrative.

It's honestly kind of shocking that a story about same-sex romance will push the theme that someone else is allowed to judge you for falling in love with one person rather than another, and be correct in the end.

Like this? What? I don't understand how you could draw this conclusion at all that this is what this story was portraying.

I was thinking about this after I received a reply over on Mangadex. Forgot to mention that Aki does regret not stopping Shiho back then. She says this directly in this chapter ("I don't want to repeat the regret I felt from not stopping you back then").

SrNevik, I was thinking about this as well! I agree with you completely, and it supports our interpretation of Aki being too focused on Yori back then, but now she's not so subconsciously fixated on Yori, meaning she's fallen or falling out of love with Yori enough to be able to give consideration to Shiho now and regret not doing so in the past.

Also, it seems that people keep saying they are upset with this chapter because Aki is the one who apologized and Shiho didn't... but I didn't take any of what Aki said as an apology. She does kinda indirectly say she was wrong, so maybe people consider that an apology? To me, she just said they were both misunderstanding, or "didn't know who they really were" so now that they do know, now that the air is cleared, she would like to start over. And I think that's great. I think that's awesome writing.

Also, someone said the author made Aki "commit character assassination" because she "magically" isn't in love with Yori anymore, and I also disagree with that. I don't think this was very sudden, although it may seem like that to people. I think Aki let go of her romantic feelings for Yori when she accepted Hima and Yori were together and in love with each other, she just didn't know it at the time. I also think there's an argument that Aki never really had true romantic feelings for Yori, and they were more akin to a fan infatuation with a celebrity, but I digress.

It just always amazes me how unsympathetic and/or empathetic people can be.

nice fanfic and all, but where in the story is the evidence that support these claims, cause from where i stand this seems a lot like the head cannon from an overtly sympathetic super fan, dont ya think?

Yeah, honestly, I understand where you are coming from. I wouldn't call myself a "super fan", but Aki has always been my favorite character, so maybe I am just biased. But maybe I've just always paid more attention to her than you?

I did pause and consider that maybe some of what I was saying was a bit head cannon from me while I was writing that original post, however upon further discussion and reflection I do genuinely believe there is some substance to back up my opinions, as you can see from my previous posts. They aren't just based on nothing. Sure, there's not much to support my claims, but there's not anything to disprove them either.

That doesn't make it not head cannon though, I understand that. But then, there's the conversation of how much you can infer about the character's thoughts and feelings based on the drawings. Everything the author draws is deliberate, obviously, but especially expressions. They have to convey things that aren't spoken or written because most of the text is dialogue and characters don't always say exactly what they mean or feel. So, when Aki isn't really jealous and she's teasing Yori about her dates with Hima, I was thinking, "That's not really how I would expect someone with a crush on her to act." But again, it's open to interpretation. Manga is very similar to movies and tv in that way I guess. You have to guess how characters are feeling based on their actions.

like, why would a romance story have one of its major supporting characters, whose most memorable trait is that she is also in love with the main heroine, just.... suddenly fall out of love?

Maybe because she's not just a one dimensional character? I don't mean this disrespectfully, I'm just genuinely pointing out; a lot of people would be criticizing an author for having such a single-purpose, simple character. And people who love the character, like myself, would be disappointed with the lack of care the author would have to show her to not give her any development or thought.

and to make matters worse, there was little to no build up to this revelation, to the degree that the handshake chapter itself had so many people confused, and then this chapter rolls up and aki is out here liberated from a one sided love she held for so long, how is this not pulling a houdini?

Like I said before, I understand how it came out of nowhere for people. I'm not saying you're completely wrong. It basically came out of nowhere for Aki herself, and maybe in your opinion that's bad writing, but for me it's relatable. I myself have struggled with understanding and interpreting my own feelings and understanding why I feel the way I do about things and people at times. But, again, maybe you would call that head cannon.

just in case some misunderstand my stance, its not like i want aki to still be in love with yori, its just that this was a long held trait of her character, yet its resolved in such a convenient way to make her single for shiho, which i find to be subpar as far as writing goes.

I think that's understandable and I respect your valid opinion. I can admit that this revelation that Aki was not in love with Yori anymore was easier for me to accept and rationalize because I was also pretty relieved about it, because I would like Aki and Shiho to be together. But, to me there were hints that she was not romantically inclined towards Yori anymore for a while, as I've stated in my previous posts now.

Also...

So many mindreaders here with the ability to explain away the most basic everyday details like when you quit your job (and being in a band is indeed a job), you don’t have that job anymore.

Dude, they are in high school. Clam down.

last edited at Jul 22, 2023 1:53AM

Gee, when you stomp off and quit a band it must be incredibly emotionally shattering when you get replaced. Oh, the humanity!

When the person in question is the girl that your crush is in love with? I'd say so, yeah.

Exactly. Also, Shiho is human and it didn't seem like her quitting was very premeditated. I doubt she really thought about what would happen afterward. Subconsciously though, there had to be the hope that Aki would ask her to come back. But, it is interesting as well that Aki just seemed to accept her quitting, and then replaces her like what would admittedly be normal, but then when they run into each other again she questions why she really quit. It supports the theory that Aki was just too fixated on Yori in the past to really give a thought to Shiho before.

Aki this time showed an increased awareness for Shiho's feeling that she didn't have when she was fixated on Yori back then. That could be an interesting thing to discuss when thinking about how long she had actually moved on from that infatuation. The hand holding a couple chapters ago was her final moment of recognizing her crush was over. And in that moment she says something that implies she'd already known her love was over, even before the handshake test. So it was over a while before this chapter and that was hinted at (pretty bluntly) chapters ago.

Oh wow, you're right. I didn't even really realize that, but that backs up my theory that Aki wasn't ever really in love with Yori and maybe when they got closer and she became her friend her feelings kinda changed but she couldn't tell because she still liked her as a friend and admired her as an artist.

It's hilarious that people think Aki didn't do anything wrong.
All she wants in this arc is to get back with Shiho. However, when Shiho left the band, all Aki did is asking Yori to join the band instead of asking Shiho what's wrong.
No she never calls Shiho or says something. I mean, if you really care about Shiho, you should at least do something to be in contact with her instead of finding another person to replace her.
All in all, if Aki doesn't care about Shiho, she did nothing wrong. But if she does care about Shiho and consider her a close friend, she made a big mistake.

Awesome point actually. You're totally right. It must have hurt Shiho a lot to see Aki just replace her, especially with Yori, and those hurt feelings must have contributed to why she's so hostile and wants Aki to say she made a mistake, that she's better than Yori in the band.

I would just like to thank Bielna, SrNevik and Kabu for fighting the good fight. I always like to look at the comments on chapters I'm very happy with because it always amazes me how people always find reasons to hate it and call it bad writing.

I never would have ever interpreted Shiho's actions as her feeling 'entitled to more' from Aki, or that this outcome was the author blaming either of these characters for everything. As stated before, the story isn't even about blame, but regardless I don't think anybody is really to blame here. They are all understandable in where they are coming from; Shiho distancing herself and lashing out due to her heartache, Aki wanting better answers and understanding, and even Hima-- who as SrNevik pointed out, pushed them together because she was friends with them and didn't understand why they wouldn't get along with each other because she thinks they are both great people.

People keep saying it's Shiho's fault for not giving a reason for distancing herself... but she did? She expresses multiple times (in what people describe as antagonizing the band) that she thinks they are low level and she's better than them. That's her excuse, that the SS Girls weren't serious enough and she's too good for them. Aki doesn't accept that later, which she's right obviously, that wasn't really the reason, but it's still a solid reason and why she's fallen out with bands before.

Now, I won't argue that Shiho didn't do anything wrong, but it is understandable. She is hostile about Yori and Aki obviously because of her jealously and heartache respectively. She doesn't want Aki to 'renounce her band and friends', she really just wants Aki to say she's better than Yori, in some way. She can't beat Yori for Aki's heart so she wants to beat her in singing, and when Aki won't even give her that, yeah she gets upset and "yells in her face" (I wouldn't really describe that scene that way but whatever, I guess so).

If you just don't like characters who ever say a single mean thing when they are upset, then I guess there's no helping not liking Shiho, but still. I would have thought people would at least be grateful all the drama is not happening with the main, wholesome pairing, but no. People always want to complain, so they complain that the series is too long and should have ended. I guess the author should have done what Bloom Into You did with Sayaka and just made a different series for Aki's story.

Also, someone said the author made Aki "commit character assassination" because she "magically" isn't in love with Yori anymore, and I also disagree with that. I don't think this was very sudden, although it may seem like that to people. I think Aki let go of her romantic feelings for Yori when she accepted Hima and Yori were together and in love with each other, she just didn't know it at the time. I also think there's an argument that Aki never really had true romantic feelings for Yori, and they were more akin to a fan infatuation with a celebrity, but I digress.

It just always amazes me how unsympathetic and/or empathetic people can be.

last edited at Jul 21, 2023 10:35PM

Chen can still get a taste of that pineapple tart I'd she really wants ;)

I relate to the blonde so much it hurts

I disagree that this is what is happening in this story. Just because she's considered herself straight her whole life doesn't mean she can't discover she's not now. And if a hot coworker confessing to her is what it takes for her to go "hey, maybe I do actually like women too" then so what? Everyone's journey is different. Some people just can't imagine how they'd feel about something until they are actually in that situation.

I remember hearing a story about this actually happening to a 40-year-old woman.

It's nowhere near as big of a shift as realizing you're gay, but something similar happened to me. I realized, years after having met a person, that I had a crush on them since we first met. It was just after hearing they had broken up with their long-time partner. I realized it, and then realized I had been subconsciously avoiding thinking about it until that moment.

Yeah I know of multiple women who have been married and had kids with a man only to later in life, after divorcing said man, find out they are much happier with another woman.

And I took 20 years to realize I liked girls, which compared to 40 isn't a lot but looking back, it feels like it shouldn't have taken so long lol. I do think it has something to do with exposure tho, because what made me realize it was listening to a lesbian on a podcast. I had a lot of the same opinions and feelings as her about things and it made me go "huh... Wait a minute." And then all the pieces throughout my life just kinda clicked into place, like "ohhhh that's why"

This scenario of an single older office lady who is ostensibly straight deciding to enter into a gay relationship because she has not other prospects is rapidly becoming a trope.

"I'm not gay, but this person is the only one interested in me so ¯_(ツ)_/¯ I guess I'm gay now!"

I disagree that this is what is happening in this story. Just because she's considered herself straight her whole life doesn't mean she can't discover she's not now. And if a hot coworker confessing to her is what it takes for her to go "hey, maybe I do actually like women too" then so what? Everyone's journey is different. Some people just can't imagine how they'd feel about something until they are actually in that situation.

I don't mind it as long as it makes sense in the story, and here it's supported by the barest of threads. I think the story would be more satisfying if the MC's dilemma was around her journey to accepting that she's gay/bi, not whether or not she can accept a same-sex partner's feelings as a heterosexual woman. As it stands in chapter 3, she's not all that conflicted about her sexual identity, she's treating it like an experiment. And we all know how those experiments typically go....

I don't really understand how the two things you say here are that different, other than the use of labels. Doesn't being able to accept the same-sex partners feelings as you say, basically mean you're gay/bi? Just because she's not explicitly using the question "am I gay?" doesn't mean she's not considering if she can love a woman or not. And all dating is basically "an experiment" no?

I think it's handled really well in "Trying out marriage with my female friend" because even though the situation is very similar - two ostensibly straight friends who decide to get married out of convenience - it's emerging via the narrative that Ruriko appears to have been in love with Kurumi since high school and despite the fact that they are MARRIED she is still slowly starting to accept the fact that she's gay. And Kurumi is going through the same thing in a slightly different way since she's a little more easy-going and free spirited. Despite the silly premise, I find it satisfying to watch their relationship develop because each of their journeys of discovery feels more plausible to me. Maybe it's because Kurumi and Ruriko's relationship is more established and current events are an extension of that.

Ironically, I think "Trying out marriage with my female friend" is more in line with your entire post here. The whole reason they are married is the trope you said in the beginning of your post. Because Kurumi couldn't find another partner and said "why not I guess". However, what I said also pretty much applies to this story as well. Kurumi has just never even considered the possibility that she is gay before, but through her developing relationship with Ruriko who already is in love with her, she's slowly starting to consider it.

last edited at May 5, 2022 5:05PM

And given that the gay fanservice angle is specifically a part of the plot, I really doubt the person mom actually flirts with on camera is the one she's actually into. It would be a weird choice to imply that the plebs on the message board know Mom's heart better than Youzi does.

I mean Youzi literally wrote in her notebook that she thinks mom prefers auntie Chen. Youzi prefers Ren. But I guess we'll see in this next chapter, if Chen is there on the show as well, which I hope she is. It looks like she's on the list of guests under the mom.

But, really, all of this is just speculation and assumptions. By Youzi, by the shippers in the manhua and by us, the readers. I think it would be kinda clever for actually nothing to be going on at all and it is all just fanservice and everyone seeing what they want to see. But I doubt the author would actually do that since I imagine a lot of ppl would be upset.

I still hope the real love interest is auntie Chen. The mom has never really shown a particular interest in Ren, though in this last chapter Ren does seem to show some interest in the mom. I just think Chen finds Youzi's shipping entertaining and is encouraging it here to tease the mom because she thinks its funny and cute. But I think the mom likes Chen and Chen just hasn't really thought about it much besides she wants the mom to be happy.

The mom is distant with Ren because they have clear history. That's why she's keeping a distance, because there's past heartbreak there.

Chen is just a friend. I'd put money on it.

I wouldn't really say she's keeps her distance. She goes to her shows and even sang with her at one, she buys a bunch of her merch for her daughter and lets her daughter take her vocal classes. I just don't think the mom herself seems very interested, beyond just in a friendly way. If there is a romantic history from college I think the mom has long moved on.

I don't think the mom and Chen are in a relationship right now or anything, but I think the mom is maybe pining. And Chen is maybe that one outgoing oblivious friend that doesn't take any of her hints seriously. That's my hc right now anyway

I still hope the real love interest is auntie Chen. The mom has never really shown a particular interest in Ren, though in this last chapter Ren does seem to show some interest in the mom. I just think Chen finds Youzi's shipping entertaining and is encouraging it here to tease the mom because she thinks its funny and cute. But I think the mom likes Chen and Chen just hasn't really thought about it much besides she wants the mom to be happy.

This looks like it was inspired by an illustration from Her Shim Chong

She was so close to accepting her feelings, but then backed down again even after all her earlier thoughts...

And damn, that system just had to pick that time to pop up... Although I guess I did already expect it to after seeing the knife. No way the system could have resisted that.

Oh my god I bet the system commands her to injure Elsa with the knife. So Evie makes a small cut on her finger or something. Then maybe, just maybe.. The finger sucking to heal trope is added in.. Kinky..

Yeah I think it's definitely gonna involve the knife

Yeah I ship the auntie Chen and the mom

I mean Ren is super cute especially with the daughter, it's super cute how she loves auntie Ren so much. But I just get more couple vibes from Chen and the mom together. Maybe it has something to do with them being the ones on the cover.

last edited at Mar 31, 2022 1:11AM

Viva La France! Wassup my homies!!

FOR ONCE THE CHILDHOOD FRIEND WINS, THANK YOU AUTHOR-SAMAS ILL LOVE YOU FOREVER WHERE CAN I BUY THIS MANGA IT DESERVES IT OMG IM SO HAPPY
Sayo my boo she's so gorgeous with short hair too I can't. I really didn't think it was gonna end like this but I'm so happy. For once it ended how I wanted it to.

last edited at Feb 13, 2022 5:06AM

^ I would like to add Eula to the list

I THOUGHT YOU WE'RE TALKING ABOUT CLAUDINE'S HAND BUT NOW I SEE IT

Sidenote: what if Shiori is part of the reason Hinakos family died o.o

I've had that same thought. Why is she specifically a mermaid? Random choice, or something to do with the accident involving the ocean?

Definitively will have some tie with the accident. Well she could also be the one that saved her

OH THAT WOULD BE SO GOOD
She saved her cause she knew she would taste good later.

B*** WHAT THE F***
No but I love this manga and can't wait for the next chapter with that cliffhanger Dx
I don't think Miko is actually trying to eat Hinako. Would be crazy tho.

Edit: k so I read some comments now and ppl make great points. I think Miko is either baiting Shiori to kill her as a way of protecting Hinako because she doesn't trust herself not to eat her. Or it's just a way of baiting Shiori to attack her again so that she can kill Shiori. Though I guess that's less likely cause she already lost when they fought right now and Miko is still tired.

Sidenote: what if Shiori is part of the reason Hinakos family died o.o

last edited at Dec 13, 2021 9:44PM

Yae's nails bro

Where was the warning for that lewd hand holding I wasn't ready

Oooo has there been any content for these two?

Did they go on vacation together again?