This was Odoroo Dorothy's first published work, submitted in December 2019, though she's made several twitter one-shots in this vein. One of those was about a girl who could see a ghost and pretended not to. Which was a lot more light hearted and less gruesome than the rest, at least before it was picked up into serialization. Dorothy's old twitter one-shots always felt a little Junji Ito inspired to me, only much sillier but often with a dark twist at the end.

Anyway, Happy Halloween.

Apologies in advance for the wall of text but my stream of consciousness had a lot of consciousness to stream.
Definitely need to work on an updated recap for vol5. However Aizawa-san should be going on another 2-3 month break.

You put a name to the monster and suddenly she's sympathetic.

It goes without saying this is a tragedy. Aizawa's dead, and every line like "Honami-chan died," hits heavy. All ghosts are presumably people who suffered sad fates. But with Nagi's formal introduction I strongly get the feeling those sad undertones previously drowned out by the silliness are about to get loud.

Michi can't hide Aizawa anymore and doesn't want to, the alternative becoming more painful. Nagi seriously cared about Aizawa despite now being manic about killing her. And there's some family-ish connection? Whatever the hell Nagi meant by that. Which means the mourning's about to get much more personal when we dig deeper. With volume 6 it feels like we'll be crossing the line into the mystery's 2nd act: from fallout of the incident to actively putting pieces together.

MIZUSHIRO NAGI

Did you notice Nagi's fuzzy pupils? While Masaki's star-seeing eyes were strange, there's no mistaking Nagi could see ghosts in life. It's consistent and shown twice, hammered in with the final panel of the volume. I've pushed the theory Nagi and Aizawa were killed by some greater ghost, and if Nagi could see ghosts it credits the idea her death wasn't just an accident.

Given our understanding of the timeline, Nagi died ~a year ago (just before DeLphi was official) and Aizawa around 6 months ago. We know Michi got involved somewhere in there. The question isn't if Nagi knows her but whether Michi met Nagi while alive or dead. It seems very likely Michi met Aizawa either to protect her from Nagi or from whatever killed them both. Even at the festival Nagi has never directly interacted with either of them. But unlike Aizawa, Nagi can talk. Ange can hear her. And she can start dropping us hints.

While family is a distant theme, don't forget Michi's mom is definitely playing some part here.

The slow clarification of Nagi across volumes — from distorted wraith to human ghost — is similar to Kasumi becoming able to see Aizawa. This likely mirrored Ange's perspective, who reacted as if first seeing Nagi at the concert. No guesses as to why Nagi is possessing Ange, but if it's anything like Kasumi it doesn't necessarily indicate a strong personal reason. Both are taking what's available.

KASUMI

On that segue, I doubt anyone predicted this but the buildup was fantastic. And Kasumi perfect for Michi to confide in: level-headed, considerate, perceptive. She already suspected Michi and Sayaka saw a "fairy." Not to mention it immediately jumpstarts Kasumi back to relevance after falling by the wayside post-vol2, easily dragging Sayaka into usefulness as well. And we can start addressing Michi's memory loss, given Kasumi remembers conversations with Michi they never had. Kasumi can also stop experiencing horrors beyond comprehension every time Aizawa gets jealous; only somewhat comprehensible horrors now.

My sole gripe is losing an aspect I loved to Kasumi — her faithful support of Sayaka despite being unable to understand her. It was really sweet. But I'll take that sacrifice for this new direction pulling all the elements together.

It also opens a new door if ghost exposure leads to ghost vision. Is Kasumi's power limited to Aizawa, or can she see them all? Will her eyes get fuzzy too? Did anyone we know get their powers this way? Sayaka seemed to have some bloodline thing going, but Michi's alluded to a bad encounter as a kid.

But back to NAGIZAWA

There's a tone of artificiality to Aizawa. We know her true(?) nature of course and it's always been called into consideration why ghost Aizawa acts differently from idol Aizawa. Michi thought it was her dorky real self she'd buried, and that's not a bad guess. Idol Aizawa is described as "perfecting a formula, down to a science, textbook, made to be an idol." There's another reference to her being an angel. And it's all summed up as a curse.

A curse on her fans, but maybe on Aizawa herself too? Pushed into losing her human nature, metaphorically then literally. Again Dorothy commits to Aizawa staying voiceless in flashbacks, but Nagi effectively speaks for her. Nagi's seemingly the one who pushed Aizawa to be an idol, Nagi's the one covering for her. I'm not blaming Nagi but was it really what Aizawa wanted? Aizawa relates to Masaki at times. Did Aizawa only want to be an idol because of Nagi too? I don't doubt for a second Aizawa loves the rest of DeLphi and her fans, but there's always been the subtext of questioning whether Aizawa really wanted that life, ever since Michi guessed Aizawa was haunting school because she wished she could have been there more.

HONDA VS MASAKI
(can't believe I wrote all this without touching on the focal duo yet send help)

Dorothy said she normally plans arcs in sets of 3 chapters, but that, in deliberately slowing the pace of the manga, Honda vs Masaki became 11 long. In a microcosm I think this arc reflects the entire manga: confusing and chaotic at first, but in hindsight it all comes together (hopefully). Masaki's not inherently a bad person, just warped by trauma that never healed right. Even while hating Honda's attachment to Aizawa she never has anything but sympathy for Aizawa herself. And Honda's so fractured by guilt she's allowed it to damage every part of her life. Her "penance" was so self-serving it only hurt her friends further. Maybe in the future we can look back and draw stronger parallels to Aizawa and Michi there.

Both took advantage of Michi. Neither are completely forgiven for what they've done (Masaki much more so). Honda's broken confidence and Masaki's toxicity might be permanent parts of them now. But all they needed was communication to pull each other through.

MICHI

Speaking of which I'm so proud of Michi's growth. There was a time I worried she was the manga's weak link; a passive amnesiac protagonist can be tough to write. But watching her learn from failures and get proactive to the point of giving guidance to the girl with the max charisma stat has me gaijin 4koma-ing. It's sadly rare for MCs to learn to cut through the bullshit and force out misunderstandings, but Michi's taking that lesson to heart. And it's happened so naturally in response to what she's faced.

I'm not only hyped for where the story's about to go but for who Michi's going to become by the end. This is a girl who can protect her ghost.

• Love this page. The implications and themes, how it touches on the yin-yang that idolization can be a curse. And how easily that reflects on the slow torture Michi's putting herself through being unable to let go of Aizawa.
• Dorothy's expressions are super underrated. She's great at hinting subtle emotions, all those pained looks between Honda and Masaki. Of course, you'd have to be for a manga with a mute love interest.
• Wonder if there's foreshadowing on Masaki wanting to see Nagi again. Honda and Masaki's subplot clearly has room to continue, and it's pretty conspicuous how DeLphi's agency is suddenly recruiting a new group as DeLphi implodes. Does Masaki's star vision let her see idol ghosts? It hasn't worked on Aizawa. But after Kasumi I get the feeling everyone will be in on the ghosts by the end. You can't not have Honda reunite with Aizawa in this goofy manga.
• No I have no idea what Nagi meant by her being kinda-not-really sisters with Aizawa either.
• I feel like I should have more to say on Honda vs Masaki, but I just think it was very satisfying and rounded off. It's not as conspiracy-theory-crazy as the ghost stuff, though it served as a light distraction that helped Michi explore herself the same as Kasumi & Sayaka's arc way back when. I really liked this arc even if it might have run a little long. My one complaint is I am fiending for the yuri to get more explicit and was hoping it would resolve with Michi having more of a "well fuck my attempt at making friends just made me more convinced things are super gay here." Thankfully Kasumi should very quickly understand Aizawa and Michi's chemistry.
• Nice to have background gremlin Aizawa back at least.

last edited at Oct 30, 2025 4:49PM

To quote Dorothy on this chapter, "Solve your problems with yelling and violence!"

Chapter 30 is out and I plan to have it translated by tomorrow.
I'll be translating a one-shot by Dorothy for Halloween as well.
Because I'm not up to date, I'll try not to spoil anything. But I will say the Honda vs Masaki arc has ended.
I did jot down some thoughts before 30's release so I'll try expanding on those without hinting whether I'm right or wrong:

I think this is the first clear view Michi's had of Mini Michi? It's her first appearance since the festival too. Kinda foreboding how MM is easily exhausted and fades out. She's probably not dead-ish again but it seems the festival only gave her a short-term burst of power rather than returning her to full strength. And without MM the barriers are gone and nothing can return Aizawa to normal.

Except a well-timed slap apparently. Michi's seriously lost it and who can blame her. Both Masaki and Honda are being pretty damn inconsiderate as she's caught in the crossfire. Honda would never want to hurt Michi but she's gone haywire with Masaki involved, lashing out with misguided concern last chapter and quickly forgetting the whole reason she came to the nurse's office: instead of helping Michi she's yelling in circles with Masaki again. And Masaki is self-destructing not caring who's in harms way. That's not even getting into the existential crisis they're giving the invisible ghost in the room.

Aizawa has seriously lost it. The interesting part is Aizawa temporarily forgetting what happened. When she's overcome with emotion, Aizawa almost behaves as if possessed herself, acting singlemindedly and losing short-term memories. Not that I'm saying it's literal possession - more akin to her ghostly id jacking her consciousness and acting on her uninhibited desires. It's something to keep note of as ghosts get fleshed out. And to compare to "Mizu" who similarly strangled Ange in ch26.

When Aizawa "comes apart" (I have a hard time picking a phrase for that given how indescribably lovecraftian it is) there's further reinforcement it's a response to being forgotten, becoming literally formless/undefined. The thought of one of her biggest fans forgetting her is enough to kill(?) her, especially in Aizawa's emotionally frayed state given all that's worn her down lately.

There should only be enough pages in volume 5 for 1 more chapter. Dorothy promised DeLphi backstory this volume so I expect ch30 to swap back to Karasuma and Tear and give us details there. Every volume consistently ends on a few major twists/reveals - last time it was the existence of DeLphi's deceased 5th member, "Mizu". This time I'm sure we'll find out who she really is.

Anyway the composition went crazy on p18. Funny how Michi is so frustrated she doesn't even have the capacity to freak out over Aizawa melting this time. Important to note she gets another nosebleed there - not really sure what that means yet, likely Michi's powers straining, but to defend herself? To hold Aizawa together? It happens every time Michi suffers heavy Aizawa exposure but it's almost certainly a response on Michi's end and not a direct effect from Aizawa.

• Free-space praise for the tonal shifts when that spread gives way to the goofiest spread in the manga.
• And it looks like that's it for the theory Masaki can see ghosts. No way you wouldn't react to a girl going full eldritch on you. But she's not 100% normal given the "idol star vision" she's got going.

Here's your Aizawa Crossing cheat sheet:
Ange: goat
Tear: rabbit
Non: cat
Kasumi: sheep
Sayaka: wolf
Aizawa: dog
Michi: cat
Masaki: rabbit
Honda: bear
Seta: dog
Karasuma: bird

Raw chapter 12.

Back-to-back lethal doses of fluffy and toxic yuri? Chapter 12 didn't come in halves so it's likely intended as a simple breather. But it's nice to be back to private time between Kasumi and Haruyo, along with returning the written exchanges. There's a lot of power in that little "I love you."

Speaking of power in little gestures, we get more hints of Kasumi's trauma that likely go over Haruyo's head. Her surprise at how easy it is for Haruyo to hug her, her hesitance towards committing to the future, her shifting feelings towards studying that were likely rooted in guilt. Though of course Haruyo's being almost too respectful now of Kasumi's space, even as she shocks Kasumi by slipping under her coat this time. Not that she seemed to mind. Haruyo might be a dork but she's gentle and considerate enough to take Kasumi's pain when the time comes.

There's a lot of winks given that Kasumi/Haruyo won't be just like Sayori/Mizuki, but we see their worth as role models. That classic fear of transient relationships common to Class S and old yuri dispelled with an exchange sounding suspiciously like a proposal. Though, with Kasumi turning more gay gremlin than ever, you know you need to bask in this happiness while it lasts.

The mangaka has made statements recently stressing over fan translations and asking everyone to read on the official site.

I won't seek her out, but does she know that most of us cannot read Japanese?

I think she realized it was irrational, since she apologized several times for being narrow minded, but was mostly uncomfortable with anyone reading a pirated version at all. It's not like I really expect everyone to give the raw chapter views and likes either but it would help to get some traffic up.

Digital.
Physical.
Official raws.
The mangaka has made statements recently stressing over fan translations and asking everyone to read on the official site.

I don't want to get into it, largely because I don't want anyone trying to argue with Igarashi about piracy. Igarashi doesn't speak English and no matter how well-intentioned you are it's likely to come across as harassment. I don't think Igarashi was being especially condemning, it was more of an emotional appeal, but with volume 2 coming out in a week it's a stressful time for sales and Igarashi hasn't had the easiest time lately.

If you are ever going to speak to a mangaka saying you're a foreigner and huge fan, please for the love of god say you MTL it on your own and don't bring up piracy. It's good to be passionate, I'm sure many appreciate the praise, but be mindful about that kind of thing. Japan does not take piracy lightly and it stresses authors out worldwide.

Igarashi on the chapter: "I'm so delighted to finally put this chapter out. After I drew it, I'd either spent all I had or suffered divine retribution because I wound up in bed with an awful fever for a week straight."

Oh good I was worried Sayori was trapped in a crazy relationship. Instead she's thriving in one.
What a ride between the first half of chapter 10 and the second of 11. Sweet, to psycho, to confusingly lovey dovey, then settling into psycho sweet.

In 2 chapters we've effectively speedrun the male MC, Etsurou's arc from Igarashi's previous manga, Dominant. And Igarashi openly considers him and Sayori similar archetypes. To parse this:
Miu who gaslit Etsurou into being her loveslave with emotional and physical abuse is cheering Mizuki-senpai on while Etsurou looks concernedly at Sayori-senpai (Kasumi has reserved seating in this group for whatever Igarashi's planning) meanwhile Seika (female MC) who didn't know about her manga's drama until it literally punched her in the face halfway through worries for the innocent Haruyo.
Both are abused by their partner after misunderstandings that corrupt an innocent love and ultimately snap, turning them into the dominant one in their relationship and giving into the darker side of themselves. Though it remains to be seen if this is such a bad end for Sayori. She ultimately gives into her bitterness, now treating Mizuki a little derisively. But clearly it works for them?

I said last time it felt like Mizuki was projecting some when she decided Yamabe wanted to expose the secret of the 2nd letter. That, of the 4, Mizuki's approach to secrets showed the most excitement towards revealing them. Well wearing a top that exposes her upper back touched by scars, hidden only by her hair, definitely lines up with a risk-taker.

Mizuki seems to recognize her lack of artistic talent and would have quit at one point if she didn't think it's the only thing keeping her and Sayori together. She might have had better college prospects if she hadn't pursued art, which makes it even more tragic. A pile of misunderstandings that unraveled their relationship (Mizuki not realizing in her paranoia that Sayori wasn't even trying to leave her). It's a scenario that evokes a lot of the bitter parting into adulthood you see in Class S — but this one has a sickly sweet conclusion that's much more modern menhera.

I'm very curious how the senpais will be involved from here, since they do seem genuinely supportive of Kasumi and Haruyo. Or if we're headed down an anthology route of crazy side couples continually nudging the mains back on the wholesome road. It's hard to say yet what exactly this reflects onto the main pair, but it certainly colors the tone going forward. At the least it cements themes of hidden sides, secrets and lies, and ultimately acceptance. In a twisted way that rotting flower imagery from the start of chapter 11 represented "healthy" communication and openness between the two.

I didn't feel it was worth the post-credits essay but I've deliberately avoided swearing in this manga. It's something I always give extra caution to (I went back and toned down Michi's swearing in early Aizawa-san) because it can easily be tonally jarring. But it can also make certain characters' dialogue more natural or accentuate a moment. In this case, AriSaku's first swear goes to Mizuki stabbing Sayori in the back, that piercingly vulgar break feeling very fitting to me.
(If you're interested and have 15 minutes here's a video essay on the topic of swearing in JP to EN translations I always think back to. With ongoing manga it's especially challenging because I can't tell how future chapters will go, to pepper swearing in evenly.)

A Japanese comment described the senpais relationship as a mad dog and her indulgent owner. I think that works.

EDIT:
Taking it one step further, flowers are intrinsic to Class S. Hanamonogatari, the novels these girls rightfully treat as the Class S bible, titles each chapter of its anthology format (and every pair of girls) after a flower. Beautiful, delicate, pristine. Untouched when the girls go their separate ways.

When you pick a flower it rots. In the very modern context, yuri has become somewhat removed from its old taboos. It freely indulges in sex and abuse, examining them as many facets of romance without shame. The roots of Class S remain but it's bloomed wholly anew to be almost unrecognizable at times. If you want to view AriSaku as a bridge across time, a love letter to Class S respectfully carrying it into the modern age, the rotten flower isn't something ugly but a transformation of its beauty. I would not be surprised if this symbolism sticks around.

last edited at Sep 26, 2025 4:05PM

What a perfect pair of role models. Box cutter? You're delusional, nothing like that in this sweet and pure manga.

I didn't expect Kasumi's mistake to be resolved so neatly but AriSaku likes to surprise with its drama, in both fun and fearsome ways. Though Igarashi is acting excited about part 2 again and the editor's note more than hints where it's going. We're in the 1st chapter of volume 3 so it's setting the tone for what's to come.

Speaking of surprising, that was a soft 好き but there's no way to interpret it besides romantic love out in the open now. It was a little ambiguous how seriously Haruyo was taking their romance but it clearly means a lot to her, more than just a game. The senpais also casually refer to their S relationship in past tense as if it were naturally the introduction to a real relationship. The only hesitancy AriSaku shows towards lesbian relationships is in Kasumi's self-loathing, which is interesting for being so Class S inspired.

Mizuki's description of secrets sounds an awful lot like there's something she feels the urge to share. I don't completely agree with her - some secrets are either too damaging or mundane to have any desire to reveal - but it's true they're a paradoxical thing. And it's revealing of everyone's characters. Mizuki has her dark side she seems to want to let out, Sayori may be rebellious but she clearly values order and clearing the air over anyone getting hurt, Kasumi bears hers inwards and stews on it to her own harm. Haruyo... well she's happy and that's most important of all.
Please keep her that way.

We're now onto half-chapters, releasing every 2 weeks.

According to the mangaka, Haruyo at the start of the date was like a dog being tricked into thinking she's going on a walk, then taken to the vet.

I honestly can not see how Honda could possibly have come away the most negatively here. What she did was abhorrent but it pales in comparison to a rape attempt. There is no hurt in the world that justifies that.

Because Masaki is in small part a victim in the grand scheme, unlike Honda. I'm not excusing what Masaki's doing right now - this is likely both Masaki and Honda's lowest point and in isolation they're incomparable in Honda's favor. Masaki deserves getting chaired and more.

But Honda knows what Masaki's like. She knows what Michi's like, she knows what Masaki's been like with Michi, knows entirely that Masaki will take advantage of Michi to hurt her. Honda is the character described by word of god as having a maxed charisma stat. Abandoning Michi to this because she's too cowardly to face Masaki is unconscionable. Abandoning Masaki the first time is only more forgivable because she was younger.

Masaki is someone with zero self-esteem who only sees value in what Honda turned her into. I wouldn't say this is solely about taking from Michi or Honda; in her warped way I think this is how Masaki thinks she should offer herself to someone. She might look the part of an outgoing gyaru but she's as bad at socialization as Michi is. Had no friends before or after Honda, spends all her time on "the ass end of the internet". But she knows she's pretty because that's what Honda, the audition, and her bullies told her. She only ever wanted someone to value her like Honda did at first. Both times she claims this is just to hurt Honda she sounds unsure of her own feelings. Deep down she's desperate for connection and doing all the wrong things to get it.

Honda forced her own dream onto Masaki, gave her shaky confidence, then the moment Masaki failed pretended like she hardly knew her and dropped her to get bullied into quitting school. From Masaki's perspective, Honda might have only been using her and stopped caring when she couldn't live vicariously through her. It's completely self-fulfilling that Honda lets Masaki hurt her still. But Michi absolutely does not deserve to get pushed into this by Honda, just the same as Masaki's a monster for what she's doing right now. An actual monster on par with the ghosts. And a monster of Honda's making.

I'm not saying anyone's wrong to think Masaki is past the point of no return. Honda will have a far easier time redeeming herself. It's just personally I've suffered a lot more betrayal of trust than invasion of bodily space and it's a line I'm heavy on.

Now in Honda's defense I think she's lost in self-loathing and completely wrong in her own judgment. She's changed since middle school. She's reliable(when the drama doesn't directly involve her), she helps others like it's second nature, she cares about Masaki more than simple penance. This is just her lowest point and 100% foreshadowing for Honda to prove herself wrong and save Michi down the line. But right now she's doing exactly what she warned in self-pitying self-serving self-deprecation. Michi would be right to feel even more abandoned by Honda than Masaki was.

EDIT: Thinking on it more I want to add as a lesser charge against Honda how messed up it is telling a girl who was in Masaki's position (no friends, no social skills, you were one of the few people she's comfortable with) that you never thought of her as a friend and to cut ties with her. Like this is just repeating history.

Love Honda anyway. She's a great character. I never expected Dorothy's comment about this volume being Honda vs Masaki to come to this much of a head.

last edited at Sep 2, 2025 9:17AM

^ What does the text on this pic mean? The author is not updating for a while?

It's an old break announcement from a few chapters ago, don't worry. (I specifically didn't translate it because I thought it would be confusing but I should've just explained)
Next chapter is still scheduled for the 11th. Though Igarashi is planning to move into a new apartment when it gets colder so there should be a break in a few chapters.

It's sad what a Frankenstein's monster Masaki became. The way she's leveraging her superficial qualities to get Michi's interest. Those qualities Honda brought out of her, got jealous of her over, which now Masaki is using to hurt Honda in return. Masaki's still crossing some red lines but in my book Honda's the one who came away most negatively this chapter.

Honda seems afraid of turning her back on Michi like she did Masaki yet she's doing exactly that right now. She knows Masaki is going to take advantage of Michi but is too cowardly to be there to stop it. At the same time, we've known Honda long enough to respect she's better than this. She clearly feels guilty over what happened to Masaki and appreciates Michi to the point of being uncomfortable getting any closer. Both Honda and Masaki are truly bound by that thread of self-loathing.

Speaking of self-loathing, nothing drives a ghost to action like her girlfriend getting girled on. Aizawa must feel horrible for what she's doing to Kasumi but either her human side is overwhelmed with jealousy or her ghost side is taking control post-possession. Like her subconscious switching with her consciousness? It's not really clear what Aizawa's eyes going black means yet, if anything, but there's clearly an involuntary aspect to her powers.

Dorothy lamented recently how Aizawa-san limits her ability to draw yuri scenarios, between the plot focus, ghost rules, and Michi's denial. But now that limiter's taking a beating. Michi turned to this whole Honda x Masaki x Michi throuple hoping to justify her feelings as platonic and is now confronted with Masaki being gay for her, Masaki making a strong argument Michi's gay, and Aizawa's feelings for Michi being anything but accidental. This might hit the status quo harder than the concert. There's no way out of this without making a bigger mess.

Even if there's nothing supernatural about Masaki(?), the horror she represents is still the same as that "jumpscare" spread in her intro chapter: she's the absolute denial of Michi's friendzone. The biggest threat to Michi's comfy school life, and by extension Aizawa's stability.

I think it's important to note both Honda and Masaki are completely wrong about each other.

• Honda thinks Masaki hates her, but Masaki's most frustrated when Honda denies her own dream of being an idol.
• Honda thinks Masaki hates DeLphi, but Masaki shows nothing but fondness and respect for them.](https://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/i_see_you_aizawa_san_ch23#16)
• Masaki thinks Honda hates Aizawa, but Honda's obsession with Aizawa was impure adoration.](https://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/i_see_you_aizawa_san_ch04#18)

Honda's projecting her own self-loathing on Masaki. Masaki might be bitter but what she hates most about Honda is the way she denies herself. I used to think this could be Masaki gloating over Honda's defeatism but it sure looks like the opposite now. And Masaki's demand, "You can't talk to Reona or anybody else," gives away this isn't just about hurting Honda. I think her attraction to Michi is genuine. She wants Michi, but all to herself. That's Masaki's trust issues showing, fearing Michi would abandon her like Honda did.

As for where things are going next, here's my fanfic/speculation:
We know there's consequences to Aizawa's repeat possessions of Kasumi. Made very clear lately. Aizawa is having a harder time fighting it as well. And it's high time Aizawa got out of her corner. So what if she's unable to depossess Kasumi now that Kasumi is more hole than human? What if this mess spills over into forcing Michi and Sayaka to acknowledge Aizawa a little more? I doubt it can be fixed without Karasuma getting involved, but she's busy dating Tear. Either way, with 2 chapters before the end of the volume it's going to get worse before it gets better.

other thoughts:

• I can't stop marveling at how well this manga shifts tones to de-escalate (or inverse). The moment Kasumizawa grabbed the stool you knew what was coming. But even while it detonates more than defuses, it's still one of the funniest moments so far.
• Next chapter's the test of whether I belong in an asylum for thinking Masaki has some kind of ghostvision. It's weird she brought up Honda and Aizawa right before Aizawa shows up, and weirder that it's plain Aizawa we see and not Kasumi at first. We know Michi can't see that, though she'll know in an instant it's not really Kasumi. So maybe if Masaki can see star auras she'd also immediately tell something's wrong? Not the worst power to have when the 2 main ghosts are idols. But that's guesses upon guesses.
• We still haven't seen DeLphi's past this volume like Dorothy promised in last volume's extras. So expect a chapter catching up on what happened to them.
• When Masaki gets serious at the end, she reverts to "Michi-chan" instead of Micchy.

Im curios what do you guys think is Haruyo's hair color?

White like the haruyo rose.

Do you mind spoiling the twist in Dominant? I'm not fluent in japanese but am very very curious to know what I'm getting myself into with AriSaku LOL

I'll give a general summary:

Dominant follows Seika, a high school girl struggling to find her place. Exploring behind school one day, she finds a cottage in the woods where a crippled young man, Etsurou lives. They chat and Etsurou offers to teach Seika guitar if she returns. Seika keeps coming back and begins developing feelings for Etsurou. Etsurou remains distant and unreachable. Unknown to Seika, Etsurou has a girlfriend, Miu, who he keeps Seika secret from.

One day, as Etsurou's leg is beginning to heal, he allows Miu to break his other leg with a hammer. This is a routine of theirs and the end of volume 1 twist.

Miu and Etsurou have an incredibly toxic controlling relationship where she keeps him isolated from the outside world, conditioned by pain and guilt to be dependent on her. Etsurou has been in the cottage for 5 years and never thought to leave. They both have severe childhood issues and a series of accidents and pressures warped their relationship into this.

Slowly, Seika's visits bring life back to Etsurou. He becomes invested in passing his love of guitar onto Seika, gifting her his old one. He's more animated when she reaches new milestones, always fearful she'll get bored and give up on music. Seika is deeply in love with Etsurou but can't express it, having learned about his girlfriend (not the bad parts). She still invites him to come watch her play at the upcoming school festival.

Etsurou realizes he sees his younger self in Seika and that all he's done for her was partly in attempt to save himself. He finds the courage to escape the cottage, despite being weak from captivity, going to the festival to watch Seika. Things happen, Miu comes for Etsurou and beats him again, but he's determined to leave and Seika takes him away.

Time passes. Etsurou recovers in the hospital. Seika comes to visit him every day. Before she can tell him she loves him, he interrupts with a strongly platonic "I love you." Both have changed each other, Seika becoming more like who Etsurou wished he could be, Etsurou working up the strength to overcome his trauma. Etsurou finally accepts everything wasn't his fault, but Miu's.

On the day of Etsurou's release, Seika comes to pick him up. Etsurou is gone. He returns to Miu, living alone and broken. Etsurou tells Miu how much he hates her, but that love and hate are intertwined to him. That he had to leave the things he truly cared about (Seika) because he could never bring himself to hurt someone like that with his love. Instead he chooses Miu, now acting as the aggressively dominant one in their relationship. They disappear without a word.

Seika is heartbroken when she hears. She returns to the abandoned cottage and plays Etsurou's guitar where they first met, finally expressing her feelings. But in her words, "You said you'd give me everything, but you wouldn't give me what I wanted most." Seika cries herself to sleep, dreaming of Etsurou encouraging her one last time. Seika wakes with a soft smile and smashes Etsurou's guitar to pieces, leaving it shattered in the woods.

The end. Igarashi has already compared Kasumi and Sayori to Etsurou (and Miu to Mizuki), though I doubt this will be nearly that dark. Even comparing this to Dominant's end of volume 1 scene is night and day, as heavy as it is. But Igarashi seems to like keeping the audience a little afraid.

Today Igarashi drew this little crossover: Etsurou and Miu reacting to Mizuki.
I'll be uploading collections of those down the line.

I skipped over a lot of side characters and subplots but there's some other disturbing elements too. Namely Etsurou was abused as a young child. In college, Etsurou's female classmate got him drunk and raped him (not Miu but this incident is what made Miu go full yandere when she feared she'd lose him). Seika is physically assaulted by her teacher who is protecting Miu.

It's something about the paneling and the drawing style that really evokes, not quite "horror", but a thriller of some sort, an unnerving feeling of a deep, dark lake which you cannot see what lurks beneath the surface.

Very apt way of putting it. The melancholic style does sometimes have that eerie, unnerving quality to it especially when the composition leans into Kasumi's imagination. It's a fragile sort of atmosphere and you don't know what lies beneath.

I think Abuse, Violence, and Yandere could all potentially fit as tags for this chapter. (I would include Foiled rape attempt but we don't know how it turns out yet.) I'd probably lean toward Abuse.

Might as well take the set. But I agree, it depends on how it turns out. Though my hunch is next chapter won't touch on it yet.

last edited at Aug 29, 2025 8:18PM

I don't know what to tag this one but it probably should be tagged something.

Igarashi has been giddy over this chapter on Bluesky. Weeks of wanting to see reactions, announcing the chapter with jokes like "Sorry I kept you waiting for this," "Thank you for having faith in me all this time," "Dominant is like a curse that hangs over every manga I make. I love it forever."

Igarashi's previous manga, Dominant, (untranslated) was a very dark romance with a few infamous scenes involving a hammer and a guitar. Now the box-cutter joins their ranks in Japanese fan memes. I'll cover Dominant more later when I translate Igarashi's crossover art for the two, but Japanese fans have been waiting for the other shoe to drop while Igarashi teased whether AriSaku would reach that level of crazy. Dominant was innocent too, until the twist ending of volume 1. And now we're here at the twist ending of volume 2.

Chapter 10 opens with hesitant ambiguity (waiting to be heavily re-contextualized). Sayori is a total unknown. Kasumi is hoping for answers to questions she hasn't quite figured out yet. The reader is on-guard towards Sayori hurting their relationship. But she quickly becomes an ally with the reveal of Ono-senpai. The reader and Kasumi's goals are likely opposed here: Kasumi wants reassurance this relationship hasn't gone too far and she can back away from her feelings for Haruyo. We (surely) want escalation. For Kasumi's relationship to become unavoidably romantic, for the senpais' relationship to lead by example and show us how far AriSaku is willing to go.

Knowing the reader, Sayori's flashback slowly teases how explicit her relationship with Mizuki was, only hinting at how they've kissed and done more (Igarashi pointed out on page 22 how deliberately Mizuki is touching Sayori's breast while Sayori begins to slip Mizuki's skirt down). We hang on every page as a promise of future developments, just as much as it discomforts Kasumi. Then the ending dumps a bucket of menhera ice water on us.

You now see how far AriSaku is willing to go.

This chapter is a crushing realization for Sayori, Kasumi, and the reader that this isn't playing around — serious feelings are involved. Serious feelings that come with serious, unavoidable consequences. Sayori is trapped in her confusing and likely still toxic relationship with Mizuki. Kasumi is trapped with her suffocating love for Haruyo clashing with her buried trauma and self-loathing. We're trapped with a maniac mangaka.

It's a fitting end to an early volume. Volume 1 reinvented itself with Haruyo's reveal, 2 with Mizuki's. AriSaku keeps growing, changing, drawing in a wider world to the initial fantasy that brings with it both beautiful and disturbing realities that have been lurking beneath the surface.
I for one am excited. But hey I loved Dominant.

So now we're completely caught up. Going forward I plan to translate half chapters as they release, every 2 weeks. I somewhat regret not doing that with the first half of 10. You missed weeks of thinking Ono-senpai was the sweetest thing before this dropped.

The manga is so strongly partitioned in halves it might be part of why developments feel fast paced. Technically you could call this chapter 18 and 19, not 10. Elements aren't introduced and resolved in a single chapter but 2 paired together, if I were updating as it came out. Of course, if you read it with the volume it would still be one single chapter. But then you'd have 5 in one go.

It's interesting how much the format affects the experience. And scanlation can be its own unique format mixing elements from both. It's something I've been thinking about, and whether translating half-chapters means there'll be new comments saying the story's pacing slowed down even though the content hasn't really changed.

Dayflower at least has been adapted to manga and translated. You can read it here.

That was a hard "love" by the way.

Kasumi's trauma gets clearer. There's the self-loathing expressed in self-sabotage. The belief that she has no value, offering nothing to Haruyo and that Haruyo might only be with her out of pity. She's said this before, "why do you always give me what I want." It makes Kasumi uncomfortable. There's the return of fearing becoming dependent on another, that Onee-sama could disappear from her life and she needs to be ready. The fear of intimacy is stronger than ever. That the greatest love she can offer is to step out of the way. She didn't want to taint Onee-sama with her ugliness, was afraid she's the only one getting turned on by this.

Haruyo is still on that fantasy Onee-sama pedestal. From this chapter it's like Kasumi doesn't even believe Haruyo shares those feelings, that she angelically overlooks and accepts that part of her. But considering Haruyo is so innocent she didn't notice the way she was touching Kasumi, she'd never have thought Kasumi was after a faceful of boobs. Kasumi takes one soft comment and twists it into Haruyo obsessing over the letter's sender. She assumes Haruyo would be happy with someone else. And in doing so, she's giving up their secret.

Since we haven't seen in Haruyo's head in a while, it's easy to get caught up in some lesser misconceptions. She's straining herself as much as Kasumi is to keep their relationship going. Trying hard to work off the guilt she felt for abandoning Kasumi. She doesn't understand the times Kasumi's self-loathing slips through. She isn't intentionally being a gay nightmare for her repressed little sister (older). Haruyo is a confused middle schooler wearing a mask. And if Kasumi keeps this up that mask is going to crack.

I won't spoil much but if you don't trust this manga yet: If you're seriously concerned about Sayori, don't be.

The manga practically always uses the Japanese translation of sub rosa, literally "under the rose." This is just as obvious in Japanese as in English so yeah, let's just say Haruyo was distracted by her cute imouto. But sub rosa sounds cooler so I'm not going to deny Sayori her moment.

The dual nature of cold is back: it's both pretense for the invitation to warm herself under Haruyo's coat and the pretext Kasumi uses to be distant. Kasumi is purposefully choosing the cold in a way that explores the old themes of repressed, forbidden sexuality in Class S but through a repurposed angle. The manga's also expanding on rose symbolism, between constricting thorns and hanging roses you've seen in the past but might not have noticed.

The concept of "the greatest love you can offer" being to step away came up in both the protagonists of Igarashi's previous manga, Dominant. I'll have more to say on that when I get around to translating AriSaku's Bluesky extras, but Igarashi seems to like exploring twisted outlets for love.

We're now .5 chapters away from being caught up. I'm going to be working on Sylph and Aizawa's latest chapters now so don't expect 10 until after the 28th, when the second half releases. After that I'll likely start uploading half chapters bimonthly going forward.

In other recent news, Igarashi was going to draw a "violent" doujinshi for November's COMITIA event, but currently only has lewd yuri thoughts on the brain and will likely do that instead.
It is a mystery why Igarashi now has lewd yuri thoughts on the brain.

last edited at Aug 19, 2025 12:46AM

The author posts cute drawings on their BSKY. https://bsky.app/profile/nishi55.bsky.social

I am very tempted to create an account so that I can appreciate the cute drawings, but maybe they'll get uploaded here someday

I do plan to translate collections of Igarashi's Bluesky sketches after I'm caught up. Probably along with each volume's extras (another thing I keep putting off).

I said my piece in the credits so you're spared the wall of text today but here's some little touches I liked:
Kasumi unconsciously reaching to pull the ribbon loose, like ejecting from the roleplay. They did remain in character the whole time, even in Kasumi's thoughts.
It's a bit subtle but Haruyo immediately switches from kouhai to Onee-sama mode when she notices something is wrong with Kasumi. They're not always waiting for the ribbons.
If you want a hint on the "question", think between current goofy Paruyo and the very first letter.

I don't know why I said Kasumi's register switching was easier I lied I don't know what came over me. It's hard not getting her caught up in Paruyo's fanciness while still remaining distinctly "little sister." At least the art does a lot of heavy lifting.

Speaking of art, what else is there to say? This is where the manga starts radiating that cozy winter atmosphere. Even the tagline for this chapter was something like "the beginning of the warmest winter." My favorite minor detail has to be the way Kasumi's hand lingers on the railing on the right of the spread - a tiny thing that lends so much physicality to the scene and embodies the way she's letting go, allowing Haruyo to sweep her away.

Though Haruyo's getting swept up in feelings even she doesn't understand. That's part of what makes them so cute - leading by inexperience, taking shelter in something you're not. Haruyo seems to treat their RP as more of a game, but as we saw volume 1 Kasumi's desperate for something like this to blanket out her past.

It's interesting how the manga modernizes Class S. Keeping their relationship secret not because it's forbidden, but because it gives them both a thrill to escape into. And when it comes to thrills, I never thought tying ribbons could be so immoral. Something tells me Haruyo doesn't quite see it yet, but Kasumi...

Unfortunately this is where we're stuck with low-res webrips.
As you can now tell, page 17 is where this technically broke into 2 separate chapters. AriSaku updates in halves every 2 weeks and I'm still on the fence of whether I should follow that schedule or wait the month for each chapter to be complete before uploading. Mostly because some seem adamantly against half-chapter TLs.

I love how raw the lines in this manga are. "But you couldn't trust your little sister?" hits like a physical force. And there's a fun cut with "I'm actually Kasumi," a line fairly innocent on its own but a total rejection of the comfort of their RP Haruyo was starting to slide into.

If you were lamenting the loss of anonymous epistolary yuri, hopefully the flirtatiousness of that handholding + handwriting scene made up for it. Things start ramping up in a way that makes you wonder where Haruyo learned to do this stuff. Because god she's a dork in her natural state. If last chapter dismantled the "Onee-sama" fantasy, this one smashes it into pieces. Only to consciously rebuild it at the end. As others have noted, the contrast of Onee-sama (younger, naive, carefree, struggling to meet Kasumi's demands) x Little Sister (older, burdened by harsh experience and mental trauma, desperately retreating into a submissive persona) is the true essence of this manga. Now that we get into Haruyo's head we see just how 'in over it' she is. But she does have the natural gay instincts and honest stubbornness to close the distance.

And speaking of Haruyo's many faces, it's not easy putting a voice to each of them. Especially when there's some small bubbles to work with. So I cheated a little. In the raws, Kasumi is annoyed when Haruyo speaks politely to her. It actually happened on page 17 when she called her 'Senpai'. So when she's in Onee-sama mode, Haruyo actually speaks more casually. Since this can be hard to express in English with just a few words (while Japanese just has to drop the desu), I'm instead making Onee-sama slightly more formal, which means her 'kouhai' speech needs to be unrefined in juxtaposition. I think it captures the stark difference in a way that's more natural in English. I did find it a little easier with Kasumi, who (very minor spoiler) is going to make the opposite switch when speaking in little sister mode. This manga has so many subtle shifts in language I'd actually seen translators say they passed on picking it up for that very reason.

Anyway the rose. If it wasn't obvious, the rose (Haruyo is a rose remember?) isn't the real thing but Kasumi loves it anyway. Exquisite subtext.

Michi's schoolmoms are back!

I am seriously expecting something bad with Aizawa by the volume's end. This is already nearing festival level despair and that was a sudden shock, not prolonged dread. It's clear now Aizawa's not only avoiding Michi out of guilt - she's terrified of hurting her like she hurt Masaki. But she needs Michi's emotional support more than ever and Michi's not giving it, too preoccupied with Honda and unsure what to do.

With Aizawa's relative absence the last handful of chapters it's both a blessing and curse she's due for the spotlight soon.

Since there's a very horror movie setup with Kasumi (is warned, fails to understand, goes back alone to retrieve something), and she's a ghost magnet currently headed for the classroom with a panicking ghost, I'd bet Aizawa possesses her next chapter. Maybe against Aizawa's will, like in chapter 15. It would also let her approach Michi/check on DeLphi but I'd be interested to see Sayaka's reaction. Whether she'd be upset or laugh it off since she knows Aizawa isn't a threat. I guess it's not exactly clear if she knew Aizawa possessed Kasumi back in chapter 8.

One very interesting conclusion to draw with possession: it opens you up to ghosts, literally. You draw their attention. Now recall the implication the school started attracting ghosts before Aizawa's death. Not a guarantee, since Aizawa wasn't often at school, but she could have been possessed like Ange is.

Honda and Masaki's drama keeps getting gradually dug up. So Honda pushed her dreams on Masaki, hurt herself in the process, then somehow hurt Masaki enough for her to leave school. We can guess this traumatized Honda enough to be afraid of letting someone all the way in again, hence why she's afraid of being besties with Michi. What's not clear is why Honda was scared of Masaki. And it's possible her assumptions of Masaki are still wrong. All Masaki wanted was to be gaydols like HonaMizu.

Dorothy had a few comments to make this chapter. Minorly, Masaki's hair was brown in middle school.
Majorly: Kasumi's scene is the kind of thing Dorothy loves to get to draw with Aizawa-san. I can see why; the jarring tone shift works perfectly with the manga's strengths: from silly and flirty to horrifically "oh shit" in the turn of a page. That repurposing of comedy and horror's shared irony, from punchline to gut punch.
(Also a minor shout-out to that "Isn't there anything I can do to help" x 2 tone shift. This manga really juggles a lot of moods.)

And I can't not comment on Michi's growth, from stuttering wallflower to mastering the forbidden art in romance manga: forcing communication. Very impressive. Talk to your ghostwife again.

• Another, stronger association of coldness and ghosts, fitting with the chapter title. Mizu busting out the spectral strangler turned the concert hall into a freezer.
• Repeat possession attracts the attention of other ghosts and may have other consequences. Not a fun party trick after all.
• Seta's such a useful character from a mechanical perspective in contrast to his total irrelevance being in a yuri manga. What a funny guy.
• Tear has caused at least one idol group to break up before.
• Karasuma has been sucked into the idol swamp.
• Michi is a ghost homewrecker.

SHAMELESS PLUG SECTION
Did you know every single page of Aizawa-san requires more redrawing than an entire chapter of Dear Flowers That Bloom in Days of Yore, the hit new yuri manga that's probably exactly maybe like Aizawa-san except instead of ghosts it's about a girl who sees Onee-samas!

Finally I don't have to dance around Haruyo.

There were a few hints this was a combined school — the most obvious being girls calling Momo "senpai" in chapter 4. Momo is a 1st year, so only middle schoolers would be saying that. Momo and Kuwa made indirect references to starting here in middle school too. And accessories like ribbons are commonly used to differentiate groups of students. We knew back in chapter 2 Haruyo was in a class with checkered ribbons. At the end of chapter 3 it's Kasumi's ribbon Haruyo focuses on, not the brooch. If you think about it, it's too coincidental for Haruyo to accidentally find Kasumi right after telling her to visit a specific place on a specific day. She walked by knowing it was her.

All that's to say you could have guessed this, but I didn't. These clues are tucked behind moments of high emotion or the same biased perspective Kasumi had of Haruyo. So when the reveal came I remember saying, "Oh wow," out loud.

There's a much longer conversation I need to have in the chapter 6 credits about register, the level of formality in speech. But Haruyo's language in the letters changes after finding out the truth. From flowery, to respectful with less elaborate vocab. She speaks that way too, treating Kasumi like an upperclassman. And Kasumi does the same, talking down to Haruyo once realizing she's younger. That's part of the shift in Kasumi's demeanor, from bitter wariness to comforting, though I think she's half blinded by her crush.

Mind you there's only a year difference between Kasumi and Haruyo; Japanese school systems are a bit different with 3 years of middle and 3 of high school. So it's effectively a sophomore x freshman. But it's more about the principle. The younger onee-sama putting on airs, the older little sister worn down by experience. (And that height gap.) That's what this manga is about: contrasts, anxiously guarded secrets, fantasies clashing with cold reality, and sometimes cold fears being blown away by warm truths.

In a sense, everything so far has been prologue. Building up the fantasy of "Onee-sama" to bring it crashing down last chapter and dismantled here into something awkwardly real. And while that might sound like a waste, trust me until you see what's in store.

ＣＯＲＲＥＣＴＩＯＮ: So uh it's come to my attention Kuwa wants to be in the FBI. See, in Japanese it's written vertically, and being an idiot I mistook the I for a dash and went hunting across Japanese internet to find what "FB-" stood for. Closest I could approximate was Family Business. Thankfully it's not incredibly major and I've updated it, but if there's any confusion that's why.

Little things I'm going to ramble on:

• Haruyo says "I'm very sorry I went back on my word that day." She didn't leave the letter the day after. She spent days agonizing over what she'd done. There's no timeframe given but it's probably been a week at least. Even though Haruyo replied 2 days later to Kasumi's letter, I'm sure she was checking every day. It probably just took her time to work up the courage.
• There's 4 things to take from Kuwa's moment: Hiding the truth out of kindness, projecting confidence over uncertainty, the sides we never see to the people closest to us, and the impermanence of relationships. They all cause Kasumi to reflect on Onee-sama, destabilizing her anger. Recontextualizing Onee-sama as a flawed human after the ideal she'd built up shattered. But it's the last one that's contrasted with Haruyo's response: Haruyo begs for everything to go back to how it was. Kasumi rejects that and demands they meet in person. Before you're aware, this highlights Haruyo's naivete and Kasumi's maturity. They can never go back. But it's not impossible to salvage their relationship into something new.
• Kasumi's monologue walks a razors edge between maturely rationalizing what happened and once again giving into self-loathing. She berates herself for doubting Onee-sama, convinces herself Onee-sama must be hurting more, and downplays her anger as childish when it came from a place of self-preservation. Even if it ultimately turned out for the best her confidence issues are still on full display.
• There's such perfect contrast between the spread on 24, showcasing Haruyo's height, and the 90° turn next page that shows her small and helpless dwarfed by the building behind her. The way her shoulders are bunched up, arms tight clutching the rose that blends into her. She looks so uncomfortable all the way until 31 when Kasumi asks if she's Onee-sama.

last edited at Jul 21, 2025 6:32AM

https://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/dear_flowers_that_bloom_in_days_of_yore_ch02#14

did you actually translate and typeset a geology lesson from the original manga, or drop in something in place of some science notes in Japanese?

(geology major asking)

Exact same geology lesson as the original raws. I translated it word for word apart from the mnemonic (Gave Bad Grand Violin Player Rough Dice Again) which followed the same principle of taking syllables from each term.

Some links to get out of the way:
The mangaka's Bluesky. (Naturally this has spoilers.)
Where to buy physical: CDJapan or digital: Kobo and Bookwalker.

I've never translated a vanilla (read: non-supernatural/hobby) high school romance but this one's a very rich vanilla.
There are currently 9 chapters out and it's monthly (Or bi-monthly with chapters releasing in 2 halves).
Typesetting is rather light so with any luck I'll catch up fast.

So yes, there are no supernatural elements here. No rose people. There always seems to be a question of how Class S it's going to be so I threw in that little disclaimer - it's what you can expect from a modern yuri manga. It may start a little slow, but the atmosphere is unbelievably thick with anxious yearning. And when things start getting more romantic it makes my heart skip in a way it hasn't since I first got into yuri. So yeah. Have high hopes.

I promise not to infodump after every chapter but there'll be another with chapter 3.

This is looking good so far! I especially like how the pencil-like shading gives the manga an older tone to it. :)

The mangaka drafts on graph paper with pen before touching it up digitally, which gives it a very analog look.

last edited at Jul 13, 2025 7:01PM

NEW

• Mizu face reveal!
• Michi gained/recovered supernatural xray nightvision.
• Honda did something to Masaki she hasn't been forgiven for.

Karasuma has some weirdly incomplete knowledge of Michi. She seemingly recognized Mini Michi, yet couldn't identify Michi's AAA(MA?) seal. She's mildly surprised at Michi's supernatural sight, but not wholly shocked she could do it. It's likely part of whatever powers Michi lost with her memories. But then Karasuma was unaware Michi is a fan of her dead girlfriend's idol group. Which is a real ??? even for the goofy out of touch exorcist lady.
I'm getting the impression they weren't that close even if Karasuma is protective of her. And I've been chewing this thought since last chapter: what if Karasuma was a friend of Michi's mom? Hell, what if the time Karasuma failed Michi was her mom's death? Total speculation but it would explain her current distantly protective relationship. It would line up if Karasuma knew Michi when she was younger but not during the period Michi was with Aizawa.

It's also very curious Karasuma is here for "reconnaissance" and doesn't act when Mizu strangles another girl on stage. Instead she reassures Michi it's going to be fine. So what does Karasuma know that she's allowing this to happen? What is she really here to observe? Obviously Mizu is a harmful spirit, but I only see 2 conclusions: either Mizu is powerful enough she can't be exorcised so easily or Mizu is connected to something larger. Either way she needs Mizu to expose herself.

Anyway, fucking harsh. Non thinks Ange strangled her. I think Tear didn't recognize it was Ange in the dark until the last second (rather than accusing Ange of being possessed). Honda thinks Masaki hates her, and we don't even know enough there to say that's untrue. And of course Ange has to come to terms with what she unconsciously did. Not even mentioning how the unstable titular ghost is going to take the news. Usually when a chapter is this dark and has this much going on it's the end of the volume.

We're certainly trending in a horror direction. Hard to imagine things going back to fluffy slice of life, and this still isn't nearly as bad as it can get. Not that Dorothy won't find plenty of excuses to squeeze in humor. But like I've said, the status quo needed breaking to advance the mystery. Michi can't keep lying to herself that things will work out if she stays passive. Dorothy did say Honda vs Masaki will be the main event this volume, so I expect next chapter to touch on what Honda needed "forgiving" for. And Dorothy also said we'd learn DeLphi's past, probably as Tear tries to salvage the group. I don't know how she can manage at this point. But Mizu might not let them stop.

Something about Ange strangling Non is more disturbing to me than all the previous ghost shenanigans. It's physical, it's deadly, and maybe moreso that Non is completely innocent to all this. We've been in relatively safe waters so far - as freaky as Aizawa gets on occasion it never felt like she was putting Michi in mortal danger. Danger Michi was already a little steeped in. That legless ghost in ch8 got her, but again it wasn't so violent. And the festival was more of a metaphysical threat. This is Mizu baring some fangs and Dorothy burning bridges. If Non's not safe no one is.

Masaki's still unreadable. It's becoming clear her habit of "always saying the wrong things" isn't an accident. She really has no interest in the concert even if she seems to like DeLphi. And can she actually tell they're cursed? Her bitterness to Honda is the real thing, but maybe she isn't holding as much a grudge as Honda thinks? She seems disappointed Honda gave up on her dream. Whatever, I like the darker side of her coming to light.

• If Karasuma has the same sight-beyond-sight Michi now does, there's a legit excuse for always keeping her eyes closed
• On page 14 you can see Mizu's left eye if you look close enough

last edited at Jun 30, 2025 3:55PM

MizuAnge
I don't know who is what at this point. It's weird she attacked Non, which looks like resentment over Non being the most innocent. She keeps bringing up this promise Tear made, to keep the group going forever. It's a desperate fixation that doesn't sound like a ghost trying to kill them all. If that's Mizu, is she not entirely aware what she's doing? If that's Ange, does she need the group to continue to stave off death? Is Ange even aware what Mizu's doing? If you read the teethcam as a metaphor, it is like something's speaking from inside Ange.

With the added focus on Tear and Non - the narrative isolating them into their own little group - I get the feeling Ange isn't lasting much longer. If she doesn't die, this concert might still put her out of commission. From there, does DeLphi limp on? Do they have to? Will Tear finally open up on what really happened, or will Non have to start some serious investigating on her own? I really want to see DeLphi getting more active in the plot but it's going to take a status quo shift we might be on the cusp of.

Kurotori Sou
In Dorothy's words, "for the first time Michi's dad gets to talk like a normal human" to finally confirm Michi's mom is gone. Or maybe not.
To start, the photos make it seem like she was around for Michi in elementary school, when we know Michi was outgoing. But her dad talks like Michi's emptiness started around her mom's death. Can't help but think back to the undescribed incident in chapter 1 that scared Michi off ghosts.

Now 20 is absolutely the most important page. Michi's dad thinks "not enough" and then is seemingly confused by his own thoughts. More than that, his eyes change, growing pointed and hazy. Whatever thought "not enough" wasn't her dad. Wee see too many eye shenanigans in this manga to overlook that. Which also makes it meaningful Michi's mom has no eyes in any of the photos.

So what does "not enough" mean? Michi's mom wants a yuri harem for her daughter? Can't be that innocent. I'll double down on Mizu not being the final boss of this manga. It leaves too much negative space in the narrative when she has no direct ties to our protagonist. But Michi's mom is pure setup for the distant future. It's blind speculation fuel, but something to keep a finger on.

Karasuma
If you don't count her ch17 cameo, we haven't seen her since ch13. Where she left to investigate the source of the curse. It's reasonable to assume that's why she's here now. She is in her ghostpunching uniform. But she definitely wasn't expecting Michi. Remember Karasuma knew Michi before the memory loss, but pretended not to and called her "Kurotori-san" (in fact no one said 'Michi' that entire chapter). Here she's stunned into saying the more familiar Michi-chan. Not that Michi will notice.

I wouldn't bet on it, but this is Michi's first chance to seriously talk about Aizawa. Aizawa isn't here, Michi knows Karasuma knows, Michi knows Karasuma knows Michi knows. Barring the inevitable interruption from Masaki/Honda/miniMichi/Mizu/Karasuma, Michi might actually learn something.

• Don't think it means much but Tear says she loves Honami present tense, not past tense.
• There is a novel that shares the chapter title (がんばっていきまっしょい) but I couldn't find any connection.

Dunno what the original said, but I love the way this panel was translated ahaha

悪いインターネットばっかみてんじゃねーよ！！
To be extra literal, "Quit always looking at the bad internet!!" But literal TLs are no fun and it's still very accurate to the line and character.

At the risk of conspiracy theory brain: if Masaki has the Sight (cf. her ghost pupils) and is aware of Aizawa, is it possible that she's faking the effects of the curse in ch24? (Presumably for some reason connected to her instant and overpowering interest in Michi – maybe an interest in breaking up her relationship with her ghost gf.) The first time was legit, of course – Aizawa's silhouette transformation suggests some serious poltergeist/grudge energy was at work – but in the second instance, Aizawa was just guilty, curious, worried, etc. and still managed to hurt Masaki. (Whose current situation and characterization are still kind of a black box!)

Yeah it could be. It's not like Michi isn't ignoring Aizawa too, and Masaki has the social skills to make it less obvious. But narratively I don't think we'd see a fakeout involving Aizawa's condition worsening now. Theoretically Masaki could be trying to make Aizawa appear more dangerous, but it undermines our understanding of Aizawa when her mechanics are up in the air. Still, I appreciate letting your imagination run wild. It's the kind of manga that demands it.

Been a while but it's back, we're back, I'm back. I went back and re-uploaded the entire manga with some minor fixes, mostly for Tear's name and to smooth out foreshadowing. More importantly, I found some extra art to add to the twitter extras in each volume. Rough drafts for that volume's inner cover art Dorothy eventually settled on.

Anyway chapter 24.
Let me know if I got constellations wrong. Couldn't find a pattern to them.

Looks like Masaki is chronically cursed by Aizawa instead of catching a 1-time-deal. Aizawa's reaction to that, to Ange getting sick, and to claims of a curse once again signal she knows a lot more than she's capable of saying. Unfortunately she's not getting much chance to do anything either if this volume centers on the concert — Aizawa's still schoolbound in gay baby ghost jail.

Dorothy's been a believer in putting mostly everything important to a volume in its 1st chapter. Which makes it interesting Michi and Aizawa take up so little of it. We know from the vol4 extras that 5 will be heavy on Masaki vs Honda, DeLphi's history, and features Karasuma. Tallying up what ch24 gave us: we see a glimpse of Masaki's inner workings, Michi's need to protect Aizawa (and questioning her fixation on her), Masaki being cursed, Non getting suspicious, and DeLphi's issues coming to light.

From that I'd expect the next ~5 chapters to show what made Masaki who she is now, Michi being given a clearer answer of what Aizawa needs protection from, and DeLphi falling apart publicly and privately. I do have ch25 and should have it done in a week, but all I'll say is these are both fairly short chapters. Either Dorothy has some 40 page drafts coming up or the average chapter length is getting shorter, hopefully to reduce delays between volumes.
Whatever we're back.

• Super Virgo were referenced back in ch21 as DeLphi's senpai group from the same agency. With the 3rd mention they legally have to be plot relevant.
• Masaki and Non are on 5ch, Japan's biggest anonymous message board.
• You can see the fuzzy lines in Masaki's eyes on page 8 when she wakes up. I swear I'm not crazy.

last edited at May 29, 2025 10:51PM