Congrats Stalker-chan, that was a great wingwomanning move !

I can't root for any of them really, their personality is so (unexplainable and unreasonably) twisted that it's really impossible to like them or hope they end up together, they're so toxic lol

It's the opposite for me, they're both so twisted and obsessed with each other than I can't not root for them to end up together. Early chapters might have had a tinge of "Wakaba deserves better" but it's entirely gone now.

At least Shiho acknowledged that Aki was too carefree with her proposal.

Also, Aki is consistent, she kinda forgot that Shiho wanted to get away from her after her feelings were unrequited, and just assumes that she'd have kept the pictures. I love it, and remembering how they both are make me very happy they found each other.

@girlswhokiss don't expect too much, you might be disappointed

I don't think Shion necessarily needs to or should "trauma dump" on Haruma, but she definitely needs to talk to Haruma because Haruma herself wants to know what is going on. I don't think in this particular situation "closure" is a bad thing for two people who want to repair their relationship. As it is right now, I think it is way worse for Haruma, who also has really low self esteem, to think she did something wrong for Shion to break off their friendship than it is for her to find out it's because of Shion's unrequited feelings and guilt.

At the very least, she ought to talk to Kiki because it would benefit them both, as they are currently stuck, so that works in this case. If it wasn't for that, she doesn't have any inherent obligation to expose her vulnerabilities to someone else just to get an explicit rejection to the face, her feelings are her own, after all. Kiki's own uncertainty would certainly draw her apart from Shion but that doesn't mean she's owned her ex-partner's confession.

You should probably know this "Islamic harem" term you keep throwing around is a bigoted myth, fyi

Bullshit, it does happen semi-frequently. And the reason why it doesn't happen often is that men consider it too difficult to support multiple wives, so only old rich dudes living comfortably can afford to. Ironically, people in one of the most sexist culture in the world are more aware of the harmfulness of unequal relationships than people defending harem plots.

The rest of the comment is literally suggesting that women living under Sharia law want to be part of a polygynous household and their position lower than men in the hierarchy, I don't know if you're making shit up to defend your position or intentionally trolling. Or maybe just think that being one step lower than your partner is fine and they should be content of it.

Nowadays, Saudi women who had a chance to get an education usually make a career for themselves, either in the country or abroad, as there is now a broad enough part of the population (especially among the younger generation) with sufficient awareness to support that. But it's still far from a land of equal opportunity, both in career and in marriage.

Koto's breaking down a little... Though it appears that she herself is aware that she's still stuck at the time Aya disappeared.

I truly hope she'll get better and start moving forward and gets her happy ending too, one way or another. Though not as much as Erika. She moved forward despite her feelings stagnating, which is why I love her and wish for her the best (which, at least at the moment, isn't Koto).

On the other hand, manga like this, with some exceptions, typically don't bother with a resolution for side characters, especially when that resolution would involve someone outside the main cast. I'm afraid Erika would end up single because the pages never showed her interacting with anything except Aya and Koto. And that'd suck. Praying for a Sayaka x Haru equivalent ending for Erika.

I wouldn't be surprised if that is Tantai Lan's specific role in the court, and why she has been hanging around the palace ever since the Emperor's wedding so much. Since she is a military officer, rather than a career courtier, she is somewhat shielded from courtly intrigue, making it easier for her to act under the Dowager's nose.

That and she's wooing her future partner. Let's not forget that!

I'm not sure if she is really "shielded" from the intrigue. Apparently, there is a frontier pass somewhere waiting for her, and if anything, a punitive relocation seems to be easier than having to stage an incident to get rid of whoever else.

The Empress Dowager is in power when it comes to matter of the palace, and the Rear Palace specifically (including the actions of Yu Dingdang and Ming Wei). I don't think she has personal power over military matters, and there has been no indication that she has powerful allies in the military. If she caught wind of what Tantai Lan is doing, she might prevent her from entering the palace (which would still be a problem) but not forcibly relocate her, nor prevent her from seeing the Emperor.

And ch. 19 shows that even that power isn't as solid as it looks. If her only defense against incurring her daughter's displeasure is "what if your wife finds out", that defense is paper-thin. Although Qi Nian doesn't necessarily realize it yet.

last edited at Apr 5, 2024 5:19AM

Damn that was a sweet chapter. And so fitting for both of them - Satsuki accepting Komako despite the deaths happening around her because she's obstinate and stalwart, Komako seeking acceptance like how she accepted others.

I'm also a lot more invested in the relationship between Satsuki and Komako than I ever was with Akira. The latter are close but without the spark, without a special connection or signs of progressing towards a confession. On the other hand, Satsuki and Komako seem to be destined together, both interacting with the other's abilities and having experienced hate because of them, looking after others and seeking a connection despite being more often than not rejected by those around them, and being pulled in by bad people like Prez and Seo.

The "live our lives together", the hug, and the "hoping for the best" parts were really nice, especially with how much they would need to rely on each other (Komako with someone to counteract her ability, Satsuki with how much she refuses to let anyone die knowingly).

When your yandere's obsession brings you back from the brink of death.

That's really great, high effort April's Fools !

... it's not a cry for help, is it ?

I want to know why her sister had to leave... With how close they were and the face she makes when she tells Meguru that they can't live together, it doesn't sound like something simple.

I'm not sure how I feel about adding new major characters. If they get too carried away, it could potentially be detrimental to the story by overcomplicating the Mizuki-Momo-Yanagi triangle.

Same, at least if it goes in the direction of Ayame being a love interest for Miyuki. On the other hand, Ayame could play the role of the token normal character and be the one to force progress. So... open mind, wait and see, and all.

Yeah that's what I mean. Out of the two of them, Komaki is definitely crushing on Wakaba, so that scene never registered as anything but misleading. That's why I was confused by the worry.

It's less worry and more that it would be frustrating. "Girl crushes on other girl but goes out with some random guy for whatever reason" is a very unfun trope (I'll not go into the details of why, as people will interpret it differently, but I feel uncomfortable every time that trope is used). And it does affect their interactions if Komaki went out with someone in the past, considering the way she behaves towards Wakaba now hits very different if she has relationship experience.

If Wakaba's interaction was correct and Komaki dated that dude, it would be nice to know that now to interpret Komaki's actions as a change of direction, rather than learn it later and repaint all the previous chapters in a negative light. And if it was misleading, that would be nice to know to see their game as an awkward first love instead of being left in the dark.

Side note, this chapter (2.2) was really cute. Looking forward to their date.

Mitsuki's a natural talent is having rizz, but Aya shows that purpose and effort pay off as well.

Patiently waiting for the rain to end.

I wonder if Xiu asked Song to bid on the painting

That seems a bit too manipulative and underhanded, to get someone to bid on her own painting. I'd suspect that he was trying to make a move on her but, since in this timeline, she still / again has Youyan, Xiu was annoyed by his attempt.

And damn was Youyan adorable. Again.

Tantai Lan, how can you constantly be so insanely cool ?! Well, gotta admit, she also dodged a bullet destined for herself right there with Qi Nian's silly idea. But it's almost symbolic how the general is constantly acting in the shadows to thwart the empress dowager's plans and support all of her victims.

And Yu Dingdang is still being as cute, honest, and smarter than she looks. We'll see the emperor's reaction next chapter, but I think the plan to make her protect both the cat and her empress is surprisingly smart and caring.

Heck, even Rantao, Cuitao and Ming Wei were looking out for Yu Dingdang in a lovely way. For all the I hate the empress dowager, she's really good at setting up occasions for all the protagonists and side characters to step up.

Can someone please explain the last few panels? I'm a little lost here.

The chapter ends on the panel where Qi Nian's mother appears. The next panel is an aside, showing Tantai Lan copying rules as context for the lines at the beginning explaining her presence in the palace.

"Let's have a serious important talk later, no I will not specify the subject ahead of time" aight I'm fully team anti-Koto now lol. I actually laughed out loud when in that later conversation she says her main concern is not wanting Aya to be anxious considering how classic and infamous "We need to talk about something important but not right now" is as an anxiety trigger.

I'm on team Erika buuuut I think she can do better than Koto. Unfortunately in this kind of story, there's a finite cast of 3 (probably 4, now) characters, so the idea that she'd move on and find herself a better girlfriend might only be possible for the epilogue, if at all.

Huh... Aya's assumptions towards Erika were way rude. Well, about as rude as you'd expect of a careless teenager, but still. That's no way of just assuming things about your friends... Was there any indication of why she'd think of Erika like that ?

Actually, did she never discuss what happened in the past seven years with Koto ?

last edited at Mar 11, 2024 12:36PM

80% chaos and 20% flirting. Decent ratio, I'll take it.

So... we can beat him up now, right ?

Aww... I was a bit disappointed in Akane that she'd think of dismissing Nadeshiko's feelings as artificial, but I'm glad that she quickly saw things right. And now she's going to put in effort to move their relationship to the next stage, good ! (Although she's made Nadeshiko cry, bad !).

Right, seeing all of your friends pairing up while you're single. Sounds like... huh, being in your mid-twenties ?

Damn the resolution, and the growth for Xingyuan, are absolutely perfect.

And it's not the first time this was shown, but the characters do really act their age. I could see myself, back when I was 19, believing that an honest talk and good intentions would fix most things, and 10 years later, realizing that some things just can't be repaired.