Now getting a glimpse of Erika’s job as both model and actress - it makes me think of how the tanzaku wish could have been about “catching up” to Aya (assuming this is how Aya disappeared - wished away, or wished to be held on “pause”). Because had Aya grown up at the same time as them, it’s easy to imagine Aya having the same things Erika has in the current timeline - Actress and Model. Clearly the competitive streak is still there between them, though I can imagine it might have been even more so as adults with careers.

Oooh loved seeing koto’s point of view. Also if I remember correctly, both Koto and Erika (by mentioning it) have seen/talked to Aya on the night of the festival, but only Aya herself doesn’t remember having gone at all (since to her, it hasn’t happened yet). I wonder why - did she wish to go back in time before the festival? And why wear a mask? (Unless that’s part of the festival tradition; I have no idea - but either way, it felt like Aya was hiding/running away with that mask.) Very interesting, I love this.

That part was just a dream. Koto didn't meet nor did see Aya during the festival. It's common for kids to buy/wear masks during festivals, but I don't think it holds a particular significance in this case. It just symbolizes Koto feeling that she has been abandoned by Aya (voluntary or not).

I had a feeling as I re-read it that it was likely a dream. It would’ve been interesting if a scenario like that had happened. Oh well, I suppose now it’s even more intriguing to know that Erika is the only one Aya had possibly spent time with at the festival.

Oooh loved seeing koto’s point of view. Also if I remember correctly, both Koto and Erika (by mentioning it) have seen/talked to Aya on the night of the festival, but only Aya herself doesn’t remember having gone at all (since to her, it hasn’t happened yet). I wonder why - did she wish to go back in time before the festival? And why wear a mask? (Unless that’s part of the festival tradition; I have no idea - but either way, it felt like Aya was hiding/running away with that mask.) Very interesting, I love this.

last edited at Nov 26, 2023 1:51AM

I wonder; now that Lapis is more showy with her affections for Natori, and Natori seemingly returning those feelings (tho she doesn’t quite realize what they are just yet), will Diana go the jealousy route/become the antagonist for Natori’s affections? I can see a drastic change in that instead of the Prince killing Lapis like in the original game, it could be Diana instead. And at that point Natori would have to make a choice between Lapis or Diana.

Now that Aya and Koto will be moving in together I can imagine Koto (and probably Aya too) realizing just how much of a disparity there may be between them in terms of interests, likes, dislikes, etc because of their age gap (which was already hinted with the coffee scene) during their daily interactions.

As someone who can’t read Japanese, I’m assuming this could be potentially an angsty route because they might not find much in common other than shared experiences in the past (that Koto may not be all that interested in anymore, or worse, find the past painful to talk about - like perhaps the play/script/drama club). I can see this going down a path where Koto finds out she doesn’t like Aya romantically anymore if she’s constantly reminded through every day things that Aya is still just a child. Actually, I think this might even lead to an inverse relationship - where Aya starts visibly liking Koto more compared to their younger counterparts/in the past whereas Koto’s more aloof. Or maybe that’s just Aya latching onto something familiar to find comfort/solace (or just not wanting to be abandoned anymore like with her Mother(?)) and Koto protecting herself by being aloof still ends up loving Aya just the same regardless of their lack of shared interests.

I’m leaning more towards a metaphor at the end with Koto and the script but it’d be interesting if it was actually more literal and Koto somehow had influence/supernatural powers over Aya through a script. Which could explain how she knew how Aya would respond (tho someone could also argue that Koto might’ve just known Aya that well to predict her responses). Though I’m thinking more along the lines of it being an old draft of the play’s script. That Koto was drafting the script with her and Aya’s names as a rough draft before submitting the final script with the actual play’s character names. As for why Aya responded similarly to the script, I think Aya remembers practicing the lines and figured that she could recite those same lines both as a way to perhaps connect with Koto, as well as finding it was relevant and appropriate for the moment.

Erika saying “I’m truly glad you know, Aya. With this, things are fair.” I wonder if she’s assuming Koto confessed to Aya/let her feelings be known to Aya and thus, she feels like now it’s fair to start properly pursuing Koto? Like she didn’t feel it was right to make a move on Koto because Koto has been affected by Aya’s disappearance, but now that Aya’s back, and Koto’s finally able to seemingly catch up and spend time with Aya and face the reality of whether she’s truly still in love with Aya, Erika can pursue her without the guilt of knowing that this time, if Koto shows even a sliver of reciprocation — she’ll know it’s not because Koto is just settling for her, but because Koto has already tried with Aya and realized perhaps the age difference/years missed is just too great to ignore. Though I think it’s a little funny considering Erika would be/is essentially competing against a 14 year old girl for a woman’s affections. If Erika ever did win against 14 yr old Aya for Koto, I wonder if she’d next start thinking that she’d only won BECAUSE Aya is only 14 lol. I’m hoping for another time skip just so Aya would be older and mature enough to even the playing field again.

Hopefully all that up there makes sense lmao

last edited at Oct 26, 2023 1:29PM

Koto acts like someone with guilty conscience, avoiding Aya.
There's something off in her behavior...

Btw, drama club play name: Wishful Thinking; main role: Ushio Aya (chapter 2/25)
-there actually was the written clue! (mentioned before)

What if it was something what Koto wrote in her script what was connected (or caused) Aya's disappearance?

In chapter 1/27, last pic, Koto is observing a poster "TANA - BATA as a theme", so, Wishful Thinking was written by Koto (and later in manga Aya confirmed telling about her wish to play main role because it was first Koto's script)
Koto was also a witness while Aya was reciting a poem about a hidden place (wishful thinking).
She dropped the drama club and stopped writing scripts, after.
And when friends described her after Aya'a disappearance, she obviously was in a state of shock for a long time.
There could be more about Koto's connection with disappearance of Aya than we know now.

Erika acts too cool for someone possibly involved in Aya's disappearance. No traces of guilt in her behavior.
She mentioned their last conversation too casually for something with hidden intentions to cause disappearance of someone.

That’s a very interesting theory and one I think would be exciting to see if true. On the point of Erika seeming too cool to be guilty, one could also argue that Erika’s quick reaction to take initiative and do something could be a result of feeling guilt.

Which actually leads me to thinking: what if BOTH Erika and Koto made a similar Tanabata wish (in terms of your theory about Koto being responsible via script writing and Erika because she’s seemingly the number one suspect). So they technically made the “wish” together?

Love triangles are so named because it’s the shape closest to a V lol. Although honestly, with the time gap, and the power dynamics being so different now, everyone’s feelings (maybe except for Erika lol) are so unclear that it can go in any direction. I’d say for right now Koto is the one I can’t wrap my head around the most.

Ouuu I like the concept of the “catch up” wish as well! That actually makes a lot of sense once you see how Erika’s life is like in the later chapters. But yeah, still don’t think Erika and Koto will happen (and if it does, it’d probably be a very slow burn), considering Koto has had so many years to develop feelings for Erika and doesn’t seem like she had. Although maybe Aya’s reappearance serves as a means for closure for her, so that she can finally focus on someone else (e.g. Erika). But we shall see!

Oh? Now I’m even MORE excited to see the later chapters. I can’t speak Japanese or read it so I have no idea but I’m looking forward to seeing what Erika’s life is like as an adult. Whether she succeeded in “catching up” with Aya as a main lead in something or not will be interesting to see.

I can definitely imagine a potential drama point in future chapters where Aya, despite the age difference, might end up shining through with potential as a “main lead” in something that may have Erika feeling like she’s back in middle school all over again. Which would be fascinating to see how Erika deals with it this time around without a wish (assuming ofc this wish thing is true). Unless Erika decides to make another wish — which could also serve as a character growth opportunity for Erika if she decides to “beat” Aya fair and square without relying on anything supernatural. Going off of your last point, if Aya’s presence means closure, this sounds like this would be a great way to give Erika closure.

last edited at Sep 12, 2023 8:18PM

Gives us a few pieces of the puzzle. Aya was last seen the day of the Tanabata Festival, but Aya remembers it being the day before the festival when she ends up in the future. Erika supposedly had a conversation of some kind with Aya on the day of the Tanabata Festival, and may be the last person who saw her before she disappeared. But, Erika is also curious about what Aya did after leaving said conversation, so it's unlikely (but NOT disproven) Erika was directly involved.

Good catch. Given the Tanabata theme, it could be a wish Erika wrote and hung up on the bamboo. She must have been tormented with guilt ever since, in that case.

This reappeared Aya seems to be fully functional and capable of independent feeling and thinking, and also corporeal enough for a check up at hospital, so I think we can rule out the "ghost" and "Koto's and Erika's projection" theories.

Of all the theories posted so far, this is the one I like the best. Erika literally murdering Aya, as a previous poster suggested, seems just a bit too dark/edgy for this sort of manga, but Erika making a Tanabata wish for Aya to "go away" or similar seems like a much more plausible thing for a heartbroken and jealous 14-year-old to do. Another piece of supporting evidence is that Erika believed Aya was alive this whole time, even though the normal assumption after a young girl has been missing for years would be that she's dead. It would also help explain her somewhat contradictory actions in this chapter: she goes out of her way to help out Aya and observes how, with the benefit of hindsight, Aya wasn't really an untouchable existence like she seemed at the time but a fragile teenager just like her; at the same time, however, she continues to display some jealousy and resentment, unnecessarily bringing up Aya's dead grandfather and lying that she doesn't know how Koto feels about Aya.

(And yeah, I highly doubt Aya is a ghost or projection: we see her taking a shower, changing clothes, etc. Maybe there'll be some huge twist but right now all signs point to time travel.)

Now, moving on from Erika speculations, I'll say that the thing I liked the most about this chapter is how seriously it's treating its ridiculous premise. It's so common for manga to just play stuff like this for comedy, but I really appreciated how unflinchingly it depicted what the real results would be of someone being flung forward in time seven years. Aya has been forcibly removed from everything she once knew; her friends have grown up, her home's no longer there, and her grandfather died without her even being there. It's an incredible trauma that she can't even really grieve because she wasn't around for it all to happen to her. Erika asks why Aya thought now was the right time to say she was dating Koto, but I think it was because Aya is desperately trying to retain whatever scraps she can of the world she used to exist in. While she continues to be a mysterious character in many ways, all this does a great job of making her compelling to me. In that sense, the biggest weakness of the manga so far is Koto, who is far less interesting than both Aya and Erika, but hopefully the next chapter will give her more of a spotlight so we can have a better sense of what Adult Koto is like.

I’ve been following this series closely on the Japanese apps it’s posted on so I’m a few chapters ahead, but I can say we will get a better insight into Koto’s perspective soon, just not next chapter heh. I’m very impressed with how both Aya and Erika are handling things. And yeah, you can tell there’s a measure of guilt on Erika’s part. I’ve always just assumed maybe she said something not so nice to Aya on the day of her disappearance. But the Tanabata wish theory makes more sense! Didn’t think of that.

For those who want to support the author and/or can read Japanese, you can purchase chapters on kindle via Amazon Japan. It’s not as up to date as Piccoman but it’s releasing new chapters at least monthly.

I like the idea of the Tanabata wish theory. Reading through this also made me think that other than “wishing” Aya away, perhaps Erika wished to “catch up” to Aya? Since Erika mentioned that she couldn’t have caught up to Aya back in middle school. So maybe she wished to “catch up” to Aya and in turn, that “held back” Aya whilst time moved forward for everyone else. And more specifically Erika to finally realize and get to a point where she sees Aya as just a 14 year old girl. (Though as for catching up with Aya in terms of catching Koto’s heart/affections, well. I suppose we’ll see lol).