I understood her reasoning. Felt bad for her actually, now knowing the full context. There's definitely people who would bristle at their real life relationship or feelings being "reduced" to just "Yuri." Seems she felt it was derogatory, maybe even objectifying--and our MC was certainly doing a lot of that earlier on to the girls at the school, treating them like a show. Mika was already sensitive when she was asked the question, got upset and was dismissive about that usage. She wasn't clear enough since it was an off hand comment that she likely didn't expect to cause a major misunderstanding. Neither of them were in a position to be fully open about their gay feelings, so it kind of got left hanging. Clearly she liked our MC but unfortunately for her, that ship has sailed.

last edited at Sep 19, 2023 11:55PM

Damn, now Mika took a turn for the bittersweet. She thought she was a mind reader instead of answering honestly.

She was not a mind reader. •́⁠ ⁠ ⁠‿⁠ ⁠,⁠•̀

The scene in the classroom at the end though? 112,000,000,091% a win.

last edited at Sep 20, 2023 12:19AM

It does feel horrible to have your identity be reduced to a gimmick.

This chapter really went with not one but TWO classic tropes: unrequited mutual love that never came to be because of a misunderstanding and afterschool classroom confession.

If I'm understanding right, Mika was in love with Fuyu when Fuyu was working up to a confession

If this is really what happened then Mika needs to go to a gay bar and have a few dozens drinks with that girl from Chouchou Nannan. And while they drink they can discuss which one of them is the dumbest one.

What a twist, we all thought she was being homophobic like that asshole in Bloom Into You, when it was the complete opposite.

If I'm understanding right, Mika was in love with Fuyu when Fuyu was working up to a confession

If this is really what happened then Mika needs to go to a gay bar and have a few dozens drinks with that girl from Chouchou Nannan. And while they drink they can discuss which one of them is the dumbest one.

I get where you're coming from, but like...Mika is a child? I don't think she should be going to a bar and drinking with anybody. ;p

last edited at Sep 20, 2023 12:14PM

So it was a misunderstanding after all.

I get where you're coming from, but like...Mika is a child? I don't think she should be going to a bar and drinking with anybody. ;p

it's joke!

SHE DID IT SHE CONFESSED HOORAYY!!!

I understood her reasoning. Felt bad for her actually, now knowing the full context. There's definitely people who would bristle at their real life relationship or feelings being "reduced" to just "Yuri." Seems she felt it was derogatory, maybe even objectifying--and our MC was certainly doing a lot of that earlier on to the girls at the school, treating them like a show. Mika was already sensitive when she was asked the question, got upset and was dismissive about that usage. She wasn't clear enough since it was an off hand comment that she likely didn't expect to cause a major misunderstanding. Neither of them were in a position to be fully open about their gay feelings, so it kind of got left hanging. Clearly she liked our MC but unfortunately for her, that ship has sailed.

Me thinks Fuyu's objectification of Yuri started after Mika told her that "Yuri only exists in stories". Fuyu gave off more of a baby gay vibes who just recently discovered that it's possible for girls to like girls in her flashbacks

I understood her reasoning. Felt bad for her actually, now knowing the full context. There's definitely people who would bristle at their real life relationship or feelings being "reduced" to just "Yuri." Seems she felt it was derogatory, maybe even objectifying--and our MC was certainly doing a lot of that earlier on to the girls at the school, treating them like a show. Mika was already sensitive when she was asked the question, got upset and was dismissive about that usage. She wasn't clear enough since it was an off hand comment that she likely didn't expect to cause a major misunderstanding. Neither of them were in a position to be fully open about their gay feelings, so it kind of got left hanging. Clearly she liked our MC but unfortunately for her, that ship has sailed.

Me thinks Fuyu's objectification of Yuri started after Mika told her that "Yuri only exists in stories". Fuyu gave off more of a baby gay vibes who just recently discovered that it's possible for girls to like girls in her flashbacks

I don't think you're disagreeing but for clarity, I'll mention that I'm talking about what she has been doing to the girls at her new school, not around flashback. Her type behavior at this new school is an example of the kind of behaviour that made Mika bristle at the term "Yuri" back then. Can't say for sure when it started. Tough scenes all around, either way.

last edited at Sep 20, 2023 11:54PM

We finally now know both sides of the story and all the context information finally...

Mika-chan is not homophobic...SHE IS JUST A FKING DENSE IDIOT(at the time angsting and worrying about her problems about yuri being treated as fictional, annoyed at people treating girls loving girls as not serious) LOL!!!

(Warning: possible long rant ahead, apologies)
People are saying that Mika was in love with Fuyu(Watanable)...but I am going to say that is very unlikely and low chance theory(I want to say stupid and bullsh*t but that would be rude)...maybe yes Mika-chan fall in love and develop a crush on Fuyu after she realized Fuyu didn't go to the same school they promised to go at (After getting over her first crush...We do not know who her crush is...it could be the person she was talking to, could be a random girl...or it could be Watanabe/Fuyu...but I doubt it!!!).

It very vague and if Mika-chan, see there is no sign of blushing or thoughts of fear of Fuyu/Watanable being taken away by another person, no spark of positive delight wondering if Fuyu/Watanabe might be willing to date a 'girl.'

Mika-chan at the time was angry and annoyed at the so-called 'Yuri' label, that girls loving girls is being treated as 'fictional' and 'not real', angry at her friend (Unknown if it a random girl or her crush) for telling her that Mika & Watanable relationship is 'Yuri'.

See my theory is that Mika-chan, after she she got over her crush(A light hearted one) she realized how important Fuyu/Watanabe was to her...even developing some romantic or feeling of a new crush on her best friend(former best friend) + possibly realizing that she hurt her best friend with her comment/denying Yuri exist + an slight chance that she might have finally realize that Fuyu/Watanabe actually had a crush on her.

That look at Watanabe's back as Watanabe(Fuyu) walk/run away was a face of feeling some regret at a lost chance to get together with her or pursuit an chance to turn their friendship into possible romance. Basically regret and some longing at what could have been a nice romance...

THOUGH...it still I guess possible that the girl Mika-chan confessed that she had a crush on was the MC(Fuyu/Watanabe)...but if that was the case THEN SHE WAS A FKING ANGSTING DENSE IDIOT THAT MISS ALL THE OBVIOUS SIGNS LIKE BLUSHING JUST CUZ OF HER ANGSTY THOUGHTS (Yuri- girls loving girls not being treated serious and even fictional)!!! If she had a crush on Fuyu(MC) then she could made a counter point to the MC (Fuyu) asking what MC(Fuyu) would do...

See the most logically way to have Mika-chan describe her feelings was to say this: {Yuri is fictional, something that happen in story. It not anything in our world-(<< so far canon word)...now add this. Real life Girls loving another girl is not so perfect, I hate how people make light and treat Yuri as something fictional. I think a girl dating another girl is just as good as a girl dating a guy...it might not be yuri-like in the manga but I think it still a wonder thing. Though if a random girl confessed to me I would have to decline and asked if we could be friends first to see if dating each other is possible.}> much more wordy...but it get most of your point/feeling across..

But nope...give some vague words/sentence that can be easily misunderstood, not giving the context or thoughts while giving mentally damage to your best friend who has a crush on you...good job Mika-chan, Yes I am sure all your thoughts and feeling will be 100% transmitted to your friend as if she was a mind reader...NOT!! FUYU/WATANABE WAS NOT EVEN THE PERSON WHO BROUGHT YURI UP!!! she just asked what your reading [ch.18 as evidence] and said 'interesting'...in fact your the person who got Watanabe hooked into 'Yuri'

SHE DIDN'T EVEN ANSWER THE FKING QUESTION ("What would you do if a girl confessed to you")...just gave some vague words about Yuri being fictional and not something that happen in our world...what you just said sound very much like you saying that 'girls loving girls is fictional'...couldn't even say that girls loving girls IRL is different from yuri but still acceptable...
(End of Rant, apologies once again to other people actually reading my long @ss rant...)

...okay before someone says I am being too harsh and mean to Mika-chan, I am not hating her or anything...I just think her actions and lack of awareness is a bit stupid...Yes I know she was just a young teen in last year of middle school but she just spouted out words without thinking due to feeling of frustration...(Very dense to her best friend's feeling and never actually answer MC/Fuyu's question about what she would do)XD

It all just a misunderstanding...

In the end MC(Fuyu) got so closure, Mika-chan apologizing for unintentionally hurting the MC(Fuyu/Watanbe) and in the End MC finally confessing to the best girl (Best gal)/returning best girl's feeling XD

All in all, it a good chapter. Too bad it feels like the story will end in like 3-5 more chapters...though the author will probably wrap it up nicely in the end though T_T

We finally now know both sides of the story and all the context information finally...

Alternatively, Mikan is just a minor character and what we see is what we get; with the only caveat of them being coy about her crush is to give impact to that little montage by the end and recontextualizing those little beats where Mikan stares at Fuyu.

The sentences "They're yuri", "It's yuri", "She is yuri to X" are such a nonsense and mostly put aside the use of the word lesbian in yuri manga, come on lesbian it's not an insult, and lesbian relationships.

But that's literally the point here. Mika didn't have the words to describe her feelings without using a fictional genre label, and when her friends called it yuri, she's like "No, that's not what this is, this isn't a story, this is my life.

although it's worth noting, it's my understanding that in Japanese, "Rezu" (lesbian) is kind of an insult, or at least it's considered crass. Yuri is more of a euphemism, which is more polite in conversation. It probably shouldn't be, but it is what it is.

This twist is honestly heartbreaking. And genuinely clever, it didn't even occur to me that Mika said what she said because she felt objectified, but it makes complete sense. Another reminder that you can never assume what other people are thinking.

The problem shows up with how we can't know if Mika was making a statement at the time about the terms yuri (fiction) versus real (lesbian) sapphic romance, rather than a statement about yuri versus doubt that relationships between women can be romantic. Reading this chapter I realized that Yoshioka would have learned a lot about her sexuality through online sources outside of yuri fiction and otaku culture, so realistically her self-perception would gravitate more to the term lesbian and less to the marketable "yuri" through which Fuyu learned about her own sexuality.

If I'm understanding right, Mika was in love with Fuyu when Fuyu was working up to a confession, but Mika hadn't labelled her own feelings yet? So Mika's mistake was she rejected the idea of romance with other girls because she really did believe it only happened in stories, and took offense because a "yuri" fiction label or an assumption that romance is present would devalue what she considered a close friendship? Though Fuyu seemed pretty open about being a yuri fan she wasn't mentioning it directly when she was working up to confess, so I get the impression Mika hadn't come to terms with her own feelings at that point. Eventually Mika realized that Fuyu was distancing herself because of "the kicker", probably even that Fuyu interpreted it as rejecting her and not just demeaning her genre. If not while the two were growing apart in middle school, Mika respected her own feelings by the time she sent a text at the exact moment the mythic lovers supposedly meet on Tanabata earlier on. That's a bit tragic.

If Mika already knew her feelings were romantic (lesbian), and answered Fuyu while making assumptions about Fuyu's connection with yuri (imaginary), and still let the relationship crumble, the development is more of a forced misunderstanding.

I don't feel like it's forced, but I definitely think she knew her feelings were romantic. You have to look at what Fuyu actually said, and think about it from Mika's perspective. Notice the dialogue in each girl's recollection is explicitly different. I don't know if that's a translation issue or if it reflects the original Japanese, but assuming it's like that in the original, one or both of them are remembering the conversation differently. Fuyu remembers trying to dismiss things in a panic and then Mika dropping the "Yuri is fiction" bomb, but from Mika's perspective, Fuyu is talking about it like she's writing fanfic in her head. (something she actually does seem to have a habit of doing)

In the bit before, her friends online had gone "It's yuri!" basically fangirling, joking around, and essentially objectifying her feelings. It must have felt like they were making light of her very serious emotions.

Then Fuyu comes to her and says "What would you do if someone confessed to you?" Her first thought is a fearful "Did someone confess to Fuyu-chan?" Before, this gave me the impression that she was looking for an explanation that didn't imply romantic feelings for her, but now we see that she was worried about losing Fuyu to someone else.

But Fuyu was trying to come at her from the side by pretending it wasn't about them, so when Mika zeroes directly in on this is about you, isn't it? Fuyu panics and retreats, so she tries to play it off like it's just part of the fiction. "I just wondered what would happen next after that kind of a development..." Fuyu is trying to go "It's no big deal, I was just wondering..." but to Mika it feels like Fuyu is doing the same thing that her friends did, and she's been dwelling on that, thinking about why it bothers her, and it comes down to "Yuri is something that happens in a story." And the unspoken part, the part she's probably just as afraid to say as Fuyu, is "...and my feelings are real, so please don't treat them like they're fiction." But without that unspoken bit, to Fuyu it sounds like "Girls don't love each other in real life."

Compare-the-Japanese-to-the-translation person here :)

Notice the dialogue in each girl's recollection is explicitly different. I don't know if that's a translation issue or if it reflects the original Japanese, but assuming it's like that in the original, one or both of them are remembering the conversation differently.

Checked just in case, there is a little bit of a translation issue. In Japanese, the dialogue is the same letter-for-letter. However their impression of the dialogue is definitely different (in Fuyu's recollection, the kanji are all shaky). They don't remember it differently, but Fuyu knows how she felt at the moment (being nervous), and she obviously does not know what Mika was thinking. For the record, the second translation (Mika's POV) is basically what was actually said.

There's also another minor thing that got lost in translation. In the Japanese, the word "development" was actually emphasized (like italics in English). And the word choice is one that usually refers to developments in stories, like plot twists (展開). That was the one that triggered her defensive reaction. So your interpretation is not incorrect, more like blatantly obvious in the original.

But Fuyu was trying to come at her from the side by pretending it wasn't about them, so when Mika zeroes directly in on this is about you, isn't it? Fuyu panics and retreats, so she tries to play it off like it's just part of the fiction. "I just wondered what would happen next after that kind of a development..." Fuyu is trying to go "It's no big deal, I was just wondering..." but to Mika it feels like Fuyu is doing the same thing that her friends did, and she's been dwelling on that, thinking about why it bothers her, and it comes down to "Yuri is something that happens in a story." And the unspoken part, the part she's probably just as afraid to say as Fuyu, is "...and my feelings are real, so please don't treat them like they're fiction." But without that unspoken bit, to Fuyu it sounds like "Girls don't love each other in real life."

Great breakdown. Same feeling from me.

There's also another minor thing that got lost in translation. In the Japanese, the word "development" was actually emphasized (like italics in English). And the word choice is one that usually refers to developments in stories, like plot twists (展開). That was the one that triggered her defensive reaction. So your interpretation is not incorrect, more like blatantly obvious in the original.

That's very helpful. Thanks for that!

although it's worth noting, it's my understanding that in Japanese, "Rezu" (lesbian) is kind of an insult, or at least it's considered crass. Yuri is more of a euphemism, which is more polite in conversation. It probably shouldn't be, but it is what it is.

There is a more polite version, "Bian"

Compare-the-Japanese-to-the-translation person here :)

Notice the dialogue in each girl's recollection is explicitly different. I don't know if that's a translation issue or if it reflects the original Japanese, but assuming it's like that in the original, one or both of them are remembering the conversation differently.

Checked just in case, there is a little bit of a translation issue. In Japanese, the dialogue is the same letter-for-letter. However their impression of the dialogue is definitely different (in Fuyu's recollection, the kanji are all shaky). They don't remember it differently, but Fuyu knows how she felt at the moment (being nervous), and she obviously does not know what Mika was thinking. For the record, the second translation (Mika's POV) is basically what was actually said.

There's also another minor thing that got lost in translation. In the Japanese, the word "development" was actually emphasized (like italics in English). And the word choice is one that usually refers to developments in stories, like plot twists (展開). That was the one that triggered her defensive reaction. So your interpretation is not incorrect, more like blatantly obvious in the original.

Awesome, thanks so much for clarifying that.

Mika-chan: Ultimate Fumbler of The Bag

Only 1 chapter left??? Only 1 chapter of lovey dovey stuff? :(

Is it just me or does it feel like it could've been longer? Like Mika was supposed to be in the story longer and the confession was supposed to be delayed more.

Wait so did it end? What happened to the translation?

I thought that maybe this was the end, but I saw in my copy that there's one more chapter left. Wonder if it'll ever get TL'd.