Does "acting on her selfish desires" have to be to literally lock Aya inside the house? Saying that she is lonely and begging Aya not to interact with anyone else is emotional manipulation.

Of course, it doesn't have to be literally locking Aya inside, but I don't think what she said here is a tactic of emotional manipulation either. As you can see, Koto does have these selfish thoughts, and she is aware of how bad they are; that's why she tried to keep them to herself. However, when Aya kept asking what was wrong, Koto became so emotional that she couldn't hold it in anymore and let everything slip out. I see it as letting your emotions get the better of yourself, and because of that, you said what you weren't supposed to say. Of course it's a different story if Koto keep pulling this shit, but for now, I think saying that she abused Aya just from what she said when losing her composure is a bit unfair to her.

“Losing control of one’s emotions” is the explanation of every person who does something abusive in a relationship. This is blaming Aya for asking why Koto was acting strangely.

Koto said what she really meant.

Does "acting on her selfish desires" have to be to literally lock Aya inside the house? Saying that she is lonely and begging Aya not to interact with anyone else is emotional manipulation.

Of course, it doesn't have to be literally locking Aya inside, but I don't think what she said here is a tactic of emotional manipulation either. As you can see, Koto does have these selfish thoughts, and she is aware of how bad they are; that's why she tried to keep them to herself. However, when Aya kept asking what was wrong, Koto became so emotional that she couldn't hold it in anymore and let everything slip out. I see it as letting your emotions get the better of yourself, and because of that, you said what you weren't supposed to say. Of course it's a different story if Koto keep pulling this shit, but for now, I think saying that she abused Aya just from what she said when losing her composure is a bit unfair to her.

Take this explanation and replace the acts of emotional abuse with physical abuse. Maybe that will show you how this attempt at excusing her behavior does not pass the smell test.

Typical way how an abuser might gaslight you into believing "it's not that bad".

last edited at Aug 3, 2024 4:22PM

Except it wasn't physical, which makes all the difference. To call Koto's behavior abusive, in my own definition, it would need to be a repetitive behavior. As a one time thing, it's out of line and not acceptable, especially with the age difference. But an isolated incident is not an abusive behavior, at least for me. And in terms of storytelling, the point of that scene was to show us her breaking point, not to show her becoming an abusive person. With this story, I feel like people are too quick to call behaviors as toxic, abusive or crossing a line.

Without going into details about my personal life (not interesting anyway), the reason I'd like to see the Aya/Koto relationship works is because I once was in Koto's shoes. Some past trauma made me possessive and jealous, to an extent it wasn't healthy. And the same as Koto, I wasn't aware of my own trauma.

The reason I was able to get past it, understand my own trauma and work on it was because I met someone that loved me enough to put up with my shit and see through it. If it wasn't for that person, who stucked with me while I was processing all of that, I don't think I would have been able to even be aware of my issues. Funny enough, I was around the same age as Koto as well when it happened (and that person was a bit younger as well, not as much though).

And while Aya is young, I definitely think she can be that person for Koto, while Koto supports her while we can finish her study and becoming a proper adult in society's eye. If they can make it work, it could end up being a strong and lasting relationship.

Erika on the other end doesn't seem fit for that role. She is too focused on her own feelings to be able to give the help or even just the push Koto needs. I don't hate the character though. Overall, she is still doing a lot for Aya, and while she does have ulterior motives, which makes her feels pathetic and like a bad person, she is still doing a lot for her regardless. If it wasn't for those flashbacks, and being able to read her thoughts, I don't think anyone would think badly of her. I don't see any of her behavior as actively trying to sabotage Aya/Koto's relationship either. That's what she hopes, but not how she behaves. Even asking the question "do you really love present Koto" is legitimate. Aya never questioned her feelings for Koto, and it's definitely necessary for their relationship to work properly. And yes, I know it's not what Erika is wishing for, but it doesn't mean the question is out of line/crossing a line.

tl:dr
While not behaving at their best, I think all characters's behaviors are relatable and understandable. This whole story seems to be written to allow those characters to go past their own flaw and trauma, in order to become better persons. That's the way I see it.

“Losing control of one’s emotions” is the explanation of every person who does something abusive in a relationship. This is blaming Aya for asking why Koto was acting strangely.

Talking about putting words in someone's mouth. What if a friend of you said that seeing your cat make them sad, because the cat remind them of their dead cat? Will you say that they are blaming your cat for making them sad?

As I said, I don't think we would ever find an agreement, so I suggest we'd move on, from replying to each other. If you don't, I will do it alone.

Take this explanation and replace the acts of emotional abuse with physical abuse. Maybe that will show you how this attempt at excusing her behavior does not pass the smell test.

Typical way how an abuser might gaslight you into believing "it's not that bad".

Have you ever said something horrible to someone else out of anger, or had a friend do that once? Would you think it is as bad as hitting someone out of anger and cut ties with that friend without giving them a chance?

I never excuse that behavior; as I said, it's bad, it's a horrible thing to say. Koto should really apologize and do a lot to make it up to Aya. But saying someone is abusing someone else just because they said horrible things when losing their composure ONCE is exaggerating. They deserve a chance if they show their remorse and never do it again (I'm talking about "saying something horrible out of anger ONCE", not "abusing", fyi)

last edited at Aug 4, 2024 12:03AM

To the defenders of Erika: can you give a reasonable explanation as to why she didn't say anything to Aya about Koto's state of mind evolution during the past seven years? Aside from "she has no obligation to".

She saw first hand Koto sinking into obsession, but when Aya comes back, not only does she let a 14yo live with someone she knows is unstable in relation to Aya, but she withholds this information (and others) and let Aya deal with Koto on her own, while waiting for their relationship to crumble. Granted, she feels guilty, but she still does it.

So, it's really easy to make Erika the villain here, because of what she possibly did on the Tanabata day and because she's passive aggressive towards Aya. Koto has her faults, but Erika is literally playing on these faults to break them up.

last edited at Aug 4, 2024 2:15AM

To the defenders of Erika: can you give a reasonable explanation as to why she didn't say anything to Aya about Koto's state of mind evolution during the past seven years? Aside from "she has no obligation to".

She saw first hand Koto sinking into obsession, but when Aya comes back, not only does she let a 14yo live with someone she knows is unstable in relation to Aya, but she withholds this information (and others) and let Aya deal with Koto on her own, while waiting for their relationship to crumble. Granted, she feels guilty, but she still does it.

So, it's really easy to make Erika the villain here, because of what she possibly did on the Tanabata day and because she's passive aggressive towards Aya. Koto has her faults, but Erika is literally playing on these faults to break them up.

Early on telling Aya about Koto directly is a very difficult, easily misconstrued conversation, and Aya could easily have just reacted defensively and cut it off. Later, their relationship seemed to be okay, especially with Aya studying and building a new life. And then it all crashed down so Erika indirectly finally pointed Aya in the direction of that.

And I still don't see how Erika could be interpreted as trying to break them up. When Aya fled Koto's apartment and came to Erika, Koto's actions were so bad with that breaking up was the likely default condition. She could have pulled a Luigi and won by doing nothing, just comforted Aya with a platitude and let things play out. Instead she gave Aya advice that has led her to seemingly become more understanding of Koto.

I think it's worth pointing out that Erika hasn't even thought "I want them to break up," what she was hoping for was specific: that their relationship would run its course and Koto would get over what happened with Aya, realizing that seven years later they're both different people and not actually meant for each other. A sudden dramatic breakup thanks to Koto self-sabotaging is not the "healing and moving forward" Erika was hoping for. They need to reach a point where they mutually agree "let's just be friends" for the happy ending Erika wants lol.

Not even gonna bother addressing the person thinking Koto wasn't being abusive in that moment, I think Aya running away from her is enough to say that that's how she read the situation, even if she did water it down in summarizing it later with Erika.

last edited at Aug 4, 2024 2:39AM

I've just re-read chapter 13 and noticed that on page 11, when Aya recall hearing what Erika said somewhere before, there is a shadow of someone (the person who said that to her in the past). That shadow doesn't match young Erika or young Koto, but look like adult Erika or adult Koto. Is it just me or something weird going on here too?

I think Aya running away from her is enough to say that that's how she read the situation, even if she did water it down in summarizing it later with Erika.

From ch13, I think Aya read the situation as "Koto is taking me as a child and I don't like it" rather than "Koto is abusing me". But I do see that you don't want to discuss any of that with me, so sorry if this comment is unwanted, just ignore me.

last edited at Aug 4, 2024 3:53AM

Not even gonna bother addressing the person thinking Koto wasn't being abusive in that moment, I think Aya running away from her is enough to say that that's how she read the situation, even if she did water it down in summarizing it later with Erika.

Well, you just did. To have an abusive behavior, you need a clear intend to harm. It is just not the case. Her trauma makes her say irrational and hurtful things, that doesn't mean it was the intent. Two actions can have the same results while being different.

Not even Aya reads the situation as being abusive. She is running away because she is unable to confront Koto seing her as a child, this is clearly express afterward. Nothing is showing that she thinks she was a victim of abuse.

People are getting hung up on the word “abusive” and playing Family Services counselors as to the technical definition. So let’s stick to mangaspeak and just say that Koto really let her yandere freak flag there for a moment. She almost certainly is already sorry that she let Aya see that side of her and realizes that it was a counterproductive move in regard to their relationship.

The fact remains that she has that side of her and that at some level those are her real underlying feelings—you could hardly get a bigger red flag that things are presently fucked between the two of them.

I’ll remind the Ethical Behavioral Tribunal once again that a major problem here is:

Past-Aya was top dog of the the three—Erika’s unbeatable acting (and later love) rival, and Koto’s longed-for love object, at first unobtainable then inexplicably lost just as she was obtained.

So it’s not surprising that both Koto and Erika have trouble taking a consistent stance toward Aya—she’s both a vulnerable middle-schooler thrown into a disorienting situation with no external resources besides her old friends as well as The One in their triad as if she’d never been away. Sometimes Erika or Koto treat her as the first and sometimes the second—and sometimes in the same sentence.

last edited at Aug 4, 2024 7:20AM

Early on telling Aya about Koto directly is a very difficult, easily misconstrued conversation, and Aya could easily have just reacted defensively and cut it off. Later, their relationship seemed to be okay, especially with Aya studying and building a new life. And then it all crashed down so Erika indirectly finally pointed Aya in the direction of that.

Wow.
I got to say your love for Erika maybe keep you from seeing her objectively.
I don't think Erika should have told Aya the state of Koto's evolution mind in these years. Only because that should be Koto's right to decide whether tell Aya or not. It's a kind of business only between the couple.
I had to admit that's the maturity l never expect Erika to have.

However, the way Erika can't choose the wrongest time to jump in makes me think the otherwise.

The only reason she didn't meddle in is she was waiting for the right time.
Erika wants them to break up at the right moment. It just can't be too early or Koto would not have enough time to change. And it has to be Aya breaking up with Koto. Because not in a thousands years Koto will do that willingly.

And I still don't see how Erika could be interpreted as trying to break them up. When Aya fled Koto's apartment and came to Erika, Koto's actions were so bad with that breaking up was the likely default condition. She could have pulled a Luigi and won by doing nothing, just comforted Aya with a platitude and let things play out. Instead she gave Aya advice that has led her to seemingly become more understanding of Koto.

I think it's worth pointing out that Erika hasn't even thought "I want them to break up," what she was hoping for was specific: that their relationship would run its course and Koto would get over what happened with Aya, realizing that seven years later they're both different people and not actually meant for each other. A sudden dramatic breakup thanks to Koto self-sabotaging is not the "healing and moving forward" Erika was hoping for. They need to reach a point where they mutually agree "let's just be friends" for the happy ending Erika wants lol.

Really？You seriously think Koto would just do nothing and let Aya break up with her？Wow, that version of Koto would have moved on seven years ago.

I can see Koto on her knees apologizes to Aya and promise she won't treat her like a kid again. She would let her do whatever she wants. Aya forgives her and agree to come home.
That's the ending if Erika doing nothing.

Yeah. It's not like their problem being solved. But apparently Koto will do things more carefully and choose not to speak out her real thought ever again.

Not even gonna bother addressing the person thinking Koto wasn't being abusive in that moment, I think Aya running away from her is enough to say that that's how she read the situation, even if she did water it down in summarizing it later with Erika.

Well, it's really hard to regard Koto as an abuser while Aya is the one who holding more cards in this relationship.
Despite the sudden seven age gap, Koto still not see herself as equal.
Aya is so god like to her lol.

last edited at Aug 4, 2024 5:35AM

I can see Koto on her knees apologizes to Aya and promise she won't treat her like a kid again. She would let her do whatever she wants. Aya forgives her and agree to come home.
That's the ending if Erika doing nothing.

That's what I think too. However, despite not having good intentions, Erika did give good advice. Aya should think carefully about whether she still loves the present Koto, rather than maintaining the current state with Koto being more careful, which would destroy both of them from the inside. Let's see what Aya's answer will be.

So, it's really easy to make Erika the villain here, because of what she possibly did on the Tanabata day and because she's passive aggressive towards Aya. Koto has her faults, but Erika is literally playing on these faults to break them up.

I don't disagree that Erika could have said something about Koto's state of mind, although not as a friend, but as an adult the moment she noticed things were getting a bit too obsessive. But also, is she even in the right state of mind for that? Can we really expect things not to be emotionally packed?
Would that have done anything?
Would a naive Aya just accept that, when she's in love with Koto and only became aware of the weight of the situation after Erika suggested another way of thinking about it?

I wouldn't consider myself an Erika defender since I try not to see their good/bad actions as fully defining of them as characters, what bothers me are how certain posts are oddly reductive of what's happening when it comes to both Koto and Erika by trying to turn them into things they aren't (genius manipulator, evil mastermind). Still, I do not think that she is a villain as a character can be an antagonistic figure (Assuming that she could be considered one, but then, who is or are the protagonist and what is she going against? Is the Aya x Koto relationship really what one would want? Is she not relevant to the triangle?) without necessarily being a villain. Of course if it turns out that Erika had vile intentions all along I'll consider her a villain too, but so far it makes no sense for that to ever be the case and, for me, it feels more like conflicted feelings manifesting themselves as friendship, jealousy, animosity and possibly regret.
She's a human, a person. To be reducing them to simple words is to ignore the complexity of the situation they've been placed in and their relationship.

Not excusing either of Erika's or Koto's actions, they are justified, it's been discussed multiple times already. If Erika is really the cause behind Aya's disappearance, then that certainly messed her up and I don't think she's at her best state right now when her accidental victim is right in front of her. It is in her interest of course that Koto gets over Aya as what she desires is Koto to be with her, however in this chapter I think that the advice she gave was actually good and it's the other things that should make the reader a bit wary of her such as what she muttered here which seemed to be way more directed at herself than at what she was discussing with Aya before... Which could possibly mean that she DOES blame herself for what happened and feels bad about it.

I've just re-read chapter 13 and noticed that on page 11, when Aya recall hearing what Erika said somewhere before, there is a shadow of someone (the person who said that to her in the past). That shadow doesn't match young Erika or young Koto, but look like adult Erika or adult Koto. Is it just me or something weird going on here too?

It could have been ambiguous like that because she's just starting to remember so the memory is quite foggy, but if it was an adult Erika or Koto I think we'd be stepping into Bayonetta territory. I think it makes sense to think that it was a teenager Erika because it was triggered right after she said that phrase, and Erika is most certainly hiding something from the other two she doesn't want them to know because it would advance the crumbling of their friendship.
But if it was another person, then... who? I think it would be weird to introduce another character who was relevant in the past at this point and if it was an adult Erika/Koto... I think this would get into a time travel theme it's not really going for so far.

Well, you just did. To have an abusive behavior, you need a clear intend to harm. It is just not the case. Her trauma makes her say irrational and hurtful things, that doesn't mean it was the intent. Two actions can have the same results while being different.

You can be abusive without intending to. Keeping someone in a cage with no freedom is abusive even if she tried to do it out of love. It's not healthy, it's not rational, it's not ideal. That doesn't make Koto evil and hurting and being hurt is part of life, even when you don't want to. What matters is what Koto is going to do about it, if she'll improve herself or if she'll give in to her fears.
Besides, kids often can't tell that they're being abused until later in life.

Blastaar posted this while I was still writing my post but I couldn't put it any better:

So it’s not surprising that both Koto and Erika have trouble taking a consistent stance toward Aya—she’s both a vulnerable middle-schooler thrown into a disorienting situation with no external resources besides her old friends and The One in their triad as if she’d never been away. Sometimes Erika or Koto treat her as the first and sometimes the second—and sometimes in the same sentence.

And it's literally this, I know it might not be the intention, but many are thinking in black and white here. It's like when people try to argue that a morally grey character is definitely evil or definitely good.

Well, it's really hard to regard Koto as an abuser while Aya is the one who holding more cards in this relationship.
Despite the sudden seven age gap, Koto still not see herself as equal.
Aya is so god like to her lol.

In the relationship yeah, maybe, as the result of Koto's obsession with her, but as an adult, Koto does have more power over Aya's life, considering how she's got nowhere to go other than to two mentally ill women with an unhealthy triangular obsession.
She's just a kid and it was up to the other two women to do something about themselves... but of course considering their past relationship, their unresolved feelings and the entire mess that her reappearance is, can we really expect them to be mature about it? Not really and that's fine, that's one of the reasons why I like this story.

And if you're this obsessed with someone to the point all of your value depends on them, it's up to you to do something about it before it corrodes you and it destroys your relationship.
I've been obsessed with others, Adachi Sakura style, so I'm not saying this to be mean... It's just true, or else you'll be destroying yourself.

I don't understand why the focus on the use of "abuse" when it's a simple way of describing the result of Koto's actions if Aya hadn't ran away and Koto allowed her feelings to control her, with time things would get ugly.

Aya is my favourite in this story and I just hope that it works out somehow for her in the end and she can recover socially, stay happily single or find a girl who's more stable but I also wouldn't mind an even more tragic ending because we need some painful yuri works.

Really？You seriously think Koto would just do nothing and let Aya break up with her？Wow, that version of Koto would have moved on seven years ago.

I can see Koto on her knees apologizes to Aya and promise she won't treat her like a kid again. She would let her do whatever she wants. Aya forgives her and agree to come home.

I cannot imagine Aya just putting up with this situation when freedom is so important to her. It was like her ENTIRE thing back before disappearing, how much she wanted the freedom to get away from her shitty grandfather and a life controlled by others, and one of the major elements back then of Koto and Aya's relationship was Koto at least claiming to be willing to follow Aya's lead and run away with her. Even after suddenly jumping seven years in the future and losing all her support structures, Aya's responded with remarkable flexibility to forge a path to full adult independence despite everything against her. And yet her loving girlfriend has not only changed physically on her but is behaving in the opposite way of how she did when they fell in love, trying to control Aya's entire life instead of following her lead to freedom. Regardless of what Koto might say in an apology or what promises she'd make, right now Koto's fundamental desires for Aya are completely incompatible with Aya's desires for herself.

Well, you just did. To have an abusive behavior, you need a clear intent to harm. It is just not the case.

That's definitely not the case, and demonstrably so. I'm a bit surprised to see that argument. There is also a difference between calling an action abusive and calling a person abusive. People are calling her action abusive, not necessarily saying she's been an abusive person, in general.

So it’s not surprising that both Koto and Erika have trouble taking a consistent stance toward Aya—she’s both a vulnerable middle-schooler thrown into a disorienting situation with no external resources besides her old friends and The One in their triad as if she’d never been away. Sometimes Erika or Koto treat her as the first and sometimes the second—and sometimes in the same sentence.

And it's literally this, I know it might not be the intention, but many are thinking in black and white here. It's like when people try to argue that a morally grey character is definitely evil or definitely good.

Co-sign both of these.

last edited at Aug 4, 2024 7:23AM

She's just a kid and it was up to the other two women to do something about themselves... but of course considering their past relationship, their unresolved feelings and the entire mess that her reappearance is, can we really expect them to be mature about it? Not really and that's fine, that's one of the reasons why I like this story.

In fact, I think putting these characters into such a radically ambiguous, both/and past/present relation is (at least so far) the entire point of the story. Otherwise I can’t see any purpose in setting up what is basically a story of down-to-earth, complicated emotional relationships within the framework of a supernatural premise that the narrative seems otherwise uninterested in exploring.

That is, nobody in the story seems to be the slightest bit concerned with the basic question wtf happened to Aya seven years ago? What are the mechanics of Aya’s time skip? Is Erika some kind of mage who changes reality via Tanabata wishes? All that really matters is how the characters are interacting with each other in the present, but those interactions are (partly) determined by the anomalous situation in which they find themselves.

The only exception is the still very vague and ambiguous matter of the actual Tanabata festival that Erika remembers and Aya is just beginning to recall, and it will be interesting to see whether that develops into a simple reveal about what the characters said to each other back then or something bigger about the supernatural framework.

last edited at Aug 4, 2024 8:04AM

I cannot imagine Aya just putting up with this situation when freedom is so important to her. It was like her ENTIRE thing back before disappearing, how much she wanted the freedom to get away from her shitty grandfather and a life controlled by others, and one of the major elements back then of Koto and Aya's relationship was Koto at least claiming to be willing to follow Aya's lead and run away with her.

Then l have to say you have misunderstood what she really wants in the beginning. I can 100% assure you freedom is not in Aya's desire list. At least not at the top. And the reason she fell for Koto is kinda abnomal. Since Aya being abandoned by her own mom at very young age, l think it justify her distorted mindset.

I have this hunch since chapter 4. After reading chapter 13, l know my analysis of Aya is true. (You can see my previous post)
Anyways, it's quite obvious Aya didn't see Koto in that way at first. She was so shock when Koto (first) confessd to her back then.

Then why she suddenly attracted to Koto？

Chapter 4：
"I left Koto's feelings without answer."
"I just assumed she would have a change of her heart eventually."
"But Koto…kept on being in love with me."

Chapter 13：
"I felt only Koto was special."
"Different from the others."
"That she would love me always."
"That she would never forget me."

You can see why Aya fell in love with Koto now？

Even after suddenly jumping seven years in the future and losing all her support structures, Aya's responded with remarkable flexibility to forge a path to full adult independence despite everything against her. And yet her loving girlfriend has not only changed physically on her but is behaving in the opposite way of how she did when they fell in love, trying to control Aya's entire life instead of following her lead to freedom. Regardless of what Koto might say in an apology or what promises she'd make, right now Koto's fundamental desires for Aya are completely incompatible with Aya's desires for herself.

Ironically, present Koto is exactly the type of lover Aya always longs for. She just never truly understand the real weight of that "love".
I actually glad she has started having a taste of it now.

last edited at Aug 4, 2024 12:28PM

I can see Koto on her knees apologizes to Aya and promise she won't treat her like a kid again. She would let her do whatever she wants. Aya forgives her and agree to come home.
That's the ending if Erika doing nothing.

That's what I think too. However, despite not having good intentions, Erika did give good advice. Aya should think carefully about whether she still loves the present Koto, rather than maintaining the current state with Koto being more careful, which would destroy both of them from the inside. Let's see what Aya's answer will be.

Agree.

I don't think that Aya's desire for lasting love is in conflict with her desire for freedom, she can want to escape her life and also want a girlfriend by her side at the same time. And it's the "side" part specifically that's important because Koto's current form of love isn't side by side or even leading Koto but picking her up and carrying her. What Koto is giving Aya is not a relationship of equal free peers, it's a relationship that's practically owner and property. So there's no irony here because this obviously wasn't the kind of relationship Aya wanted.

last edited at Aug 4, 2024 12:44PM

In fact, I think putting these characters into such a radically ambiguous, both/and past/present relation is (at least so far) the entire point of the story. Otherwise I can’t see any purpose in setting up what is basically a story of down-to-earth, complicated emotional relationships within the framework of a supernatural premise that the narrative seems otherwise uninterested in exploring.
(...)

Fully agree with this. It's been completely buried under their own conflicts and none of them have delved much into it but it's as you've said. We'll have to wait and see where the author wants to go with it.

I cannot imagine Aya just putting up with this situation when freedom is so important to her. It was like her ENTIRE thing back before disappearing, how much she wanted the freedom to get away from her shitty grandfather and a life controlled by others, and one of the major elements back then of Koto and Aya's relationship was Koto at least claiming to be willing to follow Aya's lead and run away with her.

Then l have to say you have misunderstood what she really wants in the beginning. I can 100% assure you freedom is not in Aya's desire list. At least not at the top. And the reason she fell for Koto is kinda abnomal. Since Aya being abandoned by her own mom at very young age, l think it justify her distorted mindset.

I don't see how freedom wouldn't be in her desire list when her first thought after hearing about her grandfather was that it was finally over, there's also this conversation she had with Koto way back in the first chapter, and while it was on the surface a conversation about a book they have read, I don't think she brought it up for no reason, it's very possible that she did want to be "free" of a "something" we don't know yet. Her reaction when she first arrived in a faraway unknown place to me also implies that she wanted to get away from something, be "free" from it.
And then she ended up in another cage where there was an attempt at limiting what she can do.
When you think of a child, you think of someone who can't do much. They can't be away from home for long (assuming they can leave it, at all), they don't have much money, they don't get to choose what happens to them, what they eat, what they wear... They can't go against their caretakers. While the majority of them act excited about being adults because they see it as being "free" until they see another part of how society works. Aya does have a dislike for being treated as a child in general so I could see her connecting that with being trapped.

I don't think her falling in love with Koto can be considered sudden or abnormal when it is be expected to happen after you spend time with someone who treats you as an equal or even above herself and that person treats you well, and yes she does have a fear of being abandoned but I don't see how that would mean she wants to date another person who was traumatized by the same thing and affected in a way that makes it so that she only feels safe if she feels like she has some control over it. You can't say for certain that this is the kind of love she wanted all along and is now paying the price for it and I feel that more than anything she wants to be on equal grounds with the others.
Yes, there is the fear of abandonment, the very page you've mentioned is proof of that, but that also does not take away her wish for freedom or else she wouldn't be trying to keep moving forward with her life and keeping up with her friends because she doesn't want to "be left behind", it's what she says from pages 19 to 25.

It's kinda similar vibe as Touko from Bloom Into You.

Touko→refuses everyone who confessed to her because she can't trust them. She believes love is like a shackle.

Aya→refuses everyone who confessed to her because she can't trust them. She believes love is something which would eventually change.

While you have to never like Touko to get her like you, Aya is quite the opposite. You have to let her believe your love for her will never change.

That is to say you need to
① like her first.
(She will not let herself fall in love with anyone who doesn't like her. That's why l said Aya will never like Erika.)
② let her feel your love will last forever.
(You can't give up even if she reject or doesn't respond to your confession)
③ She has to be your first love.
(Or you already have the change of your heart from your first love. She will not believe in you to love her forever. Also the reason she will never like Erika.)

You can see why l consider Aya has a distorted mindset. Well, you can't expect a kid who had been abandoned by her own parents would being normal.

And this "traumatized" present Koto apparently is the last person in this world who would have a change of her mind.

last edited at Aug 4, 2024 9:35PM

I'm mostly out of deep thoughts about this manga for now, except one last thing: looking at chapter 1 again I noticed that on page 21, Koto's answer to Aya's question "where is that place," perfectly describes where Aya went. A chaotic, confusing city where nobody knows her and she can start over with a clean slate.

I think l have to make it clear.
Tbh, I don't even care a bit if it turns out Erika being a villain ( l don't think she is as of now). Nor do l have interest in painting her as one.
I like analyzing character's intention behind their actions. Why they are doing this？What goal do they try to achieve？
It's an enjoyment when the story is written in a realistic style (except time traveling and the cause of it. That's the part l don't want to discuss).

You can disagree with me and express your own opinions, which might convince me (or not). I don't get the point of accusing someone hating certain character while they did explain why they are viewing things this way.

The same goes for Koto.
When l say l consider Koto is a genius manipulator, l think it's a finest way to describe the imbalance power she has over the others.

For Aya, because she is still a kid. As an adult, Koto can easily sense her emotions and kinda predict the action she will take.
If Erika didn't try to do anything in this chapter, Aya would come home the same day Koto thinks it's right time to show up at Erika's frontdoor and apologize.
Despite being a ridiculous 14yo kid, Aya still lacks a great amount of life experience comparing to Koto or Erika. She would believe Koto's promise even if she did value her freedom the most.

For Erika, because her unrequited love (obsession？) for Koto. As the one who's not being loved, Erika always compromises her own principles when things related to Koto.

Aya has her own issues too, which l might give a further talk when chapter 15 is updated.

If Erika didn't try to do anything in this chapter, Aya would come home the same day Koto thinks it's right time to show up at Erika's frontdoor and apologize.

You do realize that when you make these categorical assertions without evidence from the text about what characters are really thinking even though we haven’t seen them thinking it or what would hypothetically happen instead of what actually happens that there’s no reason for anyone else to believe it, right?

If Erika didn't try to do anything in this chapter, Aya would come home the same day Koto thinks it's right time to show up at Erika's frontdoor and apologize.

You do realize that when you make these categorical assertions without evidence from the text about what characters are really thinking even though we haven’t seen them thinking it or what would hypothetically happen instead of what actually happens that there’s no reason for anyone else to believe it, right?

When story is written with such good characterization, it only be natural for readers to assume what they would possibly do or think even without text showing it.
You definitely can not believe it and make your own guess (or not wanna do it at all).
It's not like l care, tbh.

Edited： l still remember you asked me evidence for why Koto actually doesn't want Aya really landing on a part time job like 5 months ago.

last edited at Aug 6, 2024 7:58PM

Fwiw it does seem plausible to me that Aya would've gone back to Koto quickly without Erika's intervention. We can see from this chapter she doesn't even really view Koto's actions as abusive. And she still depends on Koto for housing and other expenses; she can't stay with Erika forever.