Every time I post my doubts about how serious Kasumi is about their relationship, people tell me im nuts. That they are a solid canon yuri couple and stop letting my inner yuri sceptic out and just enjoy. But I think people ignore chapters like this that show even Sakurako shares my doubts on Kasumi's commitment.
Again I restate that I'm reasonably sure that Kasumi will one day have her all in moment, where she affirms to herself and the world, her love for Sakurako, and they will live happily ever yuri after. But until then they aren't a solid yuri couple.

Edit: Ooh, after rereading the last bit of chapter, I think maybe it's actually setting up Kasumi's all in moment.

last edited at Jun 26, 2022 12:08PM

I'm just confused why she says she's never told anyone she loves them. Hasn't she told Sakurako that before? I swear she did.

last edited at Jun 26, 2022 12:09PM

I'm just confused why she says she's never told anyone she loves them. Hasn't she told Sakurako that before? I swear she did.

no. we just believed that lol

KawaiiSuika posted:
I'm just confused why she says she's never told anyone she loves them. Hasn't she told Sakurako that before? I swear she did.

She has; this was my failure as a PR because JQ and I both know she means "going up to someone you don't know and telling them you like them" but neither of us stopped to ask if that was conveyed in the English. Oops.

Tbf I'm very sure that Kasumi will reaffirm Sakurako about her commitment here.

That said this chapter suddenly reminds me of a similar situation from a friend (and not just one). For long long time couples in a weird stable zone, gay or straight, when you bring up questions like this it can only either end in a break up or taking it up to the next step.

I think it's a good time to bring it up though, and I hope Kasumi gives a satisfactory answer. For all the fluffiness of the series their dynamic has always been unbalanced. Ever since uni you can kind of feel insecurity kind of oozing out from Sakurako especially going to society and seeing all the couples. They kind of said they dont want their relationship to be labeled, but it's always obvious Sakurako wants more, she just loves Kasumi enough to always accommodate her first. Then hearing Kasumi said she didn't understand the emotions attached to the weight of love was also kinda brutal, and immediately caused a reaction from Sakurako there.

Ps: Also it got a good chuckle out of me seeing th train being so empty. Not sure which fictional land is it but definitely not Japan.

last edited at Jun 26, 2022 1:46PM

KawaiiSuika posted:
I'm just confused why she says she's never told anyone she loves them. Hasn't she told Sakurako that before? I swear she did.

She has; this was my failure as a PR because JQ and I both know she means "going up to someone you don't know and telling them you like them" but neither of us stopped to ask if that was conveyed in the English. Oops.

If that's what she meant, then maybe "confessing to someone" would have conveyed that meaning better. Just a suggestion.

last edited at Jun 26, 2022 1:40PM

Hey, wait, this wasn't supposed to happen

The funniest part is that, depending on how this goes, it might validate all the people who said they weren't really dating

Are. You. Kidding. Me. Sakurako?

Nine volumes in. NINE. And you ONLY JUST NOW BRING IT UP?!

Girl, I love ya and want to support ya, but HOLY COW did you take the scenic route.

Hey, wait, this wasn't supposed to happen

The funniest part is that, depending on how this goes, it might validate all the people who said they weren't really dating

In the chapter which Sakurako made a reference to this chapter, that was exactly what she said though. She said they weren't dating despite all of that, and it even caused a reaction out of Moka.

The difference seems to be at that time she is still content with the status of their relationship and totally ok with that, and now it seems something has shifted maybe. She realized the sentiment she is having is the same one Moka had when she finally settled down with a girlfriend. An epiphany maybe when Kasumi spelled it out that she only has Kasumi as plan A, B and C.

last edited at Jun 26, 2022 2:29PM

omggg they might finally take their relationship to the pube plucking level soon!!!

7 years of marriage and only now they're having this conversation?

But anyways, nice chapter, as always.

omggg they might finally take their relationship to the pube plucking level soon!!!

I see you've read Yukiko's other doujins as well. XD

"I thought we're already married." Is the answer I'm expecting. XD yep.

I'm glad I'm not the only one.

"Say what? You want to date your wife?"

"But we've been sleeping together for seven years!"

"We're already saving money to buy together a house with a white picket fence!"

All perfectly likely answers.

Tbf I'm very sure that Kasumi will reaffirm Sakurako about her commitment here.

That said this chapter suddenly reminds me of a similar situation from a friend (and not just one). For long long time couples in a weird stable zone, gay or straight, when you bring up questions like this it can only either end in a break up or taking it up to the next step.

I think it's a good time to bring it up though, and I hope Kasumi gives a satisfactory answer. For all the fluffiness of the series their dynamic has always been unbalanced. Ever since uni you can kind of feel insecurity kind of oozing out from Sakurako especially going to society and seeing all the couples. They kind of said they dont want their relationship to be labeled, but it's always obvious Sakurako wants more, she just loves Kasumi enough to always accommodate her first. Then hearing Kasumi said she didn't understand the emotions attached to the weight of love was also kinda brutal, and immediately caused a reaction from Sakurako there.

Ps: Also it got a good chuckle out of me seeing th train being so empty. Not sure which fictional land is it but definitely not Japan.

Actually depending on circumstances, it isn’t uncommon for there to be times when trains are empty. I’ve been on trains with ppl barely even there as well as this specific train car being less congested

Ps: Also it got a good chuckle out of me seeing the train being so empty. Not sure which fictional land is it but definitely not Japan.

For me, it was the warm and happy workplace where everyone is mellow and nice, there's plenty of free time and you can take it slow and easy.

Nothing like a hellish salt mine full of mean angry people where they grind you to the bone, bully you every day, force you to do six hours of unpaid overtime every day, until one morning you feel like you have had enough and decide to get your gf and throw away the suit together.

Not sure which fictional land they live in but it's definitely not any capitalist country in this world.

Relationship development? In my long running 4koma serialization?

More likely than you think

Did anyone else notice that the kiss in extra chapter two is directly the inverse of the original one shot

^ that’s cool

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Did anyone else notice that the kiss in extra chapter two is directly the inverse of the original one shot

As if I didn't already have enough of an urge to re-read the whole series again.

They're finally bringing this up, and it's in a special chapter rather than an actual numbered canonical chapter????

Ooh, now this is interesting. There is a strong case for Kasumi being asexual, but aromantic might be a whole other thing and certainly being with Sakurako as much as she is probably fulfills any desire she would have for a partner so she has never had to think about it. Will this move to them at least redefining their relationship, I doubt it, but it would be interesting to see how Kasumi thinks about their current quasi-romantic relationship.

They're finally bringing this up, and it's in a special chapter rather than an actual numbered canonical chapter????

To be fair it is usually the special chapters for this series that contain the drama and introspection with the main series usually just being fluff 4-koma SoL.

Honestly, this right here is why this hasn't been a particular favorite of mine. Sakurako has made her feelings clear like 100 times in the past, and the fact that she's only making a deal of it now is so weird to me. If they're ambiguously dating, then they probably aren't being physical either besides those occasional kisses. And Sakurako has made herself clear that she wants to be physical with Kasumi, so she's been holding back this entire time.

This is peak Heisei era nonsense.

Glad to see this translated; you guys are about 6 months late, lol.

They're finally bringing this up, and it's in a special chapter rather than an actual numbered canonical chapter????

Special/Side chapter merely refers to chapters that are not in the standard 4koma format; they're part of the regular narrative progression in every other way.

Honestly, this right here is why this hasn't been a particular favorite of mine. Sakurako has made her feelings clear like 100 times in the past, and the fact that she's only making a deal of it now is so weird to me. If they're ambiguously dating, then they probably aren't being physical either besides those occasional kisses. And Sakurako has made herself clear that she wants to be physical with Kasumi, so she's been holding back this entire time.

This is peak Heisei era nonsense.

As the poster above you mentioned, Kasumi has consistently been portrayed as mostly aromantic and/or asexual. She has made/permitted romantic gestures with Sakurako many times despite this. The explanation is, as Sakurako described in this chapter, that they have built their relationship on multiple implicit understandings -- Kasumi understands that Sakurako is in love with her, while Sakurako understands that Kasumi is not interested in sex/romantic relationships.

Sakurako's question/confession in this chapter does not really introduce anything new; both she and Kasumi are and have been aware of the differences in their physical drives/desires, and explicitly verbalizing the issue won't automatically resolve it. However, it does represent a more proactive approach than they have taken until now.

Regarding what triggered Sakurako to ask such questions now -- in the conversation regarding love and cheating, Kasumi made statements which appeared to dismiss the concept of (passionate) love entirely. In particular, on page 00117, Kasumi criticized "love at first sight" (the idea of confessing to somebody you hadn't even talked to; as Kae mentioned on the previous discussion page, the TL could certainly be improved on that page/bubble). Although Kasumi was only talking from her own perspective, stating that she didn't understand and had never experienced such passion, from Sakurako's point of view she likely felt that Kasumi was criticizing her because Kasumi's words also described Sakurako's immediate attraction to Kasumi herself.

Such criticism would seem to defy the unspoken understandings their relationship had been built on up until this point -- Kasumi's acceptance and occasional reciprocation of Sakurako's romantic feelings, so long as Sakurako respected Kasumi's boundaries -- which is why she was driven to explicitly bring it up.

Ultimately, the fact that Sakurako and Kasumi have different levels of physical desire is actually COMPLETELY FINE and an excellent foundation for a compelling yuri story. The fluffy 4koma format more or less guarantees a happy ending, while the initial developments made it clear early on that the story was indeed about romantic feelings. In the same way that Sakurako's chat with Moka about being happy with an unlabelled relationship made perfect sense at the time, the present developments are also a completely natural extension of Sakurako and Kasumi's romantic dynamic/relationship.

last edited at Jun 26, 2022 10:12PM

They're finally bringing this up, and it's in a special chapter rather than an actual numbered canonical chapter????

weirdly, pretty much all the progress chapters have been in specials

not sure why

As the poster above you mentioned, Kasumi has consistently been portrayed as mostly aromantic and/or asexual. She has made/permitted romantic gestures with Sakurako many times despite this. The explanation is, as Sakurako described in this chapter, that they have built their relationship on multiple implicit understandings -- Kasumi understands that Sakurako is in love with her, while Sakurako understands that Kasumi is not interested in sex/romantic relationships.

I think my issue is that implicit understandings at some point need to be made explicit, and 9 years into a relationship, whatever kind of relationships, is pretty late. It's hard to take it seriously.

Ultimately, the fact that Sakurako and Kasumi have different levels of physical desire is actually COMPLETELY FINE and an excellent foundation for a compelling yuri story. The fluffy 4koma format more or less guarantees a happy ending, while the initial developments made it clear early on that the story was indeed about romantic feelings. In the same way that Sakurako's chat with Moka about being happy with an unlabelled relationship made perfect sense at the time, the present developments are also a completely natural extension of Sakurako and Kasumi's romantic dynamic/relationship.

Different levels of desire would be fine in a relationship that is just starting out. That's something you figure out at the beginning. And even if we account for their relationship being kind of nebulous on terms and exactly what they want out of it, 9 years is a long time to go without figuring that stuff out. Like, Sakurako has made a number of references to wanting actual sex from Kasumi.

It's just difficult to buy into this. I get that it's a 4koma, and thus there might not be a point to taking it so seriously. But that's also what puts me off. I don't find the relationship believable.