Noooo I'm so sad

Yeah, I've suspected for awhile that the timeline for all these relationships is jumbled up. I think all the holiday events are taking place concurrently, we just see them way out of order.

That would make a lot of sense. It's pretty much the only logical way of doing a very long running manga in a school setting, unless you go the comedy route and none of it really matters a la yuru yuri.

Mind you, the timelines still doesn't make sense. For instance, Honoka first meets Ed and Ian when Eli invites her to their home for Christmas. The next time they meet is during the summer festival.

Do they say that was a summer festival in that chapter? There are other festivals that are during the Japanese school year, including a couple in spring, to say nothing of possible local events. Festival activities are kind of the same for a lot of festivals, so unless they specifically called it out as a summer festival, I think there's wiggle room there. Very good chance there's other contradictions, though.

As I said above, the school year ends in March. The previous chapter confirms Eli won't stay in Japan long after the school year ends, since it's set a month before her leaving and Kaoru still hasn't graduated.

As far as I can tell, the time rules of this manga are something like this:
1. Chapters can take place whenever in the school year. Despite this, each storyline advances linearly. For instance, Chie and Ai are not dating in any chapter that appeared before ch. 105 and are dating in all chapters that appear afterwards, unless the chapter is clearly marked as a flashback.
2. To avoid really blatant paradoxes, no character is allowed to celebrate the same holiday or other event twice.
3. Entrance exams and running out of time with their romances because of graduation are not usually a concern to any of the third years. EliHono is the only couple on a deadline, at least for now.

Honestly if I had time I'd be interested in trying to see if I can zero in on a particular timeline, or zero in on explicit contradictions, but as a general rule I think this tracks.

Waiiit...she is back again?

The Alabama girl?!

Noooooo....

I always love being able to see Kaoru and Honoka’s sister relationship. It was one of the first times of being able to see Kaoru when she’s not trying to project an image.

there goes my favorite couple T-T

I'm really hoping it's a temporary fakeout. Like she's gotta return for the summer but comes back when school starts again.
.... Actually I've never thought about it before, how does an American foreign exchange student to Japan deal with how the US and Japan have different starting times for the year? Do they only come over in June and miss the first semester of the Japanese school year?

Do they say that was a summer festival in that chapter? There are other festivals that are during the Japanese school year, including a couple in spring, to say nothing of possible local events. Festival activities are kind of the same for a lot of festivals, so unless they specifically called it out as a summer festival, I think there's wiggle room there. Very good chance there's other contradictions, though.

At least the translation doesn't explicitly call it a summer festival, but I doubt people wear yukata for festivals in early spring.

There's another good one with HonoEli. Honoka went to Eli's home for the first time on Christmas. Soon after there's a chapter where they're celebrating Halloween together at her home.

there goes my favorite couple T-T

I'm really hoping it's a temporary fakeout. Like she's gotta return for the summer but comes back when school starts again.
.... Actually I've never thought about it before, how does an American foreign exchange student to Japan deal with how the US and Japan have different starting times for the year? Do they only come over in June and miss the first semester of the Japanese school year?

One of my students went the other way (year in the US) and I think she lost some time and had to do extra work when she returned to Japan, so it must be something like that. Instead of somehow accommodating them.

there goes my favorite couple T-T

I'm really hoping it's a temporary fakeout. Like she's gotta return for the summer but comes back when school starts again.
.... Actually I've never thought about it before, how does an American foreign exchange student to Japan deal with how the US and Japan have different starting times for the year? Do they only come over in June and miss the first semester of the Japanese school year?

You book a stay for a given length of time that you decide on in conjunction with the school. There's an application process and you specify the period of time you intend to stay, typically a 3 month semester or a full year. You're on the host country's time, so I think you typically plan to follow their schedule when there. Your school at home accommodates your departure and return, specifics might depend on your school or even your personal situation. Exchange students tend to be overachievers, so some students might even just choose to study abroad specifically during the summer semester and not miss much of the normal school year at home.

Given the range of holidays we've seen her participate in, Eli was there for at least two semesters, maybe the full year. I don't think we know if she's there for the march->august semester.

Do they say that was a summer festival in that chapter? There are other festivals that are during the Japanese school year, including a couple in spring, to say nothing of possible local events. Festival activities are kind of the same for a lot of festivals, so unless they specifically called it out as a summer festival, I think there's wiggle room there. Very good chance there's other contradictions, though.

At least the translation doesn't explicitly call it a summer festival, but I doubt people wear yukata for festivals in early spring.

It mainly depends on the weather, from what I understand. If its warm enough, people will wear yukata for a spring festival.

There's another good one with HonoEli. Honoka went to Eli's home for the first time on Christmas. Soon after there's a chapter where they're celebrating Halloween together at her home.

Yeah, I definitely think the Halloween one would seem to come after the Christmas one. If you really want to make it work, the Christmas one doesn't explicitly say Honoka has never been to Eli's, just that she hasn't met Ed and Ian yet. She's freaking out, but that might more be because of the prospect of a party than the pressure of going to her house for the first time. She is obviously assuming that there will be people there besides them and the host family. And you don't see them interact with Ed and Ian during that scene, the Ed x Ian scene after could be later.

But it's a big stretch. They definitely seem much closer in the Halloween one, it's clearly meant to be later in their relationship.