Imasara desu ga, Osananajimi wo Suki ni Natte Shimaimashita - Ch. 38 - Happy End

[timestop17]

she totally deserves an explanation

 

[HellJester]

The series has already proven that context is important. I get the feeling we are either going to find out he didn't have as much agency in that kiss as we think he did, or we're going to find out she's done enough in the past to give him those doubts.

Personally though, I think her reaction is somewhat valid. As long as she intends to figure out whatever the truth is and confronts her friend about it. But if she just ignores her friends' involvement, I think she'll lash out because she isn't going to have the perfect first love and kiss, she seems to want, but doesn't understand.

I like the parallels in the story telling. If you look at page 7 in chapter 21 when Yami kisses Yuu, he's leaning back and his hands are clenched in surprise. It's paralleled later on page 6 of chapter 25 when Yami kisses him for the first time in the flashback. Yuu's hands are in the same state as in chapter 21.

I like to believe that this indicates that in both instances, Yuu was caught off guard when Yami kissed him. I like to think that the kiss in the classroom was 100% initiated by Yami and that Yuu was not reciprocating.

I'll continue to somewhat defend Yuu as we don't have 100% of the full story and I would like to give these characters the benefit of the doubt.

 

[Entryhazard]

I mean it's entirely possible that Yuu kissing Yami was entirely Yami's initiative and him being unwilling. But after that he tried to hide it happened which is pretty dishonest if you're trying to date her best friend

 

[YourDeadNanForever]

An

Hes not lying also ppl can still be emotionally available for another person while in love with someone.

And that's any better lmao. Instead of sorting everything with one person before moving on, he kept both options, only sincerely talking to her now that his first pick fell through.
He should cut it with the romanticism, she's clearly not buying it.

 

[GoMyTeam]

More that he lied about his cell phone and other things about himself

Well as long as she had a good reason to assault him I guess

 

[habla]

Hikari response is valid given the situation and yes she should end up with someone else.

So my toxic couple yami and yuu can be together 😌

hikari should become a schoolgirl prostitute too

 

[story645]

Ah yes because all women love to be told about the guy they likes ex.

Depends on the woman, but that's kinda the point here. He's avoiding a difficult conversation that at this point is kinda unavoidable - she knows he has or had something going on with Aya and she knows he's lying about it.

Lying about your ex is far far worse than acknowledging she exists b/c the mind can spin a thousand unfair things - is he not over her, is he traumatized by her, was he trash, is he ashamed of the relationship? Which I think here hiding Aya from Hikari b/c he thinks Hikari will think less of him for it is being ashamed of the relationship.

 

[MrJerk]

Holy Frick
This is getting better every time

 

[story645]

Because it's quite clear when two people talk every day, you can tell by the other person's behavior.

Eh in this chapter he says he still wasn't sure Hikari liked him by her behavior over the last couple of months b/c she has to him a weird sense of distance and b/c she's so much out of his league.

 

[GennArc]

Eh in this chapter he says he still wasn't sure Hikari liked him by her behavior over the last couple of months b/c she has to him a weird sense of distance and b/c she's so much out of his league.

Which is vastly different from being able to tell that the person is clearly not interested.

 

[story645]

Which is vastly different from being able to tell that the person is clearly not interested.

Sure, but Yuu says that in the past he found her behavior misleading too. That makes it seem like the main reason he thought she wasn't into him was the setting up with other girls, which I find both really understandable and like I'd like to know if he at the time had a conversation with Hikari about how "thanks but no thanks".

All of which is to say this fits into the theme of the comment section of its good to get more context before assuming things.

 

[NotSomeone]

I like the parallels in the story telling. If you look at page 7 in chapter 21 when Yami kisses Yuu, he's leaning back and his hands are clenched in surprise. It's paralleled later on page 6 of chapter 25 when Yami kisses him for the first time in the flashback. Yuu's hands are in the same state as in chapter 21.

I like to believe that this indicates that in both instances, Yuu was caught off guard when Yami kissed him. I like to think that the kiss in the classroom was 100% initiated by Yami and that Yuu was not reciprocating.

I'll continue to somewhat defend Yuu as we don't have 100% of the full story and I would like to give these characters the benefit of the doubt.

Yuu is more pitiful than anything.
His childhood crush did not see him as a man, he failed to get into the same HS as her and while hurting he started dating another girl and then she dumped his ass.
And the whole situation just placed him in a really awkward place where some adults would fuck up, imagine a highschool boy.

I want to see him grow but rn he's a pitiful dumbass ngl.

 

[yoshiii]

That's right. MC does have a backbone. A nice and shiny one.

 

[xdharish]

Oh thank god i thought she was actually going to forgive him

 

[rgyyttt]

I don't think Hikari is in the right here. We have already seen Yami's POV and we all agree she didn't really do anything wrong. I bet if we get more of Yuu it will be the same. I hope he explains to her why he wasn't in the wrong. Now she is going to lose both Yami and Yuu with this bitchy attitude of hers. She is so entitled and thinks the world revolves around her. I don't care if y'all cry over my comment. Someone had to say something. The hate on Yuu is so forced.

lmao like anyone would actually wish for a friend like Yami, who knows everything(just like readers) but still did those shits.

 

[HellJester]

lmao like anyone would actually wish for a friend like Yami, who knows everything(just like readers) but still did those shits.

Can't believe I'm defending Yami but the Yami in the present (not counting anything that happened at the festival) is actually much much better than she used to be. Hikari and other characters mention that since she joined Hikari's friend group Yami has drastically improved.

Also, keep in mind that Yami has only known that Ta-kun = Yuu for I believe a few months. Yes, she absolutely should have immediately told Hikari but I can understand why she was scared to.

Please keep in mind that for Yami, she's experienced a bunch of crappy things one after the other. First there's the divorce of her biological dad from her mom. Then she experienced her mom marrying her stepdad who not only cheats on Yami's mom but has been trying to (or succeeding) to molest Yami. Yami mentioned this to her mom and got ignored (most likely because the stepdad is rich and is using his money as leverage). Japan does not look at single mothers favorably. With no family or friends to turn to, Yami runs away from home but you need money for that so she felt she had no choice but to prostitute herself.

She meets Yuu, the first bright thing in her life in a long time and clings to him. Starting to feel better about herself she decides she needs to try to square things with her mom so she informs her of the stepdad's cheating thinking that'll be the thing that brings mom and daughter closer and gets rid of the toxic stepdad for good. Instead, Yami's mom goes off the deep-end and chooses the stepdad again and then needs to be hospitalized (suicide attempt? mental break?).

Yami ghosts Yuu because she feels she doesn't deserve to be happy after she torpedoed her mom's marriage. She lashes out at anyone around her. It's not until Hikari refuses to leave her alone that she starts to come out of her protective shell and heal.

Now imagine you go through all that. You've made some close friends and a really close best friend. Your life is looking up and then you find out that your best friend is in love with the guy you used to date and ghosted. You also find out at that same time that the girl your ex was in love with and kept talking about is your new best friend. You've lost your ex, you've kinda lost your mom in that you don't speak anymore and now there's a chance you might lose the only stable thing in your life - your friend group.

How do you find the courage to tell Hikari? Would she forgive you? She's forgiven you before but this is different. I can understand why Yami didn't say anything even though I think that was the absolute wrong choice.

 

[rgyyttt]

Can't believe I'm defending Yami but the Yami in the present (not counting anything that happened at the festival) is actually much much better than she used to be. Hikari and other characters mention that since she joined Hikari's friend group Yami has drastically improved.

Also, keep in mind that Yami has only known that Ta-kun = Yuu for I believe a few months. Yes, she absolutely should have immediately told Hikari but I can understand why she was scared to.

Please keep in mind that for Yami, she's experienced a bunch of crappy things one after the other. First there's the divorce of her biological dad from her mom. Then she experienced her mom marrying her stepdad who not only cheats on Yami's mom but has been trying to (or succeeding) to molest Yami. Yami mentioned this to her mom and got ignored (most likely because the stepdad is rich and is using his money as leverage). Japan does not look at single mothers favorably. With no family or friends to turn to, Yami runs away from home but you need money for that so she felt she had no choice but to prostitute herself.

She meets Yuu, the first bright thing in her life in a long time and clings to him. Starting to feel better about herself she decides she needs to try to square things with her mom so she informs her of the stepdad's cheating thinking that'll be the thing that brings mom and daughter closer and gets rid of the toxic stepdad for good. Instead, Yami's mom goes off the deep-end and chooses the stepdad again and then needs to be hospitalized (suicide attempt? mental break?).

Yami ghosts Yuu because she feels she doesn't deserve to be happy after she torpedoed her mom's marriage. She lashes out at anyone around her. It's not until Hikari refuses to leave her alone that she starts to come out of her protective shell and heal.

Now imagine you go through all that. You've made some close friends and a really close best friend. Your life is looking up and then you find out that your best friend is in love with the guy you used to date and ghosted. You also find out at that same time that the girl your ex was in love with and kept talking about is your new best friend. You've lost your ex, you've kinda lost your mom in that you don't speak anymore and now there's a chance you might lose the only stable thing in your life - your friend group.

How do you find the courage to tell Hikari? Would she forgive you? She's forgiven you before but this is different. I can understand why Yami didn't say anything even though I think that was the absolute wrong choice.

You can't just ignore the worst parts and then defend her. When I mentioned those shits, I was referring to 80% of her actions during the festival. Moreover, after seeing what happened in the classroom, combined with the "stories" yami had told hikari before, anyone with some dignity would no longer want to be friends with yami.

 

[BlargET]

First, for those who aren't aware, the author accidentally leaked the chapter of the novel last week. Here's an MTL of the chapter:

Spoiler: Chapter 38

Chapter 38: It's a Little Late, but About My Childhood Friend...

A Saturday in late September.
A day I would never forget.

Yuu: "I... I've liked you for a long time, Hikari!"

Behind the stage in the gymnasium.
Two of my friends are hiding in the shadows, peeking out and silently freaking out in excitement.
And in front of me, standing stiff as a board, face beet red, my childhood friend struggles to force out his words.

Yuu: "It's true... since middle school... no, since we first became friends."

It was unmistakably my “childhood friend Ta-kun” that I knew.

A boy who was a little unreliable, shy, pure, and kind.
And now, he was squeezing out every last bit of courage he had to say these words to me.
More than the words themselves, it was his attitude that made it so incredibly convincing.

Yuu: "I'm not lying... I’ve never been able to give up."

It was exactly how I had always imagined it, ever since I first started noticing him—
"If Ta-kun ever confessed to me, I bet it would feel just like this."

Hikari: "Since... a long time ago?"
Yuu: "Since a long time ago."

Finally, I managed to find my voice.
But... it still wasn’t my answer to his confession.

Hikari: "Then, then... why did you always act like everything was normal...?"
Yuu:"Well... I was desperately trying to hold it back."
Hikari: "Why did you need to hold it back?"
Yuu:"Because we were close..."

I stood on tiptoe to get closer to his face, pouting as I pressed him for answers.

I mean, this confession was way overdue. Seriously, only now?
And even then, only after everyone else basically set the stage for him? Talk about being a massive chicken!

Yuu: "B-but if I had been all obvious about how much I liked you... and you didn’t feel the same way, the atmosphere would’ve gotten super awkward, right?"
Hikari: "Ugh..."
Yuu: "And then if you stopped coming around to my place... if we started drifting apart... I couldn’t handle that."

Hikari: "Wait, hold on a sec..."

When I was desperately pretending to act normal...
he was doing the exact same thing?

Hikari: "You thought I wasn’t thinking about you at all, Ta-kun?"
Yuu: "I didn’t think it was nothing, but... I wasn’t sure if it was that kind of feeling."
Hikari: "Come on! Ta-kun, seriously, you have no confidence!"
Yuu: "But it’s you, Hikari! Do you really think I'm good enough for you!?"
Hikari: "I do!"
Yuu: "That’s just you being mistaken! No one knows how amazing you are better than I do!"

I feel like a boomerang just keeps smacking me right in the head.
What is with this coward!
It’s so painful, like watching all my own embarrassing behavior from the past six months!

Hikari: "But, but! Lately I’ve been super obvious about how much I liked you, haven’t I?!"
Yuu: "How was I supposed to believe that! You’re naturally way too close to people! You’ve made me think the wrong thing so many times before!"
Hikari: "That's so mean!"

Seriously, Ta-kun...
I basically just confessed to you right now!
Why can’t you realize that!?

Yuu: "That's why I kept being so careful, watching for the right moment..."

You're telling me... you were that serious about confessing?

Yuu: "I wanted to wait until I was 100% sure... and then finally, with everything lined up, I could do it."

You're saying... my feelings mattered that much to you?

Hikari: "...Did you reach 100%?"
Yuu: "I’m not sure, but..."
Hikari: "But?"
Yuu: "But today... today, I just felt like I had to tell you."

Hikari: 'Why did you think it had to be today?'

I desperately held back the words that had been slipping out nonstop until now.

I pressed my lips tightly together, holding everything back.
One second, two seconds, three seconds...

Then, keeping that pressure, I forced the corners of my mouth up into a big smile.

Hikari: "So... that's how it is... huh..."

Still standing on tiptoe, right in front of his face,
I showed him a beaming smile.

Along with all the overwhelming feelings inside me.

Hikari: "I'm really, really happy, Ta-kun."
Yuu: "...!"

Those were the honest words from the bottom of my heart—no lies, no exaggeration.

I was happy. Really, truly happy.

That he had been trapped in the same dilemma as me.
That he had been carrying the same feelings as me.
That he had been hiding the same feelings as me.

And that today, everything finally been resolved.

Hikari: "I love you too... I really, really love you!"
Yuu: "Hikari..."

...Everything?

Hikari: "Maybe... no, I'm sure I realized it after you did..."

No, it’s everything.
Everything has been resolved.

Hikari: "But my feelings now are the same as yours... no, even stronger than yours."
Yuu: "That's not true... I've been in love with you for ten years!"

Honestly, I was supposed to be the one to confess first.
The future I'd been dreaming of for so long was now right here in front of me.
How could I not accept such a wonderful, miraculous accident?

Hikari: "In other words, right now, I love you more than ten times as much as you love me!"
Yuu: "There's no way that's possible..."

Yeah...
I'm sure that "thing earlier" was just a small misunderstanding.

Something tiny.

If I don't say anything, this is a happy ending...

"Heh..."
"Haha..."

So I’ll laugh.
And I’ll accept it.
Accept his feelings.

Hikari: "It doesn’t even matter, really."
Yuu: "Yeah... you're right."
Hikari: "..."

He embraced my pure feelings.

His arms wrapped around my back, holding me close.
So I wrapped my arms around his back too, grasping at the empty air above.

Yuu: "Hikari..."
Hikari: "Yeah..."

He looked deep into my eyes.
And before I could get swallowed up in his gaze, I closed mine.

It’s okay. I won’t ask anymore. I won’t look. I won’t say anything.
Because this is for being together with the person I love more than anything.

A little compromise...
should be acceptable, right?

Hikari: "...!"

Compromise?

Why do I have to compromise...
with Ta-kun?

With the first person I ever loved,
the person I love the most...
why should I ever have to compromise?

Hikari: "———!"
Yuu: "Whoa...!"

A loud crash echoed backstage.
It was because he knocked over some equipment when he fell backward onto his butt.

...No, that's not exactly right.
Because the one who pushed him was...

It was me.

Yuu: "Hi... Hikari...!"

Still sprawled on the ground, he looked up at me.
His gaze, his expression—
they said it all.

...He knew.
He knew why I did it.

Hikari: "I love you, Ta-kun! I really love you!"

Yes, it was a Saturday in late September.
A day I would never forget—
and a day I never wanted to remember.

Hikari: "But! But! I hate liars!"

Shirasaka Hikari, sixteen years old...

I just rejected my childhood friend.
...At this late stage.

...

...

...

...

I see... I knew it.

I did think Hikari was acting a little differently than usual.

She saw it.
She found out about that...

I didn’t lie.
I’ve loved Hikari, for so long, ever since way back.

But still, there’s no denying it—
today, I was the worst.

Takamura Yuu, sixteen years old...

Today, I experienced my fourth heartbreak.
And my third heartbreak with the same girl—Hikari.

---

Second, from the author on X:

So no Yuu POV—at least not in the next chapter. That one should be from Yami's perspective. Hopefully, we’ll finally get to see what happened when she and Yuu met at the school.

---

Third, since the chapter leaked last week, I’ve had time to write down my thoughts on the situation:

Yuu’s Lack of Honesty Was a Conscious Choice, and His Reasons Aren’t That Important

• He knew Yami could be at the school.
• He chose not to be honest with Hikari, even though he had multiple chances.
• He lied about his phone dying and Hikari caught it immediately.
• He still confessed after all this, fully aware he was hiding things from her.

This wasn’t a mistake — it was deception by omission. He had every opportunity to be honest and chose not to. I get it — he has his issues, and the situation is complicated. But at the end of the day, intent doesn't erase impact.

Why Forgiveness Feels Impossible (And Might Stay That Way)

Yuu’s actions create a triple betrayal for Hikari:

• The Kiss: Witnessing Yami kiss Yuu is a soul-crushing moment.
• The Lie: Yuu’s flimsy excuse about his phone compounds the hurt, making it clear he’s hiding things.
• The Hidden Past: The fact that Yuu's ex-girlfriend goes to the same school as her—and he never told Hikari—undermines years of trust.

Hikari’s rejection isn’t just anger. Her rejection comes from a place of deep emotional pain. She was prepared to confess her feelings, to open her heart, and in return, she witnessed a moment that shattered her world. She tried to force herself to accept his confession, but her emotions screamed "This isn’t right."

Why Yuu’s Confession May Feel Hollow to Hikari

• “I’ve liked you for 10 years” clashes with “You’re hiding things from me and kissed my ‘best friend.’”
• His words don’t match his actions. If he truly loved her for so long, why the secrecy? Why not just be honest?

For someone like Hikari, trust is everything. Yuu didn’t just break it—he shattered it in the moment she was most vulnerable (her planned confession).

Could Yuu Ever Be Forgiven? Realistically, It’s Unlikely

• The Foundation Is Already Cracked: Yuu chose to hide his past, meaning their childhood friend bond was never fully honest. Hikari might wonder: What else hasn’t he told me?
• Yuu’s Lack of Honesty Shows He Doesn’t Trust Her: If Yuu couldn’t be honest after multiple opportunities, how could Hikari ever trust him in the future?
• Yami’s Role Makes It Messier: This isn’t just about Yuu; Hikari’s “best friend” betrayed her too. Even if Yuu tries to fix things, Yami’s presence will always haunt their dynamic.

Even if Yuu were to explain everything now, it wouldn’t undo what happened. He let Hikari walk into a painful situation blind, lied to her face afterward, and made his confession without giving her the full picture. Hikari’s pain came not only from the betrayal itself, but from being denied the agency to make informed choices. That’s a deep wound, and it may never fully heal.

The Possible Path to Forgiveness (If It Exists)

For Hikari to even consider forgiving him, Yuu would need to:

• Be fully transparent—no excuses, no omissions—about his past and his lack of honesty.
• Prove he’s changed—not just apologize, but show through actions that he won’t hide things again.
• Give Hikari space—if reconciliation ever happens, it has to be her choice, in her own time.

But even then? The trust is gone. And what’s the value of honesty after the fact? Close to none. Some wounds don’t heal, especially when the betrayal involves multiple layers of secrets and lies.

My Verdict: Yuu Doesn’t Deserve Forgiveness

Yuu’s actions weren’t just small mistakes—they were a chain of deliberate deceptions that led to Hikari’s heartbreak at the worst possible moment. He broke her trust, ignored her emotional well-being, and acted only when it served him.

Yuu may have had fears, insecurities, or even reasons he thought were justified—but none of that changes the fact that he broke her trust. And without trust, even the most heartfelt love can fall apart. Forgiveness isn’t owed just because someone feels regret. Yuu had every chance to do right by Hikari and chose not to. He doesn’t deserve her forgiveness.

Disclaimer

Yuu bros, before you jump in to defend him, I want you to think about this: impact > intent.

Thanks for the chapter!

Called it. Ever since earlier chapters I've been saying Yuu was going to be a major fault in this. One of the biggest issues with him is us never knowing what it is he's actually thinking. But if what you say is true then Yuu is has been complicit in lying and hurting hikari. Now while like you said he is intent might not be bad he's still at fault.


So to the other commentors I'll pose the same bet I did last chapter.

Malice or stupidity. Call it.

 

[Aezeryel]

Ayami route still going strong, let's go.

 

[Aezeryel]

Can't believe I'm defending Yami but the Yami in the present (not counting anything that happened at the festival) is actually much much better than she used to be. Hikari and other characters mention that since she joined Hikari's friend group Yami has drastically improved.

Also, keep in mind that Yami has only known that Ta-kun = Yuu for I believe a few months. Yes, she absolutely should have immediately told Hikari but I can understand why she was scared to.

Please keep in mind that for Yami, she's experienced a bunch of crappy things one after the other. First there's the divorce of her biological dad from her mom. Then she experienced her mom marrying her stepdad who not only cheats on Yami's mom but has been trying to (or succeeding) to molest Yami. Yami mentioned this to her mom and got ignored (most likely because the stepdad is rich and is using his money as leverage). Japan does not look at single mothers favorably. With no family or friends to turn to, Yami runs away from home but you need money for that so she felt she had no choice but to prostitute herself.

She meets Yuu, the first bright thing in her life in a long time and clings to him. Starting to feel better about herself she decides she needs to try to square things with her mom so she informs her of the stepdad's cheating thinking that'll be the thing that brings mom and daughter closer and gets rid of the toxic stepdad for good. Instead, Yami's mom goes off the deep-end and chooses the stepdad again and then needs to be hospitalized (suicide attempt? mental break?).

Yami ghosts Yuu because she feels she doesn't deserve to be happy after she torpedoed her mom's marriage. She lashes out at anyone around her. It's not until Hikari refuses to leave her alone that she starts to come out of her protective shell and heal.

Now imagine you go through all that. You've made some close friends and a really close best friend. Your life is looking up and then you find out that your best friend is in love with the guy you used to date and ghosted. You also find out at that same time that the girl your ex was in love with and kept talking about is your new best friend. You've lost your ex, you've kinda lost your mom in that you don't speak anymore and now there's a chance you might lose the only stable thing in your life - your friend group.

How do you find the courage to tell Hikari? Would she forgive you? She's forgiven you before but this is different. I can understand why Yami didn't say anything even though I think that was the absolute wrong choice.

No, no, a kid going through a fucked up life for years should just be mentally strong and righteous, and anything bad they do is their own fault and was not influenced by their environment at all. /s