You know, I might be the only one willing to die on this hill, but I’m extremely upset with this chapter.
Instead of giving us the actual conversation between Reina and Shinohara—finally revealing why she cheated on Yuuta and what her reasons were—the story skips to the very next day. We get Yuuta reflecting on what Reina was trying to say, running into Ayaka, and talking to her about Natsuki. But that feels like a complete waste of time when the real subject should be Reina.
Instead, we spend a good portion of the chapter talking about Natsuki, and then Yuuta goes home and meets up with Shinohara. But guess what? She literally gaslights us. She talks around the subject of why Reina cheated on Yuuta instead of directly addressing what happened.
Then we get this line from Shinohara: “Depending on how the story is heard, it can be interpreted differently by others.” That’s gaslighting, plain and simple. It’s an obvious attempt to confuse and frustrate the reader, and I don’t think that’s fair.
What was the point of even teasing a conversation between Reina and Shinohara if you're just going to have it off-screen?
And honestly, I’m even more frustrated because this isn’t a weekly or bi-weekly series. We wait a full month—sometimes even longer—just to see what happens next. And after all that time, this is what we get?
So yeah, maybe I’m alone here, but I truly believe this isn’t just a one-off problem. A lot of Japanese writers pull this same stunt: dragging out storylines and gaslighting readers into thinking there’s more depth to the plot, when really it’s just stalling. We’ve gotta wait until the next chapter for her to have a conversation she could’ve had in Chapter 29. What was the point of Chapter 30? If we’re just going to repeat the conversation that should’ve already happened, it makes no sense.
I’m holding out hope that this wasn’t the writer’s choice but the editor’s. That way, maybe the writer can see that the editor is messing them up and decide to find someone new. Because if this was the writer’s choice, just imagine how the rest of the series is going to go. If they’re already gaslighting us about why she cheated, what else are they going to spin? More gaslighting, more “what the hell is going on,” just to lead us into more pointless drama?
So yeah, I’m extremely upset. I don’t mean to cuss, but if you’re going to tell us what happened, don’t have us running in circles. What should’ve been revealed in Chapter 29 is now being dragged into Chapter 31 because Chapter 30 was a complete waste of time.