Imasara desu ga, Osananajimi o Suki ni Natte Shimaimashita - Ch. 42 - The Uprising of the Nosey Girls

[peortega1]

I will add some quotes to back my theory:

Spoiler

Seki: "Whoa, Yuu-senpai, you're a master of the accidental two-timing... I kinda like shady guys, you know~?"

Other hint to polyamory ending. Precisely "two-timing" is the way in Japan to call these kind of relationships

He's kinda lacking a sense of urgency, or maybe... weirdly calm about it all...

Yes, this definitely could be a good hint he really managed to talk with Hikari and Hikari decided hold far her friends from all this, this is the reason why Yuu says to Haru and Yuki he only will talk with them if they are friends of Aya-chan

Yuu: "I might hide the parts I don't want to share. But I won't lie."

Yes, he definitely didn´t talk about the sexual parts.

Aya'd suddenly gotten weirdly invested in Hikari's love life, something she'd never shown much interest in before. And she'd never let us into her personal space before, but she started suggesting we have home parties and stuff.

Yes, this confirm my theory of she bringing Hikari to those spaces where she would want bring Yuu to be with her and she treating Hikari as a light substitute of Yuu.

Yuu: "I see... So she hasn’t told you guys, Hikari."
(...)
But if she suddenly clams up tight, not letting a single word slip, then that can only mean one thing: for Hikari, this is a serious emergency. And there’s no way we nosy folks (not that I’d admit it) would just leave her alone.

Other possible hint he managed to talk with Hikari.

 

[peortega1]

Dunno… He could’ve said something like, “Please continue getting along well with Yami-senpai, and thank you for being such a good friend to Hikari.” That way, he would show some concern for her, but he didn’t.

He did it before:

Yuu: "I see... So she hasn’t told you guys, Hikari."
Haru: "You think she’s the type of girl to blab about guys to everyone?"
Yuu: "See, that’s what’s so cool about Hikari..."
Haru: "...What are you smiling about?"
Yuu: "Sorry..."

 

[peortega1]

But also Aya is calculating - she apparently successfully engineered her mother's divorce despite her mother not wanting it. Been reading all about divorce in Japan in a different manga's threads & they don't have no-fault, so it takes an awful lot to get divorced unless both folks agree to it.

Her mother definitely wanted the divorce after discover about all the many cheatings of her second husband. Other thing is she definitely very upset to let the infidel perverted guy escape without insult and fight with him first.
And yes, even in this point is very clear the guy didn´t even try to fight, Ayami had very easily with a guy who was not able to even promise he wouldn´t to be infidel.

 

[peortega1]

Also folks might be empathizing w/ Hikari here, myself included, b/c they know what it feels like to be the person expected to manage while other people get all the support.

And here we going again: Hikari is in that place because she wants to be there. She knows there are people interested to help her -at least, the noisy friends- and she doesn´t say nothing.
All your complains with Yuu -seriously, never watch Shikimori is not just a cutie, Saekano o White Album 2- applies much more with her.
That is the reason why I prefer think Hikari accepted talk with Yuu and both agreed hold in secret the most possible, instead still playing to "I am perfect and I don´t need help of nobody".

 

[Litreara]

He did it before:

Yuu: "I see... So she hasn’t told you guys, Hikari."
Haru: "You think she’s the type of girl to blab about guys to everyone?"
Yuu: "See, that’s what’s so cool about Hikari..."
Haru: "...What are you smiling about?"
Yuu: "Sorry..."

This isn’t concern, it’s admiration, and that’s exactly the problem. Admiration praises her qualities; concern would recognize her suffering. His smile when he calls her 'cool' proves he’s fixated on an ideal, not the real Hikari.

 

[peortega1]

When they're dating he flags that she's always lying, he finally (kinda) plans date after she starts to pull away

Shit, here we going again. He always planned dates and she rejected or changed those plans.

Yup, like that's why I dislike the "broken bird Aya" ending - instead of Yuu working through his insecurity, he goes for the girl who makes him feel "needed".

You would have a point here if wouldn´t be because precisely Hikari is the most vulnerable to "Broken Bird Aya", is there is somebody able to accept even the polyamory to be able to go for the girl who makes her feel "needed", is definitely Hikari, even more than Yuu.
Is the only explanation possible behind all the things Hikari pardoned to Yami and her progressive co-dependency, much worse than any thing she made actively to Yuu.

Probably, but it'll be more of Hikari taking the initiative right? Which I guess since this isn't Yuu's story he doesn't need growth...but man.

You definitely has a problem with ROLE REVERSAL. The man is not always who has to take the lead. Again, far away from Maruto works.
Pure misandry in this thread...

 

[peortega1]

This isn’t concern, it’s admiration, and that’s exactly the problem. Admiration praises her qualities; concern would recognize her suffering. His smile when he calls her 'cool' proves he’s fixated on an ideal, not the real Hikari.

Or could be the inverse, he is saying she is admirable to be able to hide so well her suffering to even her own friends. He is definitely concerning here for her, if not, he wouldn´t tell all those things to the noisy girls.
Again, your misandry goes you to think always the worst of Yuu.
And again, if she is suffering, corresponds to her ask help to the people she knows who loves her, if she doesn´t want say nothing to her friends, is logic Yuu respects her desire.

 

[GennArc]

When everyone was at the dance, she could have gone home w/o running into anyone.

No, this 100% means running into other people. I didn't mean avoiding her acquaintances, I meant being completely alone. Why would she go anywhere when she is alone in the classroom where her cathartic moment happened. Some people just want to stay alone at times like this.

And she'd just told Yuu that being looked for to Aya means that the person cares for her. And that's exactly what Hikari - who Aya knew knew where Aya was - did.

She is no fortune teller, she can't even know if Yuu or Hikari goes home or not, whether they confess or not.

It's not though b/c it speaks to Aya's personality - she's perfectly capable of thinking two steps ahead about what folks might do in reaction to her actions. Even in highly charged situations.

It is, because with her family she actually had a long time to come up with a plan, and here it all happened suddenly.
And I don't even understand why you're arguing about this when we literally have her own thoughts on the matter, where she explicitly states that the words pouring out contradict what's on her mind.

This is my first time talking to Yuu in a year, and my words and thoughts are completely out of sync.

Should I ask you too? Do you honestly believe that the whole situation was her deliberate plan to sabotage herself? Like, did she come to the classroom at the specific time because she expected Yuu to come, did she foresee that his first words would be about Hikari, did she predict his reactions to all of her words, did she know that he would go to dance with Hikari, confess, that Hikari would reject him and go look for her?

 

[story645]

Do you honestly believe that the whole situation was her deliberate plan to sabotage herself

I don't think it was deliberate, but I think she knew there was a not insignificant chance that her showing up to the festival could lead to disaster. She spends chapter 21 ineffectively hiding, and then chooses the same location to ineffectively hide again? A location that she's not at all surprised Hikari has shown up at.

, that Hikari would reject him and go look for her?

Honestly, this maybe yeah - she kissed Yuu knowing Hikari was watching & Hikari understood the kiss as Aya still being in love w/ Yuu & Aya was not surprised when Hikari showed up back at the classroom.

No, this 100% means running into other people

Unless the only exit is at the gym, seems like the easiest time to sneak out is when everyone is at the gym.

she can't even know if Yuu or Hikari goes home or no

She gets a text from her friends about Hikari going missing, meaning she could have just as easily texted them asking if Hikari was still around. Or even how it had gone w/ Hikari's confession given that Haru establishes that Aya was interested in Hikari's love life.

 

[GennArc]

then chooses the same location to ineffectively hide?

Not to hide, just to stay alone. In a place where she just had her own heartbreak, even though it was mostly self-imposed.

Honestly, this maybe yeah

For this to even happen, she first needs to foresee Yuu going for the dance and confessing.

Unless the only exit is at the gym, seems like the easiest time to sneak out is when everyone is at the gym.

There are people on the streets and likely her mother at home.
Maybe I am just not being clear. When I say "stay alone", I mean completely alone, without seeing other people and without other people seeing you.

She gets a text from her friends about Hikari going missing

Which is at least 30 minutes after the kiss, and all the while she was still in that classroom - apparently waiting for Hikari to go missing. The amount of foreknowledge Yami possesses seems to be through the roof.
I don't know why in almost every argument we have you insist on Yami always having some hidden agenda, when we had so much of her POV. That festival especially got so much coverage that we know what she was thinking almost minute by minute. We even have her describing how she met Hikari, where nothing even remotely suggests she was waiting there to be found.
And yet you still suggest is some sort of hidden unspoken intention.

 

[story645]

she first needs to foresee Yuu going for the dance and confessing.

The conversation before the crash out is basically Aya encouraging Yuu to go do this:

Yami: “Go on, Yuu.”
Yuu: “But…”
Yami: “What, you’re gonna break your promise to your girlfriend?”

Yeah she makes a last ditch play for Yuu, but she thinks he wants Hikari.

Which also on the sabatoging Hikari side of this mess:

What the hell is wrong with me?
Why did I go through with it,
even after I realized Hikari was right there?

No…
Was it because she was there that I went through with it?
If that’s the case, then seriously… what is wrong with me?

When I say "stay alone", I mean completely alone, without seeing other people and without other people seeing you.

A classroom where other people can walk into, one that she had just had her heartbreak in b/c of a person randomly walking in, is just as potentially public as any other place.

We even have her describing how she met Hikari, where nothing even remotely suggests she was waiting there to be found.

I think Hikari asking this question is Hikari asking if she was waiting to be found:

But the first words Hikari said since coming in were—

Hikari: “…Have you been in this classroom ever since that kiss…?”

Yami: “…Ah—”

With just that,
she gently but firmly crushed the hope
I had clung to so selfishly.

And yet you still suggest is some sort of hidden unspoken intention.

I don't think it's hidden? She just told Yuu that she wants to be found & so she stayed in a place where she could easily be found.

I'm just taking her rants as sincere, which is what Hikari says when she meets Aya - that Aya might be mean but she's always sincere.