Koutsugou Semi-Friend - Ch. 40

[MangaDex]

 

[PredatorDuck]

Of course Suuna's too dense to miss it when her girlfriend is flirting with her.

 

[BattleCatPerson]

BELL PERSON GO AWAY STOP INTERRUPTING THE LOVELY DATE

 

[BrotherCoa]

I can see the catfight incoming and it's going to be brutal...

 

[UdenEmpati]

I....kinda don't expect "Bell-san" to actually listen if Ruka tells her to leave them alone.
She has that "oh you're so cute when you try to act tough" vibe to her, like any threats or insults will simply slide right off and she'll run roughshod over the two of them until Ruka starts faltering.

...so I kinda wonder if Suuna will be the one to tell her off and actually get through.
Bell-san's likely got one picture of Ruka in her mind from when their relationship was active--and she'll probably think Ruka's just toying with Suuna here. But when she sees the authenticity, it'll click, and it'll be Suuna's effect on Ruka that makes it happen. If Suuna gets genuinely flustered and tries to calm/comfort Ruka, Ruka's reactions to her will be the clue.

From there...it'll be a matter of whether Bell-san gives up, or forces a Triangle Situation trying to split Suuna & Ruka up as some sort of 'jilted lover' type deal. The former would be almost too simple a resolution to a character with a lot of potential to her, but the latter runs the risk of dragging out, and there's been a lot of Triangle Situations that are just not written well, meaning any iteration here will have a higher bar to clear in feeling like it's appropriate, reasonable, or worth the time of the author & readers.



But anyway, Aquarium Date secured, and in the sort of fashion that only Suuna could achieve. Talking about fish skin, misidentifying manta rays, utterly missing every attempt at flirting from Ruka. Just Peak Suuna Energy, and I will never not enjoy it.
Also those test scores.......well, no remedial classes is still no remedial classes, and she bagged the date reward, so all's well I guess.



Thanks for the TL.

 

[jk5654]

I really liked Ruka’s hairstyle in this

not convinced Bell-san is doing anything absurdly malicious, as this doesn’t seem like that type of series, but it definitely seems like she’s looking to mess with Ruka. I think this’ll be a good opportunity for development for her, at least

 

[Guesto]

Ruka's EX ? Damn

 

[irwen]

ah, yes. aquarium date in a yuri manga

 

[Enelreturns]

What's the grading system in japan? How is a 32 not a fail lmao

 

[Dredcor]

That confrontation happened a lot faster than I was expecting.

 

[SrNevik]

I....kinda don't expect "Bell-san" to actually listen if Ruka tells her to leave them alone.
She has that "oh you're so cute when you try to act tough" vibe to her, like any threats or insults will simply slide right off and she'll run roughshod over the two of them until Ruka starts faltering.

...so I kinda wonder if Suuna will be the one to tell her off and actually get through.
Bell-san's likely got one picture of Ruka in her mind from when their relationship was active--and she'll probably think Ruka's just toying with Suuna here. But when she sees the authenticity, it'll click, and it'll be Suuna's effect on Ruka that makes it happen. If Suuna gets genuinely flustered and tries to calm/comfort Ruka, Ruka's reactions to her will be the clue.

From there...it'll be a matter of whether Bell-san gives up, or forces a Triangle Situation trying to split Suuna & Ruka up as some sort of 'jilted lover' type deal. The former would be almost too simple a resolution to a character with a lot of potential to her, but the latter runs the risk of dragging out, and there's been a lot of Triangle Situations that are just not written well, meaning any iteration here will have a higher bar to clear in feeling like it's appropriate, reasonable, or worth the time of the author & readers.



But anyway, Aquarium Date secured, and in the sort of fashion that only Suuna could achieve. Talking about fish skin, misidentifying manta rays, utterly missing every attempt at flirting from Ruka. Just Peak Suuna Energy, and I will never not enjoy it.
Also those test scores.......well, no remedial classes is still no remedial classes, and she bagged the date reward, so all's well I guess.
Thanks for the TL.

I really liked Ruka’s hairstyle in this

not convinced Bell-san is doing anything absurdly malicious, as this doesn’t seem like that type of series, but it definitely seems like she’s looking to mess with Ruka. I think this’ll be a good opportunity for development for her, at least

I think "Bell" (real name, Rin) is the older friend of Ruka's brother who took advantage of Ruka when she was a first year middle school girl (chapter 19), so I don't see any potential for a triangle at all and based on her past behavior I think she could definitely have malicious intentions. What she did back then was already too much.

 

[mangaburner1979]

Is the predatory older girl going for both of them? What is she plotting?

 

[galaxia9]

I feel the confrontation will end when Suuna puts that top energy to use and dominates the heck of the situation to get this bitch to back off. Remember, tops aren't just for sex, they're for life.

 

[noobplant]

awesome yuri couple
vs
evil and intimidating lesbian

 

[JumboWheat01]

Must protect awkward date from predator yandere!

 

[Colonel-Picquart]

Part of me is wondering how "Bell-san" knew Suuna's name when she didn't tell her last time. I can only conclude that Ruka told her, which makes me think she's less a yandere ex, and more an annoying sibling who wants to embarrass Ruka.

Also congrats to Semi-Friend on finally becoming a proper Yuri story. It took so long for these girls to get surrounded by wetness in an aquarium. Suuna really likes skin huh... No red flags there!

 

[Stormageddonffs]

What's the grading system in japan? How is a 32 not a fail lmao

Why even grade on a 100 scale when you are not gonna use more than half of it?

 

[SrNevik]

Part of me is wondering how "Bell-san" knew Suuna's name when she didn't tell her last time. I can only conclude that Ruka told her, which makes me think she's less a yandere ex, and more an annoying sibling who wants to embarrass Ruka.

Also congrats to Semi-Friend on finally becoming a proper Yuri story. It took so long for these girls to get surrounded by wetness in an aquarium. Suuna really likes skin huh... No red flags there!

It looks like the girl from chapter 19, her brothers old friend. She touched and had a physical relationship with Ruka when Ruka was a first year in middle school and the girl was heading into college. She is likely why Ruka became so distant from people in the first place. She's likely a stalker. If that's her, Ruka would never talk with her again.

 

[Enelreturns]

Jesus christ her eyes are so evil LMAOOO girl was born to be a villain

 

[UdenEmpati]

I think "Bell" (real name, Rin) is the older friend of Ruka's brother who took advantage of Ruka when she was a first year middle school girl (chapter 19), so I don't see any potential for a triangle at all and based on her past behavior I think she could definitely have malicious intentions. What she did back then was already too much.

It is absolutely Rin.
Looking back at chapter 19 and this (and at chapter 39 when she first (re)appears), the hair and the eyes are way too similar to be coincidence or some other overbearing woman who'd just saunter in, that Ruka would immediately recognize and have such a hostile reaction toward.

And yes, you are correct (in your second comment responding to Picquart) about Rin being the reason she's so cold and distant toward most people, and why she can easily get physical with girls but simply goes through them without building meaningful connections or bonds. She had a crush on Rin, who fully used Ruka--and because of that "one-sided specialness", Ruka felt so betrayed that she turned her heart off to emotional connections, in effect.
Suuna's the first one to get past her walls, and it's why Ruka pursues her so much. Suuna represents the first time Ruka's found "something special" that's actually two-way, and so she's putting all her energy into Suuna and swearing off her old habits and sex-friends.



I will reassess my original statement about chances for a "triangle" and say that it's much less likely that it becomes a real thing.
But, Rin represents the start of Ruka's "fall" into the empty & cold point of her character arc. Rin was responsible for disillusioning Ruka to the concept of romance, after being used by Rin and then discarded.
Rin, for her part, likely has no real desire to be with Ruka in the manner that Suuna does--but I will double down on the malicious intent prediction, because her personality seems to revolve around manipulation, coercion, and exploitation (at least where Ruka's concerned). She forced herself on Ruka, then "played with her" until it was convenient to simply walk away, and it fucked with Ruka for years afterward.
So now, she sees Ruka doing "much better", by all accounts, and it's all because of Suuna. She's probably intrigued as to how Ruka's turned the corner like this, and is coming back to screw with her again. Maybe she has more meaningful motives, but it reads like she's just malicious for the sake of it, and it's no deeper than her simply enjoying the act of messing with Ruka.



So it'll depend on how Suuna responds to these revelations, assuming she gets wind of what Rin was to Ruka, and what she did to Ruka. Because in a way, Suuna has also forced herself onto Ruka, but it was not in the same manner as Rin. And that being the key point, because everything else about Suuna is what made Ruka fall for her.
Suuna represents Ruka's growth and ability to actually fall in love, that Rin took from her. Now Ruka's Past, and Ruka's Present/Future, are confronting one another, and we'll have to see how it all shakes out.