Aishiteru Game wo Owarasetai - Ch. 44 - The childhood friends feel the same way

[ai004]

Thinking “they’re better off not being together because they’re flawed people” just goes entirely against the concept of romance. Romance isn’t a competition where you display how perfect two people are as human beings, it’s a bond, it’s a commitment to better yourself for your significant other. A perfect couple isn’t a pair of perfect people, it’s 2 people who complements each other well and pull each other out of their flaws.

Another part of being able to enter a relationship and keep it healthy is that being content with yourself as an individual is very important because if you head into a relationship with the unhealthy mindset that he has right now, I'm not sure how it will pan out.

Sure the case can be argued that she can "fix him" if they got together, but is that a burden she wants to carry? We haven't quite been given her perspective and I wonder if she even is aware that he has such an inferiority complex. Of course, some hints can be found in how she's kept trying to involve and/or help him integrate better with her friend circle as well as school events he's previously "never experienced".

I don't think I disagree with your take, but I just wanted to elaborate on it by saying that this relationship will only work if she's willing to commit to "fixing him" and it's still a bit too early to gauge her viewpoint on Yukiya, even if it's clearly evident that she does like him.

I will say though, translating this chapter really had me wanting to punch this dude.

 

[ShadowSilence]

I've never been so unreasonably annoyed with a cliffhanger before. I'll see you guys in two weeks, and after a couple bottles of rum

 

[idgi]

I don't know why everyone wants him to finally confess. You gotta stop self-inserting / projecting at some point. His mind is a complete mess. He still have this MASSIVE inferiority complex and its highly self-destructive. Just in this very chapter he was outright hostile to the dude (who did nothing wrong btw) in his mind. This will only get worse overtime. They will fall apart eventually if he continues his refusal to grow up and build up some character. As things stands, their relationship CAN NOT progress in any healthy way. His growth should happen BEFORE they commit not after. Otherwise it is just plain toxic.

I completely agree. At this point, I'm having a hard time in a relationship. He always points out that Miku has changed herself and started to find her place. While he continues to struggle to keep pace in self-development. He's so focused on this game that it seems like it's preventing him from actually thinking about his character. So far I feel like Miku has given him so much, and I honestly don't know what he has given in return. To be honest, if I were him right now, I would also be self-conscious and insecure because I legitimately think he hasn't reached the point of being equal to her.

There is nothing wrong with him being insecure, but just like you said, there is ZERO chance this relationship will go well if he does not get some character growth. While it's great Miku just loves him unconditionally, he needs to step up. Give us readers a reason to believe in him. In the next few chapters, this other dude chasing Miku better cause some kind of revelation that he needs to change. Hopefully, we see that!

 

[idgi]

On the other hand, this might really be a good chance to have a heart to heart with Miku about his mindset. Reasoning with this fake relationship means he can’t avoid talking all about it. We know his reasons for not dating Miku yet is because he wants to change, but Miku doesn’t know that. Getting it all out there is the first step of self-betterment, and honestly if he does, I think it will go better than it seems, because they’ll be able to relate. Miku also has self-image issues after all, just of a different breed. While Yukiya gets depressed over how society sees him, Miku is obsessed over how Yukiya sees her, and this caused her to think just as irrationally. After getting jealous and initiating that make-out session, any normal person would be able to see that yes, he reciprocates. God damn it, you lot made out until the evening for fuck’s sake! But no, Miku instead thought it was uncute, that she was manipulating him, that it wasn’t how she wanted to do things. That’s probably even more pessimistic than Yukiya. I think a straight conversation about their feelings would do both of them a lot of good.

You bring up a really interesting perspective on Miku's side. I didn't even consider that her obsession with Yukiya was as problematic. It's difficult for me to say that the two are equal in flaws because Miku still seems to have developed a lot more in terms of social life and skills. Though I could understand that both people are unfulfilled due to their own "obsessions" or where they gather their value from, so it's similarly unhealthy. Both need to work on these aspects, but from a third party perspective, Yukiya is the more inept person atm. Hopefully these next few chapters he learns how to break out of his shell and become the person he desires to be.

 

[Macrosis2020]

I don't think I disagree with your take, but I just wanted to elaborate on it by saying that this relationship will only work if she's willing to commit to "fixing him" and it's still a bit too early to gauge her viewpoint on Yukiya, even if it's clearly evident that she does like him.

Oh I totally agree that it’s not anyone’s responsibility to “fix” the other party, that’s why I said “a commitment to better yourself”. A good partner doesn’t necessarily have to put effort into fixing your flaws, it’s entitled to think that way, but their mere existence motivates you to becoming a better person, and that’s already what Yukiya thinks. He hasn’t been able to truly better himself because… well, this is the first time he truly had to confront his social flaws.

Another point I want to talk about is that… relationships are all about balance. A relationship where one side is a bad person and the other tries to fix them and get nothing in return is obviously bad. That’s why I agree that it’s entitled to just expect your partner to help you be better. But, if there’s truly a give and take, if you help someone get better because they’ve given you something equivalent, then that’s 100% justified, and I think Miku really has an incentive to help Yukiya here. His help back when they were a kid was the reason she got out of her social ineptitude. If we’re talking present day, he obviously loves her and care for her, and she feels it. He keeps an instagram account just for photos of them together (which is weirdly cute). He skips school to go take care of her and cook for her when she’s sick. Still, he’s still not entitled to anyone helping him snap out of his societal bias and inferiority complex, but his actions may have made someone gain an incentive to help, that’s a huge difference. He gets help not because he’s a bad person that needs it, but because he’s a good person in spite of it.

 

[Macrosis2020]

Though I could understand that both people are unfulfilled due to their own "obsessions" or where they gather their value from, so it's similarly unhealthy. Both need to work on these aspects, but from a third party perspective, Yukiya is the more inept person atm.

Oh I didn’t mean to say that Miku has it worse/is more inept than Yukiya, but that her complex is more irrational (pessimistic) than Yukiya. Yukiya’s social ineptitude is 100% more harmful to himself and everyone around him, as today’s chapter has shown, but generally people can see where it’s coming from. Miku’s complex on the other hand… I just never managed to relate to it, so it seems more irrational to me. Maybe it’s just a matter of different perspectives, but she had this very specific image of herself that she wants to instill upon Yukiya, and the pocky incident ruined that for her to the point of making her break down and cry.

But nah, if we’re talking the social normative “good/bad person” sense, which I don’t like using in the first place, Yukiya is the “worse” person between the two, because his bias and how he sees himself seeps into his opinions about others.

 

[owcz]

I really like the pacing of this chapter. Like, somehow it feels more cinematic than usual.

 

[XDcute9999]

for the love of God just go out with her.
just don't end the manga yet. KEKW

 

[MeePotato]

I just realized this has the same author/artist as Rivnes, and I'm expecting this one to be spicy in the later chapters too

 

[Extreme-Tactician]

I get it. Yukiya is intimidated by what he isn't. But Miku loves him for what he is. The charismatic boy who was there for her when her grandma died. That's a very pure love. And I think now he realizes thanks to his chapter and the last, that Miku's love is strong enough that she doesn't care that he's not like Yamabuki.

She's not superficial! And now he realizes he can hang around with Miku no matter what anyone says. Because everyone approves of him anyway!

Also, I think people forget that these two are teenagers. It makes sense they act rashly or with immaturity. They don't know better.

 

[unfilteredjw]

Listen, i don't know what the fuck you are even trying to say since i don't have some ulterior motive to be "deceptive" or whatever the fuck but i will make it easier to understand.

Focusing solely on the confession while disregarding his fundemantal issues is pointless. I've seen a lot of comments inluding the usual "just marry already lol" shit which only tells me that people just want them to get together regardless of how fucked up his psyche is and how toxic their relationship will be if things stay the way they are. Just for reference, i went back and read the earlier chapters. Dude acts exactly the same and didn't even gain an inch of character growth. He still doesn't have any other friends, he is still insecure as fuck and he still watches her on the sidelines being jealous whenever a male approaches her when she just puts herself out there, living the life.

I'm not "strawmaning" since i have an actual arguement from the start. I'm not only targetting the people who are solely focusing on the confession, i'm also pointing out how pointless that is and also why it is potentially happening (projection/self-insert). You feeling called out not my problem either.

It looks like you love the word a lot considering you just copy/pasted the definition in your first comment but please use it where its applicable next time.

Fucking clown shoes

 

[unfilteredjw]

I agree with everything but the part where you say that Miku is getting attention because she did the work. She is a female so of course she is going to get attention, on the other hand, we have the biggest baby boy crying because some randy is stealing his girl while he watches like a cvck. Dude needs to lose because if he doesn't he will never grow out of this stage of his life and he will remain passive and will achieve nothing. He has two options: remaining a loner without worrying about the chick and keep it p or doing everything on his hands to improve and make a comeback later on in life (he has to lose the chick regardless). This dude is too confortable being this way because the chick ia there doing him no favour honestly...

That incelly smell of someone incelly

 

[Derksy]

This the most hardcore edging kink I've ever seen...
Just fuck already!

 

[F1ZK]

If nothing happens in the next CHAPTER I'm gonna kms

 

[Kodesii]

New chap when?

 

[Alexandria46]

Yukiya suck bro, he deserve NTR if he stay like that.