Bizarre Love Triangle

[rluka]

@PocketSand2020 : without getting too much of unasked spoiler

Light novel volume 2

Spoiler

Shiki and Akiha are officially couple. Haruka is still there with them.
But the story in that volume shift main conflict to their friends. Shuuji confessed to Itsuka, but she is unsure of how to answer.

For those who might cry out loud about "losing focus on the main character" or like it, this is just for volume 2 and it still continue Shiki's conflict of acting for others or being yourself, from a different perspective.
Volume 3 is back to Shiki, Akiha, and Haruka. Especially after

Spoiler

Haruka finally confessed she also loves him.

and the story are intense.

Also finally the appearance of Akira and Tokiko from Saginomiya's other novel. They are in other class.

 

[PocketSand2020]

@rluka thank you The only thing that has frustrated me about finding these LN adaptations is that they never completely adapt all of the novels, I think I found a series that is still going though and the last LN was in 2016 so i'll be reading that soon.

 

[Teslar]

I smell a sad ending

 

[rluka]

Well, no reason for them to stop after volume 1
Although, yeah, it's the place where they can cut it off cleanest.
The proceeding volumes all ends with cliffhanger.

[Edit] Because it seems to end here. Typing this by memory so there might be mistakes.

Volume 2:

Spoiler

Shiki and Akiha officially became couple. About Haruka’s existence, unlike what she expected initially, the school adapt quickly. While she still sometime get curious look from other class, people don’t get disgusted or react extremely so both gets their high school life.

Shuuji decided to confess to Itsuka, but was left hanging for a while. There's also Chikage, the leader girl in their class, who confessed to Shuuji.
Shiki, Akiha, Haruka, tried to cheer both of their friends to be together, but Itsuka doesn’t love Shuuji romantically, they’re just very close friends. The problem is, Itsuka is already pressured by the expectation from her friends. Unlike Shiki, she doesn’t feel tortured to put up an act to cheer up her friends.

In the end, she rejected Shuuji but they remain friends. It’s also implied the person she love might be Shiki, but she let it go after discussing with their teacher (her nickname is Heartbreak Detective, from the author’s debut work).
Haruka, confessed she love Shiki too.

Volume 3:

Spoiler

By trying to equally love both, Akiha and Haruka’s timer seems to be stopping. Although the inevitable will still come, but now they got more time.

Took place in the school festival. Their school festival is unique, because it's held as joint event with another younger school nearby. At the beginning, they help the younger school in organising event, but it became a tradition where both school held festival together, and top it with joint stage, inviting alumni who had become professional to show on stage.
Shiki and Akiha/Haruka are chosen as committee members, and they're responsible for the final event, so they will need to visit the sister school for coordinating plans.

Here, Shiki meet again with Kirika, her junior and master (1 year younger, but she taught him his social skill. not a wizard from isekai, but supporting character from Saginomiya's other novel). Back during his 3rd year of middle school, Shiki went to a prep school, where she met Kirika who is very good at socialising. After their interaction, Kirika decided they will fight together. She taught him how to read the expectation from others and act to it, the weapon she forged throughout her life. So Kirika is quite disappointed to see Shiki throw away their effort just for reason like “to not lie to myself”. She promised to make Shiki return to who he was.

During the preparation, they managed to convince Omochi, a girl who reject going to school, but is a popular pro online musician (also Chikage's cousin), to go to school. Akiha managed to convince her after even Kirika fails, and Omochi agreed if she can sample Akiha’s voice. Kirika also pushed for Haruka to put a show too, for her high school memories, and so Haruka (with her friends in handcraft club, and Tokiko), held a doll theatre in the stage, among professional artists.

There were trouble in the end, they forgot to put location of the stage and almost fail from getting no audience. Shiki finally put back his mask, break into the school radio broadcast, to make it sounds like they intentionally hide the stage’s details. In the end, the show is a success, and Kirika successfully convinced him that putting up an act is not as bad as he thought (he made the show a success, and people are happy) so there’s no need for him to stubbornly reject it. Even Shiki himself did get in doubt if he should have his principle of “being true to myself” stops him from doing something he could have done.

At the end of the festival, Akiha declared she wants to break up with Shiki.

Volume 4:

Spoiler

This is told mainly in Akiha and Haruka’s POV. The school is going for study tour in Kyoto, Osaka, and Nara. Akiha had lived in Nara before Haruka is born.

Shiki is still devastated because Akiha broke up with him and is just like a zombie throughout the story. To make it worse for Akiha/Haruka and Tokiko, they are in separate group from their boyfriend. And so, the trip goes with how Akiha/Haruka tries to wake Shiki up, but the timing always seems to be wrong.

Her chance came in Osaka, when she and Shiki got trapped together in the Umeda Dungeon during their free activity time. Then Akiha asks to bring Shiki to her special place in Nara.

In Nara, Akiha took Shiki to the theme park her father used to take her to. There, she also admitted she breaks up so she and Haruka can have an equal standing for Shiki to choose.

Volume 5:

Spoiler

Deals with the theme of choosing their future plan. Their friends already decided on what course they want to choose in 3rd year, but Shiki is still in doubt.

By suggestion of their teacher, he and Akiha visited a publishing company. It’s a smaller publishing where Tokiko’s sister, a novelist, is writing for, and Momoko’s husband is the editor. Tsukumo, the editor, suggested to Shiki he doesn’t have to be so serious. Think of it as a moratorium, time extension for him to think again his choice later in university if he wants to.

At the end, Akiha/Haruka also decided to move on, as their own moratorium is not going to last forever. They decided to make contact with their past, contacting the kindergarten teacher who knew them before the personality split. Even though it’s Haruka calling, the teacher said she didn’t change. Previously when looking at photo album, it’s also implied that the girl’s original personality before she changed her name to Akiha and Haruka, is actually more similar to Haruka.

Volume 6:

Spoiler

This volume is about choosing between the girls. Shiki is asked to make his choice about who he loves between both.

Both are also tasked to organise the class party, the last memory together with everyone before they go different ways in 3rd year and going to be busy preparing for university entrance.

There’s many looking back at the year they’ve been through together. Shiki tried asking his friends, who they think he loves more, between Akiha and Haruka. The opinion is split, until Kirika’s opinion that he shouldn’t be choosing between both, and he should already have the answer.

There was trouble when the karaoke house they plan to rent had to cancel the order because of unexpected property damage. So, Shiki and Akiha/Haruka changed the party into their class, showing slideshows of photos with their memories in the 2nd year of high school (inspired by their teacher’s wedding, where they want to held it in a place filled with their own precious memories.

At this time, Akiha and Haruka is switching under 20 minutes already.

In the end, Shiki dreamed about a girl. But she is neither Akiha nor Haruka.

 

[Mustii]

@rluka so he doesnt pick anyone?

 

[rluka]

@Mustii : He hasn't, but the whole volume 6 is him thinking about the choice because the deadline is coming.
It ends with a cliffhanger (the author is good at making these kinds of cliffhanger).

If I didn't misunderstand volume 6's afterword, then volume 7 should be the conclusion.

 

[HairLossIsOptional]

@rluka is there any news when volume 7 releases?

 

[rluka]

@HairLossIsOptional : He is taking a break

 

[HairLossIsOptional]

@rluka thanks for the info! And also for the summaries, much appreciated.

 

[bunny]

good song

 

[Shisui10]

The Fuck l its just finished already ?
Come on man!!! I need some service here hahahahaha

 

[EdwinRmz45]

Was this axed?

 

[Young-lad]

@rluka or someone Who did she kissed at the end??? I got really confused so I’m sorry.

 

[calmbreez]

so is this a waste of time if I wana read some good romance ??

 

[rluka]

@Young-lad : I don't remember them being persistent about that issue.

And personally, I feel they're already beyond that "give us the answer, damnit!!!" pitchfork raising step.
The three of them have a unique relationship, and are more concerned about how their relationship will grow, or the future coming at them.
Besides, later Haruka also made it clear she also loves Shiki.

 

[Young-lad]

@rluka akiha was clearly shy and clearly said to give her time to answer , then suddenly a kiss happened and she says I love you so it was haruka yeah?

 

[Bariq129]

@rluka thanks for the summary

 

[narengoku]

It was an Interesting read.
@rluka thanks for the light novel summary!
and damn, that was a big cliffhanger there.

 

[taolathinh321x]

this can not be the end, omg why?

 

[lixck]

Thank you for finishing the manga