Despite the negative comments , I actually really loved the manga and the couple’s dynamic. It was a mix of childhood friends and enemies to lovers. I enjoy their bickering and Beniko’s blushes in btwn. As for Aoi, she’s always been respectful to Beniko in her own way where she’s always tagging along with her whims or giving her space to make her own decisions. She always gets caught up in a competition that she never started. I’d like to mention again that I liked the blushing scenes and how they portrayed Beniko coming to realize how she liked Aoi and the reason behind her actions. As for Aoi, she’s tough and teasing on the surface but she’s actually really caring and we see that throughout the story when it comes to Beniko. In other words, this is just how their couple dynamic comes into play and she’s used to it so I find it normal that she was clueless as to when Beniko had different feelings. She’s used to them doing their own thing and not getting caught up in anything more than that. She didn’t mean to intentionally hurt her and we can see this in her reaction in one scene, it’s more like because she didn’t understand these hidden thoughts and Beniko that she didn’t come to change anything. She had the place as friend and a rival and that was it. She set boundaries like that.
I come back from time to time to reread this series because I think it’s rare for a manga to have a good dynamic and this type of story that I like. I liked the side story at the end and the story overall but I wish they showed them with a sweeter dynamic at the end or more chapters going into it. I still love it though.