First of all... Damn, we didn't even get a kiss. Not even a kiss on the cheek! 😭 Okay, now that that's out of the way, phew. Thank heavens that the guy Hana was seeing wasn't a cheater or some such, though that breakup was just a
wee bit too convenient. Though it does certainly feel somewhat rushed, the ending was satisfying in its own way with its own merits. Having Akikazu tell Hana honestly how he felt about her and them working through their relationship awkwardly and slowly is a storytelling beat that I like. Even if there wasn't a conclusive end where the two of them marry or consider marriage or what have you in a relationship milestone, I think that for the purpose of the story, seeing them just start out dating and see where this takes them, with both of them having a good feeling about their relationship is a fitting ending to the story.
I've always appreciated how the state of Hana's garden mirrors the status of her love life and I love that this parallel was kept strong all the way through to the very end. Her strawberries still in the process of ripening and not having ripened all the way through is reflective of the fact that this new love is just starting and there's still a lot of work ahead for the two of them if they want it to "bloom," both the plants and their relationship. I guess if you look at the story in this way, you could say that the story ended the way that it began. This all started with Hana's unsuccessful attempts to grow her garden, and although she hasn't yet succeeded, she's still trying, and now she has one more "garden" to nurture, that being her relationship with Akikazu. This time, however, she's not the only one nurturing her gardens (both figuratively and literally) and she has someone working with her to make sure that those gardens bloom beautifully. And it's already borne fruit! The lone ripe strawberry is a good omen and wonderful symbolism for the good things to come for the two of them! It's quite cute! I like these kinds of stories where we end with characters just trying their best, looking to the future, because very rarely in life do we have something that's absolutely conclusive. It's a nice change of pace...
but I still would have liked to see them kiss... even a little peck on the cheek. 😔✊
I'm sure
@Satansslut669 is, by this time, sick of me commenting on
every release, but once again... Thank you for your hard work on this series! I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and it was a delight to watch our not-so-awkward lead and our very-awkward lead navigate their feelings and do a little dance around each other. The quality of your work has been consistent from beginning to end and I am excited to see how your future work evolves. Thank you so, so, so much for this release! 😊😊😊 I'll be reading your new project, and I'm excited to start that one, too! I'll see you in the comments of Island Manager! 😁