Imasara desu ga, Osananajimi o Suki ni Natte Shimaimashita - Ch. 43 - The Pride of the Lecturing Girls

[GennArc]

His relationship with Aya is even more of an elephant, but he's evasive every time it comes up & outright doesn't say anything even knowing Hikari saw. "Elephant in the room" is very much not a motivating factor for Yuu.

Huh? Timeline-wise he only learns that she saw in their last scene together at the very end. It was not an elephant in the room at all before that.

and that he was giving to avoid the elephant in the room that was Aya.

Again, it wasn't. He didn't know that she saw it. It would be an elephant in the room if he somehow saw her behind that door. But he didn't. So the only elephant in the room was him not meeting Hikari at the appointed time and missing her messages.

If it was just about her going to a different school, there wouldn't be the emphasis on it being a school that's out of his reach.

Of course there would be: she is already aiming for the school he can't hope to enroll in, so there's no way for them to stay together unless he "does the impossible". I am not even sure what you find contradictory or missing in this line of thinking.

Which right those beliefs and that crushing disappointment are the death of his hopes, which means on some level deep down he had hope:

He doesn't expect it to be successful but he also doesn't think success is completely impossible.

That's why I suggested rereading that chapter. This happens right after he first realizes he is actually in love with her (and even says Kousuke understood it earlier than he himself did).

From the moment we first met, Hikari was someone I looked up to.

And the moment that admiration turned into love...
The moment she changed from a dependable hero into a girl I couldn’t take my eyes off—
That was around the time we started fifth grade, in the fall.

Kosuke: “Hey, Yuu, you like Shirasaka, don’t you~”
Yuu: “I do not!”

Actually, the one who noticed my feelings before Hikari did… no, even before I realized it myself…
was my friend back then, a boy named Kosuke Ishikawa, who I was pretty close with.

So yes, she crushed his hopes right at the start and it's been hopeless since then.

 

[peortega1]

Huh? Timeline-wise he only learns that she saw in their last scene together at the very end. It was not an elephant in the room at all before that.

Again, it wasn't. He didn't know that she saw it. It would be an elephant in the room if he somehow saw her behind that door. But he didn't. So the only elephant in the room was him not meeting Hikari at the appointed time and missing her messages.

This
As much, we can say he suspected maybe Hikari could have seen them... this is the reason why he asks to Hikari if she feels bad and she lies and says her bothering is just for the rain and Yuu coming late to the meeting for the "dead phone", so, she said him she believed in his lie of the "dead phone"
That was the moment when Hikari had to mention the kiss of Ayami and she chose didn´t do it.

 

[peortega1]

Making no effort to court her

Again, he made the effort. But even more again: role reversal, role reversal, role reversal, role reversal...
The Yami-Yuu relationship literally exists for this reason.

 

[story645]

. It was not an elephant in the room at all before that.

Hikari was very visibly upset and Yuu knew she was very visibly upset & made excuses instead of confronting why she was upset.

But also a meta note here, Yuu deliberately lying (and waiting six hours to address the exam is deliberate) about feeling inadequate would be manipulative as all out b/c it plays on Hikari's long standing feelings of love/friendship towards him. Which fine if that's your read, I just find it bemusing since you're the one who always accuses me of "twisting Aya".

so there's no way for them to stay together unless he "does the impossible".

That's the point, this is how Yuu feels b/c of his feelings of inadequacy. In the objective reality of this manga, going to different schools isn't what separates them. First it's Yuu distancing himself from Hikari, then it's his relationship with Aya. After he breaks up with Aya, Yuu and Hikari are back to spending loads of time together.

So yes, she crushed his hopes right at the start and it's been hopeless since then.

He wouldn't have tried for the exam, much less been so heartbroken, if he truly believed it was hopeless.

 

[story645]

Again, he made the effort

And yet, I didn’t put in the effort to make that happen...
Or rather, I never even seriously thought about what I’d need to do to stand beside Hikari in the first place.

Though yes, I agree w/ you that a major reason Yuu went for Yami is that he had to put in 0% effort there.

 

[peortega1]

In your quote he is not saying he didn´t make any effort. Is him recognizing his efforts (like the dates they had in middle school) were useless and didn´t reach nothing with Hikari, is precisely him recognizing he needed have more initiative and being more "masculine" to be able to "stand beside Hikari" is first place and make her finally see him as a boy and not as a little brother.
Is the moment when he realizes Hikari doesn´t want the dommy girlfriend of nobody and she is as passive as him or even more.

Though yes, I agree w/ you that a major reason Yuu went for Yami is that he had to put in 0% effort there.

Not, Yuu did really put a real effort with Yami. Over all when he comforts her and they hold hands in the love hotel when Ayami is crying. Being submissive doesn´t make him an useless bag.
But yes, Yami is the dominant and active girlfriend who Yuu always wanted and totally disposed to carry the pants in the relationship. She loves dominate him and he loves being dominated by her.
This is the reason why Ayami is fully right about Hikari doesn´t know who is the real Yuu Takamura. This is the reason why they would became a couple in any case, Ayami abussive step-father only fastered the process.
Without these themes of role reversal / female domination, is almost impossible understand Yuu - Ayami relationship.

 

[peortega1]

That's the point, this is how Yuu feels b/c of his feelings of inadequacy. In the objective reality of this manga, going to different schools isn't what separates them. First it's Yuu distancing himself from Hikari, then it's his relationship with Aya. After he breaks up with Aya, Yuu and Hikari are back to spending loads of time together.

The distorsion introduced by Aya. Finally you are starting to accepting it.
Anyway, the fact Hikari lost all contact with all her friends and classmates of middle school are the other proof Yuu was right about, even without Ayami, they would distance for going to different schools. Is because Hikari lost all contact the reason why she never learned about Yuu failed exam, and over all, about Yami.
Again, is very probably all those friends group of Yuu know about Ayami, but during the relationship, and after the break-up. Even the two friends of chapter 17 seemed know more than they apparented.
Is precisely how Yami broke Yuu heart, the reason why Hikari finally starts to feel attracted for him and start to desire spent more time with Yuu and take more seriously things and dates who she taked as mere friends hook-ups in middle school.

He wouldn't have tried for the exam, much less been so heartbroken, if he truly believed it was hopeless

Is called faith. Faith in a miracle. This is the reason why in omake chapter 3 his words are precisely: "of course miracles doesn´t happen, right?"

 

[GennArc]

Hikari was very visibly upset and Yuu knew she was very visibly upset & made excuses instead of confronting why she was upset.

Because he was sure it's because he didn't keep their promise. She even thinks as much:

And surely...
He genuinely thinks the reason I’ve been silent this whole time is because he stood me up on our promise to go around the festival together.

He doesn’t have the slightest clue that I saw "that moment," does he?

But also a meta note here, Yuu deliberately lying (and waiting six hours to address the exam is deliberate) about feeling inadequate would be manipulative as all out b/c it plays on Hikari's long standing feelings of love/friendship towards him. Which fine if that's your read, I just find it bemusing since you're the one who always accuses me of "twisting Aya".

Manipulative how? He is avoiding to tell her that he was in love with her and everything else and just simply goes for the same excuse as he did before with Yami. For the same reason as always - he doesn't want to confess his feelings yet. How is it "playing on Hikari's friendship?" Was it also manipulative of Hikari to suggest going to a family restaurant when she chickened out about the bento she prepared for their date?

In the objective reality of this manga, going to different schools isn't what separates them.

It absolutely would've been if something didn't happen which ended up making Hikari interested in him.

First it's Yuu distancing himself from Hikari, then it's his relationship with Aya. After he breaks up with Aya, Yuu and Hikari are back to spending loads of time together.

They go back to spending loads of time together because Hikari suddenly got interested in him in romantic sense and started spending a lot more time with him because of it. If she didn't get that romantic interest, they would've been more distant than ever.

He wouldn't have tried for the exam, much less been so heartbroken, if he truly believed it was hopeless.

He finally saw a chance to change the old conditions (when it was hopeless) to something else, when maybe he'd have some hope. Sure, you could argue that it's technically not hopeless unless it's truly impossible, but hopelessness is not about probablities, it's about how you perceive the situation, and he finally found a way to change that situation.