Imasara desu ga, Osananajimi wo Suki ni Natte Shimaimashita - Ch. 40 - Gears Setting Chaos In Motion

[story645]

Both Yuu and Yami are very careless toward her feelings despite whatever respective reasons they're drawn to her,

So I agree w/ you that it's unfair that Hikari gets the fallout, but this is how they've been behaving w/ basically everyone. Yuu is conflict avoidant, Aya makes decisions for other folks "for their own good"- it's what makes the Aya/Yuu dynamic especially toxic, but also is 100% the sorta thing that requires maturity/introspection/(therapy!) to even recognize is a negative behavior pattern.

 

[_Lugh]

you know something, I think this manga's actually quite interesting.

It feels like the author is trying to write it in such a way as to make all of us readers feel like we're teenagers again, with curve balls coming out of what feels like left field, not knowing what's going on or how to react to anything. That's masterful writing skill to intentionally provoke such feelings!

if, of course, it is intentional, if not...

Then it's Fu¢king trash writing.

 

[Itsn]

Yami sisters/bros are we cooked

 

[Lajs]

JFC we're gonna get like 8 chapters now of Yuu's POV and it's going to be months before we find out what the hell translation was correct at the end of this chapter: did Yami see Hikari behind the door and decide to kiss Yuu in front of her or was this a mis-translation and it's after-the-fact narration.

Also, my boy Yuu did nothing wrong he's just dumb and a coward.

Edited to add: why the fuck are Yami and Hikari fighting over Yuu? Can't they find anything better like holy shit.

Yuu helped himari emotionally and he is childhood friends with Hikari also the two girls aren’t even fighting they just interested in the same guy nothing crazy about that.

 

[Lajs]

Imma be honest here, I'm a Yuu hater, I think Hikari can do better than him. But even I have to admit bro did not deserve having this broad crashin out on him like that.

Nah yuu is the better

 

[baskitcase]

Yuu and Hikari have known each other since they were six years old. Not only are they incredibly close, but their families are too. Hikari’s parents have always been busy with work and often relied on Yuu’s mom to take care of her. Even now, Hikari regularly has dinner with Yuu’s family because her parents are still working late.

Yuu even buys Hikari’s mom a birthday present. I don’t even know when my closest friends’ moms’ birthdays are.

So I genuinely don’t understand how you came to the conclusion that they’re “not actually all that close” and only hang out because they happen to live next door.

I'm saying it's either badly written or them having a shallow relationship in spite of being "close" is the point. You isolated that part of my comment, but that part of my comment was me reflecting on the relationship the two characters have as it is written in the manga not lining up with what the manga tells us it is.

The manga tells us they're super close, all those things you mentioned are true. But then the ACTUAL relationship the two have? It's extremely shallow.

It's great to be told all the reasons they're super close. But they don't talk to each other about anything meaningful.

Like I'm sorry but if my best friend doesn't know about a super fraught horrible traumatizing roller coaster relationship I was in, either because I hid it from them or because they didn't even bother noticing my life enough to realize it, then we are not best friends.

If this is intentional on the part of the author, then fine. But I'm not just going to believe these two are "close" just because the author says so in exposition when literally everything else about their relationship screams otherwise.

 

[baskitcase]

No, I never said she didn't make any mistakes, but being clammy about her feelings is the worst thing she's guilty of. Yuu is withholding info that would devastate Hikari if she found out and he just keeps going along with the confession as planned like the self-absorbed dweeb that he is. Like I said earlier, Hikari's mistakes are orders of magnitude softer than Yuu's and Ayami's.

Maybe I'm misremembering because I read the chapter weeks ago, but...

Hasn't it been established that Yuu has absolutely no idea that Yami and Hikari are connected? He sees her for the first time and communicates with her for the first time since she ghosted him in that room... And Yami doesn't bring up the connection, either?

A lot of the discussion on "how dare he not bring up Yami to Hikari" is predicated on the fact that he somehow magically knows they're great friends in spite of never seeing them together, and never knowing anything about the two having any connection whatsoever beyond going to the same school.

Ofc I could be misremembering and maybe Yami does mention it? But I really don't think he knows they are friends...

 

[wozbond]

No, I never said she didn't make any mistakes

Here's you literally saying Hikari hasn't done anything wrong.

Good lord, so many Yuu self-inserters getting hella defensive in here. Only one in this trio that hasn't done anything wrong is Hikari, only thing she's guilty of is being naive. I don't even want her to win the bowl, she needs to get out of there ASAP and find an actual decent guy.

 

[HellJester]

Maybe I'm misremembering because I read the chapter weeks ago, but...

Hasn't it been established that Yuu has absolutely no idea that Yami and Hikari are connected? He sees her for the first time and communicates with her for the first time since she ghosted him in that room... And Yami doesn't bring up the connection, either?

A lot of the discussion on "how dare he not bring up Yami to Hikari" is predicated on the fact that he somehow magically knows they're great friends in spite of never seeing them together, and never knowing anything about the two having any connection whatsoever beyond going to the same school.

Ofc I could be misremembering and maybe Yami does mention it? But I really don't think he knows they are friends...

On page 4 of chapter 40, Yuu says "To think, Yami-senpai, you are the 'Aya-chan' that Hikari always talked about..." indicates that Yuu is finding out for the first time that Hikari and Yami are friends, in fact very close friends since Hikari is always talking about her friend Aya-chan. Further down on the same page Yuu asks if Hikari knows about his past relationship with Yami and Yami states that she, too, just recently learned that the one Hikari likes and has been talking about is Yuu. She implies that Hikari does not know.

The discussion about "how dare he not bring up Yami to Hikari", of which I too took part in, boils down to the fact that Yuu learns that Hikari and Yami are close friends about 30 minutes before he confesses his love to Hikari. I think it's odd that he wouldn't bring up the fact that he used to date Hikari's best friend before he confessed.

It's an unspoken rule that you don't date people that used to date a close friend or a close relative without at least talking to said person first.

 

[story645]

Like I'm sorry but if my best friend doesn't know about a super fraught horrible traumatizing roller coaster relationship I was in, either because I hid it from them or because they didn't even bother noticing my life enough to realize it, then we are not best friends.

I think Hikari did notice given that her questioning Yuu about his kohai being his ex indicates that she suspected he'd been dating someone. Yuu was just super evasive in answering.

Which I broadly agree w/ you and think that's partially why Hikari is so upset over not being told, but also a major mitigating factor here is that Yuu was also still in love with Hikari at the time and is emotionally immature so was uncomfortable discussing it with Hikari. I think it's similar to how he hid taking the exam from Hikari b/c he didn't want to risk her being disappointed in him.

 

[Litreara]

On page 4 of chapter 40, Yuu says "To think, Yami-senpai, you are the 'Aya-chan' that Hikari always talked about..." indicates that Yuu is finding out for the first time that Hikari and Yami are friends, in fact very close friends since Hikari is always talking about her friend Aya-chan. Further down on the same page Yuu asks if Hikari knows about his past relationship with Yami and Yami states that she, too, just recently learned that the one Hikari likes and has been talking about is Yuu. She implies that Hikari does not know.

The discussion about "how dare he not bring up Yami to Hikari", of which I too took part in, boils down to the fact that Yuu learns that Hikari and Yami are close friends about 30 minutes before he confesses his love to Hikari. I think it's odd that he wouldn't bring up the fact that he used to date Hikari's best friend before he confessed.

It's an unspoken rule that you don't date people that used to date a close friend or a close relative without at least talking to said person first.

You know, at this point, I think it's pointless to keep arguing with some people here. You're dealing with someone who thinks Hikari’s relationship with Yuu is shallow, despite the fact that they’ve known each other for ten years and their families are close. So your last sentence isn’t going to sway them.

Then there’s another person who thinks that Hikari not confessing to Yuu—despite only developing her feelings less than a year prior and spending six months actively putting in effort and working up the courage—is somehow equivalent to Yuu having had feelings for Hikari for ten years, with the only concrete effort we know of being that he tried to get into the same high school as her, even though his chances were slim because he started studying for it too late.

So yeah, sometimes it’s better to just agree to disagree and move on—some perspectives just aren’t rooted in the same facts or logic, and no amount of discussion will change that.

 

[Litreara]

Spoiler: Chapter 41

I just finished reading the latest chapter of the novel. It’s the confrontation between Hikari and Yami… and wow. Turns out Yami did see Hikari standing at the door before kissing Yuu. And the things Yami says in this chapter… oh boy.

 

[HellJester]

Spoiler: Chapter 41

I just finished reading the latest chapter of the novel. It’s the confrontation between Hikari and Yami… and wow. Turns out Yami did see Hikari standing at the door before kissing Yuu. And the things Yami says in this chapter… oh boy.

I just read it too. I look forward to joining you in the next chapter discussion ripping Yami apart.

 

[Litreara]

I just read it too. I look forward to joining you in the next chapter discussion ripping Yami apart.

Spoiler

I’m really wondering how Maruto is going to make Hikari forgive Yami… it just feels impossible to me. How do you write something like that without it coming across as contrived or just plain bad writing? In X, Maruto said this marks the end of Part 3 and that he had only planned the story up to this point.

 

[HellJester]

Spoiler

I’m really wondering how Maruto is going to make Hikari forgive Yami… it just feels impossible to me. How do you write something like that without it coming across as contrived or just plain bad writing? In X, Maruto said this marks the end of Part 3 and that he had only planned the story up to this point.

Spoiler

HE ONLY PLANNED IT OUT UP TO THIS POINT WTF JESUS CHRIST

 

[HellJester]

https://imgur.com/Jww8iZw

Me waiting for chapter 41 translation to hit Mangadex.

 

[babugue]

For people that want to read the chapter 41, here's the translation of the webnovel, it's the same thing really.

Spoiler: Chapter 41

Episode 41: Everything Is Falling Apart

A Saturday in late September.
A night dominated by rain and darkness, where everyone was crying.

"Aya, what do I do!
Hikari's disappeared!"
"One minute she's suddenly snapping and dumping her boyfriend, the next she's storming out of the gym!"
　　　　　　　　　　　"It's okay, I found her.
　　　　　　　　　　　 I'll take her home.
　　　　　　　　　　　 You two go on ahead."

"...That's what I told Haru."
"..."

The after-party was over. It was just before 8 PM.

A frantic message had arrived from Haru on LINE—she must have been trying to be considerate, since it was a direct message instead of our usual group chat—and I’d just left the classroom to go look for her myself five minutes ago.

The moment I opened the door and found Hikari standing there, soaking wet...
...that's when the sheer gravity of what I had done hit me all over again.

"Here, dry yourself off properly. You'll catch a cold."
"..."

I couldn't see Hikari's expression, her head still covered by the towel I'd lent her.
But I had a crystal-clear idea of what she was thinking.

That this was all the result of what I'd done.
That I hadn't just hurt Yuu, but Hikari, too.

When Yuu left this classroom in tears...
I suddenly regained my composure, and was instantly filled with overwhelming regret.

That I'd done something I never should have.
And what's more, that Hikari had seen it.

What is wrong with me?
Why did I do it, even though I knew Hikari was there?

No...
Maybe I did it precisely because Hikari was there?
If that's the case, then seriously, what is wrong with me...?

"I'll call a taxi once you've calmed down. You can take your time until then, okay?"

I could hear how hollow and forced my own concerned voice sounded.
Because I knew it was all a deception.
Because I knew I was the absolute worst.

Seriously, what I'm doing is just disgusting.
Betraying Hikari, knowing she knows, knowing that she knows I know, and still shamelessly pretending to be her best friend.

But, if Hikari could just accept things as they are now...
If she could pretend nothing happened and we could stay friends...

Then I swear, this time, I'll stop doing things like this.
I'll act like nothing happened, and I'll never see Yuu again.

I'll go back to cheering on your love life, just like before.
But I won't interfere with you two at all.

So please, won't you forgive me, Hikari...?

Won't you just flash that usual bright smile...
...and say, "Well then, shall we go home, Aya-chan?"

"Hey, Aya-chan?"
"Hm? What is it?"

But the first words Hikari spoke since she got here...

"Have you been here in the classroom... ever since 'that kiss...?'"
"...Ah..."

...were a quiet, but clear, rejection of my all-too-shameless wish.

...

...

"Uh, um..."
"..."

I don't know how many seconds of silence passed between us.
You know that expression, "a few seconds that feel like years"? It was exactly like that.

"That guy... that guy is..."
"Y-Yeah...?"

But just standing here like this wouldn't change anything about Hikari.
To bring back the bright, sunny girl she used to be, I had to do something.

"He's an old friend with benefits."
"!"

...That said, there's really something wrong with me today.

"You know how I used to say I was always swapping out guys until last year? He was just one of them. I just happened to run into him earlier and barely even remembered his face."

A coming-out in a dark, empty classroom, and this is what I confess? That he was a friend with benefits...
And it's a total lie, too.

"No, seriously, I don't like him at all! Not now, not ever!"

Everything... it's all just a load of crap.

"I'm so sorry! It's just an old bad habit of mine rearing its head."

No, I guess that part's true...
That old bad habit, "the lying bitch," is definitely out in full force.

"...So, please, forgive me, Hikari."

But still...
I have no choice but to push through with this lie.

Because there's no going back with Yuu.
But with Hikari... with Hikari, maybe I can still go back.
...Which just raises the question of why I did what I did in the first place, doesn't it?

...

...

"You know, Aya-chan."
"H-Hikari...?"

After another few seconds that felt like years...
This time, it was Hikari's turn to speak.

"I know you're not that kind of person, Aya-chan."
"No, that's not..."
"I've known you were a kind person since before I even met you."
"That's not true."

They sounded like kind words from the heart, but with them, Hikari was cutting off all my escape routes.

"So you should just be able to own it... So why are you apologizing so much?"
"That's because... I messed around with your boyfriend..."
"Don't make a fool of Taa-kun... of him."
"!"

No, this wasn't kindness anymore.

"He would never get involved with a girl like that if he didn't have feelings for her."

Her tone was calm.
Her face was still lowered.

"So there must have been real feelings there."

But the words she spun held a powerful resolve.

"Between Taa-kun... and you, Aya-chan..."
"I told you, I don't have any!"

And so I almost fell for her trick question.

"I said I don't..."

I started to retort sharply, but desperately held myself back.

"It was just... a fling..."

What Hikari was trying to hear, what she was trying to confirm...
There was no way I could ever tell her the truth.

"Why would you tell such a lie... No, I know why you're lying, Aya-chan."

Even if Hikari knew.
Even if she saw right through me.

"You're trying to obscure your relationship with him... for my sake, right? So that I won't get hurt?"
"I'm not obscuring anything... Because he was nothing special. Just some lame guy."

Still, I had no choice but to keep lying.

"Because, I mean... the only reason you fell for him is because he slept with me and 'manned up,' right?"
"Wh-..."

Even if it meant degrading the first boy I'd ever loved.
The man I'd loved with my entire being.
Even if my heart was being torn apart, my whole body trembling with humiliation.

"If he'd never known a woman... he would've stayed a lame guy that someone like you, Hikari, would never have even looked at twice."

But I'm wrong.
I'm getting everything wrong. This is a total failure.

"You should be thanking me, really..."
"Don't you dare insult my childhood friend!"

Hikari's face in front of me was a total wreck.
Twisted with anger, sadness, and confusion...
...it was a complete mess.

"Just stop it... Stop lying like that and hurting yourself, too."

This might be it. It might be over.
Am I going to be alone again?
Am I going to lose Hikari, too?

"The truth is, Aya-chan, you still haven't been able to give up on Taa-kun, have you?"

What is she talking about...?
I don't know anyone named Taa-kun. The guy I know is Yuu.
Don't get them mixed up.

...No, that's not right. Don't you dare get angry back at her, me.

This is Hikari, the one who saved me.
My beloved best friend.
So just stop it already.

Even now, I should just get on my knees, force some tears, and pretend none of this ever happened.
Because I don't want to lose Hikari, too...

"You love him, don't you? You love him...!"
"If you're so scared of him being stolen, then tie him down with your body! You IIIIIDIOT!"

 

[Deathhappens]

you know something, I think this manga's actually quite interesting.

It feels like the author is trying to write it in such a way as to make all of us readers feel like we're teenagers again, with curve balls coming out of what feels like left field, not knowing what's going on or how to react to anything. That's masterful writing skill to intentionally provoke such feelings!

if, of course, it is intentional, if not...

Then it's Fu¢king trash writing.

Honestly speaking here, what curveballs? Everyone in this manga has been behaving exactly like you would expect overly-emotional teenagers to act (and re-act). It's excellent writing precisely BECAUSE you can see exactly where each character is coming from and what makes them act the way they do.

 

[_Lugh]

Honestly speaking here, what curveballs? Everyone in this manga has been behaving exactly like you would expect overly-emotional teenagers to act (and re-act). It's excellent writing precisely BECAUSE you can see exactly where each character is coming from and what makes them act the way they do.

What I was getting at is: to make the reader feel confused and frustrated like a teenager in love can happen at two ends of a bell curve plotting writing skill.

In the 90th percentile, you have incredibly skilled writers who can control the readers like puppets on marionette strings
in the 10th percentile, you have idiot writers who can't keep track of their own narrative, let alone the readers doing so.

What I was getting at is that a kind of superposition is occurring and I (who has clearly thought about this manga less than you have) cannot tell for certain right now which end we're on.

In essence I was trying to either praise or disparage the author, depending on how the author feels about their own skill level.

 

[baskitcase]

You know, at this point, I think it's pointless to keep arguing with some people here. You're dealing with someone who thinks Hikari’s relationship with Yuu is shallow, despite the fact that they’ve known each other for ten years and their families are close. So your last sentence isn’t going to sway them.

Then there’s another person who thinks that Hikari not confessing to Yuu—despite only developing her feelings less than a year prior and spending six months actively putting in effort and working up the courage—is somehow equivalent to Yuu having had feelings for Hikari for ten years, with the only concrete effort we know of being that he tried to get into the same high school as her, even though his chances were slim because he started studying for it too late.

So yeah, sometimes it’s better to just agree to disagree and move on—some perspectives just aren’t rooted in the same facts or logic, and no amount of discussion will change that.

I've known people for longer than 10 years and our families are close and I would describe our relationship as shallow. Their relationship isn't an equation where you can add up the number of years they've known each other and multiply it by how often their families see each other and get a concrete answer for how close they are.

I still fail to see how people who are that close can know so little about each other. I am not saying you're wrong in that all signs point to them being close, as far as what we're told. I just don't think we see any of that actually played out in the panels of the manga itself. They haven't even ENCOUNTERED any of each other's school friends. I'm not saying they should all hang out together, but the fact that they haven't even seen each other in passing even once is WILD.

I agree that we're definitely not going to see eye to eye, but like... "We're dealing with people who think this" was such a weird hyper-negative way to start that that it's hard to see "I guess we'll have to agree to disagree" as something said at all in good faith.

But I'll duck out here. We're looking at this from completely different angles, and the angle you're looking at it from is totally valid, I just don't think my point of view is invalid, either. It's either very messily written in my opinion, or the author is actually deliberately trying to to set up a "We've been looking at each other without really seeing each other this whole time" situation, which I'd still say is messy, but it would at least explain the weirdness I perceive in their relationship.