Imasara desu ga, Osananajimi wo Suki ni Natte Shimaimashita - Ch. 45 - Wandering Through The Night

[story645]

I mention this because it would be interesting to consider the idea that Hikari prefers... guys with experience. Romantic experience, anyway, not sexual, as Yami tried to hint.

I agree that I don't think Hikari cares that Yuu isn't a virgin, but think Hikari is attracted to broken and that's why she only started liking Yuu after he broke up w/ Aya. So Aya is right that she's why Hikari likes Yuu, but not b/c of the sex & that's why Hikari tells Aya to not denigrate Yuu that way.

is precisely insult yourself by both your real responsibilities and who are not your responsibilities.

Yuu does this as part of the confession and Hikari plays cheerleader, but I think this is more that Aya/Yuu are insecure and expect Hikari will give them validation.

HE HUMILLIATES ACTIVELY TO HIMSELF BEFORE HER.

How is telling Hikari the truth humiliating himself? Hikari's thought process when receiving his texts is that she doesn't want his sorry, just the truth.

only after Yami assumed the entire responsibility of her actions -but for the wrong reasons-, is we can see Hikari being compassive

Hikari showing up and letting Aya explain is being compassionate - most people would either immediately walk away or start yelling at Aya. Which also most people would be furious if a person's apologies were a pack of lies - instead Hikari hears her out and then pushes back on the lie. Reading through the first interaction, I don't think it's that Hikari is waiting for the apology so much as the apology signifies that Aya is sticking with her lie.

This is the reason why is unjust Hikari thinks Yuu is asking her to sacrifice herself in chapter 38, when Yuu never asked her to that thing. The only real thing Yuu asked to Hikari in chapters 37 and 38 is for her finally taking the lead and expressing her real fears and questions.

Where does she think that? Where does he ask that?

She also takes responsibility for traumatize Yuu because

That's under "messing w/ your boyfriend", which again is a thing Aya thinks she actually did.

 

[peortega1]

I agree that I don't think Hikari cares that Yuu isn't a virgin, but think Hikari is attracted to broken and that's why she only started liking Yuu after he broke up w/ Aya. So Aya is right that she's why Hikari likes Yuu, but not b/c of the sex & that's why Hikari tells Aya to not denigrate Yuu that way.

Yes, it's quite obvious that it was that heartbroken-boy vibe, so typical of certain male leads in shoujo manga, that finally drew Hikari to Yuu.
And yes, that's why Hikari tells Ayami not to denigrate Yuu or herself like that. Hikari correctly recognizes that the Ayami-Yuu relationship was real and authentic. This, of course, guarantees that, unlike Haru, she will fully support and buy into the tragic romance story that Yuu will undoubtedly tell her. "Who would have thought Aya-chan was actually such a sweet girl!" or something like that.

Yuu does this as part of the confession and Hikari plays cheerleader, but I think this is more that Aya/Yuu are insecure and expect Hikari will give them validation.

It's a two-way street, virtuous or vicious, depending on how you look at it. On one hand, Yami/Yuu are certainly insecure and need validation, but Hikari is also a character who loves to give validation to broken people who are desperately asking for it.
Yuu, as the midpoint of the balance, works both ways. He needs validation from both Hikari and Yami, but he also gives validation to Yami —and, interestingly, to Hikari as well. Other thing inherited from Yuu Izumi: he validates Shikimori and Kamiya, but he needs validation from both girls and expresses sincere gratitude for it.
However, Hikari almost never needed Yuu's validation until she genuinely began to fall in love with him. That's why she gets upset when he says she always was and still is "like a boy" in chapter 13, not realizing that for him, calling her a "tomboy" is a compliment and a form of flirting.

How is telling Hikari the truth humiliating himself? Hikari's thought process when receiving his texts is that she doesn't want his sorry, just the truth.

If Hikari only wanted the truth, she would only have to ask for it. No, she wants Yuu to grovel before her. Only then will she forgive him. She wants the truth, but she also wants Yuu to humilliate before her, and all the while she's still hoping he can read her mind.
As I said, Hikari is imitating Yami's ghosting more than ever. The sensible thing for her would be to keep the promise she made to Yuu's mother—which is probably the main reason why Yuu seemed so confident about her in chapter 43 in front of Haru and Yuki.
And yet, Yuu and Yami do know how to express, in their own way, that they need help. Hikari has never done so, just like Setsuna in White Album 2. She's clung too tightly to her mask of being the perfect girl and "all is fine" in the face of the first real crisis in her life.

Hikari showing up and letting Aya explain is being compassionate - most people would either immediately walk away or start yelling at Aya.

Staying silent for ten minutes staring at the floor like a chicken isn't compassion, it's cowardice. And no, expecting another girl to read your mind is pure fear. It's obvious that Hikari struggled to muster the courage to speak up, that she didn't seek out that encounter, and that she's as angry as she is afraid of Ayami—and how could she not be after things like Yami trying to whoring her or steal her first kiss. Only after Yami humbled herself and apologized to Hikari did she become more confident, understanding, and compassionate.

Which also most people would be furious if a person's apologies were a pack of lies - instead Hikari hears her out and then pushes back on the lie. Reading through the first interaction, I don't think it's that Hikari is waiting for the apology so much as the apology signifies that Aya is sticking with her lie.

She might want both things, you know? Both the truth and Ayami's apology. Hikari's entire personality makes it perfectly clear that she wouldn't have appreciated a lecture like:
"It's none of your business, you cowardly little girl who hides behind a door instead of facing your problems like a grown woman. He was my boyfriend, not yours. A year ago, I broke up with him for reasons that only concern him and me. He always loved you, he told me so through tears and so on, but you friendzoned him, so I just picked what you left behind. You never cared about him; if you cared about him, you'd call him Yuu, not Taa-kun. If you cared about him so much, you should have defended him when I slapped and kissed him. I saw you running away crying like the cowardly girl you are. Now you're defending him, huh? When it's already too late. You're a homewrecker, and I was the one who generously let you go out with my ex-boyfriend, and after wasting all the opportunities I gave you, this is how you repay me, foolish girl? With friends like you, who needs enemies?"
That's all true and answers all of Hikari's questions. Yami could have easily done it if she'd wanted to. And she doesn't because she knows Hikari will get angry. Hikari won't accept or tolerate the truth unless it comes with apologies from Aya and Yuu.
As I said, there's a reason the douches in this chapter weren't wrong when they said Hikari is the doroboneko here, not Yami.

Where does she think that? Where does he ask that?

Precisely in chapter 38, she does it.

It's okay, I won't ask anymore. I won't see anything. I won't say anything.
Because it's all for the sake of being united with the person I love, right?
In that case, a little compromise is necessary...
"Huh...!" compromise?! Why am I with Ta-kun...
Do I have to compromise with the first person I've ever fallen in love with, the person I love?

This is where she thinks Yuu is asking her to sacrifice herself, to not ask him anything, without realizing that he never did that himself and that, in his passive and cowardly way, he is actually inviting her to ask him about Yami in case she did see something.

That's under "messing w/ your boyfriend", which again is a thing Aya thinks she actually did.

Ayami's inner thoughts in chapters 40 and 41 make it abundantly clear that she doesn't believe for a second that she did what she said. She believes she betrayed Hikari and knows she broke Yuu's heart, which is true, but she never considers she "messed with Hikari´s boyfriend". And it's Hikari herself who points this out, when she says that she does it so as not to come between Hikari and Yuu, that she's denying her feelings to sacrifice herself for their happiness.

 

[story645]

Yuu, as the midpoint of the balance, works both ways.

I agree in a sort of flipped way - Yami is attracted to his hopeful naive idiot not broken side, while Hikari is attracted to his heartbroken never gonna love again side. It's why he's "dawn", right? Which I dunno that it's vicious or virtuous so much as skirting the line between healthy and codependent.

She's clung too tightly to her mask of being the perfect girl and "all is fine" in the face of the first real crisis in her life.

This is precisely why I dislike the route where Hikari goes and rescues Aya and makes up w/ Yuu. B/c that again pushes Hikari to be the one to offer support rather than receive it.

I'm gonna again say that Yuu knows what Hikari wants is the truth b/c she doesn't prompt him for it in 17? (the first confession chapter) but thanks him afterward.

Staying silent for ten minutes staring at the floor like a chicken isn't compassion, it's cowardice.

Going home was an option - instead Hikari went to the classroom where she knew she might find Aya (not gonna restart the debate on if deliberately went looking for Aya). Hikari then invites Aya to explain by asking if Aya has been there since the kiss happened. Hikari has initiated and kicked the ball to Aya and then gives Aya spacd to say her piece. As soon as Aya indicates she's finished by apologizing, Hikari pushes back. This also lets Aya walk back her lies - if Hikari had jumped in immediately, then Aya wouldn't have had a chance to be honest before Hikari started pushing for it. Hikari's giving Aya a chance here.
The not maintaining eye contact also means Aya could get out what she wanted to say w/o seeing Hikari's responses, and that's sometimes easier for everyone involved . Aya's also got her eyes down/covered the entire time.

Hikari's entire personality makes it perfectly clear that she wouldn't have appreciated a lecture like:

I don't know that there's anyone (fictional or real) who would appreciate being accused of
wrecking a relationship that had ended a year ago and was purposefully hidden from them.

she thinks Yuu is asking her to sacrifice herself, to not ask him anything, without realizing that he never did that himself

I think what she's thinking is more inline w/ the commentators who were saying she should just say yes b/c she loves him. Less sacrifice, more a compromise where she accepts his past as the past and moves on b/c he just confessed after all.

she does it so as not to come between Hikari and Yuu

Which I think falls under Hikari'a boyfriend - yes Yuu isn't Hikari's, but Aya is stepping aside so that Yuu can become Hikari's.

 

[peortega1]

I agree in a sort of flipped way - Yami is attracted to his hopeful naive idiot not broken side, while Hikari is attracted to his heartbroken never gonna love again side. It's why he's "dawn", right? Which I dunno that it's vicious or virtuous so much as skirting the line between healthy and codependent.

Yes, Yuu Izumi's relationship with both Miyako Shikimori and Ai Kamiya, with both girls delicately teetering between sanity and madness, is perfectly described with those words: "between healthy and co-dependent."
Yes, that's why both Yuu are Dawn. The difference is that Miyako Shikimori's light in her yandere role is very different and much more tormented than Hikari's —who would occupy the place of Nekozaki, the best friend of both Shikimori and Kamiya, and a much more "normal" and passive girl, even though being a luminous and optimistic tomboy athlete still allowed her to connect with Miyako and Ai.
I say this because it would imply that the Shikimori of this story has finally entered the game, that Takamura has finally found his true destined love... and that girl is Yuki.
If you look closely, she's functioned up until now as Yami's foil and the closest thing to Yami in Hikari's group of friends, and along with Yami, she's the other character who urged Hikari to "bind with your body" to Yuu.

This is precisely why I dislike the route where Hikari goes and rescues Aya and makes up w/ Yuu. B/c that again pushes Hikari to be the one to offer support rather than receive it.

Because Hikari doesn't want to receive the help she knows Yuu, and especially Haru and Yuki, are willing to offer. In any case, this route would imply that Hikari finally takes the initiative for once (as she did in chapters 36-38) and finally acts like the dominant and proactive girl Yuu knows she has the potential to be. And part of this involves being able to recognize that she needs help and actively asking Yuu for it instead of emulating Yami by expecting others to read her mind.

I'm gonna again say that Yuu knows what Hikari wants is the truth b/c she doesn't prompt him for it in 17? (the first confession chapter) but thanks him afterward.

Yes, he knows. That doesn't mean he wants to tell her on LINE. His messages are an invitation for Hikari to ask directly, to demand an explanation, to go to Yuu's house, where she knows he's waiting for her, especially after promising Yuu's mother—and this is even more important after asserting the high moral ground of "I hate liars". And incidentally, as already mentioned, it's a way of returning the ball to her court.
That's why it's so important that Hikari is avoiding him in public; it means she knows Yuu does have the guts to approach her in public, for example, at the train station on his way to school. Just like Yami avoids Yuu during the ghosting, but at the same time, she's hoping he'll find her anyway. Contradictory and incoherent desires.
This reflects that Hikari wants the truth as much as she wants Yuu to grovel and humiliate himself by going to her house. Which she would have achieved, as already mentioned, if she hadn't physically assaulted him in the gym and had simply walked away or told him to "stop" before yelling "I hate liars," or if she had helped him up before running away anyway.

Going home was an option - instead Hikari went to the classroom where she knew she might find Aya (not gonna restart the debate on if deliberately went looking for Aya)

I mean, Hikari ran off in a way that probably didn't even give much thought to where she was running. From how Haru describes it in her message to Ayami, it almost seems like a hysterical fit. And anyway, it was highly unlikely that Aya was still exactly there.

Hikari then invites Aya to explain by asking if Aya has been there since the kiss happened. Hikari has initiated and kicked the ball to Aya and then gives Aya spacd to say her piece

After ten minutes of silence, during which Ayami even wondered if Hikari was in shock and that's why she wasn't reacting, it's quite obvious that it took Hikari a lot of courage to do this. This shows, as with Yuu an hour earlier, that this encounter wasn't planned by her, but just like Yuu before, she—I'll admit this—is working up her courage because giving Ayami the satisfaction of seeing her run away again would be even more humiliating.

As soon as Aya indicates she's finished by apologizing, Hikari pushes back. This also lets Aya walk back her lies - if Hikari had jumped in immediately, then Aya wouldn't have had a chance to be honest before Hikari started pushing for it. Hikari's giving Aya a chance here.
The not maintaining eye contact also means Aya could get out what she wanted to say w/o seeing Hikari's responses, and that's sometimes easier for everyone involved. Aya's also got her eyes down/covered the entire time.

I mean before Hikari started to talk. She had to talk, say her words and only after break the eye contact to "make easier" the responses to Ayami. With her weak look and expressing fear, Hikari convinced Yami, again, she could managed to get out from the crisis, lying as always and asking pardon to Hikari.
You are hiding the real reason. Hikari needs show to Yami she is inoffensive. She is afraid to be punched or attacked by Yami, like Aya already did with Yuu a hour before and with Hikari herself in the past. She not only wants the truth of Ayami, she wants too manage to get a way she can talks with Yami, with lies or truths, without being mistreated by her.
Curiously is the same dilemma Yuu has to deal now with her.

I don't know that there's anyone (fictional or real) who would appreciate being accused of wrecking a relationship that had ended a year ago and was purposefully hidden from them.

Again, Yuu didn´t maintain the relationship purposefully hidden from Hikari. And even if he wanted to do it, he is unable to hold the mouth closed before a minimum pression, as Haru proved. He always will respond a direct question even if is in mode "I am not telling everything, but all I said is true" (like chapter 17). And when he tries to lie, he needs scripts provided by Yami (chapters 24 and 28), without them, he is too bad lying (the "dead phone" for e.g.) who even the naive Hikari is able to notice it.
And in any case, my words were not an accusation about Hikari "wrecked a relationship that had ended a year ago". My words were how Yami had right to complain about Hikari interfering in a discussion about she and her ex-boyfriend, and how she is not yet the girlfriend of Yuu, so, she doesn´t have direct right to interfere in the discussion, even more when she acted a spy instead enter directly in the classroom, how Yuu securely would have desired.

I think what she's thinking is more inline w/ the commentators who were saying she should just say yes b/c she loves him. Less sacrifice, more a compromise where she accepts his past as the past and moves on b/c he just confessed after all.

Well, I was never one of those commentators. If anything, I always said that she should have asked Yuu directly, and only if he was actively lying, only if he truly tried to actively evade Hikari's questions at that crucial moment, knowing beyond any doubt that she did see the kiss, would he deserve the harsh judgment she made of him.
Hikari is much more careful testing Yami than Yuu. This proves her aforementioned cowardice and the fact that she knows she can mistreat Yuu, but she can't mistreat Yami.

Which I think falls under Hikari'a boyfriend - yes Yuu isn't Hikari's, but Aya is stepping aside so that Yuu can become Hikari's.

No, she doesn't. Especially since Aya explicitly called the kiss a "goodbye kiss." Hikari has no moral right to complain about how Ayami decided to definitively end her relationship with Yuu when Hikari isn't even Yuu's girlfriend yet, especially since she just stood there cowardly in the doorway instead of reacting and intervening directly.
The only reason Ayami owes Hikari anything is because of the promises Aya made in chapter 13.5 (the chapter where she's in the rain and remembers how she assured Hikari that Taa-kun does love her), promises she should never have made in retrospect.

 

[peortega1]

The original Yuu Takamura. Maruto didn't even try to hide the fact that he not only has the same personality but also the same character design:

 

[story645]

If you look closely, she's functioned up until now as Yami's foil and the closest thing to Yami in Hikari's group of friends, and along with Yami, she's the other character who urged Hikari to "bind with your body" to Yuu.

I agree that she's kinda Yami's foil, but I see that more as Yuki probably having a healthier relationship with sex than Aya. Yuki seems to have a confidence in her sexuality - the way she talks about sex and is flirting with Yuu - that it's implied that she's experienced. Aya on the other hand tried so hard to paint a cynical picture of herself as promiscuous - all the lurid details and such - that naive inexperienced Hikari clocks that she's lying. But no I don't think this is a harem where Yuki (or Kan, who I think is a foil to Aya in a different way - kohai rather than senpai, menhera aesthetic vs sad girl, walks away when Yuu says he likes someone else rather than offers herself) are endgame.

Because Hikari doesn't want to receive the help she knows Yuu, and especially Haru and Yuki, are willing to offer.

With Haru and Yuki, I think it's just that she doesn't want them to blame Aya. Even Yuu doesn't really achieve this goal when telling them the story.

I'm gonna agree to disagree on whether Yuu offered help b/c we've gone a few rounds on this.

His messages are an invitation for Hikari to ask directly, to demand an explanation, to go to Yuu's house, where she knows he's waiting for her,

Yuu knows that he can make up w/ Hikari by telling her the truth, so making her come to him feels like either cowardice or a screwed up power move. I lean towards cowardice.

And anyway, it was highly unlikely that Aya was still exactly there.

If Hikari wanted to avoid Aya, she wouldn't have gone back to the last place she saw Aya, where Aya was.

This shows, as with Yuu an hour earlier, that this encounter wasn't planned by her,

Or that Hikari hasn't really figured out what exactly to say b/c it's only been like 5 minutes since she left Yuu.

With her weak look and expressing fear, Hikari convinced Yami, again, she could managed to get out from the crisis, lying as always and asking pardon to Hikari.

This chapter was structured the same as Aya's confrontation with Yuu - start in the carefree playgirl persona, lose control and reveal resentments, end on the truth.

Again, Yuu didn´t maintain the relationship purposefully hidden from Hikari.

When Hikari asked if Saeki was his ex, he deflected rather than give the honest "no it was a senpai from your school". Which yeah, I agree that Hikari and his parents probably understood that Yuu had a girlfriend b/c of all his terrible lying.

My words were how Yami had right to complain about Hikari interfering in a discussion about she and her ex-boyfriend, and how she is not yet the girlfriend of Yuu, so, she doesn´t have direct right to interfere in the discussion, even more when she acted a spy instead enter directly in the classroom, how Yuu securely would have desired.

She interfered by standing outside but going inside (and actually interfering) would be okay?

she should have asked Yuu directly, and only if he was actively lying, only if he truly tried to actively evade Hikari's questions at that crucial moment, knowing beyond any doubt that she did see the kiss, would he deserve the harsh judgment she made of him.

In 17 she didn't have to do all that to get the truth out of Yuu. Which Hikari is expecting direct honesty from Yuu b/c of the nature of her relationship w/ Yuu - the long history of trust that also has Yuu thinking that Hikari will be alright. (Yes, they're both wrong here). Which even if Hikari hadn't seen the kiss, Yuu would still owe her an explanation for Aya b/c Aya is her best friend.

Hikari has no moral right to complain about how Ayami decided to definitively end her relationship with Yuu

Aya was trying to win Yuu back w/ that kiss, only saying goodbye to save face when it didn't seem to work. Which is also why Aya thinks she may have intentionally done it when Hikari was there as a "he's mine" move. Which Hikari understands that's what's going on.

 

[peortega1]

I agree that she's kinda Yami's foil, but I see that more as Yuki probably having a healthier relationship with sex than Aya

It's not like the bar is set very high anyway, starting with the fact that Yuki probably didn't experience an attempted sexual assault.

Yuki seems to have a confidence in her sexuality - the way she talks about sex and is flirting with Yuu - that it's implied that she's experienced

Not necessarily. There are some hints that Yuki doesn't have the same level of experience as Yami, like when she asks Yami about kissing in chapter 5:

Hikari: "So, so then... what's good about kissing?"
Ayami: "Oh, maybe it's the way the tongues feel? I mean, since it's a touch between mucous membranes, it might feel pretty nice..."
Hikari: "Why do you always take it in that direction?!"
Yuki: "Huh? But come on, Aya-chan, when you lick around your mouth with your own tongue, you don't feel anything, no?"
Huh? But why is Yuki, who made fun of me for having no experience, trying it out too?

There's also the relatively modest swimsuit Yuki wears in chapter 15. It's Haru and Ayami who wear the most daring outfits, and we all know the... history of that bikini Ayami wore to have sex with Yuu.
And this is coming from someone who isn't keen on seeing the "girl pretends to be promiscuous but it turns out she's never had a partner or at least is still a virgin" trope repeated, but that's the most likely scenario we'll get with Yuki. This would reinforce the idea of her being Yami's foil, of Yuki being the Shikimori of this series. That said, Yuki undoubtedly has more experience and/or has seen things that Haru and Hikari have never experienced.

But no I don't think this is a harem where Yuki (or Kan) are endgame.

I didn't say this is necessarily a harem. But if Maruto intends to repeat the ending of Saekano, where the Third Heroine, the titular Boring Girlfriend, ended up with the male lead while the two original heroines (Eriri and Utaha) left the protagonist behind and explicitly renounced him, Yuki would be the most logical endgame.
There's also the option of Chiaki's Normal Ending in White Album 2 Closing Chapter. I'll leave it to you to google that.

With Haru and Yuki, I think it's just that she doesn't want them to blame Aya. Even Yuu doesn't really achieve this goal when telling them the story.

No, there's also the fact that Hikari doesn't want to depend on anyone, as Yuu said in his omake chapters and in his dialogues in Ayami and Haru's POVs.

I'm gonna agree to disagree on whether Yuu offered help b/c we've gone a few rounds on this.

If he hadn't offered help, Hikari wouldn't be trying so hard to avoid him.

Yuu knows that he can make up w/ Hikari by telling her the truth, so making her come to him feels like either cowardice or a screwed up power move. I lean towards cowardice.

Yes, it's an act of cowardice on his part, which is why I emphasized Hikari's physical aggression; that's what justifies Yuu would be coward again.
In any case, it's Hikari's ghosting and avoidance that I would call a "screwed-up power move". Hikari is playing hard to get and actively avoiding Yuu precisely because she wants him to humiliate himself before her, not realizing that he'll never do that unless she TALKS and ORDERS him directly, like Haru did in chapters 42-43.

If Hikari wanted to avoid Aya, she wouldn't have gone back to the last place she saw Aya, where Aya was.

Yes, as GennArc already told you, it was logical to expect that Ayami wasn't at the scene of the betrayal, at least. Anyway, I doubt Hikari intended to avoid Aya because she didn't even think about where she was running or fleeing during her hysterical outburst. Most likely, she ran to her classroom purely out of muscle memory, without thinking about where she was going, and bumped into Ayami again.

Or that Hikari hasn't really figured out what exactly to say b/c it's only been like 5 minutes since she left Yuu.

If she would had a plan to confront Yami when she yelled at Yuu—something we never saw from her POV, by the way—Hikari would undoubtedly have thought of something to say to Ayami. This makes it clear that Hikari never intended to seek her out, and chapter 44 confirms this.

This chapter was structured the same as Aya's confrontation with Yuu - start in the carefree playgirl persona, lose control and reveal resentments, end on the truth.

Yes, that's why I told you that Hikari was following the same strategy as Yuu a hour before, but in her own way—that way you praised, and which this chapter again proved to be more masochistic, dangerous, and disastrous than Yuu's caution. Both chapters, 40 and 41, demonstrate why Yuu and Hikari cannot handle Ayami separately. Only together do they have a chance.

When Hikari asked if Seki was his ex, he deflected rather than give the honest "no it was a senpai from your school"

Because she doesn't directly ask him if he had an ex-girlfriend, nor does he deny having one (by the way, he doesn't in chapter 38 either, and thank goodness, a "you were always the only one" would have been a complete and utter lie, especially with him knowing that Hikari already knows Ayami).
The only thing Hikari asks, and Yuu denies, is whether Seki was his ex. After that, Hikari insists that Seki could have been his ex, and he begs her to stop.
Here, Hikari undoubtedly drew the correct conclusions: he does have an ex around, but that ex GF isn't Seki.

Which yeah, I agree that Hikari and his parents probably understood that Yuu had a girlfriend b/c of all his terrible lying.

Yes, that's the point; his parents probably forced him to talk and tell them about Ayami at some point during those six months. They probably also "convinced" him to introduce them to Yami, or they arranged a chance encounter, so Ayami had to play the "good girl" for once.
As I said, we have plenty of evidence that Yuu talks very easily under the slightest pressure, and only a direct order from Yami and/or the fear of ending up in jail (again, having sex in love hotels while underage is a crime) could make him deliberately lie or hide the truth when asked directly.

She interfered by standing outside but going inside (and actually interfering) would be okay?

Considering that she heard Yami slapping Yuu, yes, she definitely should have intervened to save her supposed childhood best friend and love interest from the abuse of his toxic ex-girlfriend. Especially since she stood in the doorway like a gossipy spy instead of leaving immediately. There was at least a minute or two between the slap and the kiss, enough time for Yami to see Hikari at the door and do what she did, marking Yuu as hers.

In 17 she didn't have to do all that to get the truth out of Yuu. Which Hikari is expecting direct honesty from Yuu b/c of the nature of her relationship w/ Yuu

Yes, that's why I'm saying that he was honest with her despite everything. It's one thing for Yuu to be honest, and another for him to be obligated to tell Hikari every detail of his love life when they're still just childhood friends. And I want to think that without Yami's interference, if he had confessed at the cultural festival, he would have at least made it clear that he did have an ex-girlfriend.
That his confrontation with Yami affected him noticeably and made him act so strangely and oddly, even if Hikari hadn't seen anything. There was a reason Yuu was willing to abandon all his plans and go home as soon as he finally found Hikari at the window.
But even so, as I said, he only loses the right to keep that personal matter to himself when he discovers that "Yami-senpai" is "Aya-chan". Not before.

the long history of trust that also has Yuu thinking that Hikari will be alright. (Yes, they're both wrong here).

Hikari is fine. Chapter 44 makes that perfectly clear; Yuu is right about her. Hikari just needs time to... think. To think and finally realize that there are people willing to help her and that she should learn to ask for that help instead of going into Yami mode and expecting her friends to read her mind.
But Hikari thoughts in chapter 44 are so typical from her to imply she is fully stable, for moments she doesn´t seems even aware from the seriouness of the crisis.

Which even if Hikari hadn't seen the kiss, Yuu would still owe her an explanation for Aya b/c Aya is her best friend.

Yes, this is why Yuu says of himself that "today I was undoubtedly the worst" in chapter 38, acknowledging that he messed up precisely because of this. That he lost the right not to talk about Ayami when he found out that Ayami is now Hikari's best friend.

Aya was trying to win Yuu back w/ that kiss, only saying goodbye to save face when it didn't seem to work

Nothing in Ayami's POV indicates that she believed she was going to "win back" Yuu with that kiss. Nothing in her internal thoughts indicates such a thing. Thoughts, @GennArc?

Which is also why Aya thinks she may have intentionally done it when Hikari was there as a "he's mine" move. Which Hikari understands that's what's going on.

Yes, I agree.

 

[story645]

but that's the most likely scenario we'll get with Yuki.

So I forgot that part about Yuki, but I also mostly think it'll remain an unknown.

the titular Boring Girlfriend, ended up with the male lead

But in that case she's the "title" girl and seems to be a major driver of the plot.

doesn't want to depend on anyone, as Yuu said in his omake chapters and in his dialogues in Ayami and Haru's POVs.

The pedestal Yuu is putting Hikari on is a problem, not an accurate reflection of what Hikari wants. Haru and Yuki say as much, that Hikari wouldn't want to here that she'll be just fine.

she wants him to humiliate himself

We have her thoughts - she's not thinking that she wants him to grovel, she's not interested in his apology where he takes all the blame, she just wants an explanation. Like I don't see what's humiliating about that?

Most likely, she ran to her classroom purely out of muscle memory, without thinking about where she was going, and bumped into Ayami again.

We have the scene, Hikari is hanging outside the door when Aya sees her. Hikari had time to leave. Agree to disagree on the "Hikari looking for her" b/c man I think that's been debated to death here.

This makes it clear that Hikari never intended to seek her out, and chapter 44 confirms this.

How does 44 confirm it? The only thoughts Hikari has towards Aya is a mix of concern and stubborness. Hikari's plan was probably find Aya and ask what happened, which is what happens in 41.

After that, Hikari insists that Seki could have been his ex, and he begs her to stop.

Which is deflection - he doesn't even directly say that Saeki isn't his ex.

They probably also "convinced" him to introduce them to Yami, or they arranged a chance encounter, so Ayami had to play the "good girl" for once.

Aya's never been to Yuu's house - the girls have a sleepover sometime before chapter 4 & Aya doesn't figure out Hikari's crush is Yuu until like 10.

There was at least a minute or two between the slap and the kiss,

She understandably froze

The situation in front of me made no sense. It was so far removed from anything I could've imagined that my brain completely froze.

Hikari is fine. Chapter 44 makes that perfectly clear;

She's sad and spiraling and deeply hurt. Like that's not fine.

Nothing in Ayami's POV indicates that she believed she was going to "win back" Yuu with that kiss.

That doesn't mean that wasn't what she was trying to do. If it was a goodbye kiss than she would have told Hikari that's what it was.

But look at the context here. She's just told Yuu that she would have taken him back if he'd looked for her and she's saying he's wrong in response to what she expects is him starting to apologize.

Yami: “If you had, then in the very end, I would’ve dropped everything, let go of it all, and run straight into your arms!”

Yuu: “...!”

My raised hand struck Yuu’s cheek with a dry smack.

He had come back—
Even though he had walked away, he was now right in front of me again.

Because he’d returned to be blamed, to be yelled at.

Yuu: “Yami-senpai, I—”
Yami: “Shut up! Don’t act like you know anything, Yuu!”

That's a pretty strong indication here that for her this was a "bind him" effort like her first kiss, which is why it's drawn w/ the same her lunging towards him.

 

[peortega1]

So I forgot that part about Yuki, but I also mostly think it'll remain an unknown.

Of course, but definitely there are hints.

But in that case she's the "title" girl and seems to be a major driver of the plot.

If we were to judge by the title, this manga's title would imply that Hikari will never get anywhere with Yuu, just like what happened with Eriri in Saekano. "The childhood friend who arrived too late."
Again, you should at least read Saekano if you want to understand Maruto. As everyone else has already said, Yami and even Yuki would be the usual female protagonists in any other romcom work, just like in Shikimori-san with their alter egos —Kamiya and Shikimori the titular heroine.

The pedestal Yuu is putting Hikari on is a problem, not an accurate reflection of what Hikari wants. Haru and Yuki say as much, that Hikari wouldn't want to here that she'll be just fine.

You mean the pedestal Hikari puts herself on. As I said, it's up to her to ask for help from the people who love and care about her.

We have her thoughts - she's not thinking that she wants him to grovel, she's not interested in his apology where he takes all the blame, she just wants an explanation. Like I don't see what's humiliating about that?

If she just wanted an explanation, she would demand it from Yuu via LINE. Or at least she would let him approach her in public instead of avoiding him. Or she would visit his house as she promised Yuu's mother—again, this is probably why he acted so calm about Hikari.
Her confused and erratic thoughts in chapter 44 make it clear that she wants an explanation but also wants Yuu to humble himself before her. As I said, her mindset is more Yami than ever, and she's blaming him for not being able to read her mind.
Once again, she LOST THE RIGHT TO HAVE THIS ATTITUDE AFTER ATTACKING YUU, and she knows it.
That's what Hikari truly fears: knowing she can't withstand Yuu's wounded puppy-dog gaze the way Haru and especially Yami could. That's why she runs away, proving herself to be just as cowardly as he was.

We have the scene, Hikari is hanging outside the door when Aya sees her. Hikari had time to leave. Agree to disagree on the "Hikari looking for her" b/c man I think that's been debated to death here.

Because it would be too cowardly an act to run away from Aya again. It's the same reason Yuu doesn't run away, even though he was obviously afraid of seeing Yami again, which is why he didn't want to go to Hikari's school. Just because Hikari didn't seek out that encounter didn't mean she was going to run away like a coward again and give Ayami that satisfaction.

How does 44 confirm it? The only thoughts Hikari has towards Aya is a mix of concern and stubborness. Hikari's plan was probably find Aya and ask what happened, which is what happens in 41.

Chapter 44 confirms this because if Hikari had that plan, she would use what she got out of Ayami to talk to Yuu and compare their versions. In fact, she does the complete opposite and doesn't even reflect once in the entire chapter on what Ayami told her. It's almost as if she erased that last incident from her memory.

Which is deflection - he doesn't even directly say that Saeki isn't his ex.

It's true that he doesn't say it very directly, but he does deny that Seki is his ex.

Aya's never been to Yuu's house - the girls have a sleepover sometime before chapter 4 & Aya doesn't figure out Hikari's crush is Yuu until like 10.

As I said, there's also the possibility that Aya refused explicitily to meet Yuu's parents and efectively never met them, or, if you prefer, they "coincidentally" found her on one of their dates with Yuu to force her to talk to them.
Anyway, Ayami could easily have forgotten where Yuu lived—because she did know where Yuu lived, she says so in her POV chapters, and yet she didn't even seem to notice that Hikari also lived in "that rough area"—just as she didn't realize for months that Hikari matched the composite sketch Yuu drew.
As I said, if Aya was at Yuu's house, it was once, a few times at most, and she probably tried her best to get out of it as quickly as possible. But it's very likely that she did meet Yuu's parents again, after a serious effort on their part—parents whom Yami herself portrays as serious, responsible... and overprotective. People like that are certainly capable of spying on their child's date, as Yuu Izumi's parents and Shikimori's mother did.

She understandably froze

It's still an act of supreme cowardice and tremendous disloyalty to Yuu. Especially since these same arguments are never used to even excuse Takamura's moments of cowardice or weakness.

She's sad and spiraling and deeply hurt. Like that's not fine.

No, she's neither spiraling nor deeply hurt. Hikari is almost the same as in her previous outbursts and fights with Yuu (chapters 4-6, for example). The most she expresses for Yami is fear that she'll lose the year. Haru and Yuki understood much more quickly, as soon as Yuu explained it to them, that Yami, as chapter 45 revealed, is on the verge of suicide.
As happened—in a milder version—to Kamiya in the rooftop scene in episode 8 of the Shikimori-san anime (and curiously, chapters 44 and 45 of the Shikimori manga, an interesting coincidence).
And yes, Ayami is looking to be destroyed, as she herself said, whether through death or rape.
Which emphasizes, again, that Yuu knows Ayami better than Hikari does, and that's why Ayami is better at deceiving the latter than the former (and yes, this is another reason why she resorts to sex to dominate Yuu).
But look at the context here. She's just told Yuu that she would have taken him back if he'd looked for her, and she's saying he's wrong in response to what she expects is him starting to apologize.

That doesn't mean that wasn't what she was trying to do. If it was a goodbye kiss than she would have told Hikari that's what it was.

Considering how full of lies Ayami's speech was and how hard she tried to deny any emotional connection between Yuu and her, in retrospect, it would have been much better to say that. It would be true or false.

But look at the context here. She's just told Yuu that she would have taken him back if he'd looked for her and she's saying he's wrong in response to what she expects is him starting to apologize.

Exactly, the context makes it clear that at no point does Ayami believe that this will recover Yuu back. If anything, her intentions are self-destructive, and her intention is to drag Yuu down with her, which is exactly what happened. That's why she says he came back to be punished, because that's precisely what she wanted to do, and did.

That's a pretty strong indication here that for her this was a "bind him" effort like her first kiss, which is why it's drawn w/ the same her lunging towards him.

The two kisses are painted similarly because they symbolize the official beginning and end of their relationship. Not because Ayami believed she was going to "bind" him that way, or even wanted to in the first place.