Honestly, this chapter left me with mixed emotions.
First, Tsubasa. She tries to confess her feelings to Hiromi. Now, I get why Hiromi didn’t respond the way she thought he would or wanted him to. He’s right, before this moment she never gave him any real hint that she had feelings for him, so of course he wouldn’t understand. And to be fair, he didn’t really let her down, he just treated her like a close friend. If she had more confidence in herself, she could have doubled down and said, “No, I want to be with you in a real relationship.” That might have caught him off guard, but at least then he would have understood without Anju needing to spell it out that Tsubasa has been in love with him for a long time.
Instead, knowing how much she lacks confidence, she turns around and sleeps with another guy. I can’t be mad at her, but I’m still disappointed. Hiromi didn’t really reject her, he just didn’t know what she meant. She felt so low that she couldn’t recognize that, and instead of clarifying her feelings, she used her depression as a reason to sleep with someone else. I don’t hate her for it, but I don’t like how she handled it either.
She let a moment where she could have been clear about her feelings slip through her fingers, and instead she sank into depression and made a decision that, in my opinion, was not the right one. Because how was Hiromi supposed to know she had feelings for him when she never told him directly? She might have expressed it to everyone else, but not to him. Of course he wouldn’t pick up on it.
Now, I’ll admit, it feels a little two-faced for me to come down too hard on her, since Hiromi has already slept with other girls in the series and was about to with Nonoka. That’s why I’m not totally upset. Still, I can’t agree with Tsubasa’s actions in this chapter. That’s just my opinion.
What I did kind of like was that, for once, Hiromi’s obliviousness worked in his favor. Take Lili for example. The last time she talked to him, she broke up with him. So why would he think she traveled all the way to Wakayama to get back together? Nobody would assume that, especially when three other girls suddenly show up around the same time. Of course he’s going to play it cool.
But personally, I don’t want them to get back together. The way Lili broke up with him, their unresolved issues, and her emotional immaturity all showed that she didn’t really understand that transparency is essential in a relationship. If you’re feeling some type of way, you need to let your partner know. She could have told him, “Hey, I feel insecure about these other girls making moves on you, I need some reassurance.” But she didn’t.
Meanwhile, when Hiromi made mistakes, he admitted them and tried to talk to her. Instead of understanding his perspective, which he had valid reasons for, she broke up with him. So of course Hiromi isn’t thinking about reconciling now. More likely, he assumes she just wanted to hang out as a friend, because she’s given him no real indication that she wants to get back together.
Overall, this chapter left me with a lot of mixed feelings. We’re all rooting for Tsubasa, I think most of us are. But the way she handled this situation makes me wonder: if they were in a relationship and something went wrong, would she react the same way? I’m not faulting her for sleeping with someone else, but I am disappointed that she did it out of depression.
And finally, I wonder if Hiromi is going to say yes to that date with Nonoka. If I had to predict, I don’t think he will. I think it all circles back to Tsubasa. He’s probably realizing he messed up with her and will try to make things right. My prediction is that he’s going to reach out to her. But hey, I could be wrong. That’s just my opinion.
I basically have to reserve all judgment on Tsubasa's (Tsubaki's?) actions here until I see what she does the next morning.
Because her reaction to hooking up with Ikeda is the most important part I think, from where I'm sitting - yeah, she slept with him in a moment of emotional vulnerability - but also, how much had she managed to imbibe by that point, to where you could say she was so also so drunk that it "assisted" her choosing the hookup?
Yukari has told Tsu-chan in the past that she's got a really dumb habit (my words) of running straight to alcohol instead of actually dealing with her problems, and I'm wondering if that's a big component of what's gone done here.
Because it's totally understandable if she let herself feel heartbroken and sought comfort, but the question mark of "does she turn around and blame it on being drunk" is a big factor in how things play out from here, I think.
I don't think she did anything wrong, though. If I'm honest, I kinda hope this ends up being the start of her figuring out how to move on from Hiromi. I kinda doubt that, because this setup's such a potent trap for big drama that I don't trust the author to resist the temptation of it.
But Tsu-chan figuring out how to cut down on the alcohol and better get in touch with her emotions away from the volatility that is multiple housemates going after the same guy as her, seems like a good idea in theory.
I think Lili shot herself in the foot by never trying to have an actual follow-up with Hiromi, especially as she's the one who ended it, and then wanted to pick up where they left off. It sucks for her, but she didn't put in the work on the back half, and this is what she's gotten for her lack of effort.
I
personally wanted Hiromi to realize he actually had a good thing going back home, could eventually inherit his grandma's place, work at the inn and become the head chef, and rekindle things with Nonoka.
I know that won't happen because that is
entirely too vanilla for this author, but it's a good avenue for Hiromi to find some solid, dependable structure to his life and relationships, and would be doing it in the midst of people he has history with and can hopefully feel comfortable opening up around.
But I do hope he accepts the date at least, because even if it's just a one-off thing with Nonoka and it doesn't go anywhere in the long (or even intermediate) term, it might help him figure out his feelings toward relationships a bit more in general ny dating someone he's had history with and who knows him well (at least in the past tense), and give him a clearer picture of what he truly wants going forward. Nonoka
kinda reminds me of Yukari in terms of "seeming to have it together", so a "mature" bit of experience with her might do him some favors, since his only other relationships were his toxic ex, and Lili.
And if nothing else, it might also make him realize there's nothing there for them, and thus nothing in his hometown for him, and he can go back to Tokyo with a clear conscience knowing he didn't leave unanswered questions/plot lines back home.
