I hope the coworker get more involved in this situation so Koto can have more people to rely on. It is clearly that the man cant handle this alone. I really wish he snaps and understand he should not build up some kind of love relationship with the highschooler.
I find that interesting because if two people under the age of consent have consensual sex where I live there won't be any legal trouble for it. It's more about people over the age of consent abusing it. @princess_daphie
Honestly, age of consent is more or less a legalized average of when people begin to hit sexual maturity, and so I feel 16-17 with specific Romeo and Juliet clauses probably would be optimal. 14 is too low for a lowerbound and definitely people are gonna do some dumbshit before they're 19/20.
These comments show me that this is basically the manga version of Lolita. The MC is a predator who goes for a troubled girl who could easily be his daughter, and the readers support him. This is interesting and fucked up.
@Ryomi This comment makes me think you've never read Lolita, because they aren't even remotely comparable.
Heavy spoilers of Lolita below.
Humbert was an actual paedophile who had gone out of his way to find young-looking prostitutes to sleep with for the entirety of his life.
He initiated a relationship with the mother of Dolores for the sole purpose of keeping himself close to the girl, and when the mother died he went out of his way to ensure he could get custody, despite not being the father.
I don't remember every detail now, but I'm fairly sure he had to go on an improvised road trip after handing incomplete documents so that authorities would let things go, and as soon as this trip started he had sex with her 12-year-old self in a run-down motel. After which he kept abusing her well into her teens, to the degree that, despite having had fond thoughts of him in the past and him being the only one she could rely on, she chose to run away with another old man who only "saved her" so he could do the same.
And at the end of all this he found this man and killed him.
Oh, and did I mention that for the whole duration of this debacle he kept a diary in which he fashioned himself a decadent poet and wrote sweetly of his twisted love?
Comparing Kousuke to Humbert is like comparing Trump to Hitler.
Also, I don't know who you hang out with, but I've never in my life met someone who defended Humbert.
People may speak kindly of the story's uniqueness, and many love the flamboyant style in which he describes his debauchery, and how he can paint beautiful and colorful flowers where only rotting wood ought to be, but that never translates in defending Humbert as a person. I loved Lolita as well, but I loved it for what it is. The story of a terrible man with a silvery tongue.
This story is not it. And to claim otherwise does a disservice both to the art of Humbert and the moral fiber of Kousuke.
God, the scene where he looks outside and everything is still for a moment and he just wishes he could've spent more time with his wife and daughter and girlfriend...that just hit me man.
This has the same vibe that fills me with dread every chapter I read even with an easy-going art style just like Ane Naru Mono.
Also, MC was not interested in Koto in the first place. His feelings for her grew as time went on because she was the only one who let him be his true self. If him denying her on multiple occasions didn't convince you, I don't know what will. Especially with his current situation. Lesser men would have folded. Personally, I thought he'd off himself after shit hit the fan. Even with his growing feelings, he acknowledges that he will get together with her when she graduates. (Read: when she's of age)
Never thought about Ane Naru Mono that way, but yeah you're pretty dead on @xMirage especially with the last two chapters of it. Both leaves me uncomfortable and dreading more developments