Osananajimi no Ohimesama - Vol. 4 Ch. 41

[Cogito3]

You're absolutely right, she has been saying that right straight along. However, her actions and what she has been saying don't line up. Between that and when you consider that she's stated numerous times how she doesn't know or understand love I think it's totally possible and likely that she is in fact in love with him, she just doesn't realize that's what it is.

Her actions and statements absolutely line up. Her worry since the very start has been that if Shunsuke gets in a relationship he'll prioritize that over their friendship, because that's what her other friends always ended up doing. She's presently conflicted because while she's still worrying about that, she also wants Shunsuke to be happy. These two desires explain just about everything she's done so far. The only reason to believe she's actually in love with him and doesn't realize it is because you've been trained by endless harem romcoms that female childhood friends are always secretly in love with the protagonist. But there's no actual evidence for that in the manga itself.

 

[maxiusagi]

demn she's so cute
i don't know who should i root for

 

[Extreme-Tactician]

Hinaki's accepting the strange situation she's in. She'll stride forward, because anyway, Koiwai's also a good friend of hers! It's not like she can't always be the giver in a relationship. She can be selfish too!

It looks like Shunsuke's glad that Hinaki is no longer so against the strange relationship they all have. I'm glad she wants all three of them to go to the festival together!

 

[morichiro]

Boy did I got gaslighted last chapter... goddamn you author.

 

[Coldlight]

"I have also come to really like Kiyoka!!"
Wait, the yuri route is not dead?

I'm having a blast reading this ever since Hinaki accidentally blabbed Shunsuke's feelings to Kiyoka. This is how it should've been in the earlier volumes. But it's very clear the plot is only moving like a well-oiled machine now because this is the final volume. It took until Volume 4 for this supposed love triangle romcom to actually build a legit love triangle.