Soredemo Ashita mo Kareshi ga Ii

[Oobaka-san]

New chapter out, figured since I posted the last ones I'd add in for this. It's painful, but shows that it's not so simple as "she's cheating on him and doesn't care".

Spoiler

It starts with Mako bringing a ton of snacks to Kouhei and apologizing profusely for missing their date. She goes on to explain how the teacher just wouldn't shut up and how annoying it was. Kouhei's surprised when she says that's all because she seemed much too unhappy for just that. She dodges but still probes him about what happened afterward, how long he waited for her, whether he went straight home after, etc. suggesting that even if they're agreed to an "open" relationship she's still feeling unhappy and jealous (and yeah, apparently the "rules" mentioned before are apparently the ones that say either person can have partners on the side, thus when he wondered if the rules were still going he was wondering if she'd gone off for some "fun").

They then go to a hotel and make love. Every mark on the checklist is a hard "nothing". Kissing? Felt nothing. Touching and foreplay? Nothing. Sex? Absolutely nothing. When they're done she gives him a distressed apology, and continues apologizing even when he tells her not to blame herself. She then asks him if, supposing they could never have sex, he would want to break up with her. She realizes it's hard, that if they keep doing this over and over like it's a job or duty their feelings get left behind, and every time they do it she hurts him even more. She feels like she's broken somehow. Supposing they got married someday, even if they both agreed to their rules and said they were happy about it, one or both of them would inevitably be hurt or wind up in some major trouble. She can't stop the tears at the thought that she might never be able to give him real happiness.

Kouhei wishes he had the strength to tell her that no matter who she did stuff with or even if he couldn't do it ever again he'd still continue to love her from the bottom of his heart, but for now all he can do his hold her and say he loves her. After confirming that he doesn't want to get married until his mid-20s, just like her, she sadly tells him to tell her immediately if he wants to break up before running away. Meanwhile in class Blondie is sticking to Kouhei like glue, making lunch for him, acting super lovey-dovey, and even insisting he call her by her first name, "Iroha".

So yeah, at the least it is clear that Mako is not being written as completely heartless and indifferent as the girls in some other works of this genre. She's clearly able to feel jealous that Kouhei might have gone out with or slept with another girl the same way he gets, and rather than just complaining to him that he sucks at everything, she's bordering on heartbreak at her own inability to respond to his touch despite how much she loves him, and worries that she's just leading him down a path of endless pain as neither can really fulfill the other but still can't leave.

As I said before, I think that checklist is not a terrible idea, but the way it's set up is entirely wrong. Even if there's difficulties in the bedroom and one wants to break it into bullet points, those points shouldn't just be "I felt good when you did this, I didn't feel anything when you did this". It's sort of like when I programmed for a company that required testing and reviewing from a busy coworker. Most of the time she'd just send back "it's fine" or "it didn't work", and if it's the latter I would have to nag her to give me details on what exactly didn't work and how it failed. Same here, telling him that she didn't get horny from something does nothing to help him. She needs to tell him how she wants to be touched, what she wishes he'd done at various times and points, even note when he's getting closer to what she likes, even if it's still not close enough to turn her on (like: you were a lot closer to the sort of forcefulness I like). She also probably does need to focus more on him, try to find some joy in the fact that he does feel good when he touches her, but either way she needs to communicate far more than just "this was a fail".

Put another way, she should aim for something closer to what you get in that Sasha-chan series. That girl too is barely able to feel any real pleasure or arousal with her semi-boyfriend if she coaches him on what to do and continuously pressures him to go harder. But that's what she does: she finds ways to enjoy herself when she's not actually turned on to the point that she'd never want to stop doing it with him, she maintains a strong confidence that he will one day be able to drive her crazier than any of her present or former "friends", and she consistently tells him what she likes, what she wants, and what she'd like him to do differently than he is currently doing, and there are even chapters that indicate that this does produce results, even if he's still far too immature and inexperienced to achieve consistent results.

 

[RadicalPink]

New chapter out, figured since I posted the last ones I'd add in for this. It's painful, but shows that it's not so simple as "she's cheating on him and doesn't care".

Spoiler

It starts with Mako bringing a ton of snacks to Kouhei and apologizing profusely for missing their date. She goes on to explain how the teacher just wouldn't shut up and how annoying it was. Kouhei's surprised when she says that's all because she seemed much too unhappy for just that. She dodges but still probes him about what happened afterward, how long he waited for her, whether he went straight home after, etc. suggesting that even if they're agreed to an "open" relationship she's still feeling unhappy and jealous (and yeah, apparently the "rules" mentioned before are apparently the ones that say either person can have partners on the side, thus when he wondered if the rules were still going he was wondering if she'd gone off for some "fun").

They then go to a hotel and make love. Every mark on the checklist is a hard "nothing". Kissing? Felt nothing. Touching and foreplay? Nothing. Sex? Absolutely nothing. When they're done she gives him a distressed apology, and continues apologizing even when he tells her not to blame herself. She then asks him if, supposing they could never have sex, he would want to break up with her. She realizes it's hard, that if they keep doing this over and over like it's a job or duty their feelings get left behind, and every time they do it she hurts him even more. She feels like she's broken somehow. Supposing they got married someday, even if they both agreed to their rules and said they were happy about it, one or both of them would inevitably be hurt or wind up in some major trouble. She can't stop the tears at the thought that she might never be able to give him real happiness.

Kouhei wishes he had the strength to tell her that no matter who she did stuff with or even if he couldn't do it ever again he'd still continue to love her from the bottom of his heart, but for now all he can do his hold her and say he loves her. After confirming that he doesn't want to get married until his mid-20s, just like her, she sadly tells him to tell her immediately if he wants to break up before running away. Meanwhile in class Blondie is sticking to Kouhei like glue, making lunch for him, acting super lovey-dovey, and even insisting he call her by her first name, "Iroha".

So yeah, at the least it is clear that Mako is not being written as completely heartless and indifferent as the girls in some other works of this genre. She's clearly able to feel jealous that Kouhei might have gone out with or slept with another girl the same way he gets, and rather than just complaining to him that he sucks at everything, she's bordering on heartbreak at her own inability to respond to his touch despite how much she loves him, and worries that she's just leading him down a path of endless pain as neither can really fulfill the other but still can't leave.

As I said before, I think that checklist is not a terrible idea, but the way it's set up is entirely wrong. Even if there's difficulties in the bedroom and one wants to break it into bullet points, those points shouldn't just be "I felt good when you did this, I didn't feel anything when you did this". It's sort of like when I programmed for a company that required testing and reviewing from a busy coworker. Most of the time she'd just send back "it's fine" or "it didn't work", and if it's the latter I would have to nag her to give me details on what exactly didn't work and how it failed. Same here, telling him that she didn't get horny from something does nothing to help him. She needs to tell him how she wants to be touched, what she wishes he'd done at various times and points, even note when he's getting closer to what she likes, even if it's still not close enough to turn her on (like: you were a lot closer to the sort of forcefulness I like). She also probably does need to focus more on him, try to find some joy in the fact that he does feel good when he touches her, but either way she needs to communicate far more than just "this was a fail".

Put another way, she should aim for something closer to what you get in that Sasha-chan series. That girl too is barely able to feel any real pleasure or arousal with her semi-boyfriend if she coaches him on what to do and continuously pressures him to go harder. But that's what she does: she finds ways to enjoy herself when she's not actually turned on to the point that she'd never want to stop doing it with him, she maintains a strong confidence that he will one day be able to drive her crazier than any of her present or former "friends", and she consistently tells him what she likes, what she wants, and what she'd like him to do differently than he is currently doing, and there are even chapters that indicate that this does produce results, even if he's still far too immature and inexperienced to achieve consistent results.

Here are the raws: https://rawfree(dot)im/manga-raw/それでも明日も彼氏がいい-raw-free/ if you're interested in reading previous chapters. The majority of chapters should be okay; some might have dead links.

 

[tongarro]

New chapter out, figured since I posted the last ones I'd add in for this. It's painful, but shows that it's not so simple as "she's cheating on him and doesn't care".

Spoiler

It starts with Mako bringing a ton of snacks to Kouhei and apologizing profusely for missing their date. She goes on to explain how the teacher just wouldn't shut up and how annoying it was. Kouhei's surprised when she says that's all because she seemed much too unhappy for just that. She dodges but still probes him about what happened afterward, how long he waited for her, whether he went straight home after, etc. suggesting that even if they're agreed to an "open" relationship she's still feeling unhappy and jealous (and yeah, apparently the "rules" mentioned before are apparently the ones that say either person can have partners on the side, thus when he wondered if the rules were still going he was wondering if she'd gone off for some "fun").

They then go to a hotel and make love. Every mark on the checklist is a hard "nothing". Kissing? Felt nothing. Touching and foreplay? Nothing. Sex? Absolutely nothing. When they're done she gives him a distressed apology, and continues apologizing even when he tells her not to blame herself. She then asks him if, supposing they could never have sex, he would want to break up with her. She realizes it's hard, that if they keep doing this over and over like it's a job or duty their feelings get left behind, and every time they do it she hurts him even more. She feels like she's broken somehow. Supposing they got married someday, even if they both agreed to their rules and said they were happy about it, one or both of them would inevitably be hurt or wind up in some major trouble. She can't stop the tears at the thought that she might never be able to give him real happiness.

Kouhei wishes he had the strength to tell her that no matter who she did stuff with or even if he couldn't do it ever again he'd still continue to love her from the bottom of his heart, but for now all he can do his hold her and say he loves her. After confirming that he doesn't want to get married until his mid-20s, just like her, she sadly tells him to tell her immediately if he wants to break up before running away. Meanwhile in class Blondie is sticking to Kouhei like glue, making lunch for him, acting super lovey-dovey, and even insisting he call her by her first name, "Iroha".

So yeah, at the least it is clear that Mako is not being written as completely heartless and indifferent as the girls in some other works of this genre. She's clearly able to feel jealous that Kouhei might have gone out with or slept with another girl the same way he gets, and rather than just complaining to him that he sucks at everything, she's bordering on heartbreak at her own inability to respond to his touch despite how much she loves him, and worries that she's just leading him down a path of endless pain as neither can really fulfill the other but still can't leave.

As I said before, I think that checklist is not a terrible idea, but the way it's set up is entirely wrong. Even if there's difficulties in the bedroom and one wants to break it into bullet points, those points shouldn't just be "I felt good when you did this, I didn't feel anything when you did this". It's sort of like when I programmed for a company that required testing and reviewing from a busy coworker. Most of the time she'd just send back "it's fine" or "it didn't work", and if it's the latter I would have to nag her to give me details on what exactly didn't work and how it failed. Same here, telling him that she didn't get horny from something does nothing to help him. She needs to tell him how she wants to be touched, what she wishes he'd done at various times and points, even note when he's getting closer to what she likes, even if it's still not close enough to turn her on (like: you were a lot closer to the sort of forcefulness I like). She also probably does need to focus more on him, try to find some joy in the fact that he does feel good when he touches her, but either way she needs to communicate far more than just "this was a fail".

Put another way, she should aim for something closer to what you get in that Sasha-chan series. That girl too is barely able to feel any real pleasure or arousal with her semi-boyfriend if she coaches him on what to do and continuously pressures him to go harder. But that's what she does: she finds ways to enjoy herself when she's not actually turned on to the point that she'd never want to stop doing it with him, she maintains a strong confidence that he will one day be able to drive her crazier than any of her present or former "friends", and she consistently tells him what she likes, what she wants, and what she'd like him to do differently than he is currently doing, and there are even chapters that indicate that this does produce results, even if he's still far too immature and inexperienced to achieve consistent results.

Spoiler

The introduction of 'The List' was a terrible narrative choice. First of all, it forces the reader to go back and re-examine every single interaction since chapter 1. If she’s supposedly 'completely insensitive' when they kiss, then what about the kiss in the first chapter, or any other moment after that? The more contradictions you stack up, the less believable your story becomes. For instance, Mako cried in the latest chapter—did anyone actually feel moved? It was an emotionally empty moment.

Secondly, the reader is inevitably going to ask why the sex between them doesn't work. You can't just ignore that question anymore, and the fact that it has been sidelined for over forty chapters only makes it more glaring now.

Lastly, you’ve reduced the entire relationship to whether the sex works or not, which highlights a bigger issue: the characters speak, but they don't think. For example, why does Kouhei even want to stay in this relationship? Is he actually in love? If so, why? It’s not enough to just say 'the protagonist is an idiot,' especially when you're telling the story from his point of view.

 

[tongarro]

One last thing regarding chapter 43.


It’s basically the mirror image of the previous chapter. All the positions where Mako claims to 'feel nothing' are the exact same ones Iroha enjoyed in the last chapter. And at the same time Iroha said she 'would like to stay like this forever' after reaching orgasm, Mako tells Kouhei they should get married even if they don't have sex.

It feels like the end of the manga is approaching. Given the author’s track record, it’s easy to imagine we’re heading toward a total garbage ending.

 

[Oobaka-san]

One last thing regarding chapter 43.


It’s basically the mirror image of the previous chapter. All the positions where Mako claims to 'feel nothing' are the exact same ones Iroha enjoyed in the last chapter. And at the same time Iroha said she 'would like to stay like this forever' after reaching orgasm, Mako tells Kouhei they should get married even if they don't have sex.

It feels like the end of the manga is approaching. Given the author’s track record, it’s easy to imagine we’re heading toward a total garbage ending.

Mako never tells Kouhei they should get married even if they can't. Actually, she breaks down at the very idea, saying that if they get married as they are they're going to have to continue dealing with this situation and even if they say they're fine with their "rules" they'll still end up hurting each other and getting into all kinds of bad situations.

And as far as "the author's track record", I'm pretty sure this is a first for this author. Up until now they've only done the art and illustration while someone else wrote the plots. In particular, this author only did the drawings for Karami Zakari.

Spoiler

The introduction of 'The List' was a terrible narrative choice. First of all, it forces the reader to go back and re-examine every single interaction since chapter 1. If she’s supposedly 'completely insensitive' when they kiss, then what about the kiss in the first chapter, or any other moment after that? The more contradictions you stack up, the less believable your story becomes. For instance, Mako cried in the latest chapter—did anyone actually feel moved? It was an emotionally empty moment.

Secondly, the reader is inevitably going to ask why the sex between them doesn't work. You can't just ignore that question anymore, and the fact that it has been sidelined for over forty chapters only makes it more glaring now.

Lastly, you’ve reduced the entire relationship to whether the sex works or not, which highlights a bigger issue: the characters speak, but they don't think. For example, why does Kouhei even want to stay in this relationship? Is he actually in love? If so, why? It’s not enough to just say 'the protagonist is an idiot,' especially when you're telling the story from his point of view.

Spoiler

I felt a little moved by Mako's tears, but then I haven't read the raws for most of the content, just the translated bits and the last four or so chapters. That said, it does feel like she was sincere about her pain at not responding.

And the "reduction" question is actually what I saw in this new chapter: her seeing far more in the relationship than just sex. She's obviously not sticking with him because of the sex, but she recognizes that her inability to respond to him is causing a major problem and will remain a problem whether they continue an open relationship or choose to become a celibate couple. It's pretty clear that at least right now he does still love her and she does genuinely love him, enough that rather than being heartbroken that she's with someone who doesn't make her feel good she's instead beside herself because she can't give him the response she wants to give. It's worth noting she does not once say or do anything to suggest that he is in any way at fault, she sees it as a failing on her end, to the point that she questions whether there's something broken in her.

Again, I think the really dumb part is her making it just a matter of "this worked" or "this didn't work". She needs to actually examine why things work for her, what it is that makes them work, and conversely where the problems lie in the things that don't work. She might even need a therapist, someone to help the two of them figure out the issues with their "incompatibility" and overcome them, since it looks like right now they're just doing the same thing over and over and hoping eventually they'll get a different result. Rather than just talk to people who've done indulgent things like swapping to increase their individual fun, she should find someone who's actually helped people deal with problems and can give real positive advice.

 

[MrPP118]

One last thing regarding chapter 43.


It’s basically the mirror image of the previous chapter. All the positions where Mako claims to 'feel nothing' are the exact same ones Iroha enjoyed in the last chapter. And at the same time Iroha said she 'would like to stay like this forever' after reaching orgasm, Mako tells Kouhei they should get married even if they don't have sex.

It feels like the end of the manga is approaching. Given the author’s track record, it’s easy to imagine we’re heading toward a total garbage ending.

MC should just call it quits with Mako, I just can't see how they're possibly going to stay together, even with the current swapping arrangement it feels like this will only end in heartbreak.

 

[Deku_kyun]

Man this artist I really like his artstyle but the story is giving me a headache all of his work is F up the artstyle and character design is so good it reminds me of rent a girlfriend abit and both have sh*t story I don't know who enjoys this kind of story but not me someone will say why am I here it's just I like the artstyle I appreciate how good the artstyle that's all for me it's a bit of a waste the story is not wholesome

 

[Oobaka-san]

Man this artist I really like his artstyle but the story is giving me a headache all of his work is F up the artstyle and character design is so good it reminds me of rent a girlfriend abit and both have sh*t story I don't know who enjoys this kind of story but not me someone will say why am I here it's just I like the artstyle I appreciate how good the artstyle that's all for me it's a bit of a waste the story is not wholesome

I'll agree that I like the art style. At times it reminded me a bit of Tanaka Yutaka. Only her plot is about as far from a Tanaka Yutaka work as can possibly be. I'll still keep with it in hopes it gives a positive ending, I've seen worse stories end happy. And I'd honestly be fine whether that means the two finally agree to split so she can find someone who fulfills her physically as well as emotionally and he can stay with the girl who feels just as fulfilled with him, or they decide to put some serious work into their relationship to uncover what it is that's leaving Mako unable to feel satisfaction and either find a way to achieve pleasure together or reach a point where she can honestly say that her emotional fulfillment being connected to the man she loves is far more important than achieving orgasm.

But yeah, if this gets to be too much I'd recommend taking a break with some Tanaka Yutaka material. Most of his characters seem to be around the same age, it has a similar sweet look, but I've only seen one single one-shot by him that was anything but two people celebrating their love and joyfully drowning in the pleasure of their connection. As I said, as opposite as you can get and a wonderful palate cleanser after something like this.

 

[Yuyuin]

Hey that's a cute girl on the cov- "Miike Kei" ...
Nope not doing this again.

 

[Oobaka-san]

Hey that's a cute girl on the cov- "Miike Kei" ...
Nope not doing this again.

Just bear in mind she didn't write that one. She just did the art. Pretty sure this is her first time as an author.

 

[mgRdr]

Without reading any of the chapters or comments, would I be correct to assume that this is an NTR manga?

 

[Rafalga]

Without reading any of the chapters or comments, would I be correct to assume that this is an NTR manga?

It is. At least at the very start till MC also starts fucking girls left and right. Then story showcases how fucked FMC mentally is and at that point you don't really care about her at all. You just rage at the retarded MC for sticking around for some god forsaken reason because he already has a side hustle who is, at the very least, not repulsed by the idea of fucking him (and actually quite enjoys it) But knowing him, he will probably fuck it up. FMC is almost at the point of begging him to break up with her but this dumbfuck simply doesn't.

Story also yet to explain WHY she can't fuck him specifically but can have a train run on her by everyone else on the planet.("he is too kind" is not a reason at this point. Her problem is almost pathological. Like she is literally allergic to the guy)

 

[CallMeMForr]

I’m immediately killing everybody involved with this.

 

[SuzieChapstick]

You know I love reading Ntr (without cuckold) with a chad mc.
But nah this manga is straight up pathetic. I've read till the latest raws and all I say is that the Gf is a total trash whore . And the worst of all? It's the MC. Total trashbag, looser, spineless, speechless, doormat, no sex appeal, passive and I could go on and on.
All I wish for is that author hopefully brings in a new gigachad male lead and changes the narrative pov to this new lead.
It makes me genuinely curious how people come up with the idea to make this kind of mc?
Mc is so absolutely horrible and pathetic that it makes me wanna send death threats to the author

 

[tongarro]

A few days ago, the author announced that he had already finished the manga’s ending; there’s simply no more to this story. The bets are on as to what the ending will be like.

https://x.com/miikei2601/status/2059248490807697569

 

[Oobaka-san]

I was tempted to write a summary of the most recent chap (basically Iroha sleeps with him several times and tries to pressure him into leaving Mako but he can't let go yet and feels like what he's doing with Iroha isn't accepting her feelings but just using those feelings to fill in the holes in his heart), but I've decided at this point I'm just going to wait until the end is out and MAYBE I'll read it, or maybe I'll just wait for someone else to summarize it. If that tweet means the author only plans to write one more chapter, I have no idea how that will work considering this "affair" has just started and Mako is completely broken emotionally. Only explanation I can see is he does accept that he and Mako will be better off as just friends, maybe with her own encouragement, though I would have been much more interested to see them try to properly work things out as I think it would be interesting to see something rare like two people who don't quite "match" sexually working together to figure out how to fulfill one another as well as how to find fulfillment in one another's pleasure even on days when it's not so great for them. I mean, I know there are stories where the girl doesn't "feel" it and still loves to do it because she loves feeling connected to the man she loves. This whole "compatibility" thing is an incredibly selfish view of sex and I'd love to see it contradicted a little more.

 

[v1c3b0y]

A few days ago, the author announced that he had already finished the manga’s ending; there’s simply no more to this story. The bets are on as to what the ending will be like.

https://x.com/miikei2601/status/2059248490807697569

I really hope that the guy really deserves a good ending and so is his girlfriend.

 

[Oobaka-san]

Well, I said I was going to quit until the end came but I went and read another chapter...

Spoiler: Chapter 45

It starts up right where 44 left off. Iroha, having slept with Kouhei several times by now, and having failed last chapter to convince him to break things off with Mako, now tries to convince him to "take time to sort his feelings out" because he's "lacking composure" right now and needs to calm down, to which Kouhei responds that Iroha herself isn't particularly composed in her aggressive insistence. They do end their "date" and later Kouhei's walking with Mako feeling uneasy because even since she told him to just tell her if he wanted to quit her they haven't been able to really sit and talk. Right as he's wishing something would happen to give them a subject to talk about, even if it's unpleasant, Mako's mother shows up and asks to sit and chat now that she's finally meeting her daughter's boyfriend. She is immediately extremely aggressive, asking when the two intend to marry, inviting Kouhei to visit Mako's hometown, etc. She also notices how Kouhei is always aware of her and quick to help her, giving her a handkerchief when she sneezes and a coat afterward in case she's cold. After her mother leaves, the two sit on a slide in a playground to talk, and she tells him not to worry too much about her mother's talk of visiting her hometown or getting married, though Kouhei was just happy, especially with how apparently all Mako ever talks about is how much she loves him. She brings up the "rules" again and asks him how he feels about them. He says he's gotten used to them, while Mako tells him not to worry as she hasn't done it once since "that trip" (again I haven't read most of this aside from the first 9 and the last 5-10, so I don't know what trip she's talking about), whereas Kouhei is unable to reply, similar to how he'd previously been unable to tell her that he'd been sleeping with Iroha behind her back. Mako asks him if he wants to continue this way, and Kouhei's frustrated that instead of an "angel and devil" he's just got two "devils", one wanting to say "I also have a sexfriend or two and I want to keep doing it with her so let's leave things as is!" while the other insists "I don't want to do any of this swinging ever again so please hold yourself back too, Mako!". What's worse is both are 100% his true feelings. She asks him if he likes her, and then echoes Iroha's words from the phone, asking if she's a failure as a girlfriend. He insists it's not true, and she starts to retort "but!" before stopping. She refuses to finish her statement and momentarily enjoys a lovers' chase until he catches her, but she still won't talk, just says through tears that she can't say because "it's my own fault I'm hurting like this!" the most she'll say is she wishes "lust" would just disappear from the world.

The chapter ends with Mako struggling on work due soon when Iroha comes up to her and asks it they could talk for a bit.

The one thing that really separates this from most NTR series I know of is the fact that the girl who's cheating is clearly full of regrets and self-loathing over what she's been doing as well as the personal problems that have led to it. Her heart always melts with everything Kouhei does, and she wishes her body would do the same when she's in his arms, but she can't seem to figure out how to make that happen. As she is now, I even suspect if she went back she wouldn't even suggest swapping, even if the alternative is either celibacy or treating sex as just a pleasureless "task" to do for the sake of another. But unfortunately, even if it was with his technical consent, she has indeed done all of this time and time again, which instead of keeping her satisfied has only served to make it clearer to her that she's failing to give Kouhei what he wants most, even when she can easily give it to people she barely knows. It's a very stressful series, and I certainly wouldn't be surprised if it ends with them breaking up or worse, but it still at least feels a bit better than certain other works in which the girl doesn't seem to register any cause for regret or reluctance even if she leaves a boy in the middle of a date to screw some other guys.

 

[Thorgrin]

Well, I said I was going to quit until the end came but I went and read another chapter...

Spoiler: Chapter 45

It starts up right where 44 left off. Iroha, having slept with Kouhei several times by now, and having failed last chapter to convince him to break things off with Mako, now tries to convince him to "take time to sort his feelings out" because he's "lacking composure" right now and needs to calm down, to which Kouhei responds that Iroha herself isn't particularly composed in her aggressive insistence. They do end their "date" and later Kouhei's walking with Mako feeling uneasy because even since she told him to just tell her if he wanted to quit her they haven't been able to really sit and talk. Right as he's wishing something would happen to give them a subject to talk about, even if it's unpleasant, Mako's mother shows up and asks to sit and chat now that she's finally meeting her daughter's boyfriend. She is immediately extremely aggressive, asking when the two intend to marry, inviting Kouhei to visit Mako's hometown, etc. She also notices how Kouhei is always aware of her and quick to help her, giving her a handkerchief when she sneezes and a coat afterward in case she's cold. After her mother leaves, the two sit on a slide in a playground to talk, and she tells him not to worry too much about her mother's talk of visiting her hometown or getting married, though Kouhei was just happy, especially with how apparently all Mako ever talks about is how much she loves him. She brings up the "rules" again and asks him how he feels about them. He says he's gotten used to them, while Mako tells him not to worry as she hasn't done it once since "that trip" (again I haven't read most of this aside from the first 9 and the last 5-10, so I don't know what trip she's talking about), whereas Kouhei is unable to reply, similar to how he'd previously been unable to tell her that he'd been sleeping with Iroha behind her back. Mako asks him if he wants to continue this way, and Kouhei's frustrated that instead of an "angel and devil" he's just got two "devils", one wanting to say "I also have a sexfriend or two and I want to keep doing it with her so let's leave things as is!" while the other insists "I don't want to do any of this swinging ever again so please hold yourself back too, Mako!". What's worse is both are 100% his true feelings. She asks him if he likes her, and then echoes Iroha's words from the phone, asking if she's a failure as a girlfriend. He insists it's not true, and she starts to retort "but!" before stopping. She refuses to finish her statement and momentarily enjoys a lovers' chase until he catches her, but she still won't talk, just says through tears that she can't say because "it's my own fault I'm hurting like this!" the most she'll say is she wishes "lust" would just disappear from the world.

The chapter ends with Mako struggling on work due soon when Iroha comes up to her and asks it they could talk for a bit.

The one thing that really separates this from most NTR series I know of is the fact that the girl who's cheating is clearly full of regrets and self-loathing over what she's been doing as well as the personal problems that have led to it. Her heart always melts with everything Kouhei does, and she wishes her body would do the same when she's in his arms, but she can't seem to figure out how to make that happen. As she is now, I even suspect if she went back she wouldn't even suggest swapping, even if the alternative is either celibacy or treating sex as just a pleasureless "task" to do for the sake of another. But unfortunately, even if it was with his technical consent, she has indeed done all of this time and time again, which instead of keeping her satisfied has only served to make it clearer to her that she's failing to give Kouhei what he wants most, even when she can easily give it to people she barely knows. It's a very stressful series, and I certainly wouldn't be surprised if it ends with them breaking up or worse, but it still at least feels a bit better than certain other works in which the girl doesn't seem to register any cause for regret or reluctance even if she leaves a boy in the middle of a date to screw some other guys.

Spoiler: About the trip

At one point in the story, Kouhei says he wants to go on a trip with Mako, but Mako misunderstands him and invites the couple they're doing the swinging thing with, Hina and Hikaru. Hikaru's a complete asshole, by the way. He hits Hina, and at one point he gets mad at Kouhei because he was meeting Hina in secret, so as "compensation" he forces Mako to have raw sex with him. And guess what? Mako was against it at first, but once he put it in, she enjoyed it. That's the type of guy she likes having sex with.

Anyway, at one point during the trip, they're all together in a room and, if I'm not mistaken, Mako initiates the sex not with Hikaru, but with Kouhei. I think she gives him a blowjob so he can get into it, and then she proceeds to have sex with Hikaru while Kouhei goes to have sex with Hina.

When Kouhei is about to put it in, Hina says she doesn't want to do it with him, that she wants to do it with Hikaru. Then, after making Mako climax, Hikaru goes to have sex with Hina while Kouhei just watches. So not only does Kouhei watch Mako have an orgasm with another guy, he gets rejected by Hina and then watches Hikaru and Hina have sex. He was basically a cuck.

After that, they stopped seeing Hikaru and Hina.

I may be misremembering some details, but that's the gist of it. And I really don't want to reread it because it pisses me off.

The biggest problem with this story is that Mako is very unlikeable. And the explanation that she doesn't like having sex with Kouhei because he's too nice, or as the youngs say, a beta male, is kind of stupid. Not that Kouhei is likable either. No one is in this story. But Mako is the messed-up one, and the explanation the story gives for it is stupid.

 

[Oobaka-san]

Spoiler: About the trip

At one point in the story, Kouhei says he wants to go on a trip with Mako, but Mako misunderstands him and invites the couple they're doing the swinging thing with, Hina and Hikaru. Hikaru's a complete asshole, by the way. He hits Hina, and at one point he gets mad at Kouhei because he was meeting Hina in secret, so as "compensation" he forces Mako to have raw sex with him. And guess what? Mako was against it at first, but once he put it in, she enjoyed it. That's the type of guy she likes having sex with.

Anyway, at one point during the trip, they're all together in a room and, if I'm not mistaken, Mako initiates the sex not with Hikaru, but with Kouhei. I think she gives him a blowjob so he can get into it, and then she proceeds to have sex with Hikaru while Kouhei goes to have sex with Hina.

When Kouhei is about to put it in, Hina says she doesn't want to do it with him, that she wants to do it with Hikaru. Then, after making Mako climax, Hikaru goes to have sex with Hina while Kouhei just watches. So not only does Kouhei watch Mako have an orgasm with another guy, he gets rejected by Hina and then watches Hikaru and Hina have sex. He was basically a cuck.

After that, they stopped seeing Hikaru and Hina.

I may be misremembering some details, but that's the gist of it. And I really don't want to reread it because it pisses me off.

The biggest problem with this story is that Mako is very unlikeable. And the explanation that she doesn't like having sex with Kouhei because he's too nice, or as the youngs say, a beta male, is kind of stupid. Not that Kouhei is likable either. No one is in this story. But Mako is the messed-up one, and the explanation the story gives for it is stupid.

Well, it's definitely not the best thing I've ever read, probably closer to the bottom than the top. But compared to other stories with NTR content I do think it's a bit better, if only for the fact that the characters do grow and change and recognize that something's a problem. For example, it sounds like Mako wanted Kouhei to enjoy what was happening, but ultimately realized it wasn't working. She has a disconnect between her lust/fetishes and what she desires emotionally. It certainly sounds like, no matter how much she physically enjoyed those events, something on that trip or shortly afterward had an impact on her, since a girl like that went cold turkey on such stuff.

Anyway, I honestly hate when people throw around words like "cuck". Sure, there are cases where the term is warranted. But a lot of the time many people just use it for a guy who accepts or forgives something the reader doesn't like. Or for a guy who is trying to figure things out and find a way to keep someone who clearly loves him despite problems. For instance, I'm pretty sure many, many people would call the MC Haruto from a recently translated (not here) hentai series called "Until I Steal Everything From You" a "cuck", even reading from end to end. Never mind that the whole thing is him focusing on his beloved Hina's happiness, or how quickly he shifts when it becomes clear how unhappy she is, let alone how willing he is to put his life on the line trying to defend her. To many, the fact that he doesn't either forget Hina and go for another girl or run in and declare his love when she seems to have a boyfriend makes him a "cuck".

Spoiler: A brief summary since I'm going on about something unconnected

Just so you know the contents of that story. Haruto grew up next door to Hina, with adjacent windows and everything. He thinks himself rather plain and unimpressive, but still the two of them have been incredibly close and whenever Hina's depressed she always comes running to him to feel better. He's sure his feelings will be requited if he waits. In this, true he is a little too complacent and shy. Then he sees Hina making out with his friend, who then takes her back to her room and with the blinds open he can see and hear them going absolutely wild with no concerns for protection. At first she seems to be okay, but he one day sees her looking down and talks with her in the park. She reveals that she is indeed going out with Haruto's friend Reiji, and out of curiosity asks Haruto how things are going with his girlfriend Rena (it doesn't seem to really get through to her that he's only talked to Rena once or twice and has never accepted her obvious feelings). Halfway through the series, in the one chapter that wasn't translated, Hina overhears Reiji laughing and bragging to a friend about how fun it was to get between the two, telling him how obvious it is that both of them are in love with one another, but since Haruto hadn't made a move he decided to convince Hina that he was dating someone else. The more Hina hears the more she breaks, as she'd only gone out with Reiji to try and forget Haruto, and the pain and guilt for dating someone she doesn't like drove her to dive deeper and deeper into pleasure and accept worse and worse "requests" to the point that she has absolutely no sense of self-worth left. She leaves and Haruto spots her stumbling down the street in despair. As I said, what he prioritizes over everything is her happiness, and while he hadn't had the courage before to tell her he loves her, he would never allow her to be in pain like this. He goes to her, and she lashes out, taking out all her pain on him and claiming to hate him until he grabs her and holds her close. They later go to her place and she shares most of what happened, right up until Reiji shows up screaming over the breakup email she'd sent. Haruto tells her to lock the door behind him as he goes out to drive Reiji off, which only results in him getting beaten until he can't even stand, at which point Hina opens the door, pretends to accept Reiji's "request" to come back to him, then takes a hammer to his nuts for hurting someone precious to her. The story moves slowly for a while as they take time to recover and finish their college exams, but after graduation they finally admit their feelings for each other and start dating. It's still a rough time for a while, but ends with the two of them married and Hina pregnant (Haruto jokingly says he's obligated by trope standards to ask if she's sure it's his, so she breaks her fist on his face). It's a rough story, and there are certainly parts where one might say that Haruto was timid or screwed up in general, but straight to the very end there were many who called him a cuck or a beta or other stupid names.

Sorry, just like I said I hear people use the term even for guys who stand up for a girl they love just because of things that'd happened in the past with no concern for how the girl is in the present. I haven't read those parts, and it may be that "cuck" could be used to describe Kouhei at some points in the story, but that's one of the points in any story of even minimal worth: growth. As he is now, I'd say he's at least made it to the point where he doesn't deserve that particular name.