For some reason, I’m not actually too fond of the childhood friend? I feel like he tries to be a bit too controlling and acts possessive (it seems pretty obvious that he fancies Yuki and doesn’t want her to hang out with other guys in general, and not specifically Itsuomi). I get that it comes from a place of concern and that Oushi does care a lot for her though, and it is admirable that he learned sign language for her when they were young.
But Oushi and Yuki would make an awful couple (from what I’ve read so far). As a friend, he’s fine, but as a partner, he would be terrible. Although he does care about her, he seems to be stifling her in the process. Yuki’s dream is to expand her world, but Oushi keeps trying to confine her in her safe bubble and discourage her (last chapter, he told her to not “get carried away too much”). He’s not at all supportive of Yuki trying to be more independent and breaking her boundaries. He could be as caring as he wants, but he would make Yuki unhappy if he isn’t open to her exploring and experiencing life by herself. Just caring for Yuki isn’t enough. She would ultimately be settling if she were to end up with him.
Itsuomi, on the other hand, aligns more with what she wants, and if she ends up with anyone, I’d rather it be him (also, I find their dynamic pretty cute lol). But I’m still worried, because I think she’s going to get hurt, and I think it will be Itsuomi who is going to hurt her in some way. I kind of hope it doesn’t end up that way because Yuki is absolutely precious, but at the same time, I think it’ll end up being a good learning experience for her, since she’s always lived life in a bubble.
I have no idea if I made sense lol but I hope I’m not the only one who feels this way? Obviously, it’s still really early on in the manga, so I can’t really be sure of anything yet haha.
(Dear Christ this is way longer than I thought it’d be)