*SPOILERS* Question Concerning Lilly's Arc.

[UncleJellyfish]

So, this has been nagging me for a while, and I finally decided to ask about it.

In Lilly's arc, when she comes back from her trip to Scotland, she confesses to Hisao and they become a couple. It is later revealed that she received a summons to return to her family and live with them in Scotland. She received the summons while she was visiting her family, BEFORE her and Hisao ended up dating.

So, my question is, why did she start the relationship in the first place if she already knew that she might be moving away? On top of that, why did she still decide to go even after they started dating? Wouldn't it make more sense to decide first before confessing her feelings, or let Hisao know about her summons sooner? I understand that she didn't want to experience the same thing she went through at her old school (not confessing her feelings to her teacher and never seeing him again), but to actively start a relationship with the knowledge that she was likely to be moving away, it just seems like a bitch move on her part.

Thoughts?

[Zig_Zac]

I think when it comes to matters of the heart, it is hard to think straight and be logical. The heart almost always wins out...

[UncleJellyfish]

I think when it comes to matters of the heart, it is hard to think straight and be logical. The heart almost always wins out...

Though I agree with this, she could've confessed without having them start dating. I'm aware that she wasn't entirely sure of whether or not she would answer her family's summons, but it still seems like a bitch move. >_>

[Brisingr]

One possible is reason is could be she found out about the summons before officially dating Hisao. She did mention that there was a possibility of Hisao turning her down (however small) that made her initially say yes to the summons. After they were dating for a while, it was a subject best avoided to prevent hurting Hisao until just before leaving. There's my $0.02.

[Guest]

Tis better to have loved and lost than never loved at all.

[Zig_Zac]

All good points, but I don't think Lilly is a bitch, maybe I'm just bias... because she really did care for Hiaso, the lucky bastard...

I agree with the better to have loved and lost, and the reason she confessed to him in the field was because she was afraid to lose him and wanted to be with him. Yeah she might have done it later during their trip away, but she didn't want him not to know her feelings for him, just like she felt like she should have told that tutor she had a thing for in her old school..

Anyway, If I was Hiaso, I would have been pretty cut that she said she loved me, asked me to always be with her, then she leaves... but then again, if it was me and not Hiaso, I would have packed up and moved to Scotland with her... I do like the cold better, just like Lilly... and she is worth it...

[UncleJellyfish]

One possible is reason is could be she found out about the summons before officially dating Hisao. She did mention that there was a possibility of Hisao turning her down (however small) that made her initially say yes to the summons. After they were dating for a while, it was a subject best avoided to prevent hurting Hisao until just before leaving. There's my $0.02.

It's said by Akira that Lilly received the summons while she was in Scotland, before her and Hisao started dating. She later confesses that she wasn't sure if she was going to go or not until AFTER they had started dating. That means, when they first started going out, she still hadn't decided on whether or not to move to Scotland. The fact that she decided to move back after her and Hisao became a couple really put me off. I know it adds to the drama, but she never really explained her reasons in detail for wanting to move to Scotland over staying with Hisao.

It's likely that this situation is the reason why I rated Lilly's arc so low on my favorites list.

[Tezzeret]

Eh i don't think she's a bitch. It was a tough life altering decision and she was thinking about it and didn't decide until after they started dating. It was purely for dramatic effect, start dating Hisao, decide to move to Scotland, ensuing drama, tears and feels.

[Mirage_GSM]

I agree with Jellyfish-ojii.
If she hadn't decided before starting to date Hisao, then their relationship should have provided enough incentive to stay.
If she was leaning towards going to Scotland before, she shouldn't have started the relationship at all, or at the very least, she shouldn't have kept Hisao in the dark about it. After all her path is all about honesty and openness, and she comes across as - if not bitchy then at least one hell of a hypocrite.
I realize that without this the path would have had not much in the way of conflict, but it still put me off.
It's the reason both Lilly and her path rank so low in my opinions.

[newnar]

I could agree with jellyfish and condemn Lilly, especially because then the story would probably turn towards an inevitable relationship between Hisao and Hanako. But a mini-lilly tugs at my heartstrings so bad, I must disagree. Lilly did know about her leaving prior to dating Hisao, but it was her desire to confess to Hisao that exceeded the pain se knew she would bestow upon herself. She was afraid of getting hurt(by not comfessing), and by enjoying the short time she and Hisao could be together as close as possible, she could "drug" herself to forget the incoming storm. She didn't tell Hisao because despite Hisao's good nature, Lilly cannot even stand to bear the thought of the possibility that Hisao would leave her. She was afraid. She was hit from both ends of the table. She could'nt tell Hisao, she couldn't disobey her parents' wishes, she couldn't breathe knowing that Hisao will be leaving her. Her logic was that Hisao would leave her life either way, and she couldn't stand the mental asphyxiation. Call it selfish, but love is selfish. Just that you take the fulfillment of another person as your own satisfaction.

"I am happy if you are happy"
"I want you to be happy"
"So as to make myself happy indirectly"


Oh shit. Shit shit sit shit shit. I'm so sorry Hanako I am so unfit Dammit I am an unsatiable douchebag please forgie me forgive me don't please Hanako no Hanako I didn't mean to I didn't......

[Guest]

It's cool if you believe in a thing called love but honestly if you're dating someone for only a few months and you only met them less than a year ago? It's really not insane to choose your family over them. It's not usually healthy to decide that this person you've known for a short while is the only deciding factor in what you do with your life. Hisao even recognises that, since if you recall at the end he appeals to her not to leave her friends and life behind, not just to stay because he's there.

I agree it wasn't very nice for her to keep it all secret, but is that really shocking? She knew it was tantamount to breaking up with him and she wanted them both to be happy for a little while longer.

[Althamus]

honestly if you're dating someone for only a few months and you only met them less than a year ago? It's really not insane to choose your family over them. It's not usually healthy to decide that this person you've known for a short while is the only deciding factor in what you do with your life. Hisao even recognises that, since if you recall at the end he appeals to her not to leave her friends and life behind, not just to stay because he's there.

I agree it wasn't very nice for her to keep it all secret, but is that really shocking? She knew it was tantamount to breaking up with him and she wanted them both to be happy for a little while longer.

If we assume that Lilly had received the summons, but hadn't decided one way or the other. Or perhaps fresh information arrived at a later date. To my memory, Akira hadn't definitely decided to return to Scotland when Lilly confessed to Hisao, and IMHO Akira deciding to return was a big factor in Lilly deciding to return. For all we know, they'd both been summoned, but at a later date Akira was offered a bigger position which moved her from being on the fence, which moved Lilly from being on the fence.

And as the quote above says, I'm not surprised Lilly chose her family over Hisao at first, in fact I would expect it.

Also, when Hisao did find out that Lilly was moving back, it radically changed their relationship. MASSIVE awkward zone, not only because she hadn't told him earlier, but also because they both knew that her moving would end their relationship. If she had told him a month before that, all that would've happened would be that they would've gotten massively awkward far earlier, and possibly broken up before she left. At least this way, they were happier for a little longer.

Also, when Lilly confessed to Hisao, it didn't strike me as being something planned out. She felt massive affection for him, and the catalyst was his collapsing in the street which brought things to the surface. At that stage, Lilly's emotions were all over the place and it would have been obvious she wasn't just worried as a friend, even if she hadn't confessed. And trying to continue a friendship when the guy has confessed (which Hisao was going to do anyways) and the girl has turned him down, but OBVIOUSLY wants to accept is... strange...

[danyo]

I didn't read everything people posted, but my thoughts are that she WANTED hisao to tell her not to go, wich he realised ( almost ) too late.

[UncleJellyfish]

I didn't read everything people posted, but my thoughts are that she WANTED hisao to tell her not to go, wich he realised ( almost ) too late.

Hadn't thought of this, but that's a very good point. Having just experienced something like this in real life (though not to the extend of "I'll never see them again"), it makes me wonder if her deciding to go was actually to test Hisao to see if he'd try to make her stay.

[Mahorfeus]

My interpretation is that she never planned to confess to him after coming back from Scotland. The feelings were there, but she would not be able to bear losing him if they did commit to one another. That is of course, until his incident during their trip to her summer home. She faced the fear of losing him regardless, except in this case, it would be to death. So despite her original intentions, she ends up breaking down and letting all of her emotions pour out; it sort of explains the poker face she seems to have when Hisao first meets her out in the wheat field. While she has what she wants, being with Hisao only stresses her out more, because she knows she is in a relationship that is doomed to end.

All in all, Lilly let her emotions (and perhaps selfishness) get the better of her, almost screwing herself over in the process. Luckily, Hisao saved the day by accidentally forcing a HNNNNG.