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She might not fall out of love, but I'm actually really worried about her at this point. (More so than I was even for Hanako.)

She actively ensures that she doesn't have any form of mental health support network because that would be relying on others... and she's suffering an extreme case of PTSD right now, and now Hisao is a trigger for her.

I certainly hope someone finds her before it's too late, and gets her the help that she needs.

Eh, at this point it seems like Emi might withdraw like she did in her own route and push Hisao away to satisfy this guilt complex she has. I get the impression that she believes neither of them can be hurt if she doesn't love him (even if she really does).

And maybe what Hisao intended to say to her was supposed to be blatantly obvious, but she was so out of it that it might have been something else entirely. Denial is just a river in Egypt.

I agree with the general consensus that Emi just won, as long as she can get enough courage to take her win. Unless Hisao is some kind of hidden sadistic jerk looking to break everyone in this story, which seems to be very ooc. But yeah, I'm little concerned now that Emi reacted the way she did, even more so since he's meeting Hanako for lunch tomorrow apparently. I never really wanted Hanako to get Hisao, but now it seems like that's not possible unless you want to have a real downer ending of some kind. Not that it won't be a downer for someone no matter what happens, but it seems likeliest that ending up with someone who isn't Emi is going to crash and burn. I'm still awaiting Shizune's fabled... anything, really, btw.

Man, but how is Hisao going to break it to Lilly, who just came back for him and Hanako, that he's with Emi now? And what's that gonna do to Hanako? (I also think it's unfair to disqualify Hanako on the grounds that she's not fun to hang out with, when his awkward lack of commitment is what's making it not fun.)

Mirage_GSM wrote:Why? It's just a phone number. There really is no reason to get worked up over it except for some cheap clichés.

And I don't think Emi completely withdrew from the competition. She's in shock because of Hisao's close call, but you can't fall out of love just like that.

With what Hisao said in this chapter, Hanako is basically out, and I'd be really disappointed if he ended up with Lilly again at the end...

I guess I was viewing like they were in a relationship, if they were dating and she found another girls number that was rumored to date a lot of people, she would be pissed

First of all, many thanks for the kind words to those that offered them . I wanted to give the speculation a chance to ebb a bit before posting.

This was a particularly difficult chapter for me to write. I think this is the first time I actually had tears in my eyes while writing -- it's happened a few times while reading these to my friend, but...yeah.

Blank Mage wrote:I just finished chapter 31, and I have to comment: So Lilly's parents essentially ruined her life, and by extension the lives of Hisao, Hanako, and Emi, as part of a bizarre game of emotional chicken to see if Lilly was self-sufficient. GOOD JOB, SATOU CLAN. GO AWAY FOREVER.

Guest Poster wrote:I agree with Blank Mage. Given the fact that Lilly ended up backing out of the whole living in Scotland deal, that summoning really did do a lot of damage for a rather lousy reason.

*nods* Can't really disagree with this, but a good part of that is hindsight being a bitch. The more I think about it, the more I really think I'd like to explore the Satou family dynamic more at some point down the road.

Also, I think whether or not Emi has now "won" (barring something along the lines of Mahorfeus' thinking, of course) is a product of how one defines "winning".

dewelar wrote:Also, I think whether or not Emi has now "won" is a product of how one defines "winning".

dewelar wrote:"Heh, I used to be able to say the same thing about Hanako, but it seems like lately that's not true anymore. Every time I'm with her lately, there's this tension in the air, and things get...awkward. I feel like it's wearing me down a little more every time, and I don't know how much more I can handle."

I feel that Hisao is kind of giving up. Like, 'I have two to four girls chasing me down, why not take the easy route?' is the situation here. General apathy for Hanako's situation is hopefully exaggerated for Emi's benefit. If Hisao actually believes that, then I think he is unsuitable for Hanako in this instance anyway. All Hanako ever asks for is support and he seemingly is tossing his hands up in defeat instead of actually trying.

I just find it strange. My bets are all on Shizune at this point, because reasons.

I am 12 and what is Orihime and Hikoboshi?

(USER WAS BANNED BECAUSE 2UNDERAGE) No, not really. >:3

Mournful3ch0 wrote:I feel that Hisao is kind of giving up [...] I just find it strange.

*nods* I can understand that. The next couple of chapters will probably shed some light on things.

sanduba wrote:I am 12 and what is Orihime and Hikoboshi?

The passage references the events in the Tanabata interlude. Orihime and Hikoboshi are the two lovers that form the basis of the Tanabata legend, and they're represented by the stars Vega and Altair. It's a neat little story, and I highly suggest doing a web search .

Heh, I used to be able to say the same thing about Hanako, but it seems like lately that's not true anymore. Every time I'm with her lately, there's this tension in the air, and things get...awkward. I feel like it's wearing me down a little more every time, and I don't know how much more I can handle.

I do have to agree that that sounded just a little bit callous, because he doesn't even acknowledge the fact that HE's the reason things are so awkward between them. It's kinda like he's saying: "Well, I used to enjoy her company, but I hate how she can't deal with the fact that I'm jumping back between her and you and can't decide between the two of you." Well, that's exaggerated but the point is that it feels like he's blaming Hanako for a situation that's largely of his making.

Welp, now it looks like we have reached the part of the story where we get to start unpacking the baggage that Emi brings to the tale. Fun stuff.

Any way, if Hanako is truly out of the running, I am interested in seeing the next chapter in which she has lunch with Hisao, as I imagine he'll finally have his answer for her. Even more fun stuff.

Guest Poster wrote:

Heh, I used to be able to say the same thing about Hanako, but it seems like lately that's not true anymore. Every time I'm with her lately, there's this tension in the air, and things get...awkward. I feel like it's wearing me down a little more every time, and I don't know how much more I can handle.

I do have to agree that that sounded just a little bit callous, because he doesn't even acknowledge the fact that HE's the reason things are so awkward between them. It's kinda like he's saying: "Well, I used to enjoy her company, but I hate how she can't deal with the fact that I'm jumping back between her and you and can't decide between the two of you." Well, that's exaggerated but the point is that it feels like he's blaming Hanako for a situation that's largely of his making.

*continues nodding* See my above answer to Mournful3ch0. Also, I'm beginning to understand why you prefer to release your work all at once, because it can be hard to restrain oneself from explaining things before the chapters that are meant to explain them get published .

So.. is there still hope for Lilly? (I hope so D:)

Great writing as always dewelar!

Guest Poster wrote:

Heh, I used to be able to say the same thing about Hanako, but it seems like lately that's not true anymore. Every time I'm with her lately, there's this tension in the air, and things get...awkward. I feel like it's wearing me down a little more every time, and I don't know how much more I can handle.

I do have to agree that that sounded just a little bit callous, because he doesn't even acknowledge the fact that HE's the reason things are so awkward between them. It's kinda like he's saying: "Well, I used to enjoy her company, but I hate how she can't deal with the fact that I'm jumping back between her and you and can't decide between the two of you." Well, that's exaggerated but the point is that it feels like he's blaming Hanako for a situation that's largely of his making.

He is one half of the reason. Remember that Emi is in exactly the same situation, and Hisao explicitly says that he doesn't feel the same sort of stress around her.
Emi - through great restraint as we learned in her PoV chapters - manged to keep their relationship on a normal level without burdening Hisao with her angst. This is where those efforts pay off.
I don't think he's actually blaming Hanako. He just describes his feelings when he is together with her, and when one is feeling awkward and tense around someone (and it's not just nerves) one would probably be right not to pursue a relationship.

The difference would be that Emi (her raging commitment issues notwithstanding) is generally confident and secure in herself as a person. Hanako...not so much. I get that Hisao's merely describing the way he feels, but given the fact that he and Hanako used to be relaxed around one another until Emi officially emerged as competition, he really should know that that tension is related to the situation at hand and not really due to Hanako being uneasy around him in general. Even Hisao should know that if you put an insecure person in an insecure situation, she's going to handle it badly.