Which friendship will last the longest?

[emmjay]

Which pair of girls do you think will remain friends the longest after leaving Yamaku? This is assuming, of course, that they're still friends at graduation; no Rin leaving for art school, no Misha drifting away from Shizune in the Bad Ending, etc. (Lilly moving to Scotland doesn't count as the friendship ending, as she promises to stay in touch.)
Personally, my vote goes to Hanako & Lilly. They just seem closer than the other pairs to me. (Although I could see them gradually drifting apart if Lilly does move, simply because of the difficulties of communicating with someone who's both blind and on the other side of the planet. Unless Hanako moves with her, which I don't see as too far-fetched an idea.)
Shizune and Misha may not be as close, but you still almost never see one without the other. Granted, part of that is out of necessity, but MIsha is more to Shizune than just a translator, she's a friend. On the other hand, Misha's unrequited crush on Shizune could end up complicating things there.
As for Emi & Rin, they strike me as being friends out of convenience more than anything. I'm sure they'll be glad to catch up at school reunions and such, but I still see them as the "good friends through high school, and maybe through college, but never seeing much of each other after that" types.

[Oddball]

Hanako and Lilly seem the closest in the game, and actual real freinds are something very important to Hanako, so I think they'd stay in touch the longest.

Emi and Rin are pretty much done after Highschool. There may be some attempts at staying in touch or getting together, but there won't be much effort put into it and each will soon go their own way.

Shizune and Misha ... their friendship isn't even in good shape when you FIRST meet them. Misha really needs to move on and Shizune doesn't even like to check the messages on her phone. I can easily see Shizune putting off replying to something, thgen putting it off a bit longer due to other issues she's dealing with until eventually replying at all would be more awkward than not replying.

[Mirage_GSM]

That depends a lot on what ending you are asking about.

Hanako & Lilly:
If Hisao gets together with Hanako, Lilly will leave for Scotland. No matter how much she promises to keep in touch that will make keeping the freindship intact very hard... Same thing if Hisao get's together with any of the other girls.
If Hisao gets together with Lilly, things might keep a bit longer, but Hanako is growing independent very fast in that route gaining her own circle of friends, and with Hisao and Lilly she'd always be a third wheel.

Shizune and Misha:
Misha's going to study abroad and Shizune is going to pour all her energy into getting a good job and making her career... So nope.

Emi & Rin:
That's a bit hard to predict. Might go either way, depending on how far they are going to live from each other.
If Hisao get's together with Rin, the two of them are in their own little world, and they hardly interact with Emi while they're still at school.
Best chances if Hisao is together with Emi, since in that route he's sociable enough to keep contacts.

So: Emi & Rin after Emi route, but even that would need a lot of luck.

[Charmant]

Based off my general understanding of people rather than any given ending:

Emi and Rin have a fairly weak friendship. Seems they just found one another because of the match-up of their amputations. Emi shows no interest in Rin's passion and little patience for understanding her. Rin only gravitates to Emi's track meets because she understands it to be something "normal" friends do, but shows no great interest in the sport otherwise.

Shizune and Misha, should they get past Misha's hang-ups, will nonetheless drift apart due to Misha's studies and wandering mind, and Shizune's hyper-focused ambition and otherwise myopic thought processes. They'll still be "friends" but actual contact will be drastically reduced. They'll find time to chat over the phone in snippets with their rare free time but that'll be about it. Shizune's secretary will send out holiday cards on time each year. Misha in her abroad travels may ship off a postcard every few months, with the acknowledgement text of "Got your card." or "Thanks." or "Sounds fun." In time, they may well be nothing more than names in a contact list with occasional mostly-obligatory exchanges. "Hi." "Hi." "How's things?" "Good." "Good." Eventually one or both will give up entirely on the whole thing or they'll re-prioritize the friendship and reconnect, at which point the friendship might thrive.

Lilly and Hanako at least seem to share some general interests as well as just having compatible personalities and a genuine unobstructed fondness for one another (as opposed to Rin and Emi who just aren't very compatible, and Misha and Shizune whose bond is obstructed by various personal hang-ups of both). They'll last the longest with the most enduring bond.

[Kakureboshi]

Remember that while Rin usually seems to not take much interest in anything, it seems like she really likes seeing Emi do her best. "Emi at her Emiest" as she would say. I think this interest and common understanding ( at least I got the feeling they had a common, maybe somewhat superficial, but very real understanding and admiration for each other) might make their friendship last way longer that any of us give it credit. Sure, it started out of convenience, and Rin is very aloof, and Emi tries to keep people at arm's length by instinct, but I believe they can overcome that and keep in touch.

My vote goes to Hanako and Lilly, though. Specially during the Lilly ending. Life changes drastically sometimes so it's hard to predict with certainty what the future of these relations will be. In the end we choose by our limited understanding of what these characters are like, and the relationships we are presented with in the novel, but there is a LOT we don't see. In that sense, my vote is just the most accurate approximation I can give given my understanding of these characters and my personal biases.

Even Misha and Shizune's obviously frail relationship may find a way to survive or even flourish, given the right circumstances. But that pair seems to be the least likely to remain in contact to me.

[brythain]

Whichever one stays the longest in your heart, of course.

[Shockproof Jamo]

I'm gonna hafta default to Hanako and Lilly. While Lilly's move to Scotland might complicate things, the two share a very strong bond nevertheless, owing much to the fact that Lilly supported Hanako so much during her hard times, and she really understands how Hanako's mind works. If Hisao goes after the other girls and disappears from the picture, Hanako might even move with Lilly, since I don't recall there being anything particular in Japan that would keep her tied there, her being orphan and all. Except maybe the scary language barrier, if Lilly didn't teach Hanako any English.

Emi and Rin; I can't see them lasting, mostly because of Emi, who openly even admitted to Hisao that she finds Rin's behavior weird. Behind her back. Aand, then there's also the time when Rin kicked Emi. The point is that sooner or later something would happen that would tear a rift between the two, and especially so if Hisao is out of the picture, because then Emi won't learn to deal with her emotions. Emi would most likely concentrate on her running career, while Rin continues pursuing art, and these two incompatible lifestyles will ultimately make the two go their separate ways.

Misha/Shizune: They might stay in touch, but Shizune is much too ambitious and career oriented to care about maintaining her friendships. Also, Misha might still feel burned about getting rejected. And if she later finds a girlfriend and a relationship, staying in touch with Shizune might actually create some drama in the form of jealousy, so Misha would have to tread carefully around Shizune. If they meet each other somewhere in the future, Shizune and Misha would definitely stop to say "Hi" and chat a bit, but their future relationship would be very loose at best.

[emmjay]

Shizune and Misha, should they get past Misha's hang-ups, will nonetheless drift apart due to Misha's studies and wandering mind, and Shizune's hyper-focused ambition and otherwise myopic thought processes. They'll still be "friends" but actual contact will be drastically reduced. They'll find time to chat over the phone in snippets with their rare free time but that'll be about it. Shizune's secretary will send out holiday cards on time each year. Misha in her abroad travels may ship off a postcard every few months, with the acknowledgement text of "Got your card." or "Thanks." or "Sounds fun." In time, they may well be nothing more than names in a contact list with occasional mostly-obligatory exchanges. "Hi." "Hi." "How's things?" "Good." "Good." Eventually one or both will give up entirely on the whole thing or they'll re-prioritize the friendship and reconnect, at which point the friendship might thrive.

Or Misha will pay Shizune a visit, only to hook up with Shizune's secretary. Leaving Shizune either wondering why there are so many lesbians in her life, or smiling to herself and thinking, "Just as I planned."

If Hisao goes after the other girls and disappears from the picture, Hanako might even move with Lilly, since I don't recall there being anything particular in Japan that would keep her tied there, her being orphan and all. Except maybe the scary language barrier, if Lilly didn't teach Hanako any English.

I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who considers this a possibility. As for the language barrier, I imagine Hanako's English is pretty good, between her being an avid reader (a love of words often comes with a love of language) and having Lilly as a friend.

[ProfAllister]

Okay, I think I'm going to have to be the dissenting voice here. At least partially. As above, each pair essentially has three possibilities - Hisao Choosing Girl A, Girl B, and neither.

Emi & Rin (Rin Route) - Always tricky when it comes to Rin. In the good end, assuming Hisao had the chat with Emi at the gallery (discussing the nature of their relationship), it's possible Emi and Rin could decide to take their friendship to a somewhat less superficial level, with decent long-term potential.
Emi & Rin (Emi Route) - As above, the good end could lead to Emi getting closer to Rin (especially if Rin has significant involvement in their reconciliation). No guarantees, though.
Emi & Rin (Neither) - Most likely stays superficial, drift away after a few years at best.

Misha & Shizune (Shizune Route) - If nothing else, Hisao will keep the Three Musketeers together, one way or another.
Misha and Shizune (Other) - Hard to say. On the one hand, Misha could refuse to let go, hanging on to Shizune, while Shizune, seeing no reason to break off the relation, allows the friendship to continue in its current form. On the other, Misha could decide to move on - but that wouldn't guarantee Shizune would actually let the relationship drop, and, depending on the nature of Misha's moving on, they could end up continuing as friends. No guarantees, of course.

Lilly & Hanako (Hanako Route) - Given the timing, there's actually a very good chance that Lilly will decide to quietly exit stage left to live the lovebirds on their own. In Lilly's route, at her departure, she promises to keep communication open, but, to be honest, Lilly DOES have a habit of saying (or not saying) whatever people want to hear when the truth will upset them. They could stay in touch, or they could, you know, not.
Lilly & Hanako (Lilly's Route) - On this side, It's actually Hanako who has good a chance to drift away. As this route wraps up, Hanako's just beginning to spread her wings and fly. In Lilly's bad ending, I'd almost expect the only way for their relationship to survive would be if Hanako forces Lilly to stay honest. In Lilly's good ending, there's a fair chance that Hanako will go off on her own, with their only communication being occasional holiday cards.
Lilly & Hanako (Neither) - Two possibilities: Lilly leaves, or she stays for Hanako's sake. If Lilly leaves, Hanako may very well consider that confirmation that Lilly never really cared. With that, Lilly could try to keep in touch as much as she wants, and Hanako would just passively-aggressively ignore her. If Lilly stays, that could just make things worse for Hanako - Lilly's giving Hanako all this care and attention that Hanako never asked for, and never wanted - if the relationship stays, it will be superficially friendly, but hiding a mountain of seething hatred.

So, counting the different probabilities, it would probably be Misha and Shizune - without Hisao's involvement, the other pairs only have a slim chance of survival. On the other hand, when you count Hisao's involvement, Shizune's end is the only one where Hisao is personally invested in the relationship. In other routes, he's certainly on good terms with both, but there isn't that same degree of "we'll all be together".

So, to be honest, it's relatively unlikely that any of the friendships will last long (not counting self-destructive codependency). But, among the few instances when they do survive and flourish, the prognosis and likelihood is ever so slightly higher for Shizune and Misha than the others. Not that it's great there, mind you.

[brythain]

If Hisao goes after the other girls and disappears from the picture, Hanako might even move with Lilly, since I don't recall there being anything particular in Japan that would keep her tied there, her being orphan and all. Except maybe the scary language barrier, if Lilly didn't teach Hanako any English.

I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who considers this a possibility. As for the language barrier, I imagine Hanako's English is pretty good, between her being an avid reader (a love of words often comes with a love of language) and having Lilly as a friend.

I liked this idea so much that I wrote a piece in which this eventually works out. All of it, including Hisao going after other girls. But... well, who knows, right? Enjoy.

[Linkarena]

Late to the party as usual, our hero Linkarena arrives on the scene!
To provide worthless input that's already been said before!
In my opinion, Hanako and Lilly would last the longest.

The whole Misha and Shizune thing is all ready to fall apart, what with Misha feeling so neglected all the time. The Rin and Emi thing could work but they're only really friends by coincidence, though that's not to say those kind of friendships don't work. Almost all the ones I've had have been those! wait that doesn't prove my point

But Hanako and Lilly have quite a few things tying them together. Not only Lilly's whole lack of sight deal thing going on, but also Hanako's lack of confidence and the whole scared-of-people-and-what-they-think thing. Even if Lilly moved, in my opinion it's not unlikely Hanako would follow. After all, what would tie her to Japan? Not a lot. No family, no close friends other than Lilly. Weak grasp of English? Perhaps. Then again, it doesn't seem like that much of a hurdle to stay with the one person who's really connected with you, ya know?

[gorgo]

In Rin's route i've found very sad the word she says about Emi's head "full of marshmallow and white soap" and therefore i never consider it a strong friendship.

The choice is only among Lilly/Hanako and Shizune/Misha.

But Misha's feelings for Shizune exceed the limit of friendship and in those situations is very hard to stay firm and consider nothing is happen.Also Shizune's personality don't help in this case.

Therefore are Lilly and Hanako that have the strongest relationship