The rape scene was handled poorly. If it pushes the plot forward or even just ties in with...

The rape scene was handled poorly. If it pushes the plot forward or even just ties in with the natural progression of the story and character development, then I usually don't mind it. But here, if you remove the rape scene, you wouldn't even notice. They had been building up the trust and friendship between them, and deepening that with Tomo's confession felt like the next natural step. Then BAM rape! It felt like the editor stepped in and said "let's add in a quick rape scene here because rape sells well." It felt disingenuous and out of left field. At the very least they could have made some effort to tie it into the masochistic play they kept hinting at.

The rest of the story was really cute, but the timing of the rape scene at such a crucial moment in the plot overshadowed it for me, which is too bad. It stole the thunder of his confession which I had been looking forward to and anticipating for multiple chapters.

Not shaming anyone with a rape kink, I know it's hella common, and goddess knows I've got my own messed up kinks too. Just wanted to comment on it from a storytelling perspective.