Though i agree with your points, eri still started this relationship with him, and chose fuyuki. Even if she just wanted to fit the norms of being in a heterosexual relationship, they still treated each other wrongly. But I do agree she is just a complex and realistic character, which is why I defend her too. I would say kyou is the most wrong for cheating, and there is absolutely no excuse for that. But before that, we can already see how incompatible and slightly toxic they are towards one another, and how much they hurt each other, involving fuyuki.
Absolutely agree, and there are so many ways to cheat in a relationship. Honestly, I'd even say Eri started the cheating by emotionally investing in Fuyuki over Kyou (emotional cheating is a thing). But at the same time, Kyou went into the relationship knowing Eri would put her connection with Fuyuki first, so is it really cheating if it’s something they both understood and agreed on from the beginning? Hard to say.
Right!! They both hurt each other. eri mightve acted selfish to kyou due to fuyuki (which i acknowledge that it was her fault), but at the same time, kyou was well aware of how much theyve been through together. So being jealous bc of it and venting out your frustration by cheating on your girl is just not it.
a lot of people are being too hard on eri. most people reading yuri are probably sapphic, and we all know how deeply ingrained compulsory heterosexuality is. at the very least, eri is honest enough to recognize her feelings, a lot of women spend their entire lives in denial. she’s such a nuanced, realistic character, and i think her portrayal is beautifully complex. it’s important to have characters like her because they show how difficult it can be to navigate these feelings in a world that pressures women to conform. it seems like both main characters are lesbians, not just sapphic, which makes their experience even more challenging. our world is so centered around men, and a sexuality that exists completely outside that structure is uncomfortable for many. having these characters allows us to see how messy and painful the journey toward self-acceptance can be, and i really hope eri can live authentically and find the freedom to be herself (๑•ㅂ•)و✧.
additionally, senpai mentioned that she likes both boys and girls, so there’s some bi or pan representation, which is great. but i think this might be part of why she’s a bit disconnected from what eri is going through and a little insensitive. from her dating history, it seems pretty clear to me that eri’s a lesbian, and that truth is harder to come to terms with than being bi or pan (i’m pan myself). being bi or pan means you still have options—you can exist within the societal framework that prioritizes men to some extent. for eri, though, accepting that she’s a lesbian means fully stepping outside of that framework, which is a lot scarier and more isolating. it’s not just about who she’s attracted to, it’s about rejecting the expectations placed on her by a world that centers around men. the stakes feel much higher for her because she has no “safety net” of fitting in with those norms. just my two cents, though.