FINALLY!!! He finally admitted he cares about him without being an ass about it. Asking his family to be Morinaga's family and to look out for him just melted my heart. It was worth the wait for that moment. Also the way he just goes with the flow so much now and only offers a token protest before giving in to Morinaga so sweetly.
It would be nice if mangago went back to letting us report specific things more easily. Someone keeps reuploading the old chapters plus they are out of order. It makes it hard to find the actual updates.
To be fair, Senpai has told Morinaga that he cares for him and he's even considered him to be like family since they moved houses together after the fire
True but this wasn't to just Morinaga. This was said to other people who matter to Senpai. It's the first time he was open about how he felt about Morinaga to others and it's something that we've been waiting for, a long time.
Reread volume 8 especially the last chapter but I definitely recommend rereading the whole chapter if don’t remember. He clearly cares for him not just about others. Idk if I sounded mean but I just finished rereading that chapter and I’m very much content with how things are going. Of course, senpai hasn’t clearly said “I love you” but it’s just days of their lives. Idk when will get that but for now I’m happy.
The whole volume***
I think you are misunderstanding what I'm saying. Yes Senpai has made his feelings clear to Morinaga before but he's never flat out said to his own family that Morinaga is family. Senpai's family treats Morinaga like family but that was on their own choice because they like him. Having Senpai be the one to state out loud to them how important Morinaga is, is different than the previous ways he's treated Morinaga in front of his family and friends. That is progress.
This chapter was soooooo SHORT! I'm use to the chapters not being super long but this felt so abrupt. I still love it though. This was so flirty but subtle.
"I think you should throw more fuel on the fire though" - Souichi
This is the level of savage I aspire to. I love how this chapter shows such growth in their relationship. Coming with the family to spend Obon means you are either family or as close as family. Souichi basically told Morinaga that he's a part of his family. Then there at the end he told him it's okay to cut off his parents because he has Souichi's family plus Morinaga's friends to be there for him. The fact that he mentions himself separate from Morinaga's friends is also very telling even if he didn't intend it to come out that way. He placed his own importance as separate from Morinaga's friends even after so many years of insisting they were just roommates and friends.
We have waited well over a decade for this level of development and it's so good!
I love how you detailed it this way. They really have come so far.
Oh for reals. I've been reading this manga for more than a decade now too. Lol. Just re-read the whole thing again and I understood more about their relationship and how Souichi really feels. I think it's because I'm way more mature now that I'm in my late 20s compared to when I started reading this as a teenager.
Souichi was serious when he asked Morinaga out. To him, "stay by my side" is more than just dating. It's about being life partners, confidantes, and family. Sure it's still funny how he feels shy about being lovey-dovey and he's not that honest about what he feels but he's serious about his relationship with Morinaga. Sometimes, he just doesn't have a lot of experience or awareness about dating and romance.
Sometimes we, the readers, don't get the whole story. After all, we usually watch events happen from Morinaga's pov. And he doesn't always have the most positive and hopeful ideas about their relationship. He can sometimes overlook what Souichi is saying between the lines. Plus, the author definitely skips out on drawing some scenes like how M&S talk on a regular basis even when apart, how they go out to eat/visit tourist spots/walk/go shopping/etc., or even how much they talk to each other. After all, we know that Morinaga has a lot of friends but we rarely see those sides of the story as well. So a big part of their relationship is up to the readers to fill out as headcanons.
I'm super excited for the next chapter and the next arc. We probably don't see Souichi say "i love you" but he does show and imply it through actions or other things he would say. See you all back here after 2 months. Lol
Thanks for the info! They have come so far
I agree. There are so many facets of their relationship we are not privy too. Souichi wouldn't have asked Morinaga to stay if he didn't have strong feelings for him. He hasn't reached the point of being honest with himself nor Morinaga but as you said he also has extremely limited when it comes to romance. His mother passed away and his brother's relationship is in another city and later another country. He himself professes to not have time for that type of thing.
The subtext comes through more clearly as the story progresses. I've been reading this as long as everyone else and I've basically grown up with this story (and a few others) even though I'm an "older" adult now.
We would love for everything to be black and white so that we can clearly say what is right and wrong in their relationship but that isn't realistic. Their relationship feels like something that could actually happen (to a degree) and that is a change from the standard BL fare.
Yesss
Thank you for the chapter! It's very appreciated. Some of us are hopeless at Japanese so we rely on you lovely translators.
We'll probably be reading this for at least 10 more years and I can't even be mad about it.
You are so real for that and no offense Chinese manga are known for having the longest chapters ever in existence.
I read straight and BL. Skip Beat (shoujo) came out in 2002 and I'm still reading it because it's still ongoing. I've been reading the BL Koisuru Boukun since 2011-2012 or so and it's also still ongoing. I rarely read ongoing fanfics but I have a long list of ongoing manga and webtoons that I started before I decided no more ongoing stuff. Now I just add stuff to my "currently reading" list so I get updates. Then I start them once they are completed. Doesn't help with the tons I had already started though. I started 19 Days before I swore off incomplete work so I'm stuck anticipating every chapter.
I just hope Old Xian doesn't outlive me because I can't die not knowing how it all ends...
Same! I've actually read a few stories where the mangaka has passed away and the stories will never be finished.
Omg. That's very sad :(((
I really enjoyed all of the humor but it's frustrating that the second couple got more "screen time" than the main couple did. I'm not too fond of a grown man in his mid 30's and who is also a cop dating a high school senior even if he does turn 20 before they do anything. It would probably bother me less if he was already in college or he wasn't friends with the main couple. I really wanted more of the main couple and feel like we got short changed.
It's just a basic oneshot but it has a nice premise and it's cute. I've read it several times over the years.
Just a reminder that this chapter exists. Yes Senpai is very standoffish but in this chapter and the ones before and after it he makes it clear that other than the first time it's always been a choice. He is the one that initiates things in this chapter. He also says that he has trouble expressing things and at one point he gets frustrated that he can't explain his feelings in a way that he thinks is understandable. The manga has made it pretty clear that Senpai has basically no relationship experience. He reminds me a lot of Sherlock in his single minded pursuit of knowledge. Things like sexual desire and romantic interests are second to his great passion for research. Senpai objects but gives in and you eventually realize that he becomes horribly embarrassed when it comes to sex and romantic things.
When it comes down to him truly angering or possibly losing Morinaga though he drops his tsundere wall because Morinaga means that much to him. We as fans have spent over a decade reading their story but in their timeline it's been barely a year since their relationship has changed. For someone like Senpai it's a lot for him to accept loving a man and having a sexual relationship with one. Yes this is fiction and there are a lot of yaoi tropes but in some very minor ways there are things that follow a more realistic view. Obviously the violence and anger would not be healthy in a real life relationship but setting that aside the confusion, self hate, and lashing out are pretty common when someone is dealing with the idea that they are or might be queer after always believing they were straight. Senpai's internalized homophobia is made worse by the assault he was the victim of. I would like to see more progress and less violence from Senpai but I can be patient as long as our dear mangaka continues to give us chapters.
This! I love how well written this whole comment is. Thank you so much fellow reader
We got a tiny glimpse into brother Qiu's backstory! It would be nice if we get some chapters of him and boss man getting closer