I've been thinking about why Masumi doesn't want to date Azuki, even though he doesn't dislike him (in fact, he likes him). If they were to date, he would be in the same category as all the other women who dated Azuki and then broke up with him quickly. I think that because he's special, he can't bring himself to "date" him; he feels he's not the same as them, and that's something he won't compromise on. It's as if he doesn't see any value in the easy title (dating) that anyone can get just by saying "I like you." Looking at Azuki's dating history, it's clear that staying in the same category as before (friends) is the best way for him to stay by her side for a long time. From the moment they met, Masumi considered Azuki to be "within his range (potential romantic partner)," and this remained unchanged even after their long friendship (though he honestly seems to think romance is a hassle, lol). Having witnessed Azuki's long history of "liking someone immediately when they like him, getting rejected, and crying," even when the "ski resort magic" happened, he probably thought, "Azuki's straight anyway, so even if it starts as a one-night stand, it'll end quickly" ⇒ "I don't want to start if it means being categorized the same as all the other women he's been with." I can also imagine why, despite not giving a verbal answer , he ended up accepting Azuki's feelings. Judging from the description, Azuki had always been shocked and cried when rejected, but never tried to stop them (respecting their wishes and not clinging to them). But this time, even when Masumi said "no," Azuki didn't back down, stopped him, and told him "I love you," something he had never said before. Perhaps he accepted him because he gave him a clearly different response than the other women he had been with before (= he didn't give up even when rejected).
If there is a sequel, we got to see Masumi's jealousy this time (in his meddling mode), so I'd like to see Azuki's jealousy. I'd also like to see Masumi's close childhood friend appear. I'd be happy if his first love (who is still his friend) was the same person. Also, Azuki's past statement that "it takes a lot of courage to confess your feelings to someone who's been your friend for so long" will come back to haunt them later on, and I wonder what kind of sex it was when Azuki was covered in kiss marks the second time!? Did he find out the first time that Azuki doesn't remember when he's drunk, and then the second time he got possessive...? I can enjoy even the smallest details like these.
I've been thinking about why Masumi doesn't want to date Azuki, even though he doesn't dislike him (in fact, he likes him).
If they were to date, he would be in the same category as all the other women who dated Azuki and then broke up with him quickly. I think that because he's special, he can't bring himself to "date" him; he feels he's not the same as them, and that's something he won't compromise on. It's as
if he doesn't see any value in the easy title (dating) that anyone can get just by saying "I like you."
Looking at Azuki's dating history, it's clear that staying in the same category as before (friends) is the best way for him to stay by her side for a long time.
From the moment they met, Masumi considered Azuki to be "within his range (potential romantic partner)," and this remained unchanged even after their long friendship (though he honestly seems to think romance is a hassle, lol). Having witnessed Azuki's long history of "liking someone immediately when they like him, getting rejected, and crying," even when the "ski resort magic" happened, he probably thought, "Azuki's straight anyway, so even if it starts as a one-night stand, it'll end quickly" ⇒ "I don't want to start if it means being categorized the same as all the other women
he's been with." I can also imagine why, despite not giving a verbal answer
, he ended up accepting Azuki's feelings. Judging from the description, Azuki had always been shocked and cried when rejected, but never tried to stop them (respecting their wishes and not clinging to them). But this time, even when Masumi said "no," Azuki didn't back down, stopped him, and told him "I love you," something he had never said before. Perhaps he accepted him because he gave him a clearly different response than the other women he had been with before (= he didn't give up even when rejected).
If there is a sequel, we got to see Masumi's jealousy this time (in his meddling mode), so I'd like to see Azuki's jealousy. I'd also like to see Masumi's close childhood friend appear. I'd be happy if his first love (who is still his friend) was the same person.
Also, Azuki's past statement that "it takes a lot of courage to confess your feelings to someone who's been your friend for so long" will come back to haunt them later on, and I wonder what kind of sex it was when Azuki was covered in kiss marks the second time!? Did he find out the first time that Azuki doesn't remember when he's drunk, and then the second time he got possessive...? I can enjoy even the smallest details like these.