sadslime's manga / #slice of life(21)

Bookstore owner Azuma is used to getting dumped for his addiction to sex shop services, but when his younger coworker Shu (aka Robo-kun) confesses to him despite this, he can't help but wonder why. Shu gradually wins Azuma over with his personality gap and excellent sex skills, and Azuma finds it harder and harder to find reasons they shouldn't date. Second story involves the school idol deciding to force a boy he's interested in into a relationship to avoid the overbearing attention of all his female fans and is full of wacky hijinks.

Segura gives up on things too easily, but when he becomes interested in the new transfer student Arochi, he begins to find new inspiration to chase his dreams, both of studying rockets and of finding love. They have a cute, sweet relationship with a slow build that makes for a gentle love story.

Yamato goes to get his master's favorite disciple Ietettsu only to find he's not quite the pious monk he was expecting, but as they journey together, he begins to appreciate Ietettsu's carefree nature and maybe desire more. A very cute boy love with no direct nudity and only one implied sex scene. No trigger warnings.

Hashimoto (online name aaaaa) is always complaining about his demon boss Shirase to his best in-game friend, UMA. But when the two arrange for a real world meetup, low and behold, UMA is his boss and Hashimoto feels super awkward about it. But Shirase doesn't want to lose his one good friend, and they end up gaming together a lot. So cute and fluffy, no trigger warnings.

Geologist and professor Bent meets a young boy, Iris, who eats gemstones to survive, and the two begin traveling together. But Bent knows more about Iris than he lets on, and Iris has been targeted for his ability in the past and may be again. This story was fine as a slice of life, but not especially compelling to me. Trigger warnings: genocide, kidnapping, trafficking, lying.

Young gay Daiki runs into a strange cafe in the red light district looking for some shady, quick cash, but instead he ends up discovering that the gloomy owner Miharu and his sexy alter ego that he uses to help out young gays who run into trouble. Daiki falls in love and starts working at Miharu's cafe while also encouraging him to intervene when someone needs help. This chronicles several stories of Miharu's liasons before he ends up with Daiki. Trigger warnings: lying, manipulation, noncon, sex work, drugs, stalking, violence, threat of murder/suicide.

Kosuke and Haruka are a happily married alpha/omega couple with two young kids, Marin and Yosuke, and this shows some of their life. Kosuke runs a construction company, while Haruka works from home, and both seem to have some trauma from their past but are trying to make a better upbringing for their kids. So far light on background details and plot, but it has enough to be interesting. Trigger warning: sexual harassment.

Yuuki and Akira are students at different schools who met while playing the game of walking on the white line on the road. Akira fell in love first, and this manga covers their lives as they go from silly teens to lovey dovey college students to working men struggling with the realities of life who ultimately find each other again. A very sweet story that is almost guaranteed to make you cry a few tears, but is absolutely worth it. Trigger warning: possible cheating.

Hideo and Tomohisa have been dating for several years now, and after doing long-distance while Tomohisa was in medical school, they're finally living together and life seems perfect. But when Hideo's family becomes increasingly pushy about him getting married, he comes out to them suddenly then gets told he's only pitying Tomohisa and begins to doubt his feelings. While they're still dealing with this, Tomohisa is offered a position in Germany, further pulling the two apart, despite their desires to be together. Honestly, this one is pretty good, but I had a hard time wrapping my head around the central conflict they were having. Also the last chapter, 8.1, is a little abrupt and upsetting for some. Trigger warning: homophobia.

Ch.1-2 - Rose-colored Research with the Flower Eater - Kuzunoha has been trying to create the "shining rose" ever since he offered one to his childhood love only to have her inexplicably eat it, but he's run out of funding. Enter Mitsurou, his new benefactor and Kuzunoha's first love in fact who happens to be a flower-eater (associated with vampires in Japan) who has always been searching for the taste of the delicious flower from that time. No trigger warnings. Ch.3 - Congenital WILD! - Tatsuhiko has always lived by instinct, and this time his instincts are drawing him to his basketball teammate, the popular Kokami. No trigger warnings. Ch.4 - So Happy? - Atsushi was happily married for one month before his wife left him for a host saying he was too boring. Atsushi decides to get his revenge on that host only to find that the host has misunderstood and fallen in love with him. Trigger warnings: sex work, dubcon. Ch.5-6 - Asa and Mitya - Asa is gay, Mitya is a former delinquent, and they've been a happy couple for years now. A slice of life and how they met. Trigger warning: mention of suicide.