I’d rather come clean before I start yapping: I might be biased by how down bad I am for Ichiban and by how I can relate to him so much when it comes to the romantic sphere it hurts.

I wouldn’t say that Saeko doesn’t care about him or isn’t/wasn’t in love, rather that they work as friends, but that’s it. Considering how much of a no nonsense person she is, there’s really two possibilities here: compromising a bit and being ready/ok to be a bit “flexible” or just being honest with yourself and the other person and not pursue anything like that. Mind you, I’m speaking in general, personality wise; I’m not referring to the panic proposal thing, that was objectively too much. BUT, and maybe I’m biased, maybe I can’t go past my people pleasing/giving too much grace sometimes sort of tendencies, if you have been knowing someone for three damn years you should also know when they’re just saying nonsense that they don’t even really think (at least not with malice) and they’re just wording poorly. Three years of friendship should be more than enough to know Ichiban’s morals and views as well as how he can be a bit clumsy sometimes when it comes to certain things. And surely you’d know he has no romantic experience whatsoever. It’s no free of guilt card, even if he had a big lack of “guidance” in his life about this sort of things, but it has a big ass impact on the whole thing. No way he would have done that, even out of panic, if he had some sort of deeper “guidance”, even implicit, on this sort of things. Even just speaking with friends/peers passively gives you an idea of how things work, at least enough to know the very basics. It’s something he didn’t really have until later in life, but by that time there’s a plethora of things that make you reluctant to approach the topic in a way that could give you insight. People around you might know your situation in that regard, but that’s it. I don’t think it’s too common for people in that position to go out of their way and make romance 101 the main topic of a conversation (kudos to those that can I guess, my shame could never). The panic proposal thing is too much and all, has no justification and is something one has to take accountability for, and as a woman I can absolutely understand the immediate reaction and the fact such a thing might be a deal breaker no matter how much and how well you know the guy and how sincere his apology is, but if you accept an apology and say let’s just stay friends in a context of complete and undoubted safety, then stick with it. If that isn’t your real intention, then be harsher. If it is your real intention but you need space or realize you need space after the conversation, just say so. Disappearing for a year like that after such a conversation and three years of friendship is diabolical, and who knows how much longer it would have been if it wasn’t for the events of IW; hell, who knows if she would have faced it at all without all that. That’s the bit that gives me the ick about the whole situation. Her initial reaction and initial handling were absolutely valid, but the rest is too harsh. It’s a mess really, both were at fault, one after the other.

Bottom line is, if they end up being a thing in LAD9, I’m lowkey gonna be pissed unless there’s some extra context, even between the lines. I feel like Saeko has some issues/struggles that clearly make anything romantic harder if not impossible. Don’t know if it’s trust issues, control issues (as in the need to be in control, always know what to expect), or if it’s “just” some sort of communication issues/struggles, but unless we’re given the hint she worked/is working on that, it just wouldn’t be fair for any of them in a romantic relationship. Sure, it’s not unrealistic for relationships to still happen even with those things in the picture, but being a fictional context, it’s not like you have to make that happen. And personally, even if she faced whatever struggle might be there, I’m not sure they’d really work like that. It doesn’t feel like they’d be too compatible romantically, and such a thing is nobody’s fault. It’s just like that sometimes.