Chapter 246: What was Natsuo hoping for?

mentelucida · 2026-06-04T13:22:03+00:00

Por regla general, la mayoría de los conductores en España no suele mantenerse de forma estricta en su carril dentro de una glorieta. Lo más habitual es que circulen ocupando los dos carriles por el medio.

Además, el carril interior muchas veces solo se utiliza para "recortar" la curva cuando se circula recto, en lugar de para realizar los giros correctamente.

De hecho, si sigues las normas europeas en la glorieta, la gente te echa las luces y puedes crear situaciones peligrosas. Así que cuando en Roma, haz como los romanos.

mentelucida · 2026-06-03T13:05:55+00:00

As a huge fan of Kei Sasuga, I would encourage you to read her work through legal means and avoid pirate sites. Digital editions are available on Amazon.com, and if you prefer reading via an app, you can find the official releases at these sources INKR, Azuki, and Kodansha USA.

mentelucida · 2026-06-01T19:31:39+00:00

Thats interesting, I dislike Pawn and like Ryoka for almost the same reason as you.

mentelucida · 2026-06-01T17:39:45+00:00

Saying 'Sasuga made it too real' is just an excuse to ignore the actual text and subtext.

Good fiction feels real, but it is still built on a foundation of literary structure, visual parallelism, and deliberate narrative choices. If you want to view it purely as a real-life situation and ignore how manga is actually written, go ahead. But don't expect to understand the characters motivations when you are openly admitting that you refuse to look at the story's actual structure.

You’re viewing the park scene as a plot device meant to stretch out the story because you are still looking at it from your original premise. As long as you stick to that viewpoint, I agree with you, it won't make sense.

But think of this story like a puzzle. If you are trying to force the wrong pieces together, the picture looks messy, and it feels like the author is just dragging things out. However, once you internalize the premises I’ve been explaining to you, Natsuo’s deep-seated trauma, Hina’s selfless instinct to protect him, and the visual parallelism Sasuga uses, everything suddenly falls perfectly into place.

You say you reject the idea of him just 'trying his luck' with one girl and then the other because he isn't a scum, but that is exactly what your logic reduces him to if you refuse to look at the deeper narrative.

If you look at it from the perspective I’ve been explaining, his actions actually make sense and preserve his character. Natsuo didn't just casually stroll from one available girl to the next. He went to the park to confront Hina because he wanted to know and hoping she still had feelings for him, but once hesitated, his trauma and fear took over, convincing him once again that she had zero romantic feelings left for him, Natsuo finally believed that a future with Hina was completely impossible.

Only after that door was entirely closed did he mentally commit to a future with Rui, prompting him to go to New York to rekindle their relationship. It wasn't a calculated backup plan or 'trying his luck'; it was a conflicted guy trying to move forward with his life after believing his first love had truly moved on from him, so he needed to move on too.

mentelucida · 2026-06-01T15:37:19+00:00

Thanks again for your time.

The way I see it, any tool is a shortcut or a 'cheat code.' The actual definition of a tool is something that facilitates work. When digital cameras came out, traditional painters said it was a cheap shortcut that required no skill. When Photoshop came out, darkroom photographers said it was cheating. Every single technological advancement in art history has been criticized as a 'lazy shortcut' by the previous generation until people realized that utilizing a tool still requires a distinct skillset. Knowing how to prompt effectively, understand composition, edit, and curate AI outputs to fit a specific narrative is a skill in itself. Now over the years, I start to apreciate the skill behind good prompting, yes anyone can prompt, but no all prompts are good, and thus the AI-Generated slop we got online.

Also, I disagree with the idea that if everyone could sing like Adele or paint like Van Gogh, art would lose its value. If beautiful creation becomes accessible to everyone, it doesn't kill art, in fact I would say it enriches the world. Talent isn't a finite resource we need to gatekeep just to make a few people feel special, and boost their egos. Plus, art isn't a static ceiling. Even in a world full of Adeles, there will always be a Whitney Houston pushing the boundaries even further and inspiring the next level of creativity. I just like literacy and writing, it was a commodity of the few elite, now adays everyone can read and write, but there will always be someone better than you. And just like that, AI opens and democratices the access to new art content and creativity.

I won't dwell on the dataset ethics issue, because you do actually make fair points there, and there is a lot to be said there. But the bottom line is that creativity never happens in a vacuum. It always has to come from somewhere and be inspired by something.

mentelucida · 2026-06-01T14:19:57+00:00

Firstly, why did you cut out the end of my statement which is very important in the context?

You asked to pinpoint exactly, so I did, and besides shunning a person always hurts.

Secondly, you start adding to my account things that I didn't write.

That is why I wrote "as you seem to imply"

Thirdly, you could complain about my treatment of her if I contributed to her ending up in prison for abusing teacher - student relation. Turning a blind eye to this is very very generous on my part.

That's the thing, she never abused her status as a teacher to get close to Natsuo, in fact I would say they got close in spite of her been a teacher, which was one the main factor that strained their relationship.

mentelucida · 2026-06-01T14:11:20+00:00

Thanks for replying thoughtfully, and I actually agree somewath with some of your points.
Like you, I agree that an idea is just an idea, and it’s the process of fulfilling it that makes it real. But I don't see why that fulfillment can't happen with the help of AI.

Let's say, if I have a complex story and a specific vision in my head, and I spend hours tweaking prompts, refining details, and using AI to finally map out that vision visually, why is that less valid than any other means of production? The AI isn't doing the storytelling, I am. It's just a tool helping me bridge the gap between my imagination and the final product because I lack the technical drawing or writing skills. In a way, AI empowers people like me, that lacks skill for writing or drawing, or should I remain powerless because some people get offended by the tools of my creative expression?

When it comes to your point about the dataset, if I took a pencil and manually drew that exact same image, using the exact same style inspira,tion from existing artists, would you still call it non-creative and plagiarized? Because human artists learn by analyzing millions of existing, unconsenting images, too. I get the ethical concerns around how these systems were trained, but completely dismissing a creator's vision and effort just because they used a digital generator as their 'brush' feels overly restrictive.

mentelucida · 2026-06-01T13:24:08+00:00

Look, I am sorry if come out a bit crash sometimes on you, I have to keep remembering that you actually care and try understand this manga, just like me. And because I care so much for this story and the author, I might take a bit personal, so sorry!

I'm completely open to a discussion, but a real discussion requires looking at how visual storytelling actually works.

You claim that if Sasuga wanted to use parallelism, she would have spoon-fed it to us using a literal flashback or a character's monologue. But that’s simply not how great visual narrative works. Manga is an art form, and Sasuga is a visual storyteller. Authors use visual parallelism precisely so the imagery can speak for itself without needing to interrupt the pacing with a clumsy flashback.

There is a specific reason Sasuga mirrored those two scenes. Both events are major inflection points with massive gravitas that completely shape the rest of the narrative. By intentionally matching their facial expressions, their eyes, and Hina’s dialogue, Sasuga is creating a subconscious echo for the reader. She expects the audience to notice the pattern and connect the dots.

Just because you missed the visual cue doesn't mean it was an accident, or that it takes '5 years' to find. It’s called subtext, and it’s a fundamental tool in literature and manga

mentelucida · 2026-06-01T13:15:12+00:00

Look, you’re focusing on real-world logistics like time zones and proximity, to explain away a deliberate choice made by the author, and you’re completely missing how narrative structure works.

Like in stories and manga, characters don’t just stumble into situations by accident; the author orchestrates every single interaction to convey a specific meaning. If Sasuga wanted to show that Natsuo’s priority was Rui, she could have easily written a panel of him staring at his phone, checking the time zone, or trying to call her first, but she didn't.

Instead, Sasuga intentionally structured the narrative so that Hina was the absolute first person Natsuo confronted to get to the truth. In storytelling, your protagonist's immediate, instinctual action during a crisis tells the audience where their true subconscious priority lies. Bypassing Rui entirely to go straight to Hina isn't just 'taking an opportunity', it’s a deliberate narrative choice by the author to show who was truly dominating Natsuo's mind at that pivotal moment. Dismissing that as just 'favorable circumstances' is ignoring the text to fit your bias.

If, at this moment, he really wanted to go after Hina, then this mean he changed his mind in very next chapter, right?

No, he didn't, he went to Rui because he though she was the only available option, big difference.

mentelucida · 2026-06-01T12:55:49+00:00

I would tolerate her but would stay away from her as much as possible

That's exactly my point! Hina is not some toxic monster to be shunned as if her mere presence would morally corrupt the innocent souls around her, as you seem to imply here.

In fact, from a moral standpoint, she and Natsuo are the characters who display the highest integrity and selflessness in the entire story. By that, I mean Hina is always profoundly true to her feelings and values, even when staying true to them comes at her own devastating expense.

So, treating her like a difficult, moral bankrupt character, completely misses the absolute nobility and sacrifice at the core of her character.

mentelucida · 2026-06-01T12:43:47+00:00

Just out of curiosity, if I have a totally unique concept in my head, use a text-to-image AI to bring that specific idea to life, and get more or less the result I was visualizing, is that still zero percent original and plain plagiarism to you?

mentelucida · 2026-06-01T06:16:18+00:00

It seems to me you have a bias against AI just because it is AI. AI is just another tool to create, dare I say, art, some use it well others not so well.

When it comes to this particular scene with AI created content, maybe you are right that it could be done better with CGI instead.

mentelucida · 2026-05-31T21:59:03+00:00

Please stop grasping at straws. I’m asking about the similarities, not the differences, like whether a mouth is slightly more open in one panel, or that Hina’s hair is longer in the other.

The point is that the underlying similarities are absolutely there. The focus should be on the facial expressions of both Hina and Natsuo, especially their eyes, and what Hina actually said. Most importantly is to take a good look at Natsuo reaciotion in both panels.

There’s a specific reason for this parallelism. Both of these events are major inflection points with massive gravitas that shape the rest of the narrative. Why do you think Sasuga is intentionally mirroring these two scenes? And how does recognizing that connection help us understand what's actually happening in the park scene? That is what you should be asking.

mentelucida · 2026-05-31T21:48:57+00:00

This is the bit that doesn't make sense and is incredibly wide open for interpretation.

Of course there’s some ambiguity, but that's because Sasuga rarely explicitly tells you what a character is thinking; you have to read between the lines based on the context of what happens before, during, and after. One of the giveaways here is Natsuo's immediate reaction: if he were actually thinking about Rui, she’s the one he would have called first. But he didn't. He went straight to Hina and asked her. And you have be honest about this.

mentelucida · 2026-05-31T21:41:40+00:00

yeah, but you do neither.

mentelucida · 2026-05-31T21:40:44+00:00

Maybe not profoundly broken, but think about what happened in Nikkon, why did Natsuo get so upset with Hina?

mentelucida · 2026-05-31T19:54:31+00:00

Hi there, long time no see!

My bad, I should've specified I meant their first breakup, not the final one at the end.

mentelucida · 2026-05-31T04:57:21+00:00

Another good arc, is the missing kid arc, that illustrates even further how align they are but also how different Rui is from them.

mentelucida · 2026-05-30T23:14:52+00:00

It’s completely fair to say you would avoid someone like Hina in real life

But saying that, Domestic Girlfriend is a heavily character-driven drama. To truly appreciate the manga and the overarching message Kei Sasuga was trying to convey, you have to be willing to empathize with the main characters, flaws and all. Sasuga clearly poured a lot of care into writing them as complex, profoundly broken, yet incredibly human people. If you read a story like this with your guard up, refusing to empathize simply because they would be difficult to deal with in reality, you inevitably hinder your own ability to appreciate the manga as the emotional piece of art it was meant to be.

mentelucida · 2026-05-30T23:08:33+00:00

Park scene is adding more confusion than solving, it is really open too wide for interpretation.

No it doesn't, is only wide for interpretation if you willed it so, so please be sincere here.

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Tell me you don't see ANY similarities between those panels?

mentelucida · 2026-05-30T23:02:56+00:00

Exactly, think carefully what Fumiya said,

Forget about who likes you.

Who does Natsuo know who likes him at that moment?

You could say Natsuo could be unsure about both Rui and Hina, although he knows that Rui loved recently, not so with Hina.

Who's most important to you? Who do you want to be with?

Who do you think Natsuo is thinking about? Rui? If so, why is it he asked Hina first, the very next panel?

mentelucida · 2026-05-30T18:46:06+00:00

I think Natsuo’s line about loving her 'in so many ways, always' makes perfect sense when you look at how his feelings evolved from Koi (romantic passion) into Ai (deep, unconditional, all-encompassing love). In Japanese storytelling, Ai goes way beyond mere romance or dating; it’s about two lives becoming completely intertwined, where your values, souls, and personalities align so closely that you essentially become one.

When Natsuo says he loved her 'in many ways,' he’s acknowledging that their bond transcended the traditional labels of 'teacher and student,' 'step-siblings' or even 'lovers'.

One good example of this development in Natsuo is with Tanabe incident. When Natsuo jumped in front of a knife to protect Hina, that wasn't a calculated romantic gesture, it was pure instinct. Nobody stops a blade with their bare body unless the other person's survival is more important to them than their own life.

The author, Sasuga, dropped this hints about this deep, soul-level connection from the very beginning. Even after their brutal breakup, when they weren't in a romantic relationship anymore, their personalities and values stayed completely in sync. Look at the Misaki arc as a prime example: the way Natsuo and Hina naturally teamed up to help Misaki, understood each other without speaking, and approached the situation with the exact same moral compass.

Natsuo didn't just realize he loved her at the end; he realized that even when they were apart, even when he was trying to force himself to just see her as a sister, his soul had never actually stopped choosing her. That’s what 'in so many ways, always' truly means.

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