u/Life-Tension-6560

There’s a pretty disturbing story related to Hanatori.

Apparently, in the original plan for Volume 8, Hanatori was supposed to abandon Renako in the mountains and even use physical violence against her. But the editor reportedly rejected the idea because they thought having an adult physically assault a minor would be going too far.

Teren apparently mentioned this in an interview from a few months ago.

I already remember Hanatori becoming really controversial in Japan because of the scene where she leaves Renako alone in the mountains in Volume 8. From what I know, there were even anti threads about her on Japanese forums.

Personally, I’m glad that idea was rejected.

It feels like Renako is the only person who allows Mai to smile genuinely — not as the version of herself she created to meet everyone else’s expectations, but as someone who’s truly happy.

It seems that the manga will end in June. The manga artist apparently posted about it on Twitter, but the tweet has since been deleted. My guess is that the artist accidentally revealed the planned ending before the official announcement and then removed the post afterward.

From what we know so far, the adaptation will most likely end around Volume 4 of the original light novel, and there are apparently only about 4 chapters left until the finale.

Even though the manga isn't serialized weekly, updates are expected to return to a weekly schedule starting next week, so it looks like the series will finish with one chapter per week until the end.

This is mentioned in the short story included with the Volume 1 Blu-ray, though parts of it were also referenced in Volume 4 of the novel.

Mai fell in love with Renako on the very first day of school.

At the time, Mai was scared that she wouldn’t be able to make friends and was quietly struggling with feelings of loneliness — even though her longtime childhood friend Satsuki was in the same class as her.

Because Mai was already a famous model, her classmates found her intimidating and had trouble approaching her naturally.

But Renako was different.

Renako walked right up to Mai and asked, “Will you be my friend?”

At that moment, the loneliness inside Mai seemed to melt away like falling snow.

On her way home that day, Mai talked to Hanatori about Renako and treated that encounter as something truly special from the very beginning.

That was when Mai experienced her first love toward the person who reached out to her first.

What makes this even more interesting is that Ajisai witnessed the moment when Renako spoke to Mai. That encounter later became one of the reasons Ajisai started becoming interested in Renako as well — but that’s a topic for another post.

On the way home from school, Kaho asks Mai if she has a boyfriend. Mai says no.

Kaho then basically goes, “If you’re free… then how about me?”

But Mai replies with: “Is what you really want actually me?”

At that moment, “lens Kaho” appears inside

Kaho’s head, shouting things like:

“Money” “Approval” “Follower count”

Then Kaho’s inner “glasses Kaho” appears and tells her: “What you really want is XX.”

After that, Mai says that what she wants is genuine “love.”

The scene feels like it’s emphasizing that both Mai and Kaho are ultimately searching for real love.

Kaho brushes aside her inner glasses Kaho with her hand and keeps walking while muttering: “Love, huh…”

Then she suddenly realizes: “Wait… did I just get rejected?”

Meanwhile, Mai laughs and crosses the street.

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Personal Thoughts

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1

Mai This bonus manga really reinforced the feeling that the only person Mai truly loves is Renako.

The only person Mai genuinely sees value in keeping by her side is also Renako. She really feels like a girl whose entire emotional world revolves around Renako.

Personally, this made me feel even more strongly that a Mai --> Satsuki direction is impossible. Even if Satsuki has been Mai’s childhood friend for 10 years, the person who actually changed Mai and made her experience love was clearly Renako, someone she’s known for less than a year.

Kaho Back in Volume 5, Kaho said she didn’t really understand love.

But this chapter makes it seem like her inner “glasses Kaho” (possibly her true self) already understands that what she actually wants is love.

Maybe Kaho’s story will also develop into something similar to Satsuki’s arc — wanting to understand what love really is.

3. Mai × Kaho

Kaho approaching Mai here felt less like genuine romantic feelings and more like she was approaching her because of things like follower count and money. Outside of that, it honestly didn’t feel like Kaho had much emotional interest in Mai herself.

And Mai basically indirectly rejects her by saying that what she wants is “real love.”

Because of that, I honestly feel like their relationship will probably stay like this until the end of the series.

Since Kaho ↔ Mai don’t really seem to have that much interest in each other, a mutual romantic relationship between them feels unlikely to happen.

After reading this episode, I also started thinking that the ending might not actually be a full five-person poly relationship.

I once saw someone say that the series might go for more of an “overlapping poly” structure instead, and after this bonus manga, that theory honestly feels even more possible to me.

Something like:

Mai - Renako - Ajisai
Kaho - Renako - Satsuki

So instead of all five being together equally, it could end up splitting into two connected three-person groups.

Especially because the official “immoral” Kaho - Renako - Satsuki doujin is apparently getting a sequel, which makes that possibility feel even more believable to me.

Mai is someone born with natural talent, while Satsuki is someone who constantly works to improve herself.

Mai is portrayed almost like a perfect existence within the story. Even after falling from the rooftop, she survives through sheer luck. Talent, luck — everything seems to naturally go her way. The author once even joked that if an ice cream machine broke, Mai would somehow be the only Quintet member who could accidentally fix it perfectly. That says a lot about how he views her character.

Of course, Mai has flaws too. Because things come easily to her, she can also be arrogant. That’s why losing to Ajisai in Volume 3 affected her so deeply and shattered her confidence in Volume 4. Satsuki feels completely different.

Satsuki is a character defined by effort. She keeps learning and pushing herself forward, which makes her feel much more realistic and human. Despite her cool appearance, she’s emotionally complicated, and even after eight volumes, it still feels difficult to fully understand what she truly thinks. The author himself described Satsuki as a character built around mystery, and I think she’s one of the most layered members of the Quintet because of that.

Mai feels idealized. Satsuki feels human.

That contrast also appears in the way they love. Mai is intuitive and easy to understand. Renako never seriously doubts that Mai loves her, and readers can clearly see Mai’s priorities as well: Renako comes first, Ajisai second.

Satsuki, on the other hand, is much harder to read. Even when the story shows her inner thoughts, it still feels impossible to fully grasp her emotions. For some readers, that mystery makes her fascinating. For others, it becomes frustrating because they want clear answers.

Even Renako assumes Satsuki could never truly love her. She believes that if Satsuki loved anyone, it would probably be Mai instead. Renako lacks confidence when it comes to Satsuki, and I think that misunderstanding is exactly where Satsuki’s internal conflict connects to Renako’s perspective. That’s probably what Volume 9 will finally address.

Their character arcs are structured very differently too. Mai’s development is mostly completed by Volume 4, which makes sense because Volumes 1–4 heavily focus on Mai and Ajisai. In many ways, the first half of the series is their story.

Satsuki’s story, meanwhile, only truly begins in Volume 5. Volume 2 introduced parts of her character, but it didn’t explore her deeply yet. The second half of the series is clearly centered around Satsuki, and her storyline is tied to Renako more than anyone else.

That’s why I think the contrast between them is completely intentional. Mai’s love story began early and reached its conclusion relatively quickly. Satsuki’s love story began much later, and even now, it’s still unfolding.

Mai is someone with natural talent.

Satsuki is someone who grows through effort.

Mai is portrayed almost like a perfect existence within the story. Even when she falls from the rooftop, she survives through sheer luck. She has talent, luck — everything seems to naturally go her way.

The author once even joked that if an ice cream machine broke, Mai would somehow be the only Quintet member who could accidentally fix it perfectly. That says a lot about how the author views her character: someone close to perfection.

Of course, Mai does have flaws. Because things come easily to her, she can also be arrogant. That’s why her defeat by Ajisai hit her so hard in Volume 3, and why she lost confidence afterward in Volume 4.

Now, about Satsuki.

Satsuki is someone who becomes a better version of herself through constant effort. In some ways, she feels much closer to a real person. Her background is surprisingly realistic, and despite her cool appearance, she’s actually very emotionally complex.

Her inner world is so complicated that even after reading the story, it still feels difficult to fully understand her before Volume 9. Because of that, I think Satsuki is one of the most layered characters among the Quintet members.

Mai feels idealized.

Satsuki feels realistic.

That’s why I see them as deliberate contrasts.

The same contrast exists in the way they love.

Mai is intuitive and easy to understand. She expresses her feelings openly enough that Renako never seriously doubts that Mai loves her.

As readers, it’s also easy for us to understand Mai’s priorities: Renako is clearly the person she loves most, while Ajisai comes second.

Satsuki, on the other hand, is difficult to read. The story shows parts of her inner thoughts, yet even then, it still feels impossible to fully grasp what she truly feels. The author himself described Satsuki as a character built around mystery.

For some readers, that mystery makes her fascinating to analyze.

For others, it may simply feel frustrating because they want clear answers already.

Even Renako herself assumes that Satsuki could never truly love her. She thinks that if Satsuki were to love anyone, it would probably be Mai instead. Renako lacks confidence when it comes to Satsuki.

But I think this is exactly where both Satsuki’s internal conflict and Renako’s misunderstanding intersect — and that’s probably something Volume 9 will finally address.

There’s also a major difference in how their character arcs are structured.

Mai completes most of her growth in Volume 4. That makes sense because her story was developed continuously throughout Volumes 1–4. In many ways, the first half of the series is fundamentally the story of Mai and Ajisai.

Satsuki’s story, meanwhile, only truly begins in Volume 5.

Volume 2 touched on her character, but it didn’t explore her deeply yet.

The second half of the series is clearly centered around Satsuki. And anyone who has read it can see that Satsuki’s storyline is deeply tied specifically to Renako more than anyone else.

I think that’s also one of the biggest pieces of foreshadowing for Volume 9.

Mai’s love story started early and reached its conclusion relatively quickly.

Satsuki’s love story started much later, and even now, it’s still unfolding.

That difference feels extremely intentional to me.

I think a lot of readers are misunderstanding Satsuki’s role in Volume 8.

Satsuki made a life-defining bet with Renako, setting Christmas as the deadline. But despite how threatening that setup sounds, she surprisingly doesn’t actually do many genuinely malicious things in Volume 8 itself.

For example, Renako assumes that Satsuki provided Hanatori with the information needed to attack her, but the epilogue later reveals that it was actually Rene who did it. That misunderstanding is explicitly corrected by the story itself.

The engagement ceremony situation also wasn’t something Satsuki intentionally orchestrated. It was another situation created by Rene.

So when you look closely, most of the chaos in Volume 8 was caused by Rene in a chain reaction, not directly by Satsuki herself.

And I think this is intentional setup by the author for a major reveal in Volume 9.

Satsuki already understands something important about Renako: the more cornered Renako becomes, the stronger she gets. We saw this as early as Volume 2. Satsuki knows Renako isn’t someone who gives up easily.

That’s why I think the “bet involving Renako’s life” is being misunderstood by readers. In reality, it may ultimately be connected to proving the legitimacy of the current three-person relationship to Rene — something that would have needed to happen eventually anyway.

I also think it’s important to look at the role the author consistently gave Satsuki throughout Volumes 3–7.

In Volume 4, Satsuki listens to Renako’s worries, helps create the opportunity for Kaho and Renako to reconcile, and ultimately pushes Renako onto the stage so she can make her own choice.

In Volume 5, Satsuki sees through Renako’s attempt to intentionally give up during the basketball game due to the emotional manipulation from the Goddess group, and she gives Renako the advice she needs to move forward. That experience becomes a major moment of growth for Renako.

In Volume 7, when Renako is confronted by the verbal abuse of her middle school bullies, Satsuki — while acting as her boyfriend — steps in to protect her. She also tracks down the address of the main bully, helping Renako finally confront and resolve her past trauma.

When you look at Satsuki’s role across the series, the author has consistently portrayed her as Renako’s advisor, supporter, and problem-solver.

That’s why I don’t think Volume 8 is the full picture.

On the surface, Volume 8 frames Satsuki almost like the final boss. But I don’t think the surface narrative is the whole story. I think Volume 9 is going to reveal the other side of her character.ㅡ

I realized that from volumes 5 to 8, there are no real one-on-one conversations between Mai and Kaho.

Because of that, Mai–Kaho might actually be the pair with the least interaction in the quintet.

Kaho once said she was a fan of Mai, but volume 4 revealed that those feelings were not completely genuine. Even when she confessed and asked Mai to date her, it was not driven by romantic feelings.

They are definitely friends, but their relationship does not really feel especially close. It feels more like they interact because they are part of the same group, rather than being the kind of close friends who openly share their true feelings with each other.

And since the author already said Kaho will not appear in volume 9, Mai and Kaho will end up going from volumes 5 through 9 with barely any meaningful one-on-one conversations after volume 4.

Since Hanatori is a gag character, one might question whether such a deep analysis is even necessary. Still, it is worth examining her behavior more closely.

Her hostility toward Renako begins almost instantly—within a second of their first meeting. From Renako’s perspective, she is being threatened by an adult more than ten years older despite it being their first encounter. From Hanatori’s perspective, however, she is directing clear hostility toward a minor she has never even spoken to.

This raises an important question: why does she hate Renako so intensely?

A straightforward explanation is that Hanatori is an extreme supporter of the Mai–Satsuki pairing and sees Renako as an intruder. The story itself presents this reasoning. However, considering that her hostility arises before any conversation or understanding of Renako’s character, this explanation alone feels insufficient.

Other possibilities can also be ruled out. It cannot be due to Renako’s personality, since Hanatori has never interacted with her. Nor can it be due to her appearance; in the BD extra story, the omniscient narration describes Renako as above average in attractiveness—if not model-level, still clearly pretty.

After eliminating these factors, the answer seems to lie in the fundamental difference between Hanatori and Renako.

Renako is the same age as Mai and over ten years younger than Hanatori. She represents youth, potential, and a stage of life at its brightest. More importantly, Mai is romantically interested in her. This point appears to be central to Hanatori’s emotions—leading to jealousy.

This interpretation is further supported by questioning whether Hanatori is truly a Mai–Satsuki supporter in the first place.

While she appears to favor both Mai and Satsuki, her feelings are not equally balanced. In reality, she is a “Mai-centric” supporter: her attachment is primarily directed toward Mai, and Satsuki is valued mainly as Mai’s partner rather than as an individual. In other words, she does not genuinely prioritize Satsuki’s happiness.

Thus, Hanatori does not love the pairing itself so much as she prioritizes Mai’s happiness above all else. Her worldview is entirely centered around Mai—this can be seen as the core of her character.

From this perspective, her excessive hatred toward Renako becomes easier to understand.

Hanatori has long convinced herself that the Mai–Satsuki relationship represents Mai’s happiness. In reality, however, this may have been Hanatori’s own form of emotional satisfaction, projected onto Mai.

Then Renako appears—a person whom Mai genuinely develops romantic feelings for.

The emotion that arises from this situation can most plausibly be understood as jealousy.

What Hanatori does not have, Renako possesses.

Someone asked me to upload it, so I brought the highest-quality image I could find.

Satsuki & Renako were illustrated by Eku Takeshima,

and Kaho & Renako were illustrated by Musshu.