Romance is hard, especially when  you aren’t really sure if she feels as intensely about you as you do about her. Or so Kayoko believes. To make things worse, when she’s thinking she’s lost her love, an old friend whom Kayoko really cares about offers to be her girlfriend. She has to refuse.

Relationships are difficult enough, but having to deal with all your old classmates talking about getting married when you don’t feel wholly comfortable sharing your life with them, is almost intolerable. Or so Kaori thinks.

In Inui Ayu’s Teiji ni Ageretara, Volume 3 (定時にあがれたら), Kayoko struggles with unwarranted jealousy, while Kaori trying to figure out what she really wants from her life. In the end, they find one another and are able to find comfort and joy in one another’s arms.

Generally speaking, I find jealousy arcs in media to be superficial and sadly, this particular arc was even thinner than usual. Kaori was being her usual nice self to coworkers, which throws Kayoko into a tizzy. I know that this exists in the real world, but come on, they have to talk to other people sometimes. Nonetheless, I liked that Kayoko is offered an alternative choice and has to think about it. In order to say no to her friend, Kayoko must come to grips with what – and whom – she wants.

Contrarily, I usually find “being annoyed at friends getting married” arcs wholly sympathetic, but Kayori’s reticence to tell them truth (which is entirely my issue, not hers) and her lack of awareness about Kayoko’s state of mind (which was entirely her issue, not mine, ^_^) was grating on me. I was very glad that they are given time to talk things through before a gentle reconciliation, if you can even call it that.

Ratings:

Art – 7 Still a little soppy
Story – 7 Nice, quite, mostly relatable
Characters – 7 Same
Service – 0
Yuri – 7 Take a step back, then forward

Overall – 7

People’s lives together are not always high drama and this series really highlights the internal conflicts, the smalls highs and lows of a couple in love.