2025-12-25: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
i am at chapter 132 so far, out of 400+
this is a fascinating story of domestic abuse. do not be put off by the erotic parts, i assume these are just a way to attract more readership.
if shiori would be constantly abusing hazuki, hazuki would know to get away. with the support of hazuki's toxic family. she fails to become aware her tormentor only wants bad for her.
shiori's alternation of bad and good makes the abuse tolerable, tying hazuki in a relationship that is destroying her slowly.
sure, maybe hazuki's friends were shallow, but they were not destroying her mind, body, and self-esteem.
the author paints so so well the monster shiori is: more evil than a rapist or a serial murderer. the way shiori isolates hazuki, how she does her with that acted harmlessness getting to hurt hazuki deeper and deeper. this is textbook abuser training the victim like a dog to hide the abuse, to hide the whole relationship from other people that might help hazuki get out.
this becomes a fascinating story of how the government in its continuous promotion of hatred, here hatred of gay people, encourages the members of society to push the gay people to the edge of the society, to hide, leading them into relationships that can get them killed, relationships that scar them for life.
shiori is probably the worst being i have read in a novel. she is far more insidious than the alcoholic father in stephen king's shining, worse than the dead woman in /ring (1998)/ (the horror trilogy).
2025-12-30: chapter 240 maybe 3 stars is a more honest value
- the author does a lot of s&m, but there is no hint, no help telling people that way of doing s&m is dangerous
- the author seems to know a lot about the life of low tier japanese students, not so much about the life of the higher tier students
- in 240 chapters there is no hint this is pure abuse and hazuko's life can be in danger once she stops serving her abuser
- this is a good cautionary tale about so many lgbt people who equate abuse with love and endanger their lifes by living with very dangerous abusers
- i got tired of screaming in my head ”get out” at this poor lesbian