Osananajimi to wa Rom-Com ni Naranai Vol 15,16 - Akari and Shio?! Oriana was adorable.
Volumes 15 and 16 of Osananajimi to wa Rom-Com ni Naranai (幼馴染とはラブコメにならない), continue right from where we left off, with Yonosuke being chased by the newspaper club in search of a scoop. Meanwhile, his complicated relationship with Akari worsens due to a series of misunderstandings involving the other girls.
The first issue is resolved quite easily through the intervention of Runa. She temporarily drops her "acting cute" persona and goes all out by threatening the newspaper club members with compromising photos that would get them expelled. You should never mess with Runa; she certainly knows how to handle people.
The second problem is more complicated because Yonosuke does not want to date anyone just yet, despite realizing that he likes Akari. The reason is that he does not want to damage their childhood friendship, which he fears would be strained by such a decision. This creates a series of misunderstandings that cause the two of them to grow apart.
Then the school trip arrives, bringing the inevitable "date with each heroine" moments. The free time during the trip is divided into slots, giving each heroine her time to shine. There are plenty of cute scenes here, and I especially loved the moments with Oriana, which really show what an innocent girl she is.
There is also plenty of fun to be had with Kozue. She remains the most entertaining heroine in the story as she continues to mistake Yonosuke’s words for declarations of love. However, because she is a teacher and cannot date him, she performs such mental gymnastics that she even has a resignation letter ready just in case.
Eventually, the misunderstandings with Akari are resolved, and she learns that Yonosuke is in love with her, even if they cannot date right now. That seems to be enough for them for the time being, but I feel this is a dangerous path because it protracts the uncertainty and puts even more strain on the other heroines.
During the school trip, we also see a small segment where Shio meets her father. Her parents divorced long ago, and Shio always believed she was the cause. It turns out her father still loves her, but he cannot meet her until he resolves his gambling problem. I am conflicted here; while it is nice to see he loves his daughter, he still has the same problem after all these years.
While this is happening, Yonosuke also starts to realize that he has feelings for Shio, making him even more confused about what to do. He does not seem entirely set on Akari, so the competition is technically still ongoing. It is a shame, really, because Akari is clearly the best heroine. I am totally not biased, believe me.
Volume 16 ends with Shio trying to get a private study lesson with Yonosuke. However, once she realizes that Akari is the one he loves, she agrees to form a study group instead. This will be the focus of the next volume, and I am wondering what will happen. Will Shio realize that the game is still on and that Yonosuke could be swayed in her direction?
