Why did we wait so long to meet Yae’s parents? I like them. Even older sis Kasumi is cool, quickly sizing up Takumi’s unrequited love has been fulfilled…and also appraising Yae’s ring. Heh.
So with her parents’ blessing and his family’s approval, what possible roadblocks could there be for the lovebirds?
Enter the ex-girlfriend!
And just a short while later, exit the ex-girlfriend!
I’m going to lead my thoughts about this section with Tokina’s own words: “To be perfectly honest…I had plans to extend this ex-girlfriend arc a little longer. But at the time, I was feeling mentally exhausted, so I wrapped it up quickly. It’s a failure of me as a professional, so it’s quite embarrassing…I’m sorry.”
While out and about, Takumi and Yae bump into Sachi, who used to date Takumi. One of many evidently, as in a heart-to-heart Takumi had with Yae, he admits to seeing a lot of women and probably wouldn’t have been a good boyfriend to Yae even if he had confessed his feelings. Sachi seems outwardly friendly and a savvy businesswoman looking to drum up new clients for her salon, and Yae doesn’t heed Takumi’s command to ignore her. The two women meet up later, and Sachi pulls out a photo of her friend’s child and suggests Takumi is the father.
As you know from Tokina’s notes (which are after the second of the two-chapter arc), this section is wrapped up quickly, and you can guess the outcome. When I saw Sachi drop this info, I had high hopes for the direction of the story. No, I didn’t believe the child would turn out to be Takumi’s, but I thought it would be a rather unique aspect of the manga to have that worry. After all, Takumi mentions several times how popular he is and how many women have chased after him, so if he had all that fun, he also has to accept the consequences.
But the answer comes quickly and, quite frankly, if I were that child’s mother, I’d never talk to Sachi again. Quick reminder to all everyone out there: do not copy Sachi’s actions!!
So yeah, Tokina wasn’t happy with this arc, and I don’t think many readers are going to say her self-assessment is way off base. It’s not horrid, but it does feel like the story arc is missing…well, the story.
Most readers are probably into Our Fake Marriage for Takumi and the spice, and fortunately, Tokina delivers on both fronts. We see Yae a little more active in the bedroom (not as explicit as other series’ smut scenes though), and Takumi once again whisks Yae on a vacation. This time, they stay in Japan, and I like how this keeps the attention on the two of them enjoying their weekend rather than the sights of an exotic location. Excluding some of his self-brags about his dating history, Takumi is probably at his most humble and doting here, which we could see from the opening chapter with the couple’s visit to Yae’s family.
So it’s too bad the Sachi storyline brings down this volume of Our Fake Marriage. True, Tokina could have made Sachi’s arrival and meddling last too long and feel like drama for the sake of drama, and wrapping it up quickly gets back to the lovey dovey parts. But it’s still presented as a significant moment just to crumble like a sandcastle right away.