Story About Buying My Classmate Once A Week - Reviews

I got past the first arc or 2 in that novel and the mc genuinely started p*ss*ng me off. Not worth. Seems to be a great hit amongst the edgy fang yuan meat riders tho so do with that what you will

Kinky. I love it.

The beginning

So what's the difference between this and RMW?

It's good so far, but the story progresses at a very slow pace, and it takes a lot of chapters for the relationship to develop. I love seeing this kind of Yuri couple, but it's a bit disappointing that Miyagi is a Tsundere type, especially a selfish one. Even though I don't particularly like Miyagi, I still enjoy the story as they start to get closer to each other little by little. I'm still curious about how many chapters it will take for them to reach the end!

Updating after reading to Chapter 167:

The translation quality has significantly improved since my initial review and is now quite readable. There are still some grammatical errors, primarily related to sentence structure, which can make the prose feel a bit stilted and awkward. However, the text remains clearly understandable despite the occasional poorly constructed sentence.

The less common errors that can make the text hard to follow tend to occur in dialogue, particularly in translating Miyagi's curt way of speaking. Even when the words don't always make perfect sense, the overall meaning and feeling of what is being said are still conveyed effectively.

The story itself continues to get better. It's a fantastic slow-burn romance that steadily intensifies, keeping you engaged with every chapter. I was so hooked that I ended up buying all the yet-to-be-released chapters.

Previously written after reading to Chapter 58:

Himi-cat's review captures my thoughts on this work, though I might have been a bit harsher in my criticism:

- The translation quality is not just "pretty iffy—machine translation with limited editing." It's essentially machine translation with minimal or no editing by a native English speaker. I even considered offering my services as an editor, as a native English speaker could easily correct many of the grammar mistakes while reading each chapter. The most glaring issues are the male pronouns appearing in a YURI work where 99% of the pronouns should be female. Despite the poor translation, it is still readable (if you mentally edit as you go), and the characters' emotions and thoughts are still conveyed effectively.

- As Himi-cat mentioned, the story is almost entirely character-driven, focusing on the yuri relationship between the two main characters, with very little in terms of external plot or additional characters.

It is a very slow-burn yuri romance, but it works well because the characters are deeply introspective about their growing feelings and intimate moments. Their internal struggles and hesitations to deepen their relationship are believable, and the underlying emotions that drive them to get closer despite their fears make every small interaction compelling.

After 200 chapters in a span of a week, I have so many thoughts about this webnovel that I made an account just to write this review. I'm reading the novel through Google Translate, so it isn't the best experience, but I correct things in my head as I go.

If you can't tell already, it is a very, very slow burn (with up to 266 chapters at the time of writing this review) and there is a lot of pining. One thing I really love about the novel is reading the characters' thoughts. The point of view switches between Miyagi and Sendai-san every few chapters, which gives a much livelier perspective.

I will say that the foot-licking scene initially put me off, but I understand why the author included it. Miyagi ordering Sendai-san to lick her feet is the ultimate test of how far Sendai-san is willing to go to follow orders for 5,000 yen. It's meant to deter Sendai-san, yet she still follows through because of their 'contract.'

The buildup is slow in the first 70-ish chapters, but you can definitely see them growing closer. After 100 chapters or so, I couldn't stop reading with a huge grin on my face.

Miyagi and Sendai-san's relationship is one I really feel. The innocence of two girls hanging out, evolving into a deep connection where they can't live without each other, is something I really love in yuri/shoujo ai.

The two main characters in this story have a compelling push-and-pull dynamic that keeps me hooked.

The story begins with the two characters appearing to just play around with each other, but as it progresses, their dependence on one another deepens, and the relationship that started with a 5000 yen bet evolves into something more profound.

The author does an excellent job of portraying Miyagi, a character who is dishonest with both herself and Sendai. Sendai's personality becomes more evident as their relationship stabilizes in the later chapters.

Really amazingly good, though it's almost entirely about character development, with the plot being quite minimal—at least as far as I've read. The entire story focuses on the two main characters and their relationship, while the rest of the cast and the world are barely mentioned. Despite this, it’s still fantastic...

The biggest issue is the translation quality, which is somewhat inconsistent—seems like machine translation with limited editing. However, it wasn’t too much of a problem for me because the writing still shines through. It did make me seriously consider offering my services as an editor, though, because this story deserves a more polished presentation. That said, the story and the writing still manage to captivate.

I can definitely recommend this to anyone who prefers their yuri to be character-driven rather than plot-heavy and is willing to put in a bit of effort to get past the translation quality. Patience and understanding of the release rate are also crucial—three releases a week might seem great, but you’ll likely find yourself craving more as soon as you run out of chapters...

**Updated as of Chapter 164:**

Updating this review to reiterate: this is so good, if anything, it’s getting even better. The slow burn might make you wonder if things will actually progress or just stagnate, but I can happily report that things are moving forward, nothing is bogged down, and I’m still obsessively checking the site for new chapters. And the new chapters keep coming quickly.

It's been two days since I discovered this novel through its translation, and I've only managed to sleep a total of 6 hours since then. The synopsis for the novel seemed extremely dubious, reminiscent of *AriOto*, but as a joke between friends, I decided to read further and found myself morbidly intrigued. To clarify, this review is based on reading the novel directly from KakuYomu; I did not use the translation to read the novel, so I cannot comment on the quality of the translation linked here on NovelUpdates.

And no, the reason I was drawn into this was my weakness for angst and mutual pining. The chapters I've read so far are heavily laden with these elements, even though Miyagi and Sendai are absolutely stubborn about ever admitting any connection to each other beyond their peculiar agreement. As a fair warning, when the tags for this novel say [codependency] and [slow burn], Haneda Usa really means it. It's a long journey that requires a lot of patience to understand the full scope of their slowly transforming relationship, so buckle up and get ready to experience a relationship that spans years.

While it initially seems like Miyagi is the aggressor and Sendai is the victim (similar to Aya and Marika in *AriOto*), this isn't entirely the case, as we learn a few chapters in. It becomes surprisingly clear that Sendai is interested in Miyagi, even to the point of pushing her way back into Miyagi's life after deciding to cut ties when things went too far. If anything, Miyagi is the one constantly running away, while Sendai is the one doggedly chasing her down until she gives up. This is how their strange arrangement came to be. Both characters are flawed in their own ways, but so far, it feels like they are just two lonely individuals who found a kindred spirit to fill the void in their lives outside of the classroom. I've enjoyed seeing their dynamic evolve from my initial impressions.

That said, I initially thought the author had a bit of a foot fetish, but this theme died down after about 15 chapters. Who knows if it will resurface after chapter 35? (Update: it did, but it's a lot less frequent than the first time around...)

The story itself is relatively straightforward, with a plot that doesn't involve crazy twists. I'm not completely fluent in Japanese, but the language is easy to follow, and a lot of the vocabulary is repetitive. I think the characters are well-developed with complex traits, so it's not all tropes and clichés.

I'm genuinely surprised there are over 200 chapters of this, and I'm curious to see how far the author will take their relationship. At the point where I am, they've finally shared their first kiss after a lot of anxiety, but they haven't acknowledged a relationship beyond Miyagi's stubborn refusal to call each other friends (Sendai thinks they are, at least, or at least she did before Miyagi denied it a few chapters ago). Who knows what will happen next. For now, I'll continue to lose sleep over this story.

Update: I got extremely sick after not sleeping for a week due to this book, but it was so worth it. The later chapters delve deeper into their feelings for each other beyond the contract they made, and seeing their dynamic without the contract as an excuse was absolutely brilliant. The author is incredibly skilled at timing, knowing exactly when to break the suspense and when to maintain tension, providing satisfying resolutions to various conflicts while still leaving you wanting more for their relationship.

I also appreciate how many plot points build up and come into play later. Initially, some aspects may seem frustrating to understand, such as Miyagi's constant bad mood and Sendai's vague obedience to someone she should leave behind, but each contradiction and confusing choice has a reason behind it, and Haneda Usa does an excellent job tying up every loose end.

For example, Miyagi's inability to trust Sendai is heartbreakingly explained:

"Because up to this point, every rule we've made has been broken by Sendai-san."

It's truly heartbreaking to see Miyagi pull back so many times, despite Sendai's efforts to express her love, due to her fear of abandonment and the subtle trauma from her parents' neglect. Sendai, who has given her so many things—her earrings, a person to share meals with, a full round cake without leftovers—makes Miyagi acutely aware of the stark future she will face when Sendai eventually leaves her side.

Additionally, Sendai is one of the best things to have happened to Miyagi. The amount of attention and care she invests in their relationship, even when she believes it's one-sided and without Miyagi even mentioning what's wrong, has made me cry more than once. For instance, when she chose Miyagi's earrings:

"But, if, someday, she were to love someone else other than me.
My heart wouldn't widen enough to wish for her happiness. That's why, when I can't wish for her happiness, I thought that this piercing could wish for her happiness in my place."

And all of this is because:

"Miyagi, like a stray cat, slipped into my high school life that was riddled with cracks, slowly warmed up to me, and gave me all that I am. If she wasn't here, I think I would have continued living in that monochrome world, a fake smile forever plastered on my face."

Update (06/26/2023): With the release of the second volume and the influx of new readers from the voiced PV, I wanted to address some concerns people had:

The step backward in their relationship from high school to roommates is quite simply explained. Up to this point, almost all of their interactions have been in the context of the 5,000 yen bill, which blurs their sense of boundaries and where they can cross. Living with someone isn't the same as spending hours after school together—and for Miyagi, who values her personal space, it's understandable that the first few weeks will be rocky as they adapt to each other's living styles and redefine their relationship as roommates.

This relationship progression is very much on Miyagi's terms, and given her reluctance to be vulnerable to others, it takes a very long time for them to advance in their relationship. This speaks volumes about Sendai's patience and kindness as she waits for Miyagi to open up to her.

There's something about the dynamic between the two that makes their interactions really compelling to read. Each has their own set of issues that come through in how they relate to each other, which really adds depth to their characters. (Personally, I have a slight preference for the scenes from Sendai’s point of view.)

There’s not much to say about the plot, as it’s primarily a Slice of Life story where character development takes center stage.

For those who are interested, the Kakuyomu version is somewhat different in certain aspects.

I really, really love this webnovel!! I've never wished more for a pairing to be happy than I have for Sendai and Miyagi ? If only these two could start being honest with each other! After 250 chapters and, spoiler alert, 3 instances of intimacy, the two are still not dating, but it's becoming clear that they're approaching the stage where they realize their feelings! I really like the two characters and want the best for them; they're both emotionally stunted, which is so endearing.