Where Nari Shares Things

ESSAYS

General:

When Nomoto and Kasuga, individually, started falling for each other (Drama)

When Nomoto Stress-Cooks [with Dec 2024 update] (Comic)

Kasuga was S-U-F-F-E-R-I-N-G (Both, but Comic-centric)

Age Estimations (and a personal anecdote) (Comic)

[OPINION] My NomoKasu Intimacy Headcanon (Mature Talk)

Miracle Casting, Miracle Friendship (gushing about Manami Higa & Emi Nishino...from 2024)

Let's Talk About Those S2 Promo Photos (Drama)

Comic and Drama: Compare & Contrast (Opinion Piece)

How an Intimate Scene May Play Out Canonically (Mature Talk)

Progression of Comfort (Comic)

Vol. 6 (Comic): Nomoto's...Fascinations (Discretion Advised but not Mature)

Episode/Chapter-specific (these are in post order, not chrono):

Confession Talk! Comic Editions: Kasuga POV | Nomoto POV

Episode 4: Things Slowly Change... (Drama)

The Beginning (Comic Edition): Pt 1 | Pt 2

The Beginning (Drama Edition): Pt 1 | Pt 2

Episode 22: The Second Confession (Drama)

Episode 30: The Hug...and The Kiss (Drama)

Chapter 40 (Comic)/Episode 30 (Drama): Divergence - First Intimacies

SMALLER OBSERVATIONS

Artistic Eyes and That Scene (Drama; Ep 30)

Kasuga's Height (Comic)

Implication that Nomoto and Kasuga are familiar with their appearances before the fateful elevator encounter (Comic)

Mini-Essay - Kasuga's Early Years of Freedom

Two posts where I wonder about Nomoto's family/her mom: 1 | 2 -best read after reading Vol 4

Kasuga's First Smile (Comic)

The Insert Image in the beginning of Vol 2

Kasuga's Subtle Blushes (Comic)

Arriving at the Farmer's Market (Drama)

The Softification of Kasuga Totoko (Comic; Only Vol 1)

Nari Has a Silly Moment of Realization - Kasuga, Be Selfish! (Drama; Ep 26)

How One Article of Clothing Can Alter a Scene Drastically...for the Better (Drama; Ep 8)

The 3* Times Kasuga Wears Her Hair Down in the Drama Like She Does in the Comic

Season 2: First Scene Shot vs. Last Scene Shot (Drama)

Silly Kasuga Hair Trivia (Drama)

Emi may have had legit props from the drama for her MV!

Story Timeline Estimation (as of Chapter 52)

Tsukutabe-related Asks - Art Blog (more common) | This Blog

Other

The Proto-Tsukutabe Comic from 2020

Special Photoset: All the S1 end cards, [mostly] cleaned up for your pleasure!

Special Photoset: The Confession from Episode 22 (Drama)

Photos of (and Words About) the Season 1 DVD Set

A Message from the Scriptwriter - S1 DVD (translated)

Nari Makes a Dumb Edit (Drama)

Nari Makes a Dumb Edit 2 (Drama)

Nari Makes a Dumb Edit 3 (Drama)

Photos of (and Words About) the Season 2 DVD Set

2024's "Nari's Year of Tsukutabe" Superlatives Series: Comic | Drama | General

2025 Tsukutabe Superlatives

Quick Google Translation of 'ping-pong' (the song from Episode 10)

Every Important "Nomoto Looks at Kasuga" Moment (Drama)

Nomoto's Apartment Layout (Comic)

All of Nomoto's Social Media posts from S2, translated (from the end cards)

"Akatsuki" - A Sort-of Unofficial Tsukutabe Tribute Song by Emi Nishino

What it's like to hear Manami and Emi's voices while reading the comic (An approximation)

My fan-translation/summary of the NemuCha podcast that featured ManaEmi talking BTS and stuff (via Drive)

My fan-translation of the little interview bits from a S1 PR teaser

Nari's Tsukutabe Fan-Translations - Mostly just bonus comics that aren't picked up officially

The chapter starts with Yuki texting her mom about the trip. But what caught Yuki's attention was the way her mom finished the chat after she mentioned she was bringing someone along.

"I understand"

Just that. Nothing else, just "I understand." It's....strange. She wanted to poke her mom after that, but work got in the way.

But enough about work because we immediately shift to...

SENDAI! They're here! Yuki's so excited to show Totoko her old stomping grounds, though there's a hilarious moment when a statue she thought was going to be by the station wasn't. Turned out, irl, the statue got moved elsewhere and even Sensei took note of that for a quick gag lol

The two immediately get into sightseeing mode, though. They check out a few stops, simply enjoying the time together, having a...vacation together! Wow!

There's familiar sights and cuisines, though time marches on and even Yuki is surprised by some new offerings, like the clownfish monaka in the upper left corner (monaka are traditional Japanese snacks but this style was a twist on it, of course)

Eventually, though, the time has come. Specifically, the time Yuki agreed to meet her mom. Just her mom, though. Her parents divorced sometime after Yuki moved away from the area. We have a little time indicator moment when Yuki says it's been a year since she last visited Sendai since she skipped out on Christmastime.

She had said she wanted to tell her mom about her relationship with Totoko, and this was THE moment to do so. Even as they get to the apartment complex and enter the elevator, anxiety begins to spike...though they remember what Nagumo said about her and Yako also being by their side, as their Chosen Family.

At last, the scary elevator ride is over, and they're in front of the apartment. This is it. No turning back.

Such an awkward moment of silence...but here we are. Everyone, meet Maya! She's Yuki's mom! (Maya insists that Yuki looks more like her father, but Totoko makes a note how they have the same eyes at the very least)

And Totoko immediately gets super formal, bowing at the most formal angle and offering her a gift because she does NOT want to mess things up, and it's kind of adorable. Don't worry, though. Maya tells her to relax and to just call her "Maya." It relaxes her enough to let the older woman know she can call her "Totoko"

But things start to derail in a hilarious manner because Maya has a tendency to blabber! Poor, poor Totoko. Yuki feels bad for not telling her lol

Maya then offers the ladies some coffee and continues to chat a little. Yuki is getting caught up in her thoughts. She realizes this is, literally, the moment. "Now or never," she thinks to herself. But she starts getting nervous. The anxiety is spiking....Oh, Yuki's weakness is starting to crop up again.

Like an angel from above, and despite having her own qualms about it in the previous chapter, Totoko steps up and directly announces:

"...Maya-san, I'm...in a relationship with Yuki-san. I'm her lover. I've also moved in with her recently."

Though there is no immediate reaction, Totoko's actions were enough to fire up Yuki to finally make the announcement she's wanted to give:

"Mama! I'm a lesbian. I am attracted to women. Kasuga-san is the woman I love! [in another panel: And I wanted you to know that, Mama.]"

Her mom reacts in a...strange way, though. She smiles softly, placing her cup down and asks Yuki if she remembered her childhood dreams - the ones about cooking up a big castella cake for the forest critters and others to enjoy with her, and how she cried when no one came...

Well...that's not quite the reaction Yuki was looking for. She's kinda stunned, letting her mom continue rambling.

Maya then talks about how that seemed to be the start of Yuki's love for cooking. She eventually asked if she could make zoni...and then it just grew from there. But there were some more recent dishes that reminded her of that time, like that giant bucket pudding (reminds her of the cake), or how that Shiba-Pup character bento was so adorable (Yuki's always loved shibas, huh~?)

Wait.

Wait a moment.

How does Maya know about....

TURNS OUT MAYA WAS FOLLOWING YUKI'S FOOD ACCOUNT FOR A WHILE NOW!?!?

(but not because she was stalking her daughter or anything. It just happened to pop up on her timeline thanks to viral algorithms, I bet. And she managed to figure out it was Yuki because of certain cooking techniques, but she assures her daughter only she would know something that intricate so her anonymity remains intact)

But you know what else that means?

She saw the post when Yuki came out to her followers (Chapters 49 and 52). She was there that evening, seeing that post as it got shared.

She didn't know what to think at first. She was confused. Stunned. How could it be? How could that girl...

Who would always shrug off any urging of finding a boyfriend...

How could that girl...

Who would always reply "no" whenever she asked her if she's found a man yet...

Oh.

....Oh...

Had she been bringing Yuki down every time? Because she didn't really listen to her? Because she kept urging these things that society seems to expect her to be/have by a certain age?

But it especially hurt seeing the negative comments Yuki was receiving. One is highlighted where the user says if they were in Yuki's shoes, they would've just kept quiet and not bother. These posts shake Maya.

Maya recalls how Yuki's earlier posts featured such small, "perfect" dishes, but then she saw that sudden shift: The gyoza party. The gigantic omurice. The pile of donuts. It reminded her of Yuki as a child...

The eager child who wanted to make amazing food and had fun doing so. Yuki has always been like that, deep down. But society pressed her to do other things for so long. This mother pressed her daughter to do things she didn't want to do. Maya needed to change her mindset.

I'm going to share this page in its entirety and translate it for you. Because it's beautiful, and, if you have been reading this comic since Chapter 1, you know how meaningful this is:

Maya: Yuki...You finally found that person who will polish off your meals with you. And it was Totoko-san, wasn't it? ....Thank you for letting me meet her. Yuki: Mama...

Such a touching moment...but we need to reel it back a bit. Maya knows just how to do that! She's hungry! Yuki! Make something for all of us!

Wait, what??! Who makes their guest cook? Yuki is miffed.

Even Totoko gets dragged away by Maya after offering to lend a hand. No no! She wants a dish cooked by Yuki and Yuki alone! Feel free to use whatever's in the kitchen. Just cook up something good~

And she does. Turns out, it's a dish her mother taught her: mapo yakisoba. Of course, Yuki is nervous again, but now it's because the "master" is judging the "student." She made it with all her heart, though. It's gonna be good...right?

It is. Yuki has won her mother's approval in the world of cooking as well~

After the meal's had, the ladies have to head back to their hotel. Yuki lets her mom know that they plan to be at the Sendai Pride event, and we learn that Maya has done a little research on her own. She's still new at lgbtq stuff, but she's getting there, and she wishes nothing but a fun time for the two.

I'm so glad to see such a supportive blood relative, to be honest. I know not everyone has their family ties after coming out. Some are dangerous. It's best to break them. You find solace with others, and they become your "chosen family." They are just as special, of course! But...it's nice to see an example of a blood relative that loves and supports their child after coming out.

The rest of the chapter is the beginning of Sendai Pride. The ladies are in awe. So many amazing sights, so many amazing people! Sign language interpreters are spotted, as well as a teenaged couple for Nomoto and Kasuga to be wowed at (because, in their day, so hard to be out. Still is, but I think they're amazed that those two could be out and proud with the rest of them)

This post is already so, so long, but I will add that Sensei (and probably the editor) went out to the most recent Sendai Pride and interviewed folks and grabbed refs for this moment. Sensei tried to capture the diversity she saw while they were there, though she admits it personally proved to her she's got a ways to go. She's gonna improve on that!

But it's a sight to behold....

Makes you feel...proud, huh?

"Let the rainbow's brilliance reach you freely, endlessly."

Nagumo: Spice level 1 / "Too spicyyy"

Nomoto: Spice level 2 / "Even though she made it, it's just a tad spicy!"

Yako: Spice level 3 / "Can handle it even if it was a little spicier"

She's got a mild feederism kink.

She loves to cook big meals, she loves watching Kasuga eat (and it gets more pronounced as the series progresses), and, in Vol 6, there's two things, really. One is a brief moment in the main story (shown in the panel above) where she REALLY enjoys watching Kasuga eat. She feels content and relieved after having some rough days, but the portrayal is something else lol.

But then the second example is a bonus comic where Nomoto is legit lamenting that Kasuga lost a little bit of weight thanks to her actions (that is, giving Kasuga the meal sizes she needs to be healthy and a wider variety of dishes as opposed to Kasuga relying on junk food to get full like she was before meeting Nomoto). Don't take this as Kasuga is going to lose a bunch of weight in the future! Sensei made it obvious that Kasuga before was sad and malnourished. She's also getting older, so metabolism is gonna slow down. She will still be plump and happy, but healthier about it.

Nomoto lamenting the loss in Kasuga proportions in relation to the size of Earth and even getting a cutesy chibi image of a gigantic Kasuga towering over the Earth was basically telling us she has a thing for Kasuga getting beeg, though.

At the very least, she can still make Kasuga her meals and watch her eat. The fantasy remains a fantasy, completely fine. Maybe she can even feed Kasuga a few bites herself. Give it a new twist, as long as Kasuga is okay with it~

And hey. They're adults. As long as no one's getting hurt – and it sounds like Nomoto won't really push her fantasy too far as Kasuga is showing slight confusion in response – there are ways to enjoy this in a safe and sane way, just like any other kink.

Are the parties consenting or at least setting boundaries that are respected? Is no one getting hurt? There ya go. Let them enjoy themselves.

Chapter 40 was the story where Nomoto and Kasuga celebrate their approval over the new apartment application, and also take their relationship a little further. Just a little bit. And it was all thanks to consent.

Consent is a pretty big deal, I think. It's good to ask for permission first before trying something completely brand new. You don't know everyone's personal boundaries! What may be okay for you may not be okay for this friend, or that lover. And what if you're touched-averted, like Yako is? You should seek permission first if you want the relationship to remain strong. Yako learned this the hard way, and she talked to Nomoto about it so she doesn't make the same mistake. Supporting one another, yeah!

It's something that these two took to heart ever since that night. There are chapters in Vol. 5 and 6 where you have that brief moment where one asks the other for permission. Kasuga asking if Nomoto wants to share a bed after they start moving into their new place comes to mind instantly. However, I couldn't help but notice that hand-holding graduated rather quickly! Ah, but I'm getting ahead of myself.

That first kiss was consent in action. It was also their first time. It was awkward, and that's okay! This is new for them! But you have to admit, it was VERY awkward. Even Kasuga's little moment of calming Nomoto down right before they kiss, she suddenly (though gently, based off sfx) grabs Nomoto and all she can do is lean forward and say "Okay."

It's pretty funny, not gonna lie~

But they kiss, and it's glorious.........and it still is, but you can see it in their language here, right? Nomoto's still feeling so nervous about it happening, even after it's over she's kind of a mess. A happy mess, but a mess nonetheless. There's then a comment from Kasuga talking about how just because people are dating doesn't mean you can just pounce of them whenever. Consent!

But hey, let's fast forward a bit. Chapter 55. Based on context clues from the previous new chapters, it's now June (though whether it's "a few months later" June or "one year later" June, I'm not sure yet, especially as Vol 6 has a comic where the girls celebrated Halloween...). Chapter 40 took place sometime after Valentine's. Might be late February, might be early March. Either way, time has passed.

Without getting too deep into the details since I have a summary of the chapter floating in my blog, the two have a serious conversation about their relationship and how they want to present themselves. Something happened that sparked a moment of Love, and Nomoto couldn't help herself.

She pounced on Kasuga and starting loving on her!

But note the body language. Kasuga's just letting the literal glomp happen while she's also dealing with her own bout of this sudden Love spike. She lets Nomoto love all over her, both feeling a spike of Love...

And then this happens.

Once again, note the body language. Nomoto reaches up tentatively as a silent request to Kasuga. Kasuga doesn't flinch. They're both looking at one another deeply, tenderly. It's a quiet form of permission. This, too, is consent.

They have started holding hands without permission as well (first pic is from Ch 54 btw), which tells me they have found their boundaries when it comes to that, and they're fine with casual hand-holding. It seems the two have evolved in how they seek permission. They know the two love kisses, but they don't need to awkwardly ask for it as much anymore. Their gazes and body language are the "words" now.

The chapter literally starts with an echo-y repeat of Kasuga's last line from the previous chapter: "Why don't we participate in the Sendai Pride parade?"

Nomoto has a moment to process it, but she is actually quite receptive to the suggestion. She was thinking about it, too, actually. She's opened her eyes to a lot of things, including the idea that there were other queers living among her hometown, and she wants to return so she can show solidarity. So, yes, she agrees with Kasuga. She wants to go back and attend this parade.

And...she wants to introduce Kasuga to her parents.

But Kasuga remembers how poorly Nomoto initially took to coming out online, so she's worried about how it'll go in this case. It really makes her worried. She even suggests to Nomoto to simply introduce her as a friend, don't go that far, please...

Nomoto assures her she can handle it this time. She doesn't want to live a life with lies. She wants to be open about their relationship. (also, "Please don't make that face, Kasuga-san..." Nomoto doesn't want to see her upset, aww...)

Nomoto's not sure how her parents will take the news, but one thing's for certain...she wants to say it loud and proud, "This woman is the person I love."

It's enough to calm Kasuga down and reaffirm her support for this event. Whatever happens, at least they're together~

And then Nomoto starts hyping up Sendai/Miyagi Prefecture with just a little tease of the cuisine offered there! Check this out:

Harako rice (of course), but then we got beef tongue (Ohhh I love that!), triangular fried tofu, zunda mochi (edamame filling) and some local sake! Sensei even got permission from a brewery there to show off one of their offerings, known as "Suzune." That's a legit drink! And pair off the drink with the grilled fishcake known as sasa kamaboko~

As Nomoto continues to gush about her home region, even letting us know Date Masamune is her favorite historical warlord (lol), the line that Nomoto said earlier - the one about showing off the woman she loves - finally settles into Kasuga's mind and heart.

She was really touched by it, and (after apologizing for interrupting Nomoto's Sendai gushing), she even admits that this is really, finally settling in for her. They're a couple. They're girlfriends. Lovers.

And now........may I present the full page that follows the previous two panels without any other commentary:

(you love to see it~)

Anyway, we cut to another day when Yako and Nagumo visit and tell them their plans. Of course it's all good! But Nagumo does say something very touching after hearing that this would be Nomoto's home turf, and, as a result, they're also going to visit her parents to come out to them.

Even if it doesn't go as planned, Nagumo reminds them: They at least have one another. There's love and support here, with this ragtag group of gals. She felt safe and loved when she was at a low point, and she knows they'll do the same for anyone here.

Just like that song, right?

Yeah, what she said lol.

Kasuga also has a flashback to when she heard a song with that name (you can automatically assume Yako is well aware of the song and that's where she got her response from. But Kasuga didn't know). She has a personal reflection and realizing, it's not just Nomoto, but Nagumo and Yako, too. They're all a Chosen Family of sorts

And then, the gals start talking about how to prepare for the parade! Excitement!