I don't know, I can't stand Hiromi. Call it what you like, obligation, not wanting to embarrass the family that took him in, shame, Hiromi has had a laundry list of reasons not to approach Shin'ichiro. But the second he moves even the slightest bit away from her (towards Noe) she becomes a manipulative bitch. Perhaps not in the really...nice boat kind of way, but she certainly became everything that Shin'ichiro's mother had accused her Hiromi's mother of being. "You really are that woman's daughter," she had said, and for a time it was true. Disregarding the fact of whether Hiromi's mother actually was like that, Hiromi was living up to the lie.

She would provoke Shin'ichiro, then rebuke him just as quickly. Say nasty things to Noe, make everyone suspicious, lie to and guilt trip Shin'ichiro when she felt like he wasn't going for her little traps. She "doesn't remember" the festival years ago, despite it being one of her most vivid memories. Why? To make him feel bad for no reason, like such childish memories are beneath her.

Noe was always more open, and that trust is what creates the strongest relationships. She barely knew Shin'ichiro at all, but told him several of her secrets, confided in him, and showed a great deal of enthusiasm for following his dream of writing books.

Hiromi, though she's reformed lately, was always surrounded with her own lies and inherent mistrust.

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Despite all that, I still always liked Aiko the best. I blame the tight school uniform offset by the proprietress' working uniform. Simple and pure, but not quite as much as Noe. A little dumb though, taking the roundabout way to try to get to a man's heart. At least she was honest with herself sooner.

She was a lost cause from the beginning, but I'm always a sucker for those types.