So Yota outright admits he doesn't love Ai. I'm going to keep my fingers crossed that he's just an idiot and doesn't know what his true feelings are. But that is a brutal blow. Left to his own devices, he would choose Moemi, it seems.
"Just listen to me," Yota tries to reason with Ai, but she's having none of it. What was he going to say? What did he think her reaction would be? Did he really only just now realize that Ai loves him? Lol, I guess so!
Now, it is possible he could have said, "I don't love Moemi either" but he said he still feels his heart pound with her. He still longs for her. He says he never felt that for Ai.
Which... is false, isn't it? There were several times in the story where just seeing Ai made him blush and stumble over himself. Particularly when he was with Nobuko. Have those feelings faded? I think in Volume 3 he really did love Ai, and longed for her. Why else would he spend weeks searching for her? Yota in Volume 3 totally would have chose Ai over Moemi...
I agree with Ai: why did Yota have to act like he loved her, and throw her that sweet little birthday celebration? He was simply "being kind"? How infuriating!
Also I want to apologize to Moemi and say she's really not so bad. I was getting annoyed with her, but her old self is shining through again. She was in a dark state of mind, but it seems she has recovered or is recovering. Maybe she and Ai can remain amiable. Who knows!
I just hope Yota will realize he was lying. That he loves and indeed longs for Ai, after all.
One more volume left of the main story... can this all really be wrapped up so fast? We have Gokuraku drama coming up, and Yota still has to find out what his feelings really are. I'm worried...