Never Hollowed By The Stare

Hazureta Kubiwa wo Suteru Toki – Jita

Is it so wrong for two abandoned souls to fall in love? Kuroda catches his boyfriend cheating and gets dumped on the spot, only to discover another man, Shirato, was also dumped. Out of pity, Kuroda takes the crying Shirato home, and their shared loneliness leads to a one-night stand. But what should have been a one-time mistake turns into something deeper, as Kuroda finds a strange comfort in being embraced by Shirato. But how can he confess his growing feelings now?

Here’s something you don’t see often.

Discarding the Misfit Collar is Kuroda hooking up with Shirato, the ex of his ex, when their three-timing ex-boyfriend dumped them at the same time, and already has a new boyfriend.

At first, it was just consolation sex, the more stoic Kuroda comforting the more emotional Shirato, who was badly shaken by the breakup. This led to more sex, then later a friendship as the two found they enjoyed each other’s company. As they start wanting more, they hesitate as the spectre of their cheating ex still looms large over them.

I was admittedly skeptical about this; Shirato and Kuroda seemingly couldn’t shake off their lingering feelings for their ex. It was slow going, but the slow burn worked its magic. The mangaka deftly depicted their heartbreak, the conflicting emotions and then their blossoming romantic feelings towards each other so convincingly and organically, I was left with no doubts.

All these evolving feels hit hard, and much like Shirato and Kuroda, who didn’t expect to fall for the ex’s ex, the manga’s charm crept up on me, and before I knew it, I was completely rooting for these two misfits!

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