Jahy-sama wa Kujikenai! – 12

「こころちゃんは裏切らない？」 (Kokoro-chan wa Uragiranai?)
“Kokoro Will Not Betray?”

Jahy-sama wa Kujikenai! has a special treat for our titular protagonist as she’s once again granted a large fragment of a mana crystal. But while she’s still able to celebrate a minor victory, she still has a lot to reflect on, whether it be her friendship with Kokoro or the bond she has with the town’s newest doggo.

AT LAST, A MANA CRYSTAL!

Yes, Jahy finally strikes it lucky by gaining back a mana crystal after Kyouko stole the second one to her name. Hopefully, the story doesn’t try to undo it because it’s been rough to see Jahy regularly suffer and I wouldn’t have a good time with the series if they made it a running thread that any of the mana crystals she tries to possess are unfairly stolen from her.

But even with those strides, it makes it interesting to see that many of her issues still stem from everything that came from her hunt for the mana crystals. More specifically, she catches herself feeling like she shouldn’t be having as much fun as she has when she winds up having a good time with a human like Kokoro. In her small body, it gives her a chance to live vicariously as a child through a friendship with Kokoro. It might feel a bit odd since she’s far older, but considering her unfamiliarity with human customs and the fact that Kokoro is the one acquaintance she has that doesn’t place high expectations on her to live as a human adult would.

At the same time, the expectations she places on herself as a high-ranking demon also conflict with her interests in having fun with her closest friend. It’s one of those tug-of-war battles that Jahy constantly has with herself where she has to consolidate what little she’s accomplished in the human world in comparison to her lustrous title as a demon. But I suppose that’s where a lot of her growth kicks in; where she starts to feel less guilty about being more accustomed to stooping down to the level of other humans if it means being able to have fun and enjoy the simple pleasures of having friends in the human world.

THAT’S RUFF, BUDDY

Saurva also had an eventful episode when she had a minor mishap of spending the day as a dog. But while she can finally scare that one dog that menaced her earlier in the show, this episode gives her a similar dynamic with Jahy that Jahy does with Kyouko. Where you might think they would immediately fight upon seeing each other, but due to the extraordinary circumstances whenever they cross paths, fighting or exacting revenge is the last thing on their minds.

In fact, the potion ended up making Saurva susceptible to the same level of affection a dog gives out, making her vulnerable to Jahy when she just wants to pet her. It’s a fun, if not unusual, sequence where Saurva is temporarily forced to put aside her resentment for Jahy by reveling in some of the scratches, throws, and rubs Jahy offers her. Even if it could segue into an odd relationship dynamic where Saurva enjoys being subservient to Jahy, it joins the bathhouse scene as another nice scene where Saurva is able to put aside the hate she has for Jahy by going with the flow and making the most of her time.