おとなになっても [Otona ni Natte mo] Series by Takako Shimura, Jocelyne Allen

Ayano, an elementary school teacher in her thirties, stops by a bar one day and meets another woman named Shuri. Sparks fly as the two chat, and before the night is over, Ayano even goes in for a kiss. Shuri is intrigued but confused…especially when she discovers that Ayano has a husband! Both Ayano and Shuri are about to find out that love doesn’t get any easier, even as you grow older.

Ayano has told her husband that she has feelings for another woman. Now her marriage is on the rocks, but Ayano just can’t stop thinking about Akari. Can the two women figure out their feelings for each other?

Akari decides that it is time for a change, so she goes back to being a hairdresser and moves into a new place. However, her plans to start anew backfire as working at the salon means working with her ex. Also, upon moving to her new place, she discovers that she’s now neighbors with Ayano! Can the two women live side-by-side without crossing any boundaries, or will their mutual attraction draw them even closer to one another?

Ever since Ayano and Akari became neighbors, the two women have tried to put aside their romantic feelings for each other. But their attempts at playing it cool might have been a little too successful, as now Akari is becoming friends with Ayano’s husband and his family! As they spend more time together, Akari realizes that she can’t think of Ayano as just a friend, and Ayano is forced to think about her future.

Ayano leaves her husband Wataru and moves back into her parents’ home. She’s determined to use this time to really think about what she wants out of life, but Wataru is unwilling to back off and is dead set on fixing their marriage. Akari, meanwhile, can’t help but wonder if she and Ayano might have a future together after all.