I think that one of the mistakes in the comments of this good story is to assume that if Ranma is capable of lying when he is planning something, or is fighting, or achieving something specific, it means that he is lying all the time, and that it is wrong. the vision that ranma doesn't know how to lie and is honest, when the truth is that that is a mistake. It is the same as Ranma's studies, Ranma when it comes to martial arts is shown to have an incredible intellect, but when it comes to studies, he is not the best, Ranma is honest, and does not know how to lie, when it comes to his feelings, being with his friends, when it comes to something social, but Ranma is capable of lying, when it is necessary to achieve a specific important objective, so the vision of an honest and shy Rama is correct. Finally, Nabiki has always been approached in two ways in the fanfic, one, that she is a bitch, a selfish girl who loves money, and the other, that she took refuge in that way of being, due to the death of Her mother, Kasumi, became a housewife, Akane took refuge in art, and Nabiki took refuge in being the ice queen. In this case, you approached her more on the cruel side of her, on that bitchy side, but how you developed it was excellent, because you were able to make her really question herself about how things really are, seeing no just the pain of a boy who always seems to be carefree or stupid, but someone she always took for granted, changing her perspective not only of Ranma, but of herself, a Ramna and Nabiki fanfic would have been interesting being a couple based on what you proposed in those 4 chapters

I always considered that Ranma was one of the best people to appeal to that humanity, or to really make Nabiki change her perspective on things, even more so considering that Ranma has one of the most tragic lives in his universe, that is, we are talking about the boy who was separated from his mother, signing a sepukku contract, and then almost dying at the hands of his father's training, to achieve a berserker state where he loses all use of reason, being able to hurt innocent people, and all of this being a child, and not to mention the events later. I really tell you from my heart that I wish you could make a fanfic between Ranma and Nabiki one day, as a continuation of this, where Nabiki continues learning and exploring not only about Ranma, but about herself, and that they end up together.

Very interesting way to use the characters and setting. I was sort of expecting a horror twist going into the final revelation, but what you did was much more thought provoking. The exploration of repetition and staleness was very well done, particularly with how the show itself belabored the status quo for far too long. The story as a whole is a bit sad, particularly with how hollow it makes the cast outside of Ranma and Nabiki feel, but also in that Ranma's situation is very tragic from this lens.

Overall, very much enjoyed reading.

Good two chapters of course

I wish there was a follow up to this where Ranma ran away.

During the first two chapters I wasn't too sure if I'd like this story with how emotional and rash Nabiki had acted. But during the second half I really grew to love this little story.
I like how you foreshadowed the main point of this story with the ever repeating routine and how you actually incorporated the events during a canon fight to lay the ground work for Ranmas character.
Even if its only four chapters, this is now one of my favorite Ranma fanfics I read so far

This is pretty good, for what there is of it.

This is a really great concept, incredibly well executed, and leaving it complete where you did was exactly the right place. It was a journey in what it would take for Nabiki to seriously question and feel uncomfortable about her motivations and actions and consider flipping the script.

Any further and you then open lots of threads that need to be followed through, any less and you don't really ask the question well enough. Probably the first time I've favourited a story where Nabiki was the focus - absolutely loved it.

The premise and setting it opens up though would make for a great sequel, and I hope you decide to write that some time if you put even half as much effort into making it great.

Great story and amazing concept. It was a treat to read. I love the idea of Ranma being smarter than people usually think. It plays well with the martial arts and I think that people sometimes forget that. The escape from the daily life angle makes lots of sense and what better way to do that than this. The ending while hopeful kind of lacks the resolution. This deserves sequel. The detective Nabiky being way over her head is a nice narrative and being outplayed by Ranma adds more weight to the Ranma is smart theme. I don't get how some people complain it was predictable. Was it? Yeah a bit, but what did you expect people?

Thanks for writing this. It was great to read something like this.

Thank you for writing this story. I enjoyed it immensely.

Thanks for the recommendation, this was certainly worth the read. Nice to see where the inspiration, though I guess not the direct source of Nadeshiko in your Conan story came from.
I really enjoyed how Nabiki's introspection at the end of the story especially.

Love this story. It reminds me of some of those moments from my own teenage years where I had a moment of epiphany and introspection and thought, "Wow, I wouldn't have thought of it that way a year ago. Is this what it mean to grow up?"

In the story with the exemption coconut and the haircut rule, I thought Ranma was shown in a sarong, not a swimsuit.

I. find that this is the third time that I've come and read the story. Please update as it is quite good and pushes the characters.

Very well-written. Although I crave for answers at the end, leaving the mystery of whether Nabiki will let the status quo continue or end for selfish or selfless reasons - or both - was a reward of its own. Hopefully, someone (or you) will answer that. Or not. It simply feels like a buildup to a great character arc for the Ice Queen. :D

Still, this is very great. I love that Ranma can have some sort of break from the Madness, and the question of Identity from Nabiki's perspective. And the canon events can quite be twisted to make him devious, eh?

Also, you demonstrated quite well that Nabiki is quite lonely, without explicitly saying it, with only having Business Associates and yen as the transformer. Yet none of that counted when she was alone with three punks in the backstreets. And she still hasn't found answers who Nabiki is, or what Ranma thinks now that someone knows about his secret. It adds more complexity since Ranma is proven to be more shrewd than ever. As I said, great potential for more, hehe.

Thanks for writing!

Interesting. The idea of Ranma seeking an escape from his life (or even walking away from it outright) that involved very different behavior isn't exactly new in this fandom, but this is a nice, thoughtful exploration of the idea. Honestly, of all the unrealisms in Ranma, one of the most glaring to me is that Ranma never does say 'screw it all' and just walk away to make a fresh start. The only weak point really is the heavy handed repetition of 'Who is Nabiki?' in the last chapter, but that's a small complaint about a story that's clever and quite elegant.

One other thought - I'd say that the change to a hostess club is actually crucial to the story's success. If Ranma were just adopting a shallow, flighty persona for a maid cafe that wouldn't be much different from the temporary female personas he adopts in canon. There wouldn't be the same level of confusion and surprise that there is here for Nabiki (and for the reader) and such a shallow act wouldn't demonstrate a complex and multifaceted personality for Ranma in the way Nadeshiko does here.

In short, I liked this a lot, and not just because I'm a sucker for 'Ranma is smart playing dumb' stories.