Thought I would see her face with 〜ようと思う

サザンカ:

「リンドウのカオを見(み)ようと思(おも)って…」

“I thought I wouldsee Rindou's face...”

Key Points

1. 見(み)ようと思(おも)って = “I was thinking I’d try to see / get a look at it”
   • Pattern: [verb volitional form] + と思(おも)う → “think / intend to do [verb]”
   • Here 見(み)ようと思(おも)って explains Sazanka’s immediate intention just before Rindou woke up
   • The volitional 見(み)よう (from 見(み)る) does not mean simple future here; it shows “I was about to / I was thinking I’d…”
2. 思(おも)って… trails off as an explanation or excuse
   • “思(おも)って…” leaves the sentence unfinished, like “…that was what I was trying to do”
   • Ending in て makes the line sound softer and more sheepish than a firm, fully closed と思(おも)った
3. Non-past form, past intention
   • Even though the pattern is based on と思(おも)う, the line refers to what Sazanka was thinking a moment earlier
   • In conversation, 〜ようと思(おも)って is very natural when giving the reason for an action that was just underway
   • Learners may expect a fully past 〜ようと思(おも)った, but the て form fits better when the explanation connects directly to what happened next
4. カオ in katakana adds a casual, manga-like feel
   • 顔(かお) is written as カオ for stylistic effect rather than a change in meaning
   • Katakana can make an everyday word feel more blunt, playful, or visually emphasized in dialogue