[Delirium-Zer0]

The "M" comparison is justified, and the concept is definitely the same... She does often use similar terminology and motifs in her lyrics (the idea of her as an angel with one wing comes up multiple times, the idea of a flower that's going to wilt but blooms anyway, etc)... that said, in this case, I don't think it's a deliberate revisiting of that lyrical motif, but she is demonstrating an alteration of her original mode of thinking.

In "M" the actual wording is "wakenaku hajimari wa otozure" ("With no reason behind them, beginnings will come."), while the wording in "Story" is "deai wa guuzen nanka ja nai" (which could be better translated with subtext as something like "First encounters aren't just, like, accidents or coincidences or anything.") The wording and tone are TOTALLY different, which isn't usually the case when she revisits themes deliberately.

When she wrote "M," as young and busy as she was, I think she was more likely to ignore or forget about people she met, and was less open-minded about someone she met possibly being a huge part of her life at some point later. "Story," if it's about Manny, is reflective of her newfound respect for the people in her life (including him). She's acknowledging that he was a big deal to her at one point, and I think these lyrics are apologetic about the fact that they have to be little more than casual acquaintances now rather than being friends, because she's sharing her life with someone else now.

On the topic of "Out of control," this is the most clear & honest I think Ayu has been outside of interviews regarding the fact that she hides her sadness among apparent happiness. She does it SO OFTEN that it's actually hurt her music for me in a big way... earlier in her career she seemed to be optimistic - looking towards the light from a very dark place - but she didn't lie about the fact that she was in a dark place, and that made her very accessible. And early fans would talk about her lyrics being very encouraging despite being so frankly sad. In recent years Ayu has hid her sadness and hid her darkness so much that listeners entirely misunderstand what she's saying (and that includes me). She presents things that are sad, tragic, or upsetting to her as being fun, interesting, and silly (see the "Party Queen" album photos, the "Bold & Delicious" PV, that kind of thing). In "crossroad" she sings about "umaku waratteru (smiling well)" which implies that smiling takes practice and talent for her to do. In "Out of control" it seems like it's gone the other way, and honestly crying is getting harder. Like ayu's falsely smiling Mr. Hyde has taken over her truthfully sad Dr. Jekyll or something.