[DeepL Translation - needs review] Volume 1 Introduction: Lillian Girls' Academy is a private school for purely cultured maidens. In order to carry on the pure and correct school life, a system called "sisters (suru)" exists in the upper school. After the students pledged to become sisters through a ceremony in which they received a rosary, the older sisters would mentor the younger sisters. Yumi, who had not yet had an older sister when she entered the upper secondary school, was suddenly d...
最初の話は卒業式のちょっと前、そして全シリーズからの私の一番好きなドキドキ瞬間がある。第2話は卒業式、書き方は良いけど、個人的には過去の話はちょと詰まらなく、その話はあんまり好きじゃないので、江利子や 蓉子 も興味がなかった。も今更のそれを公開するのが遅すぎる印象で（どこにその話がハマるかは分からないが）。それでも書き方は良い、感傷的にさせる瞬間も多く最後の部分（聖と志摩子がどうやって会い、スールになったか）に上手く繋がっていく。ここまで聖と志摩子は私を疑心暗鬼にさせたけど今は納得する解釈になった。
とにかくこの本では聖はよく現れ、アニメではちょっといやな印象だったけど今は共感できる。アニメよりもノベルでは聖と志摩子の話はもっと面白く書かれてる。志摩子の心内の会話が良い役割をしている。
私は次の巻をとても楽しみにしており、次が待ち切れない！
The first part of this book leads up to graduation, and contains one of my favorite ドキドキ moments in the whole series!! Part 2 is graduation, and while it's well-written I didn't really enjoy it, since I don't like extended backstory, and I don't have much interest in Youko or Eriko. It also just felt like it was coming way too late in the story (not that I can think of anywhere earlier that it would have fit well). That said, it was well-written, has some touching moments, and ties in quite well with the final section - the story of how Sei & Shimako met, and became sisters. They've always required a bit of suspension of disbelief for me, up to this point - but now I kind of get/buy them more.
Anyway, Sei features a lot in this book, and while I had a somewhat negative impression of her from the anime, she's felt much more relatable in the books. The entire story of her and Shimako is so much more interesting in the books as well. Shimako's inner monologue especially adds a lot.
The next volume is the first part of the series that I've really been looking forward to, and I'm super excited to start it!