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The book opens with several chapters of a side story of Umeda and his past as a high school student, where he struggled to get along with a fellow classmate. What started with frustration, turned into curiosity, and then possibly, something more? It was an interesting look into his character, and definitely added some depth. Funny how many stories this school could tell. ;)
Back with Ashiya, she still can't get over the almost kiss with Sano, and finds herself anxious any time she's around him. Meanwhile, Sano can't help but feel guilty about his actions. On top of that, Nakatsu confronts Sano about his feelings for Ashiya, causing growing tension between the two boys as they struggle with the knowledge that they each love the same person.
On top of that, Sano gets word that his brother Shin is getting involved with high jump competitions. As athletes meet up in preparation for the competition, Sano and Shin cross paths. Add Kagurazaka to the mix, and tension builds between the high jumpers.
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Interesting volume, it's nice to see more of Shin again and get little more sneak peeks into his personality, feelings, and motivations. I'm eager to see him and Sano work through their issues and grow closer. Kagurazaka is an annoying shit, as per usual in the manga. (Drama version of him is much better ;o; )
It's been getting a little old with the "no one understands their feelings" and "omg what does x think of me??" stuff. I know they're all teenagers, and this series is aimed at young kids, but the repetitiveness feels more like filler than depth. I just wish there was more to it. You can certainly stretch things out, but put a little substance in while you do it, ya know?
That said, I did enjoy the honesty the characters share, when they do share. It's nice to see communication happen, as characters have moments of opening up and being vulnerable. :)
But hey, love has to be put on hold, because it's high jump time! (Finally lmao. Her entire motivation for coming to this school xDD) How well will the brothers handle their own stressors, their relationship with each other, and the competition? Looking forward to the next volume!
For Japanese Learners:
As this is a series, my thoughts are the same as volume one, which you can read more about that + my thoughts on the series as a whole here: https://learnnatively.com/review/b012ff0d41/