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この巻は新鮮だ！！私にはここがマリみての本当の始まりだと思う（ちなみに第1話は雑誌ではオリジナルストーリー）。言語レベルでは色々な所で前の巻よりもちょっと難しい。
入学生と共に「乃梨子」っていう新しい見解のキャラが現れて（祐巳は健在です）、その乃梨子はリリアン高校では余所者。
続く。。。
This book was fresh!! For me this is where マリみて really starts (and in fact the first story here was the original story in the magazine, before マリみて became a full series). On a language level, this one felt slightly harder than previous volumes, in various places.
Along with the new freshman, comes a fresh perspective character, named Noriko (don't worry Yumi's still here), who was a complete outsider to Lilian's. It's so nice seeing a more grounded perspective that doesn't just take Lilian's norms and culture for granted, and isn't wrapped up in idolizing the Rose families. Though she is in stark contrast to the rest of her class in this regard, and it's a very different vibe from Yumi's first class.
This is the first volume where the religious element comes in a bit more seriously, as it turns out Noriko's hobby is Buddhist statues, and traveling to Buddhist temples - which of course is at conflict with her attendance at a prim & proper Catholic school. So when she inevitably comes into contact with one of the devout Catholics, things get rather interesting. Her story takes up the first half of the book (tho the normal cast is still present), and it's probably the first time I never felt like there was a slow moment. Having Noriko's inner-monologue adds soooo much to the initial story, compared to the anime.
The other new freshman we meet, Touko, is also totally unlike any of the previous characters we've met, and rather tricky to put your finger on. She definitely adds a fresh element to this, in a lot of ways.
The 2nd half of the book is largely a retelling of the first half, but from Yumi's perspective. To the author's credit, it is almost all fresh information, so it never feels boring. Though the very end did feel a bit anticlimactic. (as an aside, Sachiko never fails to frustrate me, but there is a sweet moment later in the story).
As a final thought, if you haven't watched the corresponding anime episodes (S2 ep 7-9), I highly recommend it! They're an amazing adaptation, and the anime was able to portray the dramatic events concurrently, while still maintaining the suspense. It's a rare moment where I think the anime does it better (not a criticism, just high praise for the anime)