The art changed. Not weird–her art is already somewhat weird–just different. Though I guess I noticed the change in TWGFL-TCoRO, but it’s kind of jarring here, from one volume to the next.
Yokozawa’s got a suitor. Unwelcomed, of course, and he’s thrown in complete disarray. Unfortunately he doesn’t handle this one with the same…finesse…as it were. That all gets cleared up in the latter third of the volume, which was quite emotional. During which Yokozawa finally asked the question that’s been bugging him for the longest and he’s so touched by the answer, but Kirishima told him that a while back. Did Nakamura and Fujisaki forget? Or is this to illustrate how Yokozawa dismissed it the first time around? I don’t think it’s the latter. Also, I think they forgot that they already exchanged I love yous and made its appearance in this volume out to be the first time.
And though I did wish for them to be found out, they weren’t caught red-handed or anything, but it still prompted some of the considerations I wanted them to be set with and those led them to making great progress in understanding where they stand with each other.
Yokozawa is always trying to avoid being toyed with by Kirishima and, to that end, he always thinks about how he should not get so worked up over every little thing, but I honestly think that he should take the “fake it ’til you make it” approach. If he could just manage to accept the complement or act like the things that Kirishima points out aren’t such a big deal, like responding with “…and?” If he could do that, he’d cover so much ground on his way to actually being okay with it or at least it’s really not being such a big deal. Despite that seeming like a good idea, even though he tries to dismiss it when Kirishima says that his stubbornness and his uptight ways are some of the things he likes about him, I know he takes it to heart, and as such, would probably worry that if he didn’t react the way he usually does, Kirishima might lose interest in him. No chance, but try telling that to Yokozawa.
Now there’s this Yasuda guy popping up and though he professes to have no interest in either Yokozawa or Kirishima, I wonder. I think he may be on the level, but that just makes me want to know more about him and possibly see a relationship between him and someone else. Also if neither of the couple are his type, then who is? Is he more into a type like Ijuuin or Henmi, or even…Mino?
So what I’d like to see in the coming volumes is, of course, Hiyori finding out, hopefully not accidentally, but even more than that, I want to see Yokozawa’s confidence grow. Kirishima is head over heels for him, so every time he denies the compliments he’s paid or the expressions or endearment shown to him by Kirishima, it bothers me. He looks up to this guy and sees his manner–save the joking–as something of an aspiration, yet he is constantly questioning his judgment about him. I don’t want Yokozawa to do it for Kirishima, though. I’d prefer if he came to acknowledge that he was worthy of these things and more just because he is who he is, just because he exists. He’s grown a lot, thanks in great part to Kirishima, but I, like Kirishima, would be grateful if Yokozawa would come to understand his own self-worth.