Sano and Mizuki are moving forward at an agonizingly slow pace. And yet, I'm still pretty content with it. It was a fun volume, what with Nakatsu and Sano time and the cute snowball fight. ( )

This book I consider a filler volume. Very little happens to progress the story forward, and we instead spend a lot of time with the characters stewing over their emotions. The story here kicks off with Nakatsu asking Sano how he feels about Ashiya, and Sano frankly replies that he likes her (or likes him, as Nakatsu still thinks that she's a boy). Awesome, and an exciting plot point. Sadly, the next many chapters are about the awkwardness between Nakatsu and Sano, and Ashiya brooding on the two of them who refuse to acknowledge the problem. A brief plot teaser is introduced as we learn that Sano's brother, Shin, is a new high jump contender. At least we finally see that Shin will reappear, since he dropped out of sight just when he had so much potential. After this revelation, though, it is back to regular school life and the now-openly-expressed love triangle. Though I thought the series could do better, I did still enjoy this book. At this point, I like all the characters so much, especially the main ones, that I just enjoy spending time with them. The school setting envelops me, and makes me nostalgic for my own schooling years. Also, I am glad that the author dedicated serious time to Nakatsu and Sano working out how they can remain friends but be romantic rivals. I love how the snowball fight was the turning point; that whole scene was amazing. And they both were super cute during it. Nonetheless, I think that we could have had other plot developments happening while these two struggled through their complicated feelings. Hopefully, the next volume features more action. Whatever the case, I will still enjoy spending time with these adorable people. ( )