Can you believe it’s been a whole two years since this volume has come out!? I read it so long ago that I had actually forgotten all about it (especially since it went on hiatus..). I was so surprised when I read that volume two is finally going to be released, and that it’s coming in less than one week! To get ready to read it, I of course had to re-read volume one!
You can check out this series for yourself below.
What happens in volume one? *mild spoilers*
Mochidsuki is a girl who really wants to be able to live her high school years to the fullest. She’s not exactly sure why her teachers see her as being an outstanding role model for her peers, as she would do exactly what everyone else does if given the proper chance. She is maybe just a little bit too trusting of people, as when one of her teachers asks her to take on the job of helping a student catch up on all of the schoolwork that they missed while out sick (something that’s absolutely a teacher’s job), she happily accepts.
When she goes to help this student, named Setohara, catch up… She quickly realizes that he has a rather scary reputation. She tries to ignore it and help him out, but he doesn’t allow her the chance. He clues her in on the fact that the teachers have been taking advantage of her, and tells her that if she’s not careful, she’s going to probably lose quite a bit of money in a scam. He was able to tell that she’s probably been taken for advantaged by the teachers for quite a while, though this is there first time talking to each other.
While Setohara isn’t mean, per se, he’s rather blunt with how he puts things. He warns Mochidsuki to stay away from him, and while at first it seems like he’s just being moody, we quickly learn it’s actually to protect her. As when she is spotted out in the city with Setohara by one of the teachers one day, she is scolded heavily the next (almost like he knew this would happen). The teacher who shoved his duties onto her tells her that, though she is an honours student, if she hangs out with Setohara, then all of the teachers will begin treating her with scorn. Setohara quickly swoops in and calls the teacher out for neglecting his duties, and the conversation ends with the teacher retreating.
Through scenes like these, we learn that Setohara isn’t actually mean—he just doesn’t want to get involved in anything annoying. We also learn that, unlike Mochidsuki, who wants to live her high school life to the fullest… Setohara really holds no expectations for his time at school. He wants to leave as soon as the bell rings and never look back after graduating.
So.. When His cousin and Mochidsuki team up to persuade him to attend a field trip, it’s rather surprising for everyone when he accepts, and actually shows up! He’s really not in the mood to be on a trip and is a bit of a downer the whole time, but it does end on a sweet note! He reveals that he basically had to pull an all-nighter the previous night and was beyond exhausted. Any other time he would have opted to skip, but he didn’t want to break his promise to come on the trip.
My thoughts about this volume
I find Setohara to be such an interesting character! I really like how he was given a disdain for things that he deems annoying (like the overstepping teachers, clubs, etc.), but that he clearly does have a moral code. Even when he seems to not really like Mochidsuki, we’re always shown a reason behind his actions. He also always comes through, even when it seems like he really doesn’t want to.
For Mochidsuki and the teachers, I found myself feeling really bad for her, and kind of wonder if the reason she hasn’t found any opportunities to act like a normal student is because of the teachers blocking her. I found it just so wild that one of the teachers expected her to follow his every word, both in and out of school. Like… who are you to say what she does during her free time? What are you, a stalker? So I was really happy when Setohara appeared to stick up for her.
I think this volume also ended at a very good place… or at least it would have if I didn’t have to wait two whole years to read the continuation!! So I’m very excited for the new release!
What I liked most about this volume
❤️ The character designs — the author somehow found a qay to make everyone involved in Setohara’s life uniquely beautiful.
🧡 Setohara calling out the professor to his face — I was a little bit worried that he would just smooth things over in a roundabout way, but I was pleasantly surprised when he called him out right to his face.
💛 The way that Mochidsuki ending up at Setohara’s workplace felt natural. Often times, unless a character is brought to, or explicitly told about, another characters workplace, I find it rather unbelievable that they just happen upon them. Mochidsuki’s job of delivering flowers was a nice excuse for her to end up there!
💚 Setohara not actually being a mean character — I just really like his unique personality! While he’s described as being scary, he really isn’t.
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