Kurosaki and Kiyoshi are feeling the bromance.

——

Teru has fully recovered from her encounter with Akira, and Kurosaki is sporting a bandaged hand. The focus of this chapter was Kiyoshi struggling with his growing feelings for Rena, although she seems determined to push him away for reasons he can’t yet grasp. Rena’s fiancé, Kazuki, finally makes a full appearance in this chapter and he’s even creepier than expected. It’s clear that he has some suspicious connection with Akira and Chiharu, which will probably be covered or at least hinted at next chapter.

I love how far Rena has come in this series. Her acceptance of her faults and her failed relationships is really a great moment for her. She definitely has some of the most character development as she naturally progressed from a one-time antagonist to a core member of the cast, and it’s probably this same desire to change that draws Kiyoshi to her. They have a very nice relationship that’s been growing for some time, and now they’re finally getting an unintentional push from each other to feel something more than antagonism.

It’s also good to get Kurosaki’s perspective on his relationship with Teru. His devotion to her is more than evident and referred to constantly, but in this chapter he reveals to Kiyoshi that he’s been holding back from making a move, not only because of the age difference, but because he wants to be seen as a proper man in front of her. Though the readers might be confused by this statement since Kurosaki is plenty masculine, I think his statement is derived from his inability to protect her properly in the hotel. As shown in the beginning of the chapter, he is unsatisfied with the amount of protection he’s able to offer her, so it looks like we’ll be seeing more of his heroic antics in due time.

This chapter was a bit slow until the middle, but did a really good job of developing Rena and Kiyoshi’s relationship. It provided a close look into Kiyoshi’s perspective and will nicely set up the next chapter where Kurosaki and Kiyoshi will most likely confront Rena’s fiancé. This could be a good opportunity to see Kiyoshi’s hidden manly side. A good chapter, but it felt like it was more focused on setting up anticipation for the next chapter.

GO Rating: 3.5/5

[KissManga]