Spring has come, and while Kai has been enjoying the spring of his youth, the season also brings about class changes — and he’s separated from Riko! But hey, at least he’s in a requited love, unlike some other people in their friend group…
While Miki and Kiyo adorn the cover, that’s…about it for those two in Hatsu*Haru volume 11. So, yes, that means Tora and Kagura are finally brought back into the spotlight! Thanks to Kai’s encouragement, Kagura decides to invite Tora to get supplies for their upcoming school trip.
But Kagura has a liiiittle trouble suppressing her tsun-ness. And even when she gets over the first hurdle, Tora doesn’t see their outing as significant, which makes Kagura angry and threatens to cause a lot of friction during the school trip.
I do think Fujisawa is relying on the “one person in love, other person dense” a little too much in the story. We already had Riko, and in another chapter in the story, Ayumi can’t figure out why she suddenly can’t concentrate and is avoiding Taka. But at least her obliviousness has been limited to their “break up” earlier in the series and the chapter here (which covers a few days). Even Kai’s unrequited feelings for Riko were over the course of a few months.
But Kagura has been crushing on Tora for years, and while he tends to gloss over her attitude and thinks of her as someone close to him, there’s not much here to suggest his feelings for her run deeper than lifelong friend or almost-sister. Even though we get some flashbacks to their childhood, it’s their fathers’ story — a forbidden friendship that they didn’t want their kids to repeat — that shined more.
So while the Kagura-Tora development was lackluster, the comedy was on point for much of volume 11. Kai’s horror at being put in a separate class from Riko is full of his dramatics, including placing curses and doing a bad imitation of a ghost. Even later when he finally gets some alone time with Riko, his mouth spills his Riko-gorilla comparison. Oops! Fujisawa also continues to excel in the quick humorous bits like Kai and Miki hiding from teachers by climbing on Taka and continuing to use him like a pillow.
Still, in the end, Kai and Riko continue to be a doting couple along the lines of Miki/Kiyo, even going to visit the Suwa household. The main couple’s happy relationship is probably a reason why Miki/Kiyo are fading into the background. And another pair joins that group — Taka and Ayumi. I imagine they won’t fade into the background quite as much. Even the more serious-minded Ayumi chapter ends with some of her offbeat analyses and twists, which elevated the whole chapter.
And, judging from their post-confession moments in this volume, Taka’s life with Ayumi as his official girlfriend is not going to be any easier…and that’s the way I like it. I’m sure it won’t be long before Kagura and Tora join the happy couple group, but I hope to get more laughs on the way there.