Mom collapsed! Sakura is shaken by this news, but having Kaede by her side makes the situation easier — as does the news Yukari was just exhausted. But the incident leads Kaede to make a request of Sakura: he wants to just be her brother again. Sakura doesn’t want to let him go, but will Kaede change his mind? As Sakura ponders her love life, Hatano can’t help but notice she’s not acting like her usual self despite her best attempts to do so.
Volumes 8 and 9 are the penultimate and ultimate volumes of We Must Never Fall in Love!, so readers should expect a lot of romantic drama and tension. Kaede avoids Sakura for much of volume 8, and it isn’t until the last volume where they have a heart-to-heart. For me, this indecisiveness lasted a little too long, as either way, a chunk of the fandom were going to be discontented with the ending. Either Kaede and Sakura would get back together just as fast or faster than how much time they spent contemplating their relationship, or Sakura would quickly have her heart healed by Hatano.
I’m sure most readers will have predicted the ending in advance, and unlike some manga I’ve read, I don’t think the author waited until the very last moment to make a decision. But despite his underdog status, Hatano certainly feels like he has a strong chance of ending up with Sakura. He is constantly interacting with Sakura (even whisking her away from a couple of awkward situations), and she requests a chance to get to know him better. This leads her to calling him “the coolest guy I’ve ever known”. Considering his rejection of Sakura back at the beginning versus trying to slowly find common ground with his female fanbase, it’s hard to argue he isn’t the one who has grown the most over the course of We Must Never Fall in Love! And his caring for Sakura during these events will make his fans want his love to be requited.
It’s not that Kaede is cold during these chapters despite his sudden breakup talk and fleeing the situation. At times, we seem him trying to push back his desires to be more than a brother. But comparatively speaking, the climax of his arc with Sakura versus Hatano’s doesn’t seem as epic. Perhaps a few more chapters where we can see him contemplate a bit more versus wrapping up the story would have made for a better final turning point.
Everyone else acts as either support or comedy relief — and inadvertently both at times. Author Tsukishima throws in a couple attempts for them to do more than go with the flow of the story, but it’s mostly like a quick aside. It would have been nice to elevate these moments a little more, including the funny reactions when news of a new couple spreads on campus. More space probably could have avoided a panel where it looks like Sakura’s friend is confessing to her while she’s off to ask a teacher out.
Otherwise, I still love Sakura’s style, and Tsukishima captures her highs and lows in adorable ways. I still hope to see more cat-eyed shoujo heroines like this, and perhaps we’ll see more in the author’s future works.
And based upon We Must Never Fall in Love!, I will be keeping an eye out for more manga from her. I’m sure a lot of readers will be hoping for a spin-off of this series to see how Sakura’s unchosen love fared in the future. But I think Sakura’s feelings are explained well enough that readers will be satisfied by the ending, and it’s not like neither didn’t show they cared for her in volumes 8 and 9; it’s just the pacing and balance of the two books could have been a little better.