A Sign of Affection, Vol. 5

ゆびさきと恋々 [Yubisaki to Renren] #5

by Suu Morishita, Alice Settembrini (Translator)

Yuki ha deciso di affrontare al meglio i suoi sentimenti e Itsuomi le chiede di mettersi con lui. I due iniziano così a frequentarsi e il ragazzo la presenta subito ai suoi migliori amici. La cosa non fa che confermare a Yuki quanto Itsuomi tenga a lei, ciononostante…

Genres: Manga, Romance, Contemporary, Graphic Novels, Shojo, Young Adult, Disability

154 pages, Paperback

First published September 13, 2021

About the author

MORISHITA Suu
Name (in native language): 森下ｓｕｕ

Blood type: A
Zodiac: Taurus

Mangaka duo: Story: Makiro (マキロ）, Illustration: Nachiyan (なちやん）

Favourite food: chicken nanban

Assistant: Aizawa Yuki-mei

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yuki gets a job, finally, and watching her integrate into her new workplace is interesting stuff. Elsewhere, Itsuomi gets continually worse, as the dreaded ‘Morishita male’ raises his head in yet another book.

Well, that happened. I am now sick to death of Itsuomi. I hadn’t expected that, in my previous review, when I commented on my issues with him that it was going to end up grating on me this hard by the time I was done this book.

Shortcake Cake, the author’s previous work, had this EXACT problem, where it had interesting female leads and then turned them into tagalongs and trophies for their perfect men who could do no wrong and protected and uplifted them at every turn.

This book is mostly focused on Itsuomi, sadly. We start with his conversations with Yuki’s childhood friend, who appears to be making a real half-assed go of being the rival. It feels like he just got assigned the role and doesn’t know what to do with it precisely. Parts of this are good, I admit, but it largely feels like time to ladle the praise on Itsuomi (the parade of friends they meet on their walk is absolutely insipid).

By the time Itsuomi’s brilliant countenance reduces said rival to tears of recognizance I was ready to barf. If the male lead from Shortcake Cake ever crossed paths with Itsuomi it would be like two gods fighting while their followers worshipped in the background.

The job stuff is interesting, although Yuki handles it quite well, so it’s not exactly brimming with drama (her being competent and not having trouble is a nice side of her to see). Everything involving her accessibility issues and how she lives her life is always the most compelling stuff.

Of course, she’s doing this so she can travel with her mighty protector. Even though he clearly has a plan to provide this through another method, probably with his connections to the Vatican or something.

I mean, everybody has to start somewhere, but this feels like a really experienced older guy taking advantage of a naive waif and I don’t care how many damn selfies they take. Your take will invariably depend on the amount of cynicism you have at this stage of your life.

When this is about Yuki and her friends or any other relationship (Yuki’s own rival gets an apparent resolution to her storyline that is far more interesting since both people involved are such messes), this is fine. Itsuomi is here and then it is not.

2.5 stars and I think I’ll go down to two, based on the ‘fool me once’ principle of manga reviews. This series started out well, but Morishita backslides into her old habits very hard this time, or perhaps I’m finally just noticing it, and it’s definitely not my cup of tea. One more of these and I’m likely out.

[MargReadsManga · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got a few cavities after reading this!

[Laura A. Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Updated Review 8/14/25: I really enjoyed this volume, but I was especially surprised at how much I enjoyed all the scenes with Oushi! I feel my entire view of him changed when reading this volume because he's not as "mean-spirited" as I remember him being through all the other times I've read (and reread) this series. Honestly, if I weren't such a huge fan of Itsuomi, I would ship him with Yuki!

But I am NOT turning back on this precious ship because I adore Yuki and Itsuomi's relationship and was thriving seeing them grow closer, especially with the busyness of their lives right now! They are trying so hard, and it's very obvious that both of them feel very deeply for each other.

The date was AMAZING, and I cannot wait to read the next volume!

Original Review 7/12/22: Be still my heart, I never can handle these volumes...

THEY ARE SO INCREDIBLY PRECIOUS!!!!

Gah, Itsuomi really knows how to make readers swoon with his one-liners! Like EEEEEEKKKKKK! He really is one of the most romantic heroes I think I've read!

The opening chapter was an interesting one and found that I was glad we had a chapter from "Oushi's world." It was different and thought his reasonings of why he learned sign language fascinating. He's not a "bad guy" like I think I have felt about him before. Really good stuff considering he's in the shadow of our swoony hero! LOL!

And sweet Yuki! I LOVED seeing her grow as an adult and thought it really cool how this volume had a minor focus on her getting a job. I appreciated how our new couple has to find time and ways to see one another (and how Yuki questioned if these everyday moments would always be precious).

Lastly, THAT DATE!! Gah, I love these two!! <3 <3 <3

So overall this felt a little bit more of a slower volume (or maybe it was just more of our couple is doing "adult things" that made this volume feel different) but was still absolutely delightful. Can't wait for the next volume!! <3

[Bookishrealm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay! This volume was absolutely adorable. It’s the first time that I’ve felt completely and totally invested in their relationship.

[nikki | ཐི༏ཋྀ​​݁ ₊ ݁ . · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oushi, you gotta move on bro. I think this is my least fav so far but I still love Yuki and Itsuomi

[hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

nothing major happened, but it’s so sickeningly cute that i’m just genuinely obsessed. i’m hoping things start to pick up and we see their relationship grow ☺️

[Rod Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

This series becomes ever more boring as it seems to abandon any chances for drama in favor of earnest sappiness and the blandest of romances. And still the male lead comes off as a creep.

I have a library hold on the next volume, and I'm inclined to cancel it at this moment, but I'll give it one last chance to do something interesting.

[hope · Rating 5 out of 5]

yuki was so real for taking a picture of his back like that 😭

[Beka · Rating 5 out of 5]

THAT BONUS CHAPTER 🥹🥹🥹

[vin .ᐟ (hiatus)]

unrequited love from a childhood best friend makes me want to rip my hair out (affectionately)(devastatingly)(earth-shatteringly)

[Pinky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trigger Warnings:FMC hasn’t been able to hear since she was born, Underage drinking (MMC started drinking at 16 since it is allowed in Germany if parents are around)

I’ll never get over the cuteness of this couple. Imma copy and paste the stuff I said in my other review so I can get to spoilers: Our FMC is deaf, I’m not sure if it is a trigger but I have added it just in case. The authors seem to have put a lot of research and the sign language is in Japanese. They have a whole process of how they figure out the sign language aspect of the manga which I found fascinating. The anime did a good job animating the sign language. Especially the different tones of sign language, some being soft and graceful while others are harsh and straightforward. I LOVE our FMC Yuki, she knows what she wants and goes for it. And Itsuomi our MMC has so much rizz, the guy is so handsome and dreamy. Some people have mixed thoughts on his actions but I personally think this guy is a walking green flag. They both communicate so there is drama but not as much as other mangas, this is more cute. Please do yourself a favour and watch the anime. Then come back and read the manga so we can fangirl together.


Yuki runs into Itsuomi in the subway and after a helpful interaction, she can’t get him off her mind. When she realizes the guy is someone in her friend’s class, she will get to know him.

Now for spoilers


We start off where we left off where Itsu grabs Oushi while he is annoyed to go talk


While he is walking, he is getting greeted by different people from the International Club. They all speak different languages, asking what Itsu is up to. Itsu tells them he wants to get to know Oushi more. Itsu takes him to the club room and sits down. Oushi asks why he is there and Itsu randomly asks him what his favourite bread is, saying he likes the curry bun best. I was dying at how confused Oushi was, Itsu is so random it's hilarious. Since Oushi doesn’t answer, he asks Oushi what his favourite cafeteria food is or what he is studying. Oushi refuses to answer while Itsu offers answers with every question. He then says that he wants to know if they have anything in common other than both of them liking Yuki. Oushi says it's not like that but Itsu says if Oushi wants Itsu to listen to him, to meet him at 7. Oushi says that he knows Itsu isn’t a good guy while Itsu asks why Oushi hates him (bruh who could hate him). Oushi says that he can tell Itsu dyes his hair a lot and tattoos aren’t a good thing in Japan. He doesn’t think that Itsu is good for Yuki. He says that Itsu is messed up for calling a deaf girl out in the middle of the night. Another thing I hate about Oushi is he doesn’t seem to see Yuki as anything other than being deaf. Does he even know her as a person? Is there anything he likes about her? Cuz despite knowing each other since they were kids, it seems Oushi doesn’t know Yuki at all other than her being deaf. We cut to seeing Oushi at Kyo’s bar, Itsu tells Oushi that Kyo is his cousin who he works for. Itsu offers Oushi a drink and says he started drinking when he was 16 since it is allowed in Germany if your parents are around. Oushi drinks with Itsu and Itsu brings up the hair comment Oushi said, saying that he has a hairdresser friend who he lets experiment on his hair. He says he plans to do an Afro next and I was dying. Oushi passes out and Itsu waits on him, it is 1AM when he wakes up. Oushi says that since they met, Itsu has to listen to him and tells him to break up with Yuki. Itsu says it takes two to break up, that Yuki would never break up with him. Oushi thinks he is being overconfident but Itsu says that what he and Yuki may not seem close, but they are closer than he thinks. He says that he is glad Yuki made the choices she did to go to college so that they would meet. But Itsu believes that even if she didn’t end up in college, he would have met her someday. When Oushi says that Itsu travels abroad a lot and meets so many girls, Itsu says even if he meets people, nothing will ever happen. He says that no matter when or where he meets Yuki, he believes he would like her. I found this so swoony, he thinks that they're fated to be with each other no matter what.


Oushi thinks back to when he met Yuki, his sister told him that Yuki went to school for the deaf. His sister was learning sign language and he started learning from her books. He saw Yuki when they were looking at fireworks and Yuki was so cute and happy. Oushi makes sign language calling her stupid and makes faces at her. But at that moment, he thought that sign language was special since it felt like no matter where they were, they can communicate in their own secret language. Itsu says that they learned sign language for the same reason but Oushi says he didn’t even if he is lying. Itsu says just because he learned sign language, doesn’t mean that Yuki would suddenly start liking him. And it’s true, yea Oushi liked Yuki, but his way of showing it was stupid. He was rude to her and always put her down, constantly reminding her that she is deaf. Oushi is jealous Yuki now looks at Itsu’s hands instead of his. He punches Itsu’s chest and says that if he ever hurts Yuki, he will take Yuki away. He says that he doesn’t like taking girls away from people who are dating but asks Itsu to break up with her while crying. He never addressed his feelings for Yuki until that moment and while he cries, Itsu rubs his head. It was honestly so sweet, I didn’t find it condescending. I mean even Oushi didn’t wanna walk away from the head rub. Itsu says that he can’t find a reason to hate Oushi. After that, Yuki is with Rin and Rin says she went on a date with Kyo to the zoo. She doesn’t know if they are official yet and asks Yuki how Itsu asked her out. Yuki is flustered cuz the way Itsu asked her out was dreamy. Itsu pops in and says he would rather have that between him and Yuki, I love that he wants his special moments between themselves. Rin leaves for class so Itsu sits with Yuki and they eat lunch together. Yuki says she has an interview and seems nervous so Itsu tells her a German saying and holds her hands, telling her she can do it. Yuki is flustered since people are looking at them holding hands but Itsu says who cares lmao.


Itsu gets a call from Shin saying that he hasn’t told Emma that Itsu has a girlfriend. I’m not gonna lie to you, I didn’t give a shit about Shin and Emma’s story. They’re just too boring for me and I don’t like Emma much. Yuki goes to the job interview and Madoka’s aunt gives her the job. Yuki lets Itsu and Rin know and they are happy for her. Madoka’s aunt wants to repay Madoka’s friends for making her happy and she calls Yuki in for a shift. Madoka’s aunt asks what Yuki wants to pay for when she saves up and Yuki says her phone bill and travel. After her shift, she wants to see Itsu and walks by the bar but it is busy. She thinks better of it and goes home. But while she is in bed, Itsu asks if she is awake and once she says yes, he says he is outside. He signs her asking what she was doing and said he made it on time before she went to bed. Yuki can’t see his sign language well so she says she is coming down. Itsu says it’s fine since he is leaving but as he walks away, Yuki runs down in her PJs. Itsu says she is underdressed and puts his hoodie on her, he always has me swooning. He asks how Yuki’s job went and he asks if Yuki came by the bar since he saw her. She says she wanted to see his face so he leans down and tells her to have a look. I swear this guy’s rizz is a whole other level. He says that he hasn’t seen her properly since they both work. He also mentions that the streetlights probably made it hard for her to see his sign language. He says that even if they are busy, they should check their schedules and go on dates, even if its for a couple of hours. I found it so sweet that he said this, they both want to spend time with each other. He asks Yuki where she would wanna go, telling her to pick a place. He has something important to say to Yuki soon but doesn’t say what.


Yuki goes to the grocery store and the cashier she normally goes to isn’t there. So she goes to a guy but he is wearing a mask and she can’t understand what he is saying. Oushi shows up and helps her. When they walk out, he says he was there for ramen and says it isn’t easy going to a store when deaf. He offers to go with her whenever she needs to. Oushi asks if Yuki is going out with Itsu and she is confused as to why he knows. He says he went to drink with Itsu and Yuki is shocked but she can see Itsu dragging Oushi around. Yuki says that Itsu is a nice guy and starts complimenting her but Oushi stops her from signing to him. This is basically like him shutting her up. Oushi never did something like that before and Oushi tells her not to compliment Itsu in front of him. He tells Yuki that if Itsu makes her cry, to come to him. He starts talking rather than using sign language like he normally does. Yuki is worried he had problems in school but Oushi says he is fine. She says that when she went to college, she felt alone, but whenever Oushi signed to her, she felt good. She says that even if it isn’t obvious that he has good intentions, he does. Oushi says he wants to start being honest with Yuki since Yuki was surprised Oushi was being nice to her. Shin meets Emma and Emma says that Shin always buys food so she should do it next. Shin says he doesn’t mind and says that Itsu has a girlfriend. Emma seems upset but Shin says that she can always give him a chance. Emma says they went to the same school and she has always seen Shin going out with girls. When the girls thought he liked Emma, he said that he would never have feelings for her. Shin says it was cuz he never planned to tell her how he felt. I genuinely do not care for these two, I just care about Yuki and Itsu.


Back to Yuki, she wasn’t sure where to take Itsu but Rin says that maybe Itsu wants her to pick a place she likes. She knows that Itsu will enjoy himself regardless but she was nervous. He’s seen the world and there isn’t much to show him. Yuki takes Itsu to a garden and takes pictures, it was so cute seeing how excited she was while Itsu follows her around. He checks her phone and there are beautiful flower pictures and Itsu says that this must be how Yuki sees the world. They see pretty wisteria flowers and Yuki takes pictures. Itsu says that they should take a selfie and counts down with his fingers so Yuki is ready. They sit outside to eat, Yuki made him sandwiches. Itsu thinks Yuki asked for a kiss and leans in but feels like it’s too crowded for that. He tells Yuki that everything she does is okay with him too, he has no boundaries with her.


Yuki tells him he didn’t want to tell her why he travels the world so Itsu says he will tell her now. He spends a long time typing her a message but before she could read it, he tells her to read it later. He takes her on a swan ride and they’re both laughing and happy.


I love how they are happy and content by doing the smallest things. Itsu even said that they can spend time together without spending too much, as long as they’re together. We get a bonus chapter of what Itsu does at home. The morning after Yuki slept over, she noticed that he reads the newspaper in the morning, focusing on international news. He gets up quick, likes his food crispy, washes the dishes quick, and does everything with proper focus. She can’t wait to learn more about him and finds everything about him dreamy (who could blame her). Can’t wait to see what happens next, I kinda have an idea of what he messaged her since it was in the anime but after that, I am not sure what is gonna happen. I don’t remember him saying he had something important to say in the anime so I wonder what that is about.


Stay safe folks!

[Becky (romantic_pursuing_feels) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one too! This addition to the series gives more of a background for some of our side characters. We get to know more about Oushi and Yuki's childhood relationship (and Itsuomi puts Oushi in his place in a gentle way) and get to know Itsuomi's friend Shin.

Still loving this series! My library doesn't have any more :( I am going to have to start buying in paperback because I am obsessed!

[Annadee · Rating 5 out of 5]

More please 😭😭😭

The romance
The chivalry
The HANDS

[alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Einfach wieder so süß🥹🩷

[Phantomº · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shin is so pretty, his hair and black nails. Go off! The extra chapter was a favourite, nice seeing a glimpse of their friendship!

P.S. I try not to complain about Itsuomi every single volume, nothing has changed really.

[ashe · Rating 2 out of 5]

this whole series worships itsuomi every volume and it's getting so bland having it seem like the plot revolves around him. i wish yuki can explore more of herself too. i know this is shoujo but damn it's always boy talk most of the time.

[Cecilia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Idk how to describe it but itsuomi kind of gives me the ick… I’m still gonna give 4 stars bc girly was SERVING every chapter

[Alexa (Alexa Loves Books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just need more every time I pick up a new volume and it always delivers.

[Juniper · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25, love seeing Oushi trying to change his ways a little <3 love Yuki getting out and living her life

[harmony · Rating 4 out of 5]

this series is like sunshine and rainbows and happiness in the form of a manga

[bee · Rating 4 out of 5]

『 ★★★★,5 』

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yuki gets a job, and we get to see a little bit of it. I know it was her first day, but I really would have liked it in a bit more detail. She's the interesting character. She's the reason I'm reading this series.

This volume mostly seems to focus on Itsuomi. We get a little bit more background on him, but the author holds some back at what can only be described as an attempt at a cliff hanger. It really isn't necessary. We are obviously going to read the second one to give out where they plan to go on their trip in the future. And I'm in it for Yuki. So with Itsuomi being the focus this volume, I was a little disappointed.

Yuki's friend, Oushi, suddenly becomes Itsuomi's rival. Before he was just jealous and claiming to just be her friend. It was kind of obvious that he had kind of a sweet spot for her but this just...it feels like a disservice to his character. He literally sounds like a middle school boy trying to treat the person of his supposed feelings like an object. I didn't like it. I liked it when he was this very protective friend who kind of liked her but valued her enough to let her make her own decisions. And Itsuomi takes on a mightier than thou vibe through the whole thing. Not my favorite. He doesn't get mad while Oushi is yelling at him, keeps trying to connect, takes him out for a drink, stays with him while he apparently sleeps it off...it's just... a lot. We get it, he's a great guy.

So I wasn't overly impressed. I'm in it to see how Yuki handles the world, to see what difficulties someone who is deaf may encounter and learn and grow and be more aware of the difficulties some other people may encounter in the world. This is why I devoured Perfect World. It had a storyline, and romance in the plot, but the representation and showcasing of hardships faced were never put on the back burner in favour of...drama.

This book just wandered off into a classic life of life drama. Hopefully the next volume will rebound back into the reason why I started reading this series in the first place.

[DonutKnow · Rating 2 out of 5]

I still don’t vibe with Itsuomj. In fact, I think each volume gives me more of an ick as I keep reading… 😭 My favourite is Oushi, but I don’t know if my heart will take it when he is inevitably rejected 😢😢😢

[Federica Malpasso · Rating 5 out of 5]

Waiting for ch.19!

[Ray Flores · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

[Reese · Rating 4 out of 5]

Real world bad. Cute romance manga good

[nandini · Rating 4 out of 5]

THAT LAST PANEL WITH SHIN, KYOUYA AND ITSUOMI WAS SO CUTE AND WHOLESOME 😭

[anzhelika ୨ৎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ 4 stars ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

i love seeing their relationship grow!

[Rachel ♥⁷ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is so cute, I have to physically prevent myself from buying all the volumes instead of just reading them through the library.

The characters, the development, the SPARK of loooove. I'm here for it.

[Lu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful as always