The reappearance of a complicated figure turns Seigi’s life upside down—his birth father, Hisashi Shimeno. The man he wants nothing to do with will not leave him be, and Seigi would rather quit Jewelry Étranger for good than risk bringing trouble to Richard’s door. That is, if Richard will let him go…
Format read: Paperback Reading time: 7h Tags: mystery, adventure, translation, friendship, found family, lgbt (bi, m/m, ace) Own a copy: yes Reread likelihood: 1000/10
Summary Vol. 6 features four cases and two short extras:
Extra 1: Sinhalite Beckons, Part 1: A Japanese woman travels alone to Sri Lanka and comes across a jewellery store where a pretty sinhalite shines in the window. A handsome foreigner fluent in English and Sinhala tells her that the stone is counterfeit and invites her to visit his jewellery shop instead. She decides to take a chance and follow this stranger to a different part of the city.
1. The Wandering Conch Pearl: A father-daughter duo shops up at Étranger to have a necklace done with conch pearls specifically. Meanwhile, a dubious character shows up, claiming he works as a government researcher, and tries to get information from Richard about the building owner. It turns out that the owner is a postwar Japanese Dominican farmer who was a victim of the government's scheming.
2. Resplendent Spinel: Seigi gets roped into replacing a university friend at his café job for a few hours. During his shift, Richard stumbles in with a woman in tow, seemingly running from someone or something. The woman, a minor television celebrity, runs in to avoid her fiancé/manager, but the man catches up to them and the pair end up causing a scene at Seigi's temporary workplace.
3. Paraíba Tourmaline Romance: Following Richard's enthusiastic invitation, Tanimoto winds up at Étranger to meet Seigi's famous boss. The two bond over their shared interest in gemology, and their respective relationships to Seigi. Tanimoto admits to Seigi that she never had the intention to date anyone, and that it makes her feel like a failure of a human. Richard consoles her and Seigi understands that his friendship with Tanimoto is more important than a potential romance.
4. The Tanzanite of Rebirth: On his way home from work at Étranger, Seigi is accosted by a ghost of his past, his biological father. The man insists on following Seigi around everywhere, begging him to let him live with him, but Seigi wants nothing to do with the man who hurt him and his mother. Seigi is driven to the edge and considers extreme solutions to his problem, including quitting his job at Étranger and moving apartments, all to avoid his leech of a father. Jeffrey gets wind of these plans and makes Richard aware so that he can jump in and help Seigi at his darkest hour.
Extra 2: Sinhalite Beckons, Part 2: The woman from part 1 is brought to a private home in Sri Lanka where she meets the Japanese man's business partner, a blond, blue-eyed beauty whom she instantly recognizes as Richard from Ginza. She learns that the two run a jewellery business from their home and often travel for work. The woman asks Seigi out, but he gently turns her down before setting her on her way for the airport.
Review
"I want to be by your side from now on, if you'll let me. ... I'm trying to become a person worthy of you"
There is so much to say about this volume, especially case 4. Vol. 5 was a bit slow/uneventful after the explosive events in vol. 4, but vol. 6 throws us right back into the fire with now Seigi's family woes.
Cases 1 and 2 were a bit more generic, like what we can expect from the regular client drama stories scattered in the series, but case 3 was quite important for Seigi's development. Since vol. 1, he has been enamoured with the image of Tanimoto, without actually understanding her nor respecting her opinions about her own love life. Seigi desperately wanted to date Tanimoto, but no matter how often she explained that she wasn't interested in romance, he couldn't comprehend it. In this vol., however, Seigi finally understands that he cannot convince her otherwise, nor can he wait for her to change her mind, because she won't. Tanimoto is honest with him that their friendship is more valuable than anything, and Seigi agrees. Seigi has a moment of growth in this chapter as he lets go of his image of "angel Tanimoto" in favour of the real person in front of him.
"When you were preparing tea earlier, she... I'm not sure how to put this... had a very severe look on her face. (...) I will refrain from going into detail about what she said but in a very serious tone, she told me that I didn't know how much I had hurt you last year, and demanded that I never upset someone she cares about like that again. (p.174)
After the wholesome exchange between the three, Seigi is faced with his deepest fears in chapter 4. When his deadbeat dad shows up, Seigi instantly goes in flight mode and tries to cut ties with everyone he knows so as not to bring them any trouble. We learn in much greater detail how horrible his father was/is, as Seigi describes many scenes of domestic violence he witnessed as a child. This leads him to fear his own nature. Seigi believes that if he lets people in and he gets too close, he will end up hurting them. Seigi is so convinced that he will be a violent man like his father that attempts to run from everything, even if it means abandoning those he loves.
The dad's sudden appearance sends Seigi spiralling out of control. He doesn't eat, doesn't sleep, doesn't answer his calls, doesn't go to work nor school, and just lives in an incredibly dark headspace, shutting everything else out. When he finally musters up the courage to face Richard one last time before disappearing, Richard ambushes him with Jeffrey's help, and forces him to face his demons. Richard helps him understand that by shutting everyone out, he's actually hurting those who love him, and that it's perfectly normal to seek help from trusted parties to deal with the situation.
"Why do you treat me like some rock on the side of the road? What do you think I am? A doll that's not good for anything but being on display? (...) you had the audacity to try to abandon me and walk off into the darkness. It's beyond asinine and irrational. English people do not appreciate irrationality. So tell me, why are you treating me this way?" (p. 230)
This case mirrors a lot what happens in vol. 4 when Richard attempted to cut all ties with Seigi for a similar reason. Richard was afraid that his crazy, racist family would hurt Seigi, and in vol. 6, Seigi is afraid that his dad will pester Richard for money on the basis of his relationship to his son. Seigi also fears disappointing Richard because of his background and what he perceives to be his innate violent nature.
By the end of the chapter, however, Seigi realizes that many people around him love and care about him. His mom, his stepdad, Jeffrey, and Richard all show just how much they love him and to what lengths they will go to to protect him. The character growth here is, once again, amazing, especially for Seigi as his protective walls completely crumble the more Richard shows he has no intention of breaking ties with him.
The moment I realized that he had been watching over me and accepting me for who I was on a much deeper level that I could have imagined, I felt like I had been tossed into the middle of the ocean--it was salty, and I struggled to breathe. I was such a loser, such a thoughtless person, a timid child crying in the dark with his knees held tightly to his chest, and yet it felt like he took it all in and said that it was fine. But it wasn't just a feeling, he believed in me, more than I could ever believe. (pp.247-248)
The final extra of vol. 6 fast forwards the timeline to 2 years later, when Seigi and Richard are living together in Sri Lanka. Knowing that vol. 6 marks the middle of the series, it was a bit surprising to see "the end" being teased here. I know that there are still quite a lot of major events in the storyline that have yet to happen before we get to the HEA, but it was a really nice and wholesome little story after the high emotional impact of chapter 4.
"At times, I also find it easier to breathe when you're with me." (p.282)
All in all, vol. 6 destroyed me emotionally, and I don't think I've annotated a book this intensely in a long while. Every other sentence is quotable and speaks to anyone who has ever had family problems and/or relationship issues, and who find themselves in need of a hug. This entire series is just one giant warm blanket, and I'm so excited to see where it goes from here on out.
Another fantastic installment. Richard's and Seigi's relationship has developed beautifully, and there is such warmth and depth that gently encompasses every interaction they have, it's such a joy to read. Both the chapters with Richard finally meeting Tanimoto and them being able to geek out over gems, and the following chapter with Seigi's bio dad making a reappearance are some of the most captivating and heart-wrenching moments of the series by far. I also love how the extra short chapters sandwiched the main chapters this time, and how they came full circle and connected to a case in a previous volume, it just really goes to show how much thought and care the author has put into crafting this series. This series really continues to outdo itself every single volume, and I can't wait to see where things go from here.
By far my favourite volume so far. The plot started to speed up a little, the conversations are deeper and we got some new characters as well.. I cannot wait for the next book.
And I agree with Seigi.. Richard needs to check his blood sugar levels. This man is going to change into a walking, talking Tanghulu at this rate 😂
"Any happiness that is born of your sorrow is meaningless to those you love."
Look, I may be biased, but this is definitely one of those series that gets better the further along you go. While the first few volumes aren't truly lighthearted and in fact encourage you to ponder more on human relationships, there is so much depth to this series and its characters that you can only access from the fourth volume onwards.
For most of the series thus far, we're led to believe that Seigi is quite good-natured, and that his most obvious flaw is his tendency to speak first and think later. A lot of the character introspection has been given to Richard. But in this volume we unpack a lot of Seigi's insecurities caused by his childhood trauma. (In fact, if the summary for this volume wasn't clear enough, this volume tackles abuse and its consequences on the victim.) All this time, we have witnessed Seigi helping out Richard as well as other people; now, we see Richard (and others!) helping out Seigi.
It's a testament to how much the relationship between Seigi and Richard has grown. You see that both are willing to go very far to protect each other.
I loved that - mild spoilers ahead - Jeffrey also shows up. The last story for this volume is tackled in the last episode of the 2020 anime, but given time constraints, the anime did not fully follow the light novel. And thus I actually was not aware that Jeffrey plays quite a significant role in Seigi getting the help he needs. I really do adore Jeffrey; he is very much my favorite side character in the series. He retains a lot of his endearing cheekiness, and it was nice to see a different side of Richard that only appears when Jeffrey is involved.
I'm also really glad that the initial error in the early digital copy - that is, the missing extra and afterword at the end of the volume - was rectified. I bought an early digital copy myself and was quite distraught when I couldn't find the extra at the end, especially since it is so significant in showing how Seigi and Richard's relationship eventually progresses beyond this volume. It clears up a few of the unanswered questions about the future.
From here on out, I don't know much of what happens. The anime's coverage ends with this volume, and we're also entering a new arc of Seigi and Richard's story from the next volume on. March feels so far away, but I know it'll be here in no time and I can revisit this world of gemstones once more.
Absolutely the best volume in the series thus far, you'll be smiling and laughing and on the edge of your seat the whole time! Our beloved main characters draw even closer together as seigi's life circumstances draw his support community out in force!
Tsujimura Nanako has done it again! I didn’t think anything could top volume 4, but volume 6 is a very strong contender for my favorite volume yet.
The first two stories are short and fun, but still explore elements of Richard and Seigi’s relationship through the mirrors of other characters. “Paraíba Tourmaline Romance” is where things really pick up. This story is everything to me. Not only is it the long-awaited meeting of Richard and Tanimoto, but as an ace person, it’s so validating to hear Richard tell Tanimoto to be true to herself and not worry about pursuing romantic relationships if she doesn’t desire people romantically. Richard also makes this lovely speech about the ever-changing nature of human sexuality and attraction, and I’m so happy Tsujimura could include it. It’s not often that the queer community discusses natural fluctuations in attraction and identity. We’ve fought so hard to claim our labels that we sometimes forget we don’t have to stick to just one.
And “The Tanzanite of Rebirth”… Girl, it got rough for a second, there. In volume 4, it was Seigi who came to Richard’s rescue and showed him it’s okay to rely on the people who love you. Now it’s Richard’s turn to show that to Seigi. This story demonstrates just how much Richard has grown emotionally since his troubles with his family, as well as the depth of his care for Seigi. We get to learn more about Seigi’s past here, but WOW, it got dark. If you like hurt/comfort, you’ll love this story. 😅
It’s clear from the extra story and the Afterward that this volume closes one chapter of Seigi’s and Richard’s story and opens another. I’m so excited to see what this next chapter hold for them. Let’s pray my volume 7 pre-order gets here quickly! 😭🙏🏼
The best installment I’ve read so far. Usually the gemstone part can be a bit boring, but this time it’s integrated well into the story and kept short.
“I love you. I love you so much, I can’t help myself.”
“I want to be by your side from now on, if you’ll let me.”
“At times, I also find it easier to breathe when you’re with me.”
These two threw declarations like these to each other, and they’re still NOT together?
KissAlready.jpeg
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
"What really matters is that you never forget that while you possess the potential to change, your present self continues on to become your future self." This volume stands apart from the rest in its messaging and quality. The Aroace rep, the self-care talk and the need to rely on others, so wonderfully depicted. Richard, the man that you are. 10/10 read for me
I loved the messages in this book. It was more relatable and applicable. I loved the character development of Seigi. Finally, we get his story! Also, everyone in the story misunderstands Richard and Seigi, but the way they interact leaves much to misunderstand. They confessed to each other so many times but also, did not. They should just be together at this point. Hahaha
There is nothing quite as unsettling as someone as earnest and sincere and as kind as Seigi contemplating murder; of imagining himself letting the source of his trauma into his home and reaching for those knives because he’s reached his limit. It is such a stark difference to his character, but as a reader you get a deeper insight into his mind. You begin to see why he’s as kind and as caring, as thoughtful as he is, but you begin to see that he may not care for himself as much as he should.
Also seeing him and Richard take that much of a closer step towards each other was lovely. Sometimes you forget or you don’t let yourself become a “bother” to the people you love the most because you’re afraid you’d only bring problems to their doorstep.
With that said - I’m seriously confused by the prologue and epilogue. I feel like a lot was missed in between everything lol???
Lo diré una y mil veces: necesitaba las escenas de aquí en el anime.
¿Iniciando el año esperaba leer novelas como japonesas, ver anime y dramas? Pues no, pero las circunstancias se dieron de una manera bastante inesperada y aquí estoy, obsesionada con estos chicos que no han podido declararse su amor en seis tomos :)
every volume, i love them even more. my heart is light with joy. cant wait for the next volume; they just keep getting better and better as seigi and richard grow individually and together
Jeweler Richard's volume 6 came out a couple of months ago and I obviously had to read it!
I truly love this series and this volume was no different! I'll give my thoughts on each chapter/story down below!
Sinhalite:
This is a bonus story that shows our character's future. Seigi and Richard are living together in Sri Lanka with dogs, which is a really full-circle moment. They even meet the sister of the sweet-shop owner Richard loved in Ginza. She's the same girl he conforted in the airport when he left to England. It's really nice that fate brought them together again! It was a super sweet story and I'm very excited to see how they get to this stage in their life.
Pearl:
The story focuses on the imigration of Japanese civillians to the Pacific Islands after WW2 and how complicated it was to actually set up a life there. There's not much to say about this story other than it's clear that Richard was very mad about the fact that Seigi was leaving to work as a civil worker. He doesn't say it, but he likes having Seigi around and he wouldn't want anyone else by his side.
There was also this insensitive and racist joke about Korean people eating dogs. I really wasn't expecting it, seeing how the series is about acceptance. I searched it up, and according to some people who read the original japanese version, it's a bit of a mistranslation, but that's stillv ery harmful.
Spinel:
This story focuses on Ayame, an actress that recently left her job due to health issues and dones't know wheter or not she should quit acting. Richard and Seigi try to reason with her and show her that not every path is the same and that there's many ways to get where you want to be.
I love how Mr Itakagi encourage Ayame to embrace her body type and not worry so much about her weight. She wants to go back to work and he supports her no matter what. This shows that it's time to change that idea that actresses have to be super thin, body weight changes in life and from person to person and that difference should be embraced!
Paraíba tourmaline: In this chapter, Seigi brings his friend and former crush Tanimoto to the shop! There she meets Richard and tells the story of how she fell out of touch with a middle school friend. I loved how Tanimoto threatened Richard that if he ever hurt Seigi, she'd hurt him back! She knows that Seigi is wholly devoted to Richard and that he's a lot more emotional than he shows. It was just a sweet moment. I really liked how Richard also helped Tanimoto reconnect with her friend! He also tells her that her asexuality is nothing to be ashamed of and that there's many other ways of fulfilling your life other than romantic love! Tanimoto is very caring and loving towards everyone, she loves very deeply, it's just that her love is platonic, not romantic, which is perfectly fine! Tanzanite: This chapter was so heartbreaking! Seigi's deadbeat dad shows up, stalking Seigi for money. Seigi has a lot of trauma due to his dad beating his mom when he was younger and this brings all sorts of feelings back. Seigi's abuse makes him fear himself. He believes that because his father is an abuser, he will be an abuser too, even if he's one of the kindest people. It's true he has some anger issues, but he always tries to work things out and hasn't let anger get the best of him. He tries to quit, but luckily Richard understands everything and helps him. We got some very tender moments here, including Richard confessing to Seigi! “I love you. I love you so much, I can’t help myself." To which Seigi replied: "Sometimes even if you love someone…or rather because you love someone, you can’t go to them for help…” Nakata-san is such a good father! He shows that fatherhood isn't about blood, but about the love you have for your kid. He only met Seigi when he was already close to 10 years old, but that didn't stop him from loving him as his own. I loved seeing him confront Seigi's biological father. In the end, Seigi realized that he can ask for help when he needs it, that he's not alone. TW:domestic violence, suicidal thoughts, violence, stalking.
This is possibly the most difficult of the volumes to review thus far, because it's such a mixed bag of a novel, with high highs and low lows. It lands somewhere on a 3.5 rather than 4 because 4/5 of the stories really aren't all that good or good at all, and the fifth, which is far and away the best for a lot of reasons, has its own issues.
I honestly forgot for a time that there's an extra story at the story of this, the story is that unremarkable. It's not bad, exactly, it just felt like a waste of time. It concludes at the end of the book. It's not exactly unenjoyable. It's just... more. And kind of confusing.
The second story has a really neat core concept - dealing with - but is overall written incredibly badly and doesn't make any sense. You could write a really good story with that, and maybe it works a lot better in Japanese. As translated here, I kept being confused why any of this mattered, or how anyone here was coming to the conclusions they were. It's also just a boring story, overall.
The third story involves Seigi's stupidity/cluelessness (I think, at a certain point, it becomes stupidity) is ramped up to 1000, even more so than the past, and is thus pretty dumb. What was worse is that I'd hoped it was merely Seigi misunderstanding things and that'd be simple to wave off... but no, his ridiculous assumptions based on literally nothing at all (that were kind of sexist) turned out to be true. It was also extremely weird, given what we know about him and what we learn in story 5, that he would essentially pressure what, for all intents and purposes, looks like a victim of stalking to talk to her stalker. It's just gross on so many levels, even if it turned out to be okay. It's just a bad story all around.
The fourth story is by and large forgettable. . The story was generally boring.
The last story is the one I've been waiting on for ages, since it's one of the last stories in the anime adaptation, and one of my favorites: where Seigi's biological father comes calling. Because it's given more time in the novel, it's built up a bit more, and you get more details on it. I didn't particularly feel like it was sudden in the anime, but it is definitely a bit smoother here. All in all, it's a very good story with some great angst, and . Just a lot of good stuff. That being said, there's a core message I have an issue with, which isn't unusual in a series and particularly a novel wherein Richard in particular just makes bad moralistic stories and honestly gives outright bad advice in terms of the heart: .
Also, the Seven Seas English edition of this had a lot of typos.
All in all, this novel is a mixed bag, but also contains one of the best stories in the series thus far. There are some lovely moments with Seigi and Richard in particular, even in the boring and bad stories. I can't say I recommend the novel, but it's about on par if slightly better than others in the series.
''you strike me as a twisted mirror of a person. i used to despise mirrors. they made me hate my face as it grew more similar to my mother's by the day. but you are a different sort of mirror. the circumstances of our births and childhoods couldn't be more different, yet the very cores of our souls are excessively similar. so perhaps it is my job to say this to you. i love you. i love you so much, i can't help myself. and that's why i'm angry with you to a similar degree.''
''at times, i also find it easier to breathe when you're with me.''
seri çabuk bitmesin diye araya vakit koymuştum ve bir süre okumamaya kararlıydım ama artık dayanamayıp kaldığım ciltten devam ettim okumaya. artık bu seri benim için o kadar safe space gibi bir şey oldu ki okumaya başladığım an gerçeklikten uzaklaşıp apayrı bir zevk duymaya başlıyorum ya var olduğum anlardan. seigi ve richard'a çok alıştım, aralarındaki ilişki derinleştikçe ben de ikisine gittikçe bağlanıyorum falan. of. seigi dünyadan bihaber olmasına rağmen richard'ın harbiden seigi'ye düştüğü çok belli oluyor artık, hiç gizli bir tarafı kalmadı. sadece hâlâ seigi'nin ne zaman fark edeceğini bekliyoruz resmen...
''you don't think of me as tangible, something that is always by your side. that is why i remain someone distant and unreachable to you. it is almost as if we are ferrymen, captaining different boats on the same river, while you may continue to wave and call out to me, you never attempt to get on the same boat. you never attempt to close the distance between us. and you never allow me to pay your price, the affection, you are worth.''
hani richard daha başka türlü nasıl yalvarabilir ya da nasıl açık olabilir bilemiyorum... yine de birbirlerinin her daim böyle yanlarında olduklarını okumak içimi sımsıcak yapıyor. richard'ın son chapter boyunca gösterdiği şefkate, desteğe öldüm bittim resmen. lütfen okuduğum çiftler her zaman böyle vulnerable olabilirler mi yan yanalarken...
ayrıca kitabı o kadar hızlı okudum ki ne ara başladım ne ara bitti algılayamadım bile. bu cilt genel olarak önceki ciltlere göre bir tık hafif kalıyor bence ama kesinlikle okuduğumuz her şey çok içten olaylar her zamanki gibi. seigi'nin ve tanimoto'nun bulundukları durumlar çok relatable olduğundan insan aynı duyguları bir noktada paylaşmış olmanın heyecanıyla hızlıca okuyuveriyor. özellikle seigi'nin akıl sağlığının dibinin sıyrıldığı her sayfayı bir saniyede okuyup yutmuş bile olabilirim. ve seigi'nin babası yüzünden kendini içinde bulduğu duygu durumları, richard'ın dedikleri derken kendimi üç-dört kez de ağlayacak halde buldum. yazar nasıl bu kadar gerçekçi aktarabiliyor karakterlerin iç dünyasını ve düşüncelerini her defasında şaşırıyorum, şaşırmaya da devam edeceğim. şöyle bir düşününce de karakterlere dair çoğu şey açığa kavuşmuş gibi duruyor o yüzden bir sonraki ciltte neler olacağını aşırı merak ediyorum. sanırım maalesef araya vakit koyamadan direkt okumaya başlayacağım. yapacak bir şey yok... bitirmeye mahkumum artık geriye kalan ciltleri.
چند هفته پیش خیلی شانسی به انیمه این مجموعه کتاب برخوردم و از سر سرگرمی تماشایش کردم، بیشتر بخاطر اینکه در مورد جواهرات بود و بعنوان کسی که زمینشناسی خوانده این حوزه هنوز برای من از جذابیت بسیار زیادی برخوردار است و بعدهم مانگایش را گیر آوردم و خواندم و جدا لذت بردم. اما بعدش فهمیدم که ادامه ماجرا بصورت رمانهای راحتخوان به چاپ رسیده و خوشبختانه تمامش، بجز ۲جلد آخر که بتازگی به ژاپنی چاپ شده هم ترجمه شده و شروع به خواندنشان کردم. ماجرای اصلی انیمه و مانگا و رمانها روایت پسری ژاپنی بنام سیجیست که یک شب بطور اتفاقی با یک خارجی یعنی ریچارد آشنا میشود و در نهایت متوجه میشود که ریچارد جواهرفروش و جواهرشناس است. ریچارد تصمیم میگیرد سیجی را در جواهرفروشیاش بعنوان کارگر پارهوقت برای سرو چای و کارهای پارهوقت و پذیرایی استخدام کند و این قضیه، سرآغاز ماجراهاییست که شاید در نظر اول ساده، اما بسیار خوب و بنظر من زیبا و ظریف طراحی شدهاند. نویسنده بطور قطع یا خودش دارای دانش زمینشناسی کافیست و یا در خصوص هر کدام از جواهراتی که در داستان در مورد آنها صحبت کرده حسابی تحقیق کرده چون اطلاعاتی که در هر ماجرا ارائه میکند دقیق و علمیست و برای افرادی که به این حوزه علاقهدارند - البته نه بصورت حرفهای - قطعا خواندنش جالب توجه خواهد بود. مورد دیگری که خوانندگان از آن لذت خواهند برد، رابطه میان سیجی و ریچارد است که اگر ریچارد یا سیجی هرکدام، نه پسر که دختر بودند قطعا کل رمان را میشد یک مجموعه عاشقانه تصور کرد و در کنار بحث جواهرشناسی از دیدگاه عاشقانه هم از کتابها لذت برد اما نویسنده، به رغم اینکه عملا علاقه طرفین را توی صورت خواننده میکوبد - در هر سطر و به روشنی!- اما بلافاصله در پاراگراف بعدی به نحوی سعی میکند توضیح دهد که نه، این رابطه عاشقانه - که طرفین بیشتر از موهای من به عاشقانه بودنش اذعان میکنند- یک رابطه عاشقانه رمانتیک نیست :)) شاید هدف نویسنده نگه داشتن خواننده تا جلد آخر است و شاید هم اصلا نیست و کسی دقیقا نمیداند و یکجورهایی، برای کسی مهم نیست که نویسنده بوضوح این قضیه را در جلد یا داستانی تائید کند، ما بعنوان خواننده از ماجرای سیجی و ریچارد لذت میبریم و شاید شیرچای سلطنتی و شیرینیهای محبوب ریچارد را کنارمان نداشته باشیم، اما همان چای بیسکوئیت خودمان را میخوریم، به ماجراهایشان گوش میکنیم و از روند داستان لذت میبریم!
Pretty solid volume! Some cases weren’t that memorable, some were super fun, but the last one really takes the cake… It’s extremely brutal and honestly quite painful to read, which may be up someone’s alley but was not really what i expected from this volume at the time! Like the rest of the stories are quite lighthearted, and though this chapter was set up to happen, it feels like a very jarring tonal shift…
I admit i don’t particularly like the final chapter because it felt a bit detached from the rest of the novels. I think Seigi’s character takes on too big of a character shift, and while this could be explained as a trauma response, i felt like the author didn’t flesh it out enough. For example, I liked the idea of Seigi’s desire for justice to not just be a character quirk but be a kind of trauma response to the abuse of his father. Unfortunately, I didn’t feel this was explored or hammered home very much, but perhaps this is just personal preference. Either way, this novel is fundamental to understanding Seigi’s character, as well as showing the development of his and Richard’s relationship, so it’s a good and necessary read regardless!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Each installment of this volume somehow manages to deepen the charm of Richard and Seigi’s relationship, and this volume is no exception. Their bond just keeps getting cuter and more emotionally charged with every case. I genuinely caught myself smiling at their subtle interactions—it’s like watching trust and affection grow in real time.
Another unexpected delight was the relationship between Richard and Jeffrey. I’d been spoiled a bit beforehand, but still—nothing could prepare me for how wholesome and sibling-like their dynamic actually is.
But the biggest surprise? Sinhalite Beckons. I was so sure Seigi was dreaming about Richard’s past… only to realize—wait, this is the future?! That twist completely caught me off guard, in the best way. I’m still not over it.
Also, can someone please clarify—who exactly is Seigi’s crush in Sinhalite Beckons Part 2? Is it still Tanimoto? I need answers. The mystery there is killing me softly.
To sum it up: this volume took everything I love about the series and made it even better. Emotional growth, subtle romance, unexpected twists—everything sparkles like the gems they describe. If I could, I’d rate it a thousand stars.
Took me a few months to read, but once I got back into it, I couldn’t put it down. The story with Seigi’s father made me cry more than I’d like to admit and stirred some very uncomfortable memories, which I think shows just how well the abuse and toxicity was written. Haunting. Made me want to reach into the pages and save them both, but thankfully Richard had me covered.
Their relationship developed beautifully. I still can’t get over Richard angrily saying he loves Seigi to make him understand just how much he’s hurting others by not wanting to trouble them and isolating himself when he’s going through a rough time. I love Richard so damn much for this. TELL HIM, RICHARD!
And, of course, people assuming they’re a gay couple. On almost every page. It’s glorious, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Richard wanting to take Seigi into his hotel room and Seigi’s only response is, “What floor are you on?”
CRAZYY dude the way the author was able to depict seigi reliving the trauma from his childhood and then just . wahhh everyone taking care of him was so sweet. i almost cried a little tbh i also really like how seigi has both richard and tanimoto in his life and theyre super important to him but neither of them are like romantic partners to him . well i mean he wants to date tanimoto bc of comphet but thats ok we can forgive that. actually it seems like we are getting super close to richard and seigi admitting their feelings for each other out loud so who knows maybe that will be in book 7 ({PLEASE GOD LET IT BE IN BOOK 7 THIS IS TORTURE)
I actually really, really love the part of this volume that deals with Seigi's problems with his biological father. Whereas Richard's family problems feel more like a fairy tale involving nobles, Seigi's feel more down-to-earth and relatable to a lot of people. The seething anger I felt reading how his father treated him and his mother...! However, some of the other chapters feel rather weak or even forced, especially the one about Tanimoto's junior high problem. Reading about Seigi and Richard's interactions is always a delight, though. Looking forward to the next phase in their life starting in volume 7!
i love you richard i love you seigi i love how this volume shows how important communication is i love how richard says that words are easily misunderstood i love how they showed and handled The Issue and i cried because imagining being in that same situation is so scary and i want to bundle seigi up in a blanket i adore them so so much i'm thankful for the author (and translator) for bringing these characters to life, they mean so much to me
Ooof this volume was so emotionally charged! The last chapter, in particular, was anxiety inducing. All in all, another great installment. There is a lot of character development but some things stay the same - Richard will never be able to beat the couple allegations because Seigi, oh Seigi, he never learns.
I really adored the third case in this one. Tanimoto-san and Richard get to meet!! What a delight and a treat, I hope the three of them hang out more. And of course the equal parts drama and heartfelt nature of the final case. On God Seigi we're gonna get you some therapy. Also I read this all in one night and it's now 6:30AM.