I was getting pretty exhausted by this series, to the point where I was uninterested in reading this volume and crushed to know there were more volumes to come after this.
But this volume really changed things up for me, to the point where I actively enjoyed reading it and am newly invigorated for the rest of the series.
As I have said many times before, my favorite kind of longer running romance series are the kind where the main couple gets together fairly early on and the rest of the series is about them being together as different events occur. These event are not fixated on their relationship and constantly pushing them into tumultuous drama of will-they-won't-they or do-they-still-love-eachother, but instead these events just happen around them and they, through interacting with these events, are able to grow individually and strengthen their bond as a couple.
And I am ecstatic to report that this volume gives me that! Volume two and three included some individual growth, but it was so intertwined with their relationship that it just wasn't doing it for me (especially since their relationship overall was barely doing it for me). But this volume pulled back, and I think it did so wonderfully. I loved seeing Sayama interact with Riko and come a bit more out of his shell; I loved seeing Saikawa, despite his possessiveness and jealousy, strive to support Sayama (it made me actually like him as Sayama's love interest for the first time since volume one!!); I liked seeing Sayama's observant nature come up again; I even liked the drama with Hosoi (though I really wish Saikawa would kick his ass fr fr).
I just... had fun reading this volume. I like that the romance took a back seat to the character development and normal school life events. It's not a switch everyone will like, especially if you really liked how the first three volumes, but it really worked for me, and I hope the next few volumes are like this too.
AND I ALSO HOPE THAT TSURUGA GETS A BOYFRIEND. LIKE PLEASE. SOMEONE SAVE MY MAN. GIVE HIM A LOVE INTEREST HE DESERVES IT. IDC AT THIS POINT IT CAN BE A GIRLIE. JUST SOMEONE FOR MY BOY PLEASEEEEE.
This had a way heavy focus on Riko and her campaign, which I didn't totally mind. I liked seeing Riko and Sayama become friends, but this kind of felt like a half a book to me. It felt like there should've been more than just the election so it felt pretty unsatisfying for me. I also wish Tsuruga was in it more and that something had happened with the Hosoi guy after Sayama delivered his speech. Maybe in the next volume. I still liked what I read and I think Sayama looked especially cute this volume. I just wanted more.