A Sign of Affection, Vol. 9

ゆびさきと恋々 [Yubisaki to Renren] #9

by Suu Morishita, Christine Dashiell (Translator)

“I WANT TO STAY WITH YOU, JUST A LITTLE LONGER…”

Since the moment they met, Yuki—a college student who's never had a boyfriend and was born deaf—has always felt like being near her boyfriend Itsuomi was the most natural thing in the world. It's something she has trouble explaining even to herself. When Itsuomi asks her if she wants to live with him, she says yes right away, but they're sailing into totally uncharted waters. Itsuomi has successfully charmed Yuki's mom and dad, and now a million practical questions loom, not least among them how Yuki will handle the excitement of being around her man all day, and all night!

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

162 pages, Paperback

First published July 13, 2023

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

[kay! ☾ · Rating 4 out of 5]

my god itsuomi is so tender and gentle and sweet with yuki it makes my heart clench. he’s giving mr. darcy’s hand clench personified and i love it 🤌

[Pao ★ · Rating 4 out of 5]

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA GIGGLING AND KICKING MY FEET KJJDKISJUDSKD

[Laura A. Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Let's fall for each other even harder."

There isn't a shoujosei manga that's QUITE like this series, especially with this volume!

I felt very blown away that this volume centered around Yuki and Itsuomi moving forward to move in with one another and how encouraging everyone is. The beginning was wonderful in seeing Itsuomi and Yuki's Dad show they had exchanged phone numbers and are now on a first-name basis. Not only that but seeing Rin and Kyouya (EEEEEPPP!!) be super supportive and show them their notebook really made my heart have all the warm fuzzies. Having friends/family like them is incredible and really shows how it's helping both Yuki and Itsuomi!

There were so many moments I really really loved that it's hard for me to focus on what my favorites are, but I think the biggest one is truly how respective Itsuomi is of Yuki. WOW! He really is watching her closely for her reactions and how she is feeling about his touch!

On the flip side, the way they have a close relationship, but also are close as "friends" too! I LOVED that, especially the scene where he calls her "partner"!! Eeeepp! It's not a super romantic moment, but it feels so moving because the desire Yuki expresses isn't pushed off or brushed aside, but instead he embraces it and calls her partner. Such a wonderful moment!

Also, that "I love you" signing moment!!! SQUEALSSSSSS!! Such swoon!!!!

I am VERY curious exactly what it is that Itsuomi is "lying" about! The way Yuki shared how she would realize if he was lying because of the way his whole body would act because as she says, "Sign language isn't just about the hands." I hope will find out sooner rather than later because I so want to know!

Very very much loved this volume and even read it twice back-to-back! I can't wait for the next volume to see what happens next! Hurry up and arrive October!!

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

They're so cute it's unfair.

[hope · Rating 5 out of 5]

when is this series never 5 stars? i think this is my favorite volume yet. the art was especially enchanting in this one. yuki and itsuomi both looked so gorgeous (i mean they always do) but i just found myself staring at the pages for way longer than the other volumes. it's just the way they look at each other 😭 the love confessions in this, the tenderness, how gentle their romance is, them moving to the next big step in their relationship, it's god tier romance here. they're seriously a beautiful couple and i love them so much. itsuomi is THE standard.

[eena · Rating 4 out of 5]

them having the most green flag relationship is kinda a little bit maddening. i want what they have

[Maria Fatima · Rating 4 out of 5]

"It's a universal sign. He made a sign of affection."

[Pinky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trigger Warnings:FMC hasn’t been able to hear since she was born, ableist side character (FMC’s brother’s ex)

The love Itsu and Yuki have for each other is just so deep, I love them. 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 gets to know him.

Now for spoilers


Yuki’s parents thank Itsu for coming and tell him he doesn’t need to bring anything next time. Yuki’s mom asks him to take good care of Yuki while Yuki’s dad says that she is acting like they are sending her to the altar. He tells Itsu that it is a conversation for another day and Itsu says he will come back soon for that convo. I love how sure he is of his relationship with Yuki. Yuki was so happy to see her parents smiling since they were sad when Itsu came. While walking with Itsu we see bits of his conversation with Yuki’s dad and BRO I WANNA KNOW WHAT THEY TALKED ABOUT AREADY. Yuki’s dad Hisa says he understands where Itsu wants to go in life and asks when Itsu plans to tell Yuki. Itsu says he wants to tell her later and has a time and place in mind. LIKE WHAT COULD HE POSSIBLY BE HIDING. While Yuki and Itsu walk, she is so happy that everything worked out. She says she will meet Itsu’s parents next and he says his parents are good with him dating and moving in with her. She asks if they know she is deaf and he says yea they just said “Oh okay”. They were more surprised he wanted to settle down with someone and Yuki knows since they live in Germany. He says he was so comfortable at Yuki’s place and felt right at home. He says that he knows they only have until his graduation to live together but promises Yuki that wherever he goes, he will always come home to her, wherever she is. Yuki feels relieved since she keeps thinking about him leaving. She can tell Itsu is hiding something, that he has something else to say. She tries to ask Itsu what it is, how he can tell her anything. Itsu asks how she would feel if he lied to her and she says that even if he lies, using sign language is using your whole body. She will most likely be able to tell if he is lying. But she knows Itsu wouldn’t tell a malicious lie since she trusts him. So even if he lies, she will believe him and go with it since she knows he is doing it for her own good. Itsu hugs Yuki and he has to head to work but Yuki walks most of the way with him. He says that they can look for a one bedroom apartment, asking if she has a particular location in mind and how far away she wants to be from the station. He says he will look for listings and says that she can look too, I guess they wanna move to a smaller place instead of Itsu’s place. When they part ways, Yuki runs down to see Itsu across the street, she doesn’t wanna separate. She waves at Itsu and cheers him on and he thanks her for doing so. He then kisses his hand and makes the American sign language sign for I love you. They are so cute, Yuki’s heart was beating so fast.


Yuki knows that Rin has experience with searching for homes since she worked at a real estate company. The process of getting a home in Japan is difficult, it feels like a test from my understanding. You gotta pass and qualify to find a place at different companies or with different homeowners (correct me if I’m wrong). Rin gives Yuki advice and seems so excited for Yuki. She is living with Kyo now so she knows a lot. Yuki tells her what she is looking for and makes a floor plan. She calls Itsu once she figures it out and they go to a real estate company. It was so cute seeing how prepared they were for this. Itsu did all the talking and said he had Yuki and his earnings ready for review to the realtor. He says that Yuki is deaf so their one condition is to get a fire alarm with lights so that Yuki knows if there is a fire while she is alone, he is so thoughtful for this. He says that they have all of their identification and any documents that the realtor might need. The realtor is shocked at how prepared Yuki and Itsu are, you can see how excited they are to move in together. Meanwhile we go to boring Emma who is talking to Lala about seeing Shin. She wants Shin to be obsessed with her and always look at her. She is scared someday he might not and wants to focus on him. They didn’t even start dating yet but Lala says that Emma should ask Shin if they can date with marriage in mind, asking if she should get an engagement ring. I was like dafaq, they aren’t even dating. Emma is shy and she is meeting Shin but she doesn’t want to since she is flustered. But she meets Shin and she knows he will most likely say yes but she is unsure.


Itsu and Yuki go to Kyo and Rin’s place and Yuki is happy to see Rin glowing. Rin offers to let them have a tour of their place to get an idea of what it would be like to live together. Yuki says she wants to meet Itsu’s family and he shows her a video his dad prepared. His dad was chill about her being deaf and even made her a captioned video to watch. It starts with Itsu’s little sister who is adorable. She and Itsu’s dad say hi to Yuki and say they look forward to meeting her. Itsu’s dad says they should make it short since it’ll be hard to edit and Itsu’s sister says not to say that. I found this so cute, Itsu’s whole family gives the welcoming vibes. His mother is on a business trip so Yuki wasn’t able to see her but she hopes to get on a video call with them soon. His family is busy so Itsu says it will have to be once they settle in together. Itsu seems a bit glum at Kyo’s place and starts showing Rin different things that are at her place related to Kyo. He shows a lantern he gave Kyo I think and then shows Rin a cup that is meant for him whenever he comes over. Rin is a little annoyed saying that Itsu can’t show up whenever he wants. Yuki realized that Itsu was sad because he wasn’t able to visit Kyo as much as before. He did come over but it wasn’t recent and since Rin is there, he can’t really spend the night. Yuki finds this so cute and I don’t blame her, Itsu is so needy for attention from everyone, he is so cute. Itsu shows Kyo the cup and tells him to give him a drink and Kyo tells him to pour it himself. Yuki tells Rin why Itsu is acting this way and Rin finds it adorable, how Itsu is needy of Kyo. Since he is cousins with Kyo, after dying his hair black, he looks closer to Kyo now.


Yuki asks Itsu to teach her German since his little sister speaks it. Itsu says he will, saying that they are tandem partners. Yuki will teach him sign language and he will teach her German. While they hold hands, Kyo and Rin think they witnessed a precious moment. We see Yuki starting to learn a bit with Itsu’s help. Kyo and Rin show Yuki and Itsu the notebook they have at their place. In the notebook, they have messages thanking each other for doing different chores or asking each other out on dates. It’s a really cute idea, even if they have phones, Kyo says it is nice to have something to hold. Itsu says that they should get a notebook on their way home. Yuki tells him she wants to eat with him as much as possible when they start living together. Itsu says that if they ever get into fights, and she doesn’t want to see his face, he still wants to be together when they sleep. Yuki was surprised how far he thought ahead. Rin and Kyo took forever to start going out and think back to their relationship. Rin said she thought she forgot her keys but she finds it. She asks Kyo what would have happened if she did actually forget it and he asks her if she wants to come up to his place. They are both shy and Kyo gives Rin his keys, saying she can come over whenever she wants. He officially asks her to go out with them then. Itsu gets a call from the realtor and they are approved and have a unit ready. Oushi sees Yuki running but luckily we don’t see more of him, he’s just with his friends. At Itsu’s place, Yuki and Itsu spend time packing everything and Itsu had asked Yuki to sleep over. Normally he asks her to stay at his place but this is the first time he asked her to sleep over.


Once they are done packing, Itsu tells Yuki to come to bed. Itsu kisses her cheek and they both lie down. Yuki is so flustered but she kinda thinks of sex without explicitly saying it. She wonders if this is what they are supposed to do and is overthinking it while Itsu turns the lights off. She wonders if he is sleeping and when she turns to him, he looks at her. She is flustered and looks away and he seems to be asleep. But she wants to be closer to him so she moves closer. Itsu pulls her towards him and they cuddle and she touches his face. He kisses her head and then kisses her lips when she touches his cheek. Yuki gets her phone to tell him something, I think she says they should speak as lovers or something. So Itsu starts kissing her arms slowly and Yuki tries to take her shirt off so he helps her. Yuki kisses his cheek and these steps show she is getting used to the idea of touching him back. She has a tank top underneath and when she lies down, Itsu kisses her stomach. Yuki mentioned she hates being touched there but she didn’t seem to mind when it happened, just thinking it tickled. Yuki is shaking and nervous the whole time. Itsu turns on the light and says that the mood of the room isn’t right so he puts a stop to it. I was kinda glad they didn’t do it then since it kinda felt like Yuki wasn’t ready.


Yuki is too shy to look at Itsu who is nonchalantly drinking water. But then he sits behind her and kisses her shoulder while holding her, I love how tender he is with her. Yuki says that she didn’t get to tell him why she likes him. Itsu is excited, asking what it was and she shows him a message she showed her mom. She told her mom she found Itsu to be kind and open-minded, how he is tolerant to more things than others. Itsu asks if this is how Yuki sees him and is smiling. She says that every day her heart feels thrilled thanks to him. She uses the sign for I love you and he says that he loves her too, that he falls for her deeper every day. He thanks her and says he hopes she will keep looking at him when they move in together. He says let’s fall harder for each other, so fucking cute. Then he says he is sleeping on the couch, saying that if he stays, then she knows what’ll happen and smirks lmao. He says he will wake her up in the morning, saying he can’t wait for tomorrow. Yuki can tell there is something else Itsu wants to tell her but is willing to wait for him to come to her, THE SUSPENSE IS KILLING ME. I did not expect it to get heated near the end, hot damn, these guys are cute and tender, I love their love.


Stay safe folks!

[Tabatha (tab.talks.books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐️

[lady maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

they make me want to die in the best way possible

[Jessica ❀ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume had me blushing, giggling, and kicking my feet. Omg, I love Itsu and Yuki soooooo much. 😍

[Léa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nan mais à ce stade ce ne sont plus des papillons dans le ventre que j'ai, c'est BEAUCOUP TROP PIPOU D'AMOUR JE MEURS AAAAAAH

[ProseAndPetals · Rating 5 out of 5]

The end gets a little steamy btw

[Gigi ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

They’re so damn cute oh my GOD!!! It’s so wholesome and I am pumped to see the anime of this!

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

È bello leggere uno shojo in cui si parla già di convivenze e matrimoni. Però non mi aspettavo che i preparativi della convivenza fossero gestiti così in fretta (però alla fine i protagonisti, così come anche i personaggi secondari, vivevano già da soli quindi ci sta…). Chissà come la prenderà Oshi, quando scoprirà della convivenza 🥹

Finalmente conosciamo parte della famiglia di Itsuomi e sono sempre più confusa sul suo passato e significato del suo tatuaggio…non ce la faccio più ad aspettare, sono troppo curiosa! Itsuomi è troppo bello (con i capelli neri è assurdo) e perfetto per essere vero, anche per questo voglio conoscere questo suo segreto.

[Lucy Tonks (the invisible life of a reader) · Rating 4 out of 5]

can i please have a shin and an itsuomi in my life????

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yuki and Itsoumi are so cute, I'm obsessed. I love that they're moving in together and taking such big steps in their relationship.

I'm so curious about what Itsoumi is hiding though and what's going on with his family. Something just seems off.

[Kayla Brunson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still adorable as ever. These volumes aren't long enough, I need more of this couple!

[Raven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just like all the other volumes, this one was really cute. I really loved that. They were meeting each other’s families and taking the next step in their relationship. I really hope to see more complex or animosities between the characters and see them grow from that.

[Cassandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

thoughts and feelings in the last review I swear

[lyn 🫐 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always read these in one sitting 😭 obsessed

[‧₊˚ ellie ♡ (إيلي) · Rating 5 out of 5]

WHERE THE HELL IS MINE ????

[Christine Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love them sooooo much>u<

[tifani ♡]

oh they are the most precious couple to ever exist 🥹

[JW · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s time to meet the parents. I love how Itsuomi handles the situation with his charm.

[Sammy Salazar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just when I think they can't get cuter, they do.

[Libbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet and wholesome can only really go so far.

There really is no substance to this. The main characters are 1 note and boring with no personalities

[nazlı · Rating 4 out of 5]

mutluluktan öldük.. yalan mı söyleyelim??

[Tib · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved watching Yuki and Itsuomi get excited to live with each other. It was especially sweet watching Itsuomi being overly prepared when they go see an realty agent.

[nandini · Rating 5 out of 5]

the level of intimacy and affection is like no other this manga is just on another level