"So I trust you, Zen…and all the people who support you."
I think this is honestly my favorite volume yet, and I was close to tears near the end!
Maybe that sounds dramatic, but I know my reaction is directly from another favorite series I read and absolutely hating the direction the story went. I was terrified that this could be another series like that because WHY did a female interloper come on the scene?! And WHY did our male interloper start stirring the pot?! I was so angry at him for that!! On the flip side, though, I actually DO really like the female interloper and was sad to realize that she has been the person who wants to meet Zen.
However, it's because of both of them that made this volume my favorite in that when insecurity and mistrust started to strike, Risa goes all out with a declaration of saying she fully trusts Zen. I could have cried because rather than prolonging something with a lack of good communication and fears unvoiced, Risa "took charge," so to speak. We know Zen has been head over heels for her and wants to be with her forever, but Risa has been harder to read. It's only through her internal dialogue that we see how much she cares for Zen, wants to touch him, and wants to know everything about him.
I think it's what really made the ending so impactful and also makes me very excited for Risa's overall character growth. She is being so brave and I'm proud of her for stepping outside her comfort zone little by little! It was a joy to see her be straightforward in other ways that didn't necessarily involve her head butting Zen or saying "no thank you" with her hand up. LOL!
She is truly a wonderful character, and I can't wait to read the next volume since I accidentally bought that volume before this one! LOL!