Himeno is the Pretear, the protector of Leafe, or rather, life. She fights with the power of the seven Leafe Knights against the Princess of Disaster who wishes to destroy all Leafe on Earth. But Himeno is still just your ordinary, but out of place, sixteen year old girl, so how long can she take on all of these responsibilities that most of her fellows humans will never ever have to experience?
It seems to me that this volume mainly focused on the psyche of Himeno and where she stands in her current situations, also what influence she has on those around her. Himeno is a good, sweet girl, but her existence is causing her family to suffer. Her step-family, and the staff, hate her for being her, and for getting in the way, and for being the most important person to her father. But as to how the Leafe Knights feel about her is still a bit unclear, but to me it seems Hayate is in love with her, Sasame is also somewhat in love with her but perhaps admires her more than loves, and Kei isn't close enough to allow his feelings for her to interfere with taking down the Princess of Disaster... or is he just so calculating that he can both care about her and protect her while using her against the Princess of Disaster? Very conniving, Kei... very calculative... I like you. Oh, how I wish these boys were real. My heart aches because I can never touch them, or talk with them, or show myself to them, because they are not real. Their influence is very, very real... /They/ are very real... But they are not people like you, dear reader of this review, and I. I wish so much that Sasame was a person though! He soothes my soul. I want to hear his voice, or feel his presence as a fellow human being. *Sigh*. I suppose they will all only live within the hearts and faces of their readers, but never will a human being ever truly be like one of these magnificent men. Oh, this is almost worse than the Disney Princes (well, it was more like Barbie Princes for my childhood...) conspiracy.
Also, before I forget, I just must add that the scene where Sasame was singing "you might not care about me as much as I care about you, but... I want to get closer... I want to touch your heart, I want to hold you... So I will open my heart up to you." made me fall in love with him... Am I pathetic to fall in love with an anime character? I don't think so. The things that humans fall in love for in other humans is just as much present in a well-created character in an anime or manga, or even book (minus physical things). Now that I think of it again, I've always fallen in love over things like this. No... I think that was only a part of what made me fall in love so deeply like I did... Love must be something that accumulates over time, with those things that make you fall in love again and again piling up like snow. /That/ is the type love I believe in.