The sixth volume is the most important part of the reviewed set, and also the one that most changes our perspective on the events that preceded it. It is here that the mystery surrounding Komugi's origins is resolved.
Rito Asami finally sheds her masks and gives the reader the answers we've been waiting for since the very first chapter, but she does so in a way that's incredibly painful for the protagonist herself. The discovery of her birth certificate by a nosy journalist and the subsequent confrontation with the doctor lead to the final revelation of the truth about the protagonist's past.
The dynamics of events in this volume grip the reader. Just one chapter after the truth is revealed, a witness dies in a fire, a direct echo of the tragedy in the first volume and a clear indication that inconvenient witnesses are eliminated without a second thought. Asami phenomenally captures Komugi's mental state. Watching a girl whose entire world crumbles into tiny pieces. Finally, the heroine is no longer just a passive observer, and her internal rift gives her character incredible drama and depth.
It's also hard to underestimate the skill with which the author weaves the threads of Matsukaze's father, the mysterious Kuze, with the criminal activities or provocations of Inspector Akazawa. Furthermore, the introduction of Prosecutor Anan's father as a potential eminence grise in the plot weaves the existing clues into a coherent, terrifying whole.
Art-wise, this is one of the stronger volumes. Asami does a great job of conveying Komugi's emotions. Her face increasingly betrays fatigue and confusion, but at the same time, her determination remains. This is important because the heroine could easily be reduced to a victim of subsequent events. The author avoids this. Komugi suffers, but she still makes decisions.....