This is probably the most interesting volume so far.
There's a fascinating exploration of the psychology of the characters here, especially Sugiki. He is aware that he is not a good person, he has repressed so much of his sense of self in order to be the best that he has dehumanised himself. In his dehumanisation of himself he does the same to his partners, he is controlling and cruel, letting himself believe that the less human he and his partner are the better dancers they are. He is aware of this and ashamed of it, which is shown quite clearly. I am fascinated by the character arc being opened up with this detail.
Suzuki is no better, he exagerates himself, pushes an image of himself that matches what he thinks people want to see and it has led to a surprising repression of identity. Both men have lost themselves in trying to be the best at what they do. It is only with eachother that the real Suzuki and Sugiki seem to shine through.
The manga is also taking an interesting turn in its exploration of repressed sexuality, something BL/Yaoi manga rarely does well. Sugiki is trying to rationalise his feelings, trying to explain them away while avoiding the genuine possibility that he is not heterosexual. Suzuki runs from his feelings, he allows himself a moment of indulgence and then flees as the moment fades and he is forced to think about the meaning behind his actions. These are very real experiences LGBTQ+ people face and I am surprised that these moments do not seem to follow the typical BL/Yaoi trope of "But guys only like girls???", there's more realism to it in places. I do take issue with how this manga depicts Achillean men at times but it is a somewhat refreshing change from the usual tropes of the genre. Both characters being adult men who have clearly spent their whole lives believing themselves to be heterosexual being suddenly confronted by the very real possibility that their sexuality is not what they thought it was is a great opportunity to explore the complications of sexuality and romance in heteronormative societies. I don't necesserily think a BL manga is going to get quite deep but it would be interesting to see.
I also enjoy how sexy this manga can be without being explicit. Dance can be an incredibly intimate and suggestive form of expression and the illustrations beautifully depict that. There's a beautiful fluidity in the movements despite being only drawings. There's just the right amount of eroticism in the way scenes are laid out which wonderfully fits the themes.