Team Enfield may have won, but that doesn't mean they have all the answers...
Despite some injuries suffered in the semifinals, Ayato and his friends emerge as the winners of the Gryps tournament. With the conclusion of the competition, Kirin's father is released, and after his safe return, he wishes to thank Team Enfield personally. However, each member of the team must fight their own battles. Julis, Saya, and Claudia all have personal matters to attend to, which leaves Ayato alone to meet the Toudou family. But first, Ayato takes Kirin to his home, where the two of them realize they have a lot to learn about each other-and themselves.
Kirin’s mom is absolutely hilarious, but also she needs to back off because Ayato is spoken forrrr… at least in my mind he is🤣 it’s Ayato & Julis or nothing!
Wow, what a nice break from the Festa-fest that is the majority of the books. We get some actual character interaction and get to see some growth and change, mostly in Kirin. We also start to see some of the actual underpinnings of the series. There is a bit of action with some duels and training, but on the whole this is a slower (though still easy to read) paced more story driven volume. Some may find that off-putting considering how many volumes have been tied to the Phoenix and the Gryps. I myself found it refreshing.
Verdict: If you're looking for the trademark action, this volume only has a bit. If you want to know what's going on in the world of Asterisk you should definitely not skip this one.