This was such a joy. Payoff for an existing arc, and the extension of Shirogane and Shinomiya's happiness. I've liked the last handful of Volumes, but this felt like Akasaka finally managing to recapture the world of Love is War and match it to the newfound ambition that typifies the second half of this series.
Ishigami (and Tsubame) vs. Rejection
It ends the only way it could. I was surprised (perhaps pleasantly) to find out that Tsubame is cleared off the board not via knotty farce, but by simply accepting that her feelings for Ishigami will never transcend the way she looks out for him as a third year. It's all really nicely articulated, and Ishigami's reactions thread the needle well between being mature whilst also allowing the dismay to throw his mental state out of whack. Feels like the natural end to this storyline - good stuff. (Except the "please prove that friendships can exist between heterosexual-sexual men and women" line which is a fucking CLUNKER. Gonna naively assume that the translators did Akasaka dirty here?)
Miko Iino vs. fEeLiNgS
Iino has really come into her own as of late, and this chapter might be her best yet. She's morose, confused, and totally cheeky; in the midst of all the angst, her pairing with Shirogane is really doing wonders for her fun-loving devious side. Her teasing him about hugging from behind bleeding into her dramatic proclamation that love forces friends apart as much as it brings them together feels like a great distillation of her character. Also, her face when Ishigami blithely dismisses the idea of her liking him = 😢
The Shirogane Family
All-timer chapter, hands down. When Miyuki and Kaguya started dating, this was exactly the kind of storyline that I hoped for - in a sense, total fluff, but boundary-breaking. We've watched them dance around each other for so long that having them cross thresholds feels intimate in a way that feels earned. Also, Kei being wide-awake for their late-night talk had me straight-up cackling.
Kaguya vs. The Family
This remains the aspect of the series I am the least sold on - a worrying thought, considering I've heard it will be the foundation for the final arc in the series. From what I can gather online, this is supposed to represent the 'return to the moon' portion of the Kaguya folktale - something that is totally lost on me, as I have never encountered the original story, and have not absorbed any of this series with the analogy in mind. I'll try and do some 'research' on this before judging the family subplot too hard, but to my uncultured mind this can't help but feel like Akasaka is jamming in a plot contrivance to generate conflict. Seeing these characters crash against each other is fun enough - I'm not sure we need a thriller plot line to make this story work.
The Student Council vs. Foreshadowing
The Volume ends with a sequence that is hard to lay a finger on, replete as it is with setup and hints for future storylines. It seems a little odd to me that the series is introducing new characters at this late a stage, but it's hard to say much more for now.