With this volume, I am officially caught up with Crimson Hero, at least until November 2 when volume 14 comes out. And trust me, that feels like a long time right now!
More fallout from all of the relationship drama fills this slightly smaller volume. Haibuki is MIA, and Yushin and the others are covering for him for now, but it won't be long before the school and coaches figure out he's missing. I hope the guys can find him quickly, but they don't really know where to look. I have a feeling he's at that other school that was trying to recruit him, but I hope that's not true.
And to add to the relationship drama, stalker Kaz decides his next move in trying to break up Nobara and Yushin after she again rejects him is to spill the beans to the whole school about Nobara and Yushin's relationship, as well as the fact that she's living in the dorms with the boys' team. Apparently, that's a bad, scandalous thing. Who knew? Nobara ends up in trouble with the girls at school, but more importantly, with the school's administration, who want the "scandal" quickly covered up. They seem to blame Nobara for everything, and despite Yushin's protests, she is eager to do what she can to shoulder the blame and clear Yushin of any wrong-doing. Yushin is so caring and sincere in the volume, you can't help but love him and want to give him a big hug. He doesn't see why they can't be together, and doesn't want to sacrifice his love for Nobara. Unfortunately, Nobara sees clearly the repercussions if the two of them were to fight to stay together. Though I think she would stay with him if she were the only one affected, she can't stand Yushin's future being hurt in any way by their relationship, so she makes the heartbreaking decision to lie to him, telling him she doesn't love him anymore, and making a clean break of their relationship. She had moved out of the boys dorm and back in with her family. As part of the deal she made with the administration, Nobara will still train and compete with the girls' volleyball team, but unless they make the Spring Tournament, she will be expelled from school eventually.
So, what's in the future for these sad, crazy kids? The boys need to find Haibuki ASAP. Nobara needs to forget about boys for a while and focus on training and winning. As for Yushin... Poor, poor Yushin. I can't imagine that Yushin will just let Nobara walk away from him, but if he's smart, he needs to trust that deep down, she DOES love him, and he needs to focus on getting him team back together, standing strong. And I can't forget Kaz, because now that he's succeeded in breaking up Nobara and Yushin, he's certain to try and swoop in again. Creepy!