"Mei: Even tough I didn't manage to win, everyone gave me a huge boost of confidence. I keep thinking... I'm so glad I took part."

This volume starts with the most unpleasant event so far, Megumi / Yamato date. Megumi was overjoyed because of it, Yamato went along because he considered it his duty. The date itself was very plain - lunch, shopping, taking a walk... and talking. Yamato was there but with every gesture and every thought he was with Mei. Mei, on the other hand, had plans with Asami to help her survive the anxiety of that day but unfortunately Asami had to work in the morning so Mei was left on her own. She decided to visit and thank Daichi, Yamato's older (28 year old) brother who looks awfully like Yamato. There she met his assistant, Kyouko-san. Kyouko seemed to like her since, later on, she texted Mei a lot.

Yamato and Megumi soon parted ways when Megumi realized how much Yamato loves Mei (about bloody time too). They took a picture together, made some fun of it and left. Immediately after, Yamato called Mei out and reassured her of his love.

The rest of the volume is about Daichi. He was once engaged to be married to a woman named Suzu. Suzu was a little overweight and extremely unsure of herself and that was always holding her back. She never fully gave herself to Daichi because she was ashamed. 

"Suzu: Why does it have to be me? There's no way that a guy like you would even consider a girl like me.
Daichi: ...Hey...
Suzu: You have the nerve to trample on other people's feelings!
Daichi: I'm trying to tell you that I love you, okay? "

Daichi loved everything about her though. Her beautiful sparkly hair, her chubbiness, her smile and enjoyment in life. He proved it to her over and over again how crazy he was about her. And then he proposed.

"Hey... Suzu... Let's get married.
I've barely started my career and I know that I don't have much to offer. I know that there's still a long way to go before I can say I'll be able to give you everything you need.
I'm sorry but... I need to be with you.
(I've spent three summers with you. But... Each time it felt like I was seeing you for the first time. I wanted you to see me change as much as I love seeing you change. So... If there was a way I'd be able to erase your doubt... I 'd like for us to find it together.)"

Just as things were about to go in the right direction, she was killed in a drunk driver car accident. He never forgave himself for it. He was cutting her hair just before she left and he always thought what if he didn't, is she got on a different train or didn't rush home to him, she would still be here. Then he made a promise to himself never to cut the hair of a woman most precious to him in the future.

That brings us to Kyouko, his assistant. Kyouko had a crush on Daichi for a while now. She always begs him to cut her hair but he never does. He always refuses her without explanation. After yet another refusal, Kyouko contacted Mei to see how she got him to cut her hair. Mei exchanges a couple of messages with Kyouko and then decides to speak with Daichi in person. She visits him in the salon and asks him about Kyouko and Suzu. She is very straightforward and Daichi opens up to her. He tells her all about Suzu and his guilt of conscience. Mei tells him about Kyouko's messages and how he should reconsider his role in Kyouko's life.

Mei's visit did the trick as did a man interested in Kyouko. Daichi came to realize that he was so stubborn so far because he couldn't let go of the memory of Suzu and accept his new feelings towards Kyouko.

The final dream he had of Suzu was one of goodbye...
"Suzu: Your heart belongs to someone else now.
Daichi: That's not true. No way!
Suzu: Daichi, the years I've spent with you have been so very special to me. I'm forever grateful to you. That's never going to change. Ever. But you see, we can no longer make new memories together. You've always been thinking about me and avoided your reality. You can't keep holding on to this dream forever.
This isn't fair for you, or for me. It's time to let go..."

It is a really touching story that made me sad.... Suzu was such a likeable woman and the way she ended up and the grief Daichi experienced was so palpable. I understand his feelings. Despite everything she did he loved her completely. He did her hair, said goodbye and the next time he saw her was in the morgue. Just as they were about to embark on a new journey together. :'(

But now he got a new chance to start over. With a different kind of girl. Noisy, sweet girl with short hair and straightforward attitude. Good for him and best of luck.

"Mei: In the span of one and a half years, I've had a lot of first experiences. I've broken down the walls that were around me, haven't I? This little speed bump on the road isn't good enough reason to waste all that I've worked for."

The festival is approaching and by the school tradition every year male and female students nominate their idols for the model competition. The model as in the ones who stood out and shone brighter than the rest and of course those who are the hottest. The problem is that you cannot refuse to participate if enough votes were collected from the student body. Mei is very much aware that Yamato will most certainly be nominated. The even bigger problem is the fact that female and male winner as a reward must go on a proper date. And since it's most likely that Yamato will win and that Megumi will take the first female position, Mei is uncertain what to do. She gathers up the courage to also participate and surprisingly she gets enough votes. 

"Daichi (to Mei): When it comes to clothes the winners are the ones who are daring. It's the same with hairstyles and make-up, if you put yourself out there then it becomes your own thing, it becomes part of your personality. The important thing is whether you yourself want to do it or not."

Yamato's older brother Daichi helps Mei out with clothes, hairstyle and make-up. She is determined to fight as much as she can. She also goes on a diet. On the day of the festival she is so nervous her knees are giving out but she looks really cute. Yamato hugs her and tries to make her relax.

"Yamato (to Mei): Everything will be alright because I'm right beside you. Don't forget this feeling."

Megumi is her usual evil manipulative self. She wants to win and that's it. She wants to go on a date with Yamato and she will not accept defeat because she is the best... blah... blah... And surprise surprise, even though Mei tried her best, Megumi took the first place while Mei was third. Aiko came second. Despite the defeat, Mei gained some popularity and a lot of girls started to approach her. The upcoming date is stressing her out though. She keeps thinking how Yamato will start liking Megumi now. Yamato shows Mei all the attention she deserves...

"Mei (about Yamato): If I don't take as much of it in as I can my very young brain won't feel at ease. The pain in my heart keeps growing. I want to touch more of him. I want to reach deep inside him."

"Aiko (to Megumi): We're not your pets. Stop wagging your tail."

Yamato and Mei still have a lot of obstacles to overcome and a lot of issues to resolve but the good thing is that they are willing to work on it. Kai, on the other hand, is a very good and honest boy who can't seem to keep his feelings inside so one day while walking Mei home from work he confesses to her. At first he was talking about -a girl who interests him- and then he told her bluntly that the girl is Tachibana Mei.

"Kai: Someone who has always thought only of myself but with a few words from that girl I was able to change those wrong thoughts. She changed me.
Mei: Hee... She must be a great person.
Kai: Yeah... She's great. A girl that has experienced a similar thing to me has a really good heart."

Kai left Mei with Land tickets and a confused mind. Since Kai is such an honest person, he told Yamato the next day how he confessed to Mei. He doesn't want any secrets between them and he is certain that their friendship is strong enough to overcome this. Yamato was shocked. But when Megumi tries to snitch to Yamato about Mei again, Yamato tells her how he already knows all about it and she should really stop with that behavior.

"Yamato: Kitagawa always tells me things about Mei but that's enough. Because I want to believe what I see and hear with my own eyes and ears. Other than that, they're pointless thoughts."

After that Kai encounters Megumi and gives her a piece of his mind. He understood all too well how Megumi schemed with those tickets she gave him.

"Kai (to Megumi): You can't allow people to be liked more than you. You have to be the center of attention or you won't feel good. Am I right?"

Megumi's mask is slowly slipping and more and more people realize who and what she is. She is having a hard time keeping that angelic expression on her face. She is starting to dismiss her fans and even her best childhood friend isn't spared. She leaves Momo-chan only because Momo turned down her proposal on isolating Mei. Megumi saw it as a betrayal and ceased communicating with Momo.

Asami is also having a difficult time. She suspects Nakanishi is cheating on her and she tells that to Aiko and Mei. She is very surprised when both of her friends stand up to Nakanishi and tell him a piece of their mind. Even timid Mei is angry and raises her voice.

"Mei: Do you think it's fine as long as she doesn't find out? In love there is no rule that says it's okay to do something because he's a guy or because she's a girl. It's important to keep to each others rules and be considerate towards your partner, don't you think?"

"Aiko: Then do it from the start!
Mei: I'm telling you, if you hurt her again we'll hurt you back three times as much."

"Mei: Please don't hurt Asami-san. To Nakanishi-kun, to us, she's a very precious person so don't make her sad."

Not only is Nakanishi shocked by what happened, so is Yamato. He finds a new respect for his beautiful girlfriend. He takes her to Land for two days and one night, a trip during summer vacation for just the two of them. Well, it would be two if Nagi hadn't asked their older brother to take her too so they were together the first day. Ii was a little bit disappointing to see how there still hasn't been any action between Yamato and Mei so far. And they had a couple of perfect opportunities.

"Yamato: Mei... I don't want you to leave me...
Mei: I won't."

Kai is the new big hit in school. Despite his bad boy appearance, he managed to get really popular and girls are following him everywhere. Unlike Yamato, he doesn't enjoy all the attention and he runs and hides from those girls. Megumi sees the potential in Kai. In a way that he might be her ticket to get to Yamato so she pretends she loves Land and converses with Kai just to stay in the same company. So she is also invited to karaoke with the group as well as Kai. Mei never liked the karaoke so she often sneaks out to go to the restroom. This time she had company. Kai is also trying to get away from the spotlight and so they realize they are kindred spirits.

"Kai (to Mei): I know what you mean! I'm also not used to being around a lot of people. And I also don't like being looked at by people. Especially during karaoke. I feel like I'm being suffocated in such a small room full of people. And if I sing, everyone stares at me. And I feel like saying "I beg you, please don't look at me."
Mei: Here's someone who feels the same way I do..."

Their conversation lasts and they talk about their private lives as well. Since they both know Yamato very well, Mei feels confident enough to speak to Kai about her fears...

"Mei: Even now, I wonder why he picked me...
... Since the boyfriend is so popular, it's not unusual to think that his girlfriend should be pretty. I think I need to be someone more suitable for him."

"Kai (to Mei): I think that there are a lot of cute things about you, Mei...
... Well, to me, even if the girl doesn't have a nice body, just her reactions and words would turn me on..."

As Kai and Mei find a common language, Yamato gets really jealous. His jealousy will only escalate because he won't be able to put it into words properly. Day by day, Mei holds on to her promise to visit Asami during lunch breaks at school. One day they go to the roof to eat their bentos there and Kai joins them and hops in on their conversation which was accidentally about sex. Or the lack of it. Mei still holds her ground of no sex whatsoever while Asami complains about her boyfriend neglecting her. Megumi overhears their conversation. Later on, Megumi gives Kai Land tickets pretending to be a charming sweet girl. She is awfully surprised when Kai confronts her about her treachery. He saw right through her. How she pretended to like Land and how she pretended to listen to him during karaoke when she was staring at Yamato the whole time. Once she realizes Kai won't help her brake them apart, she goes to plan B. She tells Yamato how she overheard Mei and Kai talking on the rooftop about sex and how she just couldn't keep it in. And then Kai tells Yamato that he's fallen in love with Mei. Megumi starts to keep Asami and Aiko busy so they won't have any time for Mei. All of it combined brings about Mei's utter loneliness.

"It'll be okay - if it's Tachibana-san, right? She's not scared of anything, is she? She'll just return to how she used to be."

Mei keeps getting lonelier by the day and Yamato is still holding a grudge. He is having difficulty seeing Mei around other boys or to be more specific - Kai. But instead of him fighting for her or telling her about his jealousy, he shuts her out and makes her miserable. Once he said it to his best friend, he realized that Mei wasn't the guilty party here.

"Yamato: I just don't like it!! I can't stand the thought of another guy seeing her shy expression when her face turns all red or her gestures."

When Yamato has been avoiding Mei, Kai was there for her. He made her tell him what was bothering her and he listened through everything. He offered her his advice and his company. Even though he had stronger feelings for her he told her that she will always have a friend in him.

"Don't try to fix the problem by yourself, there are times where it's better to just tell someone about your situation and make yourself at ease. And once in a while, just try relying on someone else."

"Even if Mei loses various people, I will never let you be alone! I'll stake my life on it!! Didn't it make your heart feel stronger?! Don't be afraid, Mei, and just boldly go forward!"

It is beautiful to see how some relationships flourish as the story progresses. I really like Kai because he helped Mei on more accounts then one and he made Yamato realize that Mei is a girl, a desirable girl and that he should treat her better. Mei sees only a friend in Kai but she also offers him her advice and her help. Megumi is really starting to show her real two-sided, backstabbing, deceitful face and I hope everyone realize just how rotten her soul is. Yamato and Mei have a lot to work on and I hope it will work out for them.