Weeeeee.... Valentine's Day :)
"So why did I open up like that? As if I had total faith in Kasahara, letting her see me be vulnerable. After all these years, I found someone I actually want to be friends with." - Shibazaki
It's that time of the year again and in Japan it is customary for girls to give chocolates to the boys they fancy on Valentine's Day, homemade would be the best of course.
All the guys have their little following and Kasahara doesn't know how to handle it. So, she does what she does best. She buys simple chocolates for the whole Dojo team and leaves them for everyone on the table. But Dojo is late and all the chocolates were gone by the time he arrived. Kasahara wanted to give him some she saved but then she experienced a shock when she spied a beautiful woman giving him some homemade expertly wrapped chocolates on the hallway. Of course she couldn't give him her small, bought, simple chocolate after that, now could she?
A great episode amidst Kasahara's anxiety attack. Tezuka and Shibazaki are very popular and along with the tons of chocolates they receive a lot of invites for dates and meals outside of the main building. When they see each other among the many fans, they decide to get a lunch together to get away from everyone else. So pragmatic... and promising.
Later on, Shibazaki gets a serious admirer, a patron of the Library who intrigues her enough to go on a date with him. His name is Hikaru Asahina and despite his nice appearance he looks like he has some other agenda. While discussing him with Kasahara, Shibazaki reflects on her not so pleasant history of her school days and friendship and acting like a nice girl just to be accepted. A beautifully displayed character's background. It explains a lot about Shibazaki and her twisted standards.
Besides the romantic developments, the Library encounters new problems. Everybody is speculating that the Commander will leave and that they will get a new chief. Which soon comes true and as the new head arrives General Sadahiko Eto.
In the popular magazine Weekly New World an article about a minor who was convicted as a murderer was published with the entire court deposition and the minor's photograph and full name which violates the juvenile court privacy law. The idea was to show the public how twisted those murders were and what exactly happened because the murderer only received a slap on the wrist, so to speak. Now the Library has to make a choice if the magazine will be available in its entirety, if the article will be expelled or if only some parts will be available to read. Freedom of speech vs the law, it's never an easy decision.
Tezuka's mysterious brother finally makes an appearance. And he's... very interesting.
"Hikaru. What will it take for me to win you back?" - Tezuka's brother
Bonus manga. Hot springs! Woohoo! Hot hot hot... springs ;) Awesome. Tezuka defending Shibazaki, Komaki finally snapped and let his guard down and to top all of it, Kasahara saw Dojo naked, like totally utterly naked... gyah *.* My favourite bonus manga so far. By far.
Extra bonus manga 1. Moburo's business.
Extra bonus manga 2. Tezuka's insomnia.
Extra bonus manga 3. Dojo blushing... awwww
This Volume brings us a lot of laughter, awwww moments, close friendships, respected colleagues, many romantic interests and one major change, arrival of the new head of the Library. It lacks in action which was consistent so far but it does reveal plots which will undoubtedly lead to more action in the future. Until then, sit back, enjoy and laugh along with these amazing characters and their everyday mishaps.