I got this good-condition softcover at a local Savers thrift shop. I'd read Volume One a while back, and was glad of a chance to see how the story ends.

And... no surprise in who winds up with whom, but the story took some turns to get there, with some odd-seeming reactions by all concerned. There's a very suggestive scene early on in this volume, where Domoto gets increasingly crude about "Milady" and her "pacifier" (cue his zipper-region) - but it's all meant to dissuade the wealthy man who wants to arrange a marriage for Choko. Once he's convinced she's a raging pervert the deal's off the table, without the shame of having Choko turn down the match herself. (I admit I found that sequence both uncomfortable and ridiculous, but given the sociopolitical aspects of easily-insulted-yet-wealthy-and-powerful families, I suppose it's a reasonable solution.)

From there you'd think it would be easy for the couple to get together, but noooo. Despite both being aware of each other's feelings, and nearly all of their closest friends and associates being fans of the idea, they get into this loop of class-differences/not-appropriate/etc. step-and-repeats - right up to the end. Could be cute, I suppose, but I found it rather annoying; I've seen short series or even single volumes that had more depth-of-story. Ah, well!

[There's a short TV Tropes page on the series.]

I left this book on the book-swap shelf in the Tyngsboro post office lobby; hope the finder enjoys it!

[See other recent releases in MA here.]

*** Released for the 2018 April Showers/May Flowers release challenge. ***