This was a little different from Kyuugou sensei's other works in that it was a lot more light-hearted and used a very commonly used trope in BL. It actually reminded me a lot of Natsume Isaku sensei's works (I have a soft spot for her cliche-yet-sweet stories and lovable characters).
There were moments that got me feeling "oh, here we go again, down the path well-trodden by hundreds of BL works before", but the way Kyuugou sensei pushed the story forward was astonishingly nuanced and well-thought out. I was blown away by how well Kyuugou sensei manages to execute the resolution of the story, and also the level of detail she put into portraying the character's emotions, thoughts and state of being? chef's kiss I also loved how she included progressive elements in the story that are rarely seen in BL, it was truly a representation of the changing mindsets and values of BL creators and fans.
Can I also say that Kyuugou sensei's art has improved so much!! I've always liked her art since the beginning, but her newer works really hit the spot for me. I could look at her characters forever I swear.
I wanted to share my favourite line. It's so melancholic, and so true.
"Even if there was nothing wrong, I realized how painful it was to be right."
Also, I would absolutely date the f* out of Tetsurou-san, he's such a sweetheart <3. And I lowkey wish Kouta and Makoto would get together haha
Overall this was such a simple, sweet and honestly cliche story, and yet it felt like it scratched a long-enduring itch that I didn't even know I had. That's the reason why I rated it a 10, and actually wrote a review (my first in more than 10 years of reading BL hahaha).