Volume 2 opens up with a really cute chapter with Ebihara and the rest of the firefighter squad having a barbecue. Of course, they Invite our girl Moe, her new friend Sayumi, and little brother Ryu. Some hijinks ensue, resulting in this eye candy moment.
Apparently, despite his skill as a firefighter, Ebihara has terrible tastebuds and puts sugar in everything. The boys tried wrestling him away from the grill, which resulted in Ebihara and co getting drenched.
Poor Moe is scared when she’s told baby brother Ryu is missing. Fortunately, he was only in the restroom, but Moe, who panicked, fell into the river as a result. No worries, though; Ebihara, of course, rescues her. Moe gives him a protection charm she made, which later has him pondering what to get her in return, which gets this reaction from Ebihara’s hilarious senpai Shin.
Ebihara might have a rival for Moe’s affections when Moe catches the eye of a flirtatious classmate named Mitaka Kun. When Moe starts working at the local cafe with him to save up the money to go cheer on Ebihara at his national firefighter competition Ebihara feels insecure.
After being tricked into attending a singles party, Moe sees a woman all over Ebihara like white on rice. This misunderstanding leads to this exchange between the two.
Neither Moe nor Ebihara feels brave enough to face each other after the awkward exchange. Fortunately, Sayumi can convince Moe to still go to Ebihara’s competition to cheer him on and face Ebihara again afterward. When the girls arrive in town for the competition, they find that Mitaka, who is definitely drinking that haterade, has tagged along without being invited. The volume ends on this little cliffhanger.
Overall impression? Another great volume. Our characters are really developing now. It’s finally starting to look like Moe’s love is not one-sided, which has me super excited! I hate Mitaka low-key just for trying to get in the way of the obvious OTP. MVPs of the volume are Sayumi and Shin, who work hard for their friends to help make the ship happen.
