I can't help it, I love stories in which the underdog main character perseveres against bullying in order to prove their strength. I can't wait for the triumphant moment when those characters succeed even in the face of all of that.

Eigetsu is bullied because he's young and came from a poor village. Shurei is bullied even more because she's the first woman ever to take and pass the civil servant exam. Ryuki and the others are limited in what they can do to help, because their aid might make the situation worse and might cause others to doubt that Shurei excelled on the basis of her own efforts. Still, there were little moments when the could help, and I enjoyed those moments.

The whole Ryuki/Shurei thing makes me sigh. Shurei is now physically closer to Ryuki, but, in a lot of ways, much farther away. The difference between their positions is so great. Shurei adjusts to this fairly well (being a civil servant is more important to her than romance has ever been), but it really drives home to Ryuki how impossible his love for Shurei might be. He thought about some of this in previous volumes, and I'm glad he chose to support Shurei's happiness anyway. But wow, that's some painful one-sided love.

A couple other things I liked: Ryuki's hair (so pretty...), and the whole “make-up is war paint” thing.

(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.) ( )