Again, the series is still very wordy and slow. Even though the overall story is interesting and I like the characters, I might have quit several volumes ago if 1) I'd been buying the series instead of checking it out from the library and 2) I hadn't seen the anime and known about several events and characters I was looking forward to seeing in the manga.

Shurei and Ryuki's relationship is very unusual. Shurei is, so far, uninterested in romance, and Ryuki is smart enough to know he can't force her to be with him without her coming to hate him. One thing the anime did not show me was whether these two would end up together in the end, or if their duties would force them to remain separate.

A couple great moments in this volume: getting to see the treasurer's face for the first time, and the passing of Ryuki's bill to allow women to take the civil servant exam. Although the bill is only provisional and comes with lots of restrictions, I still cheered.

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