...again, and, forgive me for putting it this way, she is most certainly in the milf zone. That's not just a personal observation; even Yuu is threatened by this extremely attractive older woman... and the attention she's paying to Mugi. Not that Yuu would admit it, though.
A good deal of this volume deals with Mako's playful tormenting of both Yuu and Mugi, as well as some later chapters which encompass a return to the fateful beach cafe where Mugi and Yuu first met and a bonus one shot omake romance with unrelated characters.
Though Mako was introduced last volume, I find myself being annoyed by her necessity as a recurring character. Usually Yuu's foil sticks around a few chapters... this is true, but Mako feels more like a Sayuri analog to me, as she's a sort of surrogate mother with slight pseudo-oedipal leanings in terms of writing. As such, I really only see the need for her to be around as much as Sayuri (say a chapter every other volume or so), but that's not, and will not be, the case here. Oh well.
Kobayashi is definitely taking the slow route, as always, with Mugi and Yuu, but the summer trip and the island adventure we'll get next volume will be worthwhile... at the very least in terms of fanservice, anyway.
Art is par for the course, with my only complaint being the bonus chapter feels more than a little shallow... but is also very much in line with Kobayashi's style and is exactly what I expect out of a one-shot story from this author.
If you're following Pastel, I recommend a buy... but there's no reason for anyone to jump in randomly on this volume as the chapters are typical, but not mindblowing, in terms of art or character progression. The only bit I found all that poignant was Mako's reflections on the roof of the High School.
