Okay I never thought Id do a review on this site much less on a short BL story of all things but yknow what? Whatever I feel like I need to do this. This story completely caught me off guard. When I began reading it I was already aware of the pseudoincest Airi harbored onesided feelings for his older brother while still being in a relationship with Itsuki who was his friend and classmate. That was the premise I was warned about and that was what I expected when going into it. First chapter rolls out however and something about it just catches my attention. Airi was the one supposedly in love with his brother but... he looked so genuinely comfortable and in love with Itsuki too. Something about his expressions just had me strangely hooked on to know what would become of this highschool boy. So despite not being a fan of incestrelated stories I dragged on reading and... wow. Wow how wrong I was. I cant say exactly what it was that made the way this story was told such a big deal to me but God I loved it. Chapter 3 was the perfect example I think of how subtle but strong the way this story came across to me that date scene with little dialogue between them but saying so much about how Airi felt in relation to Itsuki and what kind of person Airi was. In a clearly still largely homophobic society Itsuki was unafraid of any outside ideas about him and the person he loved he was proud and confident about his love but Airi? As soon as he remembered that there were people out there who were disapproving of his relationship... he froze. He wanted do step back. He was afraid. Yet still because Itsuki was there with him he managed to push himself forward and be brave. He could look at Itsuki unbothered by outside looks and push himself to be someone who could stand beside him just as proudly Itsuki made Airi grow into someone better made him want so be someone better. And in this story thats just it. Its one scene in the third chapter but its also the goal of this story to show how Airi who is afraid of his feelings disgusted with himself manages to accept himself and move on because of Itsuki. Because thats what love does or well should do. It should be something that makes you want to do better by someones side. But Airi simply didnt know that. His first experience with love was his brother and at a young age at that. So it meant that he harbored those unknown feelings for a long long time and when he did understand them he also understood one truth: this was something wrong. Something he should be shameful about something he should not be feeling and as such something hed never comfront and... well never resolve. He thought hed be moving forward simply by going forward with his newfound love but those old feelings were still shackles until he actually talked about and acknowledged them. Seeing his journey how heartwrenching it was for him how he grew and how understanding Itsuki was of this growth... I had never read anything done by this author but the way they told this simple story in such a heartbreaking but warming way did things to me man. So thats why I am completely astonished at the amount of misconceptions in most comments Ive seen about this manga. I know every media out there is fated to have a mob of haters but this was the first time Ive seen such a massive number of people in agreement like that. Im reading through them and the hate Airi is getting is baffling to me people condemning him saying Itsuki deserves better or that Airi himself does not deserve Itsuki... Itsuki truly is a really mature and sweet person but to go after Airi is just misplaced hate and all over the place at that. Because what kind of reasoning is this that made people so angry at Airi? Were all of you born perfect human beings knowing who you were who you wanted to be with and never once doubted yourselves? Airi is still in highschool which encompasses the peak of puberty this absolutely the time for him to be going through so much. Hes a young boy who cant forgive himself for an old crush and because he cant forgive himself hes unable to move on. Him liking his brother was something that came at an too early age and because he never gave himself the chance to understand that as he grew up or better put understand anything beyond that it was wrong and he was wrong for feeling that way that feeling was just stuck there glued to him with guilt. As children every sort of feeling can be brought up almost everyone has heard of a kid saying theyll marry someone older than them for example because as a kid growing up they dont understand the scope of emotions they are talking about and assume things with what little they know. So when Airi experiences a sort of Oedipus complex remember Itsuki saying Yuiichi seemed motherly? its kinda onpoint at a young age then learns guilt from it he is unable to overcome it. He is not and has never been a naturally courageous person like Itsuki and currently storywise hes still capable of putting aside whatever fears he might have with a nudge in the right direction we can see that however hesitant he is he still comes around and holds Itsukis hand in the end. Because seeing Itsuki happy and unafraid made him realize that he could and that there was no shame to be had. You cant really disregard the conclusion Airi reaches at that time and just curse him for not knowing better when he did let go earlier. The fact that there was nothing to be ashamed of is something you as a reader know because you learned it. Be it through simple observation or through being directly taught by some situations you still had a moment where that kind of notion was learnt or the prospect of it ever being something shameful is the thing you never learnt in the first place. But heres the thing the same does not apply for Airi. He was taught shame and he was not later taught there was no actual shame to be had. Actually Itsuki was the one who was beginning to teach him that he was and is in the process of learning both at that time and by the end of the story. This is the story of a young boy who is still discovering both himself and the world by very cautious and small steps because hes being partially emotionally stunned by the brother complex he never acknowledges and therefore never resolves. Theres no point to painting this boy as some sort of villain and holding Itsuki on a pedestal like a saint. Not even a lot of adults are fully emotionally matured why do you expect Airi to be? Just because of that old if X can then Y should be able to as well? No two individuals should be compared and this is why. Someone might need more time than other person. This story is all about being able to acknowledging some things letting others go and growing as a person all the while. The story is not by any means perfect of course but the author did an amazing job in relaying so many feelings that this has gotten a very special place in my heart. It is simple in a there is no overarching plot to be concluded at later volumes way full of personality and does a great job at addressing the thing it is meant to.