Devil-chi Vol 03-04 - Mikako and Rie looks good together. *curious*
Volumes 3 and 4 of Devilchi continue from where we left off, featuring more cute moments between Hino and Yomina as well as a full-blown summer segment with the entire cast heading to the beach: you know, the usual swimsuit reveal everyone waits for in a manga.
It turns out the person possessing Emi was actually a friend of Yomina's, a demon named Sumomo. She wasn't an enemy of any sort, just engaging in some mesugaki-style teasing. She's really close to Yomina, and her true identity is the demon Asmodeus, the last remaining member of her line.
They also introduced Mikako (Michael) and Rie (Gabriel), both of whom are angels and superiors of Eru. They were the ones foreshadowing Yomina's downfall, but as expected, they are just supporting characters, and cute ones at that. Rie can read minds, while Mikako fights with a sword.
They are quite powerful, but actively avoided killing Sumomo during the battle. They seem to belong to the more peaceful side of the factions presented in the series, monitoring Yomina and trying to keep her everyday life normal. If they had wanted to kill her, they would have done so already.
This connects to Eru's past and the fact that an incident occurred leaving Yomina and Hino injured, causing them to lose all memories of having been childhood friends with Eru. The full truth hasn't been revealed yet, but Eru feels responsible for failing to protect them back then, which is why she is so determined to look out for them now.
This stands in stark contrast to the other angels and demons who actively target Yomina. Everything seems to revolve around the fact that Yomina is a half-demon who lacks proper control over her powers. It's explained within the story, but it's really just the usual excuse to place her at the center of the plot and add stakes to an otherwise straightforward romantic comedy.
The volume concludes with Yomina getting kidnapped and Hino forced to give chase while Sumomo holds off the other villains. To be honest, it feels a bit early for such a development; usually, the "heroine gets kidnapped and the protagonist must save her" trope is reserved for the climax of a series, but we're not even close to the end yet, so...
Amid all this chaos, though, stands the best new addition to the series: Yomina's little sister, an utterly adorable character named Iyona. She's a succubus just like her sister, but she can control her powers perfectly, meaning she isn't under surveillance or in danger like Yomina is.
Watching her bond with Hino and start acting like his little sister, sitting on his lap and taking a bath together, was so adorable. Hopefully, we'll see more of her going forward. Her older sister is the main heroine, after all, so surely she'll get more page time, right?