I just finished reading Volume 10 of Goshuushou-sama Ninomiya-kun ( ご愁傷さま二ノ宮くん ). This completes the main story with quite some exciting developments and revelations about what exactly happened on that fateful day between Shungo, Reika, and Mayu. Things were a lot more complicated than I expected.

The story first goes through Reika and shows that she recovered a slight bit by getting energy from Hosaka (her attendant), but this is purely a stopgap measure. It doesn't actually do much in the grand scheme of things, as she is still slowly dying. We also get a few flashbacks showing how Reika's mom died in childbirth and how Yoshinobu (Reika's dad and current head of the Honjou clan) is "seemingly evil," saying he never loved either of them.

Things are heating up in the meantime as the Ten Clans are gathering to get control over Mayu, as she seems to be the first Kamui in a long time with superior powers. Hildegarde, to avoid bloodshed, decides to host a game, saying that the first person to find Mayu gets to claim her, and she will support that clan entirely.

This creates a series of matchup battles as the various contenders try to stop the others from reaching her. Ryoko took the role of stopping Yoshinobu from chasing Mayu (allowing Shungo to continue on his path), and it seems like she had an old grudge to settle with him. She is blood-related to Yoshinobu's late wife and she can't stand the fact that he has been lying to his family all this time.

Yoshinobu, despite his appearances, turns out to be an incredible foe that manages to overwhelm Ryoko multiple times. In the end, it is revealed that he was just lying to himself when he said he didn't love his family. Instead, he is still incredibly hurt by his wife's death.

Shungo, however, doesn't manage to get to Mayu first because he is stopped by Hosaka. This gains enough time for Reika to be the first to actually reach Mayu. There they start a fight and we get more revelations about what happened that day from the point of view of Reika. She witnessed Mayu kissing Shungo, and she just broke down crying and ran away. This caused her to seal her memories and forget about the event and Mayu. Mayu, taking hints from Yoshinobu I guess, goes full evil saying things she didn't mean to Reika to trigger her anger while running run away.

Shungo arrives just as Mayu is leaving and is conflicted about whether he should chase Mayu or stay with Reika, as he realizes he likes both of them. There Hildegarde, who has been watching everything, reveals what she knows and speculates about the whole situation. It turns out the "Special Kamui" was never supposed to be a singular entity, but all three of them have a piece of it.

All the trouble started when Reika kissed Shungo in their first encounter, which caused Shungo to get her 1/3 of the energy. This made both Reika and Shungo go down the path of dying, the first due to the lack of energy and the second because of the imbalance of having 2/3 of the whole. Mayu's kiss was never about sucking Shungo's energy; it was the opposite. She gave him her 1/3 to make him stable again while setting herself on the path of dying, just like Reika.

Reika, as soon as she understands the situation, is the first to kick into action and give chase to Mayu. It begins a hilarious chase sequence with Mayu running away from Reika.

Reika: "Why are you running?"

Mayu: "Why are you chasing?"

Reika: "Because I want to punch you in the face."

Mayu: "I'll keep running then."

Eventually, with the help of Shungo, they manage to stop Mayu. The two make amends and go back to being friends like in their childhood. Shungo then kisses both of them and returns their 1/3 of the energy, solving the situation for now. He also proposes to both of them. Hildegarde is pleased Shungo is going the way of the multiple wives marriage because that means she can get what she wants too.

Oh, and to make things easier, Ryoko reveals that Shungo was adopted into the Ninomiya family, so he is not blood-related to Reika at all. Kind of convenient, but you know what? It is fine, as this is not meant to be a serious read; it is a comedy/ecchi light novel series first and foremost.

Looking back at the series, I have to say that it surprised me more than once. Remember, I came here reading it because I actually liked the anime adaptation that I watched many, many years ago, and I wanted to know how the story of Mayu and Reika would end.

But I would have really never managed to predict the whole Kamui business and the real truth behind the initial event that set up the story. I am ultra happy about how it ended though because I was hoping the author would go the harem route and make both girls happy, especially considering the good chemistry that the two had with each other.

My favorite character remains Reika because of her personality and dedication even though Mayu definitely managed to get back near the top thanks to these last few volumes. If she start showing her quiet/intelligent side more often she could be quite a challenger for the top position.

I am still going to do a last post in the future once I read the last side story volume that is set after the events of this one. Hopefully, it will be a nice way to say goodbye to the series.