I have been catching up with Megami no Cafe Terrace, a rather light hearted romcom series that I started a while ago. I just finished reading the 10th volume and the series is apparently complete with 21 volumes released in total.

The story follows the life of Hayato Kasukabe, an orphan who returns to his hometown in Miura after receiving news of his grandmother’s death. His initial plan is to close her café, Cafe Terrace Familia, and continue focusing on his life at the University of Tokyo. Once he arrives, however, he discovers five girls who had been working at the café and were also living under his grandmother’s care. Although reluctant at first, he eventually decides to reopen the café and live together with them.

Lone male protagonist living with five ultra beautiful girls under the same roof while running a café together? That is about as classic as a romcom setup can get, and as I often say, when the formula works, it works. And here it really does. The girls are all quirky, lively and incredibly easy to get attached to.

We have Ouka Makuzawa, the tsundere and a student at a fashion school. Ami Tsuruga, the strong high schooler skilled in karate and wonderfully airheaded. Riho Tsukishima, granddaughter of a famous actress and a former actress herself. Shiragiku Ono, the daughter of a renowned chef who is working hard to improve her craft. And Akane Hououji, vocalist and guitarist of a band who comes from a strict rich family that disapproves of her career path. They each bring something fun to the group dynamic.

In this volume we get the shocking development of Ouka leaving the house to study in France. I had been betting on her as the likely endgame heroine thanks to her look and behavior that screamed "main girl", but maybe I was wrong. Or maybe she will make a dramatic return in a volume or two. Hard to tell at this point.

My favorite is definitely Akane. She seems to have the strongest natural chemistry with the protagonist and her scenes always feel energetic and sincere. But honestly all of them are charming enough that I would not be upset with any final pairing. The kiss she teased and finally delivered in this volume was ridiculously cute and definitely a highlight.

Now it looks like the situation with the old man pestering the establishment is becoming more interesting. It seems to be tied to some long standing grudge involving the café’s former manager back when he was young. 

Hayato managed to deal with the issue at the secondary café by buying the land, but that clearly is not the end of the matter. It feels pretty silly for an adult to take out old frustrations on a bunch of kids who have nothing to do with it, but well… that is how drama finds its way into stories like this.

All in all, the series is still fun to read and I am curious to see how the next volumes escalate both the romance and the lingering tensions around the café.