Shuu ni Ichido Classmate wo Kau Hanashi Vol 9 - It's time for jealousy?! Hazuki!

Volume 9 of Shuu ni Ichido Classmate wo Kau Hanashi (週に一度クラスメイトを買う話) continues with pretty much the same mood and pace of development as the last few volumes. Hazuki and Miyagi continue to close the distance separating them from becoming an official couple, but there's still a bit of ground to cover before reaching their "happy ending."

Friends from both sides were introduced in the previous volume, and they continue to make appearances here, even though they remain mostly background characters. Their presence does help spice things up, though, especially considering how reluctant Miyagi is to meet them.

The standout scene is definitely their visit to the zoo; it was refreshing to see Miyagi so worried about whether Hazuki was enjoying her time there. It wasn't just about that, either: she wanted Hazuki to say it outright, which, as we know, isn't easy because Hazuki is evasive whenever it comes to her true feelings.

This felt really homely, Hazuki the wife cooking while Miyagi is the husband?

Hazuki falling in love yet again while making a photo of Miyagi. You can see in her eyes the reason slowly leaving her body.

It culminated in Miyagi asking her for a list of things she loves, hates, and so on, which makes complete sense to me. Hazuki always gives the polite or expected answer for any given situation, but rarely speaks her mind, whether with her friends or even with Miyagi. This could be related to her family issues, but if she wants to have a genuine relationship with Miyagi...

Speaking of the zoo visit, I actually had to check online because they kept mentioning the "Hashibirokou," and I was thinking, "Okay, I've never heard this word in my entire life." It turns out to be the shoebill, a giant bird that I'd never even looked up before. That's apparently considered cute? Man, I'll never understand their tastes!

Miyagi was hungry here, nothing you can do when you need your dose of Hazuki. She had to bare her teeth!

Judging from the ending and the preview segment (it actually includes an illustrated preview page, which is unusual by light novel standards), it seems like the next volume will focus on possessiveness and jealousy, neither of which has been shown in full force in this series so far.

Sure, Miyagi has often acted like she didn't want Hazuki to go to work (either at the café or as a tutor) because it leads to her interacting with other girls, but she never actually forced the issue. It usually just resulted in a brief intimate moment where she leaves a few marks on Hazuki's body.

Miyagi acts a lot like she doesn't know what she feels, but at the moments that count she does her job like here at Valentine day!

Hazuki trying to avoid to reveal too much, but couldn't stop inside being happy of people noticing. Conflicting!

How this will materialize is the question. I'm mainly curious about Hazuki, because she has played the role of the "good girl" for most of the series, constantly reining in her impulses. It would be really fun to see her become genuinely possessive of Miyagi now that she's more certain of her feelings.