In Volume 1 of Soirée Gakkyuu, we met Beni and Ruri, two close friends who attend an unconventional high school with a host of other characters for whom the traditional high school model is just not going to work. The story is told, generally, from the perspective of one of their classmates who becomes their friend, Yanagi.

In Volume 2, the final school festival of their time at this school approaches and they decide to actually do a thing. They set up an elaborate haunted house with effects and costumes. Beni is in charge of getting people in – challenging at this school, where participation is not required.

While at the festival, a couple of guys mack on Beni and take pictures of her in costume. When they appearoin an amateur photo site, she’s not all that displeased. We get a little more development of Beni as a person, but then, something happens. Ruri can see something has happened – they all can all see something has happened, but Beni isn’t saying.

Ultimately we learn that Beni’s family is moving to Shanghai. They offer her a chance to stay and finish up school, but she’s torn. When she finally tells Ruri, we can see she feels guilty for wanting to go and live a different life completely. Ruri sees it too, and lets Beni go. Any threads that might have held Beni back are unraveled as they admit the importance each other has in their life, but they need to move on.

The book wraps up with each of the characters graduating at their own pace and moving on. An epilogue five years later brings Beni and Ruri back together for a night, in which they talk like they used to – just like old times, but nothing more or less.

I’m not going to lie, I was a little sad at the end, when I felt that the writing skirted any of the things that might have been said, but it also seemed consistent with the story as we were told it. And then the mangaka’s notes at the end of the volume went on in detail about the office chair she sits in, so maybe it was okay that it ended that way.

Ratings:

Art – 6 
Story – 6 
Characters – 6 
Yuri – 0
Service – 1

Overall – 6 it had potential, but stayed where it was and ended up a nice enough thing to read but nothing that has to be read again.