Hina is a high school senior with a secret -she’s dating an older woman. She wants very much to share that secret with her friends, she just needs the right time to do it. In this final volume of Takemiya Jin’s delightful Yuri manga, Itoshi Koishi, Volume 3 (いとしこいし), Hina finds that time.

Hina has been dating Yayoi for a few years now. Yayoi has been a terrific girlfriend, always there when Hina needs support. In return, Hina gets to test out new recipes and indulge her desire to feed Yayoi. Ever since they ran into Hina’s friends at the local shrine at New Year’s, Hina has really wanted to tell everyone, but she’s decided to wait until after they finish exams. It’s a good thing too, because Kururmi and Micchan get into a tiff in the middle of pre-exam tension.

At last, the friends all know their immediate future is assured and they plan a celebratory visit to an amusement park. Before they all get distracted, Hina sits them all down and tells them what she’s been hiding from (most of) them for years. There is a little confusion, but they accept her and reiterate their love for her. And that’s that.

The final chapter of the manga in Comic Yuri Hime, had Yayoi once again unable to make the summer festival, but together they find they can see the fireworks from Yayoi’s aprtment. Hina suggests that she’d like to be able to watch the fireworks together forever. “That sounds like a marriage proposal,” Yayoi says. “That was how it was meant.” Hina replies. Yayoi sets up a wedding dressing photo shoot for them and we squee as they imagine their happy every days together.

The final extra chapter of this volume, finds Yayoi planning a special birthday date for Hina. They go to the aquarium and and dinner and have sex for the first time. It’s a fitting end to this series that refused to rush that part of the their relationship until Hina was an adult.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 9
Characters – 10
Yuri – 10
Service – 5 There is explicit nudity and sex in this volume

Overall – 10

A lovely manga by one of my favorite artists. Characters who knew who they were, worked towards what they wanted and were in step from the beginning. I wouldn’t complain if we got a 10 years later volume of Hina and Yayoi, they were very pleasant to spend time with. My fingers are crossed for this series to one day make it into translation.