Hana-Kimi 20 by Hisaya Nakajo: B

From the back cover:
Nakatsu’s mom is in town, and she has plans for her son: she wants him to go home after graduation to take care of the family business! Will Nakatsu give up his dreams of becoming a star soccer player? Meanwhile, another student at Osaka High School prepares to put his heart on the line. Nakao confesses his love to upperclassman Minami… but can Minami really have feelings for another boy?

Review:
I actually enjoyed this volume far more than I expected to, since Nakatsu’s mother stuck around for about half of it. There was absolutely no risk of Nakatsu actually giving up his dreams, so this was really just filler, but it did serve some purposes. Firstly, we got to see Nakatsu as a kid and learn about some silly stuff he did, which was amusing. Secondly, though, Sano noted Nakatsu and Mizuki spending time together, and finally asked what’s up, thereby learning of Nakatsu’s love confession.

Despite the anticipation the blurb tries to manufacture, there was also absolutely no chance that Minami was going to return Nanao’s feelings. What was interesting, though, was that Nanao was fully aware of this, but didn’t want to lose his last opportunity to let Minami know how he felt, even if he knew he’d be rejected. I really liked the actual scene of the confession, and how sad Minami looked to have to respond as he did; it was my favorite chapter in the volume.

So… hopefully Nanao’s example will inspire Mizuki to do something soon. Sano already dropped one hint that he knows she’s a girl, and there’s only three volumes left!