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When the steps you take seem so small, it can be hard to understand them in a greater context- especially when they started three months ago. Hirayasumi volume 2 feels like a very natural continuation of a lot of the contents of the first volume, and hiding in that very natural feeling is a wealth of progression, development, and all sorts of stories. Its steps remain small, but its consistent march forward leads you into territory that is decidedly different from where we began. The story of a 30-something and his college age cousin has expanded to encompass not just the realm of Hiroto’s influence, but Natsumi’s as well. Because of that, rather than a rock that grounds, this second volume paints Hiroto’s nature as something closer to a current that radiates outwards and flows through the people around him.

Really, it’s a question of which character to hone in on first with Hirayasumi volume 2. Natsumi feels like the obvious choice, so that’s why I want to pivot to Akari. Being a tertiary point of contact for Hiroto’s infectious nature, their character brings a lot of… distance, a foreign feel that Hiroto hasn’t been able to entirely reach yet. Of course, Natsumi is able to coax a bit of Akari out of her shell, but she’s still just Hiroto’s cousin, her reach isn’t as far as Hiroto’s- and Shinzo does a great job of expressing that. More than a one-sided chat, Akari and Natsumi’s relationship is painted as something that’s very mutually beneficial, each encouraging the other to pursue their dreams. For Natsumi, it ends up happening, but Akari is left in the dust a little.

There’s no bitterness or resentment behind her in the moments of Natsumi’s success, but you can very much feel Akari’s character solidify its form in these moments. Her meek demeanor that plays opposite the confident and (described by Natsumi) beautiful version of Akari at work puts in perspective how she puts herself down in the face of the success of others. She lives a reserved life to avoid the fear of failure, but denying herself her dreams weighs equally heavy on her. It really reminds you of Hiroto’s past that pops up in Hirayasumi volume 2, so I’m curious to see what might happen later.

Moving in the opposite direction of Akari, there’s the realtor Yomogi, a character that has eluded Hiroto’s good graces more than a few times now. In manga, you often feel a pressure to make moments connect, to produce a line between two points as effectively as possible. Hirayasumi volume 2 feels no such pressure though, and that’s a massive bonus for Hiroto and Yomogi’s relationship. The life of the realtor that sees her drowning in work, distancing herself from the lights of the city and the people that comprise them, is the same one that keeps her away from Hiroto. The pair are incompatible at the best of times because of fundamental differences, so of course Hiroto isn’t the one to bring her around. Instead, it’s a moment of dread and failure that plagues many people chained to their work. Not a family member in this case, but the death of a pet. It’s a great moment that produces a simpler, cleaner cut in the thread that tied up Yomogi. She grieves, but it does not destroy her life. She re-centers her perspective, but doesn’t produce drastic change. It’s just enough to see her lash out at Hiroto, and then turn tail and apologize a few days later. And even here, it’s not necessarily Hiroto that helps to nudge Yomogi’s perspective in the right direction- it’s her cat. Hiroto is still a relative stranger, so having Yomogi’s story remain so self-centered is really great when you have Hiroto to provide some backup.

And if that weren’t enough, Hirayasumi volume 2 contains plenty of little background stories like Hideki’s struggles with his wife. While it’s not a drama, it certainly doesn’t just gloss over Hideki’s character or his actions. He fights with his wife, he runs off to hang out with Hiroto, and is very much painted like a bit of a jerk. But that doesn’t detract from the innocence with which he’s expressed. He might have a hell of a time with responsibility, but he still has his passion and dedication to the people around him. Natsumi might blow her top very easily, but the series also expresses that she’s just a very emotional girl hiding behind a stubborn personality. She cares, even when she’s frustrated, but can have a hard time getting the words out. Akari can easily give others the push to pursue their dreams, but she locks herself away behind mediocrity. Hiroto, and Yomogi, and so on and so forth, they all are expressed as flawed characters in Hirayasumi volume 2, but that absolutely does not detract from the positivity and happiness that they each desire.

Hirayasumi volume 2 is a definite step past a lot of what made the first volume what it was, and that’s very much a good thing. Providing conflict and flaws to the characters without injecting drama or tension makes Shinzo’s follow through that much more worth it. Hiroto’s words and actions aren’t just fluff, they’re a shoulder to lean on or a fresh breath of air beneath the pressure of society. In a sense, it really is their Hirayasumi. A terrible joke, but in all honesty the title exists for a reason. It’s not here to transform the lives of these characters overnight, or save and absolve them from their existence. It is simply here to collect a series of (mostly) benign moments that offer a reprieve from modern life, and it does a great job of illustrating that here.