Tohru meets Akito and finds out a little about the relationship between Akito and Yuki. The new school year begins and Haru and Momiji join Tohru's school. This volume wraps up with flashbacks from Momiji and a visit to Tohru's mom's grave. The darkness hinted at and discussed in the Akito flashbacks as well as Momiji's life story allows for depth that the usual comedy routine doesn't. It's powerful to see these otherwise cheerful characters struggling with something dark. If only Tohru could have the same depth...! Right now, she acts too optimistic; even at her mom's grave, there's not a moment of sadness or internalized thought. They smile and laugh and eat lunch. Really...? Yes, maybe that's what her mom would have wanted, but where's the depth? 
 The abuse Akito inflicted on Yuki isn't fully explored in this volume; I hope future volumes will complicate it and discuss it more. It would be good for Tohru to find out and struggle with it as well. The gender stuff hinted at with Momiji - and his preference for women's clothing - was a nice touch. Momiji's story, however, was my personal favorite. He offers a way to relate it to the readers and that makes it much more powerful - who hasn't experienced bad memories? Depending on the severity, some of us have certainly wished to rid ourselves of them, but Momiji's story shows the complexity of losing memories: it affects more than just the person whose memory is wiped. It creates a domino effect, for Momiji, for Momiji's father, for the other Sohmas who certainly know what happened. 
 I look forward to learning more about Akito and why he's so cruel to everyone. A little more complexity would do this series good.