Loved this one. There's still a slight amount of BL unrealism, with the two of them being so awkward and blushy around each other whenever things get more physical, but it's also really cute. And I love how much they truly become partners in this volume - each of them able to start fully relying on the other and letting go of their secrets and insecurities.
Kanade gains another work friend who knows about his sexuality - a guy this time, who turns out at the end to be dating the girl who'd started out with the big crush on him - and the cafe staff finally clue in on his and Mashiro's relationship. So they're building out a nice little support system.
The big drama in this volume is, as I'd expected, Mashiro's mother, who shows up for a surprise visit and announces it's time for her to move back in with him.
I feel like this would be a really tough read for anyone with toxic parents. It's written realistically, showing his mother's manipulative, stifling, controlling nature, but without actually making her into a villain. In some ways, she can't really help who she is, and while being around her too much makes Mashiro miserable, he also genuinely loves her. (And that's why things like her threats of jumping off a bridge when he's not nice enough to her are so insidious and effective.)
I had to flip back through the end of Volume 1 to remind myself that while readers learned all of Mashiro's rough backstory, he hadn't actually told Kanade everything about his mother, or why he was so isolated back in their school days. (Loved the flashback chapter in this one, with Mashiro and Kanade having an amazing time together at a Starbucks. They've always had so much fun together, no matter what they're doing.)
So experiencing her mood swings and guilt trips firsthand - while seeing Mashiro reacting so emotionally to her - really sent Kanade reeling. At first, he seemed to be shocked and dismayed by Mashiro being so disrespectful to his mother, but as soon as he saw that Mashiro was literally upset to the point of tears, he stepped up and got Mashiro alone (over his mother's protests) to find out what was going on.
I love the duality in Kanade's personality. He seems like the "weaker" one - emotional and insecure and inexperienced and all that - but when push comes to shove, he's the strong one who takes charge and keeps Mashiro afloat. Once he gets a handle on the situation, he immediately sets up firm boundaries, stops Mashiro from snapping and doing/saying anything he'll regret, and - even with his hands shaking from the stress of the situation - hands over money and information about a train ticket to send Mashiro's mother back home.
He is absolutely everything Mashiro needs and hasn't really believed he deserves.
The thing is, I can kind of see what Mashiro was so anxious about in Volume 1, with his big fear of becoming too much like his mother. That's something anyone with toxic or unstable family members has to deal with: the fear that it's in your blood, too, that you might turn out like them one day. And his mother had truly loved and fully relied on his father, which was why losing him had been so devastating, and had made her go so far off the rails and start clinging to him instead. So if he gets too attached to Kanade, won't he go down the same path? He loves him too much...he needs him too much. In his experience, that doesn't turn out to be healthy.
The difference, I think, is the level of communication Mashiro's building with Kanade. There's a wonderful scene where Kanade tells him that he loves him for his weaknesses, too - he doesn't have to be strong all the time in order to prove his value. It's okay - it's necessary, actually - for partners to lean on each other. So as long as they keep talking about things and sharing when they need that support, they'll be okay.
This volume seems like it was intended to be the conclusion, but I'm very pleased that there's a third volume with them actually moving in together (instead of just talking about it), and finally introducing Kanade's family! All my favorite tropes, handled in a thoughtful and nuanced way. This is turning out to be a more special series than I'd expected.