Kare Kano vol 4

 In volume 3 Miyazawa and Arima finally get the chance to spend time together as a couple.  Unfortunately their time spent going on dates has impacted their grades.  Due to the performance issues on the end of term exam their teachers attempt an intervention in the relationship.  The two fight back and force the teachers to involve their parents.  Much to the surprise of everyone, both sets of parents stand behind the children continuing their relationship.  Just as things appear to resume their desired course a classmate is turning the girls against Miyazawa.

    A new rival for Arima's affection shows up as the first term nears it's end.  Shibahime Tsubasa had an accident before school began and was hospitalized.  After missing the first three months she is back in school, only to learn the love of her life has found a girl friend.  Arima and Tsubasa were close in middle school, while Tsubasa loved him with all of her heart, Arima viewed her as a little sister.  Tsubasa decides to fight Miyazawa for Arima's affection, but in the end it leads to her friends liking Miyazawa and inviting her into their circle.  While still refusing to give up her love of Arima, she relents to Miyazawa's existence and understands her situation a little better after they all talk.  Before meeting Arima, Miyazawa was essentially alone but through the circumstances of their relationship she now has a number of friends.

    Miyazawa's sudden friendliness with Tsubasa's circle, Sakura Tsubaki, Aya Suwada and Sena Rika, causes frustration for Maho.  Even though her plan to turn all the girls in their class against her, Miyazawa's personality is able to push through the isolation and find other companions in the student body.  Tsubaki suspects that someone is leading the effort to ostracize Miyazawa but is unsure of who it could be.  In a moment of clarity, Miyazawa recognizes that Maho is behind everything and confronts her about the issue.  Defeated, Maho resigns herself to never being able to defeat Miyazawa as the top figure in the class.  She reflects on her life of worship prior to high school only being temporary and that encountering someone, like Miyazawa, who's qualities outshone hers, was inevitable.

     In a fit of jealousy Tsubasa see's an opportunity to exact revenge on Miyazawa for stealing Arima from her.  When she finds out about it, Miyazawa hunts her down and makes her face the reality of her jealousy, in front of Arima.  Tsubasa explains that she has been in love with him for years but due his oblivious nature, was never able to understand her feelings.  While she had resigned herself to being satisfied as a 'younger sister' the entrance of Miyazawa as his love interest destroyed her emotionally.  Even if she couldn't be his girlfriend she wanted to be something special to him and with Miyazawa in the picture that special relationship seemed worthless to her.

     The first semester finally ends after all the trial and tribulations.  Miyazawa has plans to hang out with her new circle of friends and spend time with Arima.  Unfortunately the schools kendo club, of which he is a key player, is going to the national tournament over summer break.  He will be away for much of it, training hard for the tournament.  This will be the first time, since they met at the beginning of the year, that they will be separated for a prolonged period of time.  They resolve to spend as much time together as they can when he returns and Arima makes a promise to himself to be even more worthy of Miyazawa's love.

Continue on to volume 5.