In this issue Kengi's questioning of the Ikigami are blooming as he struggles through his cases. The biggest change in him is when he gets personally entangled emotionally with one of his cases, which causes him to lie for the mark and question the entire National Welfare initiative and his role within it. And it's a sad story - a brother raising his blind sister after a car accident kills their parents and takes her vision. He's running out of time and money, and then Kengi gives him the letter. Kengi actually crosses protocols and helps him get his affairs in order, ensuring his sister will be okay once he dies.

The best story in this arc are the rebellious son with the politician mother that is slated to die, so he's running around causing a ruckus because he feels she's sacrificing him for her political career advancement. All of it ends badly for both of them, just in different ways.

This by far is the best, most humanistic issue in the entire series. ( )

This was a very good volume. The stories covered were sad (of course) but seemed very real. The main character is starting to research the history of the national welfare law that requires 1 of every 1000 people be killed when they reach their late teens, early twenties. This is meant to make everyone respect life but there is still quite a bit of crime and violence in this society.

One story is about a politician who is a terrible mother but determined to make it big in politics without regard to her family which turns out to be a big mistake. The other story is a moving story about a brother's love for his blind sister.

Dark subject matter, good story. ( )