A year has passed since Adachi and Kurosawa got married and all is going well. But then Adachi is put in charge of a big Scandinavian-themed event and finds himself working with good-looking Tachibana, at the client firm Lumiukko. Tachibana soon puts Adachi at ease, and his initial concerns about having to set up such an important event are soon dispelled. However, when Adachi is showing him some photos of their displays in stores using Lumiukko products, he apologises for having to use his personal smartphone – but not before Tachibana catches sight of a birthday snap of Adachi and Kurosawa together. When Adachi leaves, he asks to exchange Line addresses and says, “My ex-boyfriend was really picky about things like that. Your guy must be really tolerant.” Only then does Adachi realize that Tachibana is also gay and might have ulterior motives in asking for his Line information. But then he dismisses the thought… until he’s invited to an event featuring Lumiukko merchandise and is shown round by a very attentive Tachibana.

Working together on the project means that Adachi and Tachibana spend a lot of time together until one day Tachibana reveals to Adachi the reason he went to Finland: he was dating a co-worker and when his work colleagues found out, they both quit the company and broke up. Adachi can’t help but feel affected by this story – after all, it could so easily have been the same for him and Kurosawa if his co-workers had not been so supportive and positive. But is Tachibana playing the sympathy card for ulterior motives? Invited to a celebratory drinks party after work by Tachibana and his colleagues, Adachi is persuaded to drink more than he can tolerate and almost passes out. Which is when Tachibana volunteers to see him home…

Sweet-natured, unworldly Adachi is not used to being hit on! Even when he becomes aware of Tachibana’s interest in him, he either explains it away to himself or thinks he can handle it. But what do you do when the person you’re liaising with from another company for an important project oversteps the mark? It’s a very tricky situation and boundaries need to be drawn without prejudicing the success of the project for either company. But is Adachi able to sort everything out on his own? And how will Kurosawa react when he realizes what’s going on?

This is the first time in Cherry Magic! that a third party has threatened to destabilize the relationship between Adachi and Kurosawa – and while we might have expected handsome, outward-going Kurosawa to be the one being hit on by a third party, we know that he is more than capable of fending for himself; Adachi much less so! So the central couple’s relationship is being tested again but in a very different way than the earlier problems they faced such as being separated by work and family/parental concerns.

The initial ‘Cherry Magic’ premise that gave this likable long-running BL manga its title has receded into the past – because thirty-year-old Adachi lost his wizardly powers to read people’s thoughts when he lost his virginity. Nevertheless, there’s a significant moment in these new chapters when he finds himself fervently wishing he still could read the thoughts of one individual who has placed him in a very difficult situation. Yuu Toyota injects some necessary drama into the day-to-day life of our main couple. The drama doesn’t feel manufactured; it’s all the more believable as it’s a situation that could easily arise in the workplace, and it shows how Adachi and Kurosawa deal with an unexpected stress in their relationship. If they can come through it, they’ll have learned from it and become all the stronger in the future… but it’s a genuinely destabilising development. It’s also worth mentioning that the unexpected appearance of President Matsuura at a bar where Tachibana hangs out leaves a cloud hanging over our expectations for what’s to come next in Volume 15… (Glamorous Matsuura-san once made a pass at Kurosawa and he hasn’t forgotten; neither, we now suspect, has she.)

Fans of shy novelist Tsuge and his dancer boyfriend Minato (and their cat Udon who kind-of played matchmaker) only get a single chapter here but it’s a cute one that shows their relationship is still slowly, awkwardly evolving and deepening. It looks from the upcoming cover that they might get the spotlight in Volume 15 (due out in January 2026). There’s a sneak peak at Volume 15 at the end of this volume but it continues to explore the dilemma that dominates Volume 14.

Square Enix Manga present the material in another attractive volume with a special colour image at the front and a special thanks page from the mangaka. Translation is yet again by Taylor Engel and there’s only one new translation note this time: from Finnish! The translation flows well, as ever, and the reading experience is enhanced by Bianca Pistillo’s clear and helpful lettering.

If you’ve been following the relationship between Adachi and Kurosawa from their very first meeting, you’ll definitely want to read this volume. The striking cover image (one of Yuu Toyota’s best) catches the imagination straight away, drawing the reader in and showing us Adachi pulled in two opposing directions.

Our review copy from Square Enix Manga was supplied by Turnaround Comics (Turnaround Publisher Services).