This is one of those stories about trans people that focuses a lot on the experience of being AROUND a trans person more than on the experience of trans people. And that's valid. But it also means there's a lot of transphobia on purpose, so parts of it are uncomfortable to read. Nonetheless, there is a whole chapter in the middle that centers a trans character in a big way and that was probably my favorite part. The story's heart is in the right place, even if it can get a little awkward. But, boy, can it get a little awkward. You see, the central conflictof the romance element is that Hina and Itsuki "can't be together" because Itsuki is a trans woman who loves men. Again, valid. But the way that Hina brings transphobia into things when she gets very upset over this rubs me the wrong way, even if it was an intentional foible. And then you might think that the process of the story will get Hina to come to terms with being OK dating a trans woman, but it doesn't really. She acknowledges that she would want to date Itsuki fairly early on and then when they do start to get together, Itsuki immediately becomes less feminine. I honestly think that the romance as written works. I was invested and I read the whole thing in a day, which is not exactly typical for me. However, I suspect the resolution of the romance would have worked better *if neither of them were queer*, and that's the problem.

Also didn't help that, at least in the scanlation I read, the trans characters were constantly misgendered. Obviously can't tell if that was intentional, but the translators should have corrected it or at the very least left a note explaining it.