Title: Rainbows After Storms Vol. 11
Author: Luka Kobachi
Publisher: Viz Media
Language: English
Format: Paperback
Pages: 163
Genre: Slice-of-Life, Romance, Yuri
Publication Date: August 11, 2026
The Story
We start off with a bit of jealousy on Chidori’s part toward Nanoha’s new friend, Minami. Despite making a new friend, Chidori is still worried that Nanoha will pour all her attention into her, but she has to remind herself that, despite that, Nanoha still walks home with her every day, texts her, calls her, hangs out with her, etc. It isn’t until Minami comes to Chidori and asks to go get parfaits with her that she realizes that she was worried for nothing… as per usual!
Next, we get a couple of quick chapters… one focusing on a series of personality quizzes that back them into a corner. Even though they had begun to talk about letting the cat out of the bag, this chapter shows that they aren’t quite ready to do that just yet. Next, we get another simple chapter of Nanoha watching Chidori while she’s in P.E. class, then another one of them doing a quick study session in the classroom.
We then move on to a three-part story arc that centers around Chidori’s birthday and how Nanoha treats her like a princess. They begin by going to a planetarium followed by a picnic; however, Mother Nature has other plans for their special day. They get stranded until some cover until a car pulls up. Chidori’s grandmother is there to save the day and bring them back to the dry confines of a warm home. While they are safe, the same can’t be said for Chidori, as being out in the rain causes her to catch some consequences for it.
Lastly, summer break is upon us, and Nanoha starts off her break with a video call with Chidori, but then we get a week-long time skip where Nanoha is worried about practicing for interviews. Even though she knows the questions, she has trouble answering them. Then, she goes off on a tangent about the one person that she admires, and when she gets to the end of it, Chidori is a bit surprised at who that person is!
Characters
If Minami taught us anything, it’s that Chidori hasn’t learned much when it comes to her insecurities. We have two volumes to go before this series wraps up, so I thought that she wouldn’t have become this insecure and jealous of her, but alas, here we still are. What makes it a bit baffling is that Chidori herself recanted everything that she and Nanoha do together, as if she needed to convince herself that Minami wouldn’t steal her away. Then, when Minami approached Chidori and asked her out for parfaits, it was only after Minami said that Nanoha talks about her all the time, to the point where she feels as if she’s known her as long as Nanoha has, that Chidori finally lets her guard down, but not completely. You could tell by her expression that she knew that she had worried for nothing, but was too stubborn to admit it. Is it another small step for her to get over her insecurities? Sure, but it didn’t seem like that issue was going to get better anytime soon. Maybe I was wrong in thinking that she would completely get over it? This is probably something that she’s going to carry with her for her entire life.
As for Nanoha, she really is working hard to improve herself so that she can find a way to be at Chidori’s side once they head off to college. From studying to practicing interviews, she is giving it her all, which truly shows how committed she is to their relationship. Then again, the entire birthday arc in this volume spoke louder than her efforts ever could, too. You can just tell that they know that they are made for one another, and I think Luka Kobachi showed us this for a reason. With college coming up, I have a feeling that Nanoha isn’t going to get into the school that Chidori does, but the bond they showed here won’t break because of it. Call me crazy, but I just feel like this is all foreshadowing for that moment.
Final Thoughts
In my last review, I felt that things were getting set up for a long-distance relationship in the future, and as I just mentioned in the above paragraph, there is more evidence showing that outcome is going to happen. The fact that Nanoha is trying hard is going to make that moment one of heartbreak, but I’m not envisioning this being the ending to the next volume, or possibly a dramatic point in the final volume that sends us into a time skip and epilogue that shows their relationship endured, even at a long distance. I hope that’s not the case because I would love to see what their relationship is like when they are forced apart… even if it’s just for a couple of chapters. Maybe I’m a greedy reader and want to see that, but it’s not truly necessary thanks to all of the groundwork being done here and now.
Outside of reading between the lines, it was another cute volume that, honestly, didn’t do much to further their relationship. We know that their relationship is already set in stone, so it doesn’t need any more advancement. What this volume did do, however, was solidify the notion that they know that they will always have one another, no matter what is to come. Whether it was through Minami recanting Nanoha always talking about Chidori, the effort Nanoha was putting in to try and be with her past high school, or the special day that she arranged for Chidori’s birthday, this whole volume was about strengthening the bond they have so that they can face the future together.
So, the only questions that remain are… did we get served up a form of misdirection, and do they go to the same school? If not, what will their long-distance relationship be like? And lastly, will they ever get brave enough to let their friends know that they’ve been dating this entire time? That last one is the big one, and it has been teased as of late, but they still can’t pull the trigger. Well, you’ve got two volumes left… hurry up and decide! (My thoughts are they end up keeping it to themselves, and it will have to do with them drifting apart through college, but that’s just me.)
Let’s see if I’m right!
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This item was provided for review by Viz Media
