the first volume was reviewed in anime news network by three reviewers. nik freeman felt that the manga's step-sibling love triangle was a contrivance and that the sexual elements were a waste of sasuga's talents, but complimented the drama and comedy, along with the characterization. rebecca silverman called the manga's setup a more mature "marmalade boy", but said that the manga is less melodramatic due to natsuo being more grounded and sensitive. amy mcnulty noted the manga's extra layers of reality and melodrama, finding rui to be the most memorable character while natsuo is still realistic, concluding that the manga has a more honest setup of its tropes.