Otoyomegatari - 29

I wish all mangaka did slice of life like this.

A Bride's Story updates so rarely that I often forget this trinket of a manga is still in publication. That's why it's always such a pleasant surprise to find it whenever it does go up, and even more pleasing to see the same loving pace established as always. This time, the focus is on Amir's brother, Azel, and his life as an heir in his tribe. True, there's a good deal of fanservice thrown into this chapter (something I didn't really consider, as Mori's nudes are usually very artistic rather than titillating, and there's also the fact that the male lead is only thirteen and thus not quite a target for this sort of thing), but the real meat of the chapter is in Azel's job as a herder of horses. The work is emphasized as tough, fitting considering that only the successor of the tribe is expected to take on so much responsibility, but we also see more of Azel than we previously understood. That he is hardworking and responsible is clear to see, and as no nonsense as he is, he does have his pride and he takes his job very seriously. However, things don't seem they'll stay peaceful forever as his tribe considers warring for the sake of gaining new lands, and Azel will have his hands full there even without having to care for the difficult horses.