"Knight of the Ice, Vol 1" by Yayoi Ogawa.

"Knight of the Ice, Vol 1" by Yayoi Ogawa.

As a reader, we know that Chitose and Kokoro have feelings for each other. That's probably why I thought the story was a bit slow at first because I wanted the romance to begin! But I got hooked after the second half, because, as the story progress, we see why their love story is not so easy.

Chitose and Kokoro are each fighting with insecurities. Chitose is feeling insecure because of her height. At work, her boss is not taking her seriously, and everywhere else people see her at being below the cool and talented Kokoro, making her think that too.

Kokoro is popular and a star skater, but he's younger than Chitose, and feels insecure because of it. She's a businesswoman. He's a skater that can't win if she doesn't cast a childhood magic spell on him. He feels like a kid next to her, and not like a man she can desire.
Also, there's is something wrong with his manager. I don't know yet, if we are supposed to find her inappropriate behaviour funny or if she's the villain. I think it's the latter. She's the culprit for making Kokoro doubt he's good enough as he is. She tells him that he shouldn't speak to sponsors and fans because of his horrible accent, and is trying to make him hide who he truly is. The consequence is that Kokoro can't win a skate competition without Chitose casting a magic spell from his favourite girl anime on him.

Honestly, the spell casting was what won my heart. The anime the spell is from is quoted and referred to during the manga, and it's here we see how much of a romantic Kokoro is, and how much Chitose wants to help him.

I can't wait to see what happens next. This volume ends with a cliffhanger that can cost them their friendship and Kokoro's career.