Uhm, just a brief thought; how do you think Shinrei would have turned out if he was in Hotaru's place all the way? I mean, if he was the "second son"? That could have been kinda interesting.

About the dust thing - I know... but it would be kinda spoilerish to blabber it out in a comment about vol 24, which is the vol we are, well, officially at, right?
*sigh* and now I'm once again butting up against the wall of "publisher on hold" today was actually the release date of vol 25... *cries*