Can't be sure of it's an ax or not. There are manga out there that tend on planning to be a few volume from the get-go, and I'm assuming this manga might just be one of those. Sad I didn't get to see the relationships they built up go cold-turkey like this though.
Whether or not it's true, I still had a blast reading it, so I don't mind either way. Gonna miss reading up on this manga, was a fun ride.
Thanks for all the hardwork translating this, and hope to see you translate another banger!