Jōyō Nishi’s I’m Fine With Being the Second Girlfriend has officially reached its ending, with the ninth volume closing out the light novel series on Saturday.
To mark the finale, Dengeki Bunko released a special voiced promotional video for the series, giving fans one last push of the drama-heavy romance that made this title stand out in the crowded light novel space.
For anyone who has not jumped into it yet, this is not your standard clean-cut romcom. The story follows Shirou Kirishima and Akane Hayasaka, two students who secretly behave like a couple even though both of them are actually in love with someone else. Their arrangement is supposed to be temporary: once either of their first-choice crushes returns their feelings, the fake relationship ends.
Of course, feelings do not work that neatly. As Shirou and Akane spend more time together, their so-called substitute relationship starts becoming emotionally real. That messy question — do you choose the person you wanted first, or the person who has been beside you all along? — is the core hook of the series.
Kadokawa first published the light novel in 2021 under the Dengeki Bunko label, with illustrations by ReTake. The series also managed to pick up recognition pretty quickly. It placed 15th in the Next Light Novel Awards in 2021, then later ranked 7th in the paperback category and 3rd in the new titles category for Kono Light Novel ga Sugoi! in 2023.
The franchise is not fully done for English-reading fans either. Ninoko’s manga adaptation began on Kadokawa’s Dengeki Comic Regulus platform in 2022, and Kadokawa released the third compiled volume on January 27. Seven Seas is handling the English release of the manga, with volume 1 scheduled to ship in July.
For Malaysian and SEA readers, this matters because Seven Seas releases are usually the most accessible route for collectors who buy English manga through Kinokuniya Malaysia, Amazon, Book Depository-style import alternatives, or local anime book resellers. If you prefer physical English manga instead of waiting for fan chatter online, July is the date to watch.
There is also a wider trend here: complicated romance light novels are getting more attention outside Japan, especially when they have a strong emotional gimmick and manga adaptation support. I’m Fine With Being the Second Girlfriend has the kind of premise that can easily spark debate in anime Discords — is this peak messy romance, or are these characters just making their own lives harder? Honestly, probably both.
No anime adaptation was announced in the source report, so keep expectations grounded for now. But with the novels complete and the manga entering English circulation soon, this is a decent time for romance fans in Malaysia to start tracking the series before it gets harder to avoid spoilers.
Source: Anime News Network