By Hyogo Amagasa and Kyouichi. Released in Japan as “Akatsuki no Majo Lacey wa Jiyū ni Ikitai” by Overlap Novels f. Released in North America by J-Novel Heart. Translated by Alex Honton.

This book leans very, very strongly into Lacey’s introversion and tendency to rebuff all praise, and it’s the better for it, because the premise of the series is not really “will she get together with Wayne?” – this isn’t a romance, though there’s elements – but rather it’s “will she learn to love herself and accept that she’s a genius who comes up with amazing ideas no one else could think of?” And by no one else, I mean no one else in the magical land she’s a part of, living in a small village. Because honestly, scented sachets and insulated bags to keep things cool are things that seem obvious to us, a modern reader. But they take the country by storm – which is possibly not a good thing, as they’re getting far too much attention, and for someone whose wish to the king was that she wanted to be free, that’s bad news. Lacey is going to have to fight for freedom rather than just long for it.

Lacey’s opened her “Anything” shop, but she’s having trouble getting customers, mostly as the village saw the superpowers she used in the last book and don’t want to bother her with things that aren’t all that much. That said, when she hears Allen’s family talking about how they want cold drinks in the heat of summer, she comes up with an insulated bag to keep cool things cool and warm things warm. After this, her former party member Dana drops by, both to reconnect with Lacey and to consult her on the muscle and head pain she’s got from dealing with nobles too much. (The answer is: sleep.) Unfortunately, one of those nobles is rather desperate to get a hold of the creator of these super-popular inventions, and he’s not above kidnapping people – or, for that matter, murdering people – to get what he wants.

Lacey’s journey to self-confidence is slow, and still a work in progress, but she makes tremendous strides here. She’s helped by Wayne, who’s probably the weak point of the book – he’s basically the perfect boyfriend, patiently waiting for her to figure it out, and also helping her behind the scenes to make sure she’s happy. I wish he had more flaws. Lacey has plenty of those, as she constantly denies her own cleverness by pointing out how much everyone else contributed to her idea, and of course is still hiding her true identity because she feels she can’t live up to the Dawn Witch in everyone’s head. The running theme in this book is seeing her crouch down on the ground and pull her huge witch’s hat over her head to hide from anything that overwhelms her. By the end of the book, having stood up for herself and those she’s now vowed to protect, she doesn’t need the hat anymore, and it symbolically blows away in a scene that is (chef’s kiss).

So definitely still enjoying this. But I think the third volume only recently came out in Japan, so it might be a bit before we get more. Recommended for introverts who love to painfully identify with the heroine.