By Yuishi and Kagachisaku. Released in Japan as “Inkya no Boku ni Batsu Game de Kokuhaku Shitekita Hazu no Gal ga, Dō Mitemo Boku ni Beta Bore Des” by HJ Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Satoko Kakihara.

As I was reading this book and looking at the inner illustrations, I am reminded that the core audience for this is meant to be guys, and most likely guys trying to relive their past high school history only with much better luck with women. As such, the art is very reminiscent of old-school visual novels: try not to show the guy at all, and if you do show him, make it as little as possible. That can’t quite be done here, because so much of this art is “the perfect date”, which involves things like our young couple making the ‘heart’ sign with their hands, but it mostly fits, as do the covers. The Introvert is the reader. The Gyaru is what we’re here for. Well, that and the happy ending, which this book drags out as long as possible but eventually gets to.

Well, Yoshin and Nanami have finally gotten to the one-month mark, and they’re both ready to confess their terrible, terrible secrets. But before that, they have one last date to go on… or rather, two dates, which they insist is the same date. The first day is her choice, and we see them go to a sweets-themed amusement park, where they see chocolate made, go on train rides around the park, and take cute pictures of each other. The next day is his choice, and they go to a petting zoo, getting to deal with sheep, monkeys, polar bears, and many others, and take cute pictures of each other. Then they go to a shrine, where both basically pray for the gods to watch over them as they confess their terrible, terrible secrets. Finally, we get to the following day at school, where Nanami leads Yoshin to the spot she confessed to him… and says it was all a lie.

I will admit, this book can be a bit trying at times. It is so sweet it’s almost sickness inducing. Not only are Yoshin and Nanami adorable together in the eyes of the reader, everyone else in the book thinks so too. Amusement park employees squee over them. Little kids point out how they’re holding hands. Old folks who’ve been married for fifty years say that the two of them already feel like they’re married. All of this despite the fact that, until the end of the book, kisses on the cheek is as far as they’ve gone. Even the confession, where Nanami admits she asked him out on a dare, and Yoshin admits that he overheard this and knew, is framed adorably, with a “Gift of the Magi” quality to it as they both beg each other for forgiveness and affirm their love. Heck, they talk a lot in this book about what they’ll do when they have kids. These two have it bad for each other.

So yes, this is good, but a bit much at times. What’s worse, there is a 5th book, so we get even more sweetness without the pull of “they’re secretly sad because they think they’ll break up”. What could possibly happen now? Licking ice cream off each other’s face? Who knows?

By Yuishi and Kagachisaku. Released in Japan as “Inkya no Boku ni Batsu Game de Kokuhaku Shitekita Hazu no Gal ga, Dō Mitemo Boku ni Beta Bore Des” by HJ Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Satoko Kakihara.

It would appear that this series is going to be four volumes long, so if you were waiting for the payoff where they both finally confess to each other the one secret that is mentally destroying them both, well, you’ll have to wait a bit more. That said, almost everything else gets wrapped up here. Having finally confessed to both sets of parents that they’re going out, and getting approval from both of them, there’s not really much standing in Yoshin and Nanami’s way. Well, OK, there are a few things. Yoshin is still getting advice from his gaming group friends, and feels bad he hasn’t told Nanami about them. And on a more serious note, when Nanami asks him to drop the honorific when he talks to her, he chokes up and can’t quite do it. Is it repressed trauma? Or is it just another case of kids being jerks?

After dealing with the rumor mill at school, which says that either Yoshin has broken up with Nanami, is cheating on Nanami, or is in a harem relationship, we get to the bulk of the plot. Yoshin and Nanami’s parents have decides to take both families on a trip to a hot springs. That… really is the bulk of the plot, these aren’t complicated books. They go to the hot springs several times. They dress up in kimono/yukata and get a rickshaw ride around the town. There’s a few “whoops, I fell asleep and my hand is touching your stomach” moments, the punchline being that she’d prefer if he was groping her boob as she worries about her weight. There’s a cherry blossom viewing. And there’s what I mentioned above, as Nanami is convinced she’s done something to hurt Yoshin, but really it’s … well, as I said above, kids being jerks.

Sorry to spoil the one plot twist in this book, but it turns out that when he was in elementary school he asked a girl if he could call her by her name without an honorific, and she mocked him for it, then the whole class did. This seems mild, but it reminds you that they’re called formative years for a reason, as it led to him basically shutting himself off from other people for years. And, of course, not telling anyone about it. Sadly, I understand those feelings very well. That said, because this is the series it is, by the end of the book he’s managed to get over it, mainly because Nanami is sweet as pie and will forgive him anything. Oh yes, the other minor conflict from previous books is also mentioned – yes, the girl on his gamer group had a crush on him, but once she meets Nanami she pretty much gets over it.

So all that’s left is admitting “I did it for a dare”/”I know”, and the series is over. That will take another book, thoguh I’m pretty sure that book will also be filled with sweet, adorable moments. Which are basically the reasons that people read this series.

By Yuishi and Kagachisaku. Released in Japan as “Inkya no Boku ni Batsu Game de Kokuhaku Shitekita Hazu no Gal ga, Dō Mitemo Boku ni Beta Bore Des” by HJ Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Satoko Kakihara.

In my review of the first volume of this light novel series, I said that it reminded me of an eroge where the reader was just following the walkthrough, not wanting to get remotely near any choices that resulted in a bad ending. That still applies, fear not. That said, it also is similar to that genre in other ways. This series is never going to have any sexual content, or if it is it will be much later on. But for all that it is sweet as pie, it is also here for the horny male that is its main reader. Nanami has large breasts, something that the text of this volume will absolutely hammer home over and over throughout, and she and Yoshin are clearly thinking of each other sexually, even if the closest we get is kisses on the cheek/forehead and sticking his arm against her chest as they walk. Which, honestly, does feel pretty teenage.

Nanami and Yoshin are now a couple, and naturally are going to have the standard problems that couples have. Well, to a degree. They have the problems, it’s just they’re dealt with in a ridiculously easy way. For Yoshin it’s that the teachers don’t believe he’d be dating a hot girl, so worry that she’s bullying him. For Nanami, it’s that the other girls in her class are amazed she’s dating an introverted loner. Resolving this takes about five pages at most. There’s also the matter of Nanami meeting Yoshin’s parents, but as it turns out they accidentally run into the couple while they’re sharing a bubble tea. This also goes REALLY well, the only issue being that Yoshin has been taking the lunch money his parents had been giving him every day, since Nanami is making him lunches. There’s nothing getting in this couples’ way, so clearly it’s time for an aquarium date.

The series’ strongest point is the sweetness. These two are ridiculously pure and likeable. Yoshin may be an “introvert”, but unlike a lot of titles like this that does not mean that he’s a loser socially inept dweeb sort. Indeed, we learn late in the book that the whole “dare” that started this series was instigated by Nanami’s two friends in order for her to have someone to watch over her after they graduated, and that Yoshin was their first choice. I think the author realizes that the “we dated on a dare” part is still hanging over the couple, and although most of the rest of the cast knows the truth, Nanami hasn’t confessed it to Yoshin, nor has he told her he knew from the start. That’s the ONLY conflict. Everything else is 80% adorable couple-ness and 20% sexy hot girl, look. It’s almost a perfect example of its genre.

There’s a third book coming, and I’m not sure we’ll be getting to the “confession” that is supposed to happen in a month’s time – this series moves very slowly. But if you’re looking for cute, and are OK with sexytimes that never go anywhere except rated PG, this is a can’t miss title.