Spy Classroom Short Story Collection: No Time for Goodbye

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By Takemachi and Tomari. Released in Japan as “Spy Kyoushitsu” by Fujimi Fantasia Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Nathaniel Hiroshi Thrasher.

I do have to admit, and I apologize for the rude language, that when I saw that the bulk of this short story collection would once again be devoted to the late lamented spy group Avian, my first reaction was to scream “OH, FUCK OFF!” at the book. I appreciate their tragic death, and I get that the author regretted doing it so fast before they got to write all the stories they had inside them for the group, but come on, I feel like we have gone down this well about eight more times than was really necessary. At least, that’s what I thought when I started the book. As it turns out, though, this is probably the strongest short story collection to date. The series itself tends to hide a lot of its most pivotal moments as a writing conceit, and the short stories have been dedicated to filling in what we missed. This includes finally giving everyone catharsis for what happened to Avian. Who are, by the way, still dead.

The wraparound story in this volume concerns Lan, the surviving member of Avian, who has become something of a leech around the halls of Lamplight. As they discuss what to do with her, we get four short stories: 1) Lily and Sara return to Lily’s old spy school, to find that most of those she went to school with are still there… and are ready to bully the shit out of her again; 2) Thea and Grete visit Pharma’s brother Holytree, who is also a spy, and has an enormous sister complex; 3) Erna guards Amelie as Klaus uses her to try to resolve the last plot arc, and Amelia tries to bond with Erna; and 4) There’s a festival in town, and everyone is going… except Monika, who is too busy castigating herself for her traitorous actions. And avoiding Annette still trying to kill her. In the end, Holytree asks for a chance to duel Klaus to the death, and shows both Lan and Lamplight a path forward.

The most satisfying of these stories may be the first. The bullying that Lily went through (and goes through again when she returns) is vicious and attacks her physical appearance, as always, but she’s gotten stronger, as well as craftier – and Sara is now in her corner, and not about to stand by and watch her friend get stomped. It was VERY satisfying to see their revenge. Sybilla also really comes off well in this book, being the “big sister” of the group in more than one story, and reminding folks what it means to really be a big sister, more than anything else. We still don’t see the actual conversation between Monika and Lily, but we do see that Lily is taking it seriously, and agonizing over her response. My favorite story may have been Erna’s, though, as she shows that you can have compassion and empathy and let that lead you to the right decision… much to Amelie’s disappointment.

All this and a battle royale crying/punching match. If you’ve been skipping these side stories, this is definitely one to read anyway. Especially as the next volume’s not till next year.

Lady Bumpkin and Her Lord Villain, Vol. 5

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By Ageha Sakura and Kurodeko. Released in Japan as “Imokusa Reijou desu ga Akuyaku Reisoku wo Tasuketara Kiniiraremashita” by Overlap Novels f. Released in North America by J-Novel Heart. Translated by Vasileios Mousikidis.

I’ve talked before about artifact titles, when you have a series with a title that was accurate for the first volume but proves increasingly wrong as the series goes on. Lady Bumpkin and Her Lord Villain is proving to be one of these, and not just because she’s now Madam Bumpkin. This series started with Agnes dressed in 80-year-old fashion and pancake makeup getting thrown to the wolves for the lulz by the “heroine”. Now, four books after that first one, Agnes is making everyone who meets her fall in love with her, much to the jealous annoyance of her husband, she’s able to use her powers to help the crops, throw yams that can take out an enemy, and still find time to research the legendary saint. Which she absolutely is not. Why, they have totally different names for their very similar sounding powers! There’s no way Agnes would be a saint! (cough)

Agnes is about four months pregnant, and is having to deal with everyone around her treating her like an invalid. Fortunately, her brother Paul will be graduating soon from school, so she and Nazel get to visit Polypstan… where they also plan to research some information about the saint, just in case. Unfortunately, Polypstan has been having trouble growing crops as well, so they are very interested in the sunchoke potatoes that Sutrena has been working on, which are able to grow without the help of Agnes and Nazel’s magic. Unfortunately, there are a few hiccups. Both a duke and the prince of Polypstan seem to have fallen for Agnes, and this is a nation that allows polyamorous relationships… even if all the parties don’t approve. More dangerously, Paul’s graduation test is interrupted by a swarm of what amount to very giant locusts who can punch people, and they’re possibly the ones responsible for the crop failure.

There’s a lot of cute stuff here, which is good given that I think that’s why most folks read this series. It’s nice to see Agnes meet several women and get along with all of them, even going so far as to make potato chips with the duchess. Nazel may spend most of the book being jealous, and trying to have Agnes sit and take it easy constantly, but it always feels fun rather than forced, and her flustered reaction whenever he gets too loving is adorable. That said, there are ominous rumblings for future books. Robin may escape soon, which is not great news for everyone who didn’t like his “mind control my way to power” ways. Moreover, I think it’s pretty clear Agnes *is* the saint, and they’re not going to be able to keep that secret forever, no matter how much they want to ignore it. Nazel needs to figure out a way to make it so Agnes cannot be taken away from him for the good of all mankind.

That said, escaped jerkass will likely come first. This is cute and fun, if not lights out.

Management of a Novice Alchemist, Vol. 6

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By Mizuho Itsuki and fuumi. Released in Japan as “Shinmai Renkinjutsushi no Tenpo Keiei” by Fujimi Fantasia Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Sean McCann.

So, a brief word of warning: if you were not fond of Sarasa’s cavalier and lethal attitude towards bandits in earlier books of this series, you’ll want to give this book a wide berth. Thanks to events in the last book, banditry is now prolific in her area, and when it comes to affect those close to her, she is going to be a little pissed off. There’s less actual brutal death than usual, but there’s a lot of violent beatings, and the two wannabe rapists get a somewhat apropos punishment that I will not go into here. She’s a holy terror. That said, for those of you who enjoy “Sarasa is amazingly overpowered at everything she does and also an asexual lesbian”, there’s plenty of that here as well. (OK, Sarasa pushes back when described as homosexual in the book, but she’s clearly now fine with not only Iris as her wife, but Kate as her “mistress”. Sorry, Lorea, you’ve been familyzoned.) There’s a lot of Sarasa being a lot.

Sarasa is headed off to the capital to pay her taxes. While there, she reconnects with her master Ophelia and Ophelia’s… partner, Maria (Sarasa is not sure if they’re married, but does give a toast to their eternal love), and also runs into her underclassman at alchemist school, Misty. Misty is there to become Sarasa’s new apprentice, and will not take no for an answer. What’s more, Sarasa also meets up with the workers at her parents’ old business, which is still going strong, and they want to help her in any way they can. So she heads back home with a new cast member and a new company to work with. Maybe two companies, as Misty is the heir to the Hudson’s Bay Company… erm, a shipping firm… though she’d really rather not be. Oh yes, and the prince appoints Sarasa as a knight and gives her rule over her small domain around the village and city. Provided she stop the bandit problem.

The last third of this book is so filled with revenge that it tends to distract from the goofy first two-thirds. Misty is a great addition to the cast, as she’s able to keep up with Sarasa’s alchemical miracles while also having common sense, and is not as pathetic as Maris is. (She also does not appear to have any designs on Sarasa romance-wise… if anything, she’s a rival to Lorea as the little sister figure.) The running gag of Sarasa not understanding how famous she is, not understanding how powerful she is, or just underreacting to everything in the book is always going to be funny. And I will admit, I don’t mind Sarasa getting really, really mad and going after bandits with bad intentions in mind. They killed her parents, after all. This is not like other LNs where our newly isekai’d hero is just like “oh, bad guy, stab”. She has motive!

There’s a cliffhanger into the next book, which the author put in in order to advertise the anime that was coming out. So we’ll see you next time to see how Sarasa punches out plague.