Seems like this entire plot would be over pretty quickly if Kase just told Fukami she was moving in with her girlfriend.

Ikr? But what if Fukami will be like "I don't approve of her! Have a race with me and if you lose you two should break up" Lol

Haha. Don't put that in the air.

Following this arc is still suffering but it looks like Kase is committed to moving out no matter what and probably coming out no matter what so I guess progress is progress.

What? How do you get that? She still hasn't called off the race so I wouldn't call that committed to moving out. As for coming out, this chapter was her tripling down on staying in the closet. Not only did she kept lying about her boyfriend. She also needed to qualify every mention of like, whether it's hers or her roommate's to make sure her roomie didn't think for an instant that she might be gay.
This chapter was Kase completely failing to make progress at anything, as is the norm for this arc.

Now the race is: "I'm moving but if you win you'll get to know why I'm moving." So the track friend can win this race and it will now be an opportunity for Kase to be honest, rather than anything else. She just did things subtly since it seems she doesn't want to hurt her. I believe Kase thinks Fukami will win the race and therefore expects to be honest. She wants Fukami to take a step forward and beat her.

Consider that: "if you beat me, I'll tell you why I'm leaving," contradicts "if you beat me I won't leave." The former is the last bet they agreed on. The terms should have changed. I say "should" because I have to carry a grain a salt with me at this point since this manga has done some weirdly inconsistent stuff. But I think it's pretty clear here.

last edited at May 22, 2023 12:37PM

Note; the scanlators changed the last page of Chapter 31 from this to this since it became clear that Fukami didn't (properly) confess just then.

Thank you for the notice!

If Kase redefines the race to "I'm definitely leaving, but if you win I'll tell you why"... that still won't change that they missed a good apartment because of her stupidity, but it'll be a marginal improvement.

Yeah, that's where I am at too. We're begging for crumbs at this point.

why must we take the long route of having the side character slowly realize their feelings only to then be rejected instead of the short route of revealing that her crush is taken by another girl which forces her feelings out quickly bringing the conflict to its emotional conclusion?

Also, agree but I think that's because this apartment move now feels like an end-game event, and she's stretching out the build-up to it, in an attempt to make it seem like a journey with an "earned" conclusion. I think it's been done terribly but I think that's the idea. I wouldn't be surprised if this all ends when they finally move in together. Last version was only 24 chapters.

last edited at May 22, 2023 9:19AM

Bar seems like a fun time. All the interactions between characters are so fun and dynamic. And Hiroko really doesn't want to be outed at work.

last edited at May 20, 2023 2:45PM

Has the raws already ended?

Yeah it's complete. 3 volumes. 24 chapters. She normally does shorter series of about this length or less.

last edited at May 18, 2023 8:02PM

I am surprised they haven't recognized each other at first glance.

I mean, realistically, how? xD

The same way they, realistically, have been reincarnated as characters in a book. :-)

Do either of them know the light novel well enough to tell if people are acting out of character?

No they're strangers to each other and there's no reason strangers would reveal their secrets to each other. That's not really a natural conversational starter and neither of them know the other also got reincarnated.

last edited at May 18, 2023 4:36PM

Was she, though? In the the first chapter she appeared in, she blew up one of Ayana’s attempts to get through to Hiroko by knocking on the stall door. Then, the next time she appeared, she told Hiroko that whatshisname also like fried chicken, intentionally obfuscating Ayaka’s next attempt to woo Hiroko and getting us into the current misunderstanding phase. Heck, most of her wingwoman-like actions have just been her acting as a friend (even inviting Hiroko to go shopping with them was done mostly to convince Ayaka to come along). It was clear from the previous chapters that she was going to have a bigger role, but it wasn’t clear whether it was going to be “wimngwoman” or”rival.”

Yeah, she's been unconsciously doing this for a while, in the background. Risa is lovely, though. She handled that well and didn't make it an issue once she realized what she was feeling. Actually, everyone at the office has been nice, including Yuuya. They have a nice camaraderie in that office that's fun to observe. Ayaka also verbally realizes the mountain she has to climb to get through Hiroko's density; though it seems she's started getting through to her without realizing it.

last edited at May 18, 2023 2:28PM

Um, you have a point, but not in relation at all as to what you were replying to? Why reply to a group of people saying the spoilers make the plot sound interesting by basically saying some people won't like it based on the list of plot points?

It is actually useful - especially in the thread you were replying to (and in my opinion too), because putting it in the context of where the story is going makes it not seem like an endless status quo going around in circles thing.

Yes, 100%. I was agreeing with them and elaborating. The intention behind the dump of spoilers was really to scare people away. I was specifically responding to that intention and trying to provide context for (and dissuade) those who would otherwise put something down because of an incomplete list of plot points. I think this story I quite fun and interesting and would hope others don't put it down simply because of a list like that, so that was the impetus. Just didn't appreciate the reasons behind the dump.

I didn't see Risa being in love with Ayaka as much of a twist per say and I think that's cause I was paying attention to how much she was paying attention to Ayaka. I think it would've been more of a twist if she just turned out to be violently homophobic lmao.

Yeah, Risa has been watching them for a bit, if you go back. She's had little hints throughout and now we get it confirmed. Guess she needed a little push to realize why she was a bit fixated on Ayaka.

last edited at May 17, 2023 9:32AM

Did not see that twist coming, I kind of thought Risa was going to help them get together.

Yeah but at least she's not an ass about it. She can't help her feelings but wants to give them space since she knows her friends feelings.

last edited at May 16, 2023 3:32PM

while I enjoyed the second chapter, it kind of made me wish this wasn't isekai lol. both the villainess and the demon lord actually have really interesting backstories and character concepts, and with them meeting as kids I don't really see what the isekai element adds.

regardless though, this is still quite fun. thanks for the translation!

They both get to have interesting machinations and plans. You're basically getting two all knowing game breaking Isekai protagonists instead of one. It's fun to watch them both attempt the same things but from different angles and based on their different personalities. Plus since they don't realize who the other is it also makes their interactions more interesting, as they seem to fall for each other (unknowingly) all over again. They're kind of competing against each other and not at the same time, all without realizing it. All of this then feeds into the other characters interactions and plans from outside forces. And since they operate on opposite sides of the story (eventual demon lord?, "light side"), it also allows for perspective shifting without breaking any narrative patterns. The concept is actually really clever and wouldn't work nearly as well without the Isekai start (or an equivalent replacement). Because of this it works really well as a novel too.

last edited at May 15, 2023 4:59PM

Is it bad that I skimmed those spoilers and just got even more interested? Idk, I'm enjoying the trainwreck, don't quite get why people are so up in arms. Again, may just be personal experience talking, but this feels like a "reality is unrealistic" sort of thing.

yeah me too i'm way more interested reading all that.

Even before that though just reading the dialogue of this chapter, I get the feeling all the haters are kinda misreading the character and reinforcing their own bias. "Why is she so oblivious? How could a supposed womanizer be so blind?" But here we see it isn't just that Hiroko's too damn dense to see Ayaka's crush; rather as her work superior she's so in her head suppressing her instincts to go after this cute girl (because of gossip? workplace dynamics? is she afraid of losing her job? of Ayaka losing her job because of her? Is the combination of being her superior and a lesbian too scandalous?) that she second guesses and rationalizes all the obvious signs. Its not like this stereotype emerges in a vacuum. Under the perfect senpai veneer she's incredibly, tragically, high strung. So to me its less of the usual generic dense lesbian yuri parody and more an exaggeration of how homophobic workplace dynamics create this kind of eternal misunderstanding.

Anyway, Ayaka's sad faces are funny I don't see the problem. Definitely gonna stick around

Execution is extremely important. And a bullet list of plot points does not show nearly the full picture. Knowing what happens, I don't think that list (or any story reduced to a list of plot points) is very fair or useful (last volume is fun also). But whatever. When people don't like things, they really don't like it.

As for Ayaka's sad face: they are a highlight. But it's even better when she does take charge. You know she's never down for the count, she's very strong willed.

last edited at May 15, 2023 11:03AM

Transcript (based on Youtube's auto-captions and my ears where it seemed off):

でも、百合漫画なんでちゃんとこの男子は恋愛にこは絡んでないです。
見ての通り険悪な関係性なんで安心してもらって。
今回の絵で百合漫画っていうのなんかすごい信じてもらえないからすごいですね。
なんかちょっと…この契約な感じとか…なんならこう男女物の恋愛漫画でこういう雰囲気の剣カップルみたいのもいるじゃいないですか。
こんなこと言うとすごいダイアナちゃんに怒られそうだけど…
ダイアナちゃんにもグランくんにも怒られそうだけど、あの、こういう雰囲気の剣カップル…男女、恋愛漫画っぽさも、例「？」はある。
全然そんなことないんで、ちょっと安心していただければ。

Rough translation:

"But it's a yuri manga, so this boy isn't involved in any romance. As you can see, it's a hostile relationship so please be at ease. You can't believe its a yuri manga based on this drawing, right? Somehow it feels a bit...like a contract...sort of like, a het romance manga might have a sword couple with this sort of vibe. Though Diana-chan would get pissed at me for saying this... Both Diana-chan and Gran-kun would be angry, but um, there's precedence to have a sword couple with this of vibe, like a het romance manga. But it's not like that at all, please be assured."

Basically the upshot is "it's a yuri manga so Diana x Gran isn't happening don't worry" lmao.

(Also Diana sticking her tongue out is super cute.)

Thanks for that!

Lovely series.

It just makes me wonder what sort of thing Ayaka will do next to try to get Hiroko haha.

I love seeing Hiroko flustered because she thinks it's accidental haha.

Yeah those two feelings are it. It's comedic, has some "drama" but it's light. I love it builds from it's fun premise and builds it's characters. I also love how Yuuya has no idea what's happening, he's just caught in the crossfire.

last edited at May 12, 2023 3:39PM

I note again that the end-art of the chapters shows Natori being pulled apart by Lapis and Diana, no prince in sight.

https://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/the_fed_up_office_lady_wants_to_serve_the_villainess_ch05#34

That is the translation group's chosen picture for it's credits page. That's not what ends each chapter in the original releases, if that's what you mean. It wouldn't matter either way though, that image doesn't mean anything besides what we've already seen (that Diana has a crush). Doesn't say what will happen. Neko has drawn images with Diana and Prince anyway (actually she did a live stream of one of them). So it does seem like they'll have some sort of relationship whether that's friendship, romantic, or not. He's also in a good amount of side art of the story. He's a major character, including that boy we saw with Lapis for about 5 seconds.

last edited at May 11, 2023 6:00PM

To me what Natori means is that Diana and Gran actually looks like they could be friends now instead of being constricted to what the game's plot demanded. I don't think she's implied any romance possibility between them.

Yeah. Natori didn't for sure but it's possible that the author is laying the groundwork considering this interaction is being compared to the game's favorably. But as we said earlier in the other discussion with Cogito, it's too early to know what the author means to imply here. I just wanted to point out the potential choices made in that scene, in case this does indeed come back (or continue to be hinted at).

But yeah Diana is spunky for sure. Gran seems to have some spice too, at least when he argues with her.

last edited at May 11, 2023 4:20PM

In fairness Lapis got most of the page time in volume 1, so it makes sense for volume 2 to focus more on Diana and Gran. I just hope Nekotarou isn't going to wait too much longer before revealing what Lapis's real plans and motivations are, since it would make the central romance less compelling if we know little about Lapis until the climax.

Agreed, it's just that the audience reaction to that is predictable. This is especially since her character is rightfully reserved and mysterious at the moment, compared to Diana and Prince, who are both pretty much open books that we more or less already know the contents of. It's easier for the audience to connect to them, at least for right now, since Lapis' characterizations thus far are mostly subtle (and "subtle" is easily missed). So she's playing catch up a bit. If it were me I'd expect my audience reaction beforehand and prepare accordingly, knowing that my titular character will be a bit behind for a short time. I'm interested in how this volume will end.

Right, but what I find interesting is that, as she interacts with the other characters, Natori seems to be questioning the underlying ideological assumptions of the game she loved so much as a player. As she says, "this world exists for the protagonist and the main characters"; Diana is the protagonist so "anyone she injures with her power must be 'evil'", while Lapis as the villain is a mere stepping stone for Diana and Gran's character arcs. But in this chapter we see Natori, not just reevaluating her opinions of Lapis and Diana as real people and not fictional characters, but also implicitly criticizing the game's ending by telling Gran he doesn't need to become King. So while I agree that your interpretation of that scene is plausible, I think "Diana and Gran never had much romantic chemistry to begin with" is also a plausible route the story may go from here.

Super fair. I just feel that if Neko wanted to communicate that message, they could have had Diana and Gran argue without needing the comments from Natori about their getting along better than the game. Had they simply argued, that alone would have been a shift from the game and Natori could have looked on in tongue-in-cheek "horror" as she realized that the two had no real chemistry. Instead, she reinforces their chemistry, even going so far as to say it trumps the game and I find that a potentially meaningful choice from the author. That extra turn wasn't needed, if all they wanted was to show that they had no chemistry.

last edited at May 11, 2023 2:57PM

Tore him a new asshole. Had to be practically dragged out of there. Lovely. She's like a little pitbull Song Li can carry around for protection.

The way she was talking about how the prince was a player and he needed to be ready to sacrifice pieces, while holding a queen that she ultimately lets fall, implies that she thinks the prince should be willing to sacrifice her. This also seems to line up with the way Natori describes her rampage ending with the prince solidifying his position and Diana gaining authority as a voice of the commoners, who also showed the power they can exert if pushed too far.

When we first saw her scheming, it seemed kind of weird and silly, because obviously slaughtering a bunch of people isn't going to cow their allies, but it is a great way to make everyone hate you and to cast whoever stops you as a Hero. If you do it right, you might even be able to take down the more problematic conservatives at the same time.

Super interesting theory! Does fit with what's she's shown thus far. If that's the case, I'd wonder what role the prince would have. It seems Lapis and he might both be somewhat aware of what she's doing (whatever that is). Could explain his quote from this chapter--wishing for Natori to show Lapis there's a different path.

last edited at May 11, 2023 2:06PM

I see your point, but Natori re-evaluating her opinions of the game when she meets the characters "IRL" is a consistent theme of the manga. "In the game, Lady Lapis seemed so scary, thinking only of the rules of nobility, but, here, the sight of her wanting to protect the place she admires so much seems so grown-up...or rather, so noble..." "From across the screen of my phone, [Diana] was an earnest, strong-hearted girl whose sense of justice never got in the way of her kindness. . . . But, here, right next to me, is a girl who's scared of her future." You're right that I was exaggerating when I said Natori is coming to view their game relationship as bland and lifeless, but I also don't think that Natori's feelings on the game while it was still a game can ever be assumed to remain the same now that the game is her real life.

100%. It's just that in those other instances you've shown, she uses clear language to distinctly differentiate her old feelings from her new feelings ("but," "but" etc.). Here, yes she noticed a difference but it's a positive difference, an enhancing difference. She liked their game representation and is initially shocked that they're now "arguing." Then she realizes: essentially, "in the game they were close but here they're seem even closer!" Since they wed in the game, being even closer now might have meaning. That's all I was pointing out. A part of all these types of Isekai villainess game stories is this idea that the game world shifts and stories change and you're right that, that's definitely a major part of this story.

This I 100% agree with. I think Nekotarou is using the otome isekai premise to make a thematic point. The characters in "Fairy Tale of Jewels" were obviously chained to their destinies because they were fictional. But even now that it's real life, the characters all feel obligated to follow their prescribed role because they lack the imagination and/or courage to see other paths they could take. Natori's status as an outsider is what enables her to see beyond these limited horizons.

Yes, and this is partly why I can't wait for the series to bring Lapis back into the fold, fully. Her story with Natori is where we will get to really delve into these issues of destiny and I agree that Nekotarou seems to be doing an interesting spin by having these characters surrounded by
real world reasons for their presumed inability to change their lives. A lot of good worldbuilding and setting of the stage in these first 8 chapters. Their struggles aren't just because of the "game" it's also potentially a commentary on their political lives. Having them struggle with issues outside of "just because" game mechanics is an exciting spin and watching Natori attempt to "save" Lapis from whatever her "preordained purpose" is will be fun.

The only issue I see is that because Lapis has to be sidelined so much to start, it leaves her character in the position of needing to "catch up" to the familiarity other characters have already garnered. But as long as the author knows this and has prepared for that, it's fine.

last edited at May 11, 2023 1:23PM

I can see how this chapter could be used to seed a GranxDiana end, and given the game Diana is almost certainly bi. But I don't think that's the only reason the scene could exist either. The main point of the chapter as a whole is Natori coming to realize that, while she loves the game, she disagrees with some of its major themes -- most notably, that Gran "should" sacrifice his own happiness for the sake of the country. Similarly, now that she actually knows Diana and Gran personally, she's coming to see their romance in the game as, while sweet and charming, also rather bland and lifeless. So a "Diana and Gran work better as rivals" upshot seems at least as likely imo.

Yeah it's possible. We'll have to see more. However I'd contest the idea that Natori views their relationship in game as "bland and lifeless." She never says this or thinks this. The only thoughts about their game interactions she has are positive. She thinks of their scene from the game as a "lovingly calming scene," and says no more about it. She just recognized that in this new interaction the "players" seem even more close and enjoying themselves even greater than before. That "bland and lifeless" I think is maybe your own feelings on the issue, but I don't see the character suggesting that same feeling verbally or through actions. Beyond that I agree that the possibilities are still varied at the moment.

As for the chapter's purpose: I think this chapter was more focused on introducing this idea of people chained to their destiny, especially Lapis (and Natori's potential to be the breaker of those chains, as she does a bit for Gran). Gran was/is chained and he seems to suggest that Natori might be the one to show Lapis that there is another path. This implies that Lapis also views herself as having no other path but whatever one she is on. So from my perspective, the story is setting up/foreshadowing Natori and Lapis here, more than just contrasting the game. In fact this whole first volume seems like mostly worldbuilding and setup, as we still do not know Lapis's desires, plans, background, history, relationships etc. She's purposefully still a mystery and I expect she'll start coming into focus more moving forward.

last edited at May 11, 2023 12:39PM

I assume that part of the reason Natori likes the new version of Diana and Gran's interactions is that they are more varied, rather than the narrow, increasingly romantic ones in the game. As for the "arguments = closeness" trope, friends can often feel even freer to argue and diss each other.

Certainly possible. But I wouldn't call Diana and Prince friends at this point. Diana also did not say that she enjoyed the new variation. In fact she actually seemed a bit negative at first that the "lovingly soothing" scene had now turned into arguing ("eeek"). It was then that she noticed how they seemed to be enjoying their interactions even more so than in the game, where they did end up together. So whether that's a flag that they're even closer than they were in the game (or at least have the potential to be) is up in the air. But that's why I specifically mentioned romance, because they end up together in the game, partly after this interaction; and in this scene Natori is saying they seem even closer than they were in the game (which could similarly imply eventual romance). The two of them have had very interesting interactions this whole manga as well, even in previous chapters. So if it does happen, there's seeds that have been planted by the author along the way. They could easily become a pair of allies to Lapis and Natori, rather than the antagonists they are in the game. So, we'll see. It's definitely still too early to say for sure.

last edited at May 11, 2023 10:41AM

Now this is downright stupid and senseless, author can't even come up with a good excuse on why she misunderstands it, she gives her the lunch, she says she made it for the one she loves, and somehow Hiroko ends up on the conclusion Ayaka loves some random dude? Doesn't even make sense, and this completely sucks

She thinks Ayaka was “putting in effort for the one she loved” in terms of practicing her cooking. So she thinks the lunch she made for her was just her way of honing her cooking skills so she can impress some guy she likes or something.

Idk why everyone says this sucks lol. Sure, the excuses Hiroko comes up with are kinda dumb and obviously a reach from any bystanders perspective, but that’s kinda the WHOLE POINT OF THIS MANGA. Girl is so deep in denial for various reasons that she actively looks the gayest of girls in the face and thinks, “ah, yes. She straight. Can’t believe I almost misunderstood her.”

That’s the joke. The whole schtick of this series. It’s SUPPOSED TO BE DUMB AND GOOFY. It reminds me a lot of an inverse version of that “You’re Totally in Love With Me, Aren’t You?” manga where it’s just as goofy and the whole joke each time is the MC asking her friend who’s obviously crushing on her if she loves her and the friend always denying it. I think the only reason people are fine with that one and bash this one is cuz this manga has a more realistic art style and isn’t in 4-Koma style, so subconsciously think it’s supposed to be a realistic drama and not a silly comedy.

Maybe this isn’t your brand of comedy or whatever, but that doesn’t mean it sucks. It’s actually doing what it set out to do quite well.

I wouldn't get into the back and forth about it. That's a losing battle and some people don't like hearing that their opinion is a preference (ironic), so it'll go nowhere.

But, yeah it's great! This chapter had probably the most reasonable misunderstanding out of them all. The friend is either gumming up the works or has terrible timing.

last edited at May 11, 2023 8:48AM

The plot of this series is very interesting, even beyond the relationships. I look forward to seeing more of what's happening with Lapis and how events will shift from the game to now. Natori clearly has a lot on her plate in order to protect Lapis. It's also a nice twist that although she views Diana and Gran as friends for now, she knows that in the game they end up killing Lapis. There is always that sense of uneasiness about their interactions and I wonder if there will be a point where they come into conflict because of Natori's siding with Lapis in whatever she's doing. Could be really fun if done right.

I also wonder what the prince's role will be. He seems to feel sorry for Lapis and now sees Natori as the person who can break Lapis's shell (and whatever "chess" game she's playing behind the scenes). He implies that he might have tried but failed. And by his quote and story, it seems Lapis also feels she is forced into a certain path with no other options. Either way, we need more Lapis time. Either way, we need more Lapis time.

This chapter has also just made it clearer that Lapis' place by Natori is different, special, and romantic. She's clearly crushing and the prince knows she's in denial. I really like Diana and Natori's friendship though (even though Diana hopes that it's more). Diana is a really good person and will hopefully be a strong ally moving forward regardless of all the relationship stuff.

Something I didn't see, though, is a potential romantic "off-ramp" for Diana with Gran. It's common to present and hint at an "off-ramp" in these kinds of "love triangles," but I hadn't seen anything for Diana before. In this chapter, though brief, they positioned Diana and Gran visually in a way similar to characters who fight a lot and therefore "must get along," or "must like each other." Natori even specifically commented on how nice their situation seemed (even nicer than from the game). The scene even went so far as to use the series' visual language for an emotional moment (the shapes floating around them). It is true that in the game these two end up together--and there's no reason to assume anyone here is strictly only into women--so I wonder if that is the direction this will go in as well (if/when Diana moves on from Natori like I expect she will at some point)? I'd be surprised if it did go that direction at some point in the future though, since I can't imagine Diana supporters would like it no matter how nice Bran may end up being. But it's interesting either way and the author chooses the direction their comfortable with.

last edited at May 11, 2023 7:50AM

Awesome! Wonder what the last 2 will be like then?