Book:
Is there an ebook available?: yes
Is there an audiobook available?: no
Is there an all-furigana version available?: no
(Optional) Is this book available in another Natively language?: no
Summary - Japanese
顔見知りすらまともにいなかった俺・前原真樹に、初めてできた友だち・朝凪海。 男子から『クラスで2番目に可愛い』と噂され、天真爛漫なNo.1美少女・天海さんを面倒見良くフォローする朝凪さんは―― 金曜日の放課後だけ、こっそり俺の家に遊びに来る。 映画にゲーム、漫画の趣味も合う彼女との楽しいひととき。 無邪気で甘えたがりな素顔は、普段のしっかり者の姿からは想像できないな。 「早く隣に座りなよー、一緒に漫画読むんだから」 「ここ俺のベッド……」 「今だけは私のベッドなの。ほら、おいで?」 距離近くないか、朝凪さん? 日陰男子と2番目ヒロイン、等身大の“友だち”ラブコメ!
Summary - English
From MAL (originally web novel description):
I, Maehara Maki, someone who couldn’t make any acquaintances or friends in high school, finally had someone to hang out with outside of school. A girl. Her name was Asanagi-san. The boys in my class called her “the class’ second cutest girl” behind her back. On Fridays, she would refuse her best friend, Amami, “the cutest girl in class” invitation just to hang out in my house with me. Together, we played games, watched some movies, read some manga while eating junk foods like pizza and hamburgers, and chugging cola without a care in the world. To others, we may seem sloppy, but it was a precious, secret time together for Asanagi-san and myself.
Natively translation (DeepL) adds:
It’s a fun time with her, who also shares my taste in movies, games, and manga. I can’t imagine her innocent and pampered face from her usual firm and solid character. She says, "Hurry up and sit next to me, we’re going to read manga together. This is my bed. … It’s my bed for now. Come on, come here. Aren’t you too close, Ms. Asanagi? A love comedy between a loner boy and the second heroine, a life-size “friend”!
Content warnings if known
None
Why are you nominating this book: it’s my favorite romance series, and a very slow, wholesome burn. The characters, relationships, families, settings, etc are very organic and believable. They’re very self-aware, respectful, levelheaded, and caring, while still making mistakes, having challenges, etc. Overall, it’s a very refreshing read that avoids cliches. It also has lots of healthy relationships. The two characters on the cover (Yuu & Umi) are childhood best friends, and a lot of the story is about their relationship, and how Maki coming into their lives affects and challenges it. Linguistically I found it very approachable, when I read it almost a year ago.