I think Naru worked better as a supporting character tbh. His mysterious trickster god vibes were fun. I can see how there may have been demand for more. But I think that when confronted with how to give definition to a character whose whole schtick was that he was undefinable, sensei kind of shot herself in the foot.
It’s just… why did it have to be pseudo-incest? A secret uncle? A secret step-uncle? I cannot fathom how this had to be the path forward for Naru, you know? And you can’t blame Mei, he never knew what was going on for like, 90% of the time he was crushing. But Naru did. He knew he was his secret step-uncle. And he’s 18 years older. So it’s like…. why??? Sigh… idk.
Still, in spite of this insane premise, I don’t think it’s awful. Minaduki fits a lot into her books, and this is no exception. We get a lot of time with the Love Nest boys too, which is a delight. There’s a pretty good balance between the everyday mundane and the dramatic, page-turning stuff. The characters feel fully fleshed out, with unique personalities, preferences, and fun details. The art is consistent and good. And after three volumes I am, in fact, rooting for them.
We’ll see how it goes in Vol. 4, but for now I’m giving it a B. As wild as it is, I am having a pretty good time reading.