TL;DR, Jōyō Nishi’s I’m Fine With Being the Second Girlfriend light novel series ended with its ninth and final novel on Saturday. Dengeki Bunko streamed a special voiced promotional video, and the manga adaptation and English print releases are still rolling out.

Jōyō Nishi’s romantic drama I’m Fine With Being the Second Girlfriend ended with its ninth and final novel on Saturday, closing the main story in print. To mark the I’m Fine With Being the Second Girlfriend light novel ending, Dengeki Bunko streamed a special voiced promotional video celebrating the finale. The series, known in Japan as Watashi Nibanme no Kanojo de Ii kara, wrapped after a run that began in 2021.

The manga adaptation continues, and English print editions are still coming, so readers have new chapters and volumes to look forward to even after the novels’ finish.

I’m Fine With Being the Second Girlfriend ends with ninth novel

The conclusion arrived with volume nine, officially labeled the I’m Fine With Being the Second Girlfriend final volume. Publisher Dengeki Bunko confirmed the finish on Saturday and paired it with a voiced promotional video to send the story off. The Dengeki Bunko PV ran on the label’s YouTube channel and highlighted the milestone rather than teasing any new sequel project.

Author Jōyō Nishi brought the novel storyline to a planned endpoint, not a cancellation. The series began in 2021 and built a following on its intimate, complicated relationships. According to Seven Seas’ English description, the core follows Shirou Kirishima and Akane Hayasaka, two teens who keep a secret relationship while nursing first-choice crushes.

They pledge to break things off if their original crushes ever reciprocate, which turns a pretend romance into a real dilemma.

Saturday’s wrap caps that premise in print, while leaving room for readers to experience the conclusion at their own pace. For searchers looking for details on the I’m Fine With Being the Second Girlfriend light novel ending, the key facts are simple: volume nine is the last novel, and Dengeki Bunko marked it with a voiced video feature. No additional novels were announced in the publisher’s posts tied to the PV.

Fans can still revisit earlier arcs and artwork that helped the books stand out. Kadokawa first published the series with illustrations by ReTake, and the pairing of grounded teen drama with crisp character art carried through to the finale. Newcomers can start from volume one, then see how the ninth resolves the main threads without needing side materials.

What the ending means for the manga and English releases

The light novel finale does not pause the comics pipeline. Artist Ninoko launched the manga adaptation on Kadokawa’s Dengeki Comic Regulus platform in 2022, and that serialization continues. Kadokawa published the third collected volume on January 27, keeping a steady release cadence on the Japanese side while the prose story closes.

Seven Seas handles the English editions of the manga. The publisher stated it will ship the first volume in July, so the I’m Fine With Being the Second Girlfriend manga will be fresh for overseas readers this summer. That timing means the English side begins just as Japan finishes the novels, a common pattern when adaptations trail the source.

Expect the Seven Seas English release to pace out volumes as the Japanese tankobon arrive.

As context for new readers, Seven Seas describes the setup as a secret relationship between Shirou and Akane that turns complicated when their supposed stand-in romance becomes real. That premise translates well to manga, and Ninoko’s page-by-page beats give the close-range emotions room to breathe. The Ninoko Dengeki Comic Regulus run is separate from the prose schedule, so the comic will cover the story arcs at its own speed even after the I’m Fine With Being the Second Girlfriend light novel ending.

If you are filling your queue between volume drops, our curated list of series worth revisiting can help. See the Best Anime Series Of All Time guide for evergreen picks while you wait on July’s first English manga volume.

How I’m Fine With Being the Second Girlfriend performed in awards and sales mentions

Before the finale, the series earned attention on major lists. In 2021 it ranked 15th in the Next Light Novel Awards, putting Jōyō Nishi’s work in the conversation among that year’s debuts and continuing titles. 2023, placing 7th in the paperback category and 3rd among new titles.

These placements reflect consistent reader interest and critic visibility through the midpoint of the run.

Publication details also helped the novels stand out on shelves. Kadokawa released the first book in 2021 with illustrations by ReTake, a credit line often shortened by fans to the Kadokawa ReTake pairing. The clean character art complemented the grounded romance and gave the covers a recognizable identity across volumes two through nine.

That visual continuity likely supported word of mouth alongside the awards mentions.

For those tracking where the momentum came from, these accolades and early publication choices formed the foundation long before the I’m Fine With Being the Second Girlfriend light novel ending arrived. The Japanese title, Watashi Nibanme no Kanojo de Ii kara, circulated across bookstores and rankings, then broadened its audience once the manga launched in 2022. With the prose story now complete and a manga pipeline active, the recognition from Next Light Novel Awards and Kono Light Novel ga Sugoi!

still frames why readers picked up the series.

No hard sales numbers were disclosed in the report, but repeated list placements and ongoing adaptation activity point to a healthy readership. That context makes Saturday’s ninth volume feel like a planned curtain call rather than an abrupt stop, closing the novel line while related releases continue on track.

Source: ANN