I admit that this second volume of The Eccentric Master and the Fake Lover ended up different than what I was expecting from the cover and the volume’s summary. Maybe that was partially because it’s been so long since volume 1. But either way, the story’s developments had me hooked.
The book opens with Nichika and Oswald disguising themselves as a rich lady and butler to enroll in a school for investigation purposes, picking up right where the previous left off. Volume 2 doesn’t do much to remind you of the story ’til now, so I did have to refresh my memory of Nichika’s journey. That’s probably one reason why I think the beginning is the weakest part of this book, but it’s also because the school arc is both short and was a roundabout way of moving on to the more pressing part of the journey. Because of Oswald’s status as a wanted man, I can understand why the author wouldn’t want to have a normal meeting or formal order to team up. But the promised allure of Oswald as a sexy butler is short-lived, and I think the school was like only one or two days. Again, if The Eccentric Master and the Fake Lover had done more to help ease readers who haven’t read the first volume in a while (or at all), this might be understandable.
In the end, our heroine begins to understand the feelings she has for Oswald, her master. More importantly, though, Nichika comes face-to-face with Lambert, a mysterious antagonist who has connections to Oswald. From the cover, you likely inferred that this leads to some love triangle shenanigans. You wouldn’t be too far off base, but it’s not quite the romcom tension the cover may make you believe. Without going into a lot of spoilers, author Sayuki piles up the mysteries and twists to ensure The Eccentric Master and the Fake Lover doesn’t get lost in the isekai light novel crowd. While I have some theories about Nichika’s summoning to this other world, the pieces of info we receive could play out differently. Even as I was reading, I found myself guessing whether a character was a spy, double-agent, an opportunist, or just going to have their heart melted into a betrayal. Any of them were possible, and I couldn’t wait to see what would happen.
Plus, as we learn more about who is trying to stop her from succeeding, the truth may be more complicated than Nichika (or readers) first realized. Like in most of these stories, the main pair run into trouble, but it’s clear that trouble is finding them as Nichika and party leave to find the second of four elemental spirits. Their journey ties into a well-known teaching/myth in our world, so it’s easier to be connected to the novel when the various incidents Nichika and Oswald face are more about solving the problems rather than identifying the issue. There’s also a bit of lampshading and self-awareness which helps smooth over all the coincidences and even Nichika’s being an always-caring heroine.
Unfortunately, my favorite character, Wolfie, doesn’t get much of a role this time. (The author promises an arc for him in the next volume. Sign me up!) The make-out sessions, which have been a key point of the series, are downplayed quite a bit since Nichika has candy to help keep the parasite at bay. In return for the limited appearance of the ecchi scenes, Oswald takes on more of the “hot, aggressive shoujo guy who can’t be honest and express his feelings in a normal way” role, which I think the target audience will love since it makes his actions more palatable. (Although it was also partially necessary for Nichika’s life, of course.)
The Eccentric Master and the Fake Lover volume 2’s opening arc drags, but the pace and the intrigue pick up about a third of the way through. It might be best if you read this right after the first so that the details are fresh, but once you are mentally caught up and out of school, it will satisfy both isekai fans and shoujo fans with its twists and the hero warming up to the heroine.