I'm Fine Being Your Second Girlfriend — ASMR (Voiced by Rie Takahashi)

This work is about spending a bittersweet time with 'Akane Hayasaka' from 'I'm Fine Being the Second Girlfriend,' voiced by Rie Takahashi. Prologue! 『Akane』…"Is Kirishima-kun here?" She stops by the Mystery Research Club. But you're nowhere to be found? The clubroom is stocked with all sorts of things — a sofa, a fridge — needlessly comfortable. 『Akane』…"Hmm, so this is the room where you have club activities with Tachibana-san." She mutters something like that? That girl is a female student who seems curious about your relationship with her. As she wanders around, she stumbles upon matching mugs, of all things! 『Akane』…"I see, Kirishima-kun, so you and Tachibana-san are getting along well." She has a certain promise with you. It started as a relationship where you two date each other as each other's 'second favorite,' with the agreement to break it off once you're each dating your actual first choice. But that uneasy feeling won't go away… So, so, To the next! Point! 《Pick up》 ☆Introduction☆ 『Akane』: One of the two top beauties in her grade, known at school for having a homely, pure image. Even though you each have someone you like the most, you and she are dating each other as 'second choices.' Stage: The clubroom, classroom, cleaning supply closet, town streets, your house. A Tip worth keeping in mind: 'Lovers who are each other's second choice.' ☆Event☆ When one love is fulfilled, there might just be someone crying behind the scenes because of it. Listening to this, I felt this work was drawn from such a complicated web of human relationships, and at the same time it was a bittersweet coming-of-age story that left me constantly unsettled. Whoever came up with the concept of the 'love notebook' in this story must be a genius, lol — that's the kind of situation it was. It made my heart race that much, and I found myself becoming so conscious of her. Each and every one of her lines carries real weight, giving me chills. Because it's a 'second choice' relationship, I got the feeling that things were bound to get tangled up bit by bit, and that uneasy feeling just wouldn't stop here either. There's more to discover too, so please go find it for yourself ♪

I knew absolutely nothing about the original work this is based on. I bought and listened to it with the casual thought of, "Oh, Rie-ri's got an ASMR out!" What is this… this unsettling atmosphere that keeps popping up now and then…? I have a real weakness for heroines who are messed up or have some darkness in them, so I got extremely curious and ended up boldly buying the original light novel. It really did throw one hell of a work straight into my head. When's the next volume coming out? (It just came out today) Hey, when's the anime getting announced? (There's no actual news, but I'm convinced it's coming) Oops, that's dangerous — I got so hooked that I almost ended up writing my impressions of the original work instead of the ASMR. Scary. Anyway, what really stands out about this work is the scenario and the zero-distance-level whispering voice that Rie-ri, aka Rie Takahashi, gives to 'Akane,' making your heart race in all sorts of ways. Apparently the scenario was written by the original author themselves, so of course it's amazing. The talent to pack this much emotional dampness into such a short piece… I love it. When Akane is spending a sweet moment together like a proper girlfriend, she's so cute you can't possibly keep a straight face — it's just nonstop heart-pounding happiness (sound effect). But then… when the shadow of another girl flickers by every now and then… oh hello there, Akane-chan, looking like all the light's gone out of her eyes! Rie Takahashi is truly skilled at this kind of acting — the way she shifts into that unsettling mode feels so natural it deserves a 'Natural of the Year' award. It's so natural it's scary. Makes your heart clench. Is this love? As for the sound, the ear-cleaning sounds have a pretty strong, wet 'goshagosha' texture. And she really goes all out with onomatopoeia in her whispering voice. This! This is exactly it, this is ASMR! Amazing!! Whether you look at it as a voice drama or as an ASMR work, I'd say it's an extremely high-level piece. One word of caution: after listening to this ASMR, you'll probably end up wanting the original novel too, so what was supposed to be under 1000 yen might end up costing you several volumes' worth of light novels. Sorry for being an idiot…

In a word, I'd recommend this to Rie Takahashi fans who want their heart racing. I became a fan of hers through Megumin in Konosuba, and her sultry voice was wonderful. Her range as a performer is really impressive. One thing you should be careful about, though — her breathing is way too erotic. You won't be able to sleep, so it's best to listen when you're tired during the day. Also, I wouldn't recommend this to anyone with a girlfriend. If you're not careful, her whispering voice might make it so you can't get an erection with your actual girlfriend anymore. That's how powerful its destructive force is. So please be very careful. I actually got suspected of cheating. I'm sure it showed on my face. Lesson learned. Next time, I'd really love for her to voice a character like Megumin again. Honestly, this gets me excited! Thank you so much!