Tags: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Comedy, Romance, School Life, Villainess, Isekai

Sub-Tags: Misunderstandings, Strong Lead, OP, Otome

A Hidden Boss Goes Undercover!

Managing to defeat her double and a demonic dark entity, the fourth volume in the series finds that even the hidden boss has trouble in paradise.

As Dolkness County prepares for the wedding of a century, the latest release in the series sees relations between Yumiella and Patrick at an all-time low. After they get into an argument, Yumiella flees only to crash land into the roof of someone in the neighbouring kingdom. Thinking it’ll be a great place to lie low, the hidden boss’ hopes are dashed when the unfortunate crash victim’s owner is seemingly involved in shady conspiracies and the kingdom’s long-held aspirations for war.

Crashing Right Into the Action

Back to the usual antics, the story this time around gets going after Yumiella and Patrick get into an argument. Quite literally crash-landing into the action, our titular hidden boss becomes embroiled in plots and conspiracies alongside her flatmate, Gilbert, who looks suspiciously like Patrick.

Unlike previous volumes, the fourth in the series bucks the trend, opting for a lower stakes threat. The conspiracy in the Kingdom of Lemlaestia and the return of the heroine, Alicia, are all overshadowed by Yumiella’s powers going out of control. And even that’s fixed with a quick word from Patrick. In some ways, this story should’ve come before volume 3. With her powers going out of control, it would make more sense why Lemn and the God of Light would want Yumiella eliminated. Paralleled alongside an already out-of-control Yumiella, it would serve as a wake-up call for her on the dangers of levelling up too quickly. Unfortunately, placing it afterwards feels like the volume was meant to fill in a gap for the next arc. 

While the plot is underwhelming, what has soured me about this series a little bit since its previous entry is the way the characters treat Yumiella. They’ve gone from seeing her as an overpowered but lovable goofball to seeing her as this ever-present threat. Whilst the latter has always been true of those who don’t know her, this latest volume has seen the change of attitude occur in those closest to her.

Given Yumiella’s overall strength, this strong reaction is expected when she meets strangers, but not from Eleanora and Patrick. As her closest friends and the ones who’ve known her the longest, they should know her intentions. So, when they come to see her new power-up as a threat, it comes across as a little cruel and mean-spirited. I hope this is leading to something rather than the new norm between them. 

Despite the convoluted entrance into the plot and its lowered stakes, there are some moments of joy to be found throughout. The interactions between Yumiella and Gilbert are a lot of fun. Cut from the same cloth, the dance of misunderstandings that alludes to the fact that they’re badmouthing each others’ real identities works well within the comedy of the series. Furthermore, Alicia’s return is handled well. After a year in prison, her newly acquired erratic behaviour is to be expected given her circumstances.

To conclude, whilst the same loveable antics can be seen throughout the volume, I can’t help but be underwhelmed by the overall plot. Add to this the new direction in which characters close to Yumiella treat her, and I can only hope that this volume is a blip in the road.