部長から義兄、そして恋人!?【単行本版】
Our take
Her ex-boyfriend and boss just became her stepbrother overnight!
- Awkward reunion
- Hidden self
- Family collision
The setup
A single woman in her late twenties works under a department head who happens to be her ex. Then her mother announces a remarriage, and the groom's son turns out to be that very boss, about to move in as her new stepbrother.
Why read it
- Awkward reunion An old breakup resurfaces just as the former couple is forced back into daily contact.
- Hidden self She hides her sloppy, beer-and-skewers home life from the man who once saw her as perfect.
- Family collision A sudden remarriage turns an office secret into a household one overnight.
For fans of
At work, she keeps her composure in front of a department head who happens to be her ex-boyfriend. At home, she drops the act entirely, trading tailored blazers for beer and grilled skewers on the couch, never bothering with cleaning or cooking beyond the basics. The gap between those two selves is the quiet engine of this story, and it only gets harder to manage once her personal life and her professional one collide in the worst possible way.
The trigger is her mother's sudden announcement of remarriage. It turns out the new husband comes with a son of his own, and that son is none other than her boss and ex. What began as an awkward workplace dynamic now threatens to become a full-blown family entanglement, with the two of them potentially living under the same roof as stepsiblings while still reporting to each other at the office.
The appeal here lies in watching a woman who prides herself on control slowly lose her grip on the image she has built. She broke things off with him in the first place because keeping up the performance of being the ideal girlfriend wore her down, and now that same pressure returns in a new, even more inescapable form. Readers who enjoy romantic comedies built on secrets slipping and feelings resurfacing at the worst possible moments will find plenty to like in how tightly the premise is wound.
It also plays with the discomfort of boundaries blurring between categories that are supposed to stay separate: boss and subordinate, family and romance, performance and authenticity. The humor and tension both come from watching her try to juggle these roles without anyone noticing the cracks, especially as living arrangements threaten to make avoidance impossible.
For readers who like office romance with a twist of family drama, where an old relationship refuses to stay in the past and instead gets folded into a new domestic situation, this series offers a premise that keeps generating fresh complications rather than settling into a predictable rhythm.
6 volumes in print / Volume 1 to the latest
Oct 22, 2026部長から義兄、そして恋人!?【単行本版】VI
Official synopsis
A 32-year-old high-spec boss is an ex-boyfriend and a stepbrother!? Naru is a 28-year-old single employee working for a famous trading company. Her boss, Tomoya Sasaki, is a 32-year-old super-elite department manager and Naru's ex-boyfriend! The reason they broke up was that she was tired of acting like the perfect girlfriend. In reality, she loves beer and yakitori, and she is a slob who barely cleans or cooks for herself—she absolutely doesn't want that to be found out! One night, while she was having her usual evening drink, her mother suddenly announces that she is getting remarried! It seems her new partner has a child... And the surname is Sasaki...? Could it be... the one becoming my stepbrother is my ex-boyfriend and boss, Department Manager Sasaki!? Not only is living together unbelievable, but the Department Manager is becoming my stepbrother...!? That is absolutely impossible!! *This is a print edition containing episodes 41-48 of the same title. Please be careful of duplicate purchases.
Jan 26, 2026部長から義兄、そして恋人!?【単行本版】V
Official synopsis
Is my high-spec 32-year-old boss actually my ex-boyfriend and my new stepbrother!? Naru is a 28-year-old single office worker at a famous trading company. Her boss, Tomoya Sasaki, is a 32-year-old department manager who is a total elite—and Naru's ex-boyfriend! They broke up because she got tired of acting like the perfect girlfriend. In reality, she loves beer and yakitori, and she is a total slob who barely cleans or cooks for herself—she absolutely cannot let that slip! One night, while enjoying her usual after-work drink, Naru is suddenly told by her mother that she is getting remarried! It seems her mother's new partner has a child... and his last name is Sasaki...? No way... does that mean my ex-boyfriend and boss, Manager Sasaki, is going to be my stepbrother!? Living together is unbelievable enough, but having him become my stepbrother...!? That is absolutely impossible!! *This is the collected volume version containing episodes 33 through 40 of the same title. Please be careful to avoid duplicate purchases.
May 22, 2025部長から義兄、そして恋人!?【単行本版】IV
Official synopsis
Is my high-spec 32-year-old boss actually my ex-boyfriend and my new stepbrother!? Naru is a 28-year-old single office worker at a famous trading company. Her boss, Tomoya Sasaki, is a 32-year-old department manager who is a total elite—and Naru's ex-boyfriend! They broke up because she got tired of acting like the perfect girlfriend. In reality, she loves beer and yakitori, and she is a total slob who barely cleans or cooks for herself—she absolutely cannot let that slip! One night, while enjoying her usual after-work drink, Naru is suddenly told by her mother that she is getting remarried! It seems her mother's new partner has a child... and his last name is Sasaki...? No way... does that mean my ex-boyfriend and boss, Manager Sasaki, is going to be my stepbrother!? Living together is unbelievable enough, but having him become my stepbrother...!? That is absolutely impossible!! *This is the collected volume version containing episodes 25 through 32 of the same title. Please be careful to avoid duplicate purchases.
Dec 24, 2024部長から義兄、そして恋人!?【単行本版】III【電子書店限定特典付き】
Official synopsis
Includes one digital-exclusive color illustration! Is my high-spec 32-year-old boss actually my ex-boyfriend and my new stepbrother!? Naru is a 28-year-old single office worker at a famous trading company. Her boss, Tomoya Sasaki, is a 32-year-old department manager who is a total elite—and Naru's ex-boyfriend! They broke up because she got tired of acting like the perfect girlfriend. In reality, she loves beer and yakitori, and she is a total slob who barely cleans or cooks for herself—she absolutely cannot let that slip! One night, while enjoying her usual after-work drink, Naru is suddenly told by her mother that she is getting remarried! It seems her mother's new partner has a child... and his last name is Sasaki...? No way... does that mean my ex-boyfriend and boss, Manager Sasaki, is going to be my stepbrother!? Living together is unbelievable enough, but having him become my stepbrother...!? That is absolutely impossible!! *This is the collected volume version containing episodes 17 through 24 of the same title. Please be careful to avoid duplicate purchases.
Apr 24, 2024部長から義兄、そして恋人!?【単行本版】II【電子書店限定特典付き】
Official synopsis
[Includes 1 digital-exclusive newly drawn color illustration!] A 32-year-old high-spec boss is an ex-boyfriend and a stepbrother!? Naru is a 28-year-old single employee working for a famous trading company. Her boss, Tomoya Sasaki, is a 32-year-old super-elite department manager and Naru's ex-boyfriend! The reason they broke up was that she was tired of acting like the perfect girlfriend. In reality, she loves beer and yakitori, and she is a slob who barely cleans or cooks for herself—she absolutely doesn't want that to be found out! One night, while she was having her usual evening drink, her mother suddenly announces that she is getting remarried! It seems her new partner has a child... And the surname is Sasaki...? Could it be... the one becoming my stepbrother is my ex-boyfriend and boss, Department Manager Sasaki!? Not only is living together unbelievable, but the Department Manager is becoming my stepbrother...!? That is absolutely impossible!! *This is a print edition containing episodes 9-16 of the same title. Please be careful of duplicate purchases.
Jul 25, 2023部長から義兄、そして恋人!?【単行本版】I【電子限定特典付き】
Official synopsis
[Includes 1 digital-exclusive newly drawn illustration!] A 32-year-old high-spec boss is an ex-boyfriend and a stepbrother!? Naru is a 28-year-old single employee working for a famous trading company. Her boss, Tomoya Sasaki, is a 32-year-old super-elite department manager and Naru's ex-boyfriend! The reason they broke up was that she was tired of acting like the perfect girlfriend. In reality, she loves beer and yakitori, and she is a slob who barely cleans or cooks for herself—she absolutely doesn't want that to be found out! One night, while she was having her usual evening drink, her mother suddenly announces that she is getting remarried! It seems her new partner has a child... And the surname is Sasaki...? Could it be... the one becoming my stepbrother is my ex-boyfriend and boss, Department Manager Sasaki!? Not only is living together unbelievable, but the Department Manager is becoming my stepbrother...!? That is absolutely impossible!! *This is a print edition containing episodes 1-8 of the same title. Please be careful of duplicate purchases.