I can't not recommend Bookworm, even though it doesn't fit your criteria.

From the reader's library:

Yashiro-kun's Guide to Going Solo is the best of those that I've read. The romance is central, but hidden, like a submarine which will eventually surface. As I recall, it is just two volumes.

Young Lady Albert Is Courting Disaster is fairly standard, but good enough that I finished the series.

Culinary Chronicles of the Court Flower seemed good, but didn't quite click with me, so I haven't finished it.

Of the non-reader's library, Marielle Clarac stands out. It is intelligent and believable romance, and does not stretch out too much the main couple coming into accord. This is my strongest recommendation.

I've been enjoying In Another World with Household Spells which is under the J-Novel Heart imprint, but the MC is a child and it isn't until volume 6 (the latest) that she gets old enough to get any romantic feelings at all, and even now it is a very minor part of her thoughts.

Jeanette the Genius has a romance aspect (MC and her fiance are very much in love) but the story concentrates on business and politics.

The Troubles of Miss Nicola the Exorcist is pretty good, has romance, but it takes a back seat to the exorcism plots.

My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! is excellent for the first three volumes, at which point its primary plot wraps up and it just drifts thereafter. MC is oblivious to the (bisexual) harem she is accidentally collecting, so this one depends on how you feel about romance-oblivious MCs.

In general, the "J-Novel Heart" imprint doesn't guarantee romance will be more than a minor side plot.

Maomao is the only standout example I can think of. She is absolutely surrounded by sex, and occasionally romance, but only ever engages with it at an intellectual level. I'd appreciate it if someone familiar with the ace/aro spectrum could give an analysis of her (non)sexuality.

Addressing some of the other suggestions:

Myne from Bookworm is a child for most of the series (which is a lot.) If your head canon is that she is ace and mostly aro, you can read it without cognitive dissonance. Potential marriage partners for her are a plot point on several occasions, and romantic attraction or how hot the potential partner is are not factors in her reaction to the possible pairings. If you haven't read Bookworm, you should, not because of ace representation, but because it is Bookworm.

Wild Last Boss just never thinks about romance (at least that I remember) so although technically every character could be considered ace/aro, it doesn't give me ace/aro vibes.

+1 this looks awful on desktop

Hell Mode Season 2 Anime just premiered today (Jul 3, 2026) on Hidive via simulcast. It looked as good as season 1.

Update:

The anime is scheduled to premier on Jul 6, 2026 on C-R (according to it's latest update)

Yeah I heard about this on Reddit. Apparently it's premiering in Japan on Dec 11, 2026 in between cour 1 (Oct 2026) and cour 2 (Apr 2027) of the new season (3) of the anime.

alt text

I'm having the same issue! It started after the latest update, everything was fine before that. It’s not a huge deal, but honestly, it's very annoying. I hope it gets fixed soon!

kv

An anime adaptation is announced, by Trif Studio.
Official Website: https://witch-and-hound-anime.com
Official Teaser Trailer: https://youtu.be/Lzi5zhjLIlU?si=cQWsg3p91cbDkNsD

I didn't like the artstyle for the manga so I dropped it pretty quick. I think the LN is always the best choice if you can get into it though since both the manga and anime will make choices on what to omit. You also have to be wary that sometimes manga for series ends up being like a preview for the LN and they'll just end it all of a sudden.

@GeorgeMTO said in Premium membership:

@Bluelou did you sign up before or after the 15th of June?

@Bluelou’s profile page says “signed up 8 days ago”, so after seems correct…

Volume 4 came out this month in Japan. https://bookwalker.jp/def7b81fcf-c4a0-4e1e-908c-b485a528459f/

Volume 4 Cover

@Libri-Liberorum said in Ascendance of a Bookworm - anime discussion:

They didn't specify that the song Rozemyne sung was from an anime. Does anyone recognize the tune as coming from any anime? I suspect it does not, which would be disappointing.

I suppose it would have been cheaper if they had gone meta and used Bookworm's own music. 8-)

@Almond-Magnum said in Ascendance of a Bookworm - anime discussion:

They also had Wilfried sing the same song, which makes no sense for several reasons:

They did do a decent job of having the earlier kids playing a simpler version of the song. Not sure if that's how they did it but the earlier kids sounded like they were plucking single notes while Myne was doing arpeggiated chords (plus singing. Actually, Myne sounded like she got extra background instruments for a fuller sound). Sadly, Myne was not depicted as "in the moment" when the blessing came out. She was just business as usual and then surprised.