A high school student, Shuuyu Asai, who believes that "life is all about compromise" and pretends to be something he's not, has an unrequited crush on his best friend since childhood, the most beautiful girl in school, Unane Naraoka.
One day, while talking with Nona Kusunoki, a sub-heroine classmate who keeps to herself in the classroom, a casual joke leads to a relationship.
"...That's what I said, and I'm sticking to it." They each wanted a boyfriend and girlfriend, so they compromised with each other and became lovers?!
They decided on the rules of their relationship, and began to exchange messages throughout the night, discovering the cute side of each other during study sessions and dates at home. The lover's life that started from a compromise turned out to be surprisingly fun!?
We can't be the protagonists, we start our lives as lovers from compromise. It is also Known as: 主人公にはなれない僕らの妥協から始める恋人生活, Shujinkou ni wa Narenai Bokura no Dakyou kara Hajimeru Koibito Seikatsu
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Top 5 Light Novel Like We can't be the protagonists, we start our lives as lovers from compromise. (Shujinkou ni wa Narenai Bokura no Dakyou kara Hajimeru Koibito Seikatsu) [2026 List]
5. Kamisama Hajimemashita
Nanami Momozono is alone and homeless after her dad skips town to evade his gambling debts and the debt collectors kick her out of her apartment. So when a man she's just saved from a dog offers her his home, she jumps at the opportunity. But it turns out that his place is a shrine, and Nanami has unwittingly taken over his job as a local deity!
Nanami has all kinda of new responsibilities she doesn't understand, dangers she's unaware of, and a cranky ex-familiar who's...actually pretty hot. What's a new-fledged godling to do?
Kamisama Kiss has finished publishing and it has 154 Chapters. It is also Known as: 神様はじめました, Divine Nanami
4. Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai: Tensai-tachi no Renai Zunousen
As leaders of their prestigious academy’s student council, Kaguya and Miyuki are the elite of the elite! But it’s lonely at the top… Luckily for them, they’ve fallen in love! There’s just one problem—they both have too much pride to admit it. And so begins the daily scheming to get the object of their affection to confess their romantic feelings first… Love is a war you win by losing.
Notes:
- The first 10 chapters were published in Monthly Miracle Jump. It switched to Weekly Young Jump starting with Ch. 11, with the chapter count being reset. This entry still includes the first 10 chapters from Miracle Jump.
- Winner of the 65th Shogakukan Manga Award for "Best General Manga" category in 2019.
Kaguya-sama: Love is War has finished publishing and it has 281 Chapters. It is also Known as: かぐや様は告らせたい～天才たちの恋愛頭脳戦～, Kaguya Wants to be Confessed To: The Geniuses' War of Love and Brains
3. Something About Us
They consider themselves the best of friends. Others seem to think otherwise. There's something about their relationship that's hard to describe. What will become of these two "friends"?
Note: Chapter count includes the prologue, epilogue and side story chapters.
Something About Us has finished publishing and it has 117 Chapters. It is also Known as: 우리사이느은, Our Relationship Is..., Woori, Our Relationship Is
2. Kaichou wa Maid-sama!
The class president has a little secret she's keeping from everyone in her high school. As President of the Student Council, the overachieving feminist Misaki really socks it to the guys in an attempt to make the former all-boys' school attract a more female student body. But what will she do when the most awesome boy in class finds out Misaki's part-time job is in a maid café?! It's love at first fight in this shojo romantic comedy—with a whole new look at the battle between the genres!
Maid-Sama! has finished publishing and it has 98 Chapters. It is also Known as: 会長はメイド様！, Class President Is a Maid!, Toumei na Sekai, Transparent World
1. Horimiya
At school, Kyouko Hori is known for being smart, attractive, and popular. On the other hand, her classmate, the boring, gloomy Izumi Miyamura tends to get painted as a "loser fanboy." But when a liberally pierced and tattooed (not to mention downright gorgeous) Miyamura appears unexpectedly on the doorstep of secretly plain-Jane homebody Hori, these two similarly dissimilar teenagers discover that there are multiple sides to every story...and person!
Notes:
-Includes 20 extra chapters.
-The 17th volume got released on July 18, 2023. This was 2 years after its original ending. This new volume included 10 extra chapters.
Note: Chapter count includes 20 extra chapters.
Horimiya has finished publishing and it has 152 Chapters. It is also Known as: ホリミヤ, Horimiya
