Kei X Yaku: Bound By Law 2

ケイ×ヤク－あぶない相棒－ [Kei×Yaku: Abunai Aibō] #2

by Yoshie Kaoruhara

Opposite sides of the law flirt with danger--and each other--in a tangled web of political intrigue that is fraught with deception and secrets. A suspenseful mystery sure to get the heart racing in more ways than one, perfect for fans of No. 6 and Banana Fish!

Ichiro, an agent with the Tokyo Metropolitan Public Security Bureau, receives orders to make contact with and closely surveil Shiro, a yakuza hotshot whose bed partners include a considerable amount of influential male politicians. The mission takes an unexpected turn when they realize they've both been pursuing the same cold the disappearance of Rion Nakaba, Ichiro's senior and Shiro's sister. Determined to uncover the truth, the two secretly team up under the guise of lovers to try and pick up her trail...

Genres: Manga, LGBT, Romance, Boys Love, Yaoi, Fake Dating, Mystery

160 pages, Paperback

Published July 16, 2024

About the author

Native spelling: 薫原好江

Reviews

[Rin · Rating 3 out of 5]

a little slow paced both on the plot side and romance side right now. I feel like this needed more substance to be a volume

[K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Continues to be remarkably sweet and funny for a series with such dark topics. It's mainly because their dynamic is so good. After this volume, I'm pretty sure Shiro is going to fall in love with Ichiro, probably long before Ichiro even remotely begins to consider him in that light. It might already be happening, considering the wide-eyed pauses when Ichiro kisses or hugs him, before it registers for Shiro that it's all very much a part of the act and his job.

Ichiro set out to seduce Shiro, bungled it royally, revealed his true intentions, and yet somehow managed to succeed at his original task anyway.

A lot of it is because of Ichiro's serious, honorable nature. When he comes back from his part of the investigation bloody and battered from a car accident but asks Shiro if he's okay...because not all scars are visible on the surface. I think that's a pivotal moment for the two of them. It's Ichiro recognizing that Shiro's politician-seducing isn't an emotionally harmless endeavor for him, and Shiro probably being seen as a real human being with genuine feelings for the first time in years.

It's the first time Shiro's felt connected to anyone since Rion, and considering his guilt over their last exchange before her death, I think he'll eventually take the steps to tell Ichiro how he really feels. But I'm sure it's going to be a very long time coming.

The investigation itself is moving along, with the two of them figuring out that there was an incident with the prime minister's son and four other people twenty years ago - when they were in middle school and when Ichiro's parents got killed in a supposedly random bombing. No idea at this point what the connection is or what the mystery is going to unveil, but I do hope that woman on the rooftop doesn't have anything to do with Rion. There's no way she'd still be alive, right? Although sparing Ichiro and Shiro and just shooting the low-level would-be assassin instead...we'll see, I guess.

Wish I could blast through this series at a faster pace. It's going to be a long road but looks to be an interesting one.

[Ery · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ichirou und Shirou lösen das Rätsel um die Zahlen in Rions Notizbuch und treffen sich unter einem Vorwand mit der Person, die den Hinweis auf den Fall hat. Doch als sie der Wahrheit des Falles näher kommen, werden sie mit dem Schatten eines Attentäters konfrontiert ...

WOAH! Ich bin nach wie vor total begeistert von dieser Reihe und zähle sie bereits jetzt zu meinen absoluten Highlights! Der Mix aus subtilen BL-Vibes und einem packenden Krimi-Hintergrund ist einfach soo gut. Ichirou und Shirou harmonieren perfekt miteinander, was besonders deutlich wird, wenn sie sich auf einem Alibi-Date befinden. Ihre Dynamik sorgt für soo viel Lesespaß!

Auch der zweite Band hält wieder jede Menge Spannung bereit. Die Verschwörungen und mysteriösen Vorfälle im Hintergrund steigern den Nervenkitzel ins Unermessliche. Zudem erfahren wir mehr über Shirou und seine „Schwester“, was die Geschichte noch packender macht. Doch nicht alles verläuft reibungslos: Während sie ihre regulären Jobs erledigen, müssen beide äußerst vorsichtig sein, damit ihre geheime Mission nicht auffliegt.

Ich kann es kaum erwarten, dass der dritte Band raus kommt! Ich hoffe inständig, dass das hohe Niveau gehalten wird – und natürlich brenne ich darauf zu erfahren, was mit der Schwester geschehen ist!

[Andrea Ambroso · Rating 5 out of 5]

La mia prima impressione si riconferma anche in questo volume: amato tantissimo ma cosa me lo rende tanto valido? Secondo il mio parere, il giusto ritmo della narrazione, che porta a momenti di investigazione, momenti di introspezione e conoscenza dei personaggi di Ichiro e Shiro (condividono lo stesso compleanno), momenti divertenti tra di loro (grazie ai capitoli extra) e momenti di azione. In questo volume si scoprono che i codici lasciati dall’agente scomparsa Rion (sorellan di Shiro e ex-collega di Ichigo), riguardano 4 figure di spicco della politica, legate alle scuole medie ad un episodio di bullismo, prontamente insabbiato da qualcuno. C’è anche un quinta persona di cui non si trova corrispondenza: chi sarà? Senza contare che qualcuno ha commissionato il pedinamento e l’uccisione di entrambi: chi sarà l’uomo che si morde sempre le unghie? Con un finale shock un cecchino uccide davanti ai loro occhi il mercenario mandato ad ucciderli!
Momento fangirl: ma quanto sono carini quando si vestono in coordinato quando si fingono fidanzati?

[Jessica Walsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I grew up in the 90’s, when the genre of Buddy Cop was probably at its height. The scenario of taking two cops who were likely at odds with each other and tossing them out to investigate random scenarios on a daily or weekly basis was super common and resulted in a lot of legendary franchises. X-Files, Bad Boys, Lethal Weapon, Men in Black and practically any show created by Dick Wolf all follow this super familiar formula and that’s not even a fraction of them. While it wasn’t especially a queer setup, there was still something about these dynamics that leaned heavily toward two main characters being shoved into situations where they were often closer than normal coworkers and which were fertile ground for blooming subtext.

In short, these types of shows were fanfiction and fandom gold.

Read the review of the first three volumes of the manga here:
https://wellarethey.blogspot.com/2024...

[Jaye Berry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good shit, that's some goood shit. 👌

We are getting more into the mystery and they are getting deeper into figuring it out which means more people are trying to kill them.

I'm absolutely enamored with their teasing and flirting but then also the way they are forming a bond already. Like okay slow burn romance, go off. Anytime Shiro calls Ichiro "honey" got me twirling my hair, kicking my feet.

Going on dates for the mission and wearing matching outfits and cat ears like it's so adorable, they are so adorable. 🥹 This is my absolute favorite relationship dynamic too: black cat and golden retriever.

Also I don't think that was five feet apart in the hot tub, gay confirmed.

[Katharine · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

Oooh this volume gets into the more juicy bits. It did get a bit more serious than I expected, I was not expecting a sex scene that almost involved nonconsensual knife play! It actually had me concerned for a moment there. It was interesting to find out the motivations each of them had with this cold case. And how both of them will do almost anything to find out the truth. I'm also pleased this appears it's going to be more of a slow-burn romance. I was also thinking, wow this would make a great TV drama! And then I found it that it had been already made into one!

[任煦涵 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel so bad for Shiro…

I know he’ll do anything to figure out his sister’s death but sleeping with nasty politicians is taxing on him. I also just can’t see Ichiro liking him romantically?? It’s BL so I know it’s coming but I still think Shiro deserves better.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yeah I’m really vibing with this series so far. The dynamic between our leads is fun but also surprisingly caring for two people who don’t know each other super well yet. The storyline itself is interesting as well. Looking forward to volume three!

[Emilia · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is no logical reason why this series has such a chockhold on me. I would die for the main guys. Their interactions, however small, give me the warm and fuzzies and for that reason alone, 5 stars!

[estherbookster · Rating 5 out of 5]

OBSESSED!! Tattoo fanservice is much appreciated! I love it when he calls him “babe” especially knowing that it's a fake relationship while they're investigating. It's a great read, filled with fun humor, action, banter, and silly flirtation.

CW: death, gun violence, sexpionage, honey trapping

[Reeree]

2020年9月16日読了。

Kindle

[alce_in_wonderland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quanto sto amando questa serie!

[Mari · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since they are getting deeper into figuring it out, which mean more people are trying to kill them.

It's really good. So far, cart wait for the next volume .

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoying this so far. I'm intrigued in the mystery and like the fake relationship trope.

[Mindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75/5

[Jacquie Stewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

All mystery no real romance. Perfect for what I wanted

[Jade ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

as you can see I caved in at 2:00am and bought the ebook. I can proudly say I don’t regret it! 🤭 — We should be getting closer to what happened to Rion so I can’t wait!

[Cassandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This felt mostly focused on moving along the spy plot but we got a little back story. It’s interesting how funny and enjoyable the main characters are for such a dark topic.

[Arielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute. Wish there was more emotional depth.

[Mara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4.00/5.00 Stars

[Scarlett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series just gets better and better. Can we talk about the cover art? I love how the covers show a progression. In the first volume, they have weapons drawn on each other but eyes on a potential threat. In this version, weapons and eyes are focused externally. They have loosened their collars the way they have loosened up a little with each other. The reference to yin and yang points to the way they are starting to see how their differences are complimentary rather than confrontational to their goals. Simply amazing.

[ℂ ✧ · Rating 4 out of 5]

La cosa es posa interessant perquè la relació entre els dos protagonistes és molt ambigua (allò de fer veure que són parella mentre en realitat sí que es preocupen l'un per l'altre) i sembla que veiem qui és el dolent que els persegueix i que fa desencadenar les escenes de més acció... Això sí, alhora que es plantegen nous interrogants per a la investigació. Enganxadíssima!!!! ❤️