I understand why some people would not like this installment of the series, my biggest complaint would be the author clearly invoking cliches from anime and manga sources (such as the “Disciplinary Committee” that’s in every school anime). Tropes like this do not belong in this world or this series and I hope the author does not degrade further into these in further books.
Having said all of that, this still gave me everything that I was looking for from it based on what was in the previous books. The world, plot, and characters are still being taken seriously by the author and they still feel mostly real.
I hope the author continues to write his own story, as long as he does it will be good and I will read it. If you enjoyed the first book you will likely enjoy this one even if there are one or two small things that take you out of the Emerson, all of them are brief and ignorable.