“Mounting” is the greatest ranking system that has been passed down since ancient times. Wealthy children gather at Sakurano Private Academy under an absolute rule,... more>> to take the mount and climb to the top. An ordinary student, Sato Rei, is on the verge of being relegated to the lowest class and spending three years being bullied by the rich. The only way to survive is to move up to the S class. A beautiful girl named Tsukinami Senri appears and kisses him, saying “Become my lover to take the Happy Mount!” “Why!?” Together with the most annoying girlfriend ever, he aims for the top of the school! <<less

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the gaming industry has seen an explosion in popularity. One of the most popular games ever released is Mystery Maker, a VR RPG where players can create baffling puzzles in a virtual space and challenge other players to solve them.... more>>

As a promotional stunt for the game's upcoming sequel, eight real life great detectives have been hand chosen by Kurata Chikage, executive director of MegalodonSoft, to challenge each other to a match in a demo of Mystery Maker 2. Among them are Kamo Touma, a magazine contributor well known for his investigative work overturning false convictions, and his wife's cousin Ryuuzen Yuki, a recently debuted mystery novelist.

However, on the day of the demo event, the detectives are all drugged. When they awaken, they find their smartwatches are locked to their wrists and they are shown videos of their families and loved ones being held hostage. They are contacted by a Gamemaster, who tells them that if they wish to save themselves and their families, they must play a death game called "Delicious Death for Detectives".

As scheduled, the eight of them will play Mystery Maker 2's demo, and the Detectives will challenge the mu*der puzzles created by the mu*derer. If the Detectives are not able to reveal the mu*derer and their tricks before the time limit, all players will be killed. However, if the mu*derer is exposed, both they and their hostages will be killed. And if a Detective makes an accusation but gets even the tiniest detail wrong, they will be mu*dered by the Gamemaster's secret accomplice, the Executioner.

Now the only way for the eight detectives to survive is to expose the mu*derer and Executioner lurking among them, even if they must risk their lives and those of their compatriots to do so.

Which is an especially big problem for Kamo, because he's the one who's been chosen as the mu*derer! <<less

They met during the most confusing and painful time of their youth, and even now that they are adults, they have always been by each other's side. Their friendship was strong and stood the test of time like armor. But underneath that thick armor, Ji Sunwook nurtured a love that was not just friendship. Driven by the desperation to leave no evidence as the sole driving force behind his unrequited love.... more>>

He had thought he could hide it for the rest of his life, until Lee Jihoon asked in the fall of his twenty-nine.

"Don't you think it's even stranger that I've never heard you talk about women you've dated all this while?"

Realizing that he could no longer hide it, Ji Sunwook meekly confessed that he was dating a man and finally put an end to their relationship with the confession he had been putting off.

Lee Jihoon, who came to catch Ji Sunwook, denied that conclusion. He said that Ji Sunwook didn't love him, so this couldn't be the end for them. Not wanting to believe it, he blocked Ji Sunwook’s way out saying he would prove it.

"What kind of coward abandons the one he loves and then runs away?"

Guided by Lee Jihoon's firm hand, the two stood on a road they had never been on before. Only when standing at the edge of friendship from which no one can retreat did they realize that they were facing something that made them uncertain whether they were proving that it was love or proving that it was not. <<less

This world is the world before the true savior “The Hero” appeared.... more>>

In this world, there are “Three Hopes.

The “Hero Licht,” the “Saint Milka,” and the “Sage Jamil” exist as the most powerful human beings fighting against the demons.

And…

*The title spoils the story… but there are no heroes in this world yet.

Therefore, unfortunately, there are many beings among the demons that cannot be defeated by them.

This story is not the cool story of the “heroes” you know, but the story before that. <<less

Does free will truly exist? Does man truly exist?... more>>

Okky Madasari explores the seminal questions of mankind and humanity in her latest novel.

A struggle arises between the two main characters, Sasana and Jaka Wani, in the search for freedom from all restraints – from those of the mind and body, to restraints imposed by tradition and family, society and religion, to economic domination and the shackles of authority. <<less

A young man walks alone through frozen land covered in snow and ice as far as the eye can see. Not for himself, not because... more>> he cares about his hometown, but in order to return to the only woman he loves - a fragile human fighting against a harsh environment. The extreme north of physical expression. <<less

The once wealthy and powerful Ryuuzen clan has been all but destroyed. Their misfortune began in 1960, when a majority of the family was wiped out when their vacation villa was buried under a landslide. However, search and rescue teams discovered something even more shocking: A majority of the bodies they discovered showed obvious signs of having been mu*dered before the landslide.... more>>

As though it were a trigger, what came to be known as "The Curse of the Ryuuzen Clan" spread throughout the descendants of the family's only survivor. By mu*der, by su*cide, by accident... it seemed none who held the name "Ryuuzen" could live to see the age of 35, and now, the family has been reduced to a single woman, lying in a hospital bed, days away from death.

Kamo Touma was once just another of the endless parade of sleazy tabloid journalists looking to exploit a prominent family's tragedy to sell magazines, but Ryuuzen Rena's kindness melted his frozen heart, driving him to quit his old job and become an investigative journalist specializing in overturning cases of false arrest. Eventually, he and Rena were married, but now, the curse threatens to steal away their happiness.

Kamo prays for a miracle, and his prayers are answered by the Hourglass of Miracles, an artifact spoken of in rumors and urban legends, said to grant one wish to anyone who obtains it.

"Meister Hora", a guide for those who obtain the hourglass, tells Kamo there is only one way to break the curse and save Rena: He must travel back in time to the year 1960 and catch the culprit of the original Ryuuzen Family massacre.

Who was the culprit of the mu*ders that took place almost 60 years ago? Why did they steal away the lives of the Ryuuzen clan? What is the true nature of the "Curse of the Ryuuzen Clan?" And perhaps most mysteriously of all... What is Meister Hora's goal in all this?

Winner of the 29th annual Ayukawa Tetsuya Award. <<less

The story of Auror Master Locke, set in the fictional mega-city of Midland built in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.