18-year-old Mahoro is tasked with a mission when he enters Loewen Military Academy—to find any clues about the disappearance of Siegfried Baldwin. Loewen Military Academy is a prestigious military academy, the only one in the kingdom authorised to teach magic. There, Mahoro meets Noah, from the noble House of St Johns. Noah is immensely popular and even boasts his own personal fan club, but he only shows interest in Mahoro, a struggling cadet who can barely keep up with the lessons. According to Noah, he says that his instincts tell him to make Mahoro his, but suddenly a storm sweeps over what was supposed to be a peaceful academy life!? This is the start of... more>> a saga of magic, dragons, love and conflict—and the secrets that entangle them!

Volume 1: Bloodlines Ablaze
Volume 2: Bloodlines Astorm <<less

After a red meteor slashed through the heavens, human progress ground to a halt. ... more>>

Since that momentous day, humanity lost its ability to create rockets, nuclear weapons, airplanes, cars...

The towering pyramid of civilization, meticulously built from the achievements of modern science, crumbled into dust.

Yet, the catastrophe didn't stop there. The grey realm, following the arrival of the red meteor, like a ghostly reflection behind a mirror, dragged the civilized world bit by bit into the abyss of disorder.

In this new age, a human life was no more significant than a speck of dust, yet amidst the ruins, humanity's spirit shone as brightly as the stars.

Amid the crumbling edifice, observers could see a figure—an actor—defiantly standing on the wreckage of civilization, his red cloak as vivid as blood, his expressions flickering between laughter and tears. Behind him, the curtain of the era gently parted. With arms wide open, he whispered to all who would listen— "Let the show begin." <<less

Twenty years ago, there was a great upheaval in Yunxia, and Di Shengtian, with her close friend Han Zian, quelled the chaos and disappeared from the public eye. ... more>>

Ten years later, the entire Di family was annihilated, with only a lone girl being banished to Mount Tai, and the century-old foundation of the Di’s family was destroyed.

If Di Shengtian had known that one day her own disciples would exterminate the entire Di family, would she still have shared half of her kingdom to secure a lasting legacy for the future?

Regardless of how the world marvels at the era of Di Shengtian, as time passes, when Ren Anle, bored and idle, reads this history of the wilds while curled up in her bandit’s den, she can only laugh and say… winners become kings and losers are defeated, this is how the world works.

Who in this world still cares how the once strongest person in Yunxia would respond? <<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

Physically confronting your abusive superior might be cool and satisfying when it happens in a drama, but, as Kazuo Sugishita is learning, it's less cool when you're sitting at home afterwards, terrified to learn how you'll be punished when you return to work the next day. The sentence he faces sounds surprisingly lenient - just a temporary reassignment to the company's entertainment department while things blow over. But he changes his mind when he gets the specifics: Kazuo has been assigned as manager-in-training (read "servant") to Shiro Hoshizono, the "Star Watcher": A pompous, showoff-y, completely insufferable talent with no actual talents except using his sickeningly sweet words and foreign model looks to seduce lonely middle... more>> aged women into paying for the privilege of hearing him speak.

The day after his new assignment, Kazuo and Hoshizono leave for Saitama Prefecture, where Hoshizono has been recruited to become an image character for a campground in the mountains, alongside a group of other colorful characters, including a romance novelist with the looks of Cleopatra but the personality of someone's grandpa and a UFO obsessed conspiracy theorist.

But the morning after their arrival, their host is found strangled to death in his lodge, the road back is buried in an avalanche, and... you can probably see where this is going.

Turns out, despite how he comes across normally, Hoshizono is actually a genius detective!

The novel features a unique chapter naming scheme where each chapter is titled as a three to four sentence summary of its own contents, focused upon what information about the case is discovered and what evidence appears, for ease of reference.

A nominee for the 50th annual Mystery Writers Association of Japan Award, long story category. <<less

There exist in this world a set of six daggers that carry a terrible curse: the ability to inflict a death beyond time. Those under the daggers' curse shall reincarnate without end, never able to know happiness and always drawn to die once more by the dagger. This is the story of "Raine" and "Marie", two souls bound by the daggers' curse to kill one another, over and over again.... more>>

France, 1243. Lapis Lazuli Castle is the name of an insignificant relay fort nestled away in a forest east of Carcassonne. Its ruler, Count Geoffroy, and his only daughter, Marie, are both believed to be insane. The root cause of their shared madness is the mysterious disappearance of Geoffroy's wife three years ago, which caused Geoffroy to grow detached from humanity and cast Marie into a deep depression. After three years of wandering in a state halfway to nonexistence, Marie works up the nerve to ask her chief bodyguard, Sir Raine, to investigate her mother's death, confiding that on the night of her mother's disappearance, she had witnessed something impossible. However, her investigation only prompts a new tragedy.

The French-German border, 1916. As World War I rages on, Raine and Marie's latest reincarnations live the life of a sub-lieutenant in the French army and a medic with the Red Cross, respectively. The two lovers are reunited at the site of the Battle of Verdun, but no sooner have they met then Raine finds himself faced with a barrage of impossible circumstances. An enemy soldier's head suddenly vanishes, right before his eyes. One of his subordinates reports the same thing happening to an ally. Four more headless bodies vanish from a flooded bunker in the minute he looks away. These baffling events are a prelude to the return of their old tragedy.

Northern Hokkaido, 1989. Kimiyo, age eighteen, is already dying, an inoperable tumor in her hypothalamus leaving her with less than a year to live. Refusing to despair in the face of her tragic circumstances, she spends her remaining days with her friends at "The Library at the End of the World", a private library so called due to its isolated nature. One day, a man named Kito approaches her out of the blue, regaling her with a story about a set of cursed daggers, knights in the 13th century, and the two of them being cursed, fated lovers. Naturally, Kimiyo is intensely skeptical, but the events that come next don't require her to believe in them.

Arriving at the scene of these three tragedies is Snowy, an enigmatic figure of indeterminate gender who claims to be "a detective charged with managing the world's chaos". <<less

A seventeen-year-old depressed teen, whose mother died at an early age and whose father often disappears, meets a small stuttering boy frequently abused by his family and bullied by schoolmates. Day by day, they become each other’s sole friend, with gradual sparks of admiration. But the tumultuous course of life does not permit them a peaceful existence. The past surfaces, and the feelings of the two boys quietly change…... more>>

A mysterious past. A roving existence. Two insecure teenagers.

After both their fathers go missing, a detailed investigation begins to peel back the layers of the truth– what will the future hold for Yan Hang, who disappears without a word, and the kind-hearted Chu Yi? When they meet again years later, what path will they take? <<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

Shen Yi, whose stage name is Wei Long, was an actor who was popular all over the world in the 1970s, but because of a disappearance, he disappeared in history, as if he had never existed in this world. ... more>>

One day, Rong Qian saw a photo of herself and Shen Yi on an old photo from more than 30 years ago ......

The unbelievable discovery made her start a journey through time and space again and again, returning to the past to save him!

For Rong Qian, every time she travelled to the past, it was only a few days apart, but for Shen Yi, if he wanted to see her, he had to wait for several years.

Later, during the long years of waiting for her, the noble, gentle, and elegant young master Shen always held his chin in private and counted the days when he would meet her with his fingers.

Then he sighed bitterly: "Alas, what is more difficult than a long-distance relationship is a different space and time relationship, my Ah Qian, I miss you so much..." <<less

In the winter of three years ago, the first locked room mu*der in Japanese history was committed.... more>>

All of the evidence pointed to the defendant. It was certain they were guilty. And yet, they were found innocent and released. Why? Because the crime scene was a perfect locked room no one from the police or the prosecutor's office could solve.

"Since the room was locked, it was impossible for the defendant to have committed the mu*der. It's no different than if they had a perfect alibi." That was the argument of the defense, and that was the argument the judge sided with.

The ruling sent a ripple throughout Japanese society. No matter how suspicious you were or how much evidence you left behind, as long as you managed to create a locked room that no one could solve, you were immune from prosecution. With the common anti-mystery fiction talking point "there's no reason anyone would ever actually commit a locked room mu*der" completely overturned, the rate of locked room mu*ders in Japan skyrocketed.

When the police proved unable to deal with the surge of locked room crime, the Ministry of Justice published an official categorization of all known locked room tricks as an investigative aid. When that proved insufficient, Division Zero of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, a police division dedicated solely to solving locked rooms, was created. When that still proved insufficient, locked room detectives, private investigators specializing in locked rooms, were officially licensed by the state and authorized to participate in police investigations. Calling a locked room appraiser, someone specializing in searching buildings for secret passages, is now a common first step in criminal investigations.

On the other side of the spectrum, locked room agents, assassins and crime planners specializing in locked room mu*ders, have become some of the most notorious criminals in Japanese history, and even a cult worshiping the scenes of locked rooms as a way to purify the souls of the deceased has made rapid inroads into Japan.

The protagonist, Kasumi Kuzushiro, is an introverted, somewhat cynical high school student who loves mysteries. Kasumi often finds himself dragged along on bizarre journeys by his flighty childhood friend, Yozuki Asahina. Due to their staggeringly bad luck, these trips often leave them in the wrong place at the wrong time to be caught up in locked room mysteries. Fortunately, another of Kasumi's childhood friends, Shitsuri Mitsumura, is the greatest locked room expert in the world, and can always discover the truth.

Hm? How did a high school girl become the greatest locked room expert in the world?

It's simple.

She's...

Volume 1 was the grand prize winner of the 2022 This Mystery Is Amazing! awards. <<less

Meril Klein, born to the renowned demon exorcist known as the 'Holy Saint,' was always hailed as the "Holy Saint's successor" and the "strongest of the next generation" since her childhood.... more>>

Growing up in this prestigious environment, Meril developed an arrogant and self-conceited personality. However, her first mission, facing a man-eating demon, shattered her illusions of power. She questioned herself, "Do I possess any strength at all?"

In the dire situation of facing off against the demon, Meril found a glimmer of hope in the demon's words: "I haven't killed anyone."

"If that's true, then I will prove your innocence!"

The realization that the demon hadn't committed a sin changed the course of their encounter. Initially just a ploy to delay the inevitable confrontation, this desperate declaration significantly altered Meril's destiny. <<less

In this world, there is the beautiful mutual and telepathy love.... more>>

“I’ve been pursuing you for so long, what do you think?’

Xu Xu could feel her heart pounding in her chest; however what he said wasn’t logical.

“You’re pursuing me?”

Ji Bai raised his black eyes looking at her quietly.

“Every morning I exercised with you, personally taught you how to shoot, prompted the police team to call you sister in law… If this isn’t pursuing, then what is it?”

She took a deep breath stabilizing her heartbeat.

“You don’t need to pursue me anymore.”

Ji Bai totally did not expect her to say that. His heart sank, coldly said: “What do you mean?”

Xu Xu looked into his eyes: “I also like you so you don’t need to pursue.” <<less

Shen Lu spent a lifetime trying to get closer to Yan Chenli, and in the end was killed in the line of duty in an operation commanded by Yan Chenli.... more>>

According to the donation agreement he made during his life, he was turned into a human weapon—an Executioner. Because of his guilt, Yan Chenli almost lost his family fortune bearing the costs of a human weapon’s expensive energy consumption, just to keep Shen Lu by his side.

Most of the people turned into human weapons were prisoners given the death penalty, the “incorrigible dregs of society”.

Everyone knows that the operational capabilities of these Executioners are just two hours, and that they’re even stripped of the names they had during life, their mind is weak, incapable of independent thought, and they go madly out of control upon remembering the fact that they are already dead.

Shen Lu, Chief Adjudicator Yan Chenli’s Executioner, is the only exception.

[Don’t treat your Executioner partner like a human being, or you’ll be out of luck.]
Criminal investigation police Adjudicator x Human weapon Executioner

The Executioners are manufactured via the consciousness of the deceased, the standard equipment is uniform x cold weapon, and a bit of an uncontrollable mental defect. <<less

“Just dance, like a living doll.”... more>>

On the day she contemplated giving up ballet, a passion she had dedicated her entire life to, that man, the terrifyingly beautiful Enrico Michele, approached like a whispering devil, presenting a cunning proposal.

“Then I’ll tell you about your dead parents.”

A secret he hinted at along with an ambiguous sponsorship.

“Don’t you want to know the truth?”

Even knowing that becoming a puppet for him would lead her further into darkness, she was willing to do so to unravel the mystery of her parents’ death. <<less

Anaesthesiologist Lu Yan received an emergency call late at night. On her way to the hospital, she ran into Deng Man, a high school female classmate who had been dead for many years.... more>>

From that day on, strange things have been following her.

“The winter solstice is a day of retribution and revenge.”

The truth hidden for eight years is revealed step by step.

When Jiang Chengyi returned to S city after several years, he met his ex-girlfrined Lu Yan at the class reunion. Seeing Lu Yan surrounded by strange things. Jiang Chengyi “reluctantly” took her into his mansion.

When facing Lu Yan, Jiang Chengyi coldly said. “I will just temporarily protect your safety.”
When he recieved his mother’s call, JIang Chengyi said. “Mom, she’s my girlfriend.”

A month later, he said to Lu Yan, “my wife, it has been eight years, how do you plan to compensate me?”

At the time of the wedding, Jiang Chengyi concluded. “The winter solstice is where you can do whatever you want.”

Lu Yan, “Sir Jiang, what about your moral integrity?” <<less

A figure strolled along a trail, taking in the beauty of the flowers. Wherever she went, mu*ders seemed to follow in her wake.... more>>

She sought out a secluded spot under a crooked peach tree, closing her eyes to rest.

Out of the blue, a bundle came flying over a towering wall, and landed squarely into her arms.

She unwrapped the bundle revealing a freshly severed human head.

“Amituofo.”

Standing on her tiptoes, she steadily placed the head on the branches of the peach tree. Then she flapped her clothes, and airily departed from the scene. <<less

We follow the story of Song Lang, a genius in the police field, who due to unfortunate circumstances caused by his mortal enemy, now assumes... more>> the identity of a driver named Chen Shi. Although he had wanted to live out his days as an ordinary citizen, fate has other plans in store him. Finding himself in the position of prime suspect to a case, he assists a police officer to uncover the truth. Follow the adventures of Chen Shi as he is plunged back into the world of bizarre homicide investigations. Will he be fated to meet his enemy once again? <<less

Ye Zhen, a female Ph.D. in the Department of Mathematics of Hua University, changed her career to enter the entertainment industry in order to investigate the death of her birth father, Movie Emperor Ye Yi. During her interview, she accidentally made CEO Rongcheng Jue lose face in public. Yet Rongcheng Jue, unlike what was to be expected, didn’t take old grudges into account and let Ye Zhen join his company. When everyone thought Ye Zhen would become Rongcheng Jue’s personal secretary, she actually joined the entertainment department. After several twists and turns, Ye Zhen became a script supervisor for Rongcheng Entertainment’s “The Great Tang Treasure”.... more>>

Her colleagues’ bullying towards her, the pressure of changing career, and the many obstacles in her investigation all left her confused. Under Rongcheng Jue’s silent guardianship, she didn’t forget her original purpose, overcame every obstacle, and eventually became an ace producer.

Ye Zhen and Rongcheng Jue shared a common belief: no matter how bleak the hope is, how th**ny and dark the road ahead, they had only one thought in their hearts: to uncover the truth, and therefore bring peace to the soul of the Movie Emperor Ye Yi. <<less

A fictitious city set in 1950s where abilities exist—The Capital City. Police officer Michael Rose, who was chasing the mafia family Kalanishiel faces death due to the betrayal of his partner and returns to 7 years ago. He wakes up to find himself in the body of Ashmia, the youngest daughter of the Kalanishiel Family.... more>>

After a moment of confusion, Michael remembers that the mafia started a war after Ashmia’s death in the past and that the Empire will later be on the verge of collapsing. He decides to survive and change the future of the Empire.

If this is a ‘second chance’, I will survive at all costs.

To survive until the end—

“This time, I’ll make sure that…”

I will stop the destruction of the Empire…! <<less

A former detective chases after his missing daughter, but what he uncovers in the darkness is…... more>>

Third “Konomys” (このミステリーがすごい!) Grand Prize recipient

A story of descent into lunacy over a single girl.

The 17-year old Kanako has disappeared, leaving behind a trace of drug use in her room. Akihiro Fujishima, a former detective and her father, is in pursuit of her whereabouts. Three years earlier, Naoto, who was tormented by his classmates, fell in love with Kanako, who saved him…

The story of the present and the past intersect, and the outline of Kanako gradually emerges from the blurry darkness. Yet the more one delves into her disappearance, the more unintelligible she becomes. What manner of shocking ending awaits at the end of the tunnel? The recipient of the grand prize of the 3rd “This Mystery is Amazing!”, this work overwhelmed every member of the selection committee. A lurid work of dark emotion that will enrapture the hearts of all who read it. <<less

Chief Forensic Pathologist for the Police Department, Ji Chan, is transported to another dimension and wakes up as the shameless and insolent niece of the distinguished Duke Lu.... more>>

Blessed with a visage as fair as a flower and a figure as light as a feather, the original Ji Chan is unfortunately ignorant beyond measure. She spends her days dreaming of marrying into wealth. Eventually, she becomes a pawn in her cousin’s scheme, and finds herself in bed with her future cousin-in-law.

And then she kicks the bucket…

On their wedding day, Si Qi offers Ji Chan two choices.

First, she can take the title of the Si family’s Young Madam, but she won’t be allowed to bear his children.

Second, they could divorce with him offering her a generous settlement of ten thousand taels of silver, henceforth each would live their own life.

Ji Chan chooses the second.

And so, she becomes a discarded wife.

*

Four years later, Si Qi, now Deputy Chief of the Supreme Court, is confronted with a perplexing case that torments his sleep for two relentless days and nights.

Overwhelmed by a sense of duty, Ji Chan comes forward to lend a helping hand.

From that point on, his haughty demeanor shatters. He finds himself regularly lurking outside Ji Chan’s doorstep, pleading through tear-streaked cheeks for her assistance with autopsies. Unashamedly, he vows to shoulder responsibility for Ji Chan and their child.

One-line summary: The daily life of the chief female coroner raising her son and solving cases. <<less

Many years later, facing the cover reporter of Time magazine, Yi Jiayi would recall the distant afternoon when the head of the serious crime unit took her to see the body...... more>>

At that moment, she heard the wails of the deceased, saw the face of the mu*derer, and gained the ability to mentally revisit the crime scene.

From then on, Hong Kong had one less civilian policewoman who spent her time gossiping over tea and dating after work, and gained a shining star in the police force who solved every case she encountered.

Head of Serious Crime Unit: How did you know he was the mu*derer!?

Yi Jiayi: Because it was a rainy night (omitting the reasoning process, 800 words), so there is only one truth...

The mu*derer trembled, his face turned pale, speechless, surrendered, and resigned himself to his fate.

Yi Jiayi thought: I'm sorry, all of the above was made up.

As the saying goes, explanation is just a cover-up, and a cover-up is just storytelling!

Solving a case is like solving a math problem; others derive conclusions based on known conditions.

She just knows the answer directly, and the process of solving the problem relies entirely on fabrication...

Acting, pretending to be a detective, deceiving the mu*derer... resorting to all sorts of extremes, it's really difficult!

...

Ming Pao Reporter: The police force in Hong Kong calls you "Female Zhuge", saying you are both intelligent and close to supernatural. What do you think, Officer Yi?

Yi Jiayi: Haha, I'm just an (extraordinary) ordinary person.

Reporter: It's said that your home was vandalized by two thugs, and even the Flying Tigers were mobilized.

Yi Jiayi: Haha, that's just the daily routine of righteous officers protecting ordinary citizens.

Hong Kong Daily Reporter: It's rumored that the sons of Hong Kong's wealthiest, the rising young stars, and... are all pursuing you? Which one do you prefer?

Yi Jiayi shivered at the thought of the wrath of the Jealous King, not daring to be careless. She sat up straight, facing the camera, and said firmly:

"It's all rumors! As a detective dedicated to the cause of justice, my only concern is to uncover the real culprit and ensure the safety of the citizens. I have no time for romantic affairs." <<less

Xiao Yu traveled to another world, activating a system at the start. But the system didn't go online, which was quite nice. However, when he was ready to become the most dazzling flower and embark on a life of glory in front of others.... more>>

Then…

Mom: Go on a blind date, will you?

Xiao Yu: Can I not go?

Mom: Son, have you ever heard of a big nose bag?

Xiao Yu with tears in his eyes walked to the wrong blind date table where a beautiful older sister sat before him.

When Xiao Yu took his new girlfriend home to meet his mom.

Mom: Who is this girl? Where is your blind date?

Xiao Yu: Isn't she the one you introduced?

Mom: ???

The scene was so awkward it was suffocating. But three days later after their blind date, walking out of the Civil Affairs Bureau with a marriage certificate, Xiao Yu began to question his life.

Wasn't the start supposed to be nice, walking hand in hand to show off? How did it end up in marriage?

Yet, Xiao Yu found that his wife smiled like a female pomegranate! <<less

On the will left behind by the 14 year old su*cide victim K:... more>>

"Taku Sugawara is the devil. Nobody should believe his words." <<less

During a dinner party at a secluded mountain villa, while the invited guests are engaged in a strange game over an ultra-luxury clock, the owner of the villa, a female writer named Mori Reiko, is met with an unnatural death in her study.... more>>

With this, the curtain rises on a deadly game of deduction!　

Embroiled in the game are Enomoto, a crime prevention consultant (whose main profession is a thief!?), and the lawyer Junko, who tries to solve the mystery of a perfectly locked room protected by the wall of time…

Note: "Wall of time" here means alibi. <<less