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

I possessed someone else’s body.... more>>

One day I woke and realized that I’ve become the maid of a future tyrant in the romance fantasy novel I have been reading about!

Still, the male lead seems to be quite satisfied with the fact that I provided him with five star hotel level services to the best of my ability so that I could survive.

“I love how everything is done. Except for that ridiculous tone of yours.”

“If there’s anything you’re not satisfied with, I’ll correct it, Your Highness”

If I don’t want to die, I have to work hard until the female lead comes.

But why does it seem like the more I work, the more twisted it gets?

“The lady left the mansion just a while ago.”

“…"

"What?”

The lady of the house is gone now.

“Where are you going? Didn’t you say your life belonged to me from the moment you decided to obey me?”

The male lead is going crazy. What is wrong with you? Why didn’t you catch the runaway female lead and instead caught me? <<less

A boy named Lucius is trapped in a distorted space created by the ancient hero. What he finds there is the Demon King and the Dragon King, who should have been defeated by the hero 300 years ago. Lucius befriends the Demon King and the Dragon King, and is trained by them, going from a weak child to a legendary warrior with the power of both demons and dragons.... more>>

Using his power, Lucius escaped from the strange place and was accepted into the magic academy where the hero’s descendants live. And now he will have to face many challenges to free the Demon King and Dragon King. <<less

Stabbed 7 times. Massacred 11 times. Beheaded 5 times. Hanged 3 times. Burnt to death 7 times. Drowned 8 times. Run over 3 times. Shot... more>> 12 times. Poisoned 6 times. Strangled 7 times, etcetera… Scarlett was a villainess whose life has repeated 108 times in total. The duke’s redheaded, red-eyed daughter summoned fear and terrorized the nation as a ruthless queen. In all of her 108 lifetimes, she always ended up dying at the age of 28. After 107 lifetimes ending by being killed by one of the five heroes and the flower-minded heroine, she died for the 108th due to an accident. Thus on her 109th life, Scarlett regains all her memories and tries to break free from the loop. Will Scarlett be able to break the chains of the Red Curse? <<less

[This is an everlasting love story.]... more>>

The second son of the Count family, Tullius Shernan Oubeniel, was a person who reincarnated from modern day Japan. That is, a person who has a single experience of death. With no understanding as to how he was reincarnated, he thought that perhaps, he might be reincarnated next time in the same way. Yet, his fear of death was greater than anything – above that, he could only do things such that he avoids death. Peculiar to this world were certain kinds of magic and one of them was alchemy. Choosing this class of magic, he was said to be able to attain perpetual youth and longevity. With that as his only salvation and goal, he had to reach out his hand towards the deepest secrets of alchemy and did so as though it was the only way for him to live. Even if there were sacrifices to be made for that end.

A s*ave maid admired him from his youth. A Count family. Adventurer. s*ave. Citizen. Aristocrat. Country. Humans. Other beings that were not human…… Just because of one man’s delusional obsessions, many lives were changed, warped, torn apart. Even then, Tullius’s footsteps never knew pause. Everything was so that he could reach the forever he longed for. <<less

Louis, a heir of the Cruz family, recalled his memories of his previous life before the final entrance exam at a magic academy.... more>>

He is now in the world of “Share & Magic,” a game he used to play in his previous life, and he is the villainous aristocrat , who has repeatedly challenged and lost to the protagonist in the game as underdog without a chance to win.

If the story continues as is, Louis will surely be killed by the protagonist and the heroines.

Therefore, Louis decides to avoid the death route by becoming stronger than the protagonist and manipulating the heroine’s favorability.

Using his knowledge of the game from his previous life, he successfully makes the defeated villain Louis stronger, but there is something wrong with the heroines. …… <<less

Olivier Dampierre.
Ezon's most famous celebrity, he has it all: looks, money, and family.
A man who has never given his heart to anyone, until one day, he gets into a huge accident.... more>>

"Amélie Gagnier, marry me."

He proposed to a maid, Amélie Gagnier, at a social party at the Countess of Biché.

How did they fall in love?
Would the maid ever achieve the honour of being elevated to the rank of a duchess?

Everyone around them gossiped, but only the two of them knew.
That this whole situation was simply the result of a contractual relationship for their mutual benefit.
It must have been like that.

*

Olivier's lips curved into a slight smile as he watched Amélie.
His gaze met her calm green eyes. There was a subtle heat in those cool, forest-like eyes.

"Amelie, the more I see you, the more fascinating you become."

“...”

"When I first saw you, it was in a dark alley, and the second time, we met in the evening and stayed together until late at night. And now, here we are, spending the night together again."

Amélie quickly lowered her gaze. It felt strange. The nape of her neck grew increasingly warm.

"But it's strange."

"...What is it?"

"Even at night, you shine as bright as daytime."

A sweet, soft voice drifted into her ear. <<less

Arcadia Quest. A game that has won over many a heart with over a hundred different plot routes, which is supported by a vast yet well-designed character base. In these myriad of characters and routes, there was one character, Crescentia, who faced ruin no matter the route followed. The protagonist of this work is a NEET gamer that loved Crescentia. He played Arcadia Quest over and over without minding the time to find a route where Crescentia could be saved. But despite trying for years, he had never succeeded in finding such a route. That day too, he fell asleep after yet another failure.... more>>

When he woke up the next day, he found that he’d been reincarnated in the world of Arcadia Quest!! The protagonist was overjoyed that he now had to chance to save Crescentia with his own two hands. But he was reincarnated as a mob character who couldn’t be considered strong by any means. If anything, he was a small-fry at best. A small-fry that could be taken out by a strong breeze.

But the protagonist wasn’t discouraged. ‘If I’m a small-fry, I just need to train harder. If I don’t have any talent, I just need to train harder. If saving Crescentia is going to be extremely difficult, I just need to train harder.’

Everything is for his favourite character. Supplanting a lack of talent with outstanding hard work, the mob gamer grows strong enough to destroy the game’s plot. <<less

Khalil Dicaman... more>>

At a young age, he became the head of the Dickerman count family, which has prospered through the development and research of magical potions. He spends his days researching to create a cure for a disease that is spreading in his fiancée’s territory.

But he is not on good terms with his fiancée.

The former heads of the family agreed to this engagement in order to find a cure, but no cure has been discovered, and the disease is still raging…

In order to win her recognition, he devoted himself to his research without sleep.

But…

(This memories…?!)

He had a tea party with his fiancée once every few months, and when he saw her face there, looking bored, he remembered.

(I’m the villain? Called Count Jealous?) <<less

The woman who would seduce and pounce on men every single night—Lilith Sera.... more>>

And when the day comes…

“AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!”

She would be left with shameful memories from last night.

—

“Lily, do you happen to know about the succubus?”
“…I read about it in a book. They’re demons… that tempt people and do bad things…”

During the spring of her sixteenth year, that was when she first saw the sign. It was a strange pattern underneath her navel that told her… she’s a succubus.

She had a clunky ring that was supposed to suppress her instincts. It was a relic that her grandmother left for her.

But on the day the kingdom fell into ruin, she lost her ring.

“My ring. It’s very important to me, but that person took it.”
“I’m sure I put it in my pocket. It should be right he— it’s… gone.”

Without that ring, Lilith would be conquered by the instincts of a succubus.

“Then, shouldn’t you take responsibility?”

—

“I’m already looking for it as hard as I can. I said I’d take responsibility, but if I’d known this is what that meant…”
“If you don’t want me to come here every night, then find it quickly. My treasure.”

After she lost her ring, every night, she looked for men who would become her prey.

Odil was just one of them.

“You came here yesterday, too! Please, just do it in moderation and leave.”
“Every time you say such mean things, I want to make you even cuter.”

Stop, just give up.

This instinct, once awoken, constantly craved for prey every night, and it was nice to see Odil’s flushed face whenever he’d see her after she came looking for him again.

“Odil, it’s far from being over. I won’t let you go until morning.”

This is a story about Lilith, who transforms into a succubus once night falls, and her five men. <<less

Suddenly, I was informed by a girl that proclaimed herself as God that I had died.... more>>

This is a tale that started upon the death of our protagonist, who is sent by a girl who seems to be God, to lead a second life in another world. <<less

Paula, the daughter of a poor peasant.... more>>

By chance, she is hired as the maid of the prestigious Count Bellunita.

But the owner she has to serve can’t see.

She thought it would be so difficult to serve the blind master.

The problem is that his personality is too sassy!

The story of a master who has lost his sight and has a dirty temper, and a maid who went through all sorts of hardships <<less

The Count, who he thought had only died in war, has returned.... more>>

To the castle where the Countess commits her affair and betrayed by her men,

pretending not to know and keeping their mouth shut.

“Will the traitor pay the price?”

The Countess’ exclusive maid, I was eventually touched by a bloody hand.

in a slightly different way than others.

“This is the price you pay for your sins, Reine.”

*

“Hey, huh!”

“Are you so wet already? You are more sensitive than Pavoli.”

Watching her witty and sassy reaction leisurely, Azer continued to warm her up.

“The Count, there… … Ouch, ah, ah, stop it!”

“Stop? Are you trying to give me orders?”

“Ah, it’s not like that, huh!”

“To say the following is such a presumptuous statement, it is absurd.”

Azer blinked his relaxed, sinister gaze.

“Look. Stop drenching my hands with your honey already? The truth is, I don’t want you to continue.”

“ Count! Now no, no! Ouch!”

A wave of pleasure came so strong that her mind was terrified. <<less

Rudy, who worked as a delivery person in space, got stranded due to an accident in the warp gate. He eventually stumbled upon a planet with an Earth-like environment but couldn’t return home. As he landed on the planet and started to explore, he discovered that it was a fantasy world where magic had evolved.... more>>

It doesn’t really matter what Rudy does or finds on this planet, as the characters, the author, and the readers can all enjoy a leisurely journey. <<less

Bullied and pushed off a cliff by her classmates, a girl opened her eyes together with the sound of thunderous lightning. Upon returning to the classroom, she and everyone in her class were summoned. They arrived in a world with an eerie resemblance to an online otome game that had been popular on the internet (but only the internet).... more>>

Neither had they been summoned as Heroes to defeat a Dark Lord, nor would they be Saints to save the world. They were summoned to become Partners to nobilities. As the students were rooted to the spot in abject confusion, a girl walked forward to stand in front of a villainess with a smile.

“I shall be in your service, milady.”

This is a story of a clumsy villainess and a maid who came from another world.

For her Mistress’ love, the maid’s work is never done. <<less

I'm Selena, a daughter born to a family well-known for their fertile women. I was sold off in a marriage to a sickly duke whose life hung in the balance, for the sake of producing an heir of his family. They provided me a medicine purported to aid in pregnancy, and the astrologist even advised me about good days to sleep together, but...there was no child.... more>>

"So, are there any signs of pregnancy?"

"Ah, I-I'm sorry."

"You're useless. What luck do you think won you the position of the duke's wife?"

I couldn't say a word.

‘No, excuse me. I only have to look at the sky to pluck a star. That's how I attained this position.'

***

A husband who doesn't like touching me in the least.

But he's still pitiful so let's at least make him healthy by feeding him nutritious food, getting him to exercise, and I'll personally test any doubtful food first. Once he recovers from my extensive efforts, I'll sign an annulment paper and flee, but...

"You agreed to a contract to bear me an heir. But to think you would go back on your words..."

Although he's in good health now, my "former" husband has become a bit too healthy.

"You're healthy now!"

"The duties of marriage are sacred. I will collect my dues."

"Wait. Wait! But we're divorced? We're no longer husband and wife..."

He smirked then took a piece of paper from his breast pocket and tossed it to me.

"We aren't divorced yet." <<less

Working under Count Daniel Ulysses To Sophia, a housemaid, the Count is the source of pain and headache in her life. The arrogant and tidy count does not allow Sophia to make a single mistake. He annoys Sophia with all sorts of quibbles, especially when he is drinking his favorite tea. The headache caused by the Count is so bad that Sophia suffers from insomnia and buys sleeping pills for it. Meanwhile, Sophia finds another use for sleeping pills.... more>>

The maid who serves the arrogant count is annoyed . However, when even that arrogant countess falls asleep, she becomes a being who is manipulated in all ways by her lowly maid. A delightful yet rich romance short story. <<less

“Tell me, Louis. Who is your master?”... more>>

Elliot Seymour Gladstone, the Count of the Gladstone family. A prestigious nobleman who was not to be trifled with, and a man rumoured for his strong disdain for both men and omegas.

Louis, who was making a living as a street shoe polisher, was almost mol*sted by the owner of a tailor shop one day. However, he was saved by Elliot, who appeared by chance through the curtains.

Fear welled up within him as he gazed at Elliot, but at the same time, Louis’s heart raced.

In a twist of fate, Louis was forced into a situation where he had to disguise himself as a maid in the Count’s household in order to find clues to a treasure hidden within the Count’s estate…..

“Your rut seems to be getting more intense with each cycle. Count, your rut isn’t too far off, is it?”

“The Count… soon in rut?

The news of Elliot’s rut comes as a bolt from the blue.

Louis desperately hides the fact that he is an Omega, which the Count despised.

But his cautious behaviour is in vain, when Elliot reaches out as an Alpha who had entered his rut.

Louis found himself unable to escape from him at all. <<less

What is this…it’s good to get reincarnated after I died due to overwork as a corporate s*ave, but I never imagined that I would end up becoming Nord, the villainous son from the erot*c game ‘Harem Musou, Academy of the Upstart Hero’.... more>>

In the game, the protagonist, hero Kain, is in love with his exceptionally beautiful childhood friend, Elise, who is the daughter of the count. However, Nord has a plan to cause the downfall of the count’s family. He then cuckolded Kain and made Elise his maid to satisfy his s*xual desires.

Fuelled by his desire for revenge, Kain trained hard every day and managed to awaken his powers as the hero. On the other hand, Nord is blessed by the demon king. Nord got engaged in a fierce battle with Kain, where they clash with their mighty powers, which ultimately lead to Nord’s downfall.

“At last…at long last…this day has finally come. Ever since you humiliated me, I've been waiting for this moment. Now, tr*sh like you should be burned by the flames of hell.”

“No…s-stop it…ugh…”

Confronting Nord, Elise unleashes all her pent-up resentment and mercilessly stabbed him. Yes, even though Elise is trained to obey and submit to Nord, she always held feelings for Kain.

Elise is finally reunited with Kain, and the story ends happily…

No way! Since I’ve been reincarnated, all I want is a peaceful and slow life!

In order to avoid death flags, I decided to keep my distance from Elise and swore to support her relationship with the hero, Kain. However, despite my efforts, Elise directed her affection towards me at every opportunity, coming to my room every night.

“Ahh! Nord-sama…your dangerous allure makes my heart flutter♡”

“Please, just don’t come to my room…” <<less

I somehow managed to be reincarnated as a maid who monopolized the Emperor’s affection. In the end, she was killed by the Evil Empress through vicious means.... more>>

‘Fortunately, I’m only five years old.’

‘I still have a long way to go before the original work begins, so shouldn’t I just avoid the Emperor and Empress until then?’

I thought so, but…

“Lize, what did you say to the Emperor?”

“I said that I support you.”

The evil Empress who was supposed to kill me in the original story won’t leave me alone.

“Truthfully, you like me much more than the Emperor, don’t you? Am I right?”

Is the Empress trying to win me over? <<less

One day, I found myself reincarnated in an 18+ game world full of powers and magics.... more>>

In this world, I have been reincarnated as a character known as the ‘Worst Scum in History’.

My character’s name is actually ‘Ultos’ but players usually refer to him as ‘Scum’. He is hated not only by the players but also by the game developers. From any perspective, he is truly a despicable character who is destined to meet a tragic end.

And so, I who have been reincarnated as Ultos in this game world thought,

I have no choice but to do it.

I have to do the complete opposite of everything Ultos does.

I must not do any scummy move 'Scum' does and change its character into a sincere, pure-hearted mob character!!!

However, my knowledge of the original story is quite hazy, one wrong step can lead straight to a future of death.

Even in such circumstances, I have no choice but to live as 'Scum' in this 18+ game world.

For the sake of my bright future, I need to be careful of everything I do.

I wish not to stand out and live peacefully in this world, however, I somehow end up creating countless of connections and conflicts with the other characters. <<less

Lynn has never had an easy life. A beautiful girl with pale silver hair resembling that of the Empire’s princess, she is sold to work... more>> in the Dukedom of Ereuputh. Elizabeth, the duke’s daughter, harbors jealousy towards the princess and takes pleasure in causing Lynn to suffer. Despite enduring in silence, Lynn’s life takes a turn when Martin, the young master of the dukedom, returns. He shows her kindness and she falls for him, knowing that it will only lead to heartbreak. Unable to resist, Lynn shares a passionate night with him, unaware that Martin is not the kind boy she used to know. For he’s had a taste of her, and he will never let her go… <<less

Lillian, the duke’s maid.... more>>

While trying to find more work for her mother to pay for her medicine,

she is offered a job by a duke by chance.

“Are you thinking of modeling?”

However, this war hero is cold-blooded and does not hesitate to kill.

She was hesitant about the rumors surrounding him, but she needed it. <<less

I, a hardcore gamer, was reincarnated as Elias von Dietrich, who was born into a duke’s family as half demon in the RPG “Hero of the Deadly Sins and Hero of Destiny”. In the games’s dark route, he was shunned by both humans and demons alike.... more>>

I will change that fate.

But that’s not the main goal .

My goal is to get my status to the highest level possible.

The original protagonist?　Of course I’ll defeat him, but that’s just a side effect of increasing my status <<less

Alice, who was betrayed by her husband in her past life, reincarnated into a magical world with her memories intact.... more>>

Alice had lived cautiously, aspiring to a dream that once her younger brother got engaged, she would live alone somewhere and not marry.

Upon reaching the age suitable for marriage, Alice took up a job cooking meals for the Fourth Knight Order to save her financially troubled family. However, the knights were more handsome than she had imagined.

Alice, who has a hard time dealing with handsome men, tries to do her job without getting unnecessarily involved, but she accidentally learns a secret about one of the knights.

After that, for some reason, she becomes endeared to them and subsequently learns the secrets of the other knights as well. . .?

※ In this world, only nobles can take up the role of a kitchen maid. <<less