University student Jae-hee Lee barely manages to return to school after struggling with his family’s debt. It’s here he finds himself immediately attracted to the beautiful Shin-hyeok Woo, who seems to come from a world entirely different from his own.... more>>

Struggling to manage the demands of his daily life, Jae-hee hides his feelings until a group assignment in their shared class forges a connection between them.

When Jae-hee unintentionally discovers a hidden side to Shin-hyeok, he’s terrified. But Shin-hyeok had already firmly engraved himself into Jae-hee, scorching his body like a fireball and plunging his world into a rain that never stops.

**

*Top: Shin-hyeok Woo, 23 years old. A beast hiding his violent nature behind a nice exterior. One day, he discovers Jae-hee Lee’s gaze on him and it piques his interest. Jae-hee Lee is easy to touch and doesn’t seem to be a problem.

*Bottom: Jae-hee Lee, 24 years old. Growing up as the youngest child in a poor and violent family, he is gentle and slightly helpless. After struggling with his family’s debt, he barely manages to return to school, when he meets Shin-hyeok Woo who catches his eye. Shin-hyeok is too beautiful and cold to get close to. <<less

When the midnight chime rings, we are captured in a “Houkago”.... more>>

In there, there is neither a correct answer nor a goal or a stage clear.

Only our dead bodies are piled up.

One day, elementary school student Kei Nimori witnesses his name suddenly written on the blackboard in the classroom along with the mysterious word “Houkago Gakari”…

In the peculiar school called “Houkago Gakari”, where monsters are recorded and suppressed at the risk of their lives, the “midnight fairy tale” of boys and girls is now unlocked. <<less

The story follows the journey of a young man who transcends from a tribal youth to the leader of his tribe, and eventually becomes a prince in Novgorod.... more>>

Step by step, he navigates through the forests, grasslands, and myriad rivers of Eastern Europe, dispelling ignorance and establishing civilization. <<less

Tony Hamilton was an ace pilot in the Air Force.... more>>

Following the war’s end, he was approached by a superior officer who asked him to retire from the military and join the ranks of educators.

He was an ignorant man trying to embark on his second life.

In a society saturated with anti-war ideology, his students branded him a mu*derer, while his colleagues, who had equally risked their lives in service, held him in contempt. Unable to forgive them, he resorted to violence against his own student and was thrown in jail.

What released him from imprisonment was a war that had been unleashed all over again.

Animosity, terror, irrationality and absurdity.

Hence, he ended up becoming the devil of his motherland, of the enemy nation, and of the battlefield. <<less

Ten nights. Ten people. Ten candles. And ten ghost stories.

In August 1983, Taichiro “Nini” Oyama, the sole survivor of a space station’s destruction, arrives in the countryside town of Ashihara Nakatsu. Here, he expects to lead a peaceful life with his relatives and the other townspeople.... more>>

The locals say there is nothing here, but that could not be further from the truth. The mountains, the sea, the old town, school friends, Earthling relatives, gravity — all are new to him, as he has lived all his life up to now in space.

What’s more, he finds himself at the center of the battle against the Kegai, mythical monsters that destroyed his home and killed his family.

A web novel series meant for promoting the video game LOOP8: Summer of Gods. Initially published on the game’s official website, with physical copies included as a bonus booklet in the game’s official guide book.

The first 14 chapters serve as a prequel to the game, depicting the main characters going about their lives — some of them perfectly normal, others not quite so — before Nini’s arrival in town.

The latter 13 chapters, taking place after Nini’s arrival, expand on the relationships among characters and reveal more of their backstories. <<less

It's the year 2222 in Japan, and while it feels like the near future, civilization hasn't quite progressed as much as people hoped - or perhaps it has, depending on how you look at it. Rai Mei Itsukushima, the protagonist of our story, is a self-proclaimed IT geek with no particular outstanding qualities or a significant other. He's earned the moniker "Mr. Middle-aged" without any real accomplishments to his name.... more>>

However, in this era, he becomes involved in the development of a dreamlike experience and deduction game that uses VR technology called "mu*der Mystery VR" (abbreviated as 'MMVR'). By manipulating brainwaves, it creates a virtual reality within a dreamlike state.

The game is set on the spaceship "Heliopolis" during an interstellar voyage, where a mu*der occurs. Players take on the role of one of the characters and must witness the outcome of the event.

'MMVR' has garnered high praise and has shown no glitches, and its official release seemed imminent. However, just before the launch, Rai Mei receives feedback that his son, who participated as a test player, is behaving strangely.

Although the headquarters does not seem to take much notice of a single vague comment, Rai Mei can't help but be concerned. He decides to join 'MMVR' as a player in the beta version during its trial run.

"I'm too old for this," Rai thinks. <<less

(No harem, no tricks, no invincibility, no system, no brainless, no satisfying literature. Enter at your own risk.)... more>>

When I thought it was just an ordinary day, I found myself trapped in a place of doom.

When I thought all I needed to do was participate in death games to escape, I discovered that everyone was awakening supernatural powers.

When I thought this place was a "land of gods," everything was heading towards annihilation... <<less

Xie Shu's pursuit of Su Qianyi for ten years, never giving up, but at the end of his life, he still didn't receive a response from her. ... more>>

He felt that he had lived a very unsuccessful life. In the last moment before closing his eyes, there was still someone unexpected who was devastated by his departure.

At that time, he thought, if he could choose again, he would definitely not love Su Qianyi anymore.

Opening his eyes again, he returned to his school days, giving him a second chance. This time, Xie Shu clearly recognized his own heart and began to maintain a relationship with Su Qianyi... <<less

Hadori Kento is a normal high school student whom can be found anywhere in the world, but "he" actually is not so normal. Kento holds a certain secret—he has the ability to accelerate himself to extraordinary speeds. Why he has this ability and for what he should use it, he himself does not know yet. Without finding the answer, he spends his life very peacefully... that is until he meets a person with the same ability.... more>>

The person he meets is a serial slasher called "Silent Killer." <<less

Have you ever wondered what would happen if some random Japanese school children interacted with strange humans, animals, objects, architecture, historical figures, and even buildings from around the world and various time periods, all caused by some mysterious entity and/or force? Probably not. But, just in case…... more>>

Ever since the sumo wrestler teleported onto our campus, peculiar things have been happening around our school, all thanks to some strange warping phenomenon. It seems like our graduation album is going to become a comprehensive catalog of human culture, civilization, and nature on Earth unless we figure out what’s going on. <<less

A salaryman and a high school girl live together. Between them, this and that happens.... more>>

This is the series’ first collection of short stories, featuring unpublished works and new writings! Enjoy episodes of cozy living with Sayu, along with significantly expanded new stories about Gotou, Mishima, Kanda, and Asami. <<less

A novelization of the untold backstories of Frieren before the main story. Under the supervision of Kanehito Yamada, the original author of the hit manga... more>> and anime “Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End”, author Mei Hachimoku has novelized the stories of what Frieren were doing just before she set out on journey “to know humans”! A collection of 5 short stories, each with a different Frieren character – Frieren, Fern, Stark, Lawinne & Kanne, and Aura – as the main protagonist. <<less

For ten years, he had loved her, but with just one word of "brother," she rejected him completely.... more>>

His dignity was trampled upon, yet she remained indifferent to his feelings. It was only when He Ju finally woke up to the truth that he realized his love was not even worth mentioning in her eyes.

With a plane ticket and a long-planned confession, He Ju finally understood that there were people in this world who loved him foolishly.

He Ju no longer obsessed over the past, and instead focused on the person in front of him.

However, when he achieved success and had a loving wife, his former lover came crying to him: "Brother He..." <<less

Even though we had only met for the first time, I felt like I knew that voice.... more>>

Fraulia was a teenage nun who lost her memory due to an accident. One day, she delivered papers to Beritt, a doctor, on behalf of her friend who was reluctant to do so.

Beritt was feared by the children in Fraulia’s abbot for her unkind and dark demeanor, but Fraulia did not have that impression of her. She even felt like she knew Beritt's voice even though it was her first time meeting her.

Fraulia wasn’t scared of Beritt and decided to get to know her better. However, she had to promise the abbot that she would not physically touch Beritt for reasons unknown. <<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