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

Why are you treating only me like this!... more>>

I’m not suspicious, believe me.

I’m a harmless person.

"A villain? Not at all.” <<less

"Good heavens, can a face even be that horrifying!" ... more>>

"Never, ever take that mask off."

Princess Ariel of Charden becomes the attendant to the Crown Prince Ludwig of the Romanov Empire due to an accident caused by her twin brother.

A failed transformation spell, meant to conceal her identity, leaves Ariel with a severe burn scar on her face.

Despite Ludwig constantly mistreating her because of her unsightly appearance, Ariel steadfastly continues her life as the attendant Rapunzel to the Crown Prince.

"Your Highness, there are people around. I think I should wear the mask."

"Isn't this good enough?"

When did it start?

The moment Ludwig began to feel his heart race when seeing the bright and quirky Rapunzel.

Amidst his intense narcissism and conflicting emotions, he comes to realize his affection for the monstrous attendant.

"This is a mask I've made just for you."

His large, warm hand touched her cheek, replacing the cold mask.

The warmth that made her heart flutter endlessly also began to stir Ariel’s feelings...

Will Ariel, transformed into a monstrous attendant, be able to return to Charden? And what will become of the narcissistic Crown Prince's love? <<less

Archmage Kaplan possessed the body of a boy who was betrayed by his childhood friend.... more>>

In the boy’s diary, he found by chance that he wanted to become a great magician.

“Shall we try one more time, then?”

‘Let’s do it.’

In the end, those who are good at magic should use it well. <<less

She enticed the successor to the Duke of Lisianthus.... more>>

He sneakily grabbed my hand.

I sighed and twisted my hand out of his grip. “We can’t do this as friends.”

“Are you ashamed of holding my hand even once, Leen?”

No matter how much I think about what Carsion said, with his face showing ‘I barely held one hand’, it doesn’t seem that way.

“I can do more with you, Leen.”

Those words seemed to ring in my head, but the blue pupils were headed in a different direction – you can’t even look me in the eye. I mean, it’s not convincing to say those kind of words with such a shy face, you punk.

* * * * *

The Duchess took something out from the purse in her arms.

“Do you need money? Then take this money and break up with Carsion; take it without hard feelings.”

I stared silently into the thick pockets that the Duchess gave. Then I tapped my chin and gave her a serious look. “We’re not dating, we’re friends. Do you want me to cut off my friendship with Carsion from today?”

Will the Duchess get up from her seat, trembling and slap my face? Or are you going to spray water on me?

“Pass!”

“Ye-yes?” My face slowly blushed with embarrassment.

What’s with her unexpected reaction?! <<less

Song Nanshi arrived in a cultivation world composed of three novels, where everyone in the sect except her was a protagonist.... more>>

The Eldest Senior Brother was a reincarnated protagonist who withdrew from his marriage early on. He possessed a jade pendant and was known in the martial world as Long Aotian. He used a broken sword to build his foundation and killed the boss of the Nascent Soul realm.

The Second Senior Sister was a stand-in who was betrayed in a crematorium. After being reborn, she became enlightened and had both her cold master and her former fiancé lining up at the crematorium.

The Youngest Junior Sister was the female lead of a sweet novel. She raised a demon prince who could transform into a human in her cave. She was regularly pinched at the waist and pressed against the wall affectionately by the jealous prince.

Song Nanshi became the Third Senior Sister, who had the least presence in the sect. Not only did she lack any special plotlines, but she also, having been an atheist in her past life, became a professional fortune-teller in this life, using a turtle shell every day to tell fortunes.

Faced with the fate of being involved in the main storyline as a background character in her daily life, Song Nanshi, who considered herself the only ordinary person in the sect, chose to be indifferent.

Eldest Senior Brother: “Junior Sister, does being born lowly mean I have to accept my fate?”

Song Nanshi took out the turtle shell and comforted, “Senior Brother, your fate is in your hands.”

Eldest Senior Brother: “!”

Second Senior Sister: “Junior Sister, he has done so much for me. Should I forgive him? But I feel unwilling!”

Song Nanshi took out the tarot cards, shook her head after a series of operations, and said, “Delayed affection is inferior to grass.”

Second Senior Sister: “!”

Youngest Junior Sister hesitated, “Third Senior Sister, he said he wants to propose to me, but… he’s a demon, and I’m human.”

Song Nanshi looked up at the gloomy sky, “I have observed the celestial phenomena at night; you two are definitely a match made in heaven!”

Youngest Junior Sister: “!”

Eldest Senior Brother/Second Senior Sister/Youngest Junior Sister: She understands me so well!

In the original work, Song Nanshi, out of jealousy towards her fellow disciples, conspires with the antagonist and is eventually killed.

This time, she encountered a pitiful antagonist who had just been betrayed by his family.

After a moment of silence, Song Nanshi chose to take out her treasure, the turtle shell, and said sincerely, “Brother, do you want a reading? It’s only ten spiritual stones.” <<less

When I cleared the final chapter of a game that was a national failure, I became an unnamed side character in it.... more>>

A non-standard, unmeasurable, EX rank side character. <<less

“A useless thing like you has no value in our family. Take this money and leave immediately!”... more>>

“Yes! Goodbye!”

She became the incompetent villainess who commits wrongdoings in order to earn the love of her fiance, the male lead.

Her reputation was already at rock bottom and the main characters, who can’t live without each other, are having an affair.

“Getting kicked out and receiving money is good enough!”

So after she was kicked out, she set up a stationery store in front of a school. She reminisces of snacks, beer candy, and even bubbles! Just you wait, kids!

But… somehow her young customers are a little weird?

“I’ll find you a handsome and modest man, and not someone who has an affair like my brother!”

“Ha, then what about my brother, the crown prince?”

“…the tower master is the best.”

The great magic swordsman, the next crown prince, the villainous tower master, and finally, the hidden villain.

The stationery store, which she thought would be peaceful, left her with no rest.

Help me! I just wanted to live a normal life! <<less

Taida Isamu, a 35-year-old freelancer, has neither close friends nor a girlfriend to share his love with. His only purpose in life is playing VRMMOs. However, modern VRMMOs have become communication tools for the socially successful, and Isamu, a loser, finds himself constantly being hunted in every game he plays. When he becomes fed up with everything, including VRMMOs, due to their similarity to reality, Isamu receives a beta test acceptance notification for a new title.... more>>

That's when he comes up with the idea of hunting beginners. To vent his daily frustrations, he plans to gain knowledge in the beta version and level up faster than others, allowing him to unilaterally hunt down novices right after the game's release. Finally, on the day of the official release, he immediately tries to lure new players outside the city to player-kill them. However, his slightly remaining conscience leads him to provide detailed advice instead.

As he repeats this process, he gradually becomes known as the "Tutorial Guy" and gains the affection of other players. Eventually, he earns the trust of the game's management, and along with that, his real life also starts to improve. <<less

Paju, the city of hope, peace and madness.
And the tale of a mage trapped in a bizarre world. ... more>>

"In his house at R'lyeh, dead Cthulhu waits dreaming." <<less

The 13th generation disciple of the Great Mount Hua Sect. One of the Three Great Swordsmen. The Plum Blossom Sword Saint, Chung Myung.... more>>

After slicing the head of the peerless Heavenly Demon, who threw the world into chaos, he slept an eternal sleep on the peak of the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains. Jumping over a hundred years, he comes back in the body of a child.

But… what? Mount Hua declined? What the hell are you talking about!?

It’s only natural to want to live if you’re going broke.

“Decline? Even though I’m here? Who would dare!”

Plum blossoms eventually fall.

But when the cold winter passes and spring comes, plum blossoms shall bloom again.

“But I’m gonna die first before Mount Hua gets revived! If you’re gonna go bust, might as well do it right, you bastards!”

The beginning of the Plum Blossom Sword Saint, Chung Myung’s solitary struggle to save the thoroughly declining Mount Hua Sect. <<less

The hero party has defeated the demon lord.... more>>

“Our adventure is not over yet!”

“Can’t we just cleanly break up and live our own lives…?”

The thief of the hero party wants to be expelled. <<less

An Rugu just graduated from university and returned to her small, mountain village to inherit a rundown Daoist temple.... more>>

The Daoist temple is simple and solemn, but there are no visitors, and there is no money for incense.

She heard that doing livestreams can earn money, so she decided to give it a try.

But her livestream isn’t singing and dancing—she tells fortunes.

——————

A divination livestream appeared on the Shark streaming platform, and the netizens who saw it dismissed it at first.

[It’s 2021, and there are still people who practice feudal superstition.]

[Look at you, you scam artist.]

But soon enough, the comments changed completely.

[Ah, master, you said my head was a little green, and my boyfriend who has been with me for ten years really cheated on me!]

[Master, you said that I was facing a bloody disaster. Thank you, master, for saving my life.]

After becoming popular, An Rugu somehow took over the task of promoting the Netherworld and became its spokesperson to the living.

Livestream divination to the living during the day—live attraction for ghosts at night.

[My grandpa came to me in a dream and told me to burn more paper money, so he can reward the streamer with dream money. Damn, the Netherworld really exists?!”]

[F*ck! The thief cried and returned the money to me after seeing the appearance of Hell in the livestream. He said he doesn’t want to go to Hell in the future.]
—————

Slice of life—except that An Rugu’s daily life consists of livestream divinations, conversing with denizens of the Netherworld, and running a halfway home for ghosts who don’t want to reincarnate yet.

Oh, and she also manages a small Daoist temple atop a pretty mountain with a magnificent view of the sky, rising through the clouds. <<less

The second year high school student and RPG game enthusiast, Narukami Yuu has an accident because of carelessness and dies before confessing his feelings to his childhood friend.... more>>

However, thanks to the compassion of Jizou-sama in his neighborhood, he was sent to another world – Anazuma.

He tempered his heart and started raising his level, fighting monsters, obtaining many powerful skills…… crafting things…… and becoming a woman______!

In a slightly strange world, I became involved with various people, my faintly extraordinary life begins!

(The first 2-3 arc's have shorter chapters) <<less

When I woke up, I found myself reincarnated as a palm-sized fairy. By chance, I ended up following a princess I encountered, and despite the language barrier, I made myself at home in the royal palace.... more>>

As the protagonist adores medieval worlds, they live their life with high enthusiasm, enjoying a tourist-like existence in this medieval-like realm. However, the kingdom faces various problems...

Without understanding the language, the protagonist behaves as they please. Surprisingly, these seemingly absurd actions later become the key to solving problems, all of which get resolved without the protagonist's knowledge. Everything gets misunderstood as if it were thanks to the protagonist's efforts. <<less

"When did you learn that language!"
"Now."... more>>

A VTuber otaku reincarnated as an elementary school loli somehow became fluent in English!　
And now she's going to make her VTuber debut ......!　

This is the story of a young girl VTuber who saves the world with her linguistic cheat ability.
-- "Won't you become a VTuber too?"　 <<less

[Tower Defense & Dungeon Attack RPG]
I saw the ending to the game no one was able to clear.... more>>

But, when I came to my senses, I was inside of the game.
In fact, I was in the tutorial stage, a place where strategy was impossible.

"I'll clear this bullsh*t game no matter what...!" <<less

“Scramble Love” is a Japanese hit love comedy manga that has accumulated over 10 million copies sold.... more>>

I was thrown into this manga that I had never read before.

And to top it all off, as an extra with no considerable influence. <<less

Luc Hugaro Deskustos is a villainous noble in a romance strategy simulation game for adults.... more>>

Although he has a talent for magic, he lets it go to waste. He’s slothful and always gorges himself with food and ends up growing as an ‘ugly fat toad’.

Reincarnated as him, our main character follows his slothful ways, except he doesn’t want to grow as an ‘ugly fat toad’. He seeks to become a handsome man while still spending his days in comfort and happiness.

Watch as he takes the villainous route while carving out a future for his ideal sloth life. <<less

After four years, He Yiming finally became a Sect Master, activated the sect system, and received sign-in rewards!... more>>

The system summoned the souls of humans from Earth, reshaped their bodies, and  made them disciples of the sect!

With that, the sect's style of operation drastically changed!

Even though they couldn’t even kill the monsters in the novice village head, they just had to do a su*cide attack to defeat it. That, and a whole lot of shenanigans as they innovate the world of cultivation! <<less

Kiana, the troublemaker of the Prelai duchy.... more>>

I was about to give up my life as a villainess and be reborn as a new person.

Until one day, the family was hanged for treason.

‘There’s no need to kill me, who ran away from home 7 years ago and is only doing research in the countryside!’

The moment I realized that the academy, who said that I was a genius and would treat like a family, betrayed me, and that treason was also falsely accused by someone…

Due to a mysterious power, I returned to a year ago!

“I can’t help it. Now that it’s like this, I, who is smart and strong, has no choice but to save the family.”

There were two things to do for the family.

“Will I be of help to you someday too?”

“I tried to save him because he is precious to my grandfather.”

Restoring the relationship with the family, which was a mess, and…

“Please pretend to be in a relationship with me externally.”

Holding hands with ‘that man’.

Oh, before that. Pouring a water bottle over the dean’s head during the lecture, I said,

“This is gravity.” Get revenge on those academy guys who have no morals.

Kiana, who came back smarter and more vicious. <<less

Yu Xiao, a terminal stage cancer patient with an incurable condition, had reached a point where she had accepted her fate. Living each day with indifference, she had already made peace with the idea of departing from this world.... more>>

One day, her phone automatically downloaded an app called ‘Four Hospital Patients’ Discussion Forum’.

“Four Hospital? Isn’t that the local psychiatric hospital?”

Curious, she tapped into the app. The top post read: 【Guide for the Morgue】

Yu Xiao:???

Second post: 【Cataloguing the Ghosts I’ve Encountered Over the Years】

Yu Xiao: No wonder it’s a forum from a psychiatric hospital.

【Step-by-Step Guide to Becoming a Sealing Master!】 This one seems quite intriguing!

———— That night, terror descended, and the hospital was engulfed in a crimson hue. Unnameable horrors lurked outside the wards, murmuring by the rooms, “Let’s see who’s been naughty now?”

————

During rounds that night, the inspection ghost lifted Yu Xiao’s blanket and stumbled upon the talismans by her pillow. The ghost was amazed to find high-level symbols.

The inspection ghost cried, “Why would advanced seals appear at a beginner’s level?!” <<less

I fervently critiqued the development of a Sherlock Holmes-based mystery gal game.... more>>

Villain Maker: Fulfilling the probability of Professor Moriarty’s appearance.

Love-Hate Relationship: Becoming 'that man' for Holmes.

Lady of London: Completing one sham marriage with Watson.

Freeze: Receiving a confession from Inspector Lestrade.

Phantom Thief’s Treasure: Getting kidnapped by the Phantom Thief Lupin.

In doing so, become this twisted world’s very probability.

Best wishes, Mr. Isaac Adler.

I’m screwed. <<less

A world turned into a game by a transcendent intervention. While others are fighting for their lives in an apocalyptic situation, I’ll be sucking honey.... more>>

Real honey, the kind that smells sweet and tastes like honey, with the bees showing off their fluffy, attractive bottoms. <<less

The protagonist, a humble company employee, is suddenly summoned to another world and forced to fight as a hero.... more>>

However, he doesn’t have any skills, and after being disappointed, he was released from his duty as a hero.

He buys a piece of land in a distant foreign country with the money originally given to him to prepare himself as a brave warrior, and starts his cultivation in another world.

Although he was declared to have no skills, he actually has a “Gift From God” that cannot be read by others. <<less