In this world of humans and monsters, the Sword God has imparted his power unto humans to defend themselves. To the sword dancers, he gave a part of his spirit essence, and to the sheath maidens, he bestowed a part of his divine power. For generations, they have combined their powers to fight the monsters of the land, revered by the people.
Saki comes from a long line of sheath maidens. Although she's the eldest daughter, she doesn't possess any sheath maiden powers. Compared to her younger sister, who showed talent from a young age, Saki is looked down upon by everyone. Yet, she endures with a smile, holding fast to the words of her grandmother, the only person who ever showed her kindness.
Set up by her sister, Saki is blamed when monsters attack the village. Amid the chaos, just as she's about to meet her fate, Saki is saved by none other than Suguru, known as the strongest sword dancer. The wheels of fate begin to turn with this fateful encounter!
In order to shake off the hurt of being cheated on by her now ex-boyfriend, Hana goes on a trip with her best friend Mizuki. At their destination, the two meet a pair of guys, but just as they've started to get to know each other, it dawns on Hana that her troubles are the result of her own too-sweet personality. Now determined to better herself, Hana sets out to change her pushover ways...?! This is the hapless love story of a clumsy quartet: Hana, who's always sacrificing herself for others; Mizuki, who only wants to be loved; Narita, who earns others' ire when he tells them blunt truths; and Ayumu, who is kind, but also something of a playboy. Can the four of them get their acts together long enough to avoid stumbling over themselves?
Have you ever cried while looking in the mirror...? "With this face, if I talked about fashion or went out to buy cosmetics, I'd be a total joke." Living with such thoughts, pitifully ugly office worker Tachibana Rin passed the days miserable and taunted by fate since she shares a first name with the most beautiful woman at her company, Kaizuka Rin. But that's just how it had to be. After all, for ugly girls, life's over before it begins... Then one day, Rin wins 11,910,000 yen in the lottery!! "Life's over for ugly girls, but for me this is just the beginning."
High-school senior Chihiro is attracted to Ayuta, another boy at his school, but Ayuta only has eyes for his childhood friend Hayato, even though he knows Hayato already has a girlfriend. Ayuta continues to play the role of a devoted friend, but the anguish that shows through on his face from time to time only serves to pull Chihiro even closer... It may be too soon to call these pent-up feelings crying out from their hearts "love", though.... It's a youthful, lyrical lovestory between two immature and uncertain high school boys.
Komachi Sakanoue, 20 years old. Ten days into a new part-time job and can't follow directions. But, come on, I'm so curious... I just have to know more about that man in the special seat by the window, where the sunlight hits... - The cafe where I work has a long-time regular, a comic book artist who writes a certain popular comic series, and right now I'm pretty obsessed with him. Even the boss getting angry doesn't discourage me from sneaking stealthy peeks as he works. Sure enough, the world flowing from his pen is brimming with love again today. I adore his work, and I adore him, too. I want those listless eyes to be fixed on me. I want to know what he's thinking, and what the world looks like through his eyes. Sir, please, tell me what I have to do to become someone special to you...
Due to a stroke of fate, Yachiyo takes over as the owner of a butler cafe after her father suddenly falls ill. But things don't go as planned, and Yachiyo gets called a washboard by Kido, the cafe's most popular butler. Just what will ensue from this? Will these two end up in huge fight?!
"There's no mistaking it. You're suffering from a case of L.O.V.E.!" The man I fell in love with is some weirdo who has no idea what love is -- Sachi is in love with love. She is determined to meet her soulmate -- after all, her own mother and father married for love and always seemed so happy. Sachi falls for someone new every day in the hopes that she'll find Mr. Right. She gets her heart broken over and over again -- but she doesn't let herself feel that pain, instead she just races to her next crush! After falling for countless different men, Sachi meets Jogasaki. According to Jogasaki, love is an illness. He's a total weirdo who has been trying to find the drug to cure "L.O.V.E.". Sachi and Jogasaki, neither of whom know anything about real love, set out to develop this miracle drug together. But will the two of them be able to face up to their own feelings?!
I ran into Natsume again at our junior high class reunion and, long story short, a group of us have been going out for drinks together lately. My friend claims Natsume is into me (Wow!), but if that's true then he doesn't show it. If anything, he's always giving me attitude...! (Grr...) How does he really feel about me? I need to know, so I can decide on my next move...! In this romantic comedy of self-sabotage, will Hanako keep digging herself into a deeper hole, or will she finally be upfront about her own feelings?
From high school to college, from college into the working world - although my life had never been spectacular, the journey had always been smooth sailing... Except when it came to men. So when I found myself an engaged woman at age 29, I felt a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. My dream of getting married before turning 30 was going to be realized! And that's when... I met him.
Nanami dreams of falling in love with a prince... And she's 29. She finds fulfillment in love through fantasizing about Yuhi, her favorite character from a love simulation game. One day, while out at a pub with her friends from work, she meets Minato -- a college student who is the spitting image of Yuhi... but then Minato calls Nanami a middle-aged hag. "What a shame, with that personality your stunning visuals amount to nothing. I know -- I'll fix that worthless personality of his and get him to cosplay as Yuhi!"Thus begins Nanami's plan to turn Minato into a prince! A romantic comedy featuring a pair mismatched in both age and personality. Your heart is sure to pound out of your chest!
High school senior Ao Kuroda is a completely normal girl, neither glitzy nor plain. Nothing beats peace and quiet, that's her motto. In spite of looking forward to a no-nonsense and calm final year of high school, Ao bumps shoulders with Sakuya Ozaki -- a freshman infamous for getting into a fight soon after the first day of high school and sending the other student to the hospital!! Ozaki tells her off -- "That freakin' hurt, watch where you're going, why don't you?!"-- and Ao is so terrified that she cries. She wants nothing to do with Ozaki! So why the heck did he have to get into a fight with someone right outside of her favorite record store?!
Hiiro Yamabuki is your normal high school girl who loves eating. The only thing that separates her from other people, is her reoccurring dream of a Western world. One day in the middle of class, she accidentally brushes hands with the transfer student who sits next to her, Sei Konno. The moment they touch...! They are transferred to the world that she always sees in her dreams! And that guy is here too?! She finds herself wearing a gorgeous dress, people are calling her princess, and the transfer student is being called the Prince. Wait... she has to marry him right now? And spend the night together? What is going on?! They're classmates that barely know each other and they've suddenly been transferred to this strange world! Thus their newlywed life starts in this world that they know nothing about!
The girl with scarlet hair and aurum eyes, branded as a devil who commands beasts, grows up with no name and is mistreated by her parents, as well as the townsfolk. But one day, she is hired as a maid by Mikhael, the angelic second prince, and given the name Iris. Mikhael is kind to her despite her being branded a devil, but believing she will bring misfortune to others, Iris tries to leave his side. However, this causes his whole angelic demeanor to change, and then he....?!
Ema has been dating her childhood friend, Aoi, for 8 years. They have been living together for four years, and Ema hoped to get married one day... However, Aoi has been neglecting the housework recently, and even treats her birthdays as an after-thought. Ema's desire to be with Aoi as a lover sometimes feels one-sided. Just as Ema starts to worry if they can even get married at this point, she runs into her high school crush, and he's just as kind as he was back then...
Deep within the inner court of Xiang, Yue Hua, voiceless and isolated, endures relentless bullying from rival consorts who all compete for the favor of Jing, the young emperor who once saved the nation. Her days are bleak until fate intervenes, when the emperor suddenly takes notice of her. She bears an uncanny resemblance to the lover he lost in a past life. Everything begins with a fateful encounter in this Cinderella story set in a Chinese harem!
Through music, the Hanamura clan manifested special powers that brought about prosperity to their clan; however, Akari, who didn't exhibit any powers, was deemed a "Seed of Misfortune" and scorned by her family. From then on begin her days of bearing callous treatment from her parents and sister. But one day, she finds an invitation to a soiree hosted by one of the oldest and noblest clans in the country. It seems the head of that clan, Mikoto Sazarashi, is searching for a bride. Finding herself unable to resist going, Akari attends the soiree - only to be quickly discovered by her sister. Akari is immediately berated and belittled by her, but...a handsome, young man appears, takes Akari's hand, and declares, "I've finally found you, my beloved bride." Check out this great Cinderella story set in an Eastern setting and filled with romance, turmoil, and mystery!
*This volume compiles ch. 1-5 of "The Fox Lord's Bride ~Taisho Romance Chronicles~"