42-year-old Kyoko Otsuka has spent the last 13 years living life as "mom" for her rebellious daughter and soft-spoken husband. Kyoko thought her average and hectic life would continue this way until one day she is told that she only has a year left to live! Shocked by this news, Kyoko decides she wants to spend the remainder of her life "living for herself." She declares to her family, who have been spoiled and taken her for granted, that she is done being their "mom" and is going to take back her life as "Kyoko"!
"My passion in the name of lust..." Due to a decrease in her libido, erotica novelist Kaoru has found herself dealing with severe writer's block. But as luck would have it, she hits it off with a comic artist, Shiora, from the same editorial department who is in a similar situation. They delightfully drink the night away and...wake up the next morning half-naked in the same bed together?! While gazing upon his seductive, chiseled physique, she is awash with sensation and utters, "I think I can regain my passion and lust by looking at you," and goes on to propose something even more daring?!
Kaori was supposed to have the perfect life. She has a kind, caring husband and a welcoming home, but there's a sinking feeling in her gut. After changing careers and taking a remote job, her husband, Kanji, began to change. Despite also working, he leaves all the housework to her and belittles her when she slips up. Still, Kaori believes in their marriage and does her best to communicate, hoping to work things out. After a long talk, Kanji promises they'll start planning for their future. But when Kaori happens to glance at his phone and sees several suspicious messages, she grows suspicious. When he dismisses her, she finally reaches her limit!
"Ah...jeez! I want to have sex...!" Aya is a 33-year-old office worker who's dealing with sexual frustration. She wants to feel the touch and love of a man but hasn't had a boyfriend in 8 years. And societally speaking, if women show their desire, they are looked down upon. One day, Aya's flirty supervisor Dojima invites her out for drinks. Dojima is divorced and down to have a one-night stand instead of a partner. Hearing this, Aya makes up her own rules to not get carried away or have any regrets for having a one-night stand and sets out to make her one-stand a reality.
Akari is good at her job, beautiful, and her sense of style is beyond compare... but she has a secret. She's almost 30 and she's still a virgin! One fateful day, a new department chief takes over -- the handsome Shinomiya. "You're my subordinate now, which means from today, you have to do what I say." Shinomiya is a condescending bully and he and Akari clash from day one. Akari finds herself drinking her worries away at his welcome party and before she knows what hit her, she's completely smashed. She wakes up the next day to find -- Shinomiya emerging from her bathroom half naked?!?! Thus begins Akari's comedic office romance with her callous new boss!
*This volume compiles ch. 1-6 of "From Zero to Office Romance"
"Pain, pain, go away!" Masa Takato is a regular customer at a small shop that sells cute things, run by a woman named Sakura. He's an easygoing guy who loves adorable stuffed animals, and is popular with kids. Sakura secretly has feelings for Takato because of how sweet and caring he is. One day, she was at risk of eviction from the building by the Yakuza running the building, but Takato stepped in to save her business. Suddenly, the two of them are close to each other?! For him to say, "If there's anything I can do, please let me know," could he be talking about something more than just the store...?! Sakura, while still caught up in all of these feelings, catches sight of Takato in conversation with a group of Yakuza... Takato, what exactly are you?!
They made a vow to always be honest with each other. They were supposed to live happily ever after. But fast forward to two years later, their relationship has become strained. Kenya's attitude towards Rin has made a complete one-eighty. Day after day, Rin puts up with his derisive comments about her appearance, all because of her weight gain. When she discovers that he's even been cheating on her, it seems they've reached the point of no return. The story of a woman's journey to discover independence after facing betrayal by the man she once loved.
"My smile is specially reserved for you." Kotori Ogata, self-conscious about her plump figure, is inexplicably adored by Soma, a younger coworker known for his frosty demeanor. The reason likely traces back to a rainy day encounter: Kotori finds Soma shivering at a bus stop and, being a meddlesome caretaker, helps him warm up. Since then, Soma has been incredibly affectionate toward Kotori. He defends her from sarcastic comments from her manager, holds her hand claiming he's cold, and even sweetly tells her, "Everything you do is adorable to me." Step into this romance and experience the cute moments between warm-hearted Kotori and her frosty younger coworker, Soma!
Minaho and Yuichi have been married for five years, and in this time, she has been putting up with her husband's verbal harassment. One day Minaho falls ill. Despite this, Yuichi continues to berate her, and instead of worrying about her when she collapses and is rushed to the hospital in an ambulance, he swears at her. At this point, Minaho's patience has run thin, and she consults her male friend, Nanao, for advice. He tells her that she is too kind, and if she doesn't fight back, she'll be treated like a slave for the rest of her life. He then teaches her the secret to fighting in a marriage. Will Minaho be able to get out of the messy doldrums and be happy?
After marrying the person she met in the office, it's been 5 years... and he never comes home. Yuka's been juggling housework and her full-time job. She's treated at a housewife by her husband and pressured for children by her mother-in-law (typical). Everyone's got to be like this, right? It just means that more needs to be done... or at least that's what Yuka's thought. One day, after some harsh words from her husband, Yuka darts out to try and find some peace. But suddenly the headlights are coming at her when-... As she found herself dying in a hospital bed, one thing burned into her retinas... her husband embracing Riko, her childhood friend. They can never be forgiven. They need to pay. As Yuka swears this onto herself while her life begins to fade, she suddenly finds herself at the moment she was proposed to... five years ago. Now it's time to devise a plan for revenge.
A rose desperate to hide her thorns finally blooms in this office romance. Suzu Takamine, the office's unattainable beauty who turns down anyone that asks her to date, is carrying a painful secret. Whenever she tries to be intimate with a man, they faint for some reason. Suzu wants to get married someday, but with her condition ruining her dating life, she's losing hope for any happily ever after. When the office playboy, Kinase, learns of her unbelievable secret, Suzu is shocked to hear him offer his "expert assistance" in resolving her problem. Now she has to decide: Will she give him a try?
On a moonless night... I hear your voice for the first time. Ume was abandoned by the family she married into because she was unable to bear children. She returns to the village where she was born but finds herself alone as her parents die from a spreading disease. As told in tales of sacrifice to the gods, the village also begins to experience a shortage in the crops of their farms that will only continue until someone is offered. Ume is not able to bear a child but as she does not have any children, she is able to lie her way into being offered to the gods. Waiting for her at a shrine deep in the mountains is a wolf god with silver hair and beautiful nails that shine in five different colors... what will come from this encounter between a despised god and an unhappy girl?!
*This volume compiles ch. 1-5 of "The Lying Moon Princess's Marriage: I Will Gain the Wolf God's Favor"
"Did you notice my feelings for you back then?" Back in high school, Hinako had secretly loved her classmate Masashi. Ten years later, they're suddenly reunited! Once reserved, Masashi has become much more handsome. When he openly expresses his thoughts to Hinako, they send her heart racing! "I love him... I want to hold his hand. I want to be close to him." A love reunited and finally fulfilled...?!
"I got my happy ending after marriage! Or so I thought..." Three ladies who went to the same school together admit they have dated nothing but losers. Miraculously, they have all gotten married, but marriage was not the goal. A controlling husband, an overbearing husband, and a mama's boy... with these marital problems, where will they go from here?!
Within Breighlinam Palace, rumor has it that Prince Edouard has executed may of the maids and butlers that have come to serve him. Philippa is desperate. After her parents fell to the epidemic, her aunt and uncle wants to sell off her younger brother and sister. To hold them at bay, Philippa is determined to work at the palace to save her. However, on her first day, sword drawn, the prince threatens her if she were to betray him. Can Philippa save her brother and sister, or will she end up another victim of the Prince's?
Yoshiwara has been reborn in modern-day Tokyo.... In this new Yoshiwara, beloved actresses whose talents grace the screen by day spend their nights selling both their bodies and the idea of romance to their male clientele. Thrust into this world is the ingenue Asuka, who's been sold out by her foster parents to pay off their debts. While at first oblivious to the nature of Yoshiwara, she accidentally barges in on a "transaction" between a courtesan and her client. Confronted with her new reality of being bought and sold, she longs to make a break for it... but is there anyone around her she can trust...?!
*This volume compiles ch. 1-8 of "Worth a Billion: Modern-Day Courtesan"
Kanane Shinohara's been in plenty of relationships, but they've never panned out. Now, she's in her mid-30s and has become incapable of falling in love. As she drinks her sorrows away, she convinces herself that the reason she can't find a decent man lies within her. However, before Kanane has a chance to fully accept her "harsh reality," a handsome man named Shirosaki appears before her. Has she finally met her Prince Charming? Or is there something more to him?
Deep down, all Kanane wants is her own Cinderella story, but her experience tells her she's too old for fairytale romances. Using age as an excuse, she attempts to make a break for it and leave Shirosaki behind. However, he might not be so willing to let her escape his reach.
A day before my 40th birthday, it dawns to me that my most accomplished trait is that I've been working in the same office for 18 years. Struggling with an angry customer during an event for a new department, a charismatic salesman comes to the rescue; twelve years younger Kohei Nakajima. On the way home, tears fall as anxiety kicks in, realizing I had turned 40 years old. Suddenly out of nowhere, Kohei appears and confesses his love for me?! I had lost hope... At this age, is it too late to welcome spring into my life?
I got totally wasted at a party and ended up spewing my guts... and some hot guy saw me?! I ran away, thinking I'd never see him again, but we ran into each other on campus the next day! He may be good-looking, but he spilled the beans about me throwing up to his friend, and on top of that, he keeps calling me by my first name! He's seriously the worst! Despite all of that, my best friend Yuka is head over heels for him, and now she wants me to help hook her up! She even brought his friend into this mess... What will happen in this 4-way love affair...?
She's finally got her shot at a nice job at one of the biggest companies around... working as the CEO's girlfriend?! Asahi hasn't been able to find work but has been getting by on a delivery job while looking for a more permanent arrangement. When she gets into her next interview, she realizes that she's just walked into a less-than-favorable reunion. Taiga Kagura, managing director of the company, is heading the interview. Just a day ago Asahi accidentally ruined his suit while chasing down a taxi, and now he wants compensation... for her to be his girlfriend in an elaborate contract. 3 Months. Asahi doesn't like the sound of it, but what other opportunity will she have for her resume...?