Eighteenth-century France--the eve of a revolution. At the court of Versailles was a certain dressmaker who enjoyed even greater influence than the nobility, despite her commoner roots. This woman's name was Rose Bertin. Favored by the tragic queen Marie-Antoinette, she was then swallowed up by the tides of revolution. This is the story of the bold, pioneering woman credited as the mother of fashion design.
Saki Edajima, 18 years old - Determined to make her own way in life, she resolves to leave home and move to Tokyo despite the naysaying from everyone around her. Saki managed to get hired at an animation studio thanks to her skill at drawing, but all her new coworkers are so grown-up and capable that she's really feeling the pressure as she works alongside them day and night. It takes tenacity to give it your all in work and in love. This is the story of one reckless girl racing full-speed toward her dreams!
Meiko has the perfect life. Kentaro is the perfect husband. He supports the family with his high-salary job at the bank, helps around the house, and is the perfect father to their son, Kota. On his days off, he even volunteers at their son's daycare. Little does she know that he is having an affair with none other than one of Kota's daycare workers. Devastated, how will Meiko handle this affair?
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?
Jun (35) and Takeyori Sumisu (39) have been married for 8 years with no children. Since Jun quit her full-time job, she's more or less become a housewife, spending her days quietly. But when she realizes that 5 years have gone by since the couple last had sex, frustration begins to surface. "It's not like we don't get along... I just miss the way things used to be when we had first started going out." With her newfound motivation, she's determined to make a change, and begins job hunting again. However, when spring arrives and her new job begins, new encounters and experiences abound for both Jun and her husband.
"I'm living on the green side of the grass." Successful career woman Sono never let envy drag her down. She had everything she ever wanted, and she'd gotten it all through her own hard work. On top of her growing list of accomplishments at work, her relationship with her boss (and live-in boyfriend) Taiya was going great, with a proposal right on the horizon...until one unexpected twist brought her whole perfect life tumbling down around her. Heartbroken and needing an escape, Sono moved to a run-down little apartment, only to realize it had a secret hole in the wall that looked straight into the neighboring apartment. When she sees what the neighbor is getting up to, she can't seem to look away, and as the days pass she finds herself more and more obsessed with peeking in on her neighbor... A mature love story about a career woman intent on being "strong and independent," the mysterious boy next door, and their slowly intertwining lives.
"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?!
Rino is a 34-year-old housewife married to her kind husband, Takumi. She basically has a picture-perfect marriage. However, one night, the topic of having kids is brought up again by Takumi. Rino has a secret that's holding her back from getting pregnant... In the past, she left her infant daughter at an orphanage's doorstep. Her mother-in-law is laying on the pressure to have a baby, and Takumi is irritated with her. Not only that, Takumi goes drinking with the new part-timer, Hina...
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"
Ichigo Kaida is in his first year of college. It's raining heavily and he's biking home along the Kamogawa river after a couple of particularly grueling shifts at his part time job. That's when, out of the blue, he finds an abandoned dog. Whoever left the dog also left a letter, which relays two facts: 1. The dog, though truly and genuinely a dog, loves to eat bread. 2. The dog's name is Koppe Roll. Ichigo feels for Koppe and decides to take care of him, regardless of the struggle... but what will Ichigo do when the little dog simply refuses to touch the food that Ichigo puts out for him...?!
"Do I really have to work here from now on...?" Maya Blanche was born the daughter of nobility, but the family's wealth is in ruins due to her father's loan. The only place she could find immediate work as a noblewoman was the most fearsome house in all the land, the San-Chevalier House. There are rumors of servants of the house going missing... as pain and fear comes over Maya, she suddenly feels a strong head pain and all her memories come flooding back to her. "In my previous life... I was a high school student!" Maya was reincarnated into the world of one of her favorite fantasy novels after an accident on her way home from her maid cafe job! She now remembers the head of the house, Etel San-Chevalier, is actually an assassin...! Now begins the story of an isekai love fantasy of excitement and wonder, avoding the death flags at all costs!
"Is it wrong for a mother to seek fulfillment as a woman, as well?" Miki Nagase (39) lives in relative happiness with her husband Toru (41) and daughter Michiru (13). And yet, she carries a deep sense of emptiness within her heart; her relationship with her husband has devolved into that of a roommate, leaving her feeling undesired as a woman and as if she is only defined by her role as a "mom." Unable to hold it in any longer, she confides in her drinking buddy, Sae Ikejiri (45). Her friend understands the struggle of being unable to share her feelings out loud and suggests she try using an escort service. Miki is thunderstruck by the suggestion but is in for an even bigger surprise after a handsome escort suddenly appears...?!
Diana, daughter of the notorious Count Cresta, unwillingly enters the Palace Harem as "Lady Crimson Rose," the primary candidate for the queen consort. But, due to her "villainous face" and beauty that is said to be able to manipulate the hearts of men, she is hated by the King, caught in power struggles between concubines, and misunderstood in every way! "I wish I could meet someone who sees me, not for my appearance, but for who I truly am!" The chronicles of a "villainous-looking" young lady's struggles in the Palace Harem and how she finds her own way to persevere... no matter what!
"Everyone should just be 'saba saba' like me!" Nami Amihama (age 28) works in the editorial department for a women's fashion magazine. Nami constantly uses being saba saba (aka blunt) as an excuse for her biased assertions and has been ostracized by her coworkers because of it. One day, when Nami was being her usual arrogant self, she is confronted by her antithesis, Mai Honda (age 26). Mai is beautiful and feminine, and Nami can't hide her irritation. The battle between the self-proclaimed saba saba woman vs. the true saba saba woman begins!
"Who... are you?"" Risa's beloved fiance, Aya, got into an accident and lost his memories of her. She thought she would have to go on by herself, but Aya's actually been the one comforting her... Risa's already had enough on her plate, but now her coworkers and Aya's ex are up to something as well! But even with all that, Aya still treasures their time together from the bit of fragmented memories he has. Now Risa is ready to return the love and make memories with Aya again, regardless of who tries to stand in their way."
Mei is a beautiful baby girl... but she thinks in a Southern accent...?! Yuka and Masato are brand-new first-time parents, and it shows! They have a lot to tackle as they learn how to raise Mei. It's a heartwarming story about the joys and challenges of parenting. Follow Mei, Yuka, and Masato as they experience life lessons in childbirth, breastfeeding, outings, baby socializing, weaning, and much more!
The daughter to a family that owns a development company, Ruka Kosaka, is reunited with her childhood friend, Mikage Mizuki, after 13 years... for an arranged marriage. The two know they are getting into a loveless marriage, but if just something can help start their relationship off on the right foot... or so Ruka thought, but Mizuki seems to be distant and uninterested in anything. Looks like it's not worth getting hopes up. However, the first chance Ruka gets to look deeply into Mizuki's eyes, it seems like there's far more feeling, passion even, than what she's been led to believe.
Miwa Iida has lived her life with full confidence in two things- cute looks and a good facade. As a new hire right out of university, she's now on the hunt to dig up information on people and have some more fun in this new chapter of her life. However, it looks like the real world won't let that happen so easily. Now Miwa's on a mission to push her work aside, and make some plans after some difficult people get in the way...!