"I'm going to uncover the mystery of the 'Blade Children.'"
World-class detective Kiyotaka Narumi's last words prior to his sudden disappearance continue to haunt his younger brother, Ayumu. The cheeky 10th-grader becomes further embroiled in the mystery when he is mistaken for the prime suspect in a murder at his school. Led by Ayumu's sister-in-law, Kiyotaka's wife and fellow detective, Madoka, the investigation into the murder gives Ayumu a chance to clear his name. But in doing so, he not only uncovers ties to the Blade Children but also more questions than answers about who and what they are.
Neneko Iizuna is a shy girl with a secret: cat ears. Embarrassed over her feline appearance, Neneko's retreated from the world. But when she receives a letter asking her to become the miko of an infirmary, she finds herself taking on the unexpected challenge of exorcism! Is this young cat girl up to the task of taking on the spirits, can she get along with her new co-workers? And how exactly does she feel about being chained up by a leash? It's an opportunity for new "bonds" to form!
A GARDEN OF FLOWERS READY TO BLOOM In a world torn apart by war and ruled by intelligence, Lily-code name Flower Garden-is determined to become a master spy and help bring peace to the nation. So, when she's offered to join an elite squad that takes on Impossible Missions with 90 percent mortality rates, she's ecstatic...until she finds out that said "elite squad" is made up entirely of spy academy washouts, like her. But each and every one of them has the potential to change the world, and under the tutelage of master spy Klaus, it's time for them to bloom!
Kojou Akatsuki lives on the artificial island of Itogami, and he has a secret: He's the "Fourth Primogenitor," the most powerful vampire in the world. He's carefully kept this dark knowledge from his family and friends, but one day, a beautiful girl named Yukina Himeragi appears before him and tells him that she knows who he really is--and that she's been sent to...kill him?!
Momoko is the only child of the Kuzuryuu clan, a powerful martial arts family with inhuman strength. But strong as she is, her father fears a woman will never be able to master the skills of the family. Unless Momoko marries and bears a capable heir, the Kuzuryuu line is doomed to weaken and die off! With this mission in mind, Momoko is sent to the rival Inuzuka clan, where she is to marry the son of their mighty leader. But Koushi Inuzuka abandoned the martial arts long ago. Now committed to his legal studies, the last thing Koushi has on his mind is marriage-especially not to the world's strongest bride!
The "Roman Club," a school group interested in the occult, to which he's practically enslaved, has become boring for one Hideo Aiba. In fact, he finds his entire existence pretty tiresome until, one day, when a girl named Kurumi Sahana shows up and wants to join up. When the two are left alone in the club classroom, Kurumi makes a special "request" of Hideo, which makes him (understandably) freak out. Though he doesn't know what to think, one thing's for sure, Hideo's life just became anything but boring.
Accepted to a high school specializing in the arts, Yuno moves into a nearby apartment complex to make her commute easier. Just a few days into her new routine, she quickly discovers that creativity doesn't end with the art school bell! Her neighbors - Sae, Hiro, and Miya -are all fellow students, and each has her own hilarious quirks. And eccentricity clearly rules this school; Yuno's homeroom teach is a cosplay otaku and the principal is just...weird. Will the quiet Yuno be able to handle this creatively kooky cast of characters?
Kaede Takamura's teenage life swerves to the brink of insanity when she comes face to face with her twin...or does she? Suzu is practically the mirror-image of Kaede - except for having cat ears and a tail and being far more well-endowed than Kaede thinks any teenager ought to be. But the Takamuras have no qualms about bringing this strange, happy-go-lucky catgirl into their home. With Suzu completely ignorant of the ways of modern society, it's going to be a very long year for poor Kaede.
The goddess Urd is in danger, and only Kirito and his friends can save her! The evil frost giants have invaded her homeland of Jotunheim, bringing death and destruction in their wake. The linchpin of it all is the frost giant king's sword-the legendary weapon Excalibur! If Kirito's crew can make it to the end of the dungeon and pull the sword from the stone, peace will be brought to the land once more!
Kirito, having explored the latest beta test, has a pretty good idea of what to expect from the newest SAO launch. With Asuna along, the pair hope to experience the official playthrough together, but there's something about the release that's a little different from before...Certain unexpected tweaks from the previous version have Kirito and Asuna tackling a flood of puzzles anew!
Asuna and Kirito have made it to Aincrad's sixth floor, where in the town of Stachion they find something very odd-puzzles everywhere they look. New mysteries and complex riddles await, many of which can't be solved with a sword...Fighting against the odds, the two will have to put their heads together if they want to make it out alive. But as they focus their attention on confronting the challenges ahead, will they be ready for the sinister forces that lie in wait?
Yuuki Asuna was a top student who spent her days studying at cram school and preparing for her high school entrance exams--but that was before she borrowed her brother's virtual reality game system and wound up trapped in Sword Art Online with ten thousand other frightened players. As time passes, Asuna fears what will become of her life outside the fantasy realm--the failure she might be seen as in the eyes of her peers and parents. Unwilling to wait on the sidelines for more experienced gamers to beat the game, Asuna employs her study habits to learn the mechanics of the game--and swordplay. Her swiftness impresses Kirito, a professional gamer who invites Asuna to join the best players on the front line. Is Asuna ready to swap class rankings for player rankings and join Kirito?
Nearly two months have passed since Kirito and Asuna found themselves trapped in the world of Aincrad. Kirito's experience with the beta version of the game has put him far ahead of the curve, but it has also attracted the attention of some dangerous players...For Asuna, his competence has been a god send in this harsh world, yet she can't help but feel like her overreliance on Kirito's skills is becoming an obstacleto their growing relationship. Even so, they'll have towork together to make it through the ancient ruins ofthe fifth floor, where all sorts of undead monsters-and player-killers-lurk in the shadows!
In the year 2022, gamers rejoice as Sword Art Online - a VRMMORPG (Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) like no other - debuts, allowing players to take full advantage of the ultimate in gaming technology: NerveGear, a system that allows users to completely immerse themselves in a wholly realistic gaming experience. But when the game goes live, the elation of the players quickly turns to horror as they discover that, for all its amazing features, SAO is missing one of the most basic functions of any MMORPG - a log-out button. Now trapped in the virtual world of Aincrad, their bodies held captive by NerveGear in the real world, users are issued a chilling ultimatum: conquer all one hundred floors of Aincrad to regain your freedom. But in the warped world of SAO, "Game Over" means certain death - both virtual and real...
Karen Kohiruimaki always felt out of place in the real world. Due to her extreme height, she found it hard to make friends with other girls her age. Everything changes when she's introduced to VR and Gun Gale Online. In GGO, Karen is free to play the cute, chibi avatar of her dreams! Can Karen find friendship in this bullet-ridden MMO...?
Kazuto Kirigaya (aka Kirito) has beaten Sword Art Online, a VRMMORPG that transformed into a literal game of death, and returned to the real world. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for Asuna Yuuki (aka Asuna the Flash), the girl with whom Kirito fell in love in the virtual world of Aincrad but who has yet to awaken from her game-induced slumber. As his sister, Suguha, sadly looks on, Kazuto continues to visit Asuna in the hospital in the hope of finding answers. But when one day he meets a man claiming to be Asuna's fiance, Kazuto fears that Asuna may be lost to him forever... That is until a fellow survivor of SAO taken form the latest VRMMORPG sensation, ALfheim Online - a screenshot that features someone being held captive who looks entirely too much like Asuna! His hope renewed, Kirito dives headlong into an all-new virtual adventure, but can true love conquer the game?!
The virtual world of ALfheim Online might not be literally deadly, but there's still plenty of tough adventuring to be had. The trio of Liz, Silica, and Leafa set out on a quest for a magical ring but immediately run into monsters tougher than they expected. A certain black-clothed swordsman comes to their rescue--but it's not Kirito?! It seems the "game of death" has had lingering emotional effects on everyone, and even the survivors bear scars. But the trio have gotten through tough times before, and they're not gonna let a buffed boss stand between them and their goal! Even if they succeed in finishing the quest, though, will they be able to heal the mysterious sword-wielder's broken heart...? Join Liz, Silica, and Leafa on a new adventure that's all their own!
A few months after escaping from Sword Art Online, Kirito is ready to dive into a brand-new VRMMO--Sword Art: Origin. This game promises to have all of the base features from Aincrad without any of the bad. When Kirito meets a mysterious girl in need of his help, that theory will be put to the test...
Kirito and Sinon's battle with Death Gun is over, but mere weeks later, something strange is afoot in the next-generation VRMMO ALfheim Online. A new duelist with a custom sword skill is defeating all comers--including Kirito! But when Asuna goes to face this duelist, she receives something she never expected: an invitation to an exclusive guild! But what is their aim? The Mother's Rosario arc begins!
A year after Kazuto and Asuna escaped from Aincrad, the deadly setting of Sword Art Online, they're still coping with the aftermath as they try to recover from the harrowing experience. Meanwhile, there's a new VRMMO game sweeping the world's gamers--Gun Gale Online. When a mysterious player who calls himself "Death Gun" claims to be responsible for real-world deaths, Kazuto (aka Kirito) is recruited to enter the game to investigate, bringing an end to his hard-won peace!
"This might be a game, but it's not something you play." - Akihiko Kayaba, Sword Art Online programmer With no memory of how he got there, Kirito wakes up in a mysterious virtual world, and it's up to him to find a way back home. But with no way to log out and no idea what kind of land he's found himself in, he's going to need allies! As a new tale unfolds, Kirito's journey through the Underworld begins!
By all accounts, middle schooler Seigi is pretty unremarkable except for his martial arts prowess and a desire to protect the weak. But when his good intentions are put to the test by saving an old homeless man from some street thugs, the mysterious man shows his gratitude by...burning a tattoo onto Seigi's palm?! It turns out, the tattoo is a powerful secret weapon that everyone--including a formidable girl with a tattoo of her own--is after. With his life on the line and his martial arts skills alone no match against super-powered foes, will Seigi be able to unlock the latent potential of his tattoo and live to fight another day?!
Based on the short story by Hugo Award-winning author Cixin Liu!
One mysterious day, over twenty thousand otherworldly spaceships settle into stable orbit around Earth. Six months later, in a certain Asian village, a young girl named Zhihan discovers an old man who fell from the sky...but the strangeness doesn't end there. Soon, many more elderly drifters in peculiar outfits begin descending all over the world, claiming they created human civilization. Now it's humanity's turn to take care of their Progenitors-but as Zhihan will soon learn, accepting God into your home isn't such a simple matter...
Purple-eyed Adarte, blue-eyed Adolte. One enveloped in light-the graceful son-and one shrouded in darkness-the prisoner. Even as their souls are drawn together, destiny would tear them apart. Elsewhere in the kingdom, a heroic king is served by an enigmatic aide from a faraway land. His path has torn him from his dearest kin and placed him in the halls of power-to what end...?
The first of Asumiko Nakamura's beautifully wrought tales set in a fantastic kingdom of intrigue and heartache...
Middle schooler Nishikata has had it with his classmate Takagi--the chronic teaser who sits nearby. Day in and day out, she comes after him with every sort of trick or prank. Even when he tries to get her back, she's always one step ahead. But rest assured, it's only the beginning. He's not about to give up that easily in this battle of cunning and youth!
With all its innovations, the kingdom of Tempest—founded by the demon lord Rimuru—is a veritable paradise for travelers such as Framea, the rabbitfolk chief's daughter. Framea has always had a nose for adventure, an inquisitive mind, and a knack for discovering and identifying the latest and greatest the world has to offer! Her notepad is open at all times, ready for any three-star delights she may encounter, so when Rimuru himself gives Framea a mission to catalog the area's attractions, she'll have her work cut out for her—and tons of stars to hand out!
After surviving a terrorist incident as a child, Shingo Shimazaki was forced to join the League for Economic Liberations' revolutionary army. Now, thirty years later, he's back in Japan and trying to assimilate to a normal life. His Japanese may be awkward, and his grasp of ordinary tasks a little weak, but he has all the combat and surveillance training of a green beret. There are many kindhearted souls who want to help him-and a few not so kind ones who will do anything to stop him.
Full Color Comic, with an Anime in the making! Takemura, an antisocial former office worker, has his life changed in an instant when the world suddenly becomes infested with zombies. Somehow, he's the only one that doesn't get attacked by them. "Helping others? Forget it. I'm going to live in this world freely." In this apocalyptic world, Takemura has gained immense power. Living while hiding the fact that zombies won't attack him, is he a hero or something else entirely...?
"With my legs, I'll do anything you want...?" Torasuke suddenly meets a girl with the perfect legs, but her true form is... a mermaid?! With zero experience in love, Torasuke is obsessed with legs. One day, he matches with Karen, who has his ideal muscular legs. They even hit it off right away! However, when they meet, he discovers her lower half is a fin! When nervous or excited, she transforms back into her mermaid form. To maintain her human appearance, Karen needs to get used to being around guys. Dreaming of those amazing legs, Torasuke and Karen begin to live together?!
Deep down inside, high school student Shun Takahata craves for some excitement in his boring life...but his teacher's head randomly exploding isn't exactly what he had in mind. And when some of his classmates suddenly suffer the same fate, he begins to realize he's been thrust into a series of deadly supernatural children's games. Shun and fellow survivors are completely in the dark, not knowing who's responsible, why it's happening, or when it will end. To have any hope of unraveling the mystery behind the gruesome games, they'll first have to outlast the games...and each other.
As a cat-that noblest of animals-the Count has high expectations for his human servants. Unfortunately for him, the Fujiwara sisters are about as dysfunctional as it gets! Shizuka is an extreme shut-in whose only contact with the outside world is her livestream. Yumeko, meanwhile, has a rather...extreme love-hate relationship with her big sis. Can Count Fujiwara handle these perplexing creatures, or will his meows fall on deaf ears?
Demon prince Koujirou Sakura comes to Earth, enrolling in high school, on a mission to find the human who will threaten the future of the demon realm...and steal their souls! But with no clue as to this human's identity, Koujirou is at a loss. To make matters worse, the boys' dorm at his new school is full, and he's forced to live off campus with a girl! Oh, the humanity...!
Kanade Sora has never been to a music festival before. But when her friend Otoha lures her along with the promise that her favorite band will be playing, she finds herself having more fun than she ever imagined. And if one small show is enough to hook her, what might a huge overnight event at a major venue be like? As Kanade dives into a whole new world of rocking out, will her life ever be the same?!
Ever since she was little, Mashiro has been able to see ghosts-of people, of animals, and of some strange creatures that don't seem to be either. For years, she's pretended not to see the eerie sights around her, but then a chance encounter plunges Mashiro into the world of the inhuman Nomans. An accidental kiss leaves Mashiro partnered with Bazu, a human-hating crow lady, as she joins the Boundary Preservation Society to help the dead that walk the earth move on...
Suzuki is a programmer in the midst of a death march-crunch time, when coders live on caffeine and pull twenty-hour days. He just needs a little nap...but then he has a dream. A dream where he's in another world, with RPG powers right out of his game. A dream where he calls down a great disaster. A dream that, suspiciously, just won't end...
Calling upon his former governess, William Jones, gentleman, is startled when his knock is answered by an uncommonly beautiful servant, the soft-spoken Emma. Throughout his visit, William's eyes drift to the maid whenever she enters the room, and he contrives to meet Emma socially as she goes about her errands. But London society is a web of strict codes and divisions. For the son of a wealthy merchant, seeking out a working-class girl is simply not done! William's father plans for his son to marry into the peerage and elevate the Jones family to greater heights, but although William says and does what is expected of him, he longs only for Emma's company...
Angels and demons aren't known for getting along, but their shared enthusiasm for designer labels and luxury items has drawn angel Eniale and demon Dewiela into a tempestuous friendship...which has a tendency to dissolve into conflict. With the powers of Heaven and Hell behind them, even a minor fashion disaster can have near-apocalyptic consequences for the people of Earth!
Twenty-nine-year-old Satoru Fujinuma is floundering through life. Amid his daily drudgery, he finds himself in the grip of an incredible, inexplicable, and uncontrollable phenomenon that rewinds time, a condition that seems to only make his drab life worse. But then, one day, everything changes. A terrible incident forever changes Satoru's life as he knows it...and with it, comes a "Revival" that sends Satoru eighteen years into the past!
In the body of his boyhood self, Satoru encounters sights he never imagined he would see again--the smile of his mother, alive and well, his old friends, and Kayo Hinazuki, the girl who was kidnapped and murdered when he was a boy the first time around. To return to the present and prevent the tragedy that brought him back to his childhood in the first place, Satoru begins plotting a way to change Hinazuki's fate...But up against the clock and a faceless evil, does eleven-year-old Satoru even stand a chance?
Yuugo Chayama is an unemployed high-school dropout renting a dirt-cheap apartment in a building nicknamed the "Loser Lodge." Everything is communal in this rickety seventy-year-old abode, from the bathrooms to the kitchen, but at least the rent is a mere five thousand yen! But then, one day, an angel named Hamuel descends with the heavens, having been given the hopeless mission of turning Yuugo's life around...! From the author of Heaven's Lost Property and Plunderer comes an all-new cohabitation comedy with a no-good cast!
Nio Nakatani, known for her delicate and heartwarming portrayal of girls' love, presents a marvelous collection of short stories that span her whole career. With works including her striking debut title Farewell to My Alter, enthralling tales from the Éclair anthologies, and a hauntingly captivating piece penned exclusively for this volume, Nakatani explores the deeper nuances of loss, identity, and matters of the heart.