In the spring of 1998, Kouichi Sakakibara transfers to Yomiyama North Middle School. In class, he develops a sense of unease as he notices that the people around him act like they're walking on eggshells, and students and teachers alike seem frightened. As a chain of horrific deaths begin to unfold around him, he comes to discover that he has been placed in the cursed Class 3 in which the student body head count is always one more than expected. Class 3 is haunted by a vengeful spirit responsible for gruesome deaths in an effort to satisfy its spite. To stop the vicious cycle gripping his new school, Kouichi decides to get to the bottom of the curse, but is he prepared for the horror that lies ahead...?
IT HAS BEEN THREE YEARS since the "calamity" of 1998 that claimed the lives of many students in Yomiyama North Middle's Class 3. After Sou Hiratsuka, an acquaintance of 1998 survivor Mei Misaki, discovers that he's being placed into the cursed class, he and his peers develop a series of countermeasures to avert a new tragedy. But when Sou's classmates and their family members begin dying in a series of horrific "accidents," he and Mei realize that the calamity has taken hold of their town once again. To stem the tides of death, the pair will be forced to reckon with Yomiyama's deepest mysteries...
Summer, 1998. Mei Misaki, age fifteen, has gone with her family to their seaside vacation home. There she meets the ghost of Teruya Sakaki, her classmate from Yomiyama North Middle School Class 3-3 who, like Mei, witnessed the mysterious events that had transpired at the school. There begins an adventure of memory and mystery as they search for the ghost's body and his memories alike.
Nick is a knowledgeable and skilled adventurer who always gave his party his best-that is, until he got framed and unceremoniously kicked out! He hits rock bottom when his girlfriend dumps him, but before long, he finds kindred spirits in a former noble lady, an excommunicated priest, and a dragonian warrior he meets at a bar. Having also lost faith in humanity after individual betrayals, these three share Nick's distrust in others. That isn't all they have in common, though-all four are in dire need of money. Thus begins the story of the world's greatest adventuring party!
TRUTH IS STRANGER THAN FICTION... Naoya Fukamachi is a university student whose ability to infallibly detect lies has left him friendless and isolated. When he writes a paper about a strange festival he wandered into as a child, though, he catches the fancy of his folklore studies professor, Akira Takatsuki, a handsome and eccentric man with a passion for all things mysterious. Soon, Naoya finds himself working as Akira's assistant, helping him interpret an array of unexplainable phenomena, from haunted objects and cursed effigies to urban legends. As this odd couple continues their investigations, however, Naoya realizes that his professor has had a few bizarre childhood experiences of his own...
DARKNESS LOOMS... Seven years before a certain boy sets foot in the Labyrinth City, chaos and uncertainty plague the hearts of each god, goddess, and adventurer across every familia. Though Lyu Leon spends her waking hours carrying out the will of the goddess Astrea, she is constantly searching for a brand of justice she can believe in. She may be able to rely on the rest of Astrea Familia to serve as her light in the darkness, but evil yet stirs deep within the shadows. A great conflict draws near, and should it arrive, all of Orario will be shaken to its foundations...!
A heroic and mighty adventurer dreams of...opening a pharmacy? Red was once a member of the Hero's party, a powerful group destined to save the world from the evil forces of Taraxon, the Raging Demon Lord. That is, until one of his comrades kicked him out. Hoping to live the easy life on the frontier, Red's new goal is to open an apothecary. However, keeping the secret of his former life may not be as simple as he thinks. Especially when the beautiful Rit, an adventurer from his past, shows up and asks to move in with him!
A BOOK'S LOVE FOR ITS READER IS BOUNDLESS...Musubu Enoki is an ordinary high schooler with an extraordinary ability-he can hear the voices of books. When he happens to notice one lost and crying, the young man sets out to reunite a children's classic with its original owner. Musubu leaves no page unturned in his quest to assist tomes of all sorts, including "The Surgery Room" by classic Japanese author Kyōka Izumi. But can this advocate for books really make their dreams come true...? Find out in this bibliomystery you won't want to put down!
For Tohko Amano, a third-year high school student and self-styled "book girl," being the head of the literary club is more than just an extracurricular activity. It's her bread and butter...literally! Tohko is actually a literature-gobbling demon, who can be found at all hours of the day munching on torn out pages from all kinds of books. But for Tohko, the real delicacies are hand-written stories. To satisfy her gourmet tastes, she's employed (rather, browbeaten) one Konoha Inoue, who scribbles away each day after school to satisfy Tohko's appetite. But when another student comes knocking on the literary club door for advice on writing love letters, will Tohko discover a new kind of delicacy?
For thousands of years, Japan has been protected by five clans wielding barrier-weaving magic. Born to a branch family of one such clan, eighteen-year-old Hana has always been stuck in the shadow of her more capable, beautiful, and popular twin sister. When a strong power awakens within Hana, she chooses to hide it so she can continue living a quiet life out of the spotlight. But that ideal lifestyle begins to slip out of reach when Saku Ichinomiya takes over as the new head of the Ichinomiya clan and sets out to find a bride strong enough to stand by his side. Eager to keep her abilities secret, Hana steers clear of Saku... but will she be tempted to sign a marriage contract if it guarantees the peaceful, quiet future of her dreams?
A JAPANESE FANTASY OF GODS AND CURSES... After dying in our world, Yae is reborn into a strange country called Izumo, which resembles ancient Japan, except for the fact that the supernatural is commonplace. When she is attacked by a terrifying monster called a shade, Yae has no choice but to release Arai, a golden tiger and former god, from his seal. In no time, the bossy tiger has her helping to find his brother, Sui, but it turns out that Sui has fallen ill and will soon become a monster himself. Arai, however, thinks Yae is just the person to heal his afflicted sibling... Does Yae really have what it takes to be doctor to a god?
HE'S DONE FIGHTING EVIL...NOW IT'S TIME TO MAKE FRIENDS! When the Hero Blade defeated the Overlord, he lost all his powers. For him, this should be a dream come true-he can finally experience life as a normal student. Unfortunately, as a veteran Hero at a school meant to train future Heroes, he has little chance of blending in. What's more, the students Blade meets there, like him, have a rather skewed view of what's "normal." He'll have to contend with the school's overbearing Empress and her icy glares, his own way-too-flashy attacks, and even an escaped dragon! Despite it all, can Blade manage to make friends and enjoy school life without exposing his true identity?
Always bring a gun to a sword fight! With world domination nearly in their grasp, the Supreme Leaders of the Kisaragi Corporation--an underground criminal group turned evil megacorp--have decided to try their hands at interstellar conquest. A quick dice roll nominates their chief operative, Combat Agent Six, to be the one to explore an alien planet...and the first thing he does when he gets there is change the sacred incantation for a holy ritual to the most embarrassing thing he can think of. But evil deeds are business as usual for Kisaragi operatives, so if Six wants a promotion and a raise, he'll have to work much harder than that! For starters, he'll have to do something about the other group of villains on the planet, who are calling themselves the "Demon Lord's Army" or whatever. After all, this world doesn't need two evil organizations!
After being reincarnated as the villainess of her favorite dating sim, Cecilia Sylvie realizes she's slated for an untimely demise no matter how the game's story unfolds. Convinced she can cheat death by assuming a new identity, she becomes Cecil Admina, the dashing son of a baron. Unfortunately, Cecilia adapts to the role a little too well-and ends up replacing her brother as one of the knights who protects the heroine! To top it all off, the prince betrothed to Cecilia is now catching feelings for her alter ego...?! This villainess will do whatever it takes to achieve a carefree life, but if her guise ever slips, it's Game Over!
A nameless undead awakens in an ancient crypt, and thus does the journey begin. Drawn mysteriously toward the horizon, he ventures into a land of perils beyond death. A once shining kingdom has been fractured, and mindless Hollows prowl the dark corners. To see it united and restored, the old king must be freed by his get-the youth Balarion. The undead and his companions, surviving champions of the halcyon era, accompany Balarion on this journey to release his father, battling foes both monstrous and clever. Yet it is not their enemies that give them doubt, it is their quest. Can a world so troubled truly be set right again, or is it fated to vanish into the dark?
Shidou Itsuka has a problem. The world has been racked by massive quakes of an unknown source for years now, though life goes on. Then one day, Shidou's calm life ends forever when in the middle of a quake in his city, he meets a girl who's apparently a spirit-and the cause of all the destruction! When a team arrives to eliminate the threat, Shidou becomes embroiled in a war to protect these spirits-by making them fall in love with him?!
FROM STRANGERS TO FAMILY When his father remarries, Yuuta Asamura winds up sharing a roof with a brand-new stepsister, who is also the hottest girl in his grade! But Yuuta and his new sister, Saki Ayase, have no delusions-they both carry trauma from their parents' difficult divorces, and they agree to keep a respectful distance. As it turns out, however, the two have a lot in common, and slowly, cautiously, they grow closer. But is the emotion blooming between them simple admiration, familial love, or something more?
Programmer Ichirou Suzuki is transported to another world. In a foreign land, he finds that life is an adventure that's sometimes fun, sometimes serious, and full of girls!
Ten years have passed since the Demon Lord Kranos declared war on mankind. As the situation grows desperate, the Ruxe Kingdom summons a hero from another world to stand against this threat. Assigned by the Church to join the hero's party, a battle-worn priest arrives to fulfill his obligations but is shocked to find that his companions are utterly inept! A mage who can only use fire magic, a swordswoman recently defected from her father's fighting school, and a hero obsessed with women?! With an average level totaling just 15, there's no way these novices are capable of taking down a demon lord! But a job's a job, so it's up to the man of God (who thankfully has power to spare) to support these buffoons from the shadows. With an extraordinary healer on their side, defeating their target will be a cinch! ...Hopefully.
Broke and recently homeless, fledgling wandmaker Ix leaves his isolated village in search of employment only to run into Yuui, a girl with a contract entitling her to a free wand repair from his late instructor. But when Ix decides to honor the guarantee and complete the job in his teacher's stead, he quickly realizes that this is no routine tune-up. Against all odds, Yuui's wand is powered by the heart of a mythical creature thought to have gone extinct over a thousand years ago-a dragon. To complete the restoration and put both their pasts to rest, the pair must now uncover the truth behind the dragons' disappearance from the world...
"Why do you need to forget him?" Tooru Naruse's life at university was mundane-until he met Izumi Wataya. Having fallen in love at first sight, he confesses his feelings for her, and she agrees to date him on one condition: He must promise never to fall in love with her. Thus, their pretend relationship begins-but Izumi cannot forget about her past love, and the attempt is short-lived. Hoping to learn who that person was and the reason behind her fleeting wistful expressions, Tooru reaches out to Izumi's best friend from high school, Maori Hino. However, maybe some things are best kept secret...
When Tooru Kamiya is pushed into falsely confessing his love to Maori Hino, she tells him she'll date him on three conditions. 1) Don't talk to her until after school. 2) Keep any communication between them concise. 3) Don't really fall in love. Unfortunately, he isn't able to keep the last rule-and when he tells her how he feels, she reveals that she has an illness that prevents her from remembering anything that happened the previous day, and that she uses a diary to keep track. But Tooru is determined to build a relationship with her, one day at a time...
Does a firework look different depending on the angle it's viewed from? Norimichi lives in a quiet seaside town. On the day of the big summer fireworks display, he agrees to visit the town lighthouse with his childhood friends so they can see the fireworks "from the side." That evening, however, Norimichi receives a sudden invitation to "elope" with Nazuna, the girl from class he has a secret crush on. The pair's plan fails when Nazuna's mother shows up and drags her daughter away. Hoping to get Nazuna back, Noromichi makes a wish: If only he could get one more try... A miraculous story of young love awaits at the end of a single day repeated.
WHAT WAITS FOR US BEYOND THE LIGHT'S REACH...? A collection of four spooky tales for the modern era, all tied to a certain Kyoto curio shop. A basket wriggles, a masked man lingers in the shadows, and things are offered, lost, and forgotten. What mysteries lie hidden in the city's winding streets? Tomihiko Morimi offers an eerie glimpse into the beguiling and mysterious darkness of the old capital.
A young priestess has formed her first adventuring party, but almost immediately they find themselves in distress. It's the Goblin Slayer who comes to their rescue--a man who's dedicated his life to the extermination of all goblins, by any means necessary. And when rumors of his feats begin to circulate, there's no telling who might come calling next...
Not so very long ago, the Death began stalking the continent. The King of Time issued aproclamation: "Find the source of this Death and seal it away."The source: the Dungeon of the Dead. A fortress city that arose at the mouth of thedungeon serves adventurers who seek companions, challenge the dungeon, battle, find loot... and sometimes die. You are an adventurer who has come to the fortress city in hopes of reaching the dungeon's lower- most depths-but can you and your party conquer the untold evils that lurk beneath the surface?
THE DIE IS CAST. After his sister is brutally murdered during a goblin raid, a young boy swears vengeance upon the creatures who killed not only her but also the rest of his village. Five years later and now a novice adventurer, he is by chance reunited with his childhood friend, another survivor of the massacre. Despite his inexperience, crude battle gear, and low rank, the boy sets off alone on a mission to defeat a nest full of goblins-thus begins the origin story of how he came to be known as Goblin Slayer!
Let the games begin! In their (overabundance of) free time, the gods grew bored and decided to create challenging battles of wits to spice things up! Their opponent? Humanity! A select few players called "apostles" meet the gods on the spiritual realm's playing field to beat the deities at their own games. A former god named Leshea has woken after sleeping for thousands of years, and her first demand is to meet "this era's very best player!" She is introduced to Fay, an acclaimed rookie apostle. Together, they plan to challenge the gods and win the ultimate prize, but no one in human history has managed to clear ten games-because the gods can be capricious, outrageous, and sometimes downright incomprehensible! In the face of absurdity, what can the apostles do but enjoy the contest to its fullest?
FROM HERO TO ZERO? Roland is the world's greatest assassin. With a seemingly worthless skill, he managed to kill the most powerful demon lord that's ever lived. He could easily spend the rest of his days as a wealthy and famous man. Such extravagance doesn't appeal much to Roland, however. He wants nothing more than an exceedingly normal life working at the Adventurers Guild, but such a unremarkable existence may not come effortlessly to someone so exceptional...
I'm going to make this school my harem! When a cute girl asks Issei out, he believes his twisted fantasies are finally coming true. Too bad the girl sprouts a pair of black wings and stabs him with a spear on their first date! Saved by his school's number one beauty, Rias Gremory, Issei is transformed into a demon and made her servant. Issei hopes to rise through the ranks of demonkind to grow powerful enough to create his harem, but in a city with fallen angels and insane priests, he'll be lucky if he can live long enough to do it!
Accused of a crime he didn't commit, Kyosuke Kamiya is sent to Purgatorium Rehabilitation Academy. Suddenly, he's surrounded by a variety of fetching lasses--each one a murderer! Worse, he's famous for being the "Dozen Demon," a killer responsible for twelve deaths! When the busty, gas mask-wearing beauty Renko Hikawa approaches him, the difference between death and desire becomes very narrow indeed. How is Kyosuke gonna graduate alive?
Out of sight, out of mind! Bunny girls do not live in libraries. This is simply common sense. And yet, that's exactly where Sakuta finds one in the wild. More bewildering is who the bunny girl is: Mai Sakurajima, a girl one year older than Sakuta, famous at their school for her acting career even though she's currently on break. To top it all off, it seems like no one else in the library can see Mai at all, no matter what she does or...wears. Wanting to find out more about this mystery and maybe get a little closer to this beautiful upperclassman in the process, Sakuta launches an investigation to discover why an unforgettable bunny girl keeps becoming totally invisible.
STARTING FROM ZERO AGAIN!A curious visitor has arrived at Roswaal Manor, bringing with her fantastic tales of heroes and faraway places-and also a spot of trouble. Meanwhile, Rem works very hard around the manor. Perhaps too hard. So for at least one day, everyone agrees to chip in to give her a break that she, naturally, has no idea how to spend. Al, on the other hand, would prefer to work as little as possible. Unfortunately, his master Priscilla's husband has been weaving a web of intrigue, and Al will have to decide how he wants to navigate the shadows of his new home.
After dying in a traffic accident, I find myself standing near an unfamiliar lake. My body won't move, I can't hear my voice, and when I try to shout in confusion, words that I never expected come out!
"Get one free with a winner."
I-it seems I've turned into a vending machine...! I can only do what actual vending machines can. It's impossible to move by myself, and there's no way for me to have any meaningful conversation-how am I going to survive some fantasy world's dungeon like this?!
FROM A CLASH OF SWORDS, AN UNSHAKABLE BONDSpringtime at Kimberly Magic Academy brings a new batch of first-year students, all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as they begin their journey to become full-fledged mages. Among these newcomers are Oliver Horn, a studious boy equally skilled with the wand and the blade, and Nanao Hibiya, a strong-willed samurai girl from the distant nation of Yamatsu. The wheels of fate bring these two souls together at Kimberly, where they become both comrades and rivals in equal measure. However, lurking within the academy's halls are countless dangers and dark secrets guaranteed to threaten not only their friendship-but their very lives...
Seven heroes gather to save the world--but the legends spoke of only six.
Long ago, the Evil God was sealed at the edge of the continent, where it lies in slumber. Each time it awakens, it threatens to plunge the world into hell, and each time, six powerful warriors are chosen to seal it away again. But now, as the cycle begins anew, the Crest of the Six Flowers marks not six Braves...but seven. Hans, the mysterious assassin for hire. Mora, the elder of the All Heavens Temple. Chamo, the young but deadly Saint of Swamps. Nashetania, the princess, and Goldof, the knight yearning to win her heart. Fremy, the girl with a dark past. And Adlet, the boy with a dream. When the Braves of the Six Flowers realize one of their number is an impostor, hero will turn on hero in this exciting new series!
A MUSHROOM TRIP LIKE NO OTHER In the days that followed the end of the world, few could have predicted the Rust Wind, a phenomenon that swept across Japan like a plague, choking the life from the land and its people and corroding flesh into brittle, iron sand. No one knows how the Rust began, but one mushroom-wielding renegade known as Bisco Akaboshi, the Man-Eating Redcap, is determined to bring about its end. He's the latest in a long line of Mushroom Keepers, and together with the dashing young doctor Milo Nekoyanagi, the two will brave the horrors and wonders of the Iron Desert in search of the Rust-Eater: a mythical mushroom rumored to have the ability to cure the ailment once and for all.
What were Hirano and Sasaki like as first-years? How did Kuresawa become so dedicated to his mysterious, BL-loving girlfriend? And what's going to happen between Kagiura and Hirano on Pocky Day?! Find out in this collection of stories that reveals how Miyano and Hirano became friends, what the upperclassmen were like when they started high school, and a behind-the-scenes look at their circle of friends. See how the story unfolds from new perspectives, and get more details about what goes on in these beloved characters' lives.
THE SHIEST WITCH YOU'LL EVER MEET! Monica Everett, the Silent Witch, is the only mage in the world who can use unchanted magecraft, a true hero who singlehandedly defeated a legendary black dragon. However, this young genius is actually...super-duper shy! That's right: She learned to cast spells silently just to avoid speaking in public, and despite her power, she has zero self-confidence. Now Monica has been tasked with secretly guarding the second prince. Can she keep it together as she faces both the evil forces targeting the prince and the terrors of social interaction?