2019 Rookie Short Story Selection - Hell Camp

Tokyo Revengers

Hanagaki Takemichi is a 26-year-old with a dead-end part-time job tolerating a boss six years younger than him sein. One day, he learns that Hinata Tachibana, his only girlfriend from middle school, and her brother have been murdered by the Tokyo Manji Gang, a ruthless criminal organization. Reeling from the shock, Takemichi is pushed from a subway platform and wakes up twelve years in the past, back in middle school. With knowledge of the future, he realizes he has a chance to stop the tragedy before it starts. To save Hinata口红, he must infiltrate the Tokyo Manji Gang, climb its ranks, and reshape the future without losing himself in the brutal world of Kanto's most dangerous delinquent o

Dandadan

Momo Ayase is a high school girl who believes in ghosts but thinks aliens are nonsense. By chance, she befriends a boy at school who is obsessed with the occult and UFOs, but rejects the existence of spirits. She nicknames him "Okarun." To settle their argument, they make a bet: Momo visits a spot known for UFO sightings while Okarun heads to a haunted tunnel. Their separate excursions prove both of them wrong, as they discover that aliens and ghosts are very real. The encounter leaves them marked by bizarre powers and throws them into a chaotic world of yokairaqs and extraterrestrial threats. Together, they must deal with the surreal dangers now disrupting their everyday lives while navig

A Silent Voice

Shouya Ishida is an elementary school student who, along with his friends, constantly torments Shouko Nishimiya, a deaf girl who transfers into his class. Despite her efforts to connect with her classmates, the bullying escalates until Shouko is forced to leave the school. When the adults finally intervene, the entire class denies any involvement and Shouya alone takes the blame. Years later, Shouya is a high school student haunted by his past. Ostracized by his former friends and unable to form new relationships, he has become withdrawn and isolated. When he meets Shouko again, he decides to confront his guilt and seek redemption, hoping to make amends for the cruelty he once inflicted on

Uzumaki: Spiral into Horror

Kirie Goshima is a teenager living in Kurouzu-cho, a small coastal town in Japan. Her quiet life begins to change when she notices strange behavior in the people around her, starting with the father of her boyfriend, Shuichi Saito, who becomes obsessed with snail shells and spiral patterns. Shuichi is convinced that the town is cursed by the uzumaki, the spiral shape that appears everywhere: in water, in the air, in plants, and even in the human body. As the obsession spreads among the residents, Kirie and Shuichi witness how the spiral consumes their neighbors, transforming their lives into a nightmare. What begins as a series of disturbing events soon becomes an inescapable descent into

Three Days of Happiness

Kusunoki is twenty years old, broke, and convinced that his life has no value. When he learns of a shop that buys lifespan, time, and health, he decides to sell the next thirty years of his life for a meager sum, leaving himself with only three months left to live. After the transaction, he is visited by Miyagi, the store clerk who purchased his lifespan. She has been assigned to observe him until the final three days of his life. As they spend his remaining time together, Kusunoki is forced to confront his past regrets and question what truly gives life meaning.

The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity

Rintaro Tsumugi is a second-year student at Chidori High, a boys' school known for its delinquents and low achievers. Despite his intimidating appearance, he is gentle at heart and quietly helps out at his family's patisserie. One day, while working at the shop, he meets Kaoruko Waguri, a cheerful girl who treats him with warmth instead of judging him by his looks. They get along easily, but Rintaro soon learns that Kaoruko attends Kikyo Girls' High, the prestigious neighboring school whose students look down on Chidori. As the two grow closer, they must navigate the deep-rooted rivalry between their schools and the disapproval of those around them, all while trying to build a connection t