Ah-Gae-Sa

The Works of Ichikawa Haruko

This collection brings together the early short stories of Haruko Ichikawa. Across two volumes, characters navigate surreal and intimate realities: a boy discovers his uncle has a mysterious 'daughter,' a youth awakens in a strange land guided by an ethereal companion, and an injured athlete finds solace with a robotic sibling. Other tales delve into quiet mysteries, from a marine biologist's reunion with her brother that masks a deeper scientific pursuit, to a delinquent's encounter with a peculiar transfer student at a college on a moon of Saturn. Each story explores themes of isolation, connection, and the subtle, often supernatural, boundaries of the human experience.

The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya

One week before Christmas Eve, Kyon, the only ordinary member of the SOS Brigade, wakes up to a world where everything has changed. Haruhi Suzumi attends a different school, Yuki Nagato is a quiet human bookworm instead of an alien interface, and Mikuru Asahina has no memory of him. The SOS Brigade, and all the extraordinary adventures it brought, seems to have never existed. With only a cryptic bookmark left by the robotic Nagato as a clue, Kyon is thrust into a solitary quest to understand this new reality and find a way back. His investigation leads him to revisit a pivotal past event, forcing him to confront what his world—and his friends—truly mean to him.

The Distant Dawn

A collection of sixteen short stories by Yukinobu Hoshino, spanning genres from science fiction and fantasy to psychological drama and romance. The tales explore a wide range of themes, including adventure, mystery, and the supernatural, often set in imaginative and thought-provoking scenarios. From a distant dawn and a steel queen to escape from wastelands and a funeral convoy, each story presents a unique conflict. Characters face challenges such as a call from afar, a whiteout, amazons of the river, and the Carneades plan, navigating through algae, lightning strikes, and the emperor of winter.

Apple Age

On an island littered with discarded machinery, a robot maid lives alone, convinced that her existence is a burden to humans. She has resolved to forget the feelings she has recently developed—curiosity, sadness, and the desire to belong—believing that she belongs only among the junk. Her solitary life changes when she encounters the ghost of a murdered girl. The spirit, trapped and seeking justice, forms an unlikely bond with the robot. Together, they embark on a journey across a mysterious world, searching for the girl's killer and a place where the robot can find her own purpose.

Natsu wo Shiranai Kodomotachi: Yamamoto Kazune Sakuhinshu

A collection of short stories by Kazune Yamamoto, spanning works created between 2008 and 2021, including new material. The tales explore moments of connection and loss in everyday life, often tinged with the supernatural or futuristic elements. In one story, children who have never experienced summer navigate a world changed by an unknown event. Another follows a woman on a mysterious galactic train journey. From a monster warning in a small town to a game played under the night sky, each narrative captures fragile human bonds and the things that are being lost.

Yi Chang Sheng Wu Jian Wen Lu