Kkochui Manchan

Samuku naru to Kata wo Yosete

A college student begins dating a girl who may be feeding him bugs. A painter is seduced by his patron to create his masterpiece. A demon in training develops a crush on a human girl at the video rental store. Two boys bond over their shared love of movies. These are just a few of the stories collected in this anthology by Kenya Suzuki. Loneliness is a common thread that ties these tales together, yet each one carries a secret hope that warmth can be shared between people. Love takes many forms, but it is never easy, and the characters must navigate the complexities of connection in a world tinged with the supernatural and the strange.

Isshinjou no Kaii

In everyday life, small strange happenings occur. They can be frightening, fantastical, or science fiction-like, but they always involve people. A collection of short stories set in various eras and spaces explores the peculiar events that arise from human interactions. The tales delve into the mysteries and wonders of the ordinary, revealing that the scariest and most lovable thing about us is our own humanity. Each story presents a unique encounter with the supernatural, blending genres to create a heartfelt and eerie experience.

The Ancient Magus' Bride

Chise Hatori has spent her fifteen years unwanted and unloved. Abandoned by her father and orphaned by her mother, she has been passed between relatives who never wanted her, until desperation drives her to a slave auction. There, she is presented as a rare Sleigh Beggy, a being with an unusual affinity for magical energies, and sold to the highest bidder. Her buyer is Elias Ainsworth, a mysterious magus with a beast's skull for a head and powers beyond her understanding. He takes her to the English countryside and declares that she will not be his slave, but his apprentice—and his bride. Thrust into a world of fairies, dragons, and ancient magic, Chise begins to learn the ways of a mage.

Roxana

Roxana Agrece is the daughter of a brutal criminal family whose downfall is already written in the pages of the novel The Abysmal Flower. When her father kidnaps Cassis Pedelian, the brother of the novel's heroine, Roxana knows that the heroine's revenge will eventually destroy everyone around her. To change her fate, she takes an unusual interest in the prisoner. Under the pretense of cruelty, she secretly cares for Cassis and helps him recover, hoping he will one day repay her kindness. Inside the Agrece castle, betrayal and violence are constant. Roxana must hide her true intentions from her father and half-siblings while earning Cassis's trust, knowing that a single mistake could cost

WITCH WATCH

Morihito Otogi comes from a line of ogre familiars and possesses the inhuman strength to match. His life takes a sharp turn when his father informs him that he is to become the familiar of his childhood friend, Nico Wakatsuki, a teenage witch who has just completed her training. Though reluctant, Morihito accepts the role after learning that disobeying a witch's order would curse him into a strange cow-tiger hybrid. The two teens end up living under the same roof. Nico is thrilled to share a home with her longtime crush, while Morihito focuses entirely on his duties as her protector and familiar. Her clumsy magic and unpredictable antics constantly create chaos, making his job far more diff

WorldEnd: What Do You Do at the End of the World? Are You Busy? Will You Save Us?

Willem Kmetsch awakens from a long, icy sleep to find he is the last surviving human. Five centuries have passed since the Beasts drove his people to extinction, and the world now consists of floating islands inhabited by various other races. Lacking the animal-like features common to these species, Willem is seen as a "markless" and struggles to find his place in a society that has no room for him. Aimlessly wandering, he eventually accepts a military posting and is shocked to discover that the "weapons" he must watch over are a group of young faerie girls. As he gets to know them, he learns they are treated as disposable tools in the ongoing war against the Beasts and are willing to sacri