The Surprise of Haruhi Suzumiya

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.

G (KOIKE Keiichi)

The story unfolds at the liminal points known as boundaries—those fragile edges between times, dimensions, destinies, and life and death itself. It follows young Tomak on an initiatic journey through these unstable realms. The Death Grass Spirit is a constant, haunting presence throughout his travels, guiding or threatening his passage through the metaphysical landscapes. Tomak's quest becomes a profound exploration of existence, perception, and the very nature of reality as he navigates these thresholds.

The Dissociation of Haruhi Suzumiya

As the new school year begins, Kyon, the cynical and only ordinary member of the SOS Brigade, is reunited with an old friend from his junior high days named Sasaki. This reunion creates an unexpected link between Haruhi Suzumiya and Sasaki, centered on their shared connection to Kyon and their potentially similar, world-altering abilities. The situation quickly breeds tension between the two girls. Kyon is acutely aware that Haruhi's growing dissatisfaction and jealousy are not just personal matters—her volatile emotions could trigger catastrophic consequences for the SOS Brigade and the entire world. This chance meeting sets in motion a chain of events that threatens to irrevocably change

ChäoS;Child

In October 2015, six years after a devastating earthquake known as the "Shibuya Earthquake" killed thousands and injured many more, strange and mysterious deaths begin to occur in the district. These events, linked to a previous incident of mass chaos, are called the "Return of the New Generation Madness." Takuru Miyashiro and his friends find themselves drawn into the investigation of these abnormal occurrences. As they dig deeper, they uncover a dark and complex mystery that connects the present tragedies to the past, forcing them to confront unsettling truths about the nature of reality and their own perceptions.

Facelift Game

In the competitive world of the fashion industry, an unremarkable office lady feels invisible next to her more glamorous colleagues. Her life takes a turn when she stumbles upon a mysterious beauty app that promises to transform her appearance. All she has to do is complete a series of tasks, each with a price. As she dives deeper into this digital makeover, she realizes that the app’s rewards come with heavy consequences. The line between her real self and her new facade blurs, and she must navigate a web of psychological and supernatural challenges. With every task, she uncovers secrets that threaten to unravel her world, forcing her to question how far she’s willing to go for beauty.