Ashihara Hinako

23-year-old office lady Akari is looking for a marriage partner, with whom she can have a steady and "normal" married life. While she spends her days hedging risks so as not to become unhappy, she becomes interested in her plain 40-year-old coworker, Tanaka-san. Judging by her figure, Akari suspects she must be up to something. And that something is... bellydancing! When she discovers Tanaka-san's secret, Akari becomes a fan of this stoic yet sexy older lady. As a friendship blooms between them, two women chase after their dreams and love.

Life isn't going too well for Yuzuki. She's 34 years old and single, the elementary school she works at is close to firing her, and to top it all off, she doesn't know what to do with her life at all. But things don't work out for her even when she quits her job and tries to look for an arranged marriage. The only thing that can give her comfort is the bread sold by a small store. So one day, she asks the store owner to marry her on a whim and to her surprise, he agrees…?

One day, Mizuho, a university student, receive news that her classmate in high school, Origuchi Haruka, passed away. Mizuho doesn't remember being best friends with Origuchi, but apparently, Origuchi told her mother that Mizuho was her best friend. And now, her mother wants Mizuho to help her find the boy Origuchi dated during high school. Mizuho told Origuchi's mother that Origuchi was a very plain girl, and she was never seen with a guy, but her mother told Mizuho that Origuchi got pregnant and had an abortion when she was in high school. Mizuho was shocked, but she still starts asking her other classmates in high school and following the traces Origuchi left behind. Winner of the 58th Shogakukan Manga Award (2013) in the Shoujo manga category.

Konbini S A half-hearted love affair, a worthless friendship. The four people who are bored everyday, encounter an old granny at the convenience store. "Do you want to work at my house? I'll pay each of you 20,000 yen." How can such a good deal exist in this world?? Happy? Happy! Tomo fell in love with Nagase at first sight during the freshmen ceremony, but Nagase already has a girlfriend in another school…?! Shiawase no Kuni (The Happy Province) Decades ago, a writer sold a baby, who is from mixed blood. When a reporter saw this child, he couldn't bear to leave her alone. So, does he intend to bring her to the province filled with happiness??

Two stories. The Moon and the Lake Kazuna's late grandfather was a writer, and his unpublished novel depicting his private life was found among the articles left by him. He had written down his affection to his lover, while he was a devoted husband. Kazuna felt perplexed, and went to see his grandfather's lover. Nora in December Does anyone know where "Nacchan" is? December, ten years ago, Nacchan's house next door burned down. Both parents were safe. Only Nacchan was never found. The body was never found… In the chaos of the fire, only Nacchan… disappeared.

Butterfly Cloud Best friends Kiyo, Kanta, and Goma live in a small, depopulated island in the Seto Inland Sea. One day, a transfer student from Tokyo arrives. Before long Ritsuka, a cute and fair-skinned girl, started hanging out with the three best friends, but what happens after? This story was released as a oneshot in the Bitter - Nakechau Koi Monogatari anthology volume. Middle School First Year - Less Than Love Koizumi Kana is in love. And her love for Fujimoto made her imagine him as a total different person and do all sort of silly things, even as far as to steal a pencil lead. What will happen when suddenly Fujimoto asks her out and she finds out that he is not the person she imagined? Middle School Second Year - Man Hater Mitsuki Abe is always being sexually harassed which lead to her aversion for men. Torii after being falsely accused for groping Abe decides to catch the real culprit. What will happen when Torii betrays her by accidently kissing her. Will Abe ever trust any other men? Will Torii catch the real culprit and be the exception for Abe's hatred? Middle School Third Year - The Cherry Blossoms Scatter

A collection of love stories. Chouchougumo (蝶々雲, Butterfly Cloud) by ASHIHARA Hinako Circuit no Joou-sama (サーキットの女王様, Racing Queen) by IZUMI Kaneyoshi English Garden by SAKURAKOJI Kanoko Masshiro Kinenbi (まっしろ記念日, Pure White Anniversary) by AYASE Riu Kataomoi no Owaru Cafe (片想いの終わるカフェ, The Coffee Shop that Ends Unrequited Love) by ADACHI Keiko Great Waiters? (Greatウエイターズ?) by WASHIO Mie

Will anyone answer love's distress call? Find out in this funny and poignant collection of short stories! SOS When Raku, Nono and Yû start a secret dating agency at their school, none of them realize the trouble they're in for! One of their clients needs rescuing from a date gone dangerously wrong, and when a teacher finds out about the matchmaking service, these junior Cupids are in very hot water! That Sweet Organ Song In 1920s Japan, bookstore clerk and aspiring poet Setsu encourages her customer Shotaro to follow his dream of becoming an organist and composer. But could class differences and the vagaries of fate conspire to extinguish their artistic ambitions along with their budding romance? The Easy Life Spoiled male chauvinist Yohei takes his sweet girlfriend Mami for granted, but when she begins to tire of letting him walk all over her, will she turn to nice-guy Horie or try to get Yohei to change his ways?

From Ivyscan: Asako lives her life day-to-day– acutely aware of how lonely she is. That all starts to change when she meets Hongo, a boy who thought she was trying to commit suicide and tried to stop her. They form a bond and find how much fun life really is. Until Asako finds out about Hongo’s past.

Despite repeated rejections, Shinatsu fell in love at first sight with the most popular boy in school, Yoshiyuki-sempai (a member of the tennis club). After unhesitatingly joining the team, she gets rejected by her sempai. On top of that, she is bullied by his girlfriend. However, as her childhood friend Iku, says, "Things that are too easy to obtain aren't amusing at all." Right?

Falling in love with him was her biggest mistake… After being badly bullied in junior high, Kazu's sworn off getting deeply involved with other people. One day though, the resident class playboy, Kirishima, comes and tears down the walls she's built around her heart. She finds herself falling quick and hard…but is she only setting herself up for heartbreak?!

Ootome Hime’s father was a jockey who dreamed of winning the Japanese Derby. One year, when Hime went to watch him race in the Derby, he died in a horrible racing accident. The man responsible retired in guilt from being a jockey. 10 years later, Hime is in high school, and she has heard that Arakawa Jin, the son of the man who killed her father, is debuting in the Derby as a jockey. She went to see him race, and was outraged to see him win! Now Hime has decided to quit high school and go to a special school for jockeys, in hopes of being able to beat Jin in a race one day. She has met a new friend and aspiring jockey along the way, a boy called Tadano Ryouhei, but she can’t let him stand in the way of her revenge!

When a young girl loses her confidence to dance, she fears she'll never set foot on the stage again. But then she falls in love with an all-guy avant-garde dance troupe and their leader…and everything changes. Soon, her primary goal in life is to join the troupe and snag the guy. So what if she's missing a Y-chromosome? She's got spunk, skill, and passion–and, in the end, she hopes that love will conquer all.

From MegKF: The daughter of a washed out actress is given the chance to see what it's like to be in a real family. Itsumi's mother, Kei, is a washed-up actress. One day, Itsumi meets a lady with a severe heart condition and receives an invitation to her house. The house, which Itsumi thinks of as the ideal family home, was just a performance arranged for the lady. Among the family members, Itsumi meets Shuu, a very polite boy, and is persuaded to play in a theatre… ?!