Loups-Garous (66 page)

But.

The wolf went extinct.

That's what they said.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

NATSUHIKO KYOGOKU:
Born in Otaru, Hokkaido. Studied at Kuwasawa Design School. After working at advertising agencies, he established his own design studio. He still works as art director, designer, and bookbinder for various projects. He is also an expert in
yokai
(Japanese folklore of monsters and ghosts). His novel,
The Summer of the Ubume
, was published in English in
2009
.

1996 |
Mystery Writers of Japan Award for
Moryo no Hako
(Grave of Goblins)

1997 |
Izumi Kyoka Award for
Warau Iuemon
(Laughing Iuemon)

2003 |
Yamamoto Shugoro Prize for
Nozoki Koheiji
(Inquisitive Koheiji)

2004 |
Naoki Prize for
Nochi no kosetsu Hyakumonogatari
(Going Around a Hundred Stories, the sequel)

HAIKASORU

The Future is Japanese

SLUM ONLINE by Hiroshi Sakurazaka

Etsuro Sakagami is a college freshman who feels uncomfortable in reality, but when he logs onto the combat MMO Versus Town, he becomes “Tetsuo,” a karate champ on his way to becoming the most powerful martial artist around. While his relationship with new classmate Fumiko goes nowhere, Etsuro spends his days and nights online in search of the invincible fighter Ganker Jack. Drifting between the virtual and the real, will Etsuro ever be ready to face his most formidable opponent?

THE STORIES OF IBIS by Hiroshi Yamamoto

In a world where humans are a minority and androids have created their own civilization, a wandering storyteller meets the beautiful android Ibis. She tells him seven stories of human/android interaction in order to reveal the secret behind humanity's fall. The tales Ibis tells describe the events surrounding the development of artificial intelligence (AI) in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. At a glance, these stories do not appear to have any sort of connection, but what is the true meaning behind them? What are Ibis's real intentions?

LOUPS-GAROUS by Natsuhiko Kyogoku

In the near future, humans will communicate almost exclusively through online networks—face-to-face meetings are rare and the surveillance state nearly allpowerful. So when a serial killer starts slaughtering junior high students, the crackdown is harsh. The killer's latest victim turns out to have been in contact with three young girls: Mio Tsuzuki, a certified prodigy; Hazuki Makino, a quiet but opinionated classmate; and Ayumi Kono, her best friend. And as the girls get caught up in trying to find the killer—who might just be a werewolf— Hazuki learns that there is much more to their monitored communications than meets the eye.

THE NEXT CONTINENT by Issui Ogawa

The year is 2025 and Gotoba Engineering & Construction—a firm that has built structures to survive the Antarctic and the Sahara—has received its most daunting challenge yet. Sennosuke Toenji, the chairman of one of the world's largest leisure conglomerates, wants a moon base fit for civilian use, and he wants his granddaughter Tae to be his eyes and ears on the harsh lunar surface. Tae and Gotoba engineer Sohya Aomine head to the moon where adventure, trouble, and perhaps romance await.