Zashiki no Nonono

For a young woman who has spent her life climbing the academic ladder, Horikoshi Tsuyuko's future seems assured—until the day she pries open the long-sealed closet within her family home. Inside, she makes a startling discovery: a small girl, bound and left waiting in the dark. The child introduces herself as Nonono, and she claims to be far more than a lost soul. She is a *zashiki warashi*—the kind of household spirit whose presence is said to guarantee fortune, abundance, and unshakeable prosperity for the family that hosts her. But Nonono's definition of prosperity proves to be unexpectedly intimate. Rather than conjuring wealth or safeguarding the estate, her sacred duty revolves around the continuation of the Horikoshi bloodline—specifically, by ensuring that Tsuyuko bears a great many children. For the stoic and serious scholar, this mission is both bewildering and deeply inconvenient. Suddenly, Tsuyuko finds herself navigating a surreal new reality, caught between the supernatural whims of a captive spirit and the daunting, very physical task of producing heirs. With Nonono earnestly determined to "work hard" at this unusual calling, Tsuyuko's quiet life of textbooks and examinations gives way to a bizarre partnership that redefines what it means to bring good fortune home.