SHI-NO

"Excuse me." Without so much as a knock, Hasekura Shino steps into my apartment as though she lives there herself. She is only a fifth-grade elementary school student, yet she treats the home of a first-year university student like her own personal domain. As her childhood friend, I know her better than most. On the surface, she is a well-mannered, trouble-free girl whose only notable quirk is a strong dislike for green peas. However, beneath that polite exterior lies a deeply unsettling fascination with novelty and abnormal events that constantly leaves me on edge. My greatest wish is simply to see Shino act like an ordinary child, making choices freely without being drawn toward the bizarre and dangerous. Unfortunately, my concerns mean nothing to her. Driven by an insatiable curiosity, she insists on investigating perilous mysteries entirely on her own, dragging me into situations far beyond what either of us should be facing. What begins as quiet worry quickly escalates into a desperate need to protect her from the shadows she eagerly chases. This is the beginning of a pure love mystery tale, where childhood bonds are tested against the darkest of curiosities.