What do you think?
Rate this book
准教授・高槻彰良の推察 #2
准教授・高槻彰良の推察２ 怪異は狭間に宿る
嘘を聞き分ける大学生・尚哉は、怪異大好き准教授・高槻に誘われ、小学校で噂のコックリさんの調査を開始。コックリさん、あなたは誰ですか？という質問の答えは、クラスからいなくなった生徒の名前で――。
265 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 24, 2019
2 people are currently reading
28 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
September 10, 2022
最後の章「奇跡の子供」は読んでて悲しくなった。
January 16, 2024
Format read: Ebook (Kindle)
Reading time: 3-4h
Tags: mystery, adventure, translation, friendship, found family, psychological, supernatural
Own a copy: yes (it's in the mail)
Reread likelihood: 10/10
Summary
Naoya continues to help Professor Takatsuki in his research on ghosts, but when Naoya falls ill and loses his ability to hear lies, he fears that his usefulness for the professor has run its course. Meanwhile, Takatsuki meets with new clients, who believe they are being haunted or, worse, that they are god-chosen.
Review
Once again, vol. 2 is unsuspectingly a rollercoaster of emotions. Like with vol. 1, the book is split into 3 cases:
1. An Incident at School: Elementary school children play a game of Kokkuri-san with their homeroom teacher, only to summon a spirit who decides to haunt their broom closet. Akira and Naoya soon discover that the haunting is related to a sick classmate who moved away to another town.
2. Studio Ghost: A famous movie star asks Akira to be her guest during an interview at Seiwa University, only to reveal that the set of her new movie is being haunted by a strange woman in white. Akira and Naoya go to investigate, and Akira accidentally finds himself in the mire of a nosy paparazzo.
3. Miracle Child: Akira hears of a god-touched child who lives in Okutama. People visit her house to receive her blessings, which accidentally creates a cult-like following. The girl in question is the lone survivor of a horrible school bus crash in which all the children died. Akira feels uneasy about the case, and so he brings Naoya and KenKen along on an overnight trip to meet the miracle girl.
The first story is kind of cute and heartwarming, what with the homeroom teacher's love for her students, and the children's strong bonds and friendships. Akira's lecture about hauntings in schools is quite interesting, and his theories as to why children create ghosts for themselves is very compelling. However, as with the previous cases in vol. 1, this once again turns out to be a psychological ghost rather than a real supernatural entity.
Ever determined to find a real ghost, Akira jumps into the next case when a young actress approaches him for help in the second story. However, this time, Akira knows from the get-go that something is off about this woman's story, but he choses to investigate anyway. In the meantime, Naoya is secretly harbouring fears and anxieties because of the loss of his abilities. Naoya falls ill and becomes unable to hear lies, which stresses him out because he believes that Akira will no longer require his help. Naoya truly fears being abandoned by the first person who actually took an interest in him, and so he hides the truth from Akira and goes along to investigate anyway.
Naoya struggles throughout the entire chapter with this secret, and even makes himself sick from worry. Akira, however, sees through the charade and eventually gently confronts him, only to reassure him that with or without his ability, Naoya is an important person to him.
While chapter 2 focuses mostly on Naoya's inner struggle, chapter 3 switches to Akira's problems with his own past. The story about the miracle girl rattles Akira on a personal level as he relates his own troubled childhood to the girl's. Even though Naoya is there with him, it's KenKen who shines in this chapter as Akira's primary support. KenKen knows everything about his friend's past, and when Naoya tries to pry, he shuts him down to protect his friend. Towards the end of the chapter, Akira opens up on his own to Naoya, but it's definitely interesting to see how KenKen protects and cares for Akira to that extent.
We learn a lot more about Akira's troubled past during this case. His relationship with his parents, especially his mother, changed drastically after his kidnapping, and it is truly sad to read about how he was treated by those who should have protected him. In this sense, it's understandable why KenKen is so overprotective, and I have the feeling that he became a detective so that he could investigate his friend's case.
Vol. 2 was truly emotional in a lot of places, and it was impossible to put down, especially in the last chapter. This volume deals a lot with children and childhood trauma, so it has to potential to be heartbreaking and relatable for many. Aside from the emotional side of things, it's really nice to see Akira and Naoya's relationship progressing slowly in how they are learning to trust and rely on each other more. Naoya has a breakthrough when he realises that Akira genuinely cares about his well-being, and Akira evidently feels safe enough with him to share details about his turbulent past.
All in all, I'm thoroughly impressed by this series, and I can't wait to get my hands on vol. 3
Reading time: 3-4h
Tags: mystery, adventure, translation, friendship, found family, psychological, supernatural
Own a copy: yes (it's in the mail)
Reread likelihood: 10/10
Summary
Naoya continues to help Professor Takatsuki in his research on ghosts, but when Naoya falls ill and loses his ability to hear lies, he fears that his usefulness for the professor has run its course. Meanwhile, Takatsuki meets with new clients, who believe they are being haunted or, worse, that they are god-chosen.
Review
In the crevices between ordinary things, where the extraordinary lies, that's where the mysterious lurks. (p.44)
Once again, vol. 2 is unsuspectingly a rollercoaster of emotions. Like with vol. 1, the book is split into 3 cases:
1. An Incident at School: Elementary school children play a game of Kokkuri-san with their homeroom teacher, only to summon a spirit who decides to haunt their broom closet. Akira and Naoya soon discover that the haunting is related to a sick classmate who moved away to another town.
2. Studio Ghost: A famous movie star asks Akira to be her guest during an interview at Seiwa University, only to reveal that the set of her new movie is being haunted by a strange woman in white. Akira and Naoya go to investigate, and Akira accidentally finds himself in the mire of a nosy paparazzo.
3. Miracle Child: Akira hears of a god-touched child who lives in Okutama. People visit her house to receive her blessings, which accidentally creates a cult-like following. The girl in question is the lone survivor of a horrible school bus crash in which all the children died. Akira feels uneasy about the case, and so he brings Naoya and KenKen along on an overnight trip to meet the miracle girl.
The first story is kind of cute and heartwarming, what with the homeroom teacher's love for her students, and the children's strong bonds and friendships. Akira's lecture about hauntings in schools is quite interesting, and his theories as to why children create ghosts for themselves is very compelling. However, as with the previous cases in vol. 1, this once again turns out to be a psychological ghost rather than a real supernatural entity.
Ever determined to find a real ghost, Akira jumps into the next case when a young actress approaches him for help in the second story. However, this time, Akira knows from the get-go that something is off about this woman's story, but he choses to investigate anyway. In the meantime, Naoya is secretly harbouring fears and anxieties because of the loss of his abilities. Naoya falls ill and becomes unable to hear lies, which stresses him out because he believes that Akira will no longer require his help. Naoya truly fears being abandoned by the first person who actually took an interest in him, and so he hides the truth from Akira and goes along to investigate anyway.
Just then, he caught sight of Takatsuki onstage. In an instant, the joy swelling in Naoya's chest was punctured. For a moment, he couldn't breathe. He could feel the smile that had bloomed on his face contort unnaturally. Staring dazingly at Takatsuki's face, made large on the screen, Naoya let the hand at his ear drop. What if, he thought. If his ears had become just like anyone else's... then that person--Takatsuki... How would he react? What would he say? (p.110)
Naoya struggles throughout the entire chapter with this secret, and even makes himself sick from worry. Akira, however, sees through the charade and eventually gently confronts him, only to reassure him that with or without his ability, Naoya is an important person to him.
While chapter 2 focuses mostly on Naoya's inner struggle, chapter 3 switches to Akira's problems with his own past. The story about the miracle girl rattles Akira on a personal level as he relates his own troubled childhood to the girl's. Even though Naoya is there with him, it's KenKen who shines in this chapter as Akira's primary support. KenKen knows everything about his friend's past, and when Naoya tries to pry, he shuts him down to protect his friend. Towards the end of the chapter, Akira opens up on his own to Naoya, but it's definitely interesting to see how KenKen protects and cares for Akira to that extent.
Sasakura stared hard at Takatsuki, who seemed to be pushing himself to smile. "Don't get too caught up in this case." (p.197)
We learn a lot more about Akira's troubled past during this case. His relationship with his parents, especially his mother, changed drastically after his kidnapping, and it is truly sad to read about how he was treated by those who should have protected him. In this sense, it's understandable why KenKen is so overprotective, and I have the feeling that he became a detective so that he could investigate his friend's case.
Vol. 2 was truly emotional in a lot of places, and it was impossible to put down, especially in the last chapter. This volume deals a lot with children and childhood trauma, so it has to potential to be heartbreaking and relatable for many. Aside from the emotional side of things, it's really nice to see Akira and Naoya's relationship progressing slowly in how they are learning to trust and rely on each other more. Naoya has a breakthrough when he realises that Akira genuinely cares about his well-being, and Akira evidently feels safe enough with him to share details about his turbulent past.
All in all, I'm thoroughly impressed by this series, and I can't wait to get my hands on vol. 3
Oh, Naoya thought. That was why Takatsuki had said to him, over and over--I want you to stay by my side. I would be happy if you were here. That was how he truly felt. Takatsuki chose Naoya to be his companion through the endlessly dark borderlands. (p.165)
April 10, 2025
I basically inhaled this book in one sitting. I really enjoyed it!
Shit got real in this one! More serious than the previous volume, but still lots of fun too. I like the way the books seem to be using the paranormal cases to bring up and discuss societal issues, and the way they then seem to link these discussions back to elements of folklore and superstitions from the past. I actually got shivers at the end of the first case; loved the ambiguous ending. And the third case! Yikes!
Lots of character development too, and the interactions between both the main and recurring characters were great. Some very cute moments!
Shit got real in this one! More serious than the previous volume, but still lots of fun too. I like the way the books seem to be using the paranormal cases to bring up and discuss societal issues, and the way they then seem to link these discussions back to elements of folklore and superstitions from the past. I actually got shivers at the end of the first case; loved the ambiguous ending. And the third case! Yikes!
Lots of character development too, and the interactions between both the main and recurring characters were great. Some very cute moments!
August 22, 2024
*Reread 2024/8/16 in one day (typhoon day) at a Starbucks*
This volume still resonates hard with me because it deals with loneliness - loneliness from being forgotten, loneliness from fading into oblivion, and at the center: Naoya's self-imposed loneliness. The smaller mysterious explore this in small isolated incidents - at a school with a bed-ridden child; for an aging female actress desperate to stay relevant - interlacing with Naoya's insistence on staying alone because he can't stand being disappointed by other people again. But then also his growing fear, now that he's built something of a relationship with Akira, that he will lose his worth if he has nothing to give anymore. Then, the warmth that floods in when Akira assures him it's not his powers or what he can give that makes Akira keep him around - it's just him. That along with the camaraderie that is building between Naoya, Akira, and KenKen and the joy of their scenes together makes this volume stand out more than the first, and I can't wait to see what's to come.
~~~~~~~
It’s kind of eerie to see yourself so clearly reflected in fiction, to see those private thoughts laid out in black and white on pages in a book written by someone so far removed from you. But that’s exactly what happened in chapter two of this novel, and for that reason this book will be upheld as something in a completely different category from other works. Sometimes, the 5 star comes from a very personal place.
That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed this installment in the series. I think the balance between character and story was a lot better laid out, and the mysteries in this one and their resolutions were much more satisfying. I love, love the relationship that’s developing between Naoya and Takatsuki, and I can’t wait to get more into how their individual stories will play out and intermix.
This volume still resonates hard with me because it deals with loneliness - loneliness from being forgotten, loneliness from fading into oblivion, and at the center: Naoya's self-imposed loneliness. The smaller mysterious explore this in small isolated incidents - at a school with a bed-ridden child; for an aging female actress desperate to stay relevant - interlacing with Naoya's insistence on staying alone because he can't stand being disappointed by other people again. But then also his growing fear, now that he's built something of a relationship with Akira, that he will lose his worth if he has nothing to give anymore. Then, the warmth that floods in when Akira assures him it's not his powers or what he can give that makes Akira keep him around - it's just him. That along with the camaraderie that is building between Naoya, Akira, and KenKen and the joy of their scenes together makes this volume stand out more than the first, and I can't wait to see what's to come.
~~~~~~~
It’s kind of eerie to see yourself so clearly reflected in fiction, to see those private thoughts laid out in black and white on pages in a book written by someone so far removed from you. But that’s exactly what happened in chapter two of this novel, and for that reason this book will be upheld as something in a completely different category from other works. Sometimes, the 5 star comes from a very personal place.
That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed this installment in the series. I think the balance between character and story was a lot better laid out, and the mysteries in this one and their resolutions were much more satisfying. I love, love the relationship that’s developing between Naoya and Takatsuki, and I can’t wait to get more into how their individual stories will play out and intermix.
March 18, 2024
4.5 / 5: The lines they had drawn around themselves to keep others out...Even if those lines never disappeared, it might be all right to let them cross.
So that, while they walked side by side along the border between reality and the next world, they could at least keep each other facing toward the light.
aaaaaai love takatsuki and naoya's growing bond. as professor and student, they already share such a strange dynamic, but they also have similiar experiences from childhood that make their investigations into the supernatural feel more significant. with as much more japanese folklore that we get to learn, such as the urban legends surrounding human-faced dogs and how the Japanese media threw a firestorm over it in the early 1990s, we also get to see the lines naoya set out for himself ever since he could discern when people lie; and it grows more fragile when someone as bright as takatsuki comes in the picture.
partly, it's very sweet, and also it gets to me a lot to see just how lonely naoya had felt up until the events of the first book. all the chaos we see happen in the human experience of bringing fantasy to life is what pushes him further out his circle, which is a sight unmatched. learning more of takatsuki's background feels like a blessing and a curse with what he himself went through in his connection to the supernatural. the way he applies himself very differently to the three cases presented here feels like seeing another side of him, which makes me even more curious for what this series has in store!! i'm genuinely invested in these investigative plots and how these characters' emotional journeys are tied to it, so i can't wait for what's more to come.
this story's becoming a huge source of comfort for me, personally.
So that, while they walked side by side along the border between reality and the next world, they could at least keep each other facing toward the light.
aaaaaai love takatsuki and naoya's growing bond. as professor and student, they already share such a strange dynamic, but they also have similiar experiences from childhood that make their investigations into the supernatural feel more significant. with as much more japanese folklore that we get to learn, such as the urban legends surrounding human-faced dogs and how the Japanese media threw a firestorm over it in the early 1990s, we also get to see the lines naoya set out for himself ever since he could discern when people lie; and it grows more fragile when someone as bright as takatsuki comes in the picture.
partly, it's very sweet, and also it gets to me a lot to see just how lonely naoya had felt up until the events of the first book. all the chaos we see happen in the human experience of bringing fantasy to life is what pushes him further out his circle, which is a sight unmatched. learning more of takatsuki's background feels like a blessing and a curse with what he himself went through in his connection to the supernatural. the way he applies himself very differently to the three cases presented here feels like seeing another side of him, which makes me even more curious for what this series has in store!! i'm genuinely invested in these investigative plots and how these characters' emotional journeys are tied to it, so i can't wait for what's more to come.
this story's becoming a huge source of comfort for me, personally.
September 30, 2023
The second book was as delightful as the first. It continues a month or so after the first, and again, Naoya helps professor Takatsuki solve three cases. All are interesting, but they all fail in what the professor finds most important: there are no real ghosts in them. The last one is most heartbreaking and it brushes the professor’s past.
Naoya is still a very reserved charcter and difficult to get a hang of, even though the narrative is from his point of view. It’s difficult for him to let people close, even when he needs help. But when a bad flu makes him lose his ability to hear lies, he realises he doesn’t know how to be ordinary either. Professor Takatsuki is as delightful as ever, but the tragedy behind his cheerful exterior is starting to unravel. I’ll have to read more to learn everything.
Naoya is still a very reserved charcter and difficult to get a hang of, even though the narrative is from his point of view. It’s difficult for him to let people close, even when he needs help. But when a bad flu makes him lose his ability to hear lies, he realises he doesn’t know how to be ordinary either. Professor Takatsuki is as delightful as ever, but the tragedy behind his cheerful exterior is starting to unravel. I’ll have to read more to learn everything.
October 3, 2023
I liked this volume even more than the first one! The relationship between Naoya and Takatsuki is very sweet. It’s nice for Naoya to have someone he can rely on and that cares for him. I actually shed a few tears when Takatsuki reassured Naoya that he wanted him in his life regardless of whether he had his lie detecting ability. I knew Takatsuki wouldn’t abandon him but it was still just a very nice moment. That and the Naoya crying when Takatsuki cooked for him just really hit for me. The cases were interesting and the characters are really endearing to me, can’t wait to read the next installment.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 8, 2024
Volume 3 of the manga came out recently and I was also able to find Vol. 2 and 3. of the light novel. I'm enjoying the dynamics between Takatsuki, Naoya, and poor Kenken who has to be the responsible adult. The mysteries are interesting and I'm not always able to figure out the angle until the end. We get to see a bit more background from both MCs in this volume. Still way too many epithets but I've become resigned to the fact that it's just part of the light novel format.
July 12, 2024
This series just continues to impress. It's just a relaxing mystery series but it also works so hard to drive home the importance of connections and how self isolation is so bad for your psyche. The mysteries are always entertaining and I love the very small supernatural elements dropped in every once in a while. I have loved seeing how Akira is trying to help Naoya gain human connections, even if that means Akira is the only one he has for the time being. I also love Kenji (oh Ken Ken) and Akira's relationship. He really is the ride or die best friend from childhood who has stuck around so long they're practically family. I can't wait to read more books from this series to see how the story continues to progress.
December 12, 2023
I personally love this 😭 So good! No wonder it was turned into a live action drama in Japan.
January 20, 2024
Really better than the first one.
The mysteries were well flashed out and the relationship between the main character duo is done in a sweet manner that surprised me.
Will keep reading.
The mysteries were well flashed out and the relationship between the main character duo is done in a sweet manner that surprised me.
Will keep reading.
February 10, 2024
I love the third (and last) story the best!
March 10, 2024
Such a great series
I am really enjoying the journey this series is taking me on. Each book makes the characters more vulnerable and yet more able to blossom. Very good read.
I am really enjoying the journey this series is taking me on. Each book makes the characters more vulnerable and yet more able to blossom. Very good read.
May 21, 2024
I do find myself still wishing that Akira's powers were cooler but I'm really enjoying the characters!
May 26, 2025
It’s good as ever. The third part I wasn’t really interested in though.
December 23, 2025
solid. also getting some more backstory on takatsuki!
January 13, 2022
Love this series but hoping that real ghost will come out soon. Moving onto the book 3.
April 29, 2023
感覺應該是定調了, 短篇集結的路線~
查了一下原文居然出到9了! (2023年三月) 蠻有人氣的嘛!
三日月加油啊...希望不要斷頭🤣
平心而論案件難易度大約中等, 不會很複雜, 多少猜得出走向,
不過角色還蠻有魅力的, 各種經典怪談的解讀也很有特色. 讀起來很有趣會一直想看下去, 所以一天就把兩本看完了. 三日月繼續阿~~
查了一下原文居然出到9了! (2023年三月) 蠻有人氣的嘛!
三日月加油啊...希望不要斷頭🤣
平心而論案件難易度大約中等, 不會很複雜, 多少猜得出走向,
不過角色還蠻有魅力的, 各種經典怪談的解讀也很有特色. 讀起來很有趣會一直想看下去, 所以一天就把兩本看完了. 三日月繼續阿~~
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews