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准教授・高槻彰良の推察 #3
准教授・高槻彰良の推察３ 呪いと祝いの語りごと
尚哉の友人・難波の元に不幸の手紙が届いた。
時を同じくして、高槻と尚哉は「図書館のマリエさん」という聞き慣れない都市伝説を知る。
図書館の蔵書に隠された暗号を解かないと呪われるというのだが……。――「不幸の手紙と呪いの暗号」
鬼神伝説が残る村に調査に出向いた一行は、不気味な洞窟で、額に穴のあいた頭蓋骨を見つける。
その直後、高槻に思いがけない受難が……。 尚哉は、佐々倉はどうする!?
「あぁ、この世はなんてたくさんの呪いに満ちているんだろうね。」――「鬼を祀る家」
高槻と、幼馴染である捜査一課の刑事・佐々倉の幼い頃を描いた番外編「【extra】それはかつての日の話」も収録。
いま、売れに売れている民俗学ミステリ、シリーズ待望の第３巻！
本当に、面白いんです！！！
イラスト／鈴木次郎
時を同じくして、高槻と尚哉は「図書館のマリエさん」という聞き慣れない都市伝説を知る。
図書館の蔵書に隠された暗号を解かないと呪われるというのだが……。――「不幸の手紙と呪いの暗号」
鬼神伝説が残る村に調査に出向いた一行は、不気味な洞窟で、額に穴のあいた頭蓋骨を見つける。
その直後、高槻に思いがけない受難が……。 尚哉は、佐々倉はどうする!?
「あぁ、この世はなんてたくさんの呪いに満ちているんだろうね。」――「鬼を祀る家」
高槻と、幼馴染である捜査一課の刑事・佐々倉の幼い頃を描いた番外編「【extra】それはかつての日の話」も収録。
いま、売れに売れている民俗学ミステリ、シリーズ待望の第３巻！
本当に、面白いんです！！！
イラスト／鈴木次郎
263 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 21, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
April 18, 2025
This series just keeps getting better. Loved this volume even more that the other two!
This one deals with folklore, legends, and paranormal tales about curses and blessings - and how the two can become intertwined, morphing from one to the other over time and depending on the circumstances. I love that the episodes discuss the socio-historical contexts of the folklore and legends that are examined, and how their meanings and significance can change over time to reflect the societies they are a part of.
The cases in this one were really interesting and a bit more unexpected than in previous volumes. The author really upped the ante with the tragedy and drama! I also really liked that we got to discover some of the more serious consequences and side effects of Akira's brush with the unknown, and the ramifications it had on his relationship with his family.
The whole episode where the group goes on holiday and travels to Sakai together was great. The scene after the waterfall escapade actually gave me chills - it was such a contrast from how Akira normally acts. I thought the author did a great job of making it all feel very unnerving and eerie. This, combined with Naoya's emotional reaction to it, made for a powerful scene!
Creepy, touching, and a bit heartbreaking all at the same time. Really intrigued but also scared to find out more about this side of Akira and what actually happened to him. Can't wait to read the next volume!
This one deals with folklore, legends, and paranormal tales about curses and blessings - and how the two can become intertwined, morphing from one to the other over time and depending on the circumstances. I love that the episodes discuss the socio-historical contexts of the folklore and legends that are examined, and how their meanings and significance can change over time to reflect the societies they are a part of.
The cases in this one were really interesting and a bit more unexpected than in previous volumes. The author really upped the ante with the tragedy and drama! I also really liked that we got to discover some of the more serious consequences and side effects of Akira's brush with the unknown, and the ramifications it had on his relationship with his family.
The whole episode where the group goes on holiday and travels to Sakai together was great. The scene after the waterfall escapade actually gave me chills - it was such a contrast from how Akira normally acts. I thought the author did a great job of making it all feel very unnerving and eerie. This, combined with Naoya's emotional reaction to it, made for a powerful scene!
Creepy, touching, and a bit heartbreaking all at the same time. Really intrigued but also scared to find out more about this side of Akira and what actually happened to him. Can't wait to read the next volume!
March 20, 2024
Yesterday I loved you, and today I do, too. I'll always love you. Tomorrow, and every day after that.
it's so like me for my first five-star of this series to be for the saddest volume yet. there was not one single chapter that didn't make me feel as bittersweet as i did; it was a lot...
this series really feels like such an underrated gem :') i hope more people can get to discover it on a whim just as i did. because it has so much potential blurring the lines between fantasy and reality and it rises way above it. it was all very surreal, honestly, seeing how incredible the writing was. quotes like the one written above and then this below:
If it seemed like the professor was about to fall into that other world, all Naoya had to do was bring him back.
Call his name, like he had just a while ago. After all, Naoya was Takatsuki's traveling companion down that between-worlds path. Takatsuki had chosen him.
. . . as long as they made the effort to help each other down that road, as traveling companions should do, it would be okay.
...just about knocked me over. and there was plenty more to come with that, i loved it all so much. i love how much naoya and takatsuki have essentially shifted each other's lives in irreversible ways, and seeing the presence of other characters like takatsuki's childhood best friend, sasakura, makes me wonder how much more they will change each other's paths. anything's possible, at this point.
content warnings:
moderate: descriptions of drowning, injury/injury detail, exploration of grief, and a suicide attempt
minor: stalking, allusions to murder, and death
it's so like me for my first five-star of this series to be for the saddest volume yet. there was not one single chapter that didn't make me feel as bittersweet as i did; it was a lot...
this series really feels like such an underrated gem :') i hope more people can get to discover it on a whim just as i did. because it has so much potential blurring the lines between fantasy and reality and it rises way above it. it was all very surreal, honestly, seeing how incredible the writing was. quotes like the one written above and then this below:
If it seemed like the professor was about to fall into that other world, all Naoya had to do was bring him back.
Call his name, like he had just a while ago. After all, Naoya was Takatsuki's traveling companion down that between-worlds path. Takatsuki had chosen him.
. . . as long as they made the effort to help each other down that road, as traveling companions should do, it would be okay.
...just about knocked me over. and there was plenty more to come with that, i loved it all so much. i love how much naoya and takatsuki have essentially shifted each other's lives in irreversible ways, and seeing the presence of other characters like takatsuki's childhood best friend, sasakura, makes me wonder how much more they will change each other's paths. anything's possible, at this point.
content warnings:
moderate: descriptions of drowning, injury/injury detail, exploration of grief, and a suicide attempt
minor: stalking, allusions to murder, and death
June 4, 2023
相変わらず読みやすくて勉強にもなる。棒の手紙は以前読んだ民俗学系雑学の本に出てきたから知ってたけど幸福の手紙は知らなかったな。
最後の高槻先生と健ちゃんのこどもの頃の話も良かった。
最後の高槻先生と健ちゃんのこどもの頃の話も良かった。
August 22, 2024
*Reread 2024/8/21 in one day at the airport*
I think this volume has the best built-up chapter out of all the volumes thus far. The chain-letter chapter starts small with Naoya's (though he vehemently denies it) friend, Nanba; growing larger with the chain-letter books at the library stuttering slightly into something supernatural; to the connection from the beginning to the end culminating at the adventure at the hot springs - it's truly amazing how well these events are interconnected and build upon each other. Then, there's the continuing trust and dependence growing between Naoya, Akira, and KenKen, the way they support each other but also hold each other accountable is a delight to see. We can see clearly how much Naoya cares about Akira in this volume, and how often he is brought to tears because of the injustices Akira has suffered - it's a definite difference from the first volume, which Naoya also reflects on. We also get a lot more clues about what happened to Akira all those years ago and how they still affect him in several ways to this day. A really incredible installment.
~~~~~~~~
Another superb installment. I love how seamlessly the author weaves together the cases, starting with something seemingly small and innocuous then gradually spinning those themes into bigger and more complex webs, examining the subject matter and theme from a variety of perspectives, the cherry on top being the character developments and slow unveil of the terror that is the underlying mystery, which I’m both highly anticipated and greatly fearing ever being completely revealed. It’s done so beautifully it’s a little mind blowing; I understand why the volumes are constructed as they are, but them being so short is also a sort of torture! Naoya as before has eerily laid bare some very heart wrenching fears and anxieties, and I loved the bonus story at the end at how KenKen and Akira’s friendship began, tho it did veer a bit too closely into actual horror imagery for my fragile heart…;;
I think this volume has the best built-up chapter out of all the volumes thus far. The chain-letter chapter starts small with Naoya's (though he vehemently denies it) friend, Nanba; growing larger with the chain-letter books at the library stuttering slightly into something supernatural; to the connection from the beginning to the end culminating at the adventure at the hot springs - it's truly amazing how well these events are interconnected and build upon each other. Then, there's the continuing trust and dependence growing between Naoya, Akira, and KenKen, the way they support each other but also hold each other accountable is a delight to see. We can see clearly how much Naoya cares about Akira in this volume, and how often he is brought to tears because of the injustices Akira has suffered - it's a definite difference from the first volume, which Naoya also reflects on. We also get a lot more clues about what happened to Akira all those years ago and how they still affect him in several ways to this day. A really incredible installment.
~~~~~~~~
Another superb installment. I love how seamlessly the author weaves together the cases, starting with something seemingly small and innocuous then gradually spinning those themes into bigger and more complex webs, examining the subject matter and theme from a variety of perspectives, the cherry on top being the character developments and slow unveil of the terror that is the underlying mystery, which I’m both highly anticipated and greatly fearing ever being completely revealed. It’s done so beautifully it’s a little mind blowing; I understand why the volumes are constructed as they are, but them being so short is also a sort of torture! Naoya as before has eerily laid bare some very heart wrenching fears and anxieties, and I loved the bonus story at the end at how KenKen and Akira’s friendship began, tho it did veer a bit too closely into actual horror imagery for my fragile heart…;;
February 22, 2024
Volume 3 of Associate Professor Akira Takatsuki's Conjecture is called A Tale of Curses and Blessings. This light novel series of paranormal cozy mysteries is set in contemporary Japan. It follows Naoya Fukamachi, a first-year student at Seiwa University in Tokyo, and an associate professor of folklore, Akira Takatsuki, who specialises in urban legends and ghost stories. Naoya helps the professor to explore all sorts of paranormal incidents, all of which have had very mundane explanations so far, much to the excitable professor’s disappointment.
As the title tells, the third volume is about curses. Naoya’s classmate believes he’s been cursed because he didn’t forward a chain letter, so Naoya brings him to the professor who solves it in a very Takatsuki manner. Then the pair investigates a ghost story at a nearby library. The ghost leaves ciphers in books and whoever finds them is cursed if they fail to solve them. That turned out to have a lovely and sad explanation.
Third mystery takes Naoya, Takatsuki and his detective friend Kenji ‘KenKen’ Sasakura out of Tokyo to a remote mountain village. They’re supposed to be on a winter break, but Takatsuki has heard of a cave with a demon buried in it and wants to see it for himself. When they find bones that belong to a human, they suddenly have a mystery to solve. That too, turned out to be very sad.
The volume ends with a lovely bonus story from KenKen’s point of view, where he remembers how he and Akira first met when they were six and formed a friendship that’s lasted thirty years. It has a spooky ghost story too, that might shed light to why Akira is special—if only KenKen would reveal it to him.
In addition to mysteries, we learn more about Takatsuki. He hides a personal tragedy behind constant smiles and taking delight in all the small things, like hot chocolate with marshmallows. But the glimpses behind the scenes make the reader want to give him a tight hug and never let go. There is something dark in him too, which Naoya discovers to his horror, though it’s unclear yet if Takatsuki himself knows about it. Since Naoya and KenKen are determined to protect him at all costs, mostly from himself, neither of them will likely tell him.
Naoya, the point of view character, is more involved this time round instead of a mere observer that remains a bit distant. He realises that his time at the university has changed him, and that he might have made friends even. He’s not willing to admit it though, as all friends he makes usually leave him when they learn that he can hear their lies. He tells a few fibs himself, much to his distress. But best of all, he realises he’s become friends with Takatsuki beyond a mere student-professor relationship. Those looking for a romance will be disappointed though—unless the last line in KenKen’s story hints at that.
As always, I read this too fast and now have to wait for the next volume. Luckily there are several volumes to be translated still. I’m looking forward to reading them all.
p.s. If you’re buying this series on Amazon, there’s a glitch which directs to the manga of the series when purchasing the ebook. The volume number is the same, but contents obviously aren’t. Paperback links direct to the correct book. Other retailers don’t have the same problem, so maybe favour them. The problem isn’t unique to this series on Amazon; many light novels with manga adaptations have the glitch.
As the title tells, the third volume is about curses. Naoya’s classmate believes he’s been cursed because he didn’t forward a chain letter, so Naoya brings him to the professor who solves it in a very Takatsuki manner. Then the pair investigates a ghost story at a nearby library. The ghost leaves ciphers in books and whoever finds them is cursed if they fail to solve them. That turned out to have a lovely and sad explanation.
Third mystery takes Naoya, Takatsuki and his detective friend Kenji ‘KenKen’ Sasakura out of Tokyo to a remote mountain village. They’re supposed to be on a winter break, but Takatsuki has heard of a cave with a demon buried in it and wants to see it for himself. When they find bones that belong to a human, they suddenly have a mystery to solve. That too, turned out to be very sad.
The volume ends with a lovely bonus story from KenKen’s point of view, where he remembers how he and Akira first met when they were six and formed a friendship that’s lasted thirty years. It has a spooky ghost story too, that might shed light to why Akira is special—if only KenKen would reveal it to him.
In addition to mysteries, we learn more about Takatsuki. He hides a personal tragedy behind constant smiles and taking delight in all the small things, like hot chocolate with marshmallows. But the glimpses behind the scenes make the reader want to give him a tight hug and never let go. There is something dark in him too, which Naoya discovers to his horror, though it’s unclear yet if Takatsuki himself knows about it. Since Naoya and KenKen are determined to protect him at all costs, mostly from himself, neither of them will likely tell him.
Naoya, the point of view character, is more involved this time round instead of a mere observer that remains a bit distant. He realises that his time at the university has changed him, and that he might have made friends even. He’s not willing to admit it though, as all friends he makes usually leave him when they learn that he can hear their lies. He tells a few fibs himself, much to his distress. But best of all, he realises he’s become friends with Takatsuki beyond a mere student-professor relationship. Those looking for a romance will be disappointed though—unless the last line in KenKen’s story hints at that.
As always, I read this too fast and now have to wait for the next volume. Luckily there are several volumes to be translated still. I’m looking forward to reading them all.
p.s. If you’re buying this series on Amazon, there’s a glitch which directs to the manga of the series when purchasing the ebook. The volume number is the same, but contents obviously aren’t. Paperback links direct to the correct book. Other retailers don’t have the same problem, so maybe favour them. The problem isn’t unique to this series on Amazon; many light novels with manga adaptations have the glitch.
May 22, 2024
Oh man, I loved this one - I'm really enjoying Naoya expanding his circle, so getting to see him go to Ruiko's bed and breakfast, help Nanba with his curse, and spend more time with Sasakura was all great. As was Naoya realizing that he wouldn't be doing that in the first place without Takatsuki. I was shocked by Iinuma having any more depth to him than being the vaguely unsettling creep we've seen him be so far and it's made me hella curious about his character. The glimpse into Sasakura and Akira's friendship was lovely, I loved Ruiko's foreshadowing for Akira's character, and we finally got to see something creepier - and much cooler!!! - regarding Akira's eyes. I am on the edge of my seat now!
April 4, 2024
Glad to see the series keep being a wonderful and fun read. When the second chapter started, I was unsure about how it would develop and wasn't fond of the setting at first, but glad to see that changed and I finished the book eager to read more about the characters' adventures in the next volume. The extra chapter was adorable and creepy at the same time, which fits well for the series and the period of their lives that it was showing.
March 8, 2024
I so love this series. I adore the main cast and I really liked the adventures in this volume. Also, why was the extra story like lowkey the creepiest part of the series so far haha. I was like oh cute little extra about baby Akira and KenKen and then bam it was creepy. Can’t wait for the next volume!
April 23, 2024
The story I like the most from this volume is the one about the demon cave and a family of "man-eaters", but overall I love how this volume ties two stories about curses and blessings. The "extra" story was quite amusing too in how it shifts from a heart-warming childhood story to a creepy horror piece.
April 21, 2026
エックストラは楽しかった‼️今回のケースは普通でした。
July 29, 2024
I continue to love this series. I specifically love watching Naoya get adopted by Akira and Kenji. The three of them on all of their little vacations and adventures always puts a smile on my face. I will say usually this series is pretty light but this one got especially heavy with the final story of this book. It was really good though and it all ended well. But for a minute there is got pretty dark. Overall such a fun series and I can't wait to read the next one. I could keep reading these forever.
February 8, 2025
1 and 1/2 stories were slogs. Still a good book, but it was kind of hard to get through Story one and parts of Story 3. Story 2 was a quick read and enjoyable.
January 15, 2022
It’s starting to get creepy 😍 The childhood story about Sasakura and Takatsuki was adorable.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews