Shirube no Michi

A collection of six short stories originally published in various josei, shoujo, and seinen magazines. Chapters 1-2 are related; the rest are standalone. Chapter 1 (Shirube no Michi): Mao lives a complex life, she attracts spirits and she constantly has to keep her father from losing his soul! One day she meets a man who says he is a 'guide' for souls that are lost and it turns out he had come for her father! Being motherless, losing her father would mean that Mao would be sent to live with her relatives, but when all hope seems lost the 'guide' proposes a deal that will allow Mao to keep her father temporarily… Chapter 2 (Illusion Orangery): Mao is still working for the mysterious spirit guide, but on the day he warns her to "beware of the invitation", the smell of citrus fruits lingering in the air accompanies our young psychic on an odd game of hide-and-seek in a haunted house. Chapter 3 (Heaven's Fairy): Shinobu's plans for the summer are ruined when her mother sends her off to her grandparents' countryside home. Bored and friendless, she prepares herself for a long, dreary holiday – but soon discovers that she has something in common with her grandfather – something quite magical…literally! Story 4, Foxfire (josei): An adopted girl comes to terms with her family. Story 5, Box (seinen): An abused girl loses her mother. Story 6, Angel's Ladder (shoujo): The story of the relationship of two sisters – one sickly and abusive, and the other struggling to cope with her.