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Virtual reality. Murder. Werewolves. And teen girls! In a future where nothing is as it seems, can old legends come true?

L to R (Western Style). Virtual reality. Murder. Werewolves. And teen girls! In a future where nothing is as it seems, can old legends come true? In the near future, humans will communicate almost exclusively through monitors, making real interaction a rarified and weak occurance for those living in a near totalitarian society. In this new world of communication, children are only allowed to interact personally on school grounds. So when a serial killer starts slaughtering junior high children the communication routes go under futher surveillance. And despite all the safeguards put in place to avoid physical interaction, the killer's latest victim turns out to have been in contact with three young girls: Mio Tsuzki, a certified prodigy; Hatsuki Matsuno, a uiet but opinionated classmate; and Ayumi Kono, her best friend. And as the girls get caught up in trying to quell curiosity under such terrorist scrutiny, Hatsuki learns that there is much more than meets the eye of their monitored communications.

Natsuhiko Kyogoku was born in 1963. Debuted with Ubume no natsue in 1994, won the Japanese Suspense Writers Association Award in 1996 for Moryo no hako. Kyogoku has written several novels on the theme of jealousy. In 1997, he won the Izumi Koyka Award for Ura Iuemon, and the Yamamoto Shugoro Award in 2003 for Nozoki Koheii. In 2004 he won the Naoki Prize for Nochino Kosetsu Hyaku Monogatari. On top of writing, Kyoguoku is also an accomplished  graphic designer and an expert on Japanese ghosts (yokai and ghost stories).