Natsu Hyūga’s Kuri Hime Ayakashi Yobanashi Novels Get Manga in December

Writer Natsu Hyūga announced on October 30 that their Kuri Hime Ayakashi Yobanashi novel series is inspiring a manga adaptation that will debut in the February 2025 issue of Ichijinsha‘s Monthly Comic Zero-Sum magazine on December 27. Anko Chōchin is drawing the manga.

The story centers on Kinuko, a part-time college lecturer teaching weaving and Japanese studies, who lives in a weaver’s hut in the grounds of a shrine called Tamamayu Shrine. Though her accomodations are irregular, she is well taken care of, as a rich family takes care of the shrine, and young children named Shiro and Kuro always bring her good food. But one day, she begins to realize that there might be something supernatural living alongside her.

Hyūga first published the story on the Shōsetsuka ni Narō website titled Otsukaresan Desu, Gokurō Sama, but later took the story down after MyNavi Publishing released the first print version of the story in November 2016. Munashitsu drew the illustrations. Hyūga later reuploaded the original story on Shōsetsuka ni Narō in November 2017 with agreement from the publisher. Hyūga later released a new volume for the story in May 2018.

Hyūga began serializing the original The Apothecary Diaries (Kusuriya no Hitorigoto) story on the Shōsetsuka ni Narō website in October 2011. Shufunotomo began publishing the novels in print volumes with illustrations by Touko Shino in August 2014.

The light novel series inspired an anime that premiered in October 2023 with the first three episodes, and aired for two cours (quarters of a year). The anime will have a second season that will premiere on January 10. J-Novel Club publishes the novel series digitally.

Nekokurage‘s The Apothecary Diaries manga adaptation launched in Square Enix‘s Monthly Big Gangan magazine in May 2017. Square Enix published the manga’s 14th volume on September 25. Square Enix Manga & Books is releasing the manga adaptation in English. The company is also publishing the novels in print. Minoji Kurata later launched a separate manga adaptation titled Kusuriya no Hitorigoto: Mao Mao no Kōkyū Nazotoki Techō in Shogakukan‘s Monthly Sunday GX magazine in August 2017. Hyūga previously admitted that they do not know why there are two manga adaptations of their novels. Both manga launched only three months apart from each other.

Source: Natsu Hyūga‘s X/Twitter account