Illusory Girlfriend

Name: Illusory Girlfriend
ISBN: 9787513352727

酒本步 / 星野空New Star Press · ChinaJul 2024

3.0

Word count: 94K words
Chapters: 7
ISBN: 9787513352727

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Summary

Futa, who works as a pet sitter, learns that his ex-girlfriend Misaki has passed away at a young age. Amid his grief, he also recalls his relationships with two other ex-girlfriends, Ran and Emiri. But when he tries to contact them, he discovers that Ran and Emiri have also vanished without a trace...

After digging deeper, Futa finds that everything connected to their existence—their friends, homes, schools—has disappeared. What on earth is going on?

Editor's review

Illusory Girlfriend opens with the suspenseful hook of "all the ex-girlfriends vanishing at once," knotting together romantic memory and the mystery of identity. Futa starts from his everyday life as a pet sitter and traces, one by one, the traces left by Misaki, Ran, and Emiri, only to find that every corroborating detail—friends, addresses, schools—seems to have been erased. The novel does not generate thrills through gore; instead, the question "did she ever really exist?" steadily erodes the protagonist's judgment and the reader's trust in the narrative itself. The author blends the intimacy of light novels with the structural awareness of mystery fiction: the pace is brisk, the clues are scattered, and the book is suited to being read in one sitting and then revisited to check the foreshadowing. What truly moves the reader is not how bizarre the solution is, but the question it asks: when the only evidence of a relationship is memory, do the people we loved still count as existing? Suitable for readers who enjoy urban suspense, emotional mystery, and narrative trickery, as well as those who want a cognitive jolt from a lightweight read.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy urban suspense and emotional mystery and want a twist in a short read
Readers interested in themes such as whether memory is reliable and whether identity is real
Readers accustomed to light-novel pacing who want to finish in one sitting and savor it afterward
Beginners who want to try narrative trickery without tackling a thick, heavy work

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting hardcore orthodox mystery, a rigorous chain of physical evidence, and a fair puzzle may find it unsatisfying
Readers who prefer grand social themes or a sense of historical depth will find the scope rather small
Those sensitive to obsession and loss in romantic relationships should read with discretion

Reading tips

On the first read, follow Futa's investigative rhythm and do not flip to the ending early; preserve the experience of being misled
Jot down key details each time a contact attempt fails, and revisit these points after finishing
After finishing, flip back to the opening chapters and observe how the narrative perspective quietly shapes your judgment
If reading with friends, discuss midway "whom do you believe really exists," then compare with the ending

About the publisher

New Star Press China · Founded in 1989

New Star Press focuses on classic works, mystery and detective fiction, science fiction, history, foreign literature and art, and its 602 titles in the library show a balance between popular reading and humanistic depth. Representative books include The Complete Works of Shakespeare: Illustrated Collector's Edition, And Then There Were None, Murder on the Orient Express, The Player of Games, Local Government in Qing China, A Good Man Is Hard to Find and A Collection of Fine Ukiyo-e Prints, spanning classic literature, detective fiction, science fiction, local history and visual art. Its authors and contributors include William Shakespeare, Agatha Christie and Iain M. Banks, as well as translators such as Zhu Shenghao and Su Fuzhong and illustrators such as John Gilbert and George Cruikshank. Known for the detective series Midnight Library and for social-science and humanities titles, the press emphasizes edition design and reading experience; public information is limited, so this profile highlights the publishing features reflected in the library's books.

版权信息
第一章
第二章
第三章
第四章
第五章
尾声

FAQ

Is this a horror novel? Is it very scary?

It does not rely on gore or jump scares for horror; it leans more toward suspense and psychological unease. The tension comes from the cognitive shake of "familiar people and traces suddenly disappearing," so it suits readers comfortable with a mildly eerie atmosphere.

I haven't read other works by the author Ayumi Sakamoto. Can I read this one directly?

Yes. This is a standalone story and does not depend on prior works' settings. As long as you accept a hybrid of urban suspense and emotional threads, you can enter it smoothly.

Is the mystery element heavy? Do I need to solve the puzzle while reading?

There is a mystery structure, but it emphasizes atmosphere and narrative strategy more; it is not the kind of orthodox puzzle that gives ample physical evidence for readers to guess fairly. It is best to enjoy the reading process first, then go back and sort through the foreshadowing for greater reward.

Will I feel very depressed after reading it?

The story involves loss and obsession, and its emotional undertone is melancholic, but it is not a work of despair. If you easily empathize with the unease in romantic relationships, you can read it in segments and talk with someone after finishing.

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About the author

酒本步 Author

Sakamoto Ayumu is an author with limited publicly available information; few details can be confirmed, and no clear record of their name, nationality, dates of birth and death, or English name has been found. The library holds one work by this author, Virtual Girlfriend, which is classified under modern romance and serves as the main entry point for understanding the author's creative profile. Judging from this representative work, Sakamoto Ayumu's writing touches on emotional relationships in the modern city, and the word "virtual" in the title suggests the work may involve imagination, misunderstanding, or a blending of the real and the illusory, carrying the psychological description and relational tension common to contemporary romance fiction. Because more works and biographical materials are lacking, it is difficult to summarize the author's overall style, creative trajectory, or literary influence, or to judge consistent thematic preferences and narrative techniques. This introduction is based only on the work information and common classification available in the library; readers may gain an initial sense of the emotional world depicted through Virtual Girlfriend, while further background and creative details await additional public information.

星野空 Author

Hoshino Sora is an author about whom limited public information is available. Five works are currently known, including "Why Don't You Move to Mars?", "One-on-One", "Dangerous Venus", and "Illusory Girlfriend". These titles suggest that Hoshino Sora's writing spans foreign literature, mystery and detective fiction, and modern romance, rather than sticking to a single genre: some works center on emotional relationships in a contemporary setting, while others carry the puzzles and reversals of mystery fiction, and several titles themselves have a light, faintly playful tone. Because details such as dates of birth and death, nationality, and an English name are not clearly recorded, the author's personal history cannot be described in detail. Judging from the categories and titles of the existing works, however, the author appears skilled at developing character relationships and narrative tension within genre frameworks, balancing readability with a sense of suspense. For readers who enjoy urban romance combined with detective elements, Hoshino Sora's works offer an entry worth noting.