BL Library - Cohabitation

Manga Review | A Gorgeous Convenience Store Clerk’s Twisted Love by Takashi Aosada

Title: Convenience Store Clerk's Twisted Love

Itsuki is an overworked salaryman. He works for the pharmaceutical industry, and after traveling from pharmacy to pharmacy, meeting with pharmacists, and making emergency deliveries, by the time he gets off, he's worn out and smelling like a doctor's office. The main thing he looks forward to on his way home from work is buying some cat food from his local convenience store and feeding the stray cats. A bonus, though, is seeing the attractive convenience store cashier. He's a beautiful man but a young adult far out of his league. So, he simply enjoys looking at him from afar.

That is, until the cashier happens to be outside feeding the cats before Itsuki can get around to it. Itsuki is surprised but once again is stunned by the cashier's beauty. But Itsuki is a bit thrown off when the cashier uses his name. Then, the cashier, Fumio, gives Itsuki his medical card back, claiming Itsuki dropped it when pulling his card out. Relieved, Itsuki decides to take this opportunity to grow closer to Fumio, and day by day, as they interact, they do until Itsuki finally gets a chance to ask him out for dinner.

Over dinner, Fumio and Itsuki talk; all the while, Fumio drops strange hints regarding how Itsuki lives and the precautions he should take as if Fumio knows much more about him than he should. But that's not possible. Fumio's just a good and thoughtful young man, while Itsuki is the older pervert, right?

Title: Kiss Me like You Did that Day

Author(s): Nana Nanato

Artist(s): Nana Nanato

Miho still remembers Hiroya. Miho is a working adult, a writer who works from home, and he's already gone through a divorce. Yet, Miho can still remember, as clearly as if it were yesterday, the day his only friend from high school, Hiroya, kissed him. Unfortunately, after their kiss, Hiroya's immediate response was to apologize. As a result, Miho assumed that Hiroya didn't mean it and regretted it. Heartbroken, Miho ran away, deleted Hiroya's number, and never looked back. Yet, Miho constantly thinks of Hiroya and what life might have been like if they had never kissed.

Because of his curiosity and despite his introverted personality, when Miho receives a notice about a high school reunion, he goes, hoping Hiroya will show up. When he arrives, his former classmates are surprised, as Miho was known in high school for being a loner and having no friends other than Hiroya, who hasn't shown up. Miho is just about to give up when Hiroya shows up. The two instantly recognize each other, even after all of this time, but before they can catch up, Hiroya is swarmed. This is just one more reminder to Miho why they could never work out. Hiroya is a social butterfly, while Miho could never even make a friend that wasn't Hiroya. Then, he hears that Hiroya is going through a divorce. Feeling like there was no point in coming, Miho leaves, intending to return to his life without Hiroya.

But Hiroya chases after him. He begs to have dinner, which Miho concedes to. Over food, the two share stories about their lives and apologize for the pain they caused each other. Throughout their conversation, Hiroya mentions needing to move out of his ex-wife's home. When Miho mentions having an empty room because of his divorce, Hiroya asks Miho if he can move in. Though Miho knows this might be a bad idea, the prospect of rebuilding his relationship with Hiroya is too tempting, so he agrees to let Hiroya move in. What will living in close quarters mean for these two? Will they be able to get along, or will their relationship fall into shambles like before?

Title: The Boy Who Stole From the Fairy Lake

Author(s): Sudong

Artist(s): Sudong

Hyosin is a runaway — an adult runaway, but a runaway nonetheless. He hails from a noble family, but he just doesn't fit in, so when he gets the chance to buy his way onto a boat and escape, he does just that. Unfortunately, due to his privileged upbringing, Hyosin has a tough time surviving out in the wilds of this foreign place. But luck shines upon him when he happens upon some clothes waving in the wind on a tree branch. Needing some new clothes, Hyosin wastes no time to snatch them up.

But just when he's thanking the gods for this stroke of luck, he finds a pool of water where a beautiful naked man is bathing. The man's name is San, and he isn't alone. His seven aunts, fairies, are also bathing in the pool, and as it turns out, a thief has been stealing their jewelry while they're in the bath. San is immediately suspicious of Hyosin, his appearance being far too convenient as things are being stolen. Hyosin is quick to claim his innocence but also quick to beg for help from San. San lives nearby, and having spent far longer out in the cold than he would like, Hyosin wants nothing more than to stay with San for a while.

San is hesitant, untrusting of most humans as a half-fairy himself. However, after some gentle pressure from his aunts and pitiful pleading from Hyosin, San agrees to let Hyosin (who introduces himself as Chung) stay with him. Things start off rocky between the pair, but over time, they find that opposites do, in fact, attract. But Hyosin is still a runaway, and his brother is right on his heels. As Hyosin knows, his brother will stop at nothing to get Hyosin back — dead or alive.

Title: Prescription for a Lonely Boy Who Wants Love

Author(s): Long Utsumi

Artist(s): Long Utsumi

Kippei is, essentially, a professional live-in boyfriend. He doesn't necessarily love any of his partners, but they want a boyfriend to have sex with, and he wants a place to live, so it works out for a time. But, inevitably, his partners want more from him, and he can't give that to them. So, they break up. This time is no different, and Kippei's already on the hunt for his next partner. Thankfully, he doesn't have to go very far, as he sees a couple of guys possibly going through a breakup.

Kippei is bisexual, and when he sees one of the men left behind and heartbroken, he swoops in to save the day. The man isn't necessarily Kippei's type, and Kippei even considers him to be a little plain-looking, but Kippei isn't all that picky and plays the field all the same. After a surprisingly short conversation, the two end up in a hotel room where the stranger, Sosuke, turns out to be much more aggressive in bed than his appearance might suggest. After an intense romp, Kippei wakes up in the morning alone in the hotel. He laments that he didn't get Sosuke's number, but with nowhere to go and nothing else to do, Kippei makes his way to his sister's house.

Once there, Kippei ends up catching a cold, and not wanting him to spread the cold to his niece, his sister demands he go to the doctor. After much pushing, Kippei unwillingly goes. As it turns out, this was exactly what he needed. The doctor Kippei ends up seeing none other than Sosuke. Not wanting to miss this chance, Kippei jumps at the opportunity, offering his live-in services in exchange for sex, which he punctuates by having sex with Sosuke in the doctor's office. Sosuke agrees, and Kippei quickly settles into life at his new partner's place. But Kippei soon discovers that Sosuke isn't as needy as his former partners have been, and while this usually might be a plus, when Kippei isn't needed, what good is he?

Title: Breathing the Same Air

Author(s): YUUJI

Artist(s): Dasic

Haeshin lives alone, and he prefers it that way. Having grown up being raised by a womanizing single father, Haeshin was used to people coming in and out of his life on a whim, and rather than deal with the same thing in his adulthood, Haeshin would prefer the solace of singledom. This also befits his sexual preference for solo anal stimulation, which he does frequently just before bed to ensure he gets a good night's rest. Unfortunately, his peaceful, homebody lifestyle ends when his former stepbrother comes to live with him.

Haeshin never wanted to live with Sangheon, but after his father, who still pays part of his rent, comes to Haeshin with Sangheon's mother in tow, Haeshin can't help but enthusiastically agree. It probably wouldn't be such a bad living arrangement if Sangheon and Haeshin didn't hate each other due to their strained relationship as children. It's even worse as adults, with Sangheon being messy, a smoker, and prone to destruction, which is entirely counter to Haeshin. Will Haeshin be able to regain his peace, or will he be stuck fighting against Sangheon for the rest of his life?

Title: Room to Room

Author(s): Lee Aru

Artist(s): Lee Aru

Dowan fell in love with Chamin the first time he saw him. But Chamin is straight, and Dowan is happy to simply live within his orbit as a friend. Unfortunately, this comfortable distance is strained when Dowan, while looking for a new roommate, is overheard by Chamin. As it turns out, Chamin wants to move closer to campus but isn't allowed to live alone due to his parents' worries. Hoping Chamin's parents will say “no,” Dowan gives Chamin all the details.

Unfortunately for Dowan, Chamin's parents were all too happy to approve the move, and now Dowan faces his crush day in and day out. Everything is going well, but Dowan suffers as he sees and hears Chamin talking to and about his girlfriend. He's happy that Chamin is happy, but Dowan's heart aches all the same. Then, the day comes when Chamin's girlfriend breaks up with him. Depressed and hurt, Chamin is all too happy to run into Dowan's arms for comfort, and Dowan is happy to comfort him.

But when Chamin starts coming to Dowan's bedroom at night, asking to have sex, that distance Dowan so carefully puts between him and his crush falls away.

Title: Sweet Blood

Author(s): Nene Shakeda

Artist(s): Nene Shakeda

In a world dominated by vampires, human rights and freedoms have been severely limited. Humans and vampires are segregated, with very few select humans given passes to travel through and in vampire areas without being accompanied by a vampire. Jinosuke is one of those few humans. He's a potter whose work is impeded by the deteriorating relationship between humans and vampires. Unfortunately, his most recent job has just been canceled due to his sponsor pulling out.

Frustrated and unemployed, Jinosuke travels through a vampire district, aimless and trying to determine his next course of action. Even with a pass, it's not easy going through the streets of vampire districts, as all vampires have silver hair, and humans don't. So, Jinosuke is constantly being watched and talked about. He's hardly bothered by the attention until he ends up in a sparsely populated area. There, he is ambushed, confined, and then sold in a human auction for vampires. This is very illegal, but as the product being sold, Jinosuke has no choice but to go along with the process.

In the end, Jinosuke is purchased by a youthful-looking vampire named Noi, a human anthropologist. Thankfully, Noi doesn't want to force Jinosuke into being food but would like to make a trade. In exchange for his blood and knowledge of humans, Jinosuke can continue to work and live under Noi's protection. It's not ideal, but it's better than the alternative, so Jinosuke accepts. What Jinosuke doesn't expect is for the feeding to feel so good. As they share more time (and fluids) with one another, Jinosuke begins to suspect it wasn't a coincidence that Noi was the one to purchase him.

Title: Too Close for Love (digital) | Too Close to Fall in Love (TokyoPop print)

Author(s): Akira Nakata

Artist(s): Akira Nakata

Shizuka's father has finally found the one in a widower named Jace. Shizuka is very happy for his dad, but the addition of a younger brother in the house has him a bit worried. Thankfully, the younger brother, Motoya, is a pretty chill guy, and living together with them all isn't much of a problem. Yet, Shizuka is still nervous. Why? Motoya is exactly Shizuka's type.

But no matter how attracted Shizuka is to Motoya, he doesn't want to risk his father's happiness by pursuing Motoya. As sure as Shizuka is that he should maintain no more than a familial relationship with Motoya, it seems that Motoya may not have the same apprehension.

Title: Absolute Submission -Like Hell I'll Obey!-

Author(s): tsushiko

Artist(s): tsushiko

Kikuma is a delinquent. He frequently gets into fights and leaves campus overnight, much to the chagrin of the teachers and staff of his boarding school. Determined to put him back on the right path, the staff reassign him to another room, one where his roommate is none other than the dorm superintendent, Takasumi. That doesn't concern Kikuma, and he has no intention of changing his ways, but while being treated by the nurse after his recent fight, the nurse reveals that Kikuma has been identified as a sub – a secondary gender that requires the person to be dominated, commanded, praised, and punished, otherwise, he might experience detrimental health problems.

That shouldn't be too big of a deal. Kikuma hasn't experienced anything yet, and he doesn't intend to, that is, until he meets his new roommate. As it turns out, Takasumi happens to be a dom – a secondary gender that requires the person to dominate, command, praise, and punish. While Takasumi probably couldn't have stopped Kikuma's delinquent streak usually, with Kikuma being a sub and Takasumi being a dom, Takasumi is in the perfect position to command and control Kikuma, whether he wants to be or not. But Kikuma is hardheaded. He has no intention of just going along with all of this, biology be damned.

Title: Playboy Beast

Author(s): Minomushi Momonoki

Artist(s): Minomushi Momonoki

The world has evolved. Through various human experimentation, a second species of human has been created through a mixture of animal and human DNA: demi-beasts. Unlike pure humans, demi-beasts undergo animalistic breeding periods known as heats once they reach puberty. Males long to impregnate females, while females want to be impregnated by males. Unfortunately, for panther demi-beast Riku, though he's long since passed the age of puberty, he's yet to have his first heat.

It's not that big of a deal, but as Riku gets older, it becomes more and more concerning, especially when female demi-beasts begin approaching him. Desperate to initiate a heat, Riku ends up dating a fox demi-beast female, hoping to coax out his sexual urges by going on dates with her, but no matter how hot she might be, he just doesn't feel compelled to go into heat. Things only become more complicated and frustrating when Riku's living situation changes. He ends up being roomed with an albino lion demi-beast named Touma.

While Touma initially appears to be a run-of-the-mill book nerd, he turns out to be a bit more of a delinquent. Touma sneaks off campus overnight and has a casual sexual relationship with the school nurse. He's everything Riku wishes he could be, or so he thinks. After Touma finds out about Riku's perpetual virginity, Touma is all too happy to toy with Riku's innocence and get Riku's heat started. As it turns out, Touma isn't everything Riku wants to be, but everything that Riku wants.

Cohabitation

Manga Review | A Gorgeous Convenience Store Clerk’s Twisted Love by Takashi Aosada

Manga Review | Kiss Me Like You Did That Day by Nana Nanato

Manga Review | Prescription for a Lonely Boy Who Wants Love by Long Utsumi

Manhwa Review | Breathing the Same Air by YUUJI

Manhwa Review | Room to Room by Lee Aru

Manga Review | Too Close for Love by Akira Nakata

Manga Review | Absolute Submission -Like Hell I’ll Obey!- by tsushiko

Manga Review | Playboy Beast by Minomushi Momonoki

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