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After-School Duty

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After-School Duty
First light novel volume cover
ほうかごがかり
(Hōkagogakari)
Genre
Light novel
Written byGakuto Coda
Illustrated bypotg
Published byASCII Media Works
ImprintDengeki Bunko
Original runJanuary 10, 2024 – present
Volumes7
Manga
Written byGakuto Coda
Illustrated byMeiji
Published byKadokawa Shoten
English publisher
ImprintKadokawa Comics A
MagazineComp Ace
Original runJuly 26, 2024 – present
Volumes3
icon Anime and manga portal

After-School Duty (ほうかごがかり, Hōkagogakari) is a Japanese light novel series written by Gakuto Coda and illustrated by potg. It began publication under ASCII Media Works's Dengeki Bunko imprint in January 2024, with seven volumes released as of August 2026. A manga adaptation illustrated by Meiji began serialization in Kadokawa Shoten's Comp Ace magazine in July 2024, and has been compiled into two volumes as of September 2025.

Plot

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Kei Nimori, a sixth-grader, becomes suspicious one day when he sees his name and the words "after-school duty" on his classroom blackboard. Later that night, he hears a school bell ring and a call to go to after-school duty. He suddenly himself in a mysterious school along with six others, including his former friend Sei Ogata. They are tasked with "after-school duty" by documenting the school's so-called Unnamed Mysteries, which manifest as monsters that haunt the school each night between 12:12:12 AM and 4:44:44 AM.

Characters

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Kei Nimori (二森 啓, Nimori Kei)
A student who is summoned one night to another dimension. Together with six others, he becomes one of the Hōkagogakari, a group aiming at investigating the monsters that roam Hōkago. He is a skilled artist and uses his drawing skills in investigating monsters.
Sei Ogata (緒方 惺, Ogata Sei)
A student who goes to the same school as Kei. He was previously Kei's best friend and the only one at school who appreciated Kei's art, but the two had drifted apart.
Maaya Kenjō (見上 真彩, Kenjō Maaya)
Iruma Seto (瀬戸 イルマ, Seto Iruma)
Ruki Kojima (小嶋 瑠希, Kojima Ruki)
Raku Dōjima (堂島 楽, Dōjima Raku)
Sensei (先生)
A student who is also nicknamed Tarō-san (太郎さん) and tasks the others with their "after-school duty" of documenting the Unnamed Mysteries.

Development

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Gakuto Coda had been developing the manga for over ten years, having been inspired by tropes such as the Seven School Mysteries in Japanese schools as well as his own life as an elementary school student. He wanted to use the Seven School Mysteries as a major theme, depicting them as being incomprehensible or horrific, in contrast to them often being depicted in a more light-hearted manner in other works. He wanted the characters to feel as if they were truly sent to another world and found themselves in an "alien" situation. Despite his reputation for writing horror works, he considered himself as more of a fairy tale writer and wanted to incorporate folklore elements as well.[3]

Media

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Light novel

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The series is written by Gakuto Coda, who previously wrote the horror novel series Missing and Danshō no Grimm,[4] and features illustrations by potg. It is published by ASCII Media Works under their Dengeki Bunko imprint, with the first volume being released on January 10, 2024.[5] Seven volumes have been published as of August 7, 2026.[6] A promotional video narrated by Akari Kito was released on August 12, 2024.[7]

No. Release date ISBN
1January 10, 2024[5]978-4-04-915199-2
2February 9, 2024[8]978-4-04-915383-5
3May 10, 2024[9]978-4-04-915200-5
4February 7, 2025[10]978-4-04-915850-2
5July 10, 2025[11]978-4-04-915851-9
6December 10, 2025[12]978-4-04-916602-6
7August 7, 2026[6]978-4-04-916977-5

Manga

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A manga adaptation illustrated by Meiji began serialization in Kadokawa Shoten's Comp Ace magazine on July 26, 2024.[13] The first tankōbon volume was released on February 26, 2025;[14][15] three volumes have been released as of August 25, 2026.[16]

In May 2026, Yen Press announced that they had licensed the manga adaptation for English publication.[17] The first volume is scheduled for release in November 2026.[17][18]

No. Original release date Original ISBN North American release date North American ISBN
1February 26, 2025[15]978-4-04-115862-3November 24, 2026[18]979-8-8554-3276-3
2September 24, 2025[19]978-4-04-116472-3——
3August 25, 2026[16]978-4-04-117078-6——

Reception

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The series was ranked seventh in the New Title ranking in the 2025 edition of Takarajimasha's Kono Light Novel ga Sugoi! guidebook.[4][20] The series was also ranked ninth in the bunkobon category at the 2024 Next Light Novel Awards.[21][22] The series was ranked fifth in the same category at the 2025 Next Light Novel Awards.[23]

Writing for Da Vinci News, Minami Asato praised the first volume of the light novel, being thrilled by the story, which she felt got scarier as the volume went on. She noted how vivid the volume was, to the point that it was as if its scariness could even encroach on reality.[4]

References

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  1. ↑ 『ほうかごがかり』のコミカライズ連載がコンプエース9月号より開始. LN-News.com (in Japanese). July 29, 2024. Retrieved June 5, 2026.
  2. ↑ 異次元の学校で怪異を観察する「ほうかごがかり」に選ばれた少年少女の物語. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. February 26, 2025. Retrieved June 5, 2026.
  3. ↑ ""ほうかごがかり"になった少年が、怪異を記録…メルヘンラノベのコミカライズが「怖い」【ホラー漫画】". Web The Television (in Japanese). December 10, 2025. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 Asato, Minami (February 27, 2025). 学校中の教室に棲む怪異。その観察を強いられた少年少女の恐怖と絶望を描く大人気シリーズ「ほうかごがかり」【書評】. Da Vinci News (in Japanese). Kadokawa Corporation. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  5. 1 2 ほうかごがかり (in Japanese). ASCII Media Works. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  6. 1 2 ほうかごがかり7 立穎小学校 (in Japanese). ASCII Media Works. Retrieved July 14, 2026.
  7. ↑ 『ほうかごがかり』のスペシャルPVが公開中 ナレーションは鬼頭明里さんが担当. LN-News.com (in Japanese). August 12, 2024. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  8. ↑ ほうかごがかり2 (in Japanese). ASCII Media Works. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  9. ↑ ほうかごがかり3 (in Japanese). ASCII Media Works. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  10. ↑ ほうかごがかり4 あかね小学校 (in Japanese). ASCII Media Works. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  11. ↑ ほうかごがかり5 あかね小学校 (in Japanese). ASCII Media Works. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  12. ↑ ほうかごがかり6 あかね小学校 (in Japanese). ASCII Media Works. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  13. ↑ 「ほうかごがかり」に選ばれた少年少女が体験する恐怖と絶望、真夜中のメルヘン. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. July 6, 2024. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  14. ↑ 異次元の学校で怪異を観察する「ほうかごがかり」に選ばれた少年少女の物語. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. February 26, 2025. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  15. 1 2 ほうかごがかり（1） (in Japanese). Kadokawa Shoten. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  16. 1 2 ほうかごがかり（3） (in Japanese). Kadokawa Shoten. Retrieved July 14, 2026.
  17. 1 2 Mateo, Alex (May 15, 2026). "Yen Press Licenses Moscow 2160, Love at the City's Edge on a Moonlit Night, Terrarium in a Drawer, 14 More Manga/Novels". Anime News Network. Retrieved June 5, 2026.
  18. 1 2 "After-School Duty, Vol. 1". Yen Press. Retrieved May 22, 2026.
  19. ↑ ほうかごがかり（2） (in Japanese). Kadokawa Shoten. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  20. ↑ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (November 26, 2024). "Kono Light Novel ga Sugoi! Book Reveals 2025 Series Rankings". Anime News Network. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  21. ↑ 「次にくるライトノベル大賞2024」結果発表！ 文庫部門&単行本部門の1位は『境界のメロディ』『私の心はおじさんである』に決定！. EEO Media (in Japanese). November 27, 2025. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  22. ↑ 大賞決定！「次にくるライトノベル大賞2024」結果発表！ 文庫部門『境界のメロディ』単行本部門『私の心はおじさんである』に決定！ (in Japanese). Kadokawa Corporation. February 24, 2025. Retrieved June 5, 2026 – via PR Times.
  23. ↑ 「次にくるライトノベル大賞2025」結果発表！ 大賞は文庫部門『異世界転生ダンジョンマスター 温泉ダンジョンを作る』、単行本部門『異世界転生勧誘詐欺』に決定！ (in Japanese). Kadokawa Corporation. February 24, 2026. Retrieved November 11, 2025 – via PR Times.
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