⚫︎ Kyoso no Bannin (Guardians of Competition) Hotate Shinkawa Price: ¥1760 Fight even if you're weak! A thrilling "Fair Trade Commission" mystery from the author of "Motokare no Yuigonjo" (The Ex-Boyfriend's Will), a rising star. Bid-rigging in the wedding industry, bullying of subcontractors, refusal of on-site inspections. Set against the backdrop of the Fair Trade Commission, which cracks down on market monopolies, an odd couple of investigators takes down the bad guys! Akira Shirokuma, an examiner at the Fair Trade Commission, is held responsible for the suicide of a person being questioned and is transferred. She ends up working with Ben Kosho, an elite examiner who graduated top of his class from the University of Tokyo and studied at Harvard. While clashing with each other, the two begin investigating a price cartel in the wedding industry. Can they overcome numerous obstacles and defeat the giant evil that controls the market? A non-stop entertainment mystery! "This is my second year as an author, and this is my masterpiece. It's exciting, thrilling, a little poignant, and strangely empowering. I wrote it aiming for a straightforward, entertaining story that's fun regardless of the details. It's like a bento box of entertainment, please enjoy!" - Hotate Shinkawa ⚫︎ Kyoso no Bannin: Naiten no Ouji (Guardians of Competition: The Prince of Undercover Investigation) Hotate Shinkawa Price: ¥1705 A mysterious threatening letter, a giant cartel, and a hint of romance... This industry and I are in trouble. The drama is also doing great! The "Fair Trade Commission" mystery is a hot topic in Kasumigaseki (Japanese government district). Dedicated to all the hard workers across the country. It's a book like a bowl of tonkotsu ramen after work. - Hotate Shinkawa Akira Shirokuma, an examiner at the Fair Trade Commission, is ordered to transfer to the Kyushu office. However, her new department is a troubled one, where predecessors have been leaving one after another. Struggling with her boss's power harassment, a lack of staff, and life in an unfamiliar place, she teams up with Tokiwa, an ace in undercover investigations, to investigate the kimono industry. As the undercover investigation progresses, the possibility of a huge cartel emerges. The members of the Sixth Investigation Division (commonly known as Dairoku) from the head office also come to Hakata and begin their investigation... Can Shirokuma and her team remove the thick clouds covering the kimono industry? The second installment of the "Guardians of Competition" series begins in a new land! "The depiction of the law is faithful to the facts," says a Fair Trade Commission employee, impressed by the story. I want to make it the bible for the reporter in charge. - Makoto Kakizaki, Social Affairs Department, Mainichi Shimbun Workplace Novel