Yuuko Kurose

Living by the sea, protecting the sea, and journeying across the sea…They’re the BLUE MERMAIDS! Because of a shift in tectonic plates around 100 years ago, Japan lost much of its area to submergence. To preserve Japan’s territories, Coastal Cities sprung up, one after the other. Eventually, they became Marine Cities, and along with the expansion of sea-lanes to connect them, the need arose for a sizable staff to protect the seas. At the same time, maritime jobs were becoming more popular among women. Hence, the BLUE MERMAIDS had become every female student’s dream job.

Hitori Bocchi, a girl with extreme social anxiety, has had only one friend throughout elementary school. When Bocchi learns they'll be split up after graduation, she makes a promise to her: "By the time of my middle school graduation, I'll make friends with everyone in my class." And if she can't... they won't be friends anymore?! But Bocchi has a hard time talking to people. When she gets nervous, her legs cramp. She can't look other people in the eye. She doesn't even know how to make friends! Every way she thinks of to make friends ends up failing. Will her friend-making plan pay off?!

Fifteen-year-old Yuna prefers staying home and obsessively playing her favorite VRMMO to doing anything else, including going to school. When a strange new update gives her a one-of-a-kind bear outfit that comes with overpowered abilities, Yuna is torn: the outfit is unbearably cute, but too embarrassing to wear in-game. But then she suddenly finds herself transported into the world of the game, facing down monsters and magic for real, and the bear suit becomes the best weapon she has!

Fifteen year old Kuroki Tomoko has dated dozens of boys and is easily the most popular girl around-- inside her dating games. In reality, she gets tongue tied just talking to people, and throughout middle school she's only had one actual friend. As she enter high school, she desperately wants to be popular, but doesn't understand that real-life doesn't work like her games. Her artificial successes pave the way to real folly and failure. But why drop this strategy when there's always someone else to blame?!