{"rewrite":{"id":"r_4a73d69070c426cfef9e54fb","clusterId":"c_a0ddee090d8f8f01bdd3da9a","slug":"vtuber-mikeneko-publishes-first-novel","model":"deepseek-v4-flash:free","headline":"VTuber Mikeneko Publishes First Novel","summary":"VTuber and streamer Mikeneko released her first novel, \"The Girl Who Connects Souls Hears the Dead's Voices: Until I, Betrayed, Regain My Trust,\" on July 21, 2026. The book is a print version of a series originally serialized on the smartphone novel submission service Teller Novel. The story follows a girl named Litia who can hear the dead's voices and touch souls, exploring themes of lost trust and human connection. The novel is published in B6 size at 1,540 yen including tax, with an e-book version also available. The cover illustration was done by Haikigasu. This is the first book publication from the Teller Novels label, which launched in January 2026 and aims to adapt all its works into manga. Teller Novel is a platform that started in July 2017 and has exceeded 7.6 million domestic downloads as of March 2025. Mikeneko, who began streaming on Niconico Live around 2011 and opened a YouTube channel in February 2022, has over 1 million subscribers. She also works as a voice actress under the name Ria Koito and engages in music activities.","whyItMatters":"The novel marks a VTuber's expansion into print publishing through a platform that explicitly aims to turn every serialized work into a manga, creating a new pipeline from web fiction to physical media.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eThe novel is published under the Teller Novels label, which launched in January 2026 and aims to adapt all its works into manga.\u003c/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eThis is the first collaborative project between Teller Novels and Freedia, a distribution platform operated by Tohan Corporation.\u003c/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eThe distributor is Media Pal. The e-book version is distributed to e-bookstores via Freedia.\u003c/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eThe novel\u0026#39;s protagonist is Litia, an orphan who can hear the dead\u0026#39;s voices and touch souls. She becomes engaged to Aurelia, the son of the kingdom\u0026#39;s prime minister.\u003c/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eThe story follows Litia as mysterious incidents in the royal capital, whispers from the dead, and an \u0026#34;anomaly\u0026#34; behind her fiancé drag her into the abyss.\u003c/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eThe cover illustration is by Haikigasu, credited as @sousaku_jake on social media.\u003c/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eTeller Novel Inc. is headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo, and is led by president Nobuto Hachiya.\u003c/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eThe company operates the Teller Novel platform, a manga publishing business, and a short drama platform called Teller Drama.\u003c/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eTeller Novel\u0026#39;s stated purpose is \u0026#34;Turning Japan\u0026#39;s creative culture into an industry.\u0026#34;\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"VTuber Mikeneko's first novel is out today, about a girl who hears the dead's voices. The publisher plans to adapt every work on its new label into manga.","twitterPost":"Mikeneko's novel debut: a print version of her Teller Novel serial, with an illustrator and a label that promises manga adaptations for everything it publishes.","threadsPost":null,"newsletterBlurb":"VTuber Mikeneko published her first novel on July 21, a print version of a web serial about a girl who hears the dead. It is the first release from Teller Novels, a label that aims to turn every work into a manga.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"KAI-YOU\",\"url\":\"https://kai-you.net/article/96012\",\"title\":\"VTuber Mike Neko's First Novel Published: A Story About Human Connections\"},{\"source\":\"MoguLive\",\"url\":\"https://www.moguravr.com/mikeneko-debut-novel-book-release/\",\"title\":\"VTuber Mikoneko's First Novel 'The Girl Who Connects Souls Hears the Voices of the Dead' Published as Book, Goes on Sale on the 21st\"},{\"source\":\"PANORA\",\"url\":\"https://panora.tokyo/archives/149161\",\"title\":\"VTuber Mikeneko's First Novel Published: \\\"The Girl Who Connects Souls Hears the Voices of the Dead\\\" Goes on Sale Nationwide from July 21\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":11019,"outputTokens":1338,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1784642985,"createdAt":"2026-07-21T14:02:03.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-07-21T14:05:45.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-07-21T14:02:03.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_a0ddee090d8f8f01bdd3da9a","canonicalTitle":"VTuber・みけねこ。初の小説作品が書籍化　「魂を繋ぐ少女は、死者の声を聞く」が7/21より全国書店で発売","representativeArticleId":"a_579c0a40d30f3a15cdee42bf","sourceCount":3,"writtenSourceCount":3,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":false,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[\"魂を繋ぐ少女は、死者の声を聞く\"],\"studios\":[],\"people\":[\"みけねこ。\"],\"type\":\"release\",\"domain\":\"vtuber\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-07-21T02:14:34.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-07-21T03:30:00.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-07-21T14:05:45.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"KAI-YOU","url":"https://kai-you.net/article/96012","title":"VTuberみけねこ。の初小説が書籍化　人との繋がりを巡る物語を描く"},{"source":"MoguLive","url":"https://www.moguravr.com/mikeneko-debut-novel-book-release/","title":"VTuberみけねこ、初の小説作品『魂を繋ぐ少女は、死者の声を聞く』が書籍化、21日発売"},{"source":"PANORA","url":"https://panora.tokyo/archives/149161","title":"VTuber・みけねこ。初の小説作品が書籍化　「魂を繋ぐ少女は、死者の声を聞く」が7/21より全国書店で発売"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":["魂を繋ぐ少女は、死者の声を聞く"],"studios":[],"people":["みけねこ。"],"type":"release","domain":"vtuber","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":["Mikeneko's first novel, \"The Girl Who Connects Souls Hears the Dead's Voices: Until I, Betrayed, Regain My Trust,\" was published on July 21, 2026.","The novel costs 1,540 yen including tax and is available in B6 paperback and e-book formats.","The book is the first publication from the Teller Novels label, which launched in January 2026 and aims to adapt all works into manga.","Teller Novel, the platform hosting the original serialization, has exceeded 7.6 million domestic downloads as of March 2025.","Mikeneko has over 1 million YouTube subscribers as of the publication date."]}