The Longing of Shiina Ryo is a Light Novel written by Ryuno
, available here and on Baka-Tsuki. It is about a teenager nicknamed Shin-tsu who has spent most of his life fleeing from a series of unusual events that he has deemed "Mystery". The story picks up when Shin-tsu moves to yet another new town, which coincidentally is where Ryo, someone he met online and the only person who he has befriended during his life. Unfortunately, Shin-tsu can only hide for so long before Mystery finds him again...
Tropes:
- Action Survivor: Shin-tsu's life story. All he really wants is a normal life, but the Universe isn't quite done yet with its Cosmic Plaything.
- Badass Bookworm: When Kouma and Shin-tsu (who tried to punch out Shogushin with their Chinese kung fu movie fighting skills) found themselves in a pinch, Ryo used her frail body to climb the metallic structure of the warehouse like a monkey and drop a heavy spotlight on the monster's head. Right, two experienced martial artists were saved by a wiki editor's knowledge of physics. At least Gravity worked fine at that time.
- Beware the Nice Ones: Shiina Ryo wishes to inform you that it is unwise to ignore her. She will use an ASCII weapon of mass destruction if you do. And that's just her warm up. Gravity is her friend, not yours.
- Beyond the Impossible: The battle was over and the good guys had won, but when Shin-tsu saw his best friend falling to an imminent death on the other side of the warehouse there wasn't much he could do. So he defied reality to reach her and take the impact in her place.
- Blessed with Suck: Shin-tsu's tendency to literally be lost in thought lets him skip a good portion of trying to figure out how to find Mystery.
- Breaking the Fourth Wall: Shin-tsu actually talks to the reader about various things, such as whether he's running or only walking briskly.
- Catchphrase: Shin-tsu's "UORYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!"
- Crazy-Prepared: Kouma's hand purse carries more than enough bandages and medicine to treat a wounded person, amongst many, many other things.
- The Cuckoolander Was Right: Ms. Reikoku went to the warehouse after being told to do so by an old man dressed in red.
- Didn't See That Coming: When the slice-of-life turns into supernatural mystery, and once again when the mystery/crime exposition turns into a battle.
- First-Name Basis: Shin-tsu doesn't use honorifics when referring to Ryo, and both Kouma and Ms. Reikoku take note of this.
- Genre Savvy: Shin-tsu begins to joke that he's in a novel, and both Kouma and Ryo try to utilize story structures to make sense of his life.
- Hands-Off Parenting: Shin-tsu is legally emancipated just prior to the start of the story.
- If You Ever Do Anything to Hurt Her...: Kouma to Shin-tsu, in relation to Ryo. She wasn't kidding.
- I Know Karate: When Shin-tsu has to defend himself from Kouma
- I Just Want to Be Normal: Shin-tsu would like nothing more. The universe just does not wish to oblige him.
- Inner Monologue: Shin-tsu literally loses track of his surroundings when he does this.
- Not What It Looks Like: When Shin-tsu has Kouma leave his apartment when Ms. Reikoku showed up one night.
- Occult Detective: Ms. Reikoku seems interested in becoming this. Or getting her students to become this, it's hard to tell.
- Odd Friendship: Kouma Yon (borderline cynic) and Shiina Ryo (insufferable idealist)
- Post Modern: As it gets; the characters seem to think the universe is run by tropes, for Christ's sake.
- Rapid-Fire Typing: Ryo with her cellphone.
- Slow-Motion Fall: Shin-tsu sees Ryo fall in slow-motion the second time, but because he's warping reality.
- Suspiciously Specific Denial: Shin-tsu makes a lot of these; "I-it's not like I enjoy cross-dressing or anything!"
- Taking the Bullet: Shin-tsu dives to catch Ryo when she falls in the warehouse, getting dinged up in the process.
- Troperiffic: Shin-tsu may have been a troper in another life.
- Umbrella of Togetherness: Ryo shares her parasol with Shin-tsu on the first day they meet face-to-face.
- Unfazed Everyman: Shin-tsu is an Unfazed Everyman that stood around weird things for way too long.
- Unwanted Harem: Shin-tsu notices at couple points possibilities that could lead to a harem situation, and takes actions to avoid provoking such.
