Apprentice Nail Artist in a Foreign Land, Volume 1

A shoujo fantasy that whisks readers into the magical world of nail art. “I will be the first nail artist of this world!” In a foreign land where nail polish acts as a magical conduit, Saara dreams of creating beautiful and at the same time powerful, ornate nails.

But Saara lacks both magical talent and know-how – and she can pull off little more than small party tricks. Even her best customer Rocco, a strapping wizard with a mean streak (and an even meaner apprentice), can barely coax a spark of magic out of her cute designs.

Rather than let herself be discouraged, Saara decides to improve her skills and even surpass her grumpy patron, the goblin Master Reed. As a reassuringly average, unremarkable protagonist, however, she has a long road ahead of her – and a great many nails still to paint – before she has a real shot at greatness. For now she is simply an average girl working as a below-average nail artist in a fantasy world.