20 Works by LikeStartledBirds
Listing Works
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Awakening(s) by LikeStartledBirds
Fandoms: 薬屋のひとりごと - 日向夏 | Kusuriya no Hitorigoto | The Apothecary Diaries - Hyuuga Natsu, 薬屋のひとりごと | Kusuriya no Hitorigoto | The Apothecary Diaries (Anime), 薬屋のひとりごと | Kusuriya no Hitorigoto | The Apothecary Diaries (Manga), 나 혼자만 레벨업 | Solo Leveling - All Media Types
03 Aug 2026
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Summary
Gaoshun wakes abruptly. There is a slight weight dipping the mattress on either side of him. Three points, knees and hand, and the keen edge of a blade pressed against his throat. He freezes, casting his senses wide.
“Why does The System want you dead?”The words, spoken in a low, rough contralto monotone, make no sense to him. An assassin? That would be understandable given his position. But what is The System? He is already capitalizing it in his mind. The. System. The words have that sort of weight.
He opens his eyes, strains to see in the dim morning light filtering through his blinds. It is a girl. A child? A woman? He does not recognize her. Small, nearly skeletal, a face full of blotchy, nearly disfiguring, freckles. Severe bangs dangling over him. She isn’t even trying to pin him down. At least not physically. Is she a mage? A true assassin would have killed him already.
“120 seconds.” There is an edge to her voice now. “Tell me, why shouldn’t I kill you?”
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The dream that keeps coming back by LikeStartledBirds
Fandoms: 薬屋のひとりごと | Kusuriya no Hitorigoto | The Apothecary Diaries (Anime), 薬屋のひとりごと - 日向夏 | Kusuriya no Hitorigoto | The Apothecary Diaries - Hyuuga Natsu, 薬屋のひとりごと | Kusuriya no Hitorigoto | The Apothecary Diaries (Manga)
27 May 2026
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Summary
Gaoshun has just been going through the motions since his divorce. Being a detective is not what it once was, when justice does not apply to the rich and poor equally. So when his partner Jinshi (a rich boy playing at policework to escape his family's expectations) develops a fascination with a young, antisocial crime scene forensic technician named Maomao, Gaoshun cannot at first be bothered to care. But, Gaoshun can't help observing her, despite himself. Little things at first, then big things. As her sordid past reveals itself, he is finally driven to help. When he invites her into his life, unthinkingly, he has no idea what is to come. A mysterious murder, a girl without a name, and then another, a trail of clues leading through Maomao's world. Brothels, addiction, crime families, harassment and threats from Internal affairs. Gaoshun will find his sense of right and wrong shaken, as he faces her realities.
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And the rest is silence by LikeStartledBirds for Out_Of_Custody
Fandoms: 薬屋のひとりごと - 日向夏 | Kusuriya no Hitorigoto | The Apothecary Diaries - Hyuuga Natsu
14 Mar 2026
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Summary
It is Gaoshun's duty to serve, and serve he will. Ground down by endless years, standing in the same position, in the same rooms behind Yoh or Zui, arms full of scrolls, or wielding a sword. He knows every archivist by name, knows which guards are reliable, and which are easily bought. Gaoshun knows how to school his face into the serenity of a Boddhisatva, knows the pressure points to disable an assailant painfully or painlessly, as needed. He knows the exact angle and force to behead a man with a single blow. He knows how to obey and how to protect. It is all he has ever done.
Gaoshun is so so tired, but if nothing else, he will do his duty as a proud member of the Ma Clan.
Spoilers up to the 2nd Western Capital arc.
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The Wreck of Us by LikeStartledBirds
Fandoms: 薬屋のひとりごと - 日向夏 | Kusuriya no Hitorigoto | The Apothecary Diaries - Hyuuga Natsu
28 Feb 2026
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Summary
Jinshi has gone too far this time. Even Suiren agrees. Something has to be done before he commits to something irrevocable.
Neither she, nor Jinshi will, however, appreciate the lengths Maomao will go to slip through his amorous grasp, while still remaining his (relatively) obedient servant.
None of them can imagine the fallout her decision will have for her, for them, for Jinshi, and the court.
And Gaoshun? Gaoshun thinks Maomao would make a far better weapon, in the right hands, then she would a wife.
Spoilers! LN1-15.
This story diverges from canon immediately after LN7 but retains some plot elements through LN15. -
A fallen star, sparkling in his hand by LikeStartledBirds
Fandoms: 薬屋のひとりごと | Kusuriya no Hitorigoto | The Apothecary Diaries (Anime), 薬屋のひとりごと - 日向夏 | Kusuriya no Hitorigoto | The Apothecary Diaries - Hyuuga Natsu, 薬屋のひとりごと | Kusuriya no Hitorigoto | The Apothecary Diaries (Manga)
14 Feb 2026
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Summary
Upon learning that his daughter has been purchased from the Verdigris House by Jinshi, Lakan decides he needs to do more than just harass the young prince. He needs to prove his daughter's innocence, shut down the awful rumors circulating about the Rear Palace Manager's concubine, and save Maomao from Jinshi's machinations.
Step 1 of Lakan's plan: Mandatory virginity testing.
That's the easy part, right?
Everything else?
Is going to get messy.
Because Maomao prefers ugly lies over hard truths, and Gaoshun? He wants to hold onto something he never had.(Set midway through Season one / LN book 2)
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Summary
A few weeks after the war was over, the bodies buried, and the medals awarded, Hermione Granger got to work.
Three weeks, several reams of paper, and many quills later, she was sure. Her desk and floor were littered with scholarly research, old censuses, almanacs, histories and what have you. She'd done all the research, and used her formidable arithmancy skills to devise a model of the future. The Wizarding world was doomed if it continued on its present course. She would be damned if she let that happen.
She had time. Not much (in the grand scheme of things), but enough to get started. Hermione Granger was going to save the world. Again. Single-handedly if she had to. What else could she do?
There was a catch of course. There is always a catch. Hermione would not have time for Ron. They would not marry, not have a house full of curly red-haired terrors to raise. She would not be able to live a quiet life of academic research and family. In fact, she would have to leave the wizarding world for a number of years.
Hermione sighed, brushed away a single tear and got to work. What she wanted didn't matter. It never had.
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Everything I was afraid to ask by LikeStartledBirds
Fandoms: 薬屋のひとりごと - 日向夏 | Kusuriya no Hitorigoto | The Apothecary Diaries - Hyuuga Natsu
14 Jan 2026
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Summary
It was the snacks that did it.
The snacks Gaoshun so casually handed Chue as he herded her out the door. Away from the private conversation that he had come to have with Maomao, in front of Jinshi.
The gulf had grown so wide between them in the years since she’d first met the reserved attendant in the Rear Palace. She, no longer a laundry maid, he no longer a eunuch at the beck and call of the Master of the Rear Palace.
But it was the snacks that broke her heart.
Maomao hadn’t even thought she had a heart that could break. Much less over something so trivial.
~o~O~o~
Spoilers for the LN up to volume 15.
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The beautiful being and the bodyguard by LikeStartledBirds
Fandoms: 薬屋のひとりごと | Kusuriya no Hitorigoto | The Apothecary Diaries (Anime), 薬屋のひとりごと - 日向夏 | Kusuriya no Hitorigoto | The Apothecary Diaries - Hyuuga Natsu, 薬屋のひとりごと | Kusuriya no Hitorigoto | The Apothecary Diaries (Manga)
25 Dec 2025
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Summary
Maomao is just trying to survive the end of term party in her dorm room, when her solitude is interrupted by a beautiful person. She just wants them to go away so she can focus on her extra-curricular research and enjoy the free liquor from the party. But, she can't help but wonder, what pronouns should she be using before shooing them away? Who is this beautiful person? All her observations are of no use, until help arrives in the form of a looming bodyguard.
Or
Maomao struggles with gendering Jinshi.
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Placebo Effect by LikeStartledBirds
Fandoms: 薬屋のひとりごと | Kusuriya no Hitorigoto | The Apothecary Diaries (Anime), 薬屋のひとりごと - 日向夏 | Kusuriya no Hitorigoto | The Apothecary Diaries - Hyuuga Natsu, 薬屋のひとりごと | Kusuriya no Hitorigoto | The Apothecary Diaries (Manga)
28 Nov 2025
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Summary
After Basen drinks the wine and collapses during the first night of the summer hunting party, Maomao is left to explain why she claimed the food and drink were safe to consume, and what really happened to Basen.
Secrets are revealed and confessions made, all while Basen snores obliviously away in what should have been Jinshi's bed.Series
- Part 3 of Hunting
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Falling leaves under a steel gray sky by LikeStartledBirds
Fandoms: 薬屋のひとりごと - 日向夏 | Kusuriya no Hitorigoto | The Apothecary Diaries - Hyuuga Natsu, 薬屋のひとりごと | Kusuriya no Hitorigoto | The Apothecary Diaries (Anime), 薬屋のひとりごと | Kusuriya no Hitorigoto | The Apothecary Diaries (Manga)
02 Nov 2025
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Summary
“When you are called to serve, they tell you it is an honor and a duty. And it is an honor to have shared my master’s joys and triumphs, to have supported him in his travails, to be needed, to be trusted, and relied upon. But no one ever warns you of what you will lose.”
Maomao looks up at him, but the normally quiet, annoyingly perceptive, sometimes snarky eunuch seems to be far, far away.
“Like leaves, blowing away in the autumn breeze.”
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Bezoars and the scientific method by LikeStartledBirds
Fandoms: 薬屋のひとりごと | Kusuriya no Hitorigoto | The Apothecary Diaries (Anime), 薬屋のひとりごと - 日向夏 | Kusuriya no Hitorigoto | The Apothecary Diaries - Hyuuga Natsu, 薬屋のひとりごと | Kusuriya no Hitorigoto | The Apothecary Diaries (Manga)
10 Oct 2025
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Summary
After the events of the northern hunt and the assassination attempt, Gaoshun returns from the boat party to find Jinshi blocking his way to Maomao's room.
Jinshi may have gifted the apothecary ox bezoars, but Gaoshun is determined that he will be the one to reap the benefits of Maomao's good mood.Series
- Part 2 of Hunting
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A Bouquet for Maomao by LikeStartledBirds
Fandoms: 薬屋のひとりごと - 日向夏 | Kusuriya no Hitorigoto | The Apothecary Diaries - Hyuuga Natsu, 薬屋のひとりごと | Kusuriya no Hitorigoto | The Apothecary Diaries (Manga), 薬屋のひとりごと | Kusuriya no Hitorigoto | The Apothecary Diaries (Anime)
09 Oct 2025
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Summary
Jinshi struggles to find an appropriate nickname for his beloved Maomao.
Gaoshun is smug, because he's already got one for her.
Maomao doesn't actually care, as long as her men don't stop petting her; but she has to admit that it's always fun to wind Jinshi up. -
Strange medicine by LikeStartledBirds
Fandoms: 薬屋のひとりごと | Kusuriya no Hitorigoto | The Apothecary Diaries (Anime), 薬屋のひとりごと - 日向夏 | Kusuriya no Hitorigoto | The Apothecary Diaries - Hyuuga Natsu, 薬屋のひとりごと | Kusuriya no Hitorigoto | The Apothecary Diaries (Manga)
05 Oct 2025
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Summary
Maomao propped up her chin on her hands, left the humid evening breeze wash over her, tilted her face up under the cool light of the half moon. She’d already bathed, washed the stink of river water and cave mud off her body and her clothing. So why did she still feel dirty?
When a knock on her door proves to be a considerate eunuch with a bottle of rice wine, Maomao resolves upon a course of action to salve her wounded psyche, and Gaoshun's night takes an unexpected turn. It's not love, it's barely even affection, but the steadiness of a soldier might just be the medicine she needs.Set after the events of the northern hunt. What if Jinshi went to the party on the boat and Gaoshun stayed behind?
Series
- Part 1 of Hunting
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Summary
"Do you ever wonder what it would be like?"
"What?"
"To ride off into the sunset."
"Fatal."
"I've never been a hero."
"And you want to be?"When the sun sets, where does the hero go?
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 2,127
- Chapters:
- 1/1
- Hits:
- 5
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Summary
Neither Naraku nor Kikyo really understand love. they do, however understand the darker passions: lust. hatred. envy. greed. and most of all: obsession. Kagura just wants to be free as the wind.
Diverges from Canon after Chapter 311 of the Manga.
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A Fun Guy alternate ending by LikeStartledBirds
Fandoms: 薬屋のひとりごと - 日向夏 | Kusuriya no Hitorigoto | The Apothecary Diaries - Hyuuga Natsu, 薬屋のひとりごと | Kusuriya no Hitorigoto | The Apothecary Diaries (Manga), 薬屋のひとりごと | Kusuriya no Hitorigoto | The Apothecary Diaries (Anime)
08 Aug 2025
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Summary
Maomao prepares a meal, but for whom?
Gaoshun utilizes a mushroom, but with whom?
Inhibitions are lowered. Mistakes are made. It is hard to keep a secret when your walls are down.
Series
- Part 2 of Fungi
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A Fun Guy by LikeStartledBirds
Fandoms: 薬屋のひとりごと - 日向夏 | Kusuriya no Hitorigoto | The Apothecary Diaries - Hyuuga Natsu, 薬屋のひとりごと | Kusuriya no Hitorigoto | The Apothecary Diaries (Anime), 薬屋のひとりごと | Kusuriya no Hitorigoto | The Apothecary Diaries (Manga)
04 Aug 2025
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Summary
After the Corpse Fungus incident, what if Maomao had persuaded Gaoshun not to destroy all the fruits of her labor?
Series
- Part 1 of Fungi
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Silence Speaks Louder by LikeStartledBirds
Fandoms: 薬屋のひとりごと | Kusuriya no Hitorigoto | The Apothecary Diaries (Anime), 薬屋のひとりごと | Kusuriya no Hitorigoto | The Apothecary Diaries (Manga), 薬屋のひとりごと - 日向夏 | Kusuriya no Hitorigoto | The Apothecary Diaries - Hyuuga Natsu
07 Jul 2025
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Summary
Maomao watches Gaoshun.
Gaoshun watches Jinshi watching Maomao.
Jinshi studies every sound Gaoshun makes behind him.The three of them so hyperaware of one another, all else falls away.
This is a story of how Jinshi and Maomao and Gaoshun found each other in all the silent spaces that words cannot fill.
Spoilers: Events assume both seasons of the anime and LNs 1-8ish but references are mostly general.
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Rivers crossing on the way to the sea by LikeStartledBirds
Fandoms: 薬屋のひとりごと - 日向夏 | Kusuriya no Hitorigoto | The Apothecary Diaries - Hyuuga Natsu, 薬屋のひとりごと | Kusuriya no Hitorigoto | The Apothecary Diaries (Manga), 薬屋のひとりごと | Kusuriya no Hitorigoto | The Apothecary Diaries (Anime)
17 Jun 2025
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Summary
Their courtships rituals may vary. The intention is the same.
But does the target of their desire even notice?
The patronage of a clever strategist can tip the scales in times of peace, as well as war.
One only has to pay attention. -
Some regrets (but not really) by LikeStartledBirds
Fandoms: 薬屋のひとりごと - 日向夏 | Kusuriya no Hitorigoto | The Apothecary Diaries - Hyuuga Natsu, 薬屋のひとりごと | Kusuriya no Hitorigoto | The Apothecary Diaries (Anime), 薬屋のひとりごと | Kusuriya no Hitorigoto | The Apothecary Diaries (Manga)
15 Jun 2025
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Summary
Gaoshun has some regrets. Truthfully, he should have known, when he promised to take Xiaomao out for fugu it might end like this. But in the grip of some temporary insanity, he'd forgotten the lengths she would go to in her quest for poison. At least, that is what he tells himself. But the truth will out.
(Based on a line in LN2/ season 1 of the anime during the case of the poison seaweed).