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Senpai's Diary: May--Growing Behind the Scenes

Hi, Friends!


April was a quieter month on the surface, but we've been building and growing behind the scenes!


April at the Shop

We expanded our product line a bit this month, including starting to carry board games. It’s something we’ve been curious about for a while, and the response so far has been really encouraging... especially around the house puzzle table. It’s quickly become one of the small things that make our space feel a little more lived-in, and we’re starting to think about what that could look like long-term (board game nights might be in our future).

We’ve also started bringing in the first pieces from our local artist application back in March. Seeing those come in has been really exciting; it’s something we’ve wanted to do from the beginning, and now it’s finally starting to take shape. Our first few artist weekends are already scheduled, and we’re really looking forward to seeing how those develop.

And probably the biggest news this month: we officially became Paw-tners with the cat café opening up on Fourth Plain, Milky and Coco's Kit-Tea Café!

We’re really excited about this one. It’s a space that shares a lot of the same values we care about: community, comfort, and giving people a place to spend time. And we’re looking forward to finding ways to collaborate in the future.

Outside of that, we’ve been experimenting a bit with online content: Volume 1 Verdicts have been a fun way for us to highlight new series coming into the shop, especially with how many new releases we’ve been getting lately. It’s still something we’re figuring out, but we’re enjoying the process.

May is shaping up to be a bit more active, especially with Artist Alley weekends rolling out. April might’ve been quieter, but it definitely wasn’t empty.

Something We're Building

Behind the scenes, we've also been working on something new for y'all: a Senpai & Co. Discord.

It's still coming together, but the goal is simple: a space to talk about what we're reading, share recommendations, and keep the conversations going outside of the shop.

Nothing official yet... but we're excited to share it with everyone soon!


You've Been Summoned (Again): A Sneak-Peek at May's Escape the Isekai

One of our favorite things we’ve started this year is Escape the Isekai: our monthly in-store scavenger hunt that turns the shop into a story you can step into.

Each month, the setup changes. New world, new stakes, new reason you’ve been summoned.

For May, we’re leaning fully into that classic isekai setup... with a twist:

A group of Court Mages attempted to summon a legendary hero to save the kingdom… but instead, they summoned you.

From there, you’ll have 30 minutes to work your way through the shop, decoding clues and piecing together what went wrong, and what you’re supposed to do about it.

If you haven’t tried it yet, this is genuinely one of the most fun ways to experience the space. It’s chaotic in the best way, a little puzzle-heavy, and very much built around just… letting yourself play along with the premise.

We’ll be running this month’s Escape the Isekai on May 25th (the last Monday of the month).

All you have to do is walk in and say: “I’m here to Escape the Isekai.”

We’ll take care of the rest.

(And yes… you should probably still watch out for truck-kun.)


Artist Alley Weekend: May 22-24

This May, come to Senpai & Co. for our first Artist Alley-style pop-up event! Featuring two local artists: MaruMarks and FroogyPrints, as well as a local cosplay photographer, Event Horizon Photography.

May Drops

March and April were jam-packed with releases. May is no different, as we're ramping into a summer release schedule!

Tuesday, 5/12

Tuesday, 5/19

Tuesday, 5/26

  • Shino & Ren volume 1

  • Adventure of Black Cat Nyango: Since I Got a Rare Attribute, I Aim to Be a Carefree Adventurer vol 1

  • Galaxias vol 2

  • I Cannot Reach You vol 9

  • In So Deep, It's Love Already vol 2

  • Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Part 7--Steel Ball Run vol 7

  • Love From the Tip of the Tongue vol 1

  • My Cat's Aura is Strong Today vol 1

  • Nights with a Cat vol 7

  • Record Journey vol 1

  • Redeem: Only One Forever vol 1

  • Renjoh Desperado vol 1

  • Sailor Zombie: Complete Omnibus

  • Scum Laugh vol 1

  • Shangri-La Frontier vol 22

  • That's Not Love vol 1

  • Void: No. Nine vol 1

  • Wicked Spot vol 1

  • Yotsuba&! vol 16

  • You're Way too Cheeky, Chigaya-kun!

Title Requesting

New releases are always exciting, but if there’s a specific volume you’re waiting on, don’t forget:

Our Title Request Form is always open. Ask us to find Volume X of Series Y---no service fee, just the cost of the book if we track it down.

It’s an easy way to finish a series, stay local, and avoid the online scavenger hunt.



If there's a series you want to see on our shelves, tell us. We love tracking down requests.


Thank you for your continued support

We really appreciate everyone who's been showing up, supporting the shop, and growing with us.


See you in the shop,

Ashe & the Senpai & Co. Team

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