 The original manga, written and illustrated by Ume Aoki, began serialization in the April 2004 issue of Houbunsha's monthly "seinen" magazine "Manga Time Kirara Carat"; a total of 146 chapters have been published as of the February 2020 issue.It is formatted in "yonkoma" (four-panel) style, with two comic strips per page and six to eight pages per chapter; the manga's story is presented in chronological order, unlike in its later anime adaptation.As of November 26, 2016, nine "tankōbon" volumes (containing 129 chapters) have been published in Japan under Houbunsha's Manga Time KR Comics imprint; a tenth volume is planned for release on March 27, 2020.