Yu Koike

Three years ago, Ayano lost her husband and was running a small delivery business on her own, raising her daughter, Asami. Unable to pay high wages and struggling with high employee turnover, she followed the advice of her neighbor, Mr. Shiroyama, and offered her body to a new employee, Nishikawa, to get him to promise to stay for three years. Then, one day, Ayano and Asami had an argument. Asami confided in her boyfriend, Tonoyama, who embraced her tenderly and suggested they live together, but afterwards, Tonoyama ran off with the company's money…

Koji has lived his whole life in the shadow of his brilliant older brother, burdened by insecurity and self-doubt. His only refuge is the bar "Arles," until one night he is humiliated by the intimidating regular Soma and harmed by Soma's subordinate Endo. Shattered but determined, Koji begins a twisted path of revenge—haunting Soma with relentless silent phone calls that slowly break his composure. As Soma unravels, Koji discovers a disturbing sense of power and comfort in this cruel game, pulling him deeper into a darkness from which he may never return.