Growing up in a dreary suburb, Sakuma has little to brighten his humdrum days aside from his best friend. The bright, talented, and attractive Ushio seems to have everything Sakuma lacks, and his good looks, academics, and athletic prowess make him popular with the girls at school. Past trauma--and an understandable inferiority complex--slowly drive the two apart, and by the time they enter high school, they hardly even speak anymore. Thus, Sakuma finds himself alone.