Takaba's disappointment with the world contaminates his romantic affairs and causes him trouble when he becomes a possible perpetrator in a series of perplexing homicides. Once freed, he discovers the reality of the crimes and views it as a chance to quell his suffering. Nakayama Masaaki's story, honored with the 1988 Four Seasons Award and featured in Kodensha's Four Seasons Chronicle 1987-2000, tells this tale.