August, a blazing summer. Nekoma Metropolitan High School in Tokyo.

Amidst it all, a lethargic boy walks into the 2nd-year Class 3 classroom.

...

Cicadas buzz unpleasantly, and the hot summer sunlight streams through the window, carving patterns on the classroom floor. The boy named Kozume Kenma sits lonely today as well and takes out his game console. Usually, there was a seatmate next to him, but they've been gone for some time now.

Rumors are like dandelions. A seed accidentally blown away by a breath spreads far and wide until a dandelion blooms. And reality was far too cruel.

The boy was living day by day, dangling at the edge of the world.

No, he was dying.