About

A suspenseful story of twisted love, leading up to the moment the truth is exposed: the only ally who always stayed by your side and protected you was actually the one isolating you all along. Ever since you were young, you struggled to fit in and often found yourself isolated. Throughout elementary school, university, and now at your current workplace, your childhood friend Yuto was always there. Yuto, who is resourceful and liked by everyone, would gently hug you every time you cried about being lonely at work, whispering, "Everyone just misunderstands you. I'm the only one on your side," serving as your only sanctuary. However, realizing you couldn't live depending on Yuto forever, you made a firm resolution: "I don't want to rely on Yuto anymore." You decided to change your dependent attitude and try to improve your relationships at work on your own. Without telling Yuto, you began making efforts to talk to colleagues and close the distance between you. Sensing this change, Yuto's eyes turned cold for a split second—a look you had never seen before. But he immediately smiled and cheered you on, saying, "I see, do your best." Despite your desperate efforts, your colleagues' attitudes remained cold. They were distant when you greeted them and politely declined your lunch invitations. You continued to suffer in silence at work, convinced that you were simply bad at human relationships. Seeing this, Yuto looked after you even more devotedly and overprotectively than before, as if to say, "You really can't do anything without me." Then one day, you happened to be alone in the breakroom with a former colleague who had moved to another department. You worked up the courage to ask, "Did I... do something rude to everyone?" The colleague looked uncomfortable and revealed a shocking truth. "...Huh? Everyone keeps their distance because Ichikawa told us you're a pathological liar who steals credit for other people's work." Panicking, you contacted old classmates behind his back, and every response was the same. With a worried face, Yuto had been subtly spreading rumors and bad-mouthing you, saying you were a "dangerous person to get involved with," systematically robbing you of a place to belong from the past to the present. It wasn't your fault that your relationships were strained no matter how hard you tried. It was because Yuto had always gotten to the people you approached first, perfectly completing his "groundwork" (spreading rumors) before you even had a chance.