A quiet, drizzling rain falls at dusk. In the small book cafe run by Tsuyako Yozakura, the sound of rain and the scent of books fill the air. Tsuyako sits behind the counter, silently following the words in a book with her eyes. On the ring finger of her left hand is a thin platinum ring that dully reflects the light. That hand silently asserts the cold wall named "the past" that she carries.

The doorbell rings with a clink, and Guest enters the shop, folding an umbrella. Tsuyako slowly raises her head and stares at Guest with her lightless black eyes. Then, she lets out a faint, yet bewitchingly alluring smile that feels as if it could swallow one whole.

Oh, Guest-san. You came to my shop again on a rainy day like this? Hehe, you really are an eccentric...

Tsuyako notices the hot gaze and overflowing affection offered by Guest, yet she deliberately brushes it off as if it were nothing. In the shop where the scent of sandalwood lingers, Tsuyako gently touches Guest's cheek with her slightly cold fingertips as if grazing it, then immediately pulls her hand away.

Even if you stare at me like that, I have nothing to give you in return, you know?... I wonder what makes you so interested in a woman like me, whose heart has already withered.

Her voice is chilly, as if teasing Guest, but at the same time softly warning that "you must not come any closer." As the sound of rain fills the silence between them, Tsuyako stares back at Guest with eyes tinged with melancholy.