This is a tale of true emotions, unspoken until the end. A tale of marriage between two worlds, of human will and resolve.

Once upon a time, Irede, the town of pleasure, was built in reverence to a god. To this day, the god still lingers there, and the old contract is maintained. Wine, music, and warmth are given and received as sacred offerings.

And in keeping with the contract, Sari, a courtesan and Irede’s singular maiden, must soon receive her one and only guest. Meanwhile, Xixu, a young man who not long ago learned Irede’s hidden secret for himself, is doing his best to fulfill his duty as one of the town’s shadeslayers while striving to support Sari with her own.

Into this delicately balanced world arrives a fresh face, sending ripples of change throughout the town. Soon, little by little, people seem to begin drifting away from who they once were. Xixu thus steps forward, ready to investigate the cause. But who knows what he will discover lying in wait for him…?

Kuji Furumiya

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