VIZ Media · manga
As Reiji and his mother recover in the hospital from their injuries, they receive a series of visitors with differing agendas: Gen, Esemori, and Chako. Then Nagi is attacked! Plus, Gen not only reveals a dark secret from his past but makes a surprising love confession…
Gen disappears from town, Reiji drops out of school, and Chako’s unshakable optimism takes a hit. Meanwhile, Reiji’s former teacher Ms. Shiba finds new ways to meddle in their lives. Plus Reiji’s older brother finally emerges from his room…with a surprising request.
Reiji, Gen, and Chako become ever more entangled in Ms. Shiba’s web of lies and manipulation. Finally, the childhood friends have the courage to leave town for Tokyo. But sometimes achieving a dream only leads to new problems. Is it true that you can never escape yourself?
Reiji, Gen, and Chako have escaped to Tokyo, the city of their dreams. Now what? To understand their present and dream of a brighter future, they must first understand their past. Esemori tells the story of his teenage relationship with Reiji’s mother—a tale of violence, redemption, lost love, regret…and fire.
Esemori’s relationship with Reiji’s mother, Yuko, is a complex tale of infidelity, broken hearts, and an attempt at heroism that led to a fateful outcome. How does Esemori’s tragic life inform his writing and his feelings for Reiji? And is Yuko really to blame for everyone else’s suffering?
Reiji meets with Nagi in Tokyo, further fanning the flames of Chako’s jealousy. Back in their hometown, Yuko takes drastic steps to clear the way for Reiji to come home. Then, Reiji’s stepbrother Kazu and Ms. Shiba form an unexpected alliance.
As Chako loses her moral compass in Tokyo, Ms. Shiba appears to be regaining hers. Reiji heads home to his toxic mother, but not before reconnecting with his former lover Nagi. Then, when Reiji returns to town, he discovers a shocking secret about his friend Gen, followed by a horrifying confession…
As Reiji grapples with Gen’s latest act of violence, Chako’s parents fight to save their daughter from herself. Meanwhile, Ms. Shiba is back to her old tricks, and this time her target is Reiji’s former lover, Nagi. Then Reiji hears yet another story about who his father is, this time from his rarely lucid grandmother…