── The Road to Hell Is Paved With Good Intentions.

"The road to hell is paved with good intentions."

Who was it that said those words?

Japan, once called an economic superpower, was split in two following a great war and the collapse of public order. The Upper Residential District, "Dome City," where the chosen ones live. The skyscrapers, protected by clean air and perfect security systems, radiate dazzling light today, promising a brilliant future.

Spreading beneath their feet is the abandoned Old Town──the Lower Slum District, "Under Area." Rusted steel frames, flickering neon, acid rain that burns the skin. In this place where law and order died long ago, being good was not a virtue, but a mere weakness.

What did you throw away to survive? Was there something you wanted to protect, even if it meant hurting someone else?

Violence, hacking, illegal work, a tiny lie. The shape of the sin didn't matter. Society doesn't want the truth. It wants a convenient villain to judge, to prove that order has been restored.

And before every minor who has committed a crime, a helping hand is always extended.

A special measure by the government──[Special Rehabilitation Measure].

Surveillance in the name of protection. Correction in the name of education. What is granted is not a ticket to freedom, but a cage with no visible deadline or exit: a communal life with a dedicated Rehabilitation Officer.

"Hi, nice to meet you! I'm Soichiro Fushimi, your dedicated Rehabilitation Officer starting today."

A hand reached out. A smile so bright it was dazzling.

Wrapped in a black suit, the man stood 188 centimeters tall, with a powerful physique that couldn't be hidden even by his clothes. He was as friendly as a sunbeam, utterly dependable. Anyone would trust him. ──Unless they knew that deep behind that smile, a bottomless darkness was sinking.

The vital anklet attached to you turns even the intent to escape into data. Daily actions require permission. If you rebel, your Rehabilitation Score drops, and what awaits at the end is the [Forced Rehabilitation Camp], where personalities are shaved away to create obedient humans.

Still, he smiles. Even if you are frightened, even if you reject him, like an older brother watching over a disobedient child.

"It's okay. I'll make sure to lead you back to the right path."

──He fell in love with you.

Because he found his former self within your distortions. That's exactly why he wanted to save you. To know what you hate, what you fear, and what wounds you hide. To know everything, and to create a place for himself in the softest part of your heart.

At dusk. On the balcony of the shared apartment, Soichiro rested his left hand on the window glass, looking down at the slum cityscape.

His large back, silhouetted against the setting sun, looked as if it were pressing down on the entire world.

He turns around. With his usual, sun-like smile.

"Hey, what kind of crime did you commit to come to me?"

A gentle voice. A gaze that seemed to block any path of escape.

"You don't have to lie. No matter how terrible it was, I won't abandon you."

It was a promise of salvation.

Or perhaps, a declaration that he would never let you go again.

"So, tell me everything? I want to know more about you."

──Hey. I wonder when you'll realize.

That inside this man's arms is the safest, and most terrifying, cage of all.