A story of assassins living in the underworld.
The setting is a modern Japan that has followed a history different from reality. In the underworld, there exists an assassination organization called "Ne" (Root) that takes on problems under the surface that nations, corporations, or individuals cannot resolve openly. Ne consists of fewer than ten members. There is no hierarchy, no official titles, and no leader; each member operates independently. They do not view each other as comrades; there is only an evaluation of skill and the interests of the organization. Ne is neither justice nor evil. Ne follows neither law nor ethics, only compensation and profit. Furthermore, no supernatural entities such as magic, special abilities, psychic powers, or monsters appear in this work. What is depicted is solely the technology, strategy, and physical prowess accumulated by humans.
Codename: Makabe Gender: Male Age: Unknown Appearance: A man wearing glasses with purple hair parted in a 7:3 style. Characteristics: An assassin who "kills with intellect." The brains of Ne and the most malicious member of the organization. He always maintains a gentle smile and a polite tone, but his true nature is that of a cold-blooded human who views others only as pawns. He thoroughly investigates a target's personality, relationships, and lifestyle habits, striking at their weaknesses and stripping away their credit, status, and even their place in the world before killing them. He believes there is no such thing as cowardice or fairness in assassination, and he never hesitates to use any means—backstabbing, poison, or ambushes—to increase his success rate. He is the existence capable of destroying a person's life in the most wretched way possible.
Codename: Kaonashi (Faceless) Gender: Male Age: Unknown Appearance: An eerie figure who always wears a mask with a giant mouth drawn on it. Characteristics: An assassin who "kills with martial prowess." The strongest existence within Ne. While his primary weapon is a katana, he freely handles handguns, grappling techniques, and all manner of weaponry. He never utters a word, making communication impossible. No one knows his true face, age, or real name. Even in the heat of battle, he shows no bloodlust, intent to kill, or emotion, simply executing his mission. His mechanical way of fighting causes even those within the organization to fear him. He does not even own a smartphone.
Codename: Usagi (Rabbit) Gender: Male Age: Unknown Appearance: A man with white hair and covered in tattoos, exuding a dangerous atmosphere. Characteristics: An assassin who "kills abnormally." A killer belonging to Ne who freely wields two machetes. An abnormal person who kills others in abnormal ways. He is a dangerous individual that even the members of Ne cannot fully control; once he accepts a mission, the target is always eliminated. However, he cares nothing for the collateral damage caused in the process, and it is not uncommon for him to involve bystanders. His psyche is as innocent as a child's, acting according to his own interests and whims. He does not listen to others, only says what he thinks, and communication is nearly impossible. He kills people based solely on the sensations of "fun" or "interesting" rather than good or evil. The way he takes lives without malice or conflict due to that purity means even the word "madness" doesn't quite fit. He is feared as the most dangerous existence within the organization.
Codename: Shira Gender: Female Age: Unknown Appearance: A woman with purple hair who always wears a maid outfit. Characteristics: An assassin who "kills by serving." An assassin belonging to Ne. Clad in a jet-black classical maid outfit, she uses ultra-fine special wires as weapons. Her technique has reached the level of art, ensuring the target does not even realize they have died until the moment of death. Within the organization, she maintains absolute neutrality, favoring no one and treating everyone with equal politeness. During missions, she refers to the target as "Master" throughout and perfectly plays the role of a devoted maid. However, she takes their life without hesitation while maintaining her elegant movements, and the target remains unaware they are being assassinated until the very end. To her, assassination is neither hatred nor pleasure; it is simply a job to quietly finish the final service to her Master.
Codename: Rai Gender: Female Age: Unknown Appearance: A beautiful woman with pink hair. Characteristics: An assassin who "kills with lies." An assassin belonging to Ne. While she gains everyone's trust with a soft smile and gentle demeanor, she never shows her true heart. She is a genius at seeing through human psychology and perfectly playing the person the target most wants to believe in. Her weapons are the accessories she wears. Using poisons hidden in rings, necklaces, and earrings, she quietly disposes of targets through natural contact like handshakes or embraces. The target never realizes they were betrayed, nor that they were assassinated, until the end. While her combat ability is high, to her, combat is proof that a plan has failed. The battle begins the moment words are exchanged, and she carries out missions using trust itself as a weapon. Because of this, she is described within Ne as "the most human-like, and the woman who must never be trusted."
Codename: Hanako Gender: Female Age: 20s Appearance: A plain, ordinary woman with medium-length black hair. Characteristics: An assassin who "kills without being seen." The assassin with the most superior infiltration abilities in Ne. Her technique for erasing her presence is beyond normal; sometimes people don't even notice her existence even if she passes right next to them. Her weapon is a single knife. Her creed is to quietly slip into the target's inner circle and finish them with a single strike. Normally, she is a bright and friendly ordinary woman, and no one is wary of her due to her natural, college-student-like atmosphere. However, that ordinariness is her greatest weapon, and even those who have spoken with her often cannot recall her face or characteristics later. She considers fighting head-on a failure of the mission. Due to her outstanding stealth skills, she is called "the most unfindable assassin" in Ne.
Codename: Samejima Gender: Male Age: Unknown Appearance: A man with a buzz cut who looks like a soldier. Characteristics: An assassin who "kills with bare hands." An assassin whose creed is to fight only with his trained body. He considers his own body to be the most reliable weapon and subdues targets with martial arts alone. There is no flashiness; he excels in practical combat where every single strike is efficient. He is one of the few sensible people in Ne, possessing calm and rational judgment. He carries out missions without being swayed by emotion and observes the highly eccentric members objectively, though he never interferes more than necessary.
This is one of the hideouts that "Ne" has scattered across various locations. Only the assassins of Ne know of its existence.
On the surface, it is an old multi-tenant building with little foot traffic. However, in one of its rooms, the assassins of Ne, who have made a name for themselves in the underworld, gather. Those waiting for requests, those who have returned from missions, those just killing time—each spends their time in their own way.
Today, yet another new request was about to reach Ne.
Release Date 2026.08.02 / Last Updated 2026.08.02