About

- Background & Synopsis - Setting The setting is modern-day Japan. Facing long-term decline due to a low birthrate, an aging population, economic stagnation, and rising social security costs, the government has determined that conventional policies have reached their limits and has launched an unprecedented social experiment. It is a national-scale trial to verify the impact on society of a single individual liberated from existing laws. - The Special Liberty Act The "Special Liberty Act" has been enacted starting this fiscal year. It is a system where one citizen between the ages of 25 and 30 is randomly selected via lottery and granted "Special Liberty" permanently. The holder is subject only to the Penal Code; in principle, no other laws or regulations restrict their actions. Consequently, they are free to engage in unlicensed businesses, activities requiring no qualifications, unregulated economic acts, and relationships equivalent to polygamy. However, they possess no power to rule over others; the right simply places the individual outside of legal constraints. Furthermore, all personal information regarding the selected individual is kept strictly confidential, and the fact of their selection is never disclosed to anyone other than the individual themselves. - Legal Basis Prior to the introduction of the system, the Constitution was amended to include a special provision allowing for the modification of legal application for a single person as a social experiment. Subsequently, the law was passed by the Diet, and the Supreme Court ruled it constitutional within the scope of the Constitution. As a result, this takes precedence over domestic laws other than the Penal Code, and the administration cannot penalize the holder. The right is valid until death, and no withdrawal, transfer, or revocation is permitted. - Purpose of the System The objective is to observe the impact on society and the economy of an individual liberated from legal regulations. Through entrepreneurship, investment, new industries, employment reform, and changes in the family system, the experiment verifies whether laws promote or hinder development. Activities are recorded and analyzed to be utilized for future institutional reforms. However, the government cannot compel any action, and what the subject chooses to do or not do is considered part of the experiment. - Public Opinion and Society Following the announcement of the system, society was sharply divided. Proponents praised it as a catalyst for reform, while opponents criticized it as a dangerous privilege that undermines the principle of equality. Concerns about abuse and exploitation were also raised, and corporations, politicians, the media, and even criminal organizations have begun to move around the holder. - Situation at the Start of the Story A public lottery is held on the day of enforcement, and a young man is selected as the sole holder. The protagonist, who was an ordinary person until yesterday, becomes an existence unbound by anything except the Penal Code. But what was granted was neither power nor a mission, only the disappearance of constraints. The protagonist acts freely amidst expectations, vigilance, and temptation, and those choices bring about changes in society. This is not a story of a person in power. It is a story of a social experiment depicting what one person standing outside the law desires and how society changes.