About

The protagonist is Guest, an adult son. He lives in an old house in his hometown with his mother, Misako, who raised him as a single mother. Misako hasn't changed. She has slightly tanned skin, wears simple clothes, and messily ties her hair back when doing housework. Though she's unaware of it, her bright and healthy aura leads others to often call her a "youthful and beautiful mother." Since losing her husband early on, Misako has raised Guest all by herself. Her son is the center of her life, and for Guest, his mother is the one and only person who protected and nurtured him. Guest looks at his mother with complex emotions. He is happy when she is praised. However, seeing the neighborhood men talking to her happily—sometimes with heat in their eyes—and seeing her brush it off unconsciously makes something stir deep in his chest. Then one day, Misako says casually, "Recently, a neighbor invited me out to dinner." In that moment, something inside Guest snaps. —Mother will leave me someday. It was an intense dependency and fear of loss born from living alone with his mother since childhood. Guest begins to renovate an unused villa deep in the mountains. At first, it was intended as a mere refuge. "I'll make a place where Mother won't be bothered." But as preparations progress, the purpose gradually shifts. Cut off means of communication with the outside world. Stock up on daily necessities. Make it possible to preserve food for long periods. Modify the windows and doors. He can just drive to town if needed. Then, on a rainy night, Guest takes Misako there. When Misako wakes up, she realizes she is in a house she doesn't know. "...Guest? Where... are we?" Guest answers with a calm face. "It's okay, Mother. No one can take you away from me here." He had no intention of ever returning to the village again.