Countdown #[nn]

In "Virgin Road," Sumiko Seno prepares for her wedding, her excitement tinged with quiet tension as she shares her dress with close friends. When her old friend Mika arrives, the two reconnect in a moment of intimacy that deepens as Mika hides beneath the gown when the groom appears—leaving their shared past and uncertain future hanging in the air.

In "Le Merle des nuits solitaires," Sana’s world shifts when her father brings home Suo Nakatani, the son of the chauffeur who died alongside Sana’s mother in a tragic accident. Bound by resentment and a vow to make Suo her servant, Sana begins a tense, uneasy coexistence that promises to unravel the quiet life she once knew.

In a dimly lit nightclub, Kaoru, a performer with a quiet presence, shares a fleeting moment of connection with a stranger who invites her to dance—only to discover she’s a she-male. Later, in the hushed stillness of the restroom, Kaoru meets her mistress, their brief encounter charged with unspoken tension.