If time did not allow ordinary things to be ordinary. How would you have lived? It is the Bakumatsu and early Meiji Period. Akizuki Keiichirou and Kusaka Touma stand of opposite sides of the political scale of the time but still, something as fragile as the shell of a cicada binds these two men together in a tragic and cruel fate. A story of friendship, love and seperation as well as reunion and sacrifice. (Source: AniDB)

Yukiya Ayase is a gentle, kind hearted, and innocent university student. The only relative he has left, his cousin Tetsuo, betrays Ayase by selling him to the highest bidder in an auction with hopes of making an enormous profit to be able to pay off his debts. Somuku Kanou, a bad-tempered (though very rich) loan shark, comes to Ayase's rescue and buys Ayase for an impressive 1.2 billion. Kanou apparently knows Ayase from something that happened between them in the past, but Ayase cannot remember who Kanou is nor does he understand why he "saved" him. In a desperate effort to keep Ayase close to him, Kanou demands the debt be repaid in full and suggests the perfect way to do it: by selling his body to Kanou for 500,000 each time. Ayase is horrified in the beginning, but something soon begins to grow between them that can't be bought for any price. (Source: ANN)

Chisato Takatsukasa, a 35-year-old author, has such a youthful appearance that anyone would think him to be in his early twenties. His work is inspired by his idol—the best-selling mystery author Saki Shunka, who is as much of an enigma herself as the plots of the books she writes. Chisato is also the extremely overprotective father of 15-year old Riju, convinced that the "friends" his son constantly brings over are nothing but predators waiting for the perfect opportunity to defile his precious boy. As a result, Chisato will stop at nothing to ensure they never come over again, resorting to the most extreme of methods. There is not a man he hates more, however, than Riju's rather persistent best friend Shunsuke Sakaki, who just won't go away regardless of what Chisato tries to do. But the motivations of these characters lie as secrets bubbling just below the surface. Why is Chisato so wary of Riju's friends, and what exactly does Shunsuke know about the mysterious author his friend's father idolizes? [Written by MAL Rewrite]