Series by あきやまえんま

Ryuto is a timid university student who survives life on the edge of a flashy friend group by smiling through their ridicule. At a welcome party, he gets close to a beautiful classmate named Cocoa. She is being stalked, and he agrees to pretend to be her boyfriend to protect her. What begins as a small act for someone he likes immediately puts him in danger. His quiet crush pulls him into a dark spiral of fear, obsession, and violence.

Otsuka Rito, a 23-year-old game company employee who prefers a low-key life, finds his routine upended by his energetic senior, Saotome Noa, a 27-year-old career woman who excels at work but flounders in her personal life. After a chance encounter, Noa declares them “friends,” pulling Rito into her chaotic world of over-the-top enthusiasm and unexpected visits, much to the amusement of their coworker Ren. As Rito navigates this quirky friendship and Noa’s larger-than-life presence, this lighthearted tale blends humor, workplace dynamics, and warmth, following two colleagues discovering connection and balance in an unconventional bond that blurs the lines of adult friendship.