miko does not care much for affection, so tokiyori grows up with a loveless life. he is isolated, underappreciated, and becomes meek and withdrawn up until his seventeenth year when he meets hisahide niwa who works at an autobody shop.

it's because of niwa that toki finally begins to understand what it means to be appreciated and cared for, and niwa becomes a lifeline to him when miko has him ousted from the home at eighteen. living together in a shabby apartment, toki and niwa collect funds for toki to attend university.