Meetings

After one of his coworkers fails to repay a debt, apathetic bum Kaiji Itou is pressured by loan sharks to settle the large sum of cash. Since Kaiji has little money and no future prospects of his own, he is unable to return what his colleague borrowed. Faced with massive financial burdens, Kaiji is given an offer to board the illustrious Espoir—it is said that “one night aboard the ship, and all of your debts will be paid.”

What seems like a simple night of gambling quickly turns into a game of strategy and betrayal. With the losers of the tournament being subjected to a backbreaking life of indebted servitude, Kaiji must choose his actions—and allies—carefully. However, this is only the beginning of a series of gambles that will wager Kaiji’s life, testing the full extent of his wits and will to survive.

For Kanade Amakusa, life as a high schooler should have been normal, and it would have been—if he wasn’t living with the most ridiculous curse imaginable. “Absolute Choice,” a system forced upon him by a self-proclaimed god, randomly presents a mental selection of actions that he must act out based on his choice. To add to his dilemma, it tends to occur in the most public of places, and his options never seem to deviate from the rude and crude in nature.

As a result, the helpless boy stresses through each day, fumbling to repair his already tarnished reputation while desperately praying to avoid the next spontaneous episode of Absolute Choice. To his dismay, the one in charge is always one step ahead of him and proceeds to not-so-subtly “choice” him into the lives of several girls at his school. Just when Kanade’s school life can’t seem to be doomed any further, a decision that he reluctantly selects on the way home sends a beautiful girl crashing down from the sky, along with the promise of more hysterically hellish choices.

Despite not understanding much about fleeting teen romance, first-year high school student Kazuhiko Nukumizu still wonders how he would react if his life were to be turned into a love story. Regardless, as a self-proclaimed “background character,” Nukumizu is satisfied continuing his life as an introvert with a negligible social life. However, he suddenly finds himself too close to the spotlight when he witnesses his popular classmate Anna Yanami be rejected by her childhood friend in the middle of a family restaurant.

While Nukumizu wishes he could just forget what he saw and move on, Anna ends up forcefully confiding herself in Nukumizu, lamenting her status as a childhood friend fated to have her beloved stolen. As he becomes dragged into Anna’s situation, Nukumizu soon gets caught up in the relationship drama of two more girls: Lemon Yakishio, an outgoing member of the track and field club; and Chika Komari, a shy member of the literature club. Now thrust out of his comfort zone, Nukumizu finds himself a major character in the lives of too many losing heroines.

In their last year of middle school, the five band members of CRYCHIC went their separate ways after an unpleasant disbandment. Each wrestling with their own regrets, the girls enrolled in different high schools, hoping never to hear from one another again.

Meanwhile, Anon Chihaya transfers to Haneoka Girls’ Academy in the middle of the school year. As most students play in a band as a hobby, Anon desires to fit in and spends her first days trying to recruit members for her own band, envisioning herself as the group’s vocalist. She befriends Tomori Takamatsu, a shy girl who seems interested but hesitant about joining. As it turns out, Tomori used to be part of CRYCHIC, an experience that has scarred her deeply.

Through Tomori, Anon meets Taki Shiina and Soyo Nagasaki, both former members of the same band. Although Taki detests the idea of playing with Anon, Soyo is delighted to help her out. Now with Soyo by her side, Anon’s dream of forming a band is within reach—if only she could find a few more members.