Transcription
The story begins in a dark and messy apartment. There are trash bags all over the place, making it hard to walk around. The windows are so dirty that barely any light comes through. Old calendar pages are taped to the wall to help keep track of the date.
A young boy named Atsuro Krosu lives in this apartment. He has been struggling with a severe social withdrawal and depression after he was unable to get admission into a university. He has cut off every single person in his life, including his parents. Atsuro believes his existence is meaningless. Nothing new ever happens in his life and that everything has lost its charm.
One day, he's lying on his bed recalling the digits of pi when he decides to commit the unthinkable. He wraps a belt around his neck and ties the other end on a shelf. Just when he lets his body hang, he starts struggling. This causes the shelf to break off the wall and fall down on top of him. Atsuro catches his breath when he notices a beam of light entering the room. Turns out the broken shelf has left a small hole in the wall that opens into the apartment next door.
He peeks through the hole to see his beautiful neighbor, Rio Miichi. Atsuro is mesmerized by her beauty as he continues staring at her enjoying her meal. On Rio's side, the hole is quite unnoticeable since it opens into a bookshelf.
Following that day, Atsuro starts observing Rio's everyday life. He's still surprised about the fact that a pretty girl like Rio lives right next to him. The next day, Rio heads out carrying a bag and some books. Seeing this, Atsuro assumes she's a student. He eats the last of his food that consists of a few cheap snacks. Bored and curious, he spends the whole day watching Rio. Noticing that she only leaves the house to attend classes and never seems to meet anyone, he figures she doesn't have any friends.
One day, while Atsuro is snooping, Rio suddenly disappears. In a desperate attempt to find out where she is, he steps out of his apartment for the first time in a while. He goes over to her door and tries to listen to any sounds. Just when he's trying to peek through the mail slot, he notices a girl downstairs noticing his creepy behavior. The girl, Haruko Kawasaki, came to check on her brother who lives in the apartment below. Just then, he smells some delicious food. Turns out, Haruko brought food for her brother, but after getting no response, she leaves the food hanging on the doorknob and walks away. Atsuro takes the chance to steal the bag, hoping to eat some real food. He opens the bag and takes a few bites before he's interrupted once again. This time, Rio herself is staring down at his creepy behavior.
After a brief introduction, Rio finds out that Atsuro is her neighbor. She then invites him for lunch at her apartment. Atsuro quickly agrees. So while Rio is preparing the food, Atsuro looks around her apartment when he finds the hole in the wall. Just then, Rio enters and mentions Atsuro's stretchy trouser strings. After that, they enjoy a delicious home-cooked meal together. Atsuro heads back to his place in a surprisingly good mood after Rio tells him they should hang out again sometime.
Ever since that day, Atsuro starts visiting Rio more often for meals despite the fact that he's still secretly watching her. One day he finally gathers the courage to ask her why she wants to spend time with someone like him. Atsuro reveals how he has quit his prep school and he doesn't have a job either. Rio mentions how quickly they have formed a connection over a short span of time and that means a lot to her. Her words touch Atsuro deeply. After quickly finishing his food, he rushes back to his apartment. He decides to stop watching Rio and gently covers up the hole in the wall with a piece of paper and a thumbtack.
A thunderstorm hits that night. Atsuro sits alone in his room, desperately trying to come up with a reason to remove the paper. Just then, he hears Rio's door open in the middle of the night. He quickly removes the paper only to see Rio enter her room. She's wearing a transparent raincoat and holding a cutter. Moments later, a suited man follows her in. Just when he hugs Rio from behind, she quickly attacks him with her fast martial arts moves. She slits the man's throat and brutally kills him. With blood splashed all over her raincoat, she smiles cunningly. Seeing this, Atsuro is terrified. In his panic, he accidentally knocks against the wall. Just then, a book falls over Rio's shelf and blocks his view. Soon, a mysterious van shows up with a couple of men taking boxes up to Rio's apartment.
Back in his room, Atsuro appears confused as he's trying to figure out the strange events he saw. Moments later, he hears a knock on his door. It's Rio dressed cutely and looking all normal. She's holding a pot of food in her hand. With a big smile on her face, she asks if they can eat in his apartment every now and then. After clearing out some space and lighting up a few candles, they set up the table. Rio is calm and composed as she eats her food. On the contrary, Atsuro is still unable to wrap his head around the fact that Rio just killed somebody.
While eating, Rio brings up Atsuro's question and asks him not to get anxious. She talks about how after being alone for a long time, she starts questioning their sanity. However, being around Atsuro makes her feel normal. Once Rio is gone, Atsuro uses a chopstick to knock over the book that was blocking his view to the room. He looks around the room and finds Rio enjoying some tea. Seeing how everything looks normal, he assumes he must be hallucinating and that none of last night's events actually happened. Moments later, a voice tells Rio goodbye. Atsuro rushes to his door to see who the person is. Just then, a mysterious woman named Raina and Magi passes by his door. When she looks back to see Atsuro standing in his door, he quickly shuts it. She calls him by his name and stops for a brief moment before leaving.
The next morning, Rio runs into Atsuro on her way to university. She offers him to use her washing machine to wash his clothes before asking him to eat at his place again. While washing his clothes, Atsuro recalls the murder scene. However, his admiration for Rio misleads him once again. Looking forward to eating together, Atsuro rushes home, cleans up, and sets the table.
Later that night, while he's waiting for Rio to come over, he hears the door opening at her apartment. He looks through the hole only to find Rio killing another man with a bee tattoo on his arm. Just like before, she's wearing the raincoat. Using her kung fu skills, she slits the man's throat before smiling cunningly. Atsuro quickly realizes that it's not a hallucination. Rio is actually bringing men to her house and killing them. Shocked, he screams, which makes Rio notice the hole. She sticks her box cutter through it before looking directly at him through the hole. Terrified, Atsuro runs out of the apartment and Rio chases after him through the streets with the cutter in hand. Using the emergency exit, he reaches the rooftop of a building. However, Rio quickly catches up and traps him there. She asks him if she saw her kill the man. Atsuro admits he's been watching her for some time and that he already knew that she was a killer. She finds it interesting that even though he knew she was a killer, he still came over to eat with her. After that, Rio walks up to kill him. However, Atsuro explains that he once tried to end his life by hanging himself. That's when he found the hole in the wall and saw her. He immediately fell in love with her and he realized being with her felt better than dying. After finding out that Rio indeed is a killer, Atsuro once again becomes hopeless. He drops to his knees and closes his eyes, ready for her to kill him. Surprised by Atsuro's thoughts, Rio walks up to him with the cutter. She grabs him and puts the cutter to his neck. Fascinated by how Atsuro has no reaction at all, she doesn't kill him. Upon being asked how he feels right now, Atsuro claims he wants to date her. Surprisingly, Rio agrees before she proceeds to lick the blood off a bruise on Atsuro's lip that he got while running away from her. Just when Atsuro is about to kiss her, she stops him and asks him to continue spying on her.
The next day, Haruko finally gets to meet her brother, Kawasaki, who's happily playing with a cat. She urges her brother to stay in contact with them since their parents have been worried about him. After giving him the food that she has brought, she notices Atsuro on the terrace and greets him.
Later, Atsuro is washing his clothes using Rio's washing machine. After that, the two of them have lunch at his place. Rio is surprised at how clearly Atsuro could see through the hole in the wall. Atsuro apologizes to her and promises to patch the hole, but Rio stops him. Atsuro is unable to believe how he's dating such a pretty girl like Rio. After that, Atsuro tells Rio that he likes everything about her, leaving her a little embarrassed. He promises to get a job so he can be a better boyfriend. Atsuro ends up working at a convenience store, but every time he uses a box cutter, he can't help but think about Rio brutally killing those men. Despite that, he continues dating her.
Later that night, Atsuro comes home and sees Rio waiting for him by the hole. But Atsuro feels it would be better if they were together in the same room. However, Rio believes they should not be in the same room at night now that they are dating. After that, Rio asks him to accompany her to university the next day. Turns out she just wanted him to carry her microwave to the university because the one in her lab stopped working. After being isolated for so long, Atsuro feels self-conscious being around so many people. Just being at the university is triggering his complexes. However, he gets over it when Rio proudly introduces him as her boyfriend in front of her classmates and friends. During lunch, he lovingly looks at Rio, thinking he's the first guy she had ever dated. After that, he tells her about his plan to retake the entrance exam next year. He wants to become a better person for her, someone who deserves to be with her because he can't imagine a future without her. Rio just laughs, amused by the idea that he thinks he needs to be good enough for someone like her. She reminds him that she's a murderer who has no intention of stopping. She proceeds to tell him that she has been doing it for a while now.
Later, after class, Rio asks if he's hungry. On their way to the restaurant, everything seems normal. Just then, Rio stops and puts on her clear raincoat. She then grabs a woman right there on the street and kills her while spraying her blood all over the wall. Shocked, Atsuro turns his face away when Rio asks him if he's okay. Following that, Rio openly starts killing people in front of Atsuro. During their dates, Rio would grab any person she wanted and slit their throat right in the middle of the street. At this point, Atsuro begins to wonder if she picks her victims randomly, but she admits she follows her own twisted set of rules and even keeps a list of local criminals. Seeing how Rio is killing mostly criminals, Atsuro asks Rio if he can see her as some kind of ally of justice. The two laugh about it as Rio continues killing people, but Atsuro quickly realizes that it just doesn't feel right seeing her kill people like that.
At work, Atsuro is surprised to see that none of her victims are ever reported or discussed in the news. That afternoon on his way back from work, Atsuro runs into his neighbor Kawasaki. The two talk about how cute cats are. After that, Atsuro heads over to meet Rio at the park. Every time he looks at her, he can't help but think how Rio keeps killing people. The only thing keeping him in this relationship is Rio's cuteness. At the park, they share a chocolate and coffee ice cream that Atsuro brought with him. Rio is touched that he bought something just for the two of them. Atsuro's life slowly starts to get better. Now that he's working and has a steady income, he decides to buy a new phone for himself.
One day, while working at the cash register, Haruko stops by to buy some snacks. Atsuro gives them to her for free. Feeling guilty about the bag of food he stole from her earlier. Later that night, Atsuro heads home to find that his apartment's electricity has been restored. Excited, he greets Rio, but gets no response. He looks through the hole only to find a note asking him to stay in his room at 10 p.m. After taking a shower, Atsuro gets ready for bed when he looks through the hole and finds Kawasaki lying on Rio's bed all tied up. Turns out Rio has kidnapped Kawasaki. Unable to understand why, Atsuro begs Rio not to kill him. However, she asks him to stay quiet so they don't get caught. Atsuro reminds her that murder is a crime and that she shouldn't kill an innocent person like Kawasaki. Rio refuses to listen to him and proceeds to kill their neighbor. Atsuro is heartbroken seeing Rio kill Kawasaki. Right after that, Rea and her team show up in a black van and clean up the entire crime scene, which explains why no one has found out about all the murders.
Atsuro goes to Rio's apartment demanding answers. Rea insults him before asking him if he's brave or just stupid. After that, Rea explains that Rio is a skilled killer who does it fast and clean. Her team is just here to collect the body and clean up the site. She asks her team to chop up Kawasaki's body since he's already in bad shape. Rea asks Atsuro if he finds it odd that Rio hasn't been caught yet despite killing so many people. Rea further explains that there are people out there who need fresh bodies. Upon asking about Rio's whereabouts, Rea reveals that she must be out to eat considering she gets hungry after killing people. As she is about to leave, Atsuro stops her to ask why Rio would kill an innocent person like Kawasaki. So Rea takes him to Kawasaki's apartment and shows him how all this time Kawasaki had been torturing the stray cats he pretended to care for. Rea is unable to understand Atsuro's reaction. She informs him that he's also going to end up dead since it's impossible for Rio to interact with people for any other purpose.
The next morning, Rio knocks on his door, but he doesn't answer. In a desperate attempt to see him, she jumps from her balcony to his and comes inside. Atsuro tells her he's not feeling well and stays in bed. She lies down next to him to help him stay warm. He proceeds to tell Rio that killing people is wrong. In response, Rio asks him if he's overreacting because she killed someone he knew. Atsuro tells her that he has no pity for Kawasaki, but there should be rules. Rio asks him if he believes some people can be killed and some not. She proceeds to ask him who really gets to decide who lives and who dies. She points out that every country has different rules and they change all the time, so true justice doesn't really exist. Atsuro takes this opportunity to inform her that he doesn't want to see her killing people. This upsets Rio and she quickly leaves his apartment. At this point, Atsuro admits he still likes her no matter what.
The next morning, Atsuro runs into Haruko. She asks if he's heard from her brother lately. Atsuro tries to come up with an excuse to leave, but all she wants to know is if he's been going to university since he hasn't called or visited them in some time. That's when Rio shows up. Clearly jealous. She asks Atsuro who he is talking to. Haruko politely introduces herself before mentioning that her older brother lives in this building. Hearing this, Rio invites her to wait for him at her apartment, but Atsuro panics and quickly sends Haruko away, promising to contact her if he hears anything from Kawasaki.
Later, while eating dinner with Rio, Atsuro can't help but worry about the fact that Haruko might come back and find out the truth. But seeing Rio calm about the situation scares him even more. He asks Rio if she's planning to kill Haruko as well. That's when Rio reminds him of her rules. If she starts killing people like that, it puts her character in question. So, she promises Atsuro that she won't harm Haruko.
A few days later, Haruko texts and asks if they can meet to talk about her brother. While Atsuro is still deciding whether to say yes or no, someone suddenly grabs him and pulls him into a black van. Turns out it's Raina. She warns him to become someone worthy of Rio or she'll kill him. Atsuro mentions how Kawasaki's sister is looking for him. Rea asks him not to worry. Before leaving, she tells him that he's useless as a person alive, but could make a great dead body.
Later that day, Atsuro meets Haruko for tea. She's desperate to find out what happened to her brother. If she has filed a missing person report, Haruko reveals she has in fact retracted the report considering Kawasaki might have gone on a trip. She asks to go with her to see the landlord because she's too scared to go alone. But Atsuro agrees so that she doesn't get suspicious. Together, they ask the landlord to open Kawasaki's apartment. To Atsuro's surprise, Raina's team already cleaned everything up. They got rid of all the tools Kawasaki used to hurt the cats. They even placed a fake airplane ticket on the table to make it seem like Kawasaki has gone on a trip. After that, Haruko takes a walk with Atsuro. She still appears worried about her brother, but Atsuro reassures her that he must be fine. She apologizes to Atsuro for bothering him. Before leaving, she asks him to inform her about any updates. However, she replies that she won't because she doesn't want to piss off Rio, his girlfriend. Atsuro admits that even though he's dating Rio, he doesn't really know her that well and that she can be a little twisted.
Later that night, Atsuro sees a man with the same bee tattoo as Rio's earlier victim. The man puts his arm around Rio and to Atsuro's surprise, she doesn't push him away. Later at dinner, Atsuro brings it up and asks Rio who that guy was. Instead of answering, she replies that being a university student, she can meet anyone she wants. Suspecting Rio, Atsuro asks if she's going to dump him. Just then, she accuses him of spending time with Haruko. Atsuro denies her claims and reveals that he only talked to Haruko to protect her. Rio mentions how Raina covered her tracks, yet he's drooling around Haruko. Atsuro suspects Rio is up to something, so he confronts her. This makes her mad, so she leaves the room before asking him to cut off Haruko. After that, Atsuro hugs her, but when he leans in to kiss her, she threatens to kill him.
Later that night, Rio meets the B gang and tells them that she's rejecting their offer to be their personal killer. Angry, the leader reminds her that they know she killed one of their members. He asserts that she is now a part of their cleanup crew, and if she refuses to do the job or goes to the police, they will kill Atsuro.
The next day, Rio is waiting outside Atsuro's work to walk him home. At home, they find Haruko waiting outside, so they invite her in. The three of them are having tea when Haruko shows them a postcard by Kawasaki, faked by Raina to cover up the truth. Haruko is worried about what she's going to say to their parents. Stressing about Kawasaki not answering her phone, Haruko suddenly passes out. Turns out Rio drugged her tea and plans to kill her. Atsuro tries to stop her by reminding her that she doesn't kill people to keep them quiet. But Rio claims she makes her own rules. Atsuro is worried that if she keeps slaughtering people like this, the police will find out. She threatens to kill him by slitting his artery until he bleeds out. But because of his persistence, she eventually backs off.
When Haruko wakes up, she confesses her feelings for Atsuro. Their moment is cut short when Rea's team arrives, expecting to find Haruko dead. As Haruko leaves, Raina warns Atsuro not to confuse Rio. She mentions how this is the first time Rio hasn't killed someone that she wanted, claiming Rio will never truly connect with him. Rea threatens Atsuro to leave her alone.
Later, Rio meets Rea and apologizes for not going through with killing Haruko. Rio shares an ice cream with her when Rea reminds her that she is the one who gets to decide who lives or dies. But if she hesitates, the bodies won't be clean, so Raina won't be able to use them.
Meanwhile, Atsuro meets Haruko at a cafe. She tells him her feelings for him are real. However, Atsuro gently turns her down, claiming he was only trying to help with her brother. Haruko appears confused because Atsuro once mentioned that Rio isn't right for him. She thinks Atsuro is just getting dragged around, and that won't ever change. Before leaving, she tells him she'll be at the cafe again tomorrow if he wants to give her a chance.
On his way home, a black van pulls up. Atsuro believes it's Raina once again, but turns out it's the B gang. They kidnap him and take him to their bar, asking him to convince Rio to kill for them. Atsuro refuses to do what they want, so they threaten to go to the police before they slit his cheek and let him go.
When Atsuro arrives home, Rio sees the cut on his face and tries to go after the gang, but he stops her. He tells her he'd rather let them hurt him than see her kill again. Rio reminds him that killing is part of who she is, and she doesn't feel like herself without it. But Atsuro points out that she didn't kill Haruko, which means she can change if she wants to. He confesses how much he likes her, but Rio feels he doesn't truly understand or accept her. She doesn't believe they have a future together and leaves in tears, asking him to cover up the hole.
Later that night, while Atsuro is working at the convenience store, Rea stops by to buy an ice cream. She tells him Rio has asked for a major cleanup soon. Atsuro still struggles with accepting all the killing, but Raina claims what they have is a rare bond no one can break.
That night, Atsuro hears strange sounds coming from Rio's apartment. He rushes to look through the hole only to find Rio killing another person with the difference that this time she doesn't smile after killing. Instead, she's crying. This makes him believe that the B gang must have forced her to kill this person. At that moment, Atsuro has a wild realization. Rio might not change or need him, but he can't deny the fact that he needs her. After calling Haruko to inform her he can't meet up, he goes straight to the B gang's bar. Atsuro begs them to stop Rio from killing, but when they don't listen, he pulls out a cutter and tries to fight them. Certainly, he's no match for the whole gang, and they quickly overpower him. The gang throws him to the ground and starts beating him up. That's when the gang leader grabs him and tries to cut his neck the same way Rio does. Just then, the power cuts out and sleeping gas fills the room. As everyone starts passing out, Rio shows up in her transparent raincoat. She's initially surprised to see Atsuro there, but when she notices he's hurt, she gets furious. She grabs his cutter and using it along with her own takes down all the gangsters. Rio kills the gang leader before helping an injured Atsuro onto the couch. She explains to him how she didn't enjoy the kill this time, but that doesn't mean she'll stop. After confessing their love for each other, they kiss. Just then, Rio stabs him. She smiles, saying she always wanted to kill someone she liked, but quickly realizes that it doesn't feel the way she expected. Atsuro is oddly happy to hear that. They express their love for one another before Atsuro collapses.
Several days later, Rea sees Rio with a suitcase while Atsuro follows her on crutches. They agree to have their old apartment cleaned, and Rea jokes he shouldn't stop spying on her just because they're moving in together. As they walk off together, Rio tells Atsuro she won't kill anyone else, but someday she will kill him. Atsuro smiles and says, "That's fine because his artery belongs only to her." Then she pauses, realizing they never even learned each other's first names. They laugh as they finally introduce themselves properly. The movie ends as they shake hands like it's the start of something new.