Koori no Uroko

Mao struggles to understand social cues and form meaningful connections, leading him to withdraw from school and spend time drawing at home. He occasionally visits a ballet studio in Sapporo to assist with his family's restaurant. There, he sees a top professional ballet dancer perform. A phrase he hears—"The more cruel, the more beautiful life is"—stirs something in him, and he becomes fascinated by the harsh yet captivating nature of ballet.