A man returns to his deserted home island to commit suicide alongside the remains of a childhood companion he once abandoned. However, an ancient warding ritual takes effect, washing only the corpse out to sea. Denied the release of death, he is condemned to a macabre "blessing": an immortal hell where he must exist forever in a world bereft of his beloved.

SYNOPSIS:

The protagonist returns to his hometown of Hisago Island, which has been entirely abandoned by its former residents. His objective is to cast himself into the sea with the remains of "You"—a childhood companion who lived with his family, endured severe mistreatment, and ultimately committed suicide in isolation.

In the past, immediately following the companion's death, the protagonist relied on written accounts of a local custom known as Kai-Nade (Shell-Stroking). He secretly hid the body and attempted to resurrect it. When his efforts failed, he fled the island, allowing years to pass while carrying the weight of his regret.

Walking through the ruined village and the beach where they once collected seashells together, the protagonist embraces the preserved body and plunges into the freezing ocean. Swallowed by the waves, he fails to die and is washed ashore alone. The body is no longer in his arms.

The true purpose of the Kai-Nade ritual was a scapegoat curse: transferring one's own impurities and misfortunes into an empty shell (a vessel) and washing it out to sea to ensure one's own survival. The protagonist realizes the horrifying truth: by using the lifeless, hollow vessel of his companion's body, he had subconsciously transferred his own death and sins onto it, inadvertently completing the ritual of casting away a scapegoat.