Hajime Shibata, a freelance journalist, once manipulated scandals to blackmail celebrities, rationalizing it as financial necessity. His life fractured when his wife, Ayumi Shibata, engaged in an affair with a married politician. Consumed by rage, Hajime violently confronted the man and cast Ayumi out during a heated clash. Her subsequent death in a car accident etched permanent guilt into him over his vengeful actions, reshaping his purpose.

This remorse drove him to oppose cycles of retribution, particularly targeting the Hell Correspondence system. He journeyed across Japan to dissuade others from seeking revenge, believing it only deepened suffering. His daughter, Tsugumi Shibata, inadvertently complicated his mission by forming a psychic bond with Ai Enma, the Hell Girl, through which she sensed Ai’s supernatural dealings.

Hajime’s bloodline further entangled his struggles. As descendants of Sentaro Shibata—Ai’s childhood cousin who betrayed her by aiding her sacrificial burial centuries prior—Hajime and Tsugumi inherited Ai’s unresolved wrath. She viewed Hajime as an echo of Sentaro’s treachery and prodded Tsugumi to condemn him to Hell. Tsugumi’s refusal, rooted in forgiveness, thwarted Ai’s vengeance.

Years of combating vengeance eroded Hajime’s spirit, yet he persisted in chronicling Ai’s influence and opposing her role in damning souls. He vanished after completing a record of her story, with Hell-affiliated entities later confirming he avoided damnation. Post-disappearance, Tsugumi became a nurse and encountered Yuzuki Mikage, a successor to Ai’s legacy. Hajime’s enduring legacy lies in his rejection of hatred, transforming his guilt into a crusade for redemption and breaking chains of eternal punishment.