Ichiro Tadokoro, a middle-aged man, navigates life alone after his wife Makiko’s sudden death from a chemical reaction triggered by beer and stink fruit on their wedding anniversary. With their house recently paid off and their son now at university, Ichiro inhabits an empty home, unequipped to process grief despite societal expectations—his emotional detachment stemming from their arranged marriage’s gradual cooling. Makiko’s ghost lingers in their living room, visible only to him, where she mechanically replays her nightly ritual of watching television.

To evade her spectral presence, Ichiro seeks refuge in after-work dinners with colleagues, citing gratitude for their funeral assistance. His subordinates mistake his avoidance for loneliness, unaware he dreads returning home. Among them, Hitomi Momoi extends sympathy through home-cooked meals, which Ichiro misreads as romantic interest. Unbeknownst to him, Hitomi’s gestures mask her attempts to reconnect with ex-boyfriend Akira, residing nearby.

The stalemate breaks when Makiko discloses her unresolved purpose: an undelivered anniversary gift. Following her instructions, Ichiro retrieves a new wallet and a handwritten note from the tea cabinet. In it, Makiko thanks him for his quiet dedication, expresses faith in their shared future, and affirms satisfaction with their life together. The revelation grants Makiko release, dissolving her ghost, while awakening Ichiro’s buried sorrow—his first tears marking a belated, cathartic mourning.

The story traces Ichiro’s journey from emotional numbness to acceptance, mediated by Makiko’s posthumous closure and his misaligned bond with Hitomi. Through lingering ghosts and living misunderstandings, it examines how unvoiced feelings and unresolved ties transcend death, binding the living and the departed.