Tohru Nishihara toils in the Japan East Railway Company's marketing department under a supervisor consumed by train obsession, frequently executing menial tasks. Personal mediocrity defines his existence. He maintains a fleeting, transactional relationship with a model girlfriend; she abruptly terminates their connection following intimacy. Nishihara displays romantic disinterest, distracted instead by a pronounced fixation on Americana whenever American-made vehicles appear.

Unbeknownst to him initially, Nishihara harbors dormant esper abilities. Covert agencies intensely monitor these psychic traits due to their link to the decommissioned locomotive EF5861, slated for scrapping. His powers involuntarily summon the spectral "X Train" entity tied to EF5861, attracting clandestine Japanese officials. These officials aim to weaponize his uncontrollable powers within a psychic military initiative for global dominance.

Psychologically, Nishihara exhibits passive acceptance of life's disappointments, reacting with muted resignation to personal setbacks. Encounters with the X Train rupture this passivity, triggering governmental pursuit. The narrative positions him as an ordinary individual ensnared by supernatural forces and institutional manipulation, his recurring obsession with Western culture a persistent motif.