East Shinjuku Night High School has students with various challenges. Delinquent Taketo is trapped in a negative spiral. Filipina-Japanese Angela struggles with schoolwork, while Kasumi spends all her class hours in the infirmary. Shozo had to leave school to work in his youth. With guidance from their new science teacher, Fujitake, they work on an experiment for an academic conference.

When a private detective is murdered, a former colleague and a trainee detective are sent to investigate. Along the way, they uncover a tragic truth that triggers memories from their own haunted pasts.

A young man who suffers from guilt related to his adored sister's death encounters her ghost in a haunted tunnel. He makes repeated visits to the tunnel and re-experiences the past.

In a coastal town attracting artists, 14-year-old Sosuke and his friends stay busy painting and helping with school projects. As carefree children interact with secret-laden adults, the sunlit ocean reflects their contrasting struggles—kids embracing challenges while adults seek elusive answers.

Nishi, a former delinquent and an ex-convict, runs a countryside rehabilitation facility for juvenile delinquents where they grow vegetables and do community work. Kaito, a junior high school delinquent who hangs out with criminals, is sent to Nishi's facility after vandalizing his school. Nishi tries his best to straighten out Kaito, but his old-fashioned and violent methods eventually cause his troubled past to get media attention.

The story takes place during a summer of continuous sunshine when water supply restrictions are issued in the city. Shunsaku Iwakiri works for the city's water department and his job is to visit homes and stores that are behind on their bills and either collect the money or shut off the water supply (water suspension enforcement). Shunsaku is separated from his wife and children, and his heart grows thirsty as he spends his days visiting poor households and being abhorred. One day, during a water shutoff, Shunsaku meets two young sisters who have been neglected. He sees them as his own children and offers them a helping hand.

Akiko, a girl living a hard life after her father passes away and her mother's new boyfriend turns abusive, starts receiving encouraging letters from her 30-year-old-future self. Akiko also starts to get bullied in school, and her teacher Shinomiya tries to help her, but ends up losing her job. Akiko also unearths a story written to her by her father, telling her how he originally met her mother, who was the abused daughter of a politician.

Makoto is a student at an art university. She was once captivated by her art class teacher, Ira when she was just 12 years old. Ira vanishes from the scene and, not until six years later, appears before Makoto at an art exhibition. Surprisingly, she looks the same as Makoto remembered and has a secret to hide. Although still human, Ira seems to have a thirst for blood.

It's Machida's first day at her new high school, and the first thing she notices is the pair of girls in her class who are identical in appearance. One of the presumed twins, Kamei, immediately latches on to Machida, begging to become best friends. Machida finds this pathetic, but can't seem to shake Kamei off. What she soon finds out, though, is that Kamei wants to take far more from her than just her time and attention.