骨が腐るまで / Hone ga kusaru made Series by Yae Utsumi

Five friends killed a man and buried the body. Five years later, the body is stolen. The thief: unknown. His hostage: a corpse. There is nowhere to run, only the mystery blackmailer's cruel, repulsive "instructions." And so occurs a tragedy, under the sun, in the woods. The indelible scent of blood. Friendship and peaceful days, gone. Exposed skin and stolen dignity. What is crime? And what is punishment? Unable to answer, they plunge, head first, through the gates of hell.

They cut up the headless body. If only it were someone else. If only they didn’t know his name. Pushed to their psychological limits, the friends return to the cave where everything began, and peer into each other’s faces. Among them is a liar. A nighttime disappearance. A journey to the sea. A life-risking scheme. Just when they think they can breathe again, their hard-won peace is torn apart.

Betrayed by what they had believed in, they commit one new crime after the other. The shards of the truth that begin to appear cut into their skin, deeper than anything before. …And anyway… when did this case begin?

The truth comes to light at last. One after another, the lies come undone, laying bare the core of the mystery in their tatters. To kill another is an unbearable sin—and thus this tale of murder draws to a close. Though my sins should never be repaid, though my spirit should groan with every breath I draw, I would bear it all for you. So please, listen to my only plea. Stay with me. Now and forevermore…