[Prologue]

A large black van was driving along the winding mountain road at night. The windows were tinted, preventing anyone from seeing inside the vehicle. In the luggage space, which was connected to the back seat, there was a black sleeping bag that resembled a body storage bag. Next to it lay a shoulder bag for women and a destroyed smartphone. Inside the van were four men, including the driver. Occasionally, the sleeping bag would stir, but no one paid it any mind.

The destination of the van was far from the city center, deep in the mountains. As they drove along a road without traffic lights or signs, an unmanned security gate appeared ahead. When the security camera confirmed the driver's face, the fence gate opened remotely. Beyond the gate was an artificially cleared flat area with trees cut down, where an elegant mansion stood, resembling a modern art museum. The van proceeded along the illuminated road within the grounds and stopped in front of the mansion's main entrance. This was the tenth time the men had visited this luxurious residence. In the lavishly decorated entrance hall, a bespectacled female secretary welcomed them.

"Thank you for waiting. On behalf of my employer, I would like to express my gratitude. Now, let's confirm the items requested..."

The handover of the requested items. Confirmation of the deposit into the online bank. After completing the necessary procedures, the men left the mountain mansion. The sleeping bag was not in the returning van.

――――――――――

[Day 1 of Confinement]

The night at the ○× station was bustling with many pedestrians. A group of young people who looked like university students, couples walking hand in hand, and a group of drunken salarymen. With the weekend upon them, many people were in high spirits. Amidst the crowd, a young woman emerged from the station, wearing a dark expression. Her name was Miura Yukari, a 22-year-old office worker at a cosmetics company.

Yukari was born into a middle-class family in the countryside, living with her parents and a younger brother who was three years her junior. After graduating from a public high school in the city, she went on to a junior college outside the prefecture. After successfully graduating from the junior college, she did not return home but instead got a job at a cosmetics company in the urban area. She had been with her current company for two years. Every morning, she endured the crowded train commute, leading a bland life of going back and forth between work and home. Her current life was far removed from the "glamorous office worker" she had dreamed of during her high school days.

The warm night breeze of July tousled her short bob of black hair. Yukari took a handkerchief from her commuting shoulder bag and wiped the sweat from her forehead. She wanted to get home quickly to remove her foundation. She wanted to take a shower. Yukari began to walk briskly towards her apartment, escaping the lively crowd in front of the station.

Today was the last day of her consecutive workdays. The physical fatigue was significant, but the mental exhaustion was even greater. She still felt a lingering unease in her chest. Today, a senior male colleague had pushed a work mistake onto her. Of course, she had protested, but no one listened to her. In the end, Yukari received a long lecture from her boss and was ordered to handle the aftermath of the mistake and submit a written apology. The senior colleague had remained indifferent throughout. None of her other colleagues offered any support. As a result of today's incident, Yukari's standing within the company had significantly declined. She was met with cold stares from everyone she encountered.

This might be an absurdity that every working adult experiences, but the frustration of being treated unfairly left Yukari feeling completely dejected.

At least there was some solace in the fact that tomorrow was a day off. In the morning, she planned to clean her room, and in the afternoon, she would go to her favorite spa to refresh herself thoroughly. She imagined soaking in a massage bath, detoxing in the sauna and stone bath, and sipping a stylish cocktail in the women-only lounge. Just picturing an ideal day off made her heart lift a little. However, she knew that no matter how meaningful her day off was, it wouldn't fill the emptiness she felt. Yukari herself didn't know how to fill that void.

――――――――――

Yukari turned off the busy main street into a side road. A quiet and deserted alley stretched straight ahead. The young office worker walked down the alley, flanked by high block walls on both sides. There were no other pedestrians in sight.

8:48 PM.

Just 200 meters away from her ladies' apartment where she lived alone, something unusual happened. A large black van came driving towards her from ahead. Since cars rarely passed through this road, Yukari thought it was strange and moved closer to the shoulder. Just before they were about to pass each other, the van suddenly came to a diagonal stop, blocking Yukari's path. Startled, she instinctively stopped in her tracks. The sliding door of the van swung open forcefully, and two men jumped out. They were wearing full-face masks and had leather gloves on both hands.

"Huh? W-what? No!?"

The men moved in a coordinated manner to capture Yukari. One of them held her in a chokehold while the other lifted her lower body. Just like that, Yukari was pushed into the back seat of the large van. The sliding door closed immediately, and the van took off. Inside the vehicle, the seats were reclined, creating a flat surface. Yukari was pressed face down onto the wide floor, her hands twisted behind her back. The men did not say a word, and their silence was even more unsettling.

"Let go of me! No! Someone help, mmmph!?"

A third man, who had been waiting inside the van, pressed a plastic mask resembling an oxygen mask against Yukari's mouth.

"Mmmph! Mmm! Mmmph! Mmm, mmm…"

As she breathed in, a pungent chemical smell, reminiscent of volatile substances, filled her lungs. Soon after, her consciousness began to fade.

Why me? Where are they taking me? Someone… help…

"Mmmph… Mmm… Mmmph…"

In less than ten seconds, her body felt numb, and her vision narrowed. Eventually, everything went dark, and Yukari's consciousness was abruptly cut off. The large van, carrying the 22-year-old office worker, revved its engine and drove away. Since there were no other pedestrians around, no one witnessed the series of events.

From that day on, Miura Yukari became one of the over ten thousand missing persons each year.

――――――――――

"Mmm…"

Her long-lashed eyes slowly opened. In her blurred vision, she saw a concrete wall and a floor covered with black carpet.

"Ugh… Mmm?"

As her consciousness gradually returned, Miura Yukari realized how unpleasant her awakening was. Her head throbbed with pain, and breathing was difficult. As her foggy mind cleared, Yukari recalled what had happened to her.

That's right, I was taken by unknown men and put in a car…!

Remembering that she had been abducted by mysterious men, Yukari instinctively tried to sit up. However, she couldn't. Her hands, which were twisted behind her back, were completely immobile. She felt something wrapped around her wrists and the same sensation around her ankles.

Huh? What? What's happening?

It took Yukari a moment to realize that her hands and feet were bound by something like leather straps.

"Ugh… Mmm…!"

Why? How come?

Overwhelmed by rising fear, Yukari tried to scream. But she couldn't do that either. Her mouth was completely covered by a black leather mask, and something was stuffed inside her mouth. With her tongue restrained, she couldn't even speak properly, let alone shout.

"Mmm!?"

The restraints on her limbs and the gag mask were shocking enough, but even more shocking was the fact that she was naked. Her tailored jacket, blouse, tight skirt, stockings, and pumps—everything she had worn for work had been stripped away. Her mini shoulder bag containing her wallet and smartphone, as well as the wristwatch her parents had bought her as a graduation gift, were also gone. The only clothing left on her was her bra and panties.

Noooooo!

Yes, Yukari was trapped in an unknown room in her underwear. The plush feel of the carpet was noticeable against her skin, except for her chest and groin.

"Mmmph! Ugh!"

Why me? Where is this place? Where did those men go?

Yukari desperately tried to move her bound arms and legs, but no matter how much she struggled, the restraints wouldn't come off. She attempted to spit out the foreign object in her mouth, but the thick rubber mask prevented her. With her ability to breathe through her mouth restricted, she quickly found it hard to breathe as she thrashed around.

"Haah, haah, haah."

After catching her breath, she struggled again, but the result was the same. As she repeated the same actions, her strength waned, and eventually, Yukari became limp. Tears began to flow from her eyes, soaking the gag mask covering her cheeks. No matter how hard she tried, it seemed impossible to free herself from the restraints.

"Mmm…"

Yukari managed to lift her head and surveyed her surroundings. There were no other people in the room besides her. The floor was covered with black carpet, but the walls and ceiling were bare concrete. A single pipe bed was placed against the wall. Near the bed, there was a round table and a wooden chair. There were three closed doors, and no windows to see outside. The space was clean, without a speck of dust, but it had a gloomy and ominous atmosphere. It felt like a solitary confinement cell.

"Haah… haah…"

Yukari, who had panicked immediately after waking up, gradually began to calm down. Lying on the floor, she thought about why she had been taken.

Why would they do this?

Is it a kidnapping for ransom? But Yukari was just an ordinary office worker. Her family wasn't wealthy.

That leaves the most likely possibility...

Yukari hesitantly focused on her lower body. Fortunately, she didn't feel any signs of violation.

But she couldn't feel relieved. Considering her situation, it was only a matter of time before she would be raped.

"Ugh... Ugh... Mmm..."

Imagining what would happen to her next filled her with a gut-wrenching fear.

I'm scared... I'm so scared.

Dad... Mom... Help me...!

Yukari pictured the faces of her family living in their rural home. New tears spilled over, wetting the gag mask covering her mouth.

――――――――――

In the boudoir on the ground floor, Kuroe leaned back comfortably against the sofa, staring at the monitor in front of her. The 40-inch wide monitor displayed the basement of the mansion, showing a woman in her underwear, bound and struggling to free herself, just like the other women who had been confined in that room before her.

Unaware that her efforts were in vain.

Thirty minutes earlier, she had been brought to Kuroe's mansion, stuffed into a black sleeping bag.

Kuroe had ordered the maids to take the woman to the underground confinement room, "Slave Room."

To start, Kuroe stripped the unconscious woman of all her clothes except for her underwear. Then, she bound the woman's hands and feet with leather cuffs and stuffed a large gauze into her mouth before securing the gag mask.

After that, Kuroe returned to the ground floor and relaxed in the boudoir until now.

Kuroe had a report on the woman in the basement—Yukari Miura. She glanced over the A4 sheet containing detailed personal information.

- Name

- Age

- Date of Birth

- Address

- Family Composition

- Blood Type

- Mobile Number

- Social Media Accounts

- Education

- Work History

- Company Website Address

- Relationship Status

- etc.

The report also included a photo of Yukari. Her intelligent features were well complemented by her short black bob. The reason Yukari in the photo wasn't looking at the camera was that it was a candid shot.

Kuroe checked the "T.B.W.H." section.

- Tall: 159 cm

-Bust 86

- Waist 57

- Hip 88

If the measurements written here are correct, she has the most common A-type figure among Japanese women. Next, I look at the "Male Experience" section. During her time at junior college, she dated a senior from the same university, but their relationship ended when her partner's infidelity was discovered. Since then, she has not had a boyfriend.

Reading the "Interpersonal Relationships" section reveals that Yukari is troubled by loneliness. It seems she has weak relationships both at work and in her private life. She has no close colleagues at her workplace and has completely lost touch with her friends from her student days. Even her hobby of visiting spas is done alone. Given this, if she were to suddenly go missing one day, it wouldn't cause an immediate uproar.

The date has changed to 12:15 AM. Finally, Miura Yukari in the basement has awakened. Her sleeping face, covered with a mask gag, was cute, but her current state of confusion and struggling to comprehend the situation was also enticing. I plan to explain various things to her tonight, but it's still too early. The captive woman has just woken up and is in a state of panic. I intend to leave her for about another hour to mentally exhaust her before starting her "training."

A bespectacled secretary took a bottle of champagne from the wine cellar. Using a sommelier knife, she uncorked the champagne. The crystal glass in her hand was filled with her favorite brand of champagne, with countless tiny bubbles bursting inside. Kuroe swirled the glass, enjoyed the fruity aroma, and then took a sip of the champagne.

"What would you like for a snack?" the secretary asked.

"I don't need anything. I have this girl with me tonight."

Kuroe slowly savored the champagne while gazing at the unfortunate woman on the monitor.