Unable to touch others without wearing a mask — “ Kuyuru” by Miginoyagi（ミギノヤギ）

TAKESHOBO BAMBOO COMICS Qpa Collection “ Kuyuru” will be introduced!

The following is quoted from the back cover. This review does touch on the story’s content! If you just want a quick overview!! I’d be happy if you read only the red text and highlighted sections.

“Please don’t disappear from my life” …―――――

Due to past trauma, Nanase has become unable to tolerate the scent of men, and even during sex he can’t bring himself to remove his mask—leading to a string of days where his friends-with-benefits grow tired of it and leave him.

What he ends up picking up, unable to deal with his unfulfilled desire, is a man carrying a scent eerily similar to that of his ex—his source of trauma.

In the middle of an encounter with a man whose name he doesn’t even know, Nanase feels someone step into his “inner” self, instinctively rejects it, and runs away—only to find himself, days later, drawn by a pleasant fragrance into an incense shop, where the person waiting for him is the shop’s owner: that same man from before, Kei―――…!?

No matter how much he pushes it away and rejects it, that persistent warmth staying by his side gradually softens and melts the heart he has kept closed off since the past―――.

From TAKESHOBO BAMBOO COMICS Qpa Collection “Kuyuru”

Nanase Shirakaba, a masked beauty carrying wounds from his past, meets Kei Koyagi, a gentle man with overwhelming warmth yet an elusive nature one day. Personally, this pairing hits me right in the bullseye—I love them to an unbelievable degree…!!

A shock therapy to overcome trauma?!

Alongside calm, mature exchanges befitting adults, there are also moments of childlike excitement and light, rapid-fire banter reminiscent of a comedy duo. Combined with the more intimate developments, the slightly forceful atmosphere and impulsive energy pull you in before you even realize it. This is Miginoyagi-sensei’s memorable debut comic, and it does feel a bit more geared toward an adult audience. The protagonist, Nanase-kun, is fragile at heart—someone who suits the quiet moon of the night more than the bright smile of the sun. Bound by his past, he has half-given up on moving forward, and even when he finds a new friends-with-benefits partner, he spends his days unable to remove his mask, struggling to fully open up and reveal what lies within.

However, when he meets Kei one night, Nanase approaches him and presses for a relationship in an attempt to deal with his pent-up sexual desire. But when the moment actually arrives, memories of his ex-boyfriend—the source of his trauma—are triggered, and it ends without going any further.

After meeting under such circumstances, the two encounter each other again and gradually begin to close the distance between them. Kei suggests, as a kind of “shock therapy,” that Nanase should overcome his trauma by using him. For Nanase-kun, who had long since given up on the idea of overcoming it, this proposal comes as a shock unlike anything he has ever experienced.

Nanase-kun’s coworker at the botanical garden, “Kijima”-kun, is such a great character (＾＾)

Kijima-kun, a coworker and friend Nanase-kun can interact with casually, may be a supporting character, but he personally hit all the right notes for me (＾＾). While teasing Nanase-kun in a playful way, he’s also someone Nanase can talk to about how hard it is to live without being able to take off his mask—a person he can vent to, even if just a little. He also turns out to have a connection to Kei-san, which leads to the appearance of Kijima-kun’s sister (brother), “Kaede.” Their interactions are amusing as well and definitely one of the highlights I’d recommend…!!

Whether Nanase-kun can overcome his trauma—and the process of looking back on the past can be painful—but the intimate developments with Katsura-san are truly, truly wonderful, so I really hope you’ll witness it for yourself!!