A love triangle where emotions waver between three hearts—“Reset” by Ichikawa Ichi (いちかわ壱).

Introducing “Reset” from Tokuma Shoten’s Chara COMICS!

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

Torn between a lover who binds him with sweet words, and a friend who treats him with gentle care―――

“Even if everyone says they don’t need you, I’ll stay by your side forever―――”

Touma’s boyfriend is Sō, his childhood friend and a senior on the basketball team. Despite being popular with teammates and people of all genders, he becomes excessively dependent on his lover, clinging to Touma in tears every time he’s cast aside.

Taking advantage of Sō’s heartbreak, a secret relationship begins―――.

Touma lived in fear, worrying about when the truth would be discovered, no matter how many times their bodies came together.

Noticing Touma’s instability and Sō’s twisted possessiveness, Maki, a teammate, finds that he can’t bring himself to leave Touma alone―――!?

From Tokuma Shoten’s Chara COMICS, “Reset”

A work by Ichikawa Ichi（いちかわ壱）, the creator of the “I’m Home, Welcome Back” series!

I love Ichikawa Ichi（いちかわ壱）’s work for its gentle atmosphere and art style (＾＾). There are boys with that so-called “cool-toned” vibe—delicate, and sometimes a little bewitching—but in this “Reset,” there are so many characters who pull you in so deeply that I can’t help thinking they’re basically “guides into the rabbit hole.” I can’t wait to dive in and talk about it!

Ao, the basketball team captain who tends to be emotionally dependent on his lover

Are you listening, anyone who hasn’t read it yet… Please be careful with this guy (LOUDLY)!!!!! I’m going to mess up the order so badly it’s like, “Wait, are we talking about him before the protagonist, Toma?”—I’m serious. This guy is just not fair. Truly. Ao, who can’t help becoming dependent on his partner, is popular with everyone regardless of gender, and every time he gets dumped because his love is just too intense, he runs to the protagonist—basketball team manager Toma—in tears. Even though he’s so popular, he can’t shake that dependent streak, so whenever he gets dumped and comes crying, Toma’s comfort seems to calm him down… for the moment. But then… I have a feeling a lot of people are going to fall into the rabbit hole with this one… and yes, I’m one of them… (*_*)

Toma, Ao’s childhood friend who has known him for years through their families’ close relationship and understands his personality well, subtly steers Ao’s dependence toward himself. It stems from a long-held unrequited love, yet Toma feels overwhelming guilt about the relationship that began when Ao came to him in tears. Rather than happiness, he is weighed down by remorse, leaving him conflicted about whether he should truly be by Ao’s side. That makes him the second character to drag you straight into the depths. His inner struggle is just unbearably heartbreaking…!!

Maki, the cheerful teammate, does his best and struggles on

Maki, who watches over that inner conflict, is a teammate in Ao’s basketball club. His friendly, easygoing nature that lets him get along with anyone is absolutely irresistible. He’s also a classmate of Toma’s, and they’re close, often spending time together, so from his sharp observations he quickly senses that Toma is involved with someone. However, he can’t help but question why Toma doesn’t seem happy, and he’s the kind of person who tries to act out of kindness, wondering if there’s something he can do to help. That makes him the third character to pull you into the depths… You can empathize with any of them, but personally, I love seeing the story from Maki’s perspective—it feels so painfully real (lol).

Ao loves Toma far too much, Toma has already started to give up, and Maki wants to do something about it—that’s how everything begins, but volume one doesn’t bring any resolution…!! There’s actually a sequel, and it ends at such a frustratingly intriguing point that it makes you desperate for the next volume, so I really hope you’ll follow it all the way to the end…!!