The Flowers of Evil Vol. 1

Takao Kasuga is a middle school student who loves reading, particularly Baudelaire's Flowers of Evil. Though he spends much of his time absorbed in books, he struggles academically, as evidenced by failing grades on exams. Nakagaa, known as the class bully, typically receives poor marks and speaks harshly to her classmates. She has little interest in books or readers, but is drawn to troublemakers. After observing Takao reading over his shoulder, she recognizes that beneath his quiet exterior, he is not entirely innocent—merely bored and aware of it. When Takao impulsively acts on a moment of passion and affection toward someone other than Nakagaa, he sets off a chain of events that disrupts their rural community. Nanako Saeki, the girl he is actually drawn to, eventually accepts him—or at least accepts who she believes him to be.