Le Cirque de Karakuri

Eleven-year-old Masaru Saiga inherited a vast fortune after his father died in an accident. These riches make Masaru a target for kidnappers, who send fearsome puppets to abduct him. Masaru escapes with the help of circus employee Narumi Kato, but the kidnappers soon catch up with them. All seems lost until a mysterious woman named Shirogane appears.

After the briefest of respites, Masaru, Narumi and Shirogane are plunged into peril once more. Assassin Eiryo Ashihana has tracked them down and attacks with the evil clown-like marionette Pulcinella. Shirogane unleashes her own marionette Arlequin in response, but while she is distracted, Ashihana’s henchmen seize Masaru.

The kidnappers relentless attacks finally succeed and they snatch Masaru. Narumi and Shirogane discover that Masaru’s uncle, Zenji Saiga, is the mastermind behind the abduction, and they rush to his mansion to attempt a rescue. Masaru, meanwhile, tries to make his own escape, but in doing so stumbles across a shocking file written by his late father.

Masaru determines that overcoming his own weakness is the only way he will escape from his uncle Zenji. He comes face to face once more with his would-be assassin Ashihana, but chooses not to run and makes Ashihana a counter-offer to work for him instead. While attempting to rescue Masaru, Narumi and Shirogane are themselves captured by Zenji’s puppeteers and seem to have no way out...

After having rescued Masaru numerous times, Narumi got caught in the blast that destroyed Zenji’s mansion and has not been seen since. Masaru’s sense of loss is profound, but he is determined to be strong as Narumi had taught him. He decides to go back to school in an effort to return to a normal life. Shirogane also enrolls in the adjacent high school so she can continue to watch over Masaru.

Narumi, despite being presumed dead after the explosion in Karuizawa, awakens to find himself in a hospital. There he meets ladies' man Guy and an old woman named Lucille and struggles to regain his memory of what happened. As Narumi interacts with the hospital’s child patients and witnesses his own wounds healing with incredible speed, he begins to suspect that something strange is going on.