Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World

The novel follows two alternating storylines that gradually reveal they belong together. One strand centers on an unnamed man in Tokyo whose mind is used for data processing and encryption, pulling him into a secretive struggle over information. He is drawn into underground spaces, odd encounters, and a dangerous experiment that alters how he thinks and perceives.

The other strand follows another unnamed man who arrives in a sealed town surrounded by a wall. He must give up his shadow to stay there and takes on the role of reading dreams from unicorn skulls. The town is quiet, ordered, and mysterious, but its calm hides unsettling rules and losses.

As the chapters alternate, the two worlds begin to echo one another through repeating images, shared logic, and linked identities. The book keeps withholding full explanation while moving toward a convergence of the two strands, using the connection between them to explore consciousness, memory, and selfhood.