Ten Count, Vol. 5

Corporate secretary Shirotani suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder in this doctor-patient romance fraught with compulsion!

Corporate secretary Shirotani suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder. One day he meets Kurose, a therapist who offers to take him through a ten-step program to cure him of his compulsion. As the two go through each of the ten steps, Shirotani’s attraction to his counselor grows.

Seeing Kurose for the first time in two months, Shirotani takes a big step forward in their relationship—and his treatment—by kissing Kurose’s hand when asked. Then, after Kurose fails to invite him home, Shirotani chases after him! Could this new, more impulsive side of Shirotani signal a new phase in their tumultuous relationship?

This is Rihito Takarai’s second English-language release, with her first being Seven Days. She has also been published in French, Spanish, and German. Born in Hiroshima Prefecture in October, she’s a Libra with an O blood type.