"Izaya Orihara is used to getting his hands dirty, manipulating others for his so-called 'love.' While working with the Awakusu-kai to locate a group distributing drugs, the information broker finds himself trapped in a dark room with a burlap sack over his head. As with all things Izaya, [one of the several] reasons for his current predicament can be traced to his youth. Meanwhile, Shinra opens up to Celty about his time in middle school with Izaya and the boy's connection to his car. Through all the chaos, does Izaya have everything under control in Ikebukuro?"--Back cover.

"This book is a work of fiction"--Copyright page. "First published in 2011 by Kadokawa Corporation, Tokyo"--Copyright page.