Paru Itagaki's manga "Botabota." The protagonist is a 29-year-old woman suffering from a pathological germ phobia due to growing up in a complicated family environment. Her condition causes her to gush massive amounts of nosebleeds whenever she touches "dirty things." She has even nearly died from blood loss. Because such a condition makes romance impossible, she struggles to overcome her germ phobia with the ultimate goal of having "sex." However, every man she meets flees the moment he sees her nosebleed. As a result, she becomes a local urban legend known as the "Yokai Drip-Drip Woman." One day, as the protagonist is spraying nosebleeds all over the street as usual, a man approaches her with a blank expression, hands her a handkerchief, and utters a bizarre phrase: "That's beautiful blood." Until now, she had only ever received stares of morbid curiosity because of her nosebleeds, but this man acts completely calm and treats her with kindness. Since she has never experienced anything like that, she is drawn to the man and invites him out for tea. Over tea, he explains that he is used to seeing blood because he works at a blood donation center. Upon seeing her blood, he found it "healthy" and attractive, which is why he spoke to her with the ulterior motive of wanting her to donate blood. The protagonist opens up about her germ phobia and her desires, asking the man, "Will you have sex with me?" The man agrees. The two of them strip naked, embrace on a futon, and are just seconds away from having sex. Once again, a massive amount of blood pours from the protagonist's nose—so much that it dyes the entire futon bright red. Yet, the man remains unfazed and accepts her peculiar constitution. The man says, "It's all right. I also possess an unusual condition, just like you. I suffer from a psychological disorder where I am incapable of 'loving others.' But please rest assured, I am perfectly capable of having sex." The moment she hears those words, her desire to have sex instantly evaporates, and she realizes her "true wish." She hadn't wanted sex; she had wanted to be loved by someone. With tears streaming down her face, she asks him, "I like you. Am I allowed to love you?" At that, the man stops, sits up straight in seiza on the futon, bows his head, and apologizes. "You mustn't love a man whose name you don't even properly know. I cannot grant your 'true wish.' I'm so sorry." Unable to even have sex and nursing a broken heart, the protagonist sits in a restaurant, crying while binge-eating liver out of despair.
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