いとしいこと

Previous   TOC   Next After grabbing a quick bite at a ramen shop near the station, Kusuda headed to the theater. He was able to buy a same-day ticket without having to line up. It was a very small venue for a stage production, with a seating capacity of maybe two hundred, if that. Miyabi liked theater, and she’d invited him to a few performances in the past. Some had been interesting, but he’d never developed enough interest to buy a ticket for himself and go alone. Kusuda arrived early and opened the program. The lead roles were introduced with a full page, the secondary roles got half a page, and Kaito Akizawa’s profile was tucked into a quarter-page space. He knew Akizawa wasn’t the lead, but for someone who’d once won a Japanese Film Award, the treatment felt lacking. The play was a comedy set in a school. Even right before curtain time, the theater was only about half full, and the audience was overwhelmingly female. The show started right on time. ...And it was complete...

While you may already be familiar with these terms, I’ve provided their English definitions for those who may not be. さん (san) : This is a general, respectful suffix used to address or refer to someone. It's similar to "Mr.," "Mrs.," or "Ms." in English. It's commonly used for people of all ages and social statuses in both formal and informal contexts. 君 (kun) : This suffix is often used for addressing younger males, or in a more familiar or casual setting. It can be used with people of the same or lower status, and it's commonly used among friends, students, or in professional settings where there is a clear hierarchy (like between a superior and a subordinate).   Content warning:   This novel contains descriptions of explicit sexual content. I will not be adding a trigger warning to each chapter with graphic content, so please consider this a general warning. Translator’s Note:  Some illustrations are available only in the EPUB version. TOC  ...

Book 1:  COLD HEART in TOKYO Book 2:  COLD HEART in NEWYORK  Book 3:  COLD THE FINAL Author:  Konohara Narise (木原音瀬) Synopsis:  In the COLD HEART trilogy, Konohara delivers a devastatingly intimate exploration of love at its most obsessive, broken, and quietly redemptive. The story follows Masahiko Kusuda, an unassuming jewelry brand co-owner, whose life takes a drastic turn when he becomes entangled with Kaito Akizawa—a brilliant but volatile former child actor. What begins as a business arrangement soon spirals into an emotional storm neither of them are prepared for. Through misunderstandings, unspoken traumas, and a dangerously imbalanced power dynamic, Kusuda and Akizawa are forced to confront their own limitations: one afraid to love, the other incapable of letting go. Set between Tokyo and New York, the trilogy charts their uneasy relationship through collapse, separation, and the slow, fragile path toward healing. As seasons change and distance r...

Previous   TOC Side story: My Beloved Dad and the Vampire Ren boarded the shinkansen at Shinagawa Station. Since entering university, it was his first time riding the bullet train. He’d thought it would be less crowded if he avoided rush hour and went before summer break started—but contrary to expectations, the train was packed. Most of the passengers were men in suits—classic salarymen types. It had taken a while just to board, and the aisles were jammed. By the time he finally reached his window seat, a overweight, suit-clad man overflowing with excess flesh was already settled in the aisle seat, souring Ren’s mood. He carefully climbed over the man’s raised knees and squeezed into his seat just as the train lurched forward and began to move. At least the middle seat of the three-seat row was unoccupied—no need to worry about bumping elbows or knees, which was a small blessing. He hung his backpack on the wall hook, pulled out his phone, popped in his earbuds, and tapped the scr...