KUKKA – illustratör

After a shocking proposal carries their relationship into uncharted territory, Sakuma and Ushio greet the new year with a fresh label and newfound resolve. Yet as winter wears on, and the class trip to Hokkaido draws ever closer, their bond will be tested - not only by the lingering question of its sustainability but also by the infamous Sera, sweet-talking trickster and sower of discord.Can their relationship survive the machinations of a man hell-bent on worming between them? Or will Sakuma falter in the face of the biggest moral conundrum he’s ever had to confront? In this heartrending conclusion, deep-seated doubts emerge as unspoken lines are finally crossed. When Sakuma and Ushio at last close the book on the most challenging chapter of their youths, where will they find themselves - and each other - in the coming dawn?The final volume!

Minoru es una mujer inteligente y orgullosa. Está casada con Toshio, un escritor poco talentoso que descarga la frustración de su infelicidad contra su esposa. Sus temores los restringen: Minoru teme dejar a su marido, mientras Toshio teme que el talento de su mujer resulte alejándola de él. La falta de reconocimiento mutuo los llevará a situaciones de tensión que cambiarán cómo perciben la relación y, más importante aún, cómo se perciben a sí mismos.

Growing up in a dreary suburb, Sakuma has little to brighten his humdrum days aside from his best friend. The bright, talented, and attractive Ushio seems to have everything Sakuma lacks, and his academics and athletic prowess make him popular with the girls at school. Past trauma - and an understandable inferiority complex - slowly drive the two apart, and by the time they enter high school, they hardly even speak anymore. Thus, Sakuma finds himself alone.Against all odds, he eventually gains a friend in Natsuki, the sweetest girl in class. The two hit it off gushing about their favourite novels, and he falls head over heels for her. But that very same night, he stumbles upon an unexpected sight while walking through a familiar park: his old friend Ushio, dressed in a full-blown schoolgirl’s uniform and sobbing uncontrollably.

After a dramatic first semester, Sakuma and Ushio dive headfirst into summer vacation. Despite their unspoken agreement to not mention the “incident” that occurred on the last day of school, things get real awkward real fast when they meet up with Natsuki on a trip to the aquarium. She asks them a pointed question: “You two are dating, aren’t you?”The trio will be forced to set their unresolved feelings aside when fall semester arrives - and with it, the annual culture festival. Can Sakuma balance his feelings for both of them in addition to his work on the festival committee, not to mention a starring role in the class production of Romeo and Juliet?

From the award-winning author of The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes and Wait For Me Yesterday in Spring comes a brand-new light novel about setting aside differences to solve the mystery of a world frozen in time.Socially awkward loner Kayato has an intense fear of being touched and finds making friends extremely difficult. When he and his high school classmates visit Hakodate for a field trip, he suffers through some attempts to engage with the others, until...Time stops for the entire world, but not for him.All the hustle and bustle of the city fades into an eerie veil of silence, leaving him the only soul left in motion--until he finds another in Akira, a sharp-tongued local delinquent. Though she's his total opposite, she begrudgingly agrees to help him solve the mystery. Their only lead is something Kayato's uncle said just before he died about a "world plucked out of time," as if preserved in amber. Hoping to find a clue among his late uncle's possessions in Tokyo, the two teens must travel through the frozen world.

It's smooth sailing for Sakuma and friends after the autumn culture festival, and Ushio is fast reclaiming her popularity at school. Just when it seems like the worst is finally behind them, Ushio's old rival barges in with a challenge: defeat him in a race, or rejoin the boys' track-and-field team. It’s an outlandish request, yet - despite being out of practice and at a severe disadvantage - Ushio accepts.Meanwhile, tension is brewing between two of the school’s biggest troublemakers, with Arisa Nishizono on the brink of a violent blowup after repeated provocations from Itsuku Sera. Eventually, her fury boils over, and she takes matters into her own hands in a way no one saw coming. Sparks fly as the youths' resolve is put to the test... When the dust settles, who will be victorious?