Summary

The novel is told in the present tense, and the first chapter begins with the narrator guiding us over Tokyo “through the eyes of a high-flying night bird” (3). Slowly, we zoom into an entertainment district and enter a Denny’s where our attention is attracted by the only girl sitting alone in the restaurant, Mari. She is reading a book, drinking coffee, smoking cigarettes, and looking at her watch.

A young messy man, Takahashi, with a trombone and sheet music comes into the Denny’s and walks by the girl, then stops and asks her if she is Eri’s sister. He sits down and orders a chicken salad because it is his favorite food at Denny’s. A few years ago, his friend had dated Eri, and one time he and Eri’s sister, Mari, had gone on a double date with...