Summary

In Chapter 20, sales continued to be slow at Doraharu. The owner glowered when she looked at the books and suggested that they start selling okonomiyaki savory pancakes or some such thing instead” (133). Sentaro was reluctant to face shuttering the bakery and continued to work on his bean paste recipe. He arrived at the bakery early every morning, eager to perfect the sweet filing. His spirits were bolstered when a note from Tokue arrived. In the note, she encouraged him to persist through depression and encouraged him to listen, “to open up [his] ears and mind to anything and everything” (134). Tokue expressed her thanks for Marvey’s company. Sentaro wrote back, confiding both his regrets and his hopes for the future.

Sentaro continued to develop his bean paste technique in Chapter 21 and was disappointed when the owner became more adamant that the shop...