Yukihiko Nishino

Yukihiko Nishino is the main character of the novel. Throughout the majority of the novel, the first person narrators refer to him as “Nishino.” Manami and Kanoko are the only two narrators who refer to him by his first name, “Yukihiko,” in the chapters “Good Night” and “The Heart Races.”

When Nishino is a young boy, his older sister gets married and gives birth to a baby girl. Only six months after the baby’s birth, she dies “suddenly of congenital heart disease” (163). Overcome by her loss, Nishino’s sister falls physically ill. She cannot leave her bed. Her physical immobility soon leads to emotional despair. One day while Nishino is out with a friend, his sister kills herself “by taking poison” (92). Because Nishino was not at home, he blames himself for his sister's death. He convinces himself that if he had not gone out, he would...