After a bitter disappointment, Natsumi experiences a positive surprise when she meets a former coworker, which we already know from chapter 1.
I like the very light interconnections between the characters of the different chapters. I wonder if we’ll meet again with other characters (perhaps a big family reunion in the last chapter ?
The book I linked in week 10 was actually the new edition from 2018 which Natsumi discovered in the bookshop, whereas the first edition from 2013 which she got from the library is this one (it’s still available from amazon.com and amazon.de) :
That was a great chapter, I’m very happy for the main character! Everything turned out so well for her, that I don’t even know what to say. Similar things often happen in real life, when first you feel disappointed, but later you realise it was for the better opportunity.
And I agree, it is great that there are more connections than just through Komachi-san.
Having characters from different stories cross over is such a simple device but so pleasing for the reader!
Great ending. I thought at one point it was just heading towards her finding peace with her position in life - we all have problems, the girl who got her promotion doesn’t have it easy, and we we just need to enjoy being where we are.
But the author had a much happier ending for us. I loved how she found a workplace where children are not just treasured, but bringing your child to work is even helpful for the company!
Natsumi finally found a place where she could nurture - guilt free - both of her goals of publishing inspiring books and raising Futaba. What I liked about this ending was that as others mentioned, she arrived at her “perfect place” by beginning to move. The fact that she decided to do something about her situation, and by reaching out to another publisher and mentioning it to Kiriyama-kun, she “shook things up” so that even if she initially failed, when the dust finally settled, she found her place.
So if there was a lesson here, it would be to not remain in a situation that keeps you in an endless cycle (merry-go-round) of guilt and frustration, but to take steps to change it, and - importantly - to broadcast your intention (to your friends, to acquaintances) because those connections with humans once again, will return things back to you.
I feel Natsumi’s outcome was even better than Ryo’s because she is able to make a living where having a child was a plus, not a minus. Whereas Ryo needed to create some boundaries on his source of earnings in order to make space to pursue his dream antique shop. Perhaps Ryo is still in the stage of shaking things up, and eventually he could find the perfect place, like Natsumi…Tomoka was in an even earlier stage of making a change, where she needed to do some self-care and take some courses before a career change was possible…
Separately, it seems that the first three stories are roughly in the same temporal space? Natsumi begins her story by wondering what to get Futaba for Christmas. In the previous story, Ryo heads to the Cat bookstore in mid-December. In Tomoka’s situation, I recall she stepped outside to a fall cool breeze. Are all the stories occurring in the last quarter of the year?
Kiriyama-kun really seems to have figured it out, in terms of being where he wants to be, and being in a positive flow? Even though he chills in a stairwell at lunch listening to music and eating his home made onigiri, he seems happy. Not only did he inspire Tomoka, but he also helped Natsumi. Do you think he visited Komachi-san at some point in the past? I’d like to see his bookshelf…
Did I understand the ending of the chapter correctly? The pamphlet 冊子 included a short story from a new author who she had discovered and was wanting to encourage to write more for her new publisher? (I have been reading quickly trying to catch up, and thought at first she was referring to the 月のとびら author, but then I changed my mind)
In the ending of Natsumi’s story I understood that she put the book “The Door to the Moon” on her desk and picked up a thin booklet (?) which was a collection of short stories published the previous month (by her employer? - edit: no, the booklet could not have been published by her employer because Natsumi explains that she exhausted her social network just to find the author’s email). Among the stories was one author she was excited to find - just as she had felt with Midzue - that she thought would be a good author to work with and produce a book with. Then she takes a deep breath and types out an email to the author, I assume the email is Natsumi making her pitch to the author. BUT, I could be wrong! (but basically I had the same understanding as you)
Edit: I misunderstood part of this final scene - many thanks to @pm215 for taking the time to explain the vocabulary and nuance
It doesn’t say it was published the previous month, only that Natsumi came across it last month (出会う) – it might have been published some time before that.
The text doesn’t make it entirely clear because of the usual lack of singular/plural marking, but I’m inclined to think that it’s a single short story published on its own, not a collection (which would more likely be referred to as a 短編集), especially since the text says it’s a thin book.
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