This engrossing novel is a slow-burn bromance between two disparate men in their mid-thirties. Chikara Tsuzuki, a diligent employee at a small but classy hotel in Tokyo, stumbles into the life of an apparently unserious but exceptionally talented calligraphy artist, Kaoru Tooda. At first, it is only out of necessity that Chikara visits Tooda’s house, where he also runs the calligraphy school that he inherited from his adoptive father. Chikara is on a mission to investigate whether Tooda can be trusted to carry out the Mikazuki Hotel’s commissions as a new registrant in their pool of professional copyists. Though Chikara is reluctant to have anything to do with the free-spirited Tooda, he is quickly dragged into helping Tooda with ghostwriting letters for unusual clients, and Chikara gradually becomes absorbed in unraveling the art of calligraphy and the puzzle that is Tooda’s character. To Chikara, pale flames seem to emanate from Tooda in his intense concentration while writing, and Tooda’s brush strokes seem to capture the whole universe on a sheet of paper, the lines of black sumi ink coming to life and stirring the viewer’s emotions. As they spend more time together, Chikara discovers the darker side of Tooda’s life. Although Tooda has done his best to blend in with the ordinary people around him—ever since he was adopted about twelve years ago—he is scarred from child neglect and sexual exploitation. He was eventually taken under the wing of a kindly yakuza clan, but was arrested when an acquaintance in another clan dragged him into a crime scene. It was in prison that Kaoru met Yasuharu Tooda and found his passion for calligraphy. Now that Kaoru has decided to offer his writing for the retirement ceremony of the yakuza boss who saved him, Kaoru is ready to sever ties with Chikara completely. Chikara, however, breaks through the wall that Kaoru has put up around himself.

Specially written for a collaboration between Shinchosha and Amazon Audible, this novel became an instant hit as soon as it was released. Miura turns calligraphy into a dynamic art that is full of movement, while reminding us that things written by hand hold something of the writer’s soul. She brings us close to this eccentric pair with plenty of humor and warmth.