Kitchen

“Full Moon” continues the narrative of Mikage and Yuichi. The section opens with the revelation that Eriko has been killed. Eriko was killed by a disgruntled client who saw her walking home one day and became obsessed with her. He began frequenting the club and making advances, and grew angered when she rebuffed him. He attacked Eriko with a knife and, though she managed to kill him with a barbell that was used as a prop, she succumbed to her wounds. This is all told after the event has happened. Mikage has moved out of the Tanabes’ apartment by this time. Some of her reasoning for moving was the unease caused by her living with Yuichi. Rumors began because of her living with Yuichi, and though Yuichi ignored the rumors, Mikage could not. It is winter when Yuichi finally calls her and reveals that Eriko has been murdered. Yuichi says that he has been unable to deal with the loss of Eriko and that, though he knew he should tell Mikage right away, he could not bring himself to do so. He apologizes. Mikage thinks back to the last time she saw Eriko at a minimart. Eriko was drinking coffee with her club employees late at night. Mikage had promised to visit Eriko, but now she will never be able to make good on that promise.

Mikage packs some things and goes to see Yuichi. As in times past, hearing Yuichi’s footsteps coming toward the door cause an intense sadness in her. She feels devastated by Eriko’s death and wonders what the point of living is. She convinces herself to see Yuichi and to feel better, and is overjoyed to see him, despite the solemn reason. Yuichi says that he is in better spirits, which is why he realized that he needed to call and let Mikage know the terrible news. Yuichi relates how strange the funeral was, how the murderer’s family had shown up, guilt-ridden. The girls from the club were angered at this intrusion, and Yuichi had tried to calm all parties. He then gives Mikage the letter that Eriko left for him, which contains her will, and goes to bed. Mikage reads the letter and learns that Eriko had cared for her like a second child. Eriko left everything but the nightclub to Yuichi, and wished him happiness. Mikage’s emotions well up and she begins to cry, thinking about Eriko.

After sleeping for most of the next day, Yuichi asks Mikage if she will make him a professional dinner. Mikage instantly warms to this idea. The thought of being in a kitchen and cooking makes her happy, and it will also occupy her time. Mikage gives Yuichi a list of items and sends him off to shop for dinner. She feels tired, but she knows that sleep will only cause her to have bad dreams about Eriko and death. Mikage sets about cleaning up the house, instead, including the kitchen. While cleaning, Mikage recalls how she taught herself to cook and the joy that comes along with cooking. The previous summer, she bought three cookbooks and made every recipe she could find. She spent all her money on cooking, buying items to cook, and then doing it all again until she could make whatever she wanted. Her good fortune even extended to getting a job as an assistant to a cooking teacher, a job she had not thought she was qualified for.

Yuichi finally returns and Mikage helps him bring in the groceries. For a moment, Mikage sees Yuichi as potentially more than a friend. She feels that if she were with Yuichi she might not need anything else in life. After cooking a variety of dishes, the two eat a wonderful meal. Mikage realizes, however, that Yuichi is very drunk. His drunkenness is out of character, and he reveals that he had an entire bottle of wine before dinner. He also reveals that he has been drinking more over the last two months. At many points, he has considered calling Mikage but then decided against it. He imagined that she might get angry with him and refuse to be friends with him anymore. He asks Mikage to move back in and, in his drunkenness, falls asleep. Mikage imagines that she and Yuichi are climbing a ladder. Though they are close, they do not hold hands. This feeling reveals to Mikage that perhaps the two are at a place in their lives where they are unable to make a life together, given all the tragedy they have experienced. The revelation sends her into an even deeper funk.

Mikage is awakened the next morning by an unknown caller. The caller slams the phone down. At work, Mikage’s boss asks her for help with an expanded workload, and implores her to join them on the Izu Peninsula for research on local dishes. They will leave soon and be gone for three nights. Mikage thinks it is the perfect excuse to spend some time away from Yuichi and agrees to go. While in the cooking class, Mikage greets Nori and Kuri, her fellow assistants at work. Later, a girl named Okuno arrives and demands to speak with Mikage. Though Mikage tries to brush her off, Okuno berates her for living with her classmate, Yuichi. Mikage realizes that this is the angry caller from earlier, and that she is Yuichi’s old girlfriend. When Okuno finally leaves, Mikage feels terrible but is consoled by Nori and Kuri.

Mikage returns to Yuichi’s apartment. Later, when he arrives, she tells him about the Izu trip, and informs him that she wants to sleep at her own place for the night. When he offers her a ride home, she accepts. They decide to have tea and go to a café. Both realize that this is the first time they have been out in public together. Yuichi opens the car door for Mikage. He says that Eriko taught him to do this and that she would not get into or out of the car otherwise. Mikage is thrilled at their time sent together, and the two eventually head to her place. Mikage cannot help feeling a moment of jealousy, however, upon thinking that Yuichi opened the door as he did for her for the likes of Okuno. At her apartment, the two have a chat, and, when it gets cold, Mikage does something she has never done before: she places her head on Yuichi’s arm.

Later, Mikage recalls another moment with Eriko. She remembers when Eriko told her about her time as a man. It was when her wife was in the hospital, dying. One day, her wife asked her to bring into the room something that was living. Not knowing what to bring, Eriko purchased a pineapple plant. Though her wife loved it, as she grew more ill, she wanted the plant to be taken away so that it would not be infected by death. In telling this story, Eriko had cried, and told Mikage that this was the first time she did not want to be a man. It was mostly due to her wife’s death, and then the plant dying, that Eriko had made the decision to become a woman.

Mikage receives a call from Chika the next morning. Chika is the head employee at Eriko’s nightclub, and was given the club upon Eriko’s death. Chika invites Mikage to a soba noodle restaurant in Sarashina. There, Chika tells Mikage that Yuichi came to the club the previous night and wanted to hang out. He was extremely sad. Chika was unable to hang out with Yuichi, but gave him the name and number of an inn. She told him to take Mikage to the inn instead. Yuichi told Chika that Mikage was leaving for Izu. Chika says that she eventually realized, while talking to Yuichi, that he and Mikage are in love with one another. She implores Mikage to follow Yuichi and make things right. Mikage then comforts Chika after they talk about Eriko’s death. When they part, Mikage feels that Chika has shown her just how important the human heart is.

Mikage departs the next day with her coworkers for Izu. While there, she thinks about Yuichi and their relationship. Though they have both experienced great tragedy, she feels that she has grown during their time together. Mikage leaves the inn in search of food, and finds a place that serves Katsudon, deep-friend pork over rice with broth. She calls Yuichi while waiting for her meal. Yuichi admits that he does not like the food where he is staying. He, like Mikage, is also hungry. Mikage feels that the moment is charged, and that their next steps will determine what happens next in their relationship. After eating, Mikage orders a meal for Yuichi and decides on a whim to bring it to him.

Mikage takes a taxi all the way to Isehara, where Yuichi is staying. The inn is shut, however—closed for the night, with no way in. Though she tries to call, no one answers, as it is after midnight. On a whim, Mikage goes around back and decides on a specific room to be Yuichi’s. She climbs onto the roof, though she cuts her arm, and knocks on the window. After a time, Yuichi investigates the noise and lets her in. She tells him about the food, and he jokes about this moment being like the dream they had together all those months prior. Mikage then tells Yuichi that she knows he is trying to run from life and that he does not really want to go back to Tokyo.

As Yuichi eats and they share tea, Mikage thinks about memories that connect them. In the past, she would always grow despondent when memories of Eriko arose. Now, however, she feels only happiness. Mikage tells Yuichi that, despite their pain, she wants them to tackle life head on and, more importantly, to tackle life together. Yuichi admits that he has not been himself and that he only ever wanted to see Mikage when he felt strong and in control. They eventually part ways. When Mikage wakes the next morning, everything is covered in snow. The scene helps her to understand that, despite Eriko’s death, and what might happen with Yuichi, life must continue. The last day of her work trip finds her in Shimoda, tasting French cuisine. Mikage then spends time on the beach alone. Making tea later on, she gets a call from Yuichi. Yuichi asks Mikage what time she is returning from her trip. He is back in Tokyo, and he wants to pick her up from the station.