An aspiring novelist witnesses a tragic death, but that is only the beginning of what will become a string of traumatic events involving a lonely elementary school girl.

“Looking back on it now, I realize that incident is what turned me into the novelist I am today. An author is someone who creates tales, but an aspiring author is someone who lies, and nothing more. This incident happened ten years ago, when I was in college, and merely an aspiring author. If those events never took place I wouldn’t have become much of anything at all, which is why I think I need to thank her, thank that girl …”

(Source: Kodansha USA)