Lukewarm
K narrates, “After she graduated from a public high school in Kanagawa Prefecture, she entered the liberal arts department of a cosy little private college in Tokyo. She found the college totally out of touch, a lukewarm, dispirited place, and she loathed it—and found her fellow students (which would include me, I’m afraid) hopelessly dull, second-rate specimens. Unsurprisingly, then, just before her junior year, she simply upped and left.” The lukewarmness portrays the pervasive boredom at the college which would not stimulate Sumire to stay there until the conclusion of her studies. Sumire regards the flatness at the school as an inhibitor of dynamism which renders it a less-thrilling environment.
Perfection
K observes, “Staying there ( College) any longer, she concluded, was a waste of time. I think it was the right move, but if I can be allowed a mediocre generalization, don’t pointless things have a place, too, in this far-from-perfect world? Remove everything pointless from an imperfect life and it’d lose even its imperfection.” The reality at the college is imperfect for it does not meet Sumire’s outlooks. Concurrently, Sumire’s life is ‘pointless’ ; hence, her choice to quit college is ideal since it forestalls the consolidation of ‘ pointlessness’ and ‘ imperfection’ in her life. Sumire yearns for aptness which she cannot find in the college.
'A Bolt of Lightning'
K narrates, “In the instant Miu touched her hair, Sumire fell in love, as if she were crossing a field when bang! a bolt of lightning zapped her right in the head. Something like an artistic revelation. Which is why, at that point, it didn’t matter to Sumire that the person she fell in love with happened to be a woman.” The ‘ bolt of lightning’ is representative of Sumire’s romantic epiphany which makes her conscious of her romantic feelings for Miu. Her realization impacts how she perceives Miu throughout their engagement. The ‘artistic revelation’ conjectures that Sumire’s consciousness transpires naturally and unpredictably.
Mythic
K explicates, “Sumire’s father was an almost mythic figure to the women in the Yokohama area who needed dental care. In the examination room he always wore a surgical cap and large mask, so the only thing the patient could see was a pair of eyes and ears. Even so, it was obvious how attractive he was. His beautiful, manly nose swelled up suggestively from under the mask, making his female patients blush. In an instant—regardless of whether their dental plan covered the costs—they fell in love.” The figurative mysticism accentuates Sumire’s father’s tempting charm. Professional attires cannot obscure his father’s fascinating looks. The female patients’ blushing surmises that they are carnally fascinated by him.
