Summary

In Chapter I, “Best Friends,” Gohtaro regretted the lie he had told his daughter Haruka 22 years prior. Because of his regret, he decided to visit Funiculi Funicula, “the café that offered its customers the chance to travel back in time” (11). Noticing his hesitation, the waitress, Kazu, invited Gohtaro to “stew over” his decision inside (12). Gohtaro was unsure about traveling back in time because he knew “nothing you could do . . . in the past . . . would change the present” (13).

Gohtaro was 51 and lived with 23-year-old Haruka, who was on the verge of getting married. For her entire life, Haruka had believed Gohtaro’s lie that he was her father and her mother had “died of an illness” (14, Kawaguchi’s italics).

While sitting at the café, Gohtaro spoke to Kazu, who seemed like “a mind reader” (17, Kawaguchi’s italics).

Twenty-two years prior, Gohtaro had met...