[About the Book]

ーWho am I, really?-

“To hold on to the utopian spirit even in an age of despair, an age of darkness devoid of utopia-perhaps that is what it means to be human.”

ーfrom the Afterword

Drifting as if for hundreds or even thousands of years across the sea, the protagonist, Hikaru, awakens in the land of Nada-a place of “nothingness, and yet everything.”

After a shipwreck leaves him with temporary memory loss, Hikaru finds himself in this enigmatic country, where he meets Lady Seirei, a woman of striking beauty, like an orchid in bloom.

Together with her, Hikaru sets out on a journey to uncover the secrets and sorrows of Nada, and to discover who he truly is.

A breathtaking fantasy adventure swirling with mystery and emotion!



[Table of Contents]

One – Drifting Ashore in the Land of Nada

Two – Bazaar Nada (A Nun Selling Naan, etc.)

Three – Bazaar Nada (A Shop Selling the Bible Tree, Etc.)

Four – Pascal’s Garden

Five – Ask the Butterflies

Six – Nada’s Strange Education System

Seven – The Roujuna Museum

Eight – The Universe Restaurant

Nine – The Chrysanthemum Mandala Cuisine

Ten – A History of Cosmic Philosophy and a History of Fantastical Philosophy

Eleven – The Fantastical Beast Garden

Twelve – An Evening Conversation at Kaitei

Thirteen – The Illusory Flower Garden

Fourteen – The Anti-Revolution Declaration

Fifteen – Villa Agra

Sixteen – Ariadne’s You

Seventeen – The Wind Chime’s Verse

Eighteen – The NONVÉCU Philosophy

Nineteen – Kō Ran (Light Orchid)

Twenty – The Well-Tempered Clavier

Twenty-One – “The Stones of Venice”

Twenty-Two – “The Bud of the Water Lily Like a Noble Swan’s Egg”

Twenty-Three – “One Branch in Bloom, the Whole World Awakens”

Twenty-Four – “For the Spirit of Noble Nāda”

Twenty-Five – Grandfather’s Last Will

Twenty-Six – Lacrimosa Dei (Tears of God)

Afterword

Afterword to the Paperback Edition

About the Author



[Editor’s Comment]

Though this story follows the familiar premise of a protagonist embarking on a journey through another world, the scenery they encounter is anything but ordinary: a “Cosmic Restaurant” adorned with a Venus de Milo with both arms, and a “Mythical Beast Garden” guarded by giant black ants, to name just a few.

If you’ve grown weary of the real world, pick up this book and let yourself be swept away into the unknown-you’re in for a remarkable adventure.



[About the Author]

Mitsuharu Motegi

Born in Fukaya City, Saitama Prefecture, on March 6, Shōwa 11 (1936)

Shōwa 29 (1954) : Graduated from Prefectural Kumagaya High School

Shōwa 34 (1959) : Graduated from Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, English-American Department

Heisei 8 (1996) : Retired from Prefectural Urawa Daiichi Girls’High School

Member of the Mita Bungaku Society. Published “Tenshōki,” “Kitsune no Namida,” “Akudōki,” “Gankyūーtan,” “Shinamon no Niou Gengomusi,” “Alice Sagashi” in Mita Bungaku magazine. Authored Eien no Tenshin, Kitarubeki Ryōkan, Ōinaru Banzan, Ikkyū Mugenroku, Waga Aisuru Myōe Shōnin, Hajimari no Hito, Hoshi no Kanata no Animatopia.

Published “Kōya kara Kōya e” (On Religion in English Literature) , “Shingon no Hito Kūkai,” “Ushinawareta Nihonjin” in Hikae no Chō magazine. Currently serializing “Tessai no Nazo” in the same magazine.