By Shiki Narito and Yamimaru Enjin. Released in Japan as “Kimi ga Shinitakatta Hi ni, Boku wa Kimi wo Kau Koto ni Shita” by Media Works Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Knight. Translated by Aleksandra Jankowska.
This is the first title I’ve read from J-Novel Club’s new Knight imprint, devoted to BL light novels. Which this technically is, I suppose. There are two men in it, and they are in love with each other. That said, I’d hesitate to call it a romance. More accurately this falls into that subcategory of books that can be summed up as “I am depressed and suicidal and someone gradually helps me cope and move forward”, and that sort of novel is very much up my alley. It’s also relatively short, and complete in one volume. There is, of course, that tricky premise to the book. Can we really root for a couple if one of them is paying the other one a substantial sum of money to hang out with him and be his friend? The answer is eventually yes, but getting there helps us to realize this book is also a mystery.
Sakuta begins the book in a very bad place. His mother has died after a long illness with extensive medical treatment. His father has abandoned them. He’s currently not going to school, working all the odd jobs he can find so that he can earn enough for a funeral for his mother and to pay off the medical debt. Then one day, a handsome young man walks up to him on the job site and says he wants to buy his services. Kadzuki offers Sakuta a large down-payment – enough to pay for the funeral – and a substantial monthly salary if he will be his friend, go to college with him, and stay there for four years. After the five years (high school and college) are up, Sakuta is free. Sakuta regards all this as tremendously suspicious, but he metes Kadzuki’s family and servants, and they all vouch for him. Just what’s going on here?
This book can be roughly divided into two halves. The first is Kadzuki slowly getting Sakuta to actually want to live again. Sakuta never attempts suicide in this volume, but he’s clearly planning it, and it’s only due to the efforts of Kadzuki and his family and staff talking with Sakuta and showing him that there are reasons to go on that makes him avoid it. Then we get the second half, where we learn why Kadzuki is so devoted to Sakuta, why the contract is for only five years, and why he keeps having unavoidable piano lessons. This is a lot sadder, but it tries to avoid becoming mawkish, and mostly succeeds. I also liked the subplot sprinkled throughout of Sakuta’s friend from high school escaping from an abusive situation, and the occasional updates we got. It was a nice reminder that there was a world outside this doomed romance.
If you’re looking for a quick tearjerker, and don’t mind that there isn’t even a kiss in terms of romantic content, this is a very good read about someone touched by tragedy who manages to live on and grow to adulthood with the help of… well, a large influx of cash, so OK, there is still that niggle, as without the cash he would not be able to get out from under. But also the love of friends and family.