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| Original Title | 外套と青空 |
|---|---|
| Author | 坂口 安吾 |
| Genre | Popular Fiction |
| Author Type | Male Author |
| Summary | In a Ginza Go parlor, an unlikely bond forms between Shōkichi Ikuta—a polished, affluent businessman radiating authority—and Taihei Ochiai, a disheveled writer of little renown. Shōkichi’s abrupt, persistent camaraderie defies social norms, drawing Taihei into a world of late-night games and cryptic invitations to gatherings hosted by Kimiko, Shōkichi’s enigmatic wife. A former geisha, Kimiko presides over a bohemian circle of artists and eccentrics, her allure sparking thinly veiled jealousy among men who orbit her like moths to flame. When Taihei becomes entangled in a reckless affair with Kimiko—marked by feverish encounters under winter overcoats and summer skies—their passion unravels into obsession and despair. Shadows of betrayal loom as rivalries intensify, yet Shōkichi’s unsettling magnanimity blurs lines between friendship and complicity. Amidst carnal hunger and emotional ruin, Taihei grapples with a love that consumes identity itself, leaving him adrift in a labyrinth of desire where loyalty and destruction wear the same face. |