Pathway to Japanese Literature
Discover Japan's stories—across time, across language.
← Back
| Original Title | 悪態の心理 |
|---|---|
| Author | 岸田 国士 |
| Genre | Detective & Mystery |
| Author Type | Male Author |
| Summary | In a Tokyo government office, two typists navigate a friendship as intricate as it is combustible. Yoshie, pragmatic and sharp-tongued, hails from a Hokkaido farming family, her musical ambitions derailed by financial hardship. Atsuko, a college graduate with a flair for theatrics, claims dubious lineage to a famous actor and thrives on provocation. Over three years, their bond oscillates between camaraderie and rivalry—sharing lunches on sunlit rooftops one moment, sparring over marriage, morality, and men the next. Both feign indifference to societal pressures as they approach “marriageable age,” masking anxieties with intellectual banter and veiled critiques of colleagues. \nTheir fragile equilibrium fractures with the arrival of Shigeo Yuki, a polished secretary whose charm ignites whispered debates. Yoshie dismisses him as pretentious; Atsuko playfully dissects his contradictions. Yet when Yuki’s attention drifts between them, their jests morph into thinly veiled probes, each suspecting the other of clandestine encounters. Beneath witty exchanges simmers a duel of egos—Yoshie’s guarded pragmatism versus Atsuko’s performative boldness—as both women grapple with desires they dare not name. A late-night meeting at a secluded inn hints at secrets yet unspooled, leaving readers to wonder: Is this a story of betrayal, self-deception, or the perilous allure of games played too well? |
← Return to List← Return to TOP