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052089

The Deliberations of Bunroku the Baker (Act II)Author: Kishida Kunio

Original Title麺麭屋文六の思案(二場)
Author岸田 国士
GenreModern Short Fiction
Author TypeMale Author
SummaryIn a modest bakery on the outskirts of 1920s Tokyo, the Yoshida family’s quiet winter evening unravels into tension. Patriarch Bunroku frets over mundane details like missing ginger in soup, while his son Rentarō clashes with him over faith and ambition, rejecting university for his own “philosophy of life.” Beneath the surface simmers a scandal: teenage daughter Ochika’s secret entanglement with Kyōsaku, their middle-aged lodger—a failed teacher trapped in a loveless marriage. As Bunroku and wife Osei confront the pair, their fragile domestic drama is shattered by apocalyptic news—a comet will destroy Earth within hours. Panic sweeps the city: looting erupts, lovers reunite recklessly, and Rentarō races to reconcile his crumbling beliefs with humanity’s imminent end. Amid sake-fueled chaos, suppressed desires and buried resentments surface, leaving each character to grapple with what truly matters as time runs out. Will faith, family, or fleeting passion define their final moments?