Michi Ichiho 'Tsumidemic'

I finally managed to read this hugely popular Naoki Prize-winning work after waiting for over 400 reservations at the library! 😊 (I'm sorry I didn't buy it 💦)

A story about the sins of people who lived through the pandemic.
Even though the theme is crime, the writing and content somehow feel pop and light, like floating in the air. The strange title fits perfectly, making me think, 'This really is a Tsumidemic 😮.' I always think titles are incredibly important, and coined words are amazing.

The six chapter titles are also excellent.
My favorite story is 'Special Related Person'.
The protagonist is a man who makes his wife work day and night, and even though they have a young child, he lives off her like a parasite. He's a good-for-nothing, but I could really understand the feelings of a talented chef who loves cooking from the bottom of his heart as he gets hurt and becomes bitter.
And I could also understand the pain of the master who apologized, saying, 'With your skills, you could do well anywhere, but he is...', while choosing his nephew—a blood relative with inferior skills and passion—and hurting him, as well as the feelings of the wife who stepped up to be the breadwinner in place of her wounded husband.

'Put water in a pot and soak the kelp. Wait about an hour before turning on the heat. Start with medium heat, and when it's warmed up, turn it to low so it doesn't boil, then take out the kelp, bring it to a boil, turn off the heat, add a handful of bonito flakes, add a splash of cold water, skim the scum...'
He actually made clear soup this carefully just to get close to an old man whose secret savings he happened to find out about, haha.
It was good that he had cooking, something he loved and cherished so much.

I cried at the end, where the connections and the words 'do your best,' which had become detestable things during the COVID-19 pandemic, became a light. 🥹