Naruse wa Tenka wo Toruikuiku" by Mina Miyajima [author], published by Shinchosha, Inc.

Former astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, who said at an all-girls school that she wanted to see a black hole, feels Naruse's appeal (review)

Even though he commutes to the Seibu Otsu store, which is about to close, every day in the heat of the day, and devotes himself to making summer memories, it does not mean that anyone will praise him or that the world will be that excited about his work. Despite being a coming-of-age novel, there are no easy miracles. Nevertheless, because the story is depicted calmly, we can feel Naruse's breath as he continues to challenge himself out of curiosity. It is as if you are watching a documentary, and you feel as if you are a witness of "Akari Naruse's history" with Naruse's best friend, Miyuki Shimazaki.

　I spent my high school years at an all-girls school with a liberal school culture. No one said they would live to be 200 years old like Naruse, but we innocently but earnestly talked about our dreams such as creating a dance circle, living in an undersea city in the future, or seeing a black hole. It would be nice if someone said they would live to be 200 years old!　I might have had a normal conversation with them. So when I read this book, I was reminded of my high school days, and the freshness of the book made me nostalgic, and I could not get Naruse out of my mind.

　I was also moved by the foreshadowing that transcended generations, and by the way the dots and lines connected to each other. The parents must have watched over Naruse warmly while being on edge. The adults in the community must also have supported Naruse and his family because of their various experiences. The friendship with Shimazaki, who is the most understanding person, and the encounter with the boy who said the opening line are also very precious lights.

　As an aside, the volume of water in Lake Biwa, which is depicted with great presence in this book, is said to be about 27.5 billion tons. In the space world, there are many attempts to utilize the water on the moon for drinking water and rocket fuel, to build villages, and even to go to Mars. To describe the amount of water on the moon, they use the analogy of how many times the size of Lake Biwa there are, ranging from a few times the size of Lake Biwa to 10 times the size of Lake Biwa. Every time I look up at the moon, I am reminded of Lake Biwa and the image of Naruse and his friends.

　Yes, the world, the universe, is very large. Therefore, I hope Naruse will go for the world with the same purity. And I hope that more and more people like him will come into the world. If Naruse lives to be 200 years old, I must live long enough to see it happen!

Source: https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/fd6e44f20c8ed78c74b8c35f723becce5ca1d11d