Chu Berozu

"Chu Berozu" is a collection of short stories exploring various romantic, comedic, and dramatic encounters. In one tale, Suzuki desperately tries to catch a glimpse of the bra straps of Fukuyama, the girl sitting in front of him, but as winter approaches and her clothing grows thicker, his frustration mounts until he notices a price tag on her outfit. Another story follows Hiroki, a live-in florist working for a beautiful widow, while elsewhere, an exhausted Hirata returns home late from work to find a stunning girl named Rin drinking tea at his doorstep. Rin is a relative whose family business recently went bankrupt, and though Hirata initially sends her away with instant ramen, he relents upon seeing her attempt to eat it dry. Six months into their cohabitation, Rin's overprotective younger sister arrives to take her back. The anthology also features Rie, a student facing academic failure due to poor attendance in a single subject, who resorts to crying or seduction to sway her professor. Meanwhile, Hiroshi, having been rejected by Roza like every other boy at school, trails her home only to discover her lingering alone in a park. Other vignettes include Mamoru and Len stranded together during a reckless skiing trip caught in a snowstorm, Kazuyuki working tirelessly behind the scenes to support Yamamoto after she signs up to play Cinderella, and Yuusuke navigating life with his mother, whose behavior has grown frivolous and overly clingy since his father died of lung cancer a year ago.