Vocabulary in Kitchen

A conscious, ongoing recognition of something — here, keeping death actively in mind rather than pushing it aside, so that life feels real and meaningful.

A smooth, hard floor covering made from linseed oil and other materials, common in kitchens; here it is the cool surface Mikage lies on for comfort.

Someone you know slightly but are not close friends with — not a stranger, but not an intimate either.

Changing one's gender identity and presentation — here, Eriko changed from living as a man to living as a woman after his wife's death.

A bar or nightclub whose clientele is primarily LGBTQ+ people; Eriko owns and runs one as her livelihood.

A low, steady, continuous sound — here the electrical drone of the refrigerator that Mikage finds soothing enough to fall asleep beside.

Someone who learns a skilled trade by working under an experienced person; Mikage takes this role in a professional kitchen to rebuild her sense of purpose.

To project dark shapes onto a surface by blocking a light source — used here to show how intensely bright the moon is.

In a way that is surprising or hard to explain — the narrator acknowledges the feeling is odd even as she experiences it.

Complete and all-at-once, leaving no part untouched — used here to describe how light floods every corner of a kitchen the instant it is switched on.

In a way that is real but difficult to account for or put into words — signals that the narrator senses something true yet cannot fully explain it.

Persistently troubled or preoccupied by a memory, feeling, or loss that will not leave the mind — not a literal ghost, but an emotional one.

The business of preparing and supplying food for events or clients away from a fixed restaurant; Mikage travels to Izu on a job of this kind.

A Japanese dish of a breaded, deep-fried pork cutlet served over rice in a bowl with egg and onion; Mikage buys it as a takeaway to bring to Yuichi.

Acting suddenly on feeling rather than careful thought, without planning ahead — Mikage does not reason out her decision to drive back; she simply does it.

The state of being cut off from others emotionally or physically — here the grief that keeps both Mikage and Yuichi locked inside themselves.

In a compulsive, uncontrollable way that goes beyond normal habit — Satsuki runs every morning not just for exercise but because she cannot stop herself.

Mysterious and difficult to understand or explain — Urara's origins, purpose, and power are never fully accounted for.

A thin cloud of tiny water droplets hanging in the air close to the ground, blurring outlines and giving a dreamlike quality to the scene.

A construction that places someone or something outside two opposite categories at once — used here to show that Hiiragi in Yayoi's uniform exists in an in-between, liminal state.

A set of standardised clothing worn to identify membership of a school or organisation; here Hiiragi wears his dead girlfriend's school uniform as an act of mourning.

Sparkling with many small flashes of reflected light — the river's surface catches the dawn light and shimmers, making the vision of the dead girl seem both real and otherworldly.

A single, very brief moment in time — the vision lasts only a heartbeat, which makes the narrator's certainty about what she saw all the more striking.

Beyond what natural laws can explain — the vision of the dead crossing the bridge belongs to a realm outside ordinary reality.

A final goodbye, especially one that marks a permanent parting; here the vision of the dead functions as a last leave-taking that allows the living to begin grieving.