Mizu ga Kooru ni Naru Toki(1990)

Contains 5 chapters:

1. Inu to Anata to Haru Kaze to (犬とあなたと春風と)

2. Promise (プロミス)

3. Kimi Sarite Nochi (君去りてのち)

4. Koko e Oide (ここへおいで)

5. Mizu ga Koori ni Naru Toki (水が氷になるとき)

We open with a light-hearted story of a guy whose best friend is highly dependent on him on all matters. He tells his friend he can continue his clingy ways only if he were a dog. His friend goes missing, but then he comes across a dog...

The next two very solid chapters are "Promise" and "Kimi Sarite Nochi". The former tells the story of a girl who keeps running into this mysterious young man whenever she is troubled. "Kimi Sarite Nochi" is on a cheating man whose lover is trying to persuade him into taking a trip with her and leaving his wife for good.

Karino Yoshihito* takes the stage again for the last two chapters; we get to know more about him when he was 26 and 15.

*recurring main character in some of Nishi Keiko's stories; see "September" and "The Another Ocean"