A person was born in the forties and grew up in the sixties. They live in Japan. They are telling a story.

They reflect on cultural norms and behaviors during that time. Then they tell of the behavior of girls with respect to virginity. There was an array of moral thinking concerning virginity. Though most people they knew were having sex.

They explain that they will be telling a story of a fellow they knew from school in Kobe. He was an all-around star. He was handsome, intelligent, a leader, and basically perfect. Sometimes the nameless person had a desire to rip his head off and shake it around. The narrator is not fond of that type of person. The narrator prefers more imperfect people.

They had not had a decent conversation until they left school and were both home on holiday from university. They ran into each other at a driving school. They chatted but the nameless person was not left with much of an impression.

One of the only things the nameless person can remember about the fellow was his girlfriend who was equally as perfect. They spent all their time together and were top academic performers in school. They were like Mrs. and Mr. Clean.

Thus, the nameless person is telling their story. This particular story came after the fellow talked about some other things and is slightly embellished. The tone is true though, and that is all that matters.

The nameless person ran into the fellow in Lucca, Italy. The narrator was on a trip to Italy and their wife had to return to Japan, so they were alone. The fellow was there one business and was also alone. They were staying at the same hotel and ran into each other at the same restaurant. They decided to eat together.

After two bottles of wine, the fellow begins telling the story of himself and his girlfriend. The fellow always considered himself to be boring. He reveals that he was always praised but never knew what he was aiming at. He always did what everyone said and eventually entered law school. He brings up his girlfriend from school, Yoshiko Fujisawa. He explains that things were good with her and that he liked her a lot. They were spiritual twins with similar backgrounds. They were both smart, attractive, and from affluent families. They spent all of their time together and would make out once a week. They enjoyed studying together.

They never had sex. The fellow felt like this was a missing part of their relationship. Fujisawa saw things differently. She said that despite her love for him, she would not have sex until marriage. The fellow respected her wishes though he did not understand why virginity was such a big deal to both men and women.

The fellow said it wasn’t so bad, but things never went any further. He thought of marrying her, but she declined. Their relationship remained the same until they both went to school. He went to a high-ranking school in Tokyo. She remained at a school in Kobe.

He visited her over the summer break, and they went on dates almost every day. Though there was a problem that Fujisawa did not change. The fellow was lonely in Tokyo and felt like his relationship was not being reciprocated by his girlfriend.

When he returned home the following summer, he felt disappointed in his home life. It felt dull and dissatisfying. He would brood after his dates with Fujisawa even though he was still in love with her. He tried bringing up the issue of sex with her again. She dismissed it. She says she will do anything for him except for that. He brings up getting married. She explains that you need to be able to handle the responsibility to get married. He says that he can.

Fujisawa explains that she is scared. He says she does not need to be scared. She explains that he does not get it because she is a woman. She promises that after she is married, she will sleep with him.

The fellow did not know what to think of this at the time. He wanted her to live a more natural life. They broke up and he dated a girl in Tokyo for a bit. He sometimes thought of Fujisawa.

Eventually, he got a job at a trading company and was very busy. Two years after he graduated, he heard that Fujisawa had gotten married. He wondered if she kept her virginity. He felt sad that the door for them being together was closed. He eventually married when he was thirty-two, so when he received Fujisawa’s call, he was still single. When she called one night, he did not know how she got his number. She knew a lot about his life. He asked about her life. She lived close. They talked like old friends. She eventually brought up her promise and invited him over.

The fellow did not know what to think. It was what he always wanted but he felt like it would only bring about feelings he worked so hard to let go of. He knew it would be destructive. He did, however, agree to see her.

He asks the nameless person, in between pieces of his story, what they would have done. They shook their head. The fellow mentions a line from a fairy tale where in the end, everyone bursts out laughing.

The fellow ended up going to her place that night. They had a few drinks and listened to music. They did not sleep together. They just held each other. This was their final goodbye. After he left, he thought about how his life had been pointless. He reveals that he went out and slept with a prostitute that night. He repeats the line from the fairy tale to reiterate that very sad things always contain an element of humor.

The nameless person finishes telling this story about his encounter with the fellow who talked of his past relationship. They say there is no moral point or lesson. They cannot laugh about the story.