Butter

by Asako Yuzuki

In principle, all women should give themselves permission to demand good treatment, but the world made doing so profoundly difficult.

‘I learned from my late father that women should show generosity towards everyone. But there are two things that I simply cannot tolerate: feminists and margarine.’

It’s weird, isn’t it? Why is it that with nobody to watch over them, men can’t stop themselves from falling into disrepair? And that disrepair is then looked upon kindly and excused by the world, seen not as a failure of personal responsibility but something poignant and tragic.’

If you were accepted by just one person, then you didn’t need to be someone whose beauty was acknowledged by everyone.

‘I always thought that I’d be imposing on you if I did something like this, but I think that, on reflection, that’s exactly what’s been lacking. I’ve started to realise that nothing ever happens if you don’t impose on people.’

‘Cooking is enjoyable, but the moment it becomes a duty, it grows boring. The same is true of sex, and fashion, and beauty. When you’re forced to do something, it becomes a chore, and the pleasure disappears.’

Whenever there’s opposition there’s also support, don’t forget.

‘“Allah desireth for you ease, He desireth not hardship for you”,’ Rika repeated. ‘Right. If God exists, He wouldn’t take joy or satisfaction in the sight of suffering. Which means, you don’t have to get through everything alone. You don’t have to always be growing as a person either. The far more important thing is just to get through the day.’