WINNER OF THE 2022 AKUTAGAWA PRIZE-Funny . . . All the people in this novel are alive.- HIROMI KAWAKAMI, author of STRANGE WEATHER IN TOKYO-Witty and sharp . . . I devoured it.- NATALIE SUE, bestselling author of I HOPE THIS FINDS YOU WELLThe power dynamics of the office are never more obvious than when it comes to food: mandatory lunches with the boss, the colleague who tries to curry favour with home-baked goods, discovering the discarded remnants of someone else's late-night binge . . . In their Saitama office, Ashikawa is the kind of woman Nitani knows he will likely marry: sweet, obliging, and determined to wean him off his addiction to instant noodles. But he finds himself increasingly unable to respect her - or the sugary treats she shares around the workplace, winning their colleagues- affection with baking rather than hard work. Oshio is bolder and uninhibited - she is Nitani's drinking buddy. In the oppressive office atmosphere, the pair grows closer, both outsiders strugglin
