Mineaki Hata

The Lonely Olympics

This is a story about the youth of a university student who, by chance, aims to compete in the Montreal Olympics in a single scull (a single-seater boat). Every night he stays up all night playing mahjong and drinking. Masao lives his life aimlessly, and even the university he got into after failing the entrance exam twice is on the verge of repeating the year. One day, a high school classmate and friend who graduated from Tokyo University and got a job at a top bank is invited to his wedding reception, and Masao is invited as well. However, Masao feels uncomfortable with the glamor of the surroundings, and when Rie, who is also attending, comforts him, he blurts out, half-jokingly, that he might compete in the Olympics.