The distant protagonist: a bookworm who is estranged from the world in which he lives. He has no interest in others and is certain that no one has any interest in him. His narrative begins when he discovers a handwritten book titled "Living with Dying," which he quickly recognizes as a secret journal belonging to his popular and cheerful classmate Sakura Yamauchi. She then tells him about her pancreatic ailment and how she knows her time is running short. Her deadly sickness is only known to her family; even her closest friends are unaware. Despite this discovery, he has little sympathy for her suffering, but caught in the currents of Sakura's continuous buoyancy, he finally agrees to join her for her sake.