“ The pain of being treated like a mere object. And a sense that this pain would turn into pleasure. Natsuo Kirino
“ The woman had gasped beneath his heavy body. He rubbed against her, lubricated by the warm, sticky liquid, but as her body gradually grew cold, he felt as though they'd been glued together. She seemed… Natsuo Kirino
“ In order to induce the process of decay, water is necessary. I think that, in the case of women, men are the water. Natsuo Kirino
“ A woman who does not know herself has no choice other than to live with other people's evaluations. But no one can adapt perfectly to public opinion. And herein lies the source of their destruction. Natsuo Kirino
“ You know, she murmured, we're all heading straight to hell.Yes, said Masako, giving her a bleak look. It's like riding downhill with no brakes.You mean, there's no way to stop? No, you stop all right… Natsuo Kirino
“ If you say I hide things because I'm shy, that can't be right. I've finally realized it's for a different reason-- that I don't want to see the darkness that lies in my heart Natsuo Kirino
“ The living mourn the dead for a time but they forget about them as days pass. The living are so selfish, so spoilt, so taken with the very act of living that they don't remember long. Natsuo Kirino
“ In reality of everyday occurrences I've had to submit to people in order not to lose them. It's less the submission that bothers me, I guess, than how it makes my life miserable. And what happens if I… Natsuo Kirino
“ But it did seem that the thing we are most proud of and the thing we are most ashamed of are but the front and back of the same coin. Natsuo Kirino
“ Bye-bye. I'm off on a journey to the real world. 'Cause within this meta-reality what's is this - my death. Natsuo Kirino
“ [..] and there are tons of people I hate so much that I wouldn't mind taking them out. But killing them wouldn't get me anywhere - that's the conclusion I always come to. If I'm going to pay for it in… Natsuo Kirino
“ Men live by rules they've made for themselves. And among those rules is one specifying that women are merely commodities for men to possess. A daughter belongs to her father, a wife to her husband. A… Natsuo Kirino
“ I looked at Yuriko’s face and was horrified. I had never seen her look more beautiful. She was almost godlike. It was the first time I had ever had that experience. She seemed to be more an effigy tha… Natsuo Kirino
“ Friends are a weird thing. It seems like they know all about you, but then they don’t understand you at all. Natsuo Kirino
“ Mitsuru and Yuriko and Kazue didn’t mutate; they simply decayed. A biology professor certainly ought to be able to recognize the signs of fermentation and decay. Isn’t he the one who taught us all abo… Natsuo Kirino
“ It wasn't so much that I was afraid of the place itself, but I was afraid of the creatures who masqueraded as people. Natsuo Kirino
“ It wasn’t so much that I was afraid of the place itself, but I was afraid of the creatures who masqueraded as people. And I became afraid of myself for stirring up such hatred in others. Natsuo Kirino
