The White and Blue Between Us (Kodansha, 2024)

Is it ever too late to make up for a lie? Or can the opportunity be swept away, like white clouds across a blue summer sky? It's been seven years since Hozumi left the island town he grew up on, leaving behind not only the seaside, but also Mishima-his close friend and first love from high school. The two haven't spoken since Hozumi turned Mishima down when he rejected him and lied about his own feelings, so when Hozumi returns for his high school reunion, he wants nothing more than to make amends with Mishima-a task easier said than done. In their years apart, Mishima has distanced himself from not only Hozumi, but everyone in the entire town, choosing to live alone in the lighthouse his grandfather used to tend to. Will Hozumi finally be able to break down Mishima's walls, clear the air between them, and finally confess his true feelings, or are the two fated to be separated from one another?