I think I bit into happiness.

Author Yuki Shun · Publisher Momo · Publication Date 2024-12-17 · ISBN 9791194293644

About the Book

A happy relay of kind neighbors
who support each other's lives with chocolate

A small shop tucked away in a Yokohama residential area. The moment you step inside, a cool breeze washes over you, and after passing through a dim hallway, a graceful woman with a benevolent smile greets you under soft lighting. This place, "Ça Ira," feels as if you've been pulled into another world. It's a shop that sells chocolates that sparkle like jewels. The owner, Chiyoko, hands chocolates to customers with the words, "Give this to someone you wish happiness upon." Customers who visit "Ça Ira" then deliver these chocolates to people near, far, or even strangers, and in this way, small, gentle happiness spreads throughout the neighborhood. And a surprising ending awaits where the last piece of chocolate finally arrives…

From an office worker left alone with his son after his wife's death, to a young child seeking chocolate for his struggling mother, to a university student suffering from malicious online comments, and a writer struggling to make ends meet with erotic novels after failing to gain recognition since his debut—twelve protagonists, connected by a somewhat special chocolate, positively influence each other's lives in subtle ways, despite their diverse personalities and stories. Around these characters, a miraculous story unfolds at the chocolate shop "Ça Ira," created by small interferences and unexpected coincidences.

A masterpiece that expands the genre of healing novels
with a heartwarming message and a mysterious structure

The first protagonist of "I Think I Just Bit into Happiness" is a husband who suddenly lost his wife to acute heart failure. Overnight, he was left alone with his young son, but there was no time to dwell on his grief. He had to quickly fill the void left by his wife, who had managed work, housework, childcare, and all the administrative tasks of the household. Yet, even as he frantically tackled unfamiliar household chores, a sudden surge of longing would arise. The husband pondered, "Who was my wife going to meet before she died?"

This humble yet poignant question from the husband who lost his wife, and the identity of the rumored "Mr. Moderate" who hands out free maxims, continuously pique the reader's curiosity as each chapter introduces a new protagonist and their own story, drawing the scattered narratives together. The moment all secrets are revealed, readers will want to go back to the first chapter and re-examine the hidden foreshadowing throughout. "I Think I Just Bit into Happiness" is a work with a sophisticated and refined plot and an excellent mysterious structure, where each episode offers the pleasure of picking and eating a chocolate, but when read to the end, the puzzle pieces fall into place, doubling the emotional impact.
The name of the chocolate shop in the story, "Ça Ira," is French for "It'll be okay," "It'll work out somehow," "It'll be fine." Readers who reach the last chapter of "I Think I Just Bit into Happiness" and encounter its touching ending will find themselves repeating this mantra, as if rolling a piece of chocolate in their mouths: "It'll be okay, it'll work out somehow, it'll be fine!"

Contents

Chapter 1: Bonbon Chocolat When You Open the Treasure Box · Ayumu Hajime 009
Chapter 2: Orangette Who Doesn't Like Surprise Events · Nina Hajime 055
Chapter 3: Chocolat Guimauve on a Sigh-Filled Day · Sae Sannomiya 085
Chapter 4: In Search of Mom's Smile, Fondant Chocolat · Yoriko Sannomiya 113
Chapter 5: Teach Me How to Fish, Mr. Cacao · Mio Goto 137
Chapter 6: Coconut Praline Lighting Up the Dark Night · Rokuro Minazuki 169
Chapter 7: Gianduja for a Distant Dream · Nanami Nanamori 201
Chapter 8: My Secret · Teruma Hage 241
Chapter 9: Mission in Mint Chocolate Truffle · Kurumi Hage 259
Chapter 10: Ruby Chocolate for the Unsung Hero · Kotaro Tokachi 297
Chapter 11: It's Okay to Live Moderately, Chocolate Dragée · Ito Ito 325
Final Chapter: A Gift for You, Who Worked Hard Today · Chiyoko Shuya 349