It was a strange feeling, like touching a void.

Among the many values in life, I appreciate freedom most.

I'm a writer, not a professional runner. It's fun and it helps me write. I need powerful concentration.

I saw that she was crying. Before I knew it, I was kissing her. Others on the platform were staring at us, but I didn't care about such things anymore. We were alive, she and I. And all we had to think about was continuing to live.

Although I didn't think so at the time, things were a lot simpler in 1969. All you had to do to express yourself was throw rocks at riot police. But with today's sophistication, who's in a position to throw rocks? Who's going to brave what tear gas? C'mon, that's the way it is. Everything is rigged, tied into that massive capital web, and beyond this web there's another web. Nobody's going anywhere. You throw a rock and it'll come right back at you.

What makes us the most normal," said Reiko, "is knowing that we're not normal.

Ever since that happened to me, I haven't been able to give myself to anyone in this world.