To fix your past or race toward the future. If given a choice, which would you pick? We all live with regrets, some more than others. What if you had the option to fix them at the cost of the most valuable resource you have, time. Time that you can't make back, time that will forever be lost.

Kaoru Touno was your run-of-the-mill high school sophomore whose time has stopped due to the death of his sister a few years prior. His one regret? The fact that he was unable to prevent her death. His once tranquil life was torn asunder. His mother walked out and could no longer stand the sight of him, while his father became abusive and endeavoured to forget everything that had happened and start anew. But Kaoru couldn't forget, not when he was there with her, not when he could've prevented everything.

Anzu Hanashiro, meanwhile, was a transfer student from Tokyo whose headstrong attitude earned her a reputation for being a lone wolf. She was a dreamer, one with a desire to become someone extraordinary no matter the cost. With eyes aimed solely toward the future, she was willing to do anything and everything to achieve her desires. Both had completely different outlooks, yet both were willing to throw everything away to make their desires a reality.

The story revolves around Kaoru and Anzu's investigation of the Urashima Tunnel, a tunnel rumoured to grant any wish they wanted at the cost of their time. The weight of time was felt as the price to enter the tunnel was steep. Once you commit to entering, you might very well have lost everything you hold dear to time. In an interesting twist, the tunnel didn't make you older but slowed down time so everyone around you ages faster.

The way the story was structured made every chapter captivating. The author mostly used first-person narration from Kaoru's POV so his every thought, rationale, and the emotions that were hidden away from sight were all exposed to you, the reader (although he did write in Anzu's POV later down the line). The character progression was splendid for such a short novel, and their interactions with one another felt real. Not only that, the amount of emotion that the story can invoke is nothing short of mesmerising. The anguish and regret that Kaoru felt, as well as the sheer indignance and determination that Anzu felt, were beautifully depicted. You felt the emotions emanating from every page as the words slowly bind you, making you unable to avert your eyes until the story reaches its conclusion.

"The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes" was a short but tantalising read. It tells the story of two teenagers with opposing views on life who needed to make a decision. Their internal turmoils, their past, and the choices they made, all combine into a beautiful story of confronting your past and moving forward.

To fix your past, or to chase your future. Would you enter the tunnel to summer, or would you rather take the exit of goodbyes? Would you rather it stay summer, or are you ready to greet the fall? Perhaps the answer lies somewhere in between.