Butter: A Novel of Food and Murder

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death, sexual violence, and disordered eating. 

At the office one day, Rika studies her hands in the dim light. She’s been eating plain food since gaining weight and can’t stop thinking about how others have responded to her changed appearance. She digs out old issues of the magazine, returning her thoughts to Kajii’s case. She finds Yamamura’s sister Hatoko Yamumura’s accounts compelling and is reminded of her father’s inability to care for himself before his untimely death.

Ten days after her last visit, Rika sees Kajii again and asks about her relationships with her victims. Kajii doesn’t answer directly and instead tasks Rika with eating butter ramen at a Shinjuku restaurant. To have the right experience, she must have sex beforehand and order the soup between three and four in the morning.

Rika asks Reiko about her sexual experiences, worried about initiating sex with Makoto. Reiko becomes uncomfortable, although she used to be more open. Reiko apologizes for her demeanor, complimenting Rika for facing injustices instead of fleeing them like she’s done. She then admits that she’s been visiting the fertility clinic alone and that she and Ryōsuke haven’t been having sex.