The Fire Dome 1 (ファイア・ドーム 上)

Chapter One

The novel begins with the disappearance of Sae Niinuma, a twenty-two-year-old receptionist at a department store in the fictional Hokuriku prefecture of L. In July 1994, a man telephones her workplace claiming to be “Mori,” a reporter from the respected local newspaper. He says he wants to interview Sae for a feature celebrating promising young employees. He knows her name because he has previously visited the store and read her name badge. The request sounds credible enough that Sae’s superiors allow her to leave alone for the supposed interview.

She never returns home. The following morning, the same man calls the department store and announces that Sae has been kidnapped. He demands sixty million yen in exchange for her life. Although he orders the store not to contact the police, Sae’s parents have already reported her missing. A secret operation begins, involving the department store, the prefectural police and local journalists bound by a temporary reporting agreement.

The narrative then moves forward twenty-five years. Mifuyu Samura, a young elementary-school teacher, is beginning her second year at Ichi-go South Elementary School and her first year as a homeroom teacher. She is conscientious, idealistic and intensely aware of her responsibilities. Unlike older teachers who once conducted formal home visits, Mifuyu works in an era when schools are expected to respect the boundaries of family life. This makes her wonder how teachers can protect children when so much of their domestic world remains invisible.