Masao Ito

Hiroshima, summer of 1945. A young girl named Nobuko saves a starving kitten from crows. She wants to keep the kitten, but her parents dismiss the idea. Nobuko eventually convinces them to let her keep it. She and her brother Makoto name the cat Kuro. Kuro quickly brings joy and laughter to the family. As World War II takes its toll on Japan, it becomes harder for Nobuko and her family to care for Kuro. One August morning, Kuro begins acting strangely...

The protagonist, Ishigaki Naokaku, a child of a lower-ranking samurai, gains admission to the prestigious Hagi Meirinkan Academy—an elite school exclusively for children of high-ranking samurai from distinguished families. Unwavering in his commitment to the bushido he believes in, Naokaku charges ahead with relentless determination, turning everything around him upside down. Though initially bewildered by his unorthodox ways, both his classmates and the adults in his life gradually find themselves inspired and transformed by his indomitable spirit.