Buying You on the Day You Were to Die

by Shiki Narito, Aleksandra Jankowska (Translator), Yamimaru Enjin (Illustrator)

“I’d like to buy your time—for two hundred thousand yen a month.”
For Sakata, the winter of his junior year brings nothing but loss. His mother is dead, his useless father is gone, and each day nearly costs him everything he has left. Then a young man named Nishikawa approaches him with an offer—and generous pay that could give his mother a proper funeral. However, the deal comes with several bizarre conditions that Sakata must go to school every day, get into the same university as Nishikawa, and lastly, act like his friend until the end of their contract. As their bond deepens, the two boys starved for love must face the question neither dared to Can a friendship built entirely on money turn into something real?

Genres: Light Novel

150 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 22, 2025

Reviews

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I do not, as a rule, enjoy books that make me cry, especially when there's a manipulative element to the plot. In this case, I made an attempt to ignore where things were heading, so it wasn't quite a Mucha Kucha Daisuki situation, which is, I suppose, good. I even understand the point Narito was making about learning to love and all that. But I still didn't enjoy reading this and felt equal parts sad and annoyed by the ending.

Oh well. Can't love everything I read for work, I guess.

CW: suicide, illness, off-page domestic abuse

[Benji · Rating 3 out of 5]

Angsty contemporary queer light novel with a contract friendship. This is a pretty introspective book that examines what love is and how people process trauma. I wish it was longer, it takes place over 5 years but there are fairly big timeskips and the overall effect is like I only got short glimpses into the MC’s life. Still, it was the right book for me at the right time as I grieve my late dog and the MC learns how to process his own grief. Includes depression and terminal illness rep

CWs: death of a parent, domestic and child abuse, child neglect, suicidal ideation, major character death

[Sol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trigger warning: This book contains explicit suicidal ideation (with a plan, though it doesn't come to fruition), parental death, explicit abuse (child/domestic, physical, and emotional), terminal illness and hospital scenes, and candid conversations about grief. I would not say it's a light read, so please take care.

"As I stared into his eyes, it dawned on me again that he really did scare me. I didn't want to break him. I didn't want to stain him. I wanted him to be happy. I wanted him to stay safe from all the ugliness of this world. If he remained pristine, I might just be able to believe the world wasn't entirely awful after all. At the same time, I didn't want his piercing eyes focused on me, of all people."

To be loved is to be changed. People are in a constant state of change, and when you feel yourself changing, it can be terrifying. However, that constant state of change, and the gaining and losing of love, is proof that we’re completely and truly living – not just going through the motions of life. This novella encapsulates that struggle so well.

This is a book about a boy who is certainly more going through the motions rather than living. He has no goals for the future, no intentions for life, no one to turn to, nothing. In a way, it can be more comfortable to feel nothing at all instead of feeling pain, so he doesn’t really think anything about just how much he’s suffered. It’s more like ‘it is what it is’ attitude, with a hint of bitterness– this is his lot in life, and when he ends it, it will be like he was never here at all.

However, because of a strange twist of fate, his quality of life suddenly improves overnight, which is uncomfortable in its own way for him. Suddenly, he’s eating nutritious meals, studying every day, sleeping well, living like a normal high schooler should… and all because a rich boy his age decides to buy his time and his friendship. There’s really no reason for him to refuse the money and new lifestyle, and because of that, there’s suddenly no reason for him to die anymore. And just like that, he begins on a forced journey to live again.

They aren’t quite friends – they’re nothing to each other and yet so much more all at once. And that’s their story.

I truly believe that this is a book about how fragile human lives are, how important our relationships.
When we touch each other’s lives, we send ripples through each other. We stick with each other internally in ways that we’ll never even realize. There is no such thing as a person leaving no impact on the world or anyone else, because we are all here right now, at our homes, schools, and jobs, leaving our mark with each passing breath. Even if we don’t love people the same amount forever, they never leave us, just like we never leave them. Even if we forget them or feelings fade, we still don't leave each other. Our relationships will always have existed.
Even if other people hurt us terribly, too, that hurt isn’t for nothing. It wouldn’t be life if nothing ever hurt. We wouldn’t have happiness if nothing ever hurt. And grief is also proof that we love someone, regardless of how vivid the memory is or how strong the feelings are.

Watching the protagonist, Sakata, relearning how to love, how to grieve, how to live, even through the unconventional means of being forced to through monetary compensation, was so compelling to me. Because, yes, sometimes the people around you do have to force you to live through any means necessary. As you live, time will keep passing and your wounds will keep healing, if you allow them to. And once you allow yourself to hurt and grieve, you’ll be able to be happy again. But you have to live in order for that to happen. You absolutely must live. As long as you live, things will always pass and get better.

Despite all his pain, Sakata realizes that he can find love in even remote places, and that love looks different everywhere you go, every person you meet. There is an endless supply of love in the world and endless ways to receive it. So no matter what, keep looking for it! You will find it.

Sakata’s endless question in this book is “What is love?” – what does it mean to love? Can we really love each other the “right” and “proper” way? Can we even love each other at all? And I think that the answer is that love is endless and comes in all shape, sizes, and colors. You may not even realize you’re giving nor receiving it. I really do think that this book lands in that special area of love: it’s not platonic, it’s not romantic, it’s not familial, but there’s so much love all around. That level of complexity in a book this size is really gorgeous.

This was a really great novella. It struck me in the same emotional place as movies like “Ride Your Wave” and “I Want to Eat Your Pancreas”. It was a complete and utter tear-jerker, but to me, it never felt corny or melodramatic, nor overly miserable. I thought that the writing style was really fabulous and incredible. Narito is really amazing at giving the audience just enough information, keeping us in the dark about certain things until just the right moment. The passage of time is very quick and tasteful. Narito never, ever says more about anything than she needs to, and I think that that level of brevity is a real skill for a writer. Yet the language isn’t too simple and straightforward either, definitely not boring; she still manages to have a really incredible handle over her prose. If I started sharing my favorite passages she wrote, this review would never end.

I just thought it was very incredible. I’m really glad I took a chance on it, because once I started, I couldn’t put it down until I finished. If you have a free afternoon and you're okay with crying for a couple hours, I highly recommend it.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good but very sad. I cried for most of the book. Still, if you're okay with the subject matter, I recommend it. Sad, but ultimately hopeful💕