MR. KUSUNOKI RISSEI (MR. ROS REASAY)
BORN IN 1960 IN PHNOM PENH, LIVES IN KANAGAWA

Pre-Khmer Rouge, one of Rissei’s aunts was a teacher and she really liked reading novels.
She always asked him to rent novels for her. Rissei always read all the novels before he gave them to his aunt, which made him remember many novels.

During the Khmer Rouge, one unit chief used to be a student. When he found out that Rissei was good at storytelling, he liked to have Rissei narrating stories for him. While on a night shift, the Khmer Rouge ordered the mobile unit to harvest rice seedlings. However, the unit chief kept Rissei behind so he could tell him stories instead. After a whole night of telling the unit chief stories, he received a piece of crispy rice. During the day, Rissei worked normally and at night, he told stories. Sometimes, his mobile unit was assigned to travel but the unit chief always managed to keep Rissei close by the collective just so he could tell stories. After a while, the unit chief was transferred to another area. Rissei thinks he was probably executed.