Chronically rehearsing conditional pasts and futures ('if only' and 'what if', in Japanese tara and reba) substitutes talk for action and lets years pass without decision. The naming of this verbal habit reframes idle speculation as the active mechanism by which opportunity is deferred until it is gone.
The book asserts that for women in this specific milieu, social and romantic value is treated as sharply time-bound, so that reaching the early thirties unmarried converts previously tolerated choices into penalties. It presents this not as fair but as a prevailing pressure the women must either submit to, fight, or outrun.
Rinko, a 33-year-old screenwriter drinking with her two friends, is told bluntly by a beautiful younger man (a model nicknamed KEY) that women who sit around talking in 'what-ifs' end up as leftover old maids. The insult, delivered to women who considered themselves still young and desirable, becomes the catalyst that forces each to confront how much time they have squandered.
Viewing the trio's nightly drinking sessions as comfort shows that peer groups can validate inaction: the companionship that feels supportive also mirrors and excuses each member's avoidance. Seen this way, a close friend group becomes a closed loop that protects its members from the discomfort that would otherwise prompt change.