An information processing apparatus includes a memory; and a processor coupled to the memory, wherein the processor executes a process includes, detecting flick operation in a text area where an input character string is displayed, determining a direction of the detected flick operation, selecting, when the flick operation is performed in a predetermined direction, characters the number of which is according to a length of the flick operation from the character string located at a starting position of the flick operation, storing the selected characters in a finger recording buffer, obtaining, when the flick operation is performed in a direction reverse to the predetermined direction, the number of characters according to the length of the flick operation from the finger recording buffer, and outputting the obtained characters to the starting position of the flick operation in the text area.