When they arrived at the station, Yuto got out of the car to walk to the ticket gate; Gran got out too and clasped his hands in hers, repeating passionately, “Go for it, go for it.” Yuto was bewildered by her intensity but he returned her grip without embarrassment, nodding over and over again.

In the driver’s seat, Sasaki was waving goodbye.

Wishing he had taken a few more days off, Yuto took his leave reluctantly, turning to look back several times before he entered the station to board the train.

By the time he reached the platform for the bullet train, it occurred to him to call his mum. “I’m just about to leave Iwate.”

“Did you have a good time?”

“Sort of. Last night I thought I saw a girl, and Gran said she was a zashiki-warashi. Maybe she was the one I used to play with when I was little.”

“Oh, you got to meet her? Isn’t that great?” For his mum, it was clearly no big deal.

“So she is a zashiki-warashi then? But then, will she stay at Gran’s house for good?”

“What are you talking about?”

“I can’t help worrying about that. If she left the house, something horrible would happen to Gran, wouldn’t it?”

“Oh no, you were worried about that?” His mum scoffed. “You silly boy!”

“But it was in the book Gran used to read to me.”

“It’s not like zashiki-warashi call down misfortune,” his mum said, snorting with laughter.

“Huh?”

“Okay, so you think Gran’s only happy thanks to the zashiki-warashi?”

Yuto called to mind his gran’s smile. In his mind’s eye, she always had such a kind look on her face.

Because of the zashiki-warashi that lives in her house ... or is it?

Was Gran’s happiness bestowed upon her by chance, by some other being? Maybe I had it all backwards.

His mum sighed. “You know, if something’s bothering you, you can always talk to me about it.”

He envied his mum’s incredible confidence. “Sure, okay, bye,” he said to cover his awkwardness, and hung up.

Go for it, go for it.

Watching the scenery speed past outside the bullet train window, he turned his gran’s words over in his mind, and the warmth of her wrinkled hands returned to him.

He took one of the key rings she had bought him out of the bag. One for me, one for my mum, and the other for...

His last message showed up as ‘Read’ but there was no reply.

Are you happy now?

Last night, when the zashiki-warashi had asked him that, he hadn’t been able to give a confident answer.

You think Gran’s only happy thanks to the zashiki-warashi?

His mum’s words came back to him too.

Gran’s natural warmth gathers people to her because she’s great to be around; the zashiki-warashi is drawn to her as well, and that’s why she’ll stay.

Yuto reflected on his own life. I have Hiroka, Gran, my family, and my friends. The zashiki-warashi at his gran’s house had appeared to him. And the gift his gran had given him was in his hands.

Are you happy now?

He wondered how Hiroka would answer that question.

Yuto gazed at the zashiki-warashi. A happy future was within his grasp. He held the doll gently, with the hope that she would want to stay with him always. The scenery outside the window was fleeting past at the speed of wind.

Next time I’ll bring Hiroka with me. Now I know what I want.

He sent a message to her:

I have a souvenir for you, can we meet up tonight?

Nestled in his palm, the thumb-sized doll in the red kimono only had eyes painted on her little face. And yet she was definitely smiling at him.

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