Original subtitles

The following story is based on actual events.

However, the name of people, organization, and places portrayed in this story are entirely fictional.

Somewhere in Tokyo

"We accept orders for New Year's traditional food"

This is my personal experience.

If you're done with that, please take care of the veggies.

Okay.

I like to cook since I was a kid...

...and before I realize it, working in food industry has become my dream.

Now, I'm still halfway to my dream...

...and I'm currently working at a local lunchbox shop.

Sorry to keep you waiting. Thank you very much.

- Thank you very much. - Thank you.

But 5 years after graduating from vocational school...

...the reality is harsh...

...and I'm honestly wondering if it's okay to remain like this.

Then, one day...

Oh no, dang it!

- Tomoya, don't you eat breakfast? - I can't! I've got no time!

- Ah, Nee-chan, where's my lunchbox? - Huh?

- So it's for today? - Huh? Geez, not again!

Sorry. I'll surely make it next time.

It's okay. I'll buy something at the convenience store today.

- I'm off! - Take care!

Our working mother who raised us alone...

...passed away 2 years ago.

I've desperately tried to do my best in both house chores and my own job...

...and before I realize it, I've got no time for myself...

Speaking of which, that's when it all began.

The Miracle of Winter

"Chef Apprenticeship in Hotel Italian"

- Good work today. - Ah, thank you.

I guess I should have a break too.

- It's been so busy, right? - Yeah.

I'm home.

It was about that night.

That time, I thought it was just my imagination.

While she was alive, my mother was a realistic and strict person.

And before I realized it...

...I felt that she was annoying.

Just stop talking...

...about stuffs like dream anymore, will you?

Saying that you want to have your own restaurant... The world out there isn't that friendly.

Are you saying that I can't have a dream?

I'm not saying that.

But it's time for you to start thinking seriously.

What do you mean by 'seriously'?

It's been 3 years since you quit.

Right after I graduated from vocational school...

...I started my apprenticeship as a chef...

...at a certain restaurant.

But since they kept making me doing all sort of tiring odd jobs...

...I got mentally and physically exhausted and decided to quit...

Just stop looking away from the reality, okay?

Oh, shut up.

I don't want you two to go through so much hardships like I did.

Mom was having two different jobs at the same time...

...and somehow managed to support our family financially.

I'm very thankful to her about that, but...

I don't want to live like you, Mom.

I want to do it my way.

In the end, before we could open up our hearts to each other again...

...my mother had already passed away.

I'm sure my mother hadn't forgiven...

...both myself at that time and now.

That day was also a cold winter day like today.

One croquette lunchbox...

- ...and one hamburger lunchbox, please. - Okay!

- One croquette, one hamburger, please! - Got it!

That day I was really busy...

"Mom"

Here, sorry to keep you waiting. Thank you very much.

- Thank you very much! - Thank you very much!

- You can take a break now. - Okay.

"Mom"

I didn't answer her call.

And on that night...

...my mother passed away in an accident.

Tomoya? You're already back?

Ah, geez.

"Future Education Course Aspiration Form"

"Get a job"

Huh?

Perhaps he was concerned about the school expenses.

Even though he really wants to enter university...

...he gives it up because he didn't want to trouble me.

Yes, I understand. Thank you for your order.

What's wrong? You're daydreaming.

Ah, I'm really sorry.

- Are you feeling unwell? - No. I'm fine.

I see. Be careful not to catch a cold, okay?

- Okay. - Take care of the veggies, please.

Okay.

"Office work - Call center"

- Hey. - Hmm?

I'm thinking of quitting my current job...

..and look for a more normal one.

Huh?

That's why, don't say you want to look for a job, okay?

You should enter university. I'll do something about the tuition so don't worry.

- What are you saying? - Huh?

You want to be a chef, right?

You want to open your own restaurant, right?

Nee-chan, it was a really bad joke, you know.

Don't use me as an excuse to give up on your dream, okay?

Either now or in the past, all you do was running away.

Even now, you're still running away from Mom, right?

I'm not.

Then why don't you pray in front of her photograph?

I know you replace the flowers and the water everyday...

...but I never saw you praying in front of her portrait.

Well then, I guess it's time for me to take a bath~

I felt like she was telling me...

..."See? I've told you so."

After that, for a while...

...nothing weird happened.

But then...

- Tomoya, are you heading out? - Yeah.

Tomoya, you forgot your bike key.

Here.

- Hmm? This is the house key, right? - Huh?

Huh?

Come on, Nee-chan.

Sorry. Wait a sec.

How come?

- Nee-chan, come on. - Ah.

Sorry, sorry. Here. I'm sorry.

Okay, thanks~

- Take care. - I'm off.

Yes, I understand. Okay, I'm hanging up now.

I deeply apologize. As soon as I confirm it...

...I'll call you back. Yes. Thank you.

- Can I have a second? - Yes.

What is this?

"Endo-sama. 12/30. New Year's food for 30 people."

Did you receive the order of 30 portions of New Year's food?

Ah.

Thank you for your order.

Ah, I'm sorry. I did receive it.

It's unusual for you to make such mistake.

I'm really sorry!

I'll go there now to apologize to them.

You don't need to. I'll call them back.

But...

- Ah... - Ah, hello?

Endo-sama? Yes, it was our mistake.

Yes, I'm sorry. I'm really sorry.

Tomoya?

Huh? What happened?

Ah, it's nothing serious.

But you're injured!

There was a minor collision in front of me.

Before I could get away, I fell down.

- Are you really okay? - Yeah, I'm fine. No problem.

But, Tomoya...

If only I gave him the right key earlier...

...he wouldn't have involved in that accident.

That's what I thought.

Mom.

It's just like what you said.

I didn't understand anything.

Nothing goes as I want it to be.

It's my fault that even Tomoya had to...

Why didn't I listen to you before?

Why was I so stubborn?

Why on that day...

Speaking of the noise, it always came from this corner.

1 January 2016 Today, my daughter starts working again. I was worried after she quit from the restaurant.

If she believes in herself and work hard, working at the lunchbox shop is a splendid job!

I'm glad everything went well. Congratulations.

I know for sure that it was my mother's handwriting.

It's the lunchbox I created at the shop.

It's awkward if she found out, so I bought it secretly.

It was delicious.

"The stew she has been practicing secretly..."

"...while everyone was asleep..."

"...is included in today's lunchbox."

So she knew it.

Though she said this and that to me...

4 October 2018 The new lunchbox is on sale today. It's "Bibimbap beef calbee lunchbox".

It tastes so good.

...apparently she secretly bought the lunchboxes I made...

...and ate them all.

"Do your best!"

"It's your best creation so far!"

She was secretly supporting and watching over me.

It was the day my mother passed away.

"23 December 2018"

The last date.

The taste of today's lunchbox is my family's taste?

What she wrote on that day...

...was nothing special but her thoughts on my lunchbox.

Could it be my mother's taste? It's similar to my cooking.

"Somehow, it feels nostalgic to eat something with my own family's taste."

"And it makes me want to hear my daughter's voice."

"I called her but she didn't answer. Perhaps she was busy."

"We had some misunderstanding recently."

"But when we got home today, I'll have a proper talk with her."

"I want to think about the future together with her..."

"...and I'll try to understand her feeling."

"I'll always be on your side."

Mom...

Mom.

The reason you called me that day was because you wanted to...

So it was like that.

It was always like that.

You're always watching over me...

Watching over Tomoya and me...

What happened to Tomoya... so it was you too?

If I gave him the bike key right away...

...perhaps...

...my brother would have been involved in a worse accident.

So you were protecting Tomoya?

You hid the key...

...so that he would be delayed in leaving the house.

You're always watching over us.

You encouraged me who do everything halfway...

...and supported me all the time.

But even so, I didn't realize it at all.

Mom.

I'm sorry.

Thank you.

Mom...

Oh no, dang it!

I'm late, I'm late...

- Okay, I'm off! - Ah, Tomoya, you forgot something.

- Here, your lunchbox. - Huh? So you made it today.

The sign I felt...

Geez, I'm late, I'm late!

- Take care! - Yeah!

...was my mother worrying about me...

...who was disheartened and about to give up on my dream...

I think it was my mother trying to encourage me.

Mom, I'm off.

Sorry to keep you waiting! It's heavy so please be careful.

Even now, my mother is still watching over us.

I'm sure of that.

Please come again!

4 Mysterious Stories

English subtitle by: aoihachi

- You can leave now. - Okay.

I'm leaving now.

Sorry to make you work overtime.

It's okay.

"Everyone is waiting~ ^_^"

Excuse me.

It was about that night.

I went back from work like usual.

- Huh? Wait, wait, wait. - What?

- You're jumping the gun. - One hasn't come yet.

By the way, is your story going to be scary?

No. I hate horror stories.

- No, it's not scary at all. - Huh...?

- Just a bit scary. - Then it's scary!

- But it was a really amazing story. - What?

- Sorry, did I keep you waiting? - Yes, yes, you did.

- We waited for you all the time. - Ah, sorry.

- Don't worry about that. - We're totally okay with that.

Well then, let me start over.

It was about that night...

- Did anything happened? - Hey, you.

- Yeah, many things. - Hey, you too!

- Huh? What? - What do you mean by 'many things'?

- Well, it's... - I-i-i-i...

- ...Is it a scary story? - You're way too scared.

- But... - No, no, it's totally not!

Rather than scary, it's more like a mysterious happening.

Haven't you experienced anything like that too?

- Mysterious things? - Mysterious...

- Ah! - Yes?

- By the way, on the other day... - You too?

Somewhere in Chiba Prefecture

This is my personal experience.

- Hey. - Ah, good morning.

What is it? Unrequited love as usual?

- Your voice is too loud! - Sorry, sorry.

Do you have driving license?

Ah, I have, though.

Lend me a hand this weekend, okay?

- Hmm? - Hmm?

- Sorry? - Sorry?

What the... Wait, um...

The thing my senior at the university asked me to do on the weekend...

Should I put this here?

- Yeah, be careful with that. - Okay.

...was to help him selling some stuffs...

...at a flea market.

Senpai, no one is going to buy this.

You think so too, huh?

It's my encounter with this raccoon dog.

The Last Purchase

Ah, well, you can get all these for 1,000 yen.

I see. Let me take a look on other shops first.

Okay. Please come again later.

- Okay. - Thank you very much.

That old man showed no interest on other goods...

...and just fixed his gaze on that decorative sculpture of raccoon dog.

That time, I didn't think much about that.

It was when the first day of the flea market ended on the evening.

I think we should have bought that necklace.

I know.

If you really want it, I'll buy it for you.

Really? Yay, I'm so happy!

If you want to give her a present, choose something she likes.

Huh? No, no, no, no...

You can say you got it when I forced you to help here...

- ...and just give it to her. - But we never spoke to each other.

- To do it suddenly is a bit... - Geez.

You should just do it suddenly. Are you a fool?

- Excuse me. - Yes, can I help you?

It was that old man again.

Um, it's okay if you want to come closer...

...and touch the sculpture to make sure about it.

Thank you.

- Hey. - Yes?

- Help me with this. - Ah, okay.

You hold that.

- Hey. - Huh? - Hey. - Ah, okay.

- You got it? - Yeah. - Okay, one, two...

This isn't sold yet, huh?

- Let's sell it for half price tomorrow. - Sounds good.

Wow, it's already this late?

- I've got something to do after this. - Huh?

No, no, wait... Wait a sec, wait a sec.

What should I do with this?

Ah. You can leave the car here. Everyone does the same thing.

Ah, I see.

I'll just leave it here, then.

See you tomorrow, then. Ah, ah, ah...

- Sum up the sales today, okay? - Huh?

- Yeah. Bye. - Wait, but...

See you tomorrow!

Huh?

What?

Done. Yeah, this is good.

What the...

Huh? What the... how come?

I felt like it was trying to tell me...

...not to leave it there like that.

The next morning...

...I found out that there was vehicle burglary...

...on some of the cars left on the parking lot at midnight.

I didn't leave my car here last night.

So I didn't lose anything.

"Half price"

Hmm? This raccoon dog is nice.

Moreover, it's sold at half price.

If we put this in front of our shop, it will attract customers, right?

We can put our shop's sign on its belly.

- Yeah, like a trademark. - Yeah.

- Ah, we are interested in this. - Yes?

Ah, well...

I'm really sorry, but it's already reserved.

- Really? - Yeah, I'm really sorry.

- That's too bad. - Let's go.

- Hey. - Yes?

- When did you get that reservation? - Huh?

- Huh? - Well, that's...

Somehow the old man I saw yesterday popped up in my head...

...and I thought that I shouldn't sell the sculpture.

Then, it was the only thing left until the last day...

Look, no one buys this.

- You're right. - How can you say that, huh?

You should have sold it to that couple.

Ah, I have something to do at the reception desk.

Ah, okay.

That's when it happened.

Excuse me.

Ah, yes?

I want to buy this.

Okay. Thank you very much!

Can you deliver it to my house?

Ah, of course. But, um...

...I can't deliver it to your house right away.

It's okay.

Well then, um...

Please write down your address and contact number here.

"Sold"

Ah, um, you can just write down the address.

No, no, just in case.

The streets around my house are quite confusing.

People are often lost around there.

So, he drew a very detailed map.

Look, that raccoon dog is sold.

I thought no one would buy that.

- Wow, it's really sold. What a weird taste. - Right?

I wouldn't want that.

Well, it has nothing to do with my taste.

I ever had a sculpture like this before. It was smaller, though.

I put it on the corner of my garden.

It was watching over our house all the time.

But then, someone stole it.

I've looked for its replacement for a really long time.

If it's this big, no one can steal it, right?

I see. I'm glad you found it.

- Well then. - Okay.

I know I can leave it to you.

I'm counting on you.

Okay!

- Hey. - Yes?

- Thank you. You've been really helpful. - No problem.

- I had lots of fun too. - Ah, and also...

Here. Ask her to watch this movie with you.

- Huh?! These are really for me? - Yeah.

Good luck!

- Thank you very much. - Yeah.

Before I deliver the raccoon dog sculpture...

...I let it stay in my room.

In the middle of that night...

Huh?

I had a strange dream. Well, at least I thought so...

Huh?

"About the submission of the winter semester report"

I forgot about this.

In order to write the report...

...I was looking for some books as reference.

Ah. Ah...

- This one? - Huh? Ah...

Ah... Well... yeah.

Ah, um, you can use it first.

- It's okay, really. - Ah...

- Thank you, then. - Yeah.

I wish I could talk to her more...

Then, a few days later...

Excuse me.

I've returned the book you gave me before. Thank you.

Ah. Y... Yeah.

- Kasumi, good morning. - Good morning.

Good morning.

By the way, have you finished your report?

- Yeah, I have. - You're too fast!

It was when I came to the library to finally borrow that book.

I'm sure I dropped it around here.

Are you sure you dropped it here today?

Yes. I think it's when I returned the book here earlier.

There's no earring in the list of the lost things we keep here.

Um, how does the earring look like? The shape or the color?

Ah. It's a set of two pearls. A keepsake from my grandmother.

Huh? Ah...

Ah, then, I... I'll start looking from there.

The first thing we searched together for the first time...

...was nowhere to be found...

...but when I was about to give up...

- It's okay. - Ah, but...

- Thank you. - But...

Huh?

Found it... I... I FOUND IT! I FOUND IT!

I'm sorry...

- Here. - Ah, that's what I'm looking for.

Glad to hear that.

Thank you very much.

It's a precious thing for you, right? I'm glad we could find it.

Ah, by the way, don't you think today's lecture was so difficult?

Ah. Yeah, you're right.

I was absent last week due to a cold, so...

I see... Ah, then, um...

Do you want to borrow my note?

- Huh? Is it okay? - Yeah.

- Um, I'll take pictures and send them to you. - Ah, please do so.

"Thank you :D You're my savior~!"

"I have 2 movie tickets. Do you want to watch it together with me?"

There's no harm in asking her out so I thought of give it a try...

But I didn't have the courage to send it...

OOH! Oh, hey...

AAAAH?! AH!

Even so, for a while...

...I got my hopes up.

But as expected, no reply came from her.

Then, on the day of delivery...

This is strange.

...I was completely lost with all the confusing streets.

Is it this way?

But thanks to the handwritten map, I could arrive to the destination safely.

- Yes? - I'm here to deliver the goods you purchased.

Okay. Please wait a moment.

But then...

We don't remember purchasing this thing before.

Huh?

Isn't it just some bad pranks?

No... No, no, no, no, but...

By the way, how did you get here?

Ah, um...

I was given a map of this place.

- It's really detailed. - How did that person look like?

Um... it was a man around 70 something.

He wore a hat and glasses.

Ah, and he had a light brown cane with him.

Ah, he also told me this.

Before, he put a raccoon dog sculpture in his garden.

But since it was stolen, he was always looking for its replacement.

- Hey, please call Mom. - Ah, okay.

Mom, look at this.

Ah, I'm sure it's my husband who drew this.

The streets around here are confusing, right?

Ah, well... yeah.

It's hard to get here only by the address...

...so he always drew a map.

At the time we built this house...

...my husband bought a small raccoon dog.

It wasn't something as big as this, though.

He took a really good care of it but it was stolen.

- Can you please bring it inside? - Ah, sure.

- Slowly... - Okay.

Are you happy with this position?

- Yeah. - Thank you.

- This way. - Ah, it hurts.

Are you okay?

Huh?

Um... so he has passed away?

Yes.

But he looked really healthy last week...

Last week?

My dad was always in the hospital and he passed away 2 weeks ago.

- Isn't this good? - Yeah, it really is.

I always thought something was missing. So this is it.

So he was still looking for it. It's here now, dear.

"Next Friday would be nice"

Huh? What?

I know I can leave it to you.

I'm counting on you.

Even now, I still remember what he said to me.

- Sorry to keep you waiting. - Ah, no, it's totally okay.

- Let's go, then. - Yeah.

I feel that it was me instead...

...who received the precious thing.

What a nice story.

Well, scary stuff is totally a no-no for me...

...but that time, it was really heartwarming for me.

I can understand that.

- So? - Should I start now?

- Huh? You're not gonna tell us? - Of course I will. I'll do it.

Ah, speaking of antiques, I had an experience like that too.

- Really? What is it, what is it? - Your attitude changes right away.

Do you know shortwave radio?

You can listen to the broadcast from the other side of the world with this.

Yeah, yeah, you're right.

- The other side of the world? - Sounds kinda romantic~

I happened to find it in a shop.

It's a rare item now, so I gave a try and bought it.

Then, I tried to match the frequency...

...and it went, "Bzz, bzz, bzz, bzz".

So? Where did it connect to?

- About that... - Somehow I'm thrilled.

It was like, "Aaaa...".

- I don't get it. - You know...

...the "Aaaa..." I heard...

...was a moan.

What? Wait, stop it. That's scary...

I was really scared too, so I put it in my closet and kept it there.

But when the night came, again...

What was that about?

That's why I went back to the shop to ask.

Then...

Here.

"Purchase Slip"

"Shortwave radio"

It originally belonged to someone who died a few years ago.

NO WAY!!

- Do you want to use it? - NO WAAAAY!!

- Stop it. - Then, what happened?

I couldn't just throw it away.

So I brought it back to the bereaved family.

When I did that, somehow they cried.

They said, "It's Dad's radio. He always used this..."

"...to listen to overseas broadcast, write letters..."

"...and he always had a lot of fun."

Huh? Wait, what? So it's a nice story?

When I heard what the family said...

...I didn't think it as something bad at all.

Then, I told them about the moaning I heard when I adjusted the frequency.

Then, the man said, "Ah, this is the number" and dashed out in all of sudden.

- Where to? - The safe.

- They couldn't open it at all before. - But then, they could open it with that number?

There were lots of memorable things inside.

Like the old photos, letters. And also the presents he got from his children.

Amazing.

This is what I thought then.

Rather than the other side of the world...

...what he always wanted to say from faraway was a "thank you" to his family.

Ah... What is that? It's a really nice story!

Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry...

But it's amazing that the voice could reach out from so faraway.

You're right. So?

- Geez, so I should start now? - You don't want to?

I'll tell you. I'll tell you all of it.

- Ah. - Hmm?

I ever heard a voice from faraway too.

You too...?

This is about my experience a few days ago.

Somewhere in Yamanashi Prefecture

Ah, I'm hungry. I wonder what will tonight's dinner be?

Mommy...

Mommy...

Mommy...

Mommy...

Mommy...

Mommy...

- What's wrong? - Mommy...

Are you lost?

Mommy...

Seemed like she was lost and parted from her mother.

But even though I looked around, I couldn't find anyone who could be her mother.

- What is your name? - Mommy...

- How old are you? - Mommy...

Were you on your way home with your mother?

Mommy... Mommy...

I know. Let me call the police now.

Nee-chan, find my mother...

Yeah, that's why I'll call...

I want to look for her with you.

With me? But...

Please, Nee-chan. I want to see Mommy.

I understand. Sorry, sorry.

Come on, stop crying, okay?

Okay. Let's walk together to the nearest police box.

Come on.

So, I walked with the little girl...

...to the nearest police box.

The Lost Little Girl of the Dusk

It's okay. You'll see your mother soon.

Perhaps she's already at the police box looking for you.

Come on, you'll be fine. Don't cry, okay?

Ah, I know.

Ta-da~ Beautiful, aren't they?

Wow! So pretty.

Right? But they are actually candies.

Strawberry. Lemon. Peach. Then, this one is melon.

Amazing. They look delicious.

- You can take one. - Thank you.

- Hmm? - Thank you but no.

Why not?

I was told not to receive anything from strangers.

Wow, you obey it properly. What a good girl.

Yeah! Because that's what Mommy always told me.

Ah...

Mommy... Mommy...

- She cries again... - Mommy...

Mommy... Mommy... Mommy...

- Ah. - Huh? Wait.

Hey, wait. Where are you going?

Why did you suddenly run like that? It's dangerous.

Do you like flowers?

Yeah. But this is my favorite flower.

I see.

Mommy also said that this was her favorite flower.

Wow. What a cute flower.

Right? Come and take a look.

Yeah, it's indeed cute. The color is beautiful too.

By the way, what is the name of this flower?

Huh? Where is she?

Onee-chan!

Come here, come here.

Hey, that's the opposite direction from the police box. Come back here, will you?

Hey, I've told you don't go that way!

Ah, geez...

Onee-chan. Come here.

Hmm?

Wow.

Wow...

- How beautiful. - Right?

I never knew there's such a place like this here.

This is me and my mom's treasure.

And now, I show it specially to you.

Thank you.

The beautiful scenery grabbed my attention completely...

...and before I realized it, the sun was already set.

We should hurry. The police box is not so far from here.

Hmm? What's wrong?

You must be afraid because it's already dark now.

I'm sorry. But it's not so far from here. Come on.

What should I do...? It's okay.

- What's wrong? - Ah, I'm sorry.

This girl is lost.

I want to take her to the police box over there...

...but she's crying now and she won't move.

Um...

I understand.

Let me call the police for you.

Since it's cold, please come in.

Thank you very much, but...

- Come on. - Excuse me.

- Please sit down. - Thank you very much.

Um... have you called the police?

Yes, I have.

Um, why do you bring us here?

Well, well. It will take some time before they come...

- ...so you can kill time here. - I see.

The mysterious thing is that the sutra I'm usually bored listening..

...sounded strangely soothing at that time.

Before I realized it, I was completely lost in it.

Well then, I think it's enough.

She's leaving as she pleased again.

She's fine now.

Huh? But...

I think she has safely departed now.

Sorry? Um, what do you mean?

Actually...

...since the beginning, I didn't see the girl...

- ...you told me about. - Huh?

What should I do...? It's okay.

- What's wrong? - Ah, I'm sorry.

This girl is lost.

I want to take her to the police box over there...

...but she's crying now and she won't move.

But I'm sure I found a crying little girl...

...and walked together with her...

You...

...possess such a gentle heart.

That's why that girl relied on you...

...to bring her here.

The chief priest told me...

...that the little girl wasn't able to go to where her mother was.

That's why she was crying, hoping that someone would help her.

And perhaps, that cry was what I heard.

Onee-chan!

I always pray that...

...the little girl reached where her mother was safely.

I see~ Hopefully she won't be lost again in heaven.

I'm sure her mother find her.

Yeah.

Well, those hours were seriously mysterious.

Well then, it's time for the headliner to perform.

- Ah, by the way, me too... - I knew you'd say that.

- Recently, I was kinda lost. - Why?

It was around a month ago, I guess?

I had a really important meeting to attend.

So I was rushing into a taxi.

Then... ah. Bang, okay.

- Please. - Huh? Ah, okay. Got it.

Okay. Then, I thought I would be late for sure...

...so I was really restless. Then, I suddenly realized.

"Huh? I haven't said where I'm going to..."

- Huh? - Wait.

- But it just went on. - Yeah.

It was running for around 5 minutes already. Heading somewhere.

- Somewhere? - Huh? - What happened?

Then, when I told the driver that I hadn't told him my destination...

...he said, "It's okay."

It's okay.

- That's scary! - Yeah.

Then, my surrounding started to turn somehow unfamiliar.

When I told him, "You took the wrong way!"...

...again the driver said...

"It's okay."

It's okay.

That's scary~!!

Moreover, the driver was an old man.

- What's wrong with that? - That's not what I mean.

The photo on the dashboard showed a young man...

...but the face I saw from the rear-view mirror was a completely different old man.

When I got hysterical...

...again the driver said...

"It's okay."

That's scary! You should just get off!

But it was mountain road outside so I was scared of getting off too.

But when I was panic and looked outside...

...I saw a really beautiful plateau.

- Huh? Plateau? - Yeah.

The wind felt so good, the sunlight was warm...

...and I could hear the sound of river from faraway.

I wonder if it's because I was so busy recently.

Somehow the sound made me feel so calm, and when I was completely lost in it...

- ...I arrived. - Arrived where?

- To my destination. - No, no, no...

The fare is 410 yen.

Moreover, I arrived on time...

- ...and I was charged only on basic fare. - Seriously?

Right. Well, I thought it was too cheap...

...but again the driver said...

"It's okay."

But it's really mysterious.

- Weren't you just tired? - But it really happened!

I had a very important meeting that day...

- ...so I was extremely stressed. - That's why it happened.

Because usually you work too hard, even though sometimes you don't work so hard...

"It's okay!"

That's the message from somewhere faraway.

- I see. Perhaps you're right. - Yeah.

- What's with you all? - What do you mean?

All of you have really good stories.

Ah, speaking of which, we haven't heard yours.

- Ah. - What kind of nice story is it?

It's not a good story! Why do you keep telling good stories like that?

Well, well, well. So?

- I don't know where to start. - Okay, okay, okay. So?

So?

I'll start then. I'll start, okay?

It was about that one night.

It was about that one night.

Somewhere in Tokyo

- Huh? - What a hit!

Senpai! I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I'm sorry.

How can you hit the board over there?

Shut up.

What are you doing? Geez.

Huh?

Yay!

- Seriously? - Yay!

I'll bring your additional 2 glasses of gin and tonic.

- Thank you! - So I have to treat you again today, huh?

Thank you~

Recently, nothing went right for me.

I got scolded all the time at work and broke up with my girlfriend.

Nothing I did ended up well.

There are times like that.

What's with you? Pretending to be wise?

But this is the first time I saw someone hit the center on the lane next to us.

Ah... Isn't there any good thing happening to me?

Excuse me!

- Ah. You're the one I saw before. - Um...

What is it?

This...

I'm giving it to you.

Sorry?

I've got enough blessings already.

- Huh? - Here.

No, even though you said that...

Please take it. Bye.

Hey, wait.

What's with her?

This was when the mysterious things started to happen to me.

The Mysterious Amulet

Whoa!

Welcome home, Onii-chan.

- Are you surprised? - What the heck? So it's just you.

But how did you get in?

The key. I know you stick it behind the mailbox.

It's not secure recently. Be careful.

"Be careful" you said, huh?

What? Giving you an amulet in all of sudden like that...

- ...is beyond weird, isn't it? - Yeah.

Just throw it away.

But throwing away an amulet is a bit... you know, right?

I see... But is it really okay?

She's not some weird salesperson or something, right?

Nope. I don't even know who the heck she was.

But where on earth is selling an old looking amulet like this?

Well, you're a good guy anyway. Just be careful, okay?

- I'm going to sleep now. - Where?

- Huh? On your bed. - What about me?

- Huh? You can sleep here. - What?

- It's for your cute little sister, okay? - But...

Just stay at your boyfriend's place.

He's staying at his parents' house.

Ah, but I'll stay there on this weekend.

- What?! So you're staying here until then? - Hmm? That's right.

Thank you for letting me stay. Good night~

Thinking back about it now, it was surely weird to suddenly be given an amulet like that.

But at that time...

...honestly, I didn't think about it that much.

Well, the total is 777 yen.

Wow. I'm paying with 1,000 yen.

Okay, I'll take your 1,000 yen.

Here is your change, 223 yen...

...the receipt and your lottery ticket.

- Good morning, Sir. - Oh, good morning.

- Hey. - Yes?

Somehow your aura has changed.

Huh?

- Yeah, you look better. - Really?

Well, do you want to try handling our next presentation?

What?! That important one?

Yeah. If it works, you'll climb the ladder of success at full speed.

Thank you very much!

- Do your best. - I will!

Yay!

Why are you grinning like that in the morning?

Well, good things happened to me.

I got triple 7 on my convenience store receipt.

It's a nice thing, right?

What happened to you?

It's the worst start ever for my day.

A truck was dashing over puddle.

- Seriously? That's bad. - My day is ruined already.

Nothing can make me feel better...

You can eat this.

Thank you very much.

Wow, I got the prize!

- Seriously? - Yeah.

"1st prize: 3,000 yen worth coupon"

Since then...

...I felt that somehow my luck was growing bigger and bigger.

Good work today.

Are you interested in this?

Ah. This is the popular stage play and it's so hard...

- ...to get the ticket, right? - Yeah.

I still have some works to do today so I can't go there.

You said you liked it before, right?

- For you, then. - Seriously? Is it okay?

Yeah. Please enjoy it for my sake too.

Thank you. I'm so happy to get this.

The good things happened might not be some extraordinary ones...

Wow, that was so interesting.

Excuse me.

Excuse me, you dropped your wallet.

She's my type.

Ah, I'm so careless! Thank you very much.

It's okay, really.

...but my happy days kept continuing.

I want to properly thank you. Can we go out for a drink next time?

You seem happy.

Well, I exchanged contact number with a woman...

- ...whose wallet I picked up before. - How nice.

To have so many good things happened to you everyday...

- ...isn't that amazing? - No, no, no.

It's not something big.

Of course it's something big.

Compared to that, nothing went well for me recently.

- Really? - Yeah.

I missed the train right in front of me and got late.

The concert of my favorite band suddenly got canceled.

And the sole of one of my shoes suddenly came off!

That's not something big as well. Right?

- Not at all. - What are you saying?

Piling those little misfortunes...

- ...will lead to a big one someday. - Really?

Yeah. It's your turn now, Senpai. Hit it!

Is it okay? Well, I'll do it then.

- Come on. - Good luck!

I'll surely hit the center today!

Yay!

- Amazing! - That's great!

Actually, I'm always like this.

I think it's indeed weird.

- What's weird? - There's no way so many good things...

...can happen continuously like that.

Hmm...

I think it must have something to do with that.

That? Ah, the amulet?

It's started since you got that.

Many good things keep happening to you.

- Is it really true? - Hey, can you show it to me?

Sure.

Okay. Let's throw it away.

Why are you saying that?

Perhaps this is an amulet which makes only you happy...

...but the people around you become unhappy.

What? It's just coincidence with my colleague.

No, it's not. It was weird for me too recently.

- Like what? - My skin is getting really dry.

And I still feel tired even after I sleep.

- I also gained 3 kg in 3 days... - That's because...

...you're just hanging out with your boyfriend all the time and neglecting your health.

No. It must be a terrifying amulet.

What's so terrifying about it?

Are you saying that it's cursed?

- Maybe. - Ha, ha, ha! That's impossible!

You still believe in such things in your age now?

Look, you're making a sour face~

Give it to me, then.

- Huh? - You don't believe it right? Give it to me, then.

- I won't. - See?

You also believe in that amulet's power.

It's not like that.

Just like what my little sister said, since I got the amulet...

...my luck has certainly changed.

- This is good. - What?

You summarized it very well.

- Really? - Yeah.

- You've indeed changed. - Thank you very much.

Okay, we will use this for our presentation this time.

Okay!

Then, the more good things happen to me...

...the more strange things happen to people around me.

- Ah, is it the new one? - Yeah.

Ah!

It's so hot! It's so hot!

- Are you okay? - Are you okay?

Ouch!

- It's so hot! It's so hot! - What the heck?

Those strange things aren't anything big though...

- Thank you for your order. - Thank you very much.

Here are your tanuki soba and tsukimi soba.

- Wow! - When I cracked the egg...

...there were 3 yolks inside. You're so lucky, dude.

- Thank you. - Thank you very much!

- Please order again next time. - Thank you very much.

I'll have a long meeting this afternoon...

...so this is perfect to build my stamina. Let's eat!

What?!

Wait, seriously...? This is the worst.

Whenever a good thing happens to me...

...something bad certainly happens to people around me.

Sorry but for a while...

- ...I won't hang out with you. - Sorry?

Perhaps it's not your fault though...

...but recently, whenever I'm with you...

- ...nothing goes well for me. - What's that?

That's why, please let me keep some distance from you.

Huh? Are you serious?

I'm really sorry but yes, I'm serious!

Bye.

Where are you going? Hey!

Even my junior at work said such thing...

So I began to think that something was indeed odd.

Welcome back. You're late today.

Hey, hey, hey, what happened?

- I'm going home. - Where to?

- To my house, of course! - But no train is running now.

I can take taxi or whatever. I'm going home anyway.

Don't say something absurd like that.

Aren't you staying at your boyfriend's house tomorrow?

We broke up.

- Why? - I don't know! It suddenly happened.

What do you mean?

- It's your fault. - Huh?

It's because you have that weird amulet!

It sucked up my luck!

- That's not possib... - That's possible!

Huh?!

As long as you're happy...

...you don't care about what happen to people around you, right?

- Huh? - I wish you happiness!

Wait a sec.

- Good morning. - Good morning.

Seems like he got a strained back and can't move at all.

What?

He's been very unlucky recently.

I got triple 7 on my convenience store receipt.

It's the worst.

We will use this.

It's so hot! It's so hot!

You're so lucky, dude.

Wait, seriously...?

It's because you have that weird amulet!

It sucked up my luck!

Perhaps this amulet is the cause.

"Hanamori Shrine"

The next morning, I was heading to the shrine written on the amulet.

What? Oh, oh, whoaaaa!

- I'm really sorry. - It's okay.

I'm really sorry. Excuse me.

"The service is temporarily suspended"

"Destination: Hanamori Shrine" "Bus Stop"

Seriously?

- Huh?! - We are really sorry.

We have a construction work here so please take another route.

- Can I just pass through? - It's dangerous. Sorry for the inconvenience.

What the heck?

You must be kidding...

Could it be that the amulet was trying to prevent me from going to the shrine?

I won't lose!

Ma'am, may I help you with your luggage?

- Is it okay? - Of course. Come on.

It's heavy. Thank you.

- Let me take this. - Thank you.

Okay. Oh, it's quite heavy.

You climb up the stairs everyday? You're so healthy.

- Well, I have to. - You're right.

You can leave now. Thank you.

It's okay. Are you really okay if I leave now?

Yeah.

- Please be careful on your way home. - Thank you.

I'm so far from the shrine now!

It's certainly keeping me away from the right path.

I was sure of that.

I'll certainly get there!

Great, I'm finally here.

Why so suddenly?!

Don't be kidding!

What?! It's snowing?!

Don't be kidding!

I'M NOT GIVING UP, YOU KNOW!

I'M NOT GIVING UP, YOU KNOW!

"Offering box"

It's there.

It's ended.

The curtain finally fell on my battle against the amulet.

Whoa!

Oh... Ah...

- Welcome back. - Yeah.

"I'm sorry. Something was wrong with me. Let's keep being together from now on."

- That's great! - It is~

- Thank God. - Yeah. I'm happy for you.

- Hey. - Yes?

- The presentation failed. - What?

They didn't even look at it.

I see...

Since then, my luck had completely disappeared.

And nothing strange happened to people around me anymore.

Ah, Senpai, there's a coffee shop downstairs.

Senpai. Wanna go for a drink later?

- Sure! - Great.

And since then...

...I never met the woman who gave me that amulet again.

I never saw her again since that time.

Perhaps she was looking for someone who's always unlucky that night.

I'm sure she was terrified to find out...

...that she's the only one who was happy.

But she shouldn't have given it to someone else like that.

But since I separated from that amulet...

...everything becomes so hard for me. It can't be helped.

Happiness stops coming to you.

Sort of. But though happiness is important...

...our everyday life is made of 50% happiness and 50% unhappiness.

No. 60% to 40% ratio is more comfortable.

- Hey, are you listening? - Senpai, it's your turn now!

I've finally said something good, you know.

Let's do it. Throw the dart.

- I'll do it! - Let's do it!

Good luck!

- Huh? - Senpai...

I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

How many more times you have to do this until you're satisfied?

Once more.

Well, I'll do my best...

...so that I can grasp my utmost happiness...

...at the right moment.

What?

What's with that reaction?

- I'm glad you told us. - Congratulations on telling us.

You shouldn't praise me about that. Praise me about the story!

- It's nice that you were terrified. - Is that a compliment?

Where should I buy amulet next year?

Please have interest on my story, will you?

- I also like it. - Right. Like that.

- That's what I wanted. - I'm just kidding. That's a nice story!

- Better than I expected. - You're too much.

But in the end, none of the stories is actually scary.

Rather than scary story, each of them is a nice story.

- Just like our life. - Huh?

It seems scary but once we dive into it...

...unexpectedly there are so many good things waiting for us there.

- Huh? - Amazing. What a wise saying.

- He's reborn. - Just stop that, okay?

But to have the mysterious things keep going like this...

I can't wait to see what will happen this year!