“It’s already October…”
Aiko muttered as she ran along the path of the park that stretched along the river, looking at the pink and reddish-purple cosmos flowers swaying in the bushes.
The view of the large concrete bridge spanning the river and the high-rise apartments on the other side was nothing but a dreary scene, but the park had always taught her about the changing seasons.
Aiko, who had undergone surgery in June, had finally overcome the long rehabilitation after being discharged from the hospital and was able to run in this park again.
She sat down on a bench, took a bottle of drink from her waist, and gulped it down.
“Phew…”
Even though it had cooled down, when she sat down, sweat suddenly started to pour out.
Wiping away her sweat, she raised her right knee and pulled up her jogging pants.
The red surgical scar remained and still felt a bit tight.
Suddenly, the sensation of when her Achilles tendon ruptured came back to her.
Smack!
It felt like something had struck around her ankle.
The next moment, her body was slammed onto the asphalt.
She was immediately taken to the hospital, and this is what the doctor in charge said after examining her:
Whether you'll be able to run like before after the surgery is 50-50.
“If it’s a 50% chance, that’s good enough…”
Aiko gently traced the scar with her finger and muttered.
If there was that possibility of recovery, she thought she should just do what she could and gradually regain her strength through diligent training.
Of course, she was anxious.
But she figured that if worrying wouldn’t change the outcome, she might as well believe she would get better and stay positive.
Looking up at the sky, she could see contrails cutting across the clear blue sky.
“The sky is also injured…”
Aiko raised her right hand towards the sky.
In her mind, she had drawn a band-aid.
She placed that imaginary band-aid over the contrail.
“……”
At that moment, she sensed someone sitting down next to her.
”?”
Looking to her side, she saw a large brown dog tilting its head and looking at her.
“Wah!”
In response to her voice, the dog jumped off the bench.
But it didn’t run away, just staring at Aiko from a bit of distance.
It looked like a mix of a Japanese breed - bigger than a Shiba Inu with longer fur, and one floppy ear.
“Hmm? What happened to that ear?”
The instant she said “ear”, the dog’s ear perked up.
“Oh! Your ear stood up!!”
The dog, as if responding to the word “ear” again, tilted its head, looking at Aiko.
“Ear1…”
Looking closer, its tail was wagging slightly.
That’s when Aiko realized.
“Could your name be Mimi?”
Woof!
As if it had been waiting for that, the dog let out a muffled bark.
“So Mimi, huh? Mimi, come here, Mimi!!”
When Aiko stretched out her hand, Mimi cautiously approached.
Just then, the sound of an engine roared, and a truck passed over the bridge.
At that moment, Mimi flinched in fright, her body trembling, and she turned and ran off.
“Mimi!?”
Without looking back, Mimi kept running farther away.
“Ah…”
Aiko let out a small cry.
Mimi was limping on her right hind leg.
Aiko instinctively tried to chase after her, but in an instant, Mimi’s figure disappeared beyond the reed field.
“Mimi… the name Mimi… it feels nostalgic somehow.”
Ah! Mimi!! Aiko's fairy companion was Mimi!
Dodo, Rere, Mimi, Roro, Nini, Toto, ah, and Fafa too. They were all those mischievous fairies very much like the little witch apprentices back then.
But didn't they properly help out the teachers at the witch kindergarten the other day?
Ah, that's right. They all worked really hard!
At that moment, Aiko’s smartphone rang inside her pouch.
“Oh, Coach Niiyama… Huh, to the office? Yes, I’ll be there.”
Aiko hurried towards the road.
Thin clouds had somehow started spreading across the sky.
It began raining in the evening, and it got quite chilly at night.
“Alright~~! All perfect now!!”
Doremi finished her class preparations earlier than usual today.
As if waiting for that, her smartphone chimed with a SNS notification sound.
“Huh?”
Doremi quickly grabbed her smartphone from beside the bed and checked the message.
“Whaat!? ‘Probably can’t make it next week’ too, is that all?? At least make some time when there’s a home game…”
She collapsed onto the bed.
“He won’t be here next week since it’s an away game… And I have that social studies field trip at school too~~.”
She looked out the window at the trees getting wet in the rain and thought,
“Ahhhh my heart is getting soaked in this rain too~~.”
Ever since they were in elementary school, Doremi and Kotake always seemed to be fighting about something.
But no matter how much they fought, they somehow always ended up by each other’s side.
Just when the two of them finally realized their feelings for each other and started dating, the circumstances surrounding them were once again trying to distance them.
After rolling around on the bed for a while, Doremi’s stomach suddenly let out a rumbling growl.
“Haah… Low battery!”
While Doremi was making hot cocoa in the kitchen, Hana came downstairs, lured by the aroma.
“Ahh, it is really cocoa~~.”
“Hana-chan, bring your cup too.”
“Sure, sure~~! Are we adding marshmallows!?”
“Sounds good~!”
The two of them carried cups of steaming hot cocoa with marshmallows to the large table.
“Are you working hard on your exams?”
“You know it~! I need to get a medical license; otherwise, even if I graduate, I can’t become a doctor. How about you, Doremi? Are you working hard in elementary school?”
“I’m doing my best! I managed to pass the first screening for the new teacher recruitment, so if I work hard and pass the second screening, I can finally become a public school teacher.”
“Maybe you’ll become a teacher at Misora Elementary!”
“That would be the dream! But even if I get hired, they said my placement won’t change until next year.”
“I see…”
Hana stuffed her cheeks with marshmallows, chewing them up.
“Kotake hasn’t been coming to the cafe lately.”
“He’s just been really busy. It can’t be helped when he has games in other regions, but I wish he’d make some time to relax when he’s in our hometown.”
“Mmhmm…”
“Isn’t it weird that I spend more time watching my boyfriend’s face on TV than in person?”
“Ahhh. You even rewatch those videos over and over again, don’t you?”
“That’s not what I mean!”
“Okay okay. I do hope Kotake tries a bit harder.”
“Right~~?”
Then Hana suddenly spoke in an exaggerated theatrical tone.
“Which is more important to you, me or your work!?”
“Oh, come on~~.”
“That’s what Anna said to Si-wan in ‘Frozen Buds’.”
“Whaa!? cough cough…”
"Frozen Buds" is that super melodramatic Korean revenge drama Hana has been obsessed with lately.
Yeah. You think, "this is so ridiculous~!" but you just can't stop watching.
Not you too, Lala!
“Well, part of it is that I’m still getting used to the new school and job, so it’s challenging to coordinate schedules.”
“But Doremi, you plan to be an elementary teacher for good, right?”
“Yeah, that’s what I want to do.”
“Then just marry Kotake!”
Bwah!
Doremi almost spurted out her cocoa in surprise and started coughing.
“Cough, cough… T-That’s, like, such a shocking proposal out of nowhere!!”
“But if you do that, you two can always be together even while working, right?”
“Well yeah, but marriage isn’t something so simple.”
“Why not? How come? Aren’t you dating because you want to get married!? Or is there someone else??”
Doremi stared piercingly at Hana.
“That must be from ‘Frozen Buds’ too, huh?”
“Ehehe…!!”
“Hana-chan is so funny.”
Sang-yoo, who had been pottering around in the kitchen, said.
“She’s older than me and smart, but sometimes she seems just like a little kid.”
Well of course. Hana appears the same age as the rest of them thanks to magic, but...
She's still very much a child inside, ehehe...
“But San-chan! If this keeps up, Doremi might end up like ‘Frozen Buds’!!”
“You mean the one where the heroine gets dumped by her long-time boyfriend and becomes devastated when another woman appears, then she seeks revenge?”
“Yeah yeah!”
“And there’s always a rich and handsome guy who helps her with the revenge. If he’s a rich and handsome guy, then welcome… Wait, there’s no way that would happen!!”
“But there are actually quite a few people who break up even after dating for a long time. One of my seniors went through that.”
Sang-yoo said as he tossed Korean ramen into the boiling pot.
“St-o-p…”
Doremi clutched at her chest as if those words had pierced right through her.
“But, Doremi-chan, you’re amazing. Even though you’re busy yourself, you always accommodate Kotake’s schedule. But he doesn’t seem to realize it. He’s selfish. I think he should cherish you more.”
“Right? Right!?”
“Hmm… Kotake does seem too focused on soccer to cherish Doremi properly.”
“Hana-chan! Playing soccer is Kotake’s job!!”
“Ah, true.”
“Working hard at one’s job is natural. But one’s partner is like a family that needs to be protected. A man can’t be called admirable if he can’t do that.”
“Then San-chan, you become admirable and marry Doremi!”
“Heh!?”
Sang-yoo was so surprised that he turned around without thinking.
Then, Doremi chuckled and said,
“Now Hana-chan, you’re jumping too far ahead! But San-chan is kind. He came looking for me when I ran away after Kotake neglected me.”
“Ah… yes.”
Sang-yoo clearly remembered that night.
He had found Doremi sitting dejected by the riverside, looking like an abandoned puppy.
And at that moment, when he saw her tears, an indescribable feeling surged within him, and before he knew it, he was embracing her.
Feeling his own ears turning red, Sang-yoo tried to play it off with a teasing tone,
“Well… but, Doremi-chan, you’re older…”
“I get it, I’m an old lady.”
“But older girlfriends are trendy nowadays. Anna was seven years older than Si-wan, you know.”
“That’s just a drama! But if Doremi-chan seems like she’s going to be left on the shelf, maybe I could marry her~?”
“Well, you see…”
“And then at your wedding, Kotake could secretly watch from the shadows and then run out in the pouring rain and scream ‘Waaahhhh’…”
Doremi tightly grabbed Hana, who was raising her both hands high and shouting in despair.
“Enough already! No more ‘Frozen Buds’ talk!”
“Mmpphh~~!!”
Watching their innocent interaction, Sang-yoo couldn’t help but let out an amused chuckle.
The timer went off.
“Alright, who wants to eat some of San-chan’s special ramen?”
Sang-yoo brought the ramen pot over to the big table.
“Yessss!”
Doremi and Hana raised their hands simultaneously.
The three of them indulged in the ramen for a while.
While Doremi and Sang-yoo were eating from their bowls, Hana exclaimed,
“Indeed, eating ramen with a lid is the best!”
She skillfully balanced noodles on the lid of the pot and slurped them up, looking quite satisfied.
It was a way of eating she had been mimicking ever since seeing it in a Korean drama.
“But then you can’t drink the soup, right?”
“This way, the ramen cools down to just the right temperature. Aiko said so too.”
Upon hearing that, Doremi paused with her chopsticks.
“Speaking of Ai-chan, she hasn’t come around in a while, huh.”
“…Yeah. I saw people doing rehab at the hospital where I was interning, and it looked really tough.”
“But she’ll recover, right?”
“It’s Aiko we’re talking about. Right, Doremi?”
“Yeah. Rio will be okay too! ‘It’s the London Revenge~!’”
“Doremi, your Osaka accent is kinda weird~~.”
They all couldn’t help but laugh.
All the anxiety vanished in an instant.
“Should I send her a message maybe?”
“Do it do it, Doremi!”
But Aiko didn’t respond that day.
On a morning after the rain, Aiko stood in the park along the river where she had met Mimi.
The surrounding grass was still damp from the previous day’s rain.
“Maybe she’s gone somewhere else…”
Just as Aiko was about to give up, Mimi poked her head out from the bushes.
“Mimi!”
“Woof!”
Aiko ran towards her, and Mimi also came running, dragging her feet and pushing through the grass.
But she stopped once she got a short distance away.
“Still wary, huh? Come here, Mimi!”
As Aiko squatted down, Mimi cautiously approached.
“Good girl, good girl.”
Perhaps because she had been running through the wet grass, Mimi’s body was damp.
When Aiko petted her, Mimi rubbed her body against hers and circled around her, then looked up at her and wagged her tail happily.
Aiko squatted down and gently touched Mimi’s hind leg.
For a moment, the leg twitched, but she let Aiko touch it gently.
It didn’t seem to hurt, but the leg remained bent below the joint.
“So your leg may never fully heal either, huh…?”
Mimi then licked Aiko’s face with her tongue.
“…What should I do?”
Aiko stroked Mimi’s head as she muttered to herself.
The painful memories from yesterday resurfaced once more.
Give up on the Olympics.
Coach Niiyama’s words at the office…
No matter how hard she tried to shake them off, those words kept piercing Aiko’s heart.
“The doctor said it was 50-50, but you haven’t come anywhere close to your previous records since the surgery. More worryingly, your mentality itself seems to be shaken.”
“Eh…”
“You’re desperately trying to regain your former self. But if you keep pushing yourself like this, you’ll only end up injuring yourself again. If that happens, there’s a possibility that you won’t be able to live a normal life, let alone be an athlete. I don’t want to see you end up like that.”
”!!”
Even if that happens, I won’t have any regrets!
If there’s even a shred of possibility left, I want to try!
I’d rather never be able to run again than give up here! Please, let me keep going as far as I can!!
That’s what Aiko was screaming inside her mind.
Coach Niiyama’s decision was absolute.
Aiko knew that the decision of that person she wholeheartedly trusted would never change.
At that moment, thoughts like “I should have done this” or “I shouldn’t have done that” kept popping up… Things that she thought were trivial were swirling around in her mind.
But dwelling on “what ifs” was meaningless.
Time could not be rewound, no matter what.
Even though she knew that, the swirling thoughts wouldn’t stop.
How she got home… she didn’t know. When she realized it, she was sitting in her own room.
“Aiko? What’s wrong?”
“Aiko, are you okay? Hey, Aiko!”
Although she could vaguely hear her parents’ voices from the other side of the door, she couldn’t respond.
“Ah…”
Finally, she let out a hoarse sigh from the depths of her throat.
That’s right… How could she explain this to everyone?
The countless support and expectations she had received from everyone…
How could she explain that she had wasted them all?
It wasn’t just her own future that she had lost.
Her smartphone rang from somewhere.
Hngh…
Mimi nuzzled her wet nose against Aiko, bringing her back to her senses.
“Ah, Mimi…”
As she stroked Mimi’s hind leg,
“Looks like both you and I have lost something precious… I feel like everything is over.”
She tightly hugged Mimi, who had worriedly rested her chin on Aiko’s knee.
To think that Aiko has lost both her dream of competing in the Olympics and her path to live as a marathon runner...
This is just too cruel...
At that moment, the sound of an incoming message came from her waist pouch.
Mimi’s ears perked up.
Aiko checked her smartphone.
I want to eat takoyaki~~.
“Hana-chan…”
A faint smile finally appeared on Aiko’s face.
That weekend, the weather was perfect, neither too hot nor too cold.
At Cafe MAHO-do, Doremi and the others were working energetically as usual.
“Sorry for the wait~~.”
Doremi brought coffee to the customers relaxing on the terrace seats.
Aiko, who had just entered through the gate, took a deep breath as she watched Doremi.
“Just act normal… my usual self.”
Muttering that, she headed towards the terrace area.
“Enjoy~~.”
As Doremi bowed to the customers, Aiko sneaked up behind her.
“Doremi-chan!”
”!? Ai-chan!”
Doremi leaped towards her without caring about the customers’ gazes.
Hearing her voice, Hana immediately came running too.
“Aiko~~~! I’ve missed you!!”
“Sorry, I’ve been really busy with rehab and all that stuff.”
“Anyway, come inside~.”
“Yeah!”
Sitting at the big table, munching on Momoko’s madeleine, Aiko watched Hana and Sang-yoo briskly serving customers on the terrace.
“It’s really become a proper cafe in the time I was away, huh.”
She remarked to Otojiro, who was brewing coffee.
“Is that so? It’s been quite a while since your last visit.”
As Otojiro placed a mug of coffee on the counter, Doremi swiftly carried it over to Aiko’s table.
“Still, I’m relieved to see you looking well, Ai-chan. We hadn’t seen you at all since you were discharged, so I wondered how you were doing.”
“Yeah, sorry for worrying you all… By the way, where’s Onpu-chan?”
“She’s in Fukushima today.”
“Ah! Onpu-chan is really dedicated.”
“Yeah. I’ve heard that the recovery efforts are still far from over. Lots of people are still living in temporary housing…”
“It must be so tough. Losing everything important, with no idea what the future holds…”
As she said that, Aiko suddenly realized something.
She was in the same situation…
At that moment, she didn’t notice that Otojiro was looking at her with concern.
“Thank you very much~~.”
After seeing off the last customer in the evening, Hana flipped the sign hanging on the gate to “CLOSE”.
Returning inside, Hana leapt towards Doremi and Aiko.
“Ai-chan, you’re having dinner with us tonight, right?”
“Yeah. Momo-chan should be back from Eugene soon too.”
“Yay~~~!”
“Then tonight’s gotta be steak, right? Steak!”
“Doremi, not again~~! Hana wants to eat Aiko’s takoyaki~~.”
“Exactly! Oh! I forgot to bring the takoyaki maker from home!!”
“Ehhh!? Then just summon one!”
As soon as Hana said that, she puffed out her cheeks and braced her feet, seemingly about to use magic, prompting Doremi and Aiko to quickly restrain her.
“Hey now~!”
“No no! I’ll remember to bring it next time! Let’s do it another day, okay?”
“Ehhh, but I wanted to eat takoyaki!”
Meanwhile, Sang-yoo, Otojiro, and Ryo watched with amusement.
Just to confirm, those three don't know Hana is a witch, right?
Of course not~.
“I’m home~~~.”
The doorbell chimed as the door opened and Momoko came running in.
“Ai-chan, long time no see~!”
“Momo-chan!”
Aiko enjoyed the long-awaited chatting with Doremi, Momoko, and Hana as they had dinner together at the table beside the biotope.
The menu was unfortunately neither steak nor takoyaki, but a curry they all made together.
Puffing out her cheeks full of curry, Doremi reminisced,
“This kinda reminds me of that camp in sixth grade, huh.”
“Speaking of which, at that time, you and Kotake got ‘stranded’ in the forest, didn’t you Doremi-chan?”
“Stranded? I just got a little injured and came back late.”
“Ah~~! Doremi-chan, you came back being carried piggyback by Kotake, remember?”
“Uh… R-Really?”
“Don’t try to hide it!”
“Ehh~~? So you two were lovey-dovey even back then!?”
“We were not!”
“Fufu… Is that so~~?”
“Not you too Momo-chan~~!”
“But those days were good times, you know? No matter what worries or troubles we had, as long as we were together, we’d forget about them by the next day and just laugh and have fun like crazy…”
Aiko admitted, speaking her true feelings.
But Doremi and the others jokingly responded,
“Guess we really have grown up, huh.”
“Uh-huh. We’re all grown-ups now~~!”
At that moment, a voice came from behind Aiko.
“Or rather, is Hana-chan actually a grown-up?”
“Eh… Onpu-chan!?”
The moment Aiko turned around, Onpu’s hands landed on her shoulders.
“I asked everyone to keep it a secret to surprise you.”
“Wah, it’s been so long since we were all together like this.”
“And… ta-dah~~!”
Doremi took out a tablet.
“Hazuki-chan is here too~!”
On the tablet screen, Hazuki was waving from a sunny window.
Ai-chan, I'm glad to see you're doing well!
“Wah, Hazuki-chan too! It’s still bright over there, huh.”
Yes, it's still afternoon here.
Then Momoko brought over a colorful whole cake topped with assorted fruits.
“Sorry for the wait~~.”
“Ooh! And now for today’s main event!”
Doremi placed the cake in front of Aiko, with a plaque that read “Aim for Rio!”
“Ah…”
Aiko felt her entire body freeze over by an overwhelming sensation.
“We all decided to throw you a cheering rally today, Ai-chan.”
“Ai-chan will definitely make it to Rio, won’t she!”
“Time for your London revenge, right?”
From the tablet, Hazuki chimed in,
And after Rio, there's the Tokyo Olympics too.
“That’s right! The Tokyo Olympics!! We can all go watch then.”
“Yay~~! Tokyo! Tokyo!”
Hana bounced up and down excitedly, clapping her hands.
“……”
Aiko lowered her head, gritting her teeth.
“Ai-chan…?”
Noticing that Aiko seemed off, Doremi and the others all looked at her at once.
A tear fell on Aiko’s hand, which was resting on the table.
No one could say a word.
Aiko wiped her tears with her arm, suppressed her trembling voice, and finally said,
“I… can’t compete in the Olympics anymore.”
As she finally managed to say those words, a collective sigh of “Ah…” escaped from everyone.
“T-That means…”
Desperately trying to put on a smile, Aiko said,
“Even though I worked so hard on my rehab and practiced so hard, I realized that I can’t run like before… I’m sorry. You all cheered for me for so long…”
Doremi and the others rushed to surround Aiko.
“We’re the ones who should apologize!!”
Doremi cried out, barely holding back her welling tears. Momoko added in a trembling voice,
“We didn’t understand how you felt…”
“Let’s use magic to heal Aiko~~~.”
“You know that won’t work, right? Ai-chan wouldn’t be happy about that either.”
“But~~~~.”
Hana hugged Onpu tightly and cried out loud.
Even Hazuki on the tablet took off her glasses and wiped away her tears, then said,
How much courage we gained from seeing Ai-chan's determined efforts... That's something none of us will ever forget!
The kind words from Doremi and the others enveloped Aiko.
“Everyone, thank you… thank you…”
Doremi and the others took turns hugging Aiko.
“Young ladies, how about some warm drinks?”
Once they had calmed down a bit, Otojiro spoke up.
Sensing the heavy atmosphere, he seemed to have been waiting for the right moment.
Sang-yoo and Ryo came over with a tray of cafe mochas, topped with fluffy whipped cream.
Doremi and the others took the warm cups in both hands and brought them to their lips.
“Ah, it smells nice…”
“It’s warm.”
Little by little, smiles returned to everyone’s faces.
Aiko gazed at the cream slowly melting into her cafe mocha and murmured,
“I’m glad I came here after all…”
After that, they all went to the kitchen as usual and cleaned up.
Being together with everyone like this felt comfortable and familiar.
As Aiko went to put her cup back on the shelf, she noticed Otojiro cleaning the grinder with a brush.
“Whoa! Is that how you clean it?”
“It’s important to take care of it. It’s my trusted partner that gave me a new place here.”
“Huh?”
“I’m an old man whose wife has passed away, and I thought there was no one who needed me anymore. When you lose something precious, it can feel like everything is over.”
”!”
“But coming here and being able to brew coffee again with this partner, which used to be just a hobby… Ah, I realized I still have things I can do. An ending is just a new beginning.”
“…Will I go through a time like that too…?”
“Yes, I’m sure you will. Though many don’t realize it when it comes. Hohoho…”
The grinder being polished by Otojiro’s hand seemed to shine like a treasure.
Not wanting to part ways yet, Doremi and the others decided to see Aiko off at the station.
“Ai-chan, we’re running late. It’s pretty far too.”
“If everything goes well, I only have to transfer once. It’s okay.”
Under the moonlight, they walked along the familiar paths they had known since childhood, chatting and reminiscing, until they reached Misora Station.
As they heard announcements echoing through the station, they saw a train pulling in.
“Ah, there it is! Well everyone, thank you so much.”
“Come back anytime!”
“I’ll make delicious sweets for you.”
“I’ll definitely come back, even if I have to work.”
“Next time, bring the takoyaki maker for sure~~.”
“Yeah!”
Aiko took one last look at everyone’s faces.
She had lost something precious, but she still had friends.
Aiko waved vigorously as she rushed through the ticket gate and boarded the train.
“She’s gone…”
Feeling unexpectedly lonely, Doremi and the others held hands like they did when they were children, singing as they made their way back to MAHO-do.
“An ending is a beginning… huh?”
As Aiko looked out the window of the train, watching Misora Town grow distant, she murmured to herself.
What we should hold on to are friends... right?
Yeah, really...
The next morning, Aiko had an irresistible urge to see Mimi the dog.
As she approached the bridge, she heard a commotion coming from the riverbank.
”?”
Looking closer, she saw two men in work clothes carrying a large cage.
Inside the cage was a brown dog.
“Mimi!?”
As she ran over, she could see a brown dog with one floppy ear curled up dejectedly in the cage.
“It’s Mimi! Mimi~~!”
Then Mimi suddenly raised her head inside the cage.
“Mimi! Mimi!!”
Aiko ran desperately, but…
“H-Hey! Wait! Wait~~~!!”
The van drove off.
But Aiko had firmly memorized the words written on it.
“‘T’s Dog Home’… was Mimi brought there?”
She hurriedly took out her smartphone.
“T’s Dog Home” came up right away.
It was located not too far from the grounds of the company Aiko belonged to.
Walking a bit further, she saw a stylish building surrounded by a spacious property that didn’t look like a typical dog shelter.
“What’s this? Quite a fancy facility…”
Upon entering, beyond the bright entrance, Aiko saw a spacious courtyard where staff members seemed to be playing with the dogs.
Then, a refreshing-looking man in navy blue uniform, who seemed like a doctor, approached down the corridor.
“Oh? Here for a tour?”
“Ah, no, actually…”
Aiko felt like she had seen this man somewhere before, but couldn’t recall right away.
The man was Tachibana, the facility’s dedicated veterinarian.
Tachibana promptly took her to the area where the recently rescued dogs were kept.
“Over here are the dogs ready for adoption anytime.”
The dogs, kept in small groups, looked well-groomed and relaxed in the clean kennels.
“The ones that just arrived today would be over here.”
Tachibana pointed to the row of cages where each dog was kept separately.
Small dogs barking nervously and large dogs growling in low voices were pacing around their cages, looking restless.
“Mimi, where are you?”
Then from one of the cages in the back, she heard a clank.
Mimi stuck her nose through the gap in the cage and looked at Aiko.
“Mimi! You were here!!”
Mimi wagged her tail excitedly.
“She remembers you, huh?”
“I’m glad! I was worried since she seemed to have a bad leg.”
As Tachibana opened the cage, Mimi slowly approached and nuzzled Aiko’s hand.
“Mimi, I got to see you again.”
As Aiko petted her, Mimi’s tail wagged even faster in delight.
“She was looking so down earlier, but she’s all energized now.”
Seeing that there was still food in the bowl, Tachibana said,
“Maybe she’ll eat if you give it to her?”
“I’ll try!”
Aiko took a few pieces of dry food from the bowl and held them to Mimi’s mouth.
Mimi sniffed the food and then eagerly ate it.
“She ate it!”
“Maybe she feels reassured with you here.”
“You think so?”
Feeling happy, Aiko offered the entire bowl to Mimi, who started eating energetically.
“That’s right Mimi. Eat until you’re full.”
Impressed, Tachibana observed the scene and remarked,
“Here, we don’t just examine and treat the physical and mental condition of rescued dogs. We also handle missing pet inquiries and provide training to help them find new owners.”
“I see… Truthfully, I wish I could keep Mimi myself, but pets aren’t allowed in my apartment building… I hope a kind owner will take her in.”
“Yeah… but Mimi has a leg problem, you see.”
“It won’t heal?”
“No. We examined her and it looks like she fractured her leg when she was younger. Maybe she was hit by a car.”
“Ah…!”
Aiko realized that when she first met Mimi, the reason she was scared and ran away from the truck might have been because of that.
“Besides, we estimate that she’s about 7 years old now - about 45 in human years. So it’ll be tough to find an adoption for an older dog rather than a puppy.”
“…Mimi’s such a good girl though…”
Mimi licked Aiko’s cheek affectionately.
Just then, a compact orange foreign car pulled up in front of the entrance.
“Our place is so clean though, and we provide proper training, so we tend to have an easier time finding adoptions. Let’s just see how it goes.”
“Please take really good care of Mimi.”
As Aiko deeply bowed her head to Tachibana…
Ohhohoho…!
A very familiar laugh rang out.
“…!?”
What came into Aiko’s view as she inadvertently looked up was Tamaki Reika, decked out in brand-name items, strutting towards them with an arrogant gait.
“It’s such a hassle really~. Kyouhei-san is kind not just to dogs, but to women too.”
“T-Tamaki!?”
Noticing Aiko, Reika exclaimed,
“Oh my! If it isn’t Senoo-san!!”
“Woah, long time no see! But what are you doing here?”
“What do you mean? I’m on the board of directors here. This facility was established with funding from my father’s company.”
“Ehh, Tamaki’s a director! And actually working!”
“It’s not work per se, just ‘noblesse oblige’. It’s only natural for a celebrity like me to engage in philanthropic activities.”
“Noblesse… uh, I don’t really get it, but it’s reassuring if you’re involved.”
“Oh, even flattery is appreciated~~.”
Seeing this, Tachibana asked Reika,
“You know each other?”
“Yes, we were elementary school classmates.”
Reika put her arm around Tachibana’s, at that moment Aiko shouted,
“I remembered! You were dating him back in high school, that boyfriend you mentioned!”
“Eh!?”
“Oh, did something like that happen?”
“Ah right, now that you mention it, I met some girls who said they were Reika’s elementary school classmates. Was that you?”
“Yes! So you really did become a vet.”
“Yeah. I was quite the mischief-maker back then.”
“My eye for men was never wrong. Ohhohoho…”
“Hey now!”
Tachibana laughed in an embarrassed way.
Well well! I've heard rumors here and there about Tamaki having a boyfriend, but...
She found herself a good partner, huh? That's unexpected.
“But anyway Senoo-san, shouldn’t you be training instead of playing around here? I heard you were in line to represent Japan.”
“Ah yeah, about that. It’s not happening anymore.”
“Eh…”
“Well then, Sensei, I’m counting on you.”
“Got it.”
“See ya~~.”
Reika gazed at Aiko’s slightly deflated departing figure.
“Shall we get to work then, Madam Director?”
Snapping out of it, Reika replied,
“Say, Kyouhei-san, let’s go out for dinner after work~.”
“Hey! You still haven’t read the materials for the board meeting.”
“Ahah! Busted. I’ll read them, Tachibana-sensei!”
As Reika headed to the office with Tachibana, she glanced one more time in the direction Aiko had gone.
Aiko was nowhere to be seen.
No longer able to compete as an athlete, Aiko was working for the company she belonged to.
There was an option to stay with the team as a coach, but she felt that it wouldn’t be enough to fill the void left by the loss of her goal.
She needed to find a new purpose.
But nothing had come into view yet.
While organizing documents, she suddenly heard the voice of a senior colleague.
“Senoo-san, Coach Niiyama is calling for you.”
“Ah, yes!”
She hurried out of the office.
Where did she belong now… Aiko couldn’t stop wondering.
And almost every day, she went to see Mimi, who also had no place to belong.
Prospective owners arrived at “T’s Dog Home” on a daily basis.
Today too, Aiko passed by a happy family with a puppy, heading home with smiles.
Puppies and popular breeds got snatched up quickly upon arriving here.
But Mimi was always waiting for Aiko in her kennel.
Aiko brought Mimi out to the courtyard.
Unlike the lively fairy Mimi, the dog Mimi had a calm personality.
If another dog stole the ball she tossed, she simply trotted back without complaining.
“Mimi is so sweet. I hope someone who understands that will take her in…”
Aiko scratched Mimi’s forehead as she rested her chin on Aiko’s lap, looking up and reassured.
Reika watched the scene intently through the window.
“How suspicious, coming almost every day… Could she have a thing for Kyouhei-san? Surely not.”
The following weekend, Reika suddenly appeared at Cafe MAHO-do.
“Tamaki~~~~!?”
Doremi and Hana were stunned to see Reika sitting haughtily at an outdoor table.
“For Tamaki to come to MAHO-do, what’s going on?”
“Super, super unusual situation~~!!”
“Oh my, you people are as carefree as ever, I see.”
“Carefree, she says…”
Ignoring Doremi’s slight irritation, Reika waved to Sang-yoo who was peering out from inside the store.
“I’ll have the Cafe Brasileiro, please!”
“Oh, sure thing!”
Sang-yoo bowed and returned inside, then tilted his head in confusion.
“Did we even have that on the menu?”
“Leave it to me.”
Otojiro smiled from behind the counter.
“I’m truly sorry about Senoo-san’s situation. It could have been a boast to have an Olympic athlete as a classmate.”
“There it is!”
“Tamaki’s still Tamaki, even as an adult, huh?”
“But she must be dreadfully bored, coming to our dog home so frequently.”
“Bored, she says!”
“About Mimi, right? Mimi! Aiko was worried about a doggie at Tamaki’s place that couldn’t find an owner!”
“Precisely. So as a director, I decided to roll up my sleeves.”
“Huh?”
At that moment, Sang-yoo brought over the Cafe Brasileiro - a salted coffee topped with whipped cream.
Sipping it while fiddling with her smartphone, Reika remarked,
“Well, not bad.”
“I-Is that so?”
Sang-yoo bowed in relief and returned inside.
“Anyway, once the preparations are complete, I’ll need your cooperation too. Mind exchanging email addresses?”
Reika said and held out her smartphone.
“Eh! Sure, but…”
“Come to think of it, we don’t have Tamaki’s email~~.”
Doremi and Hana added Reika’s email to their smartphones.
“I’m a woman who makes the impossible possible, that’s Tamaki Reika for you. Ohhohoho…!”
Doremi and Hana were simply stunned by Reika, who was still the same as ever, or rather, had become even more formidable.
What is Tamaki planning to do?
More importantly, look! There's Aiko with her coach, see!!
Aiko had come to a sports facility in the city with Coach Niiyama.
“What are we doing here?”
“Well, I just wanted you to see something.”
“I see…”
Niiyama had brought Aiko to the track and field area.
Seeing the track, Aiko couldn’t help but glance at him questioningly.
“Um…”
Just then, a lively group of women in racing wheelchairs emerged onto the field.
“Eh…?”
They were para-athletes riding special track and field wheelchairs called “racers”.
The athletes raced through the track at an incredible speed.
They used only their arms to turn the wheels.
“Amazing! To reach those kinds of speeds with just their arms, incredible!!”
“These are athletes aiming for the Paralympics.”
“They all have such muscular builds! The training must be intense… but using their bodies like that, the physical care must be really difficult too. I wonder how they manage…”
“Senoo, why don’t you provide support for them?”
“Eh…?”
Aiko turned to Niiyama in surprise.
“Perhaps only para-athletes truly understand the challenges faced by para-athletes. But you also suffered injuries severe enough to end your athletic career.”
“Compared to them, my injury was nothing…”
“Yet you know the struggle of continuing sports while enduring pain.”
”!!”
“The way para-athletes use their bodies is completely different from regular athletes. That’s why para-sports require specialized trainers. However, there is still a dire shortage of trainers with Paralympic-specific knowledge. And it’s not just knowledge that’s lacking, we also need trainers who can empathize with para-athletes and support them.”
“……”
Aiko looked towards the track.
The muscles in the arms of the athletes who were turning the wheels were bulging so much that they didn’t look like those of women, and they were exerting tremendous power, but at the same time, they appeared to be pushed to their limits.
“Empathize and support them…? Me…?”
Even after parting with Niiyama, Aiko couldn’t stop thinking about it.
The passion of the para-athletes was no different from her own.
But no matter how hard they tried, without people to properly support them, good results would be impossible.
The frustration of putting in effort but not seeing results…
“If that’s the case, I understand that feeling too well… My dream is no longer possible. But if I can help make someone else’s dream come true… Wouldn’t that be good? Right, Mimi?”
Aiko hugged Mimi, who had been watching her with concern.
Several days later, Aiko returned to MAHO-do once again.
“I’ve decided to become a para-sports trainer!”
As soon as she joined Doremi, Onpu, Momoko, and Hana around the big table, Aiko made her declaration.
“Eeeh!?”
Faced with her stunned friends, Aiko’s expression was bright.
“Anyway, it’s just so amazing~~! Para-athletes, you know, they train the parts of their bodies that they can move so much to compensate for what they lack, and they exhibit unbelievable power. But that also means their physical care is extremely difficult… Para-athletes need trainers with Paralympic-specific knowledge. So I’m not just going to rely on what I learned at university, I’ll study all sorts of other things too, and become a trainer who can really support para-athletes!”
“Ai-chan!!”
“I might not make it in time for Rio. But for the Tokyo Paralympics… I’ll definitely become a sports trainer who can truly support everyone!”
Doremi and the others surrounded Aiko with excitement.
“That’s amazing, Ai-chan!”
“You’ve found your new goal, huh.”
“We’ll support you wholeheartedly~~!”
“We have to report this to Hazuki-chan too!”
“Yeah!”
Doremi picked up the tablet sitting on the big table.
Sang-yoo, Ryo, and Otojiro, who had been watching the scene from the kitchen, exchanged smiles.
“Shall we prepare then?”
It was just after reporting the news to Hazuki.
“Young ladies, wouldn’t it be time for coffee?”
Otojiro’s voice rang out, then Sang-yoo and Ryo brought over cups of coffee.
“Oh, an orange aroma…”
Onpu remarked, and the others drew their cups closer too.
“It really does smell orangey!”
“It would probably go well with something like gâteau chocolat, huh.”
“You can make all sorts of coffees, Otoji!”
“It’s refreshing.”
“Yes, this Cafe Valencia was made to celebrate a fresh new start.”
Aiko impulsively ran over to Otojiro.
“A new start…!”
Otojiro nodded with a broad smile.
“I’m looking forward to it.”
“I’ll do my best~~!”
Aiko turned around and shouted.
It was that evening when an email arrived from Reika.
I’ve renewed the website for the facility where I’m the director.
Please spread this URL as much as possible.
“Figures. Just self-promotion in the end?”
“Let’s take a look anyway.”
Prompted by Onpu, Doremi tapped the URL.
The homepage for “Welcome to T’s Dog Home!” popped up, featuring a close-up of Reika’s smug face.
Hana and Momoko reacted with,
“Kya~~~! It’s Tamaki~~~~!!”
“What does she want us to do with this?”
“But this is the dog home where Mimi is, right?”
“Yeah, but…”
Scrolling down revealed a page introducing the many dogs at the facility.
“Wah~! So many doggies♪!”
“How cute♪!”
“Ah! Could this be Mimi?”
A particularly large photo showed a brown dog with one floppy ear - captioned “Reika’s Recommendation!”
“It says ‘Name: Mimi, mixed breed, 7 years old, gentle and kind personality.’”
“It’s Mimi! That’s Mimi, right Doremi!?”
“…Tamaki actually did something good, huh!”
“Let’s spread it then!”
Onpu took out her smartphone, and Hana and Momoko hurriedly started searching for theirs too.
“Huh? Now where did I put it?”
“I found Hana-chan’s! But where’s mine~~~!?”
The commotion drew Ryo, Sang-yoo, and Otojiro over.
“Can I help out at all?”
“Oh, you’re trying to spread this?”
“Is that something that can be done on a senior’s smartphone?”
“Yes, it can, Oto-san. There are other methods too… Just leave it to Ryo-san here!”
Hana’s eyes shone with a glint.
“As expected of a genius hacker…!”
In her room, studying sports science textbooks, Aiko also gazed at the photo of Mimi on her smartphone.
“…Hope you find your place too.”
A few days later, Aiko received a call that a new owner had been found for Mimi.
On the day of handover, Aiko arrived at “T’s Dog Home” early in the morning. She took Mimi out for a walk, fed her, and brushed her coat.
“Well, it’s time to say goodbye…”
As sad as it was, this meant Mimi would finally have a real home where she could be happy.
Sensing something, Mimi kept nudging Aiko’s hand with her nose.
After putting on Mimi’s harness with a leash for the last time,
“Alright, we’re good to go.”
As Aiko picked Mimi up and rubbed her cheek as a farewell, they started walking slowly.
At the entrance, an amicable elderly couple waited hand-in-hand, clearly fond of each other, to meet Mimi.
“Mimi, this is your new family.”
As she set Mimi down on the floor, she looked up at Aiko with confusion in her eyes.
Can’t look at her like that… Aiko suppressed her emotions, gently nudging Mimi towards the elderly couple and handing the leash to the old man.
The elderly couple stroked Mimi happily.
“Shall we take her home with us, Grannie?”
“Yes, we’re so lucky to have met such a good girl.”
Struggling to maintain her smile, Aiko heard Tachibana’s words.
“For an elderly couple, they said a well-behaved, calm adult dog would be better than raising a puppy.”
“Mimi’s leg is bad, but she’s such a good girl regardless.”
“Well, our legs aren’t in great shape either because we’re elderly, you know, bad hips, bad knees, so we’re slow.”
“From the moment we met her, Mimi has always walked slowly to accommodate us. We thought if we were going to have a family member, it could only be Mimi.”
“I see! I’m so glad, Mimi. Really, I’m so glad…”
“Thanks to you, Senoo-san, for taking such good care of her, Mimi was able to find a good family.”
Interrupting between Tachibana and Aiko, Reika chimed in,
“It’s thanks to that website that they could find her, you know.”
Aiko instinctively grabbed Reika’s hand.
Reika deliberately pushed it away and said,
“It was simply my duty~.”
But a smile played at the corners of her mouth.
Tachibana patted Reika’s head affectionately.
“Take care, Mimi!”
As she was leaving the entrance, Mimi looked back at Aiko.
Fighting back tears, Aiko said,
“This is a new start for you too!”
Mimi nodded her head as if she understood, and walked off with the elderly couple.
Aiko kept watching until Mimi was out of sight.
Mimi too, kept turning back over and over.
Eventually, she disappeared from view.
Unbeknownst to her, the sky had begun to turn red.
This was a epic chapter for Aiko. So glad that she is like Doremi to help people and I like this so much! So great that her way continues!
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The Japanese pronunciation of ear (耳) is mimi (みみ). ↩
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