Hinata rushed home excitedly, his backpack bouncing with each step.
I can’t wait to read the book I checked out! he thought, scrawny arms holding a large and heavy book—but he didn’t mind the weight at all.
Now that break had ended, he’d stopped by the school library for the first time in a while and found a really neat treasure: a photo book full of some of the world’s most interesting and rare creatures. It was a gold mine for any kid who loved animals as much as he did.
“Hee-hee… I can’t wait to take my time looking at every single page!”
Hinata practically skipped along, flinging his feathery hair up and down. Until recently, he had dreamed of becoming a veterinarian, like his mother. But the more he gazed at the vivid photographs of animals in the book, the more he liked the idea of becoming a photographer instead, traveling the world and visiting exotic places. He decided he was going to save up his allowance until he could buy a camera.
After crossing the train tracks beside Aoba Station, he headed into the nearby shopping area.
The street wasn’t that busy, and the way was narrow—just big enough for two cars to pass each other, but it was the only place in the neighborhood where you could buy most things you needed. There was a little supermarket, a drugstore, a bakery, and a deli with fresh food. There were even Chinese and Italian restaurants.
Hinata’s home wasn’t too much farther. He was holding up the book, rubbing his cheek against its cover, when someone smacked his backpack from behind.
“Hinaaata!”
Hinata spun around in surprise and saw his classmate Mayuka Yoshizawa, from Class 5-1, standing there with her hands on her hips. While she was short and slim, she held a boundless energy in her small frame. Her hair was done up in pigtails fastened with red hair ties.
“What’s with you, Hinata? You look like a goofball,” she remarked.
Hinata quickly wiped the smile off his face and composed himself.
Mayuka had been his friend since kindergarten. Their families were close, and because they were both without brothers or sisters, they were raised almost like siblings. She was one of the few people whom shy, reclusive Hinata could talk to without worrying about what she thought. Still, he felt a bit embarrassed that she’d seen him grinning to himself like that.
“N-nothing,” he replied. “I just found a neat book, so I was a little excited.”
“Uh-huh…”
Her sharp eyes peered at the item he had clutched in his arms.
“That looks really heavy,” she said. “Is it a book about animals?”
“Yeah… What’s wrong with that?” He turned away to hide his treasure from Mayuka’s prying eyes.
“Nothing at all. I know you love animals. Let’s get going so we can look at it together!” she said, grinning and grabbing his arm.
“What? T-together? I wanted to take my time reading it by myself!”
As Hinata tried to shake off Mayuka’s grip, a voice nearby said, “Oh, aren’t you two so sweet? Take care on your way home.”
It was Sakurako Shimazu, the owner of Sakura Jewelry, a small store in the area. She was polishing the glass door of her storefront with a soft towel as they passed by.
“Oh! Good afternoon, Miss Sakurako,” said Mayuka happily. Hinata nodded slightly at the woman.
✦ ✦ ✦
Sakurako was well over seventy years old, but she was very lively and fashionable. She ran the jewelry store all on her own.
“That’s a really pretty scarf,” Mayuka said.
Sakurako lifted a hand to her collar and beamed. “Thank you, Mayuka. It was a present from my son. Just perfect for early summer, isn’t it?”
“Exactly the kind of tasteful gift I would expect from a jewelry designer!”
“Of course, he’s so busy with work that he hardly ever visits anymore. I guess that makes sense, though. He has a job at a major jewelry company, after all,” Sakurako explained, looking wistful.
Mayuka pursed her lips. “He should quit that job and help you run your shop instead…”
Sakurako shook her head. “The problem is, my business is so small, it could go under at any moment.”
“But it’s such a special place! I love looking at your displays out front. Once I grow up and get a job, I’ll come and buy some jewelry from you. Hang in there until then!”
“Thank you, Mayuka, that’s very sweet. I’ll be waiting,” Sakurako said, smiling. “Hinata, say hello to your parents for me. Tell them Latte is doing very well, thanks to them.”
Latte was the name of Sakurako’s Chihuahua. They were a tiny light-brown dog and very timid. When Sakurako took Latte into Hinata’s parents’ veterinary clinic, the dog always barked at everyone.
“I—I will. Bye,” he said, giving a quick bow and swiftly turning to leave.
“Tee-hee-hee. You’re such a shy boy, Hinata,” the elderly woman called out after him.
Mayuka chimed in and said, “He really is. Sorry, Miss Sakurako.”
Who are you, my mom? Hinata grumbled inwardly. Fine, say whatever you want. It’s true that I’m not good at making conversation.
“Hey, Hinata! Wait up!” Mayuka rushed after him.
He muttered under his breath, “And when…be able…?”
“Huh? What was that? Did you say something?” she asked, leaning in close.
Hinata bumped her with his shoulder to push her away. “I said, ‘And when will you actually be able to afford any jewelry?’”
“Oh, how rude! In that case, I wonder when you’ll actually be a proper veterinarian!”
Hinata clutched the book to his chest and turned his head away in a huff. “I haven’t even decided if I’m going to be a vet or not!”
“Really? Then what will happen to the Marron Veterinary Clinic?!” she cried.
Hinata ignored her and started running. His family ran the Marron Veterinary Clinic, a three-story building on the edge of the shopping district with white painted walls. There was a red awning over the entrance with a cute sign featuring a drawing of a chestnut. The name and illustration were his parents’ idea, because marron was French for “chestnut,” which was also the meaning of the first kanji in their name, Kuri-hara.
He walked past the clinic’s door and started climbing the stairs around the outside of the building. The entrance to the house was on the second floor. Hinata unlocked the door and walked through. Once he’d closed it, he leaned against the other side without taking off his backpack. He’d been running with the heavy book in his hands and was feeling out of breath.
“I wonder if Mayuka followed me.”
He listened closely but didn’t hear her feet coming up the steps. Maybe she’d gone home.
“No, she wouldn’t. She’ll be in the clinic.”
Hinata set down the picture book, removed his pack, and turned around to go back toward the stairs.
Very carefully, Hinata pushed open the front door to the clinic. There was actually another door after the first one so that no animals in the waiting room could run outside when someone entered or left.
Once the automatic inner door opened, he saw a white-haired man sitting on the sofa in the lobby. Sure enough, Mayuka was already inside and talking with him.
“Really? This is a police dog?” she asked. “I thought they were supposed to be bigger!”
“You’re right. Most of them are German shepherds or Labradors,” said Hinata’s grandfather, Shunya Oomori.
“Grandpa!” Hinata shouted with surprise and delight. “I didn’t know you were coming today. Aren’t you busy?”
Shunya beamed at his grandson and waved. “There you are, Hinata. Well, you see, something came up all of a sudden. In fact, I wanted to ask you to do something for me.”
Shunya was the father of Hinata’s mother, Suzune. He lived by himself in a distant neighborhood near the river. But he wasn’t lonely—he had dogs to keep him company.
While Shunya had been working his regular office job, he had studied to be a dog trainer on the side. And when Hinata’s grandmother passed away and Shunya reached retirement age, he left the company and started a new job as a trainer. Now he raised dogs for the police and assisted with their investigations. Hinata loved his grandfather and had great respect for him.
“You need something from me?” Hinata asked.
“That’s right. It’s about this dog here…”
Resting at Shunya’s feet was a Shiba Inu with light-brown fur. The dog lifted his head a little as Shunya rubbed it, then rested his chin back on his front paws. The poor thing didn’t seem too happy.
“Is that a new dog? Right now you’ve got three German shepherds, right, Grandpa?”
Shunya nodded. “That’s right. But now I’m taking care of this one, too. It seems like he might be better off as an only dog. I was wondering if I could ask you to look after him…”
“What? Hinata’s going to have a dog?” asked Mayuka suddenly, her eyes sparkling. Her family and Hinata’s were close, so she was familiar with Shunya and enjoyed hearing his stories about police dogs.