“And so, the dog set out in search of a star that grants wishes.”

“The first stop along his journey was a chilly land of snow and ice.”

Wow, it's really snowing...!

“After hearing why the dog set out on his journey, the curmudgeonly traveler scowled and said...”

“Bah. A star that grants wishes?”

“Why would anyone go out looking for something that probably doesn't even exist? Not only that, you plan on helping people you meet along the way?”

“You stand to lose far more than you gain.
You'll regret your decision down the road...”

“I appreciate the concern, but I'll be just fine.”

“I mean, take this situation for example. I've already run into a nice person such as yourself.”

“Grr...
Foolish dog. But... Thanks.”

...

“I hope that boy isn't crying right now...
No, I'm sure he isn't. His mom and dad should be by his side.”

“So, I...
I have to find a star that grants wishes as quickly as I can...”

“Oh no...!”

“In the dark forest, the dog slips and falls off a ledge.”

“When he tries to get up, a sharp pain runs through his legs.”

“Owww...”

“What do I do...? I can't move...”

Doggy...

Get up! You can do it!

“He searched and searched, but he couldn't find a star that grants wishes...”

“Then, all the people he helped during his journey decided to put their heads together to see if they could help make his wish come true.”

“The curmudgeonly traveler, the burly lumberjack, the gifted village girl...”

“And all the others. They began a desperate search to make sure he was rewarded for his kindness.”

(They all decide to help the dog...
And they manage to find some medicine which will cure the boy.)

(He never managed to find a wish-granting star...)

(But the dog's kindness compelled everyone to act... Which led to this miracle.)

(And at the end...)

“The boy regained his strength, embraced his travel-weary dog and said...”

“You must be a star that grants wishes in disguise.”

“No, the others were the ones who made this all possible.”

“It was their kindness that saved me...”

“Which means there must be a glittering star inside each of them.”

“And they lived happily ever after.”

That was so good!
Huh...?

Hey, what's this stuff falling from the ceiling?!

They're sparkly stars!
Did the doggy do this for us?

Making this star-shaped confetti was a gigantic pain, but it really is pretty when you look at it like this...

Yes, it is... And I'm glad the children are enjoying it so much.

(The sense of joy I felt when I heard this story for the first time all those years ago...)

(I think I was able to pass that feeling on to these children.)

<Everyone!>

<Let's give Honami and Nene a big round of applause for telling us this wonderful story!>

Huh?

(That voice...)

<Nice work, Honami!>

<I should probably hide now before everyone else sees me. Let's talk later, okay?>

(MEIKO stayed until the very end...)

That voice sounded really familiar... Was it one of the association members?

Maybe...

Thank you very much for giving us this opportunity today.

Thank you as well.
We couldn't be happier that the children enjoyed everything so much.

Yes, that was incredible!
I even started tearing up partway through...

Oh!
There you two are!

Huh? Were you all looking for us?

Did we forget something?

No, we wanted to tell you two how good the story you told us today was!

Yeah, you weren't half bad!

You...

Thanks...

Umm... I don't know how to describe it... But my chest started feeling tight, and my heart started beating really fast for some reason...

Mine too!
I even started rooting for him when he fell and hurt his leg!

Oh, also.
I really loved the scene when the boy hugged the doggy!

Me too!

Yes, I also really love that scene!

So, when are you gonna come next?

Yeah, I wanna hear you tell that story again!

Huh? Uhh...

Alright, kids, it's time to go.
Your families are all waiting for you.

Okay.

Bye, nice ladies!

...

(The story really touched them...)

We did it, Mochizuki.

*Nod*
I was honestly a little worried whether things would go as planned at first...

So, Kusanagi, thank you for agreeing to do this with me.

Huh...?

I doubt the children would've ended up enjoying this story as much as they did if you weren't here.

No, you're giving me far too much credit...

Still, I...

I did have fun working with you on this, Mochizuki.

You did?

Yeah. I learned a lot from an acting standpoint, too...

Despite it being a lot of hard work, I wanna try this again sometime.

...!

Hehe. Me too...! This makes me so happy...

*Nod*

They said that they want to hear the story again, so would you like to read it together again sometime...?

Hehe. I'd love to.

I wanna make those kids say, “It was even better than the last time!”

Hehe. Me too...