Kai pressed her forehead against the train window, watching the familiar streets of Chiba roll by. She had been to Japan many times before, visiting her grandparents, walking along quiet riverbanks, and listening to the wind rustle through the bamboo groves.
But this time felt different.
Lying under the warm futon at night, she traced imaginary lines in the air, connecting all the places she had been. The summer festivals in Tokyo, the little ramen shop her grandfather loved, the beaches of Kamakura. Her life felt like a map but something was missing.
A new path. A new adventure.
She sighed, staring at the ceiling. That’s when she heard a small rustling sound.
“Are you lost?” a tiny voice asked.
Nami sat up, eyes wide. There, perched on the windowsill, was a tanuki, a fluffy raccoon dog with a round belly and a curious glint in his eyes.
“You must be Kai,” the tanuki said, twitching his tail. “I’m Komaru. I help people find their way.”
Nami blinked. “Find my way? I’m not lost.”
Komaru tilted his head. “Oh? Then why are you staring at the ceiling instead of dreaming about where you want to go?”
Nami opened her mouth to reply, but… she didn’t know what to say.
Komaru hopped onto her futon, tapping a paw against her hand. “You’ve made so many paths already, but a map is never complete, is it?”
Kai thought about that maybe she had been looking at her memories instead of the places she had yet to go.
Tomorrow, she would board a plane to Hokkaido to visit friends. She didn’t know what would happen yet, but she was sure of one thing.
Her map was about to grow.
And with that, she drifted into dreams, Komaru curled up beside her like a tiny, warm guide to the unknown.
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