Ah!
My name is Fujimura Ren. Or “Ren-kun” sometimes. Mostly to my friends. And my sister.
I’m in fourth grade, and I’m 9 years old.
Someone checked out of my family’s hot springs this morning, so Grannie said the laundry would pile up if no one moved it. And Shizuka-nee is busy with morning preparations, so that means me. Grannie tied a bunch of futon covers together to make them easier for me to carry, but there are so many covers. I have to walk really slow so I don’t drop anything.
And so I don’t run into guests. I did that once and Grannie made me apologize. It turned out okay in the end, but I was really embarrassed.
Anyways!
I have the futon covers and they’re tied together and I’m carrying them – slowly and carefully! – through the lobby.
The room is warm and smells good ‘cause it’s close to the baths, but it can get really cold when people walk through the front door ‘cause it’s almost winter.
Mama says it’s ‘cause we’re in the mountains, too. I don’t really get that part ‘cause I was born here, but I’m sure it’s true if Mama says it. Mama is smart, you know!
I’m in the middle of the lobby when the front door slides open. It’s super cold for a second, but the door slides shut and then there’s a new guest in the doorway. That means I should get out of the middle of the floor so I’m not in their way.
I move the futon covers higher in my arms. It makes it a bit harder to see, but I don’t want them to touch the floor.
I move closer to the walls.
It’s rude to move right in front of new people when they get here. Mama says that’s called a “first impression”: first impressions are important, and the lobby is part of the hot spring’s first impression.
My first impression of our new guest is that they’re actually two guests: a lady around Mama’s age and a boy around mine carrying a heavy-looking bag.
My second first impression is that the lady is using a cane to walk. It makes a soft sound when it touches the floor, and then she leans on it a bit when she steps forward. Tap, then step.
Tap, then step.
There’s something weird about the boy, too—not bad, just weird.
Most kids I see lag a bit behind their parents a bit during check-in and then look around or get bored.
But this boy is different.
He’s not lagging behind at all. And he isn’t looking around.
He’s looking at her feet.
Not staring, exactly. Just… watching. Every time the cane taps, he looks down a little, like he’s checking where it lands. When she steps forward, he steps forward too, the same distance.
He doesn’t actually touch her.
He just stays close enough.
When she pauses, he pauses. When she moves again, he moves again too. Not bumping into her or rushing ahead.
Just… helping her walk?
But… grown-ups usually do that.
I blink and peek around my futon covers again. I don’t know why, but I don’t want him to catch me.
The woman makes it to the front desk, and the grown-ups there greet here cheerfully. I can’t hear everything they say from here, but I can tell from their voices that they don’t know her yet. She must be new here, I guess.
I peek at the boy again.
Now that the woman – his mom? – is at the front desk, he’s not focused on helping her walk anymore. He’s paying a little attention to the conversation, but he’s also started looking around a bit more.
At first this seems super normal to me. Kids look around all the time.
But there’s something about this boy’s face.
He’s not bored. No, he looks… a little scared, like the “borrowed cat” from the book Shizuka-nee got me.
For a second, I almost say ‘hello’.
I don’t really know him, but I still think I could cheer him up. I’m good at cheering people up.
And there are so many ways I could do it!
Maybe he wants to know where the vending machines are! Or the koi pond! Or the shortcut to the garden path that Shizuka-nee says I’m not supposed to show people but is actually very useful! Or—
Or…
Or I could carry the futon covers to the guest room like Grannie said.
I fidget while I think. I can’t sit still when I’m thinking about too many things.
I’m helping.
Grannie is counting on me.
And the woman is talking to the grown-ups at the front desk. Talking to the boy would probably interrupt.
So…
So I probably shouldn’t.
So I don’t.
I bow my head a little as I pass, still a bit nervous to be seen, and move into the hall.
When I reach the corner, I pause to get a better grip on the futon covers.
Then, before I can stop myself, I glance back toward the lobby.
He’s still there, standing at her side.
He’s… kind of cool.
I keep walking before anyone can catch me staring, but still…
I hope I can see him again.
[2/17/26 Edit: Forgot the chapter title LOL]
[4/10/2026 Edit: reformatted name]