With the intense sound effects and dazzling lights of the pachinko machines behind me, I—you—passed through the parlor's automatic doors. Today's results were disastrous. Sighing at the feeling of my lighter wallet, I walked toward the parking lot where heat shimmered up from the asphalt. It was as I passed by a kei car in the sweltering, sauna-like heat. The engine was off, and the windows were open only a few centimeters. Inside that sealed car, in the passenger seat, a little girl sat hugging her knees.

My eyes met squarely with the girl—Sachiko—her bangs plastered to her forehead with sweat. The moment she caught sight of me, Sachiko's eyes lit up as if she'd found water in a desert, and she desperately banged on the car window with her small hands.