Chapter 96

Synopsis
Yayoi tells Kirin the classic story of a woodcutter who received golden and silver axes from a goddess who was impressed by his honesty. Kirin, inspired by this story, decides to seek the goddess in order to receive a treasure for her mother's birthday gift.

Long Summary
Yayoi reads a bedtime story to Kirin about a woodcutter who accidentally dropped his axe into a river. The woodcutter lamented over the loss of his axe until a goddess appeared from the river with a golden and silver axe, asking if he had dropped either one of them. The woodcutter said that his axe was a simple, worn-down iron axe, and the goddess, impressed by his honesty, bestowed upon him his old axe along with the gold and silver one. Kirin says that she will not lie, so she will receive a treasure. Yayoi smiles and tucks her into bed, telling her that she is a good girl who is comparable to the honest woodcutter. The next morning, Kirin arrives downstairs with her giraffe stuffed animal. Satoru excitedly greets her and announces that he is making sunny-side up eggs. Kirin looks around, asking where her mother is, to which Satoru replies that Yayoi left early for the drama club's morning practice. Kirin looks down in disappointment, upsetting Satoru. He happily picks up Kirin, saying that he is also lonely without Yayoi, but there are plenty of things the two of them can do together. He tells her that Yayoi's birthday is coming up, so the two of them can discuss what kind of present to give her. Kirin's eyes light up with excitement, and she says that she will draw a portrait for her. She then says that her other present is a secret. Satoru tells her to get changed as he makes eggs and toast. Kirin thinks about her mother's present as she climbs up to her mother's jewelry shelf.

Kirin smiles as she and Satoru walk to the daycare center together. After Satoru drops her off, Kirin tells Ryuuichi that she wants to go to the river on today's walk, and Ryuu and Usaida agree. After school, the children arrive at the river, but before they go off, Ryuu warns them not to go into the river. The children ask what they will do if they cannot enter the water, so Ryuu suggests they make boats out of leaves to float down the river. Kirin rummages through her bag and takes out her mother's ring. She informs Kotaro that this is her mother's precious ring and that she will get a sparkly ring from a goddess. Then, Kirin eagerly tosses the ring into the river. It drops into the river, and Kirin waits with sparkling eyes. She is perplexed when there is only silence. Usaida asks if Kirin and Kotaro are skipping stones, and Kirin, who is dismayed, asks why the goddess is not coming out of the water. Kirin explains that the goddess from the woodcutter story has not arrived. Usaida asks if this story is the one where a woodcutter drops his axe into the water and receives a golden and silver one as well. He then reveals that the goddess became fed up when other woodcutters started dropping their axes in the water on purpose and decided not to pick up their axes for them. Usaida laughs as he remembers that the story's moral is to not be greedy. He tells Kirin not to drop anything too important in the river. Kirin squeezes her bag, and Usaida asks if she actually threw something important in the water. Kirin remembers what her mother had said about her being a good girl and begins to cry. She sobs uncontrollably, attracting Ryuu's attention. Usaida pats her head as he asked what she dropped in the water. Kirin shakes her head and continues to wail. Usaida picks her up and informs Ryuu that he will take her back inside for a bit. As Usaida walks back, he consoles Kirin.

The other children ask what happened to Kirin, but before Ryuu can answer, Kotaro walks into the river. Ryuu quickly picks him out of the freezing water, and Kotaro points to the water, saying that Kirin's mother's ring is in the river. Meanwhile, Satoru arrives at the daycare center to see Kirin solemnly sitting by the wall. Usaida, who had contacted Satoru, explains that she believed the story about the woodcutter and tossed her mother's ring into the water. Kirin hiccups as Satoru tells her that he also knows of the story of the woodcutter. He picks up a teddy bear and begins to tell a story about a handsome woodcutter who aspired to become a cameraman. The man dropped his axe into a river and froze because the most gorgeous goddess appeared in front of him. Kirin asks if the goddess is Yayoi, and Satoru affirms that the goddess is indeed Kirin's mother. He then continues to say that the woodcutter refused to accept any axe, new or old, and asked the goddess for her hand in marriage instead. Usaida figures that Kirin must have thrown her mother's wedding ring into the water. Satoru concludes his story by saying that the woodcutter, who managed to have a stunning goddess as his bride, was later bestowed Kirin by the gods themselves. He picks up Kirin as she starts crying over her mother's lost ring again. Satoru shows her a new ring that he had prepared for her birthday. He suggests that the two of them apologize together and assures Kirin that no matter if she has been good or bad, her parents will always be on her side. Kirin hugs her father as she says that she will apologize to Yayoi. Taka peeks into the room and asks if Kirin is alright. The other children and Ryuu enter with the lost ring in their possession, their efforts to find it having been successful. Kirin's eyes sparkle when she sees the ring. Later, Yayoi hugs Kirin and also apologizes for not telling Kirin how the rest of the story goes.

Characters In Order of Appearance

 * Kirin Kumatsuka
 * Yayoi Kumatsuka
 * Satoru Kumatsuka
 * Ryuuichi Kashima
 * Kotaro Kashima
 * Taka Kamitani
 * Takuma Mamizuka
 * Kazuma Mamizuka
 * Usaida Yoshihito
 * Midori Sawatari