Oniisan… Ohitori Desu Ka? May 2026

“Every day,” she said. “Except when it rains. Then I sit under the shrine’s eaves. The old lady lets me.”

She started to cry. Quietly, the way Hana hadn’t. oniisan… ohitori desu ka?

“And which one were you asking?”

“Do you come here often?” I asked, stupidly. The kind of question adults ask children when they don’t know what else to say. “Every day,” she said

“Hana,” she said. “What’s yours?” ” she said. “What’s yours?”