Hanako saw the children race up the hill from the bamboo grove. They vanished into the shadow of the compound wall, only to appear, sedately, talking quietly and walking as they entered the yard through the pedestrian gate. What on earth were they carrying? Bundles of some kind, one each, wrapped in paper, it seemed, and Shota-kun was waving some kind of a wrapped stick.

Hanako decided she'd rather not know where they'd been or how they got there, but she very much wanted to ...