Armed with cans of bonito and mackerel packed into a basket, Akira and Shota ran to Renko's field.

"This seems like a lot," Shota said. "Each one weighs about as much as all of me, when I'm a sparrow."

Akira laughed. "I can carry whole salmon back to my eyrie. I could take more than these, but Hanako-san wouldn't like it if we took that much."

"Tsuruko-san will let us have more, I think," Shota said. "If this works out, and we need more."

"It should get us into ...