Chapter 4
Pass or Fail?
Ryu checked his watch again. The second hand was still immobile. He bagan to think of ways he might be able to take advantage of the situation. If his theory was correct, Yubaba certainly couldn't follow his actions. Maybe he could preserve his integrity somehow and still satisfy the task. First things were first: he didn't have the stomach to steal money, so he decided to cancel the transaction.
He returned to the same teller and announced, "Excuse me, but I was just here a minute ago and..."
The teller looked at him and said, "What can I do for you, sir?"
"I'd like to cancel the withdrawal application if it's not too much trouble."
The teller, somewhat surprised, said, "Did you request a withdrawal over five million yen? Anyway, you'll need to have your parents with you. Do you know with whom you left the withdrawal form?"
"My mistake. Sorry..."
Ryu left the bank. He realized that the teller saw a different person just now than the person who requested the large withdrawal. He was sure he would look like this Mr Yamashita when the hour was up, but he had no intention of returning to get his cash. "The bank will probably return the money if nobody shows up for it."
Ryu passed by the same McDonalds he saw before entering the bank. He saw a large male human taking out a... ...wallet--to pay for his meal. A piece of paper fell out of his pocket when he pulled out the wallet and blew through the entryway to Ryu's feet. He looked at it curiously and... ...his mind was instantly filled with the realization that it was a ten thousand yen note (about $100). Without a pause, he picked the note up and approached the... ...man who dropped it. "Excuse me, sir. You just dropped this."
"Thank you very much for your honesty, Ryu. Please accept this with my appreciation; you earned it." He handed Ryu three hundred forty yen.
"How... ...never mind. Thank you."
Ryu knew what he needed to do. He was going to return to Yubaba empty-handed and see how she reacts. Maybe he passed her test, maybe he failed; he would take full responsibility for whatever he did.
He went to the bus stand where he got off. He was dismayed when he saw the sign; many bus lines used this stop--and he had no idea what bus stop he came from. A bus pulled up to the stop. He played a bit of a hunch, remembering the two school girls, and asked the driver if it went by the Kohakugawa Elementary School. "You'll need to take the number four bus," the driver replied--much to Ryu's relief.
He glanced at his watch. Still stopped.
About ten minutes and three buses later, the number four pulled up. Haku leaned in the open door and asked the driver, "This goes by the Kohakugawa Elementary School, right?"
"Yes, sir."
Ryu boarded the bus and dropped the three hundred forty yen into the fare box.
"Sir, you paid too much. It's one hundred seventy yen even to the last stop."
"My mistake." Ryu figured that the one hundred seventy yen he pulled from his pocket earlier was an illusion that would disappear. That made him a thief in a small way--and he wanted to keep his integrity. Doubling the fare with honest money was what he thought would help set things straight.
Ryu's guess about the bus line was correct; the two girls were headed home. The bus stop where he originally boarded was very near the elementary school. He recognized the stop and pushed the stop request button. From the bus, it was a short walk back the way he came. A stone wall framed the path he was to take back to the portal. The white name plate embedded in the wall said, "Natori." Below the name plate was a "No trespassing" sign. He hadn't seen them before, but the only time he passed through there before in that direction was as a spirit.
The gate to the wooded area was open and it appeared it had been that way for years. He recognized the green warehouse and the shrine, but the shrine appeared much older than he remembered. Just then, a light came from inside the shrine and the entire structure suddenly took on a new, freshly painted and lacquered appearance. The shrine looked barely large enough to accommodote a human, but the doorway framed the entrance to a long tunnel. This was the way he came in before. He approached the shrine and entered the tunnel.
After a brief walk, he came upon the caverous lobby where he met Yubaba. She was still there. "You're a little early, Kohaku. You still have thirty minutes." Ryu looked at his watch. It was still stopped and he had more than two hours left. "But Yubaba-sama, I still have over two hours left according to this watch." He handed the watch to Yubaba.
"This old piece of junk! I should have thrown it away long ago."
"What? You weren't..."
"Weren't what, Kohaku?" She lowered her voice. "Your report?"
"I'm sorry, Yubaba-sama, I can't bring myself to steal--whether it's one hundred seventy yen or ten million."
"You disappointed me today, Kohaku. You did pass my examination, but just barely. My sister, Zeniba, has been looking for some time for an apprentice and she might have been testing you as well. Here is your contract. Sign your name or affix your seal."
Ryu had already forgotten his name, Nigihayami Kohakunushi, and signed it, 'Ryu Kohaku.'
Yubaba looked at the name. "Your name is too long and flowery. Besides, none of my employees could read it. From now on, your name is Haku."
"Yes ma'am."
At that, Haku started his career as Yubaba's assistant...
Pass or Fail?
Ryu checked his watch again. The second hand was still immobile. He bagan to think of ways he might be able to take advantage of the situation. If his theory was correct, Yubaba certainly couldn't follow his actions. Maybe he could preserve his integrity somehow and still satisfy the task. First things were first: he didn't have the stomach to steal money, so he decided to cancel the transaction.
He returned to the same teller and announced, "Excuse me, but I was just here a minute ago and..."
The teller looked at him and said, "What can I do for you, sir?"
"I'd like to cancel the withdrawal application if it's not too much trouble."
The teller, somewhat surprised, said, "Did you request a withdrawal over five million yen? Anyway, you'll need to have your parents with you. Do you know with whom you left the withdrawal form?"
"My mistake. Sorry..."
Ryu left the bank. He realized that the teller saw a different person just now than the person who requested the large withdrawal. He was sure he would look like this Mr Yamashita when the hour was up, but he had no intention of returning to get his cash. "The bank will probably return the money if nobody shows up for it."
Ryu passed by the same McDonalds he saw before entering the bank. He saw a large male human taking out a... ...wallet--to pay for his meal. A piece of paper fell out of his pocket when he pulled out the wallet and blew through the entryway to Ryu's feet. He looked at it curiously and... ...his mind was instantly filled with the realization that it was a ten thousand yen note (about $100). Without a pause, he picked the note up and approached the... ...man who dropped it. "Excuse me, sir. You just dropped this."
"Thank you very much for your honesty, Ryu. Please accept this with my appreciation; you earned it." He handed Ryu three hundred forty yen.
"How... ...never mind. Thank you."
Ryu knew what he needed to do. He was going to return to Yubaba empty-handed and see how she reacts. Maybe he passed her test, maybe he failed; he would take full responsibility for whatever he did.
He went to the bus stand where he got off. He was dismayed when he saw the sign; many bus lines used this stop--and he had no idea what bus stop he came from. A bus pulled up to the stop. He played a bit of a hunch, remembering the two school girls, and asked the driver if it went by the Kohakugawa Elementary School. "You'll need to take the number four bus," the driver replied--much to Ryu's relief.
He glanced at his watch. Still stopped.
About ten minutes and three buses later, the number four pulled up. Haku leaned in the open door and asked the driver, "This goes by the Kohakugawa Elementary School, right?"
"Yes, sir."
Ryu boarded the bus and dropped the three hundred forty yen into the fare box.
"Sir, you paid too much. It's one hundred seventy yen even to the last stop."
"My mistake." Ryu figured that the one hundred seventy yen he pulled from his pocket earlier was an illusion that would disappear. That made him a thief in a small way--and he wanted to keep his integrity. Doubling the fare with honest money was what he thought would help set things straight.
Ryu's guess about the bus line was correct; the two girls were headed home. The bus stop where he originally boarded was very near the elementary school. He recognized the stop and pushed the stop request button. From the bus, it was a short walk back the way he came. A stone wall framed the path he was to take back to the portal. The white name plate embedded in the wall said, "Natori." Below the name plate was a "No trespassing" sign. He hadn't seen them before, but the only time he passed through there before in that direction was as a spirit.
The gate to the wooded area was open and it appeared it had been that way for years. He recognized the green warehouse and the shrine, but the shrine appeared much older than he remembered. Just then, a light came from inside the shrine and the entire structure suddenly took on a new, freshly painted and lacquered appearance. The shrine looked barely large enough to accommodote a human, but the doorway framed the entrance to a long tunnel. This was the way he came in before. He approached the shrine and entered the tunnel.
After a brief walk, he came upon the caverous lobby where he met Yubaba. She was still there. "You're a little early, Kohaku. You still have thirty minutes." Ryu looked at his watch. It was still stopped and he had more than two hours left. "But Yubaba-sama, I still have over two hours left according to this watch." He handed the watch to Yubaba.
"This old piece of junk! I should have thrown it away long ago."
"What? You weren't..."
"Weren't what, Kohaku?" She lowered her voice. "Your report?"
"I'm sorry, Yubaba-sama, I can't bring myself to steal--whether it's one hundred seventy yen or ten million."
"You disappointed me today, Kohaku. You did pass my examination, but just barely. My sister, Zeniba, has been looking for some time for an apprentice and she might have been testing you as well. Here is your contract. Sign your name or affix your seal."
Ryu had already forgotten his name, Nigihayami Kohakunushi, and signed it, 'Ryu Kohaku.'
Yubaba looked at the name. "Your name is too long and flowery. Besides, none of my employees could read it. From now on, your name is Haku."
"Yes ma'am."
At that, Haku started his career as Yubaba's assistant...