In the city, the numbers had been noisy since morning.
“The Nikkei average dropped again… Minico, do you know by how much?”
“Over six thousand yen, apparently.”
Mocchi silently shifted his grip on the daikon radish. Today was the day to deliver vegetable offerings to Dragon God’s Pond. It was heavy. But he was used to heavy.
“Numbers are scary,” Minico said. “Just some zeros appearing and disappearing, and everyone’s face changes color.”
“…Yeah.”
Mocchi muttered as he walked. “Apparently today’s ‘Thank You Day.’”
“Because it’s March ninth?”
“Yeah.”
Minico thought for a moment. “Then today’s a day when ’thank you’ is worth more than six thousand yen.”
Mocchi narrowed his eyes. Carrying the heavy radish, his steps somehow felt a little lighter.
Margin note: In front of the pond where he’d left the offering, Mocchi stood with his hands pressed together for a while.
【Today’s Drop】
- Thank You Day (March 9): A wordplay anniversary from “3 (san) 9 (kyuu)” — sounding like “thank you” — dedicated to expressing gratitude .
- Nikkei Average Plunge: On March 9, 2026, the Nikkei Stock Average dropped more than 6,000 yen amid worsening tensions in the Middle East.
This is an English translation of “ありがとうの重さ”, part of Tales of Amencho Town (蛙鳴町奇譚).