It's getting cooler out!
I'm Suzume.
I'm a maid who serves at a mansion in the UK.
However...
Due to various circumstances, said mansion has collapsed.
EEK
Until it's repaired,
I'll be staying here in Japan for the next year!
Done!
What shall I have today?
SNIP
Grandma!
What is it, Suzume?
Do you need... help...
DOOM
My, don't you look darling!
Grandma, please help...
Did I cut it too short?
I need to even it out...
Now it's even shorter!
Jeez... What do I do?
Will it blend in at all?
The more I try to fix it, the worse it gets...
Well, having the courage to try is important.
I just sent Ricotta on a grocery run, so have her help you when she comes back.
Okay...
She seems rather upset.
Oh, I know. I have just the thing for you, Suzume.
Just the thing?
Miso soup?
It's left over from breakfast,
but I added tons of wakame to help your hair grow faster.
Thank you.
Giving her food usually does the trick to cheer her up...
ANXIOUS
AHH!
The broth-soaked wakame adds complexity to the flavor of the soup!
It's easy to eat, but there's lots of texture to enjoy!
Warm soups have a calming effect too, don't they?
Yes!
CHYUN GUIDE ALL OF JAPAN
Chyun!
By the way, wakame helping your hair grow is just a myth,
not backed by any scientific evidence.
Oh, really?
Well, I don't want to bring her down again...
I'll keep that to myself.
That was delicious.
I've returned from the store!
That's Ricotta-chan!
What's going on with your bangs? It's cute.
Please don't laugh.
You could've just asked me to do it.
I'm always relying on you, so I wanted to see if I could do it myself.
Well, having the courage to try is important.
Grandma said the same thing!
Do you think you can fix this?
Of course. Don't you worry.
Just relax and close your eyes.
I'll take this bunch of hair first and cut it like this.
See? You can't tell at all.
I'll do some finishing touches, and we're done!
Ricotta-chan, you're amazing!
Thank you so much!
Go on, praise me more!
I'm glad it all worked out.
If you want to do it yourself, let's practice together next time.
I can give you a few tips.
Really? I'd love to try!
Now, as payment for my trouble, I'll have a little fun with you.
Love it!
Two words...
Love it!
Two words...
Love it!
Two words...
Love it!
That's all she can say.
Next, I'll take this bunch of hair over here...
They used to play like this all the time.
Over here?
How cute!
Oh, that was so fun!
TOTALLY SATISFIED
I'm totally satisfied.
I'm glad you had fun, Ricotta-chan. That's all that matters.
I've just evened it out for now,
but don't worry. It'll grow back in no time.
Okay!
And as Grandma suggested,
I'll eat a lot of wakame miso soup at home to help my hair grow!
You know, Suzume...
What's important for your hair is to eat a well-balanced diet
and get plenty of sleep.
It's not just all about wakame.
I take back what I said.
Really?!
Of course, wakame is packed with minerals, so it's definitely good to eat.
In that case, I'll go home and go straight to bed!
It's way too early.
You don't have to be so extreme.
Suzume, your shoes will get dirty.
But it's so fun!
So I don't mind one bit!
How does that make any sense?
This patch is dry and makes a fun sound!
You're going to drop your book!
Let me hold it for you.
Oh? This is interesting.
What is it?
Ginkgo trees existed when the dinosaurs were around.
Dinosaurs?!
Although these particular trees are too young for that.
So dinosaurs used to walk among golden ginkgo trees?
They could have, yes.
Wow!
Oh! This is interesting too!
Which part?
Right here.
It says that people in Japan eat ginkgo nuts!
You must be getting hungry, right?
They sell them at the supermarket like this, huh?
Can you really eat these?
How are they prepared?
There's no way I can open this with my bare hands.
Let's see... It says you put them in an envelope
and heat them up in the microwave.
A-An envelope?!
That must be some kind of joke.
But that's what it says!
With the shells intact, put them in an envelope
and fold the opening to seal it.
Microwave for thirty to forty seconds at 500 watts.
That's all.
I can't believe this process one bit!
Are you sure that's right?!
That's what it says...
START
It's going to break!
The microwave's going to explode!
Let's stop it!
It says to let them pop two or three times before you stop it...
Are you serious?!
There, they popped!
Stop it now!
That had better not explode the moment you open the bag.
Please don't say that!
They don't look much different than before, but I can feel the heat.
I'm scared!
You can tell just how hot they are!
Maybe we should let them cool for a bit.
So, what does it say to do next?
Chyun!
Use kitchen shears to open the warmed ginkgo nuts.
Be careful! They're hot, chyun!
They finally look more edible.
We've come this far!
Let's eat!
HOM
THAT'S HOT!
That's hot!
I-I-It's hot, but it's s-so chewy!
The subtle bitterness and aroma are addictive!
It's fun to peel off the shell to eat them.
I want to peel them in the most efficient way possible...
You're such a pro!
They're so small that I could eat a ton of them!
It says if you eat too many, they can be poisonous.
Let's stop at around ten.
But they're so good!
TEARY
Let's listen to what it says.
Smaller friends should stop at one or two!
I wonder why the kanji characters used for ginkgo nuts
are "silver apricot" when the leaves are golden.
Oh, you brought a leaf home.
Like flower viewing,
I thought they'd be especially good while admiring the foliage.
What's so funny?
When I was little, at the mansion...
Here you go.
A girl with hair the color of ginkgo leaves arrived,
and I thought she was a fairy.
Huh?
Books are nice, but come with me!
The ginkgo trees are really pretty right now!
Really? It's the first I've heard of this.
It made me so happy.
Thanks, Ricotta-chan!
CHYUN GUIDE ALL OF JAPAN
Anyway, regarding why the kanji characters are "silver apricot"...
The nuts are silver in color, and their shape resembles an apricot's.
That's where the kanji originates from!
By the way, apricot pits are brown.
Chyun!
So that's why.
I see!
Do they look silver to you?
I think it's more of a light gold...
I know! Let's rename it kinkgo! "Kin" for gold!
That's silly...
I wonder if dinosaurs ate ginkgo nuts too.
They could have, yes.
How lovely!
After that...
Nothing really happened, and now it's already winter clothes season.
I haven't seen Tachibana-san lately.
I mean, it's fine.
I've been busy with exams, and studying for them has been such a pain...
Endo-san!
Why, hello there.
It's been a while.
Oh... Hi.
Wow!
What a beautiful sunset.
It is.
It's been getting chilly lately.
How have you been, Endo-san?
Well, it's exam season, so I've been studying all the time.
Exams?
Oh! Um...
I hope you do well on your exams!
Thanks.
I'll be rooting for you.
Okay.
I'll do my best.
I'm home!
Come to think of it, I hadn't seen Endo-san since the summer festival.
My summer uniform... I wonder if I should send it back to the UK.
Just a little longer...
Let's stay together just a little longer.
I'm copying you.
Is this a good spot for everyone to see?
The decorations make it festive.
I think I'm all set!
I wonder how many people will show up.
How cute!
Cool!
Wait, wait!
Hurry up!
Come on! Wait for me!
SPOOKY
Uh... What's all this?
This is Suzume-san's apartment, right?
Suzume-san!
Trick or treat!
BLACK THUNDER MINI BARS
I see.
You thought if you put pumpkins out,
kids would come by to get candy.
Yes...
Sorry, but the Halloween culture in Japan isn't that involved.
What?!
SHOCKED
And I don't think people here are very comfortable
taking candy from strangers either.
We did it at the mansion every year,
so when I saw all this Halloween stuff for sale,
I assumed you did too.
I had no idea.
Don't sweat it!
Well, in Japan, it's turning into more of a cosplay event.
Hey, Suzume-san. I'll be right back, okay?
Trick or treat!
TA-DA
SURPRISED
I wore this to school and dressed up with my friends today.
So? What do you think?
All right.
If you don't give me any, I'm gonna play a prank on you!
BAM
You sure went all out.
There was so much of it at the store!
KOALA'S MARCH
CHOCOLATE
And it was too cute to resist.
I don't think anyone's showing up, so please take what you'd like.
In that case...
RUSTLE
I'll take it all!
Can you eat all that?
And here you go.
MEOW
Come on, it's your turn.
Um... Trick or treat?
Here! You can have it all!
Let's eat it together.
Anzu-san!
I love autumn season snacks! Somehow, they taste even better.
They're all in their Halloween packaging like little costumes!
Hey, check it out! It's not just the packaging.
How lovely...
I'll save the cutest ones for last.
This one's cute too.
So's this one.
And this one.
Even this one?!
Please help me, Anzu-san!
I can't eat them! They're too cute!
By the way, do you know why people dress up and get candy for Halloween?
Um, so, that's because...
OCTOBER
MON
SUN
TUES
WED
THURS
FRI
SAT
Chyun!
October 31st, Halloween, was an important event in the old Celtic calendar,
marking the end of the year.
Halloween is kind of like Japan's Obon festival.
People believed that the spirits of the dead would return.
It's sort of like a mix of New Year's and Obon.
However, since evil spirits were also thought to sneak in alongside the dead,
FRIENDS
Friends!
people disguised themselves as the dead or as spirits too
FRIENDS
Friends!
so as not to be targeted and to scare away bad luck.
And "treat" suggests more like a feast or hospitality,
so it's not literally about candy.
There's also a theory that sugar was believed to ward off evil spirits.
I see. So people gave treats to send off the spirits.
I mean, if the spirits ate treats with you like this, I'd let them in.
I'm sure you would, Suzume-san.
But you shouldn't do that!
THE NEXT DAY
Ricotta-chan, please have some snacks.
I had a Halloween party with my neighbor Anzu-san yesterday.
And then Anzu-san printed the photo we took together!
Ta-da!
Is there any way you can share this picture digitally?
I'm sure I could get it from Anzu-san if I asked.
Introduce me to her this instant!
TRANSFER
There, you should've received it.
Thank you very much!
Excuse me.
In exchange, please accept this.
Wow! Really?
But of course.
Thank you very much for the lovely picture!
Hooray! My pleasure.
I'm glad they get along!
I can sense winter is approaching.
My neck feels cozy with a scarf around it.
When I go on my walks, I crave hot drinks.