Brave Story by Miyuki Miyabe Page A

to the main character.
    A handwritten note on the top of the poster read, “On Sale September 20th! Preorders Begin August 20th!” Someone had used a thick, red marker to add the words “Price: ¥6,800.”
    Wataru considered the price. He knew he had made the right choice by not using the money in the cookie can. He didn’t know about other kids, but Wataru thought ¥6,800 was a lot of money. That’s why he’d started saving up the moment he had seen the ads in the magazines.
    As a general rule, pleading and begging fell on deaf ears in the Mitani household. Promises of future good deeds, such as “I’ll do better on my next math exam” or “I’ll get up early every day during summer vacation” never seemed to work. It was the same with citing past successes, like “My grades were good last semester!” or “I did well on my last exam!” The one and only exception had been the time his parents agreed to buy the fourteen-inch television for his room. Wataru had celebrated at first. Finally, he’d managed to talk his parents into buying him something. But quickly he realized they had their own motives for buying it.
    “We think you’re old enough to choose what to watch on your own,” they had said, “and we’re interested to see what it is you’ll choose.” If he had to report to his parents about every show he saw, that was no better than sharing a TV!
    Akira was particularly strict when it came to money. “I don’t want you thinking along the lines of ‘I did this much work, so I deserve that much in return’ when you make important decisions in your life,” he would say. “You’ve got to work for yourself, not for rewards.”
    “Wow, your parents are super strict!” was Katchan’s comment when he heard about it, and Wataru couldn’t deny it. He understood why they did it: if his parents never listened when he pleaded for more allowance, he had to learn to be pragmatic about his money from an early age. The things Wataru wanted to buy weren’t necessarily the things he could afford to buy, so he had to adjust his desires to match reality.
    Katchan wasn’t the only one who thought Wataru’s parents were “super strict.” His uncle did too.
    “He’s just a little kid, Akira! Why not cut him some slack?” Uncle Lou would occasionally argue on Wataru’s behalf. “It feels good to get a reward after working hard, just like your friends—right, Wataru?”
    “You don’t have any kids, so you don’t know what it’s like to raise one,” Wataru’s father would say dismissively. “As a parent, you can’t always take the child’s side. It’s irresponsible.”
    Akira’s child-rearing methods weren’t the only bone of contention between him and Satoru Mitani. In fact, they saw nearly everything differently. Uncle Lou tended to look at the big picture; Wataru’s father was methodical and precise. Uncle Lou didn’t have a lot of patience for extended arguments or discussions; Akira would happily debate until his opponent collapsed from exhaustion.
    Which isn’t to say the two brothers didn’t get along. They hardly ever fought, and seemed to enjoy having a drink together during the holidays. By most standards, they had a pretty good relationship.
    Wataru noticed, however, that something was changing of late. Normally, his uncle would back down when an argument got too heated. But now, when they discussed Wataru’s business, Uncle Lou never gave up.
    These conversations made Wataru more uncomfortable than either he or his uncle ever realized. But, he loved his parents and he loved Uncle Lou, so he was confident that things would work themselves out.
    Whenever Wataru visited Chiba, his uncle would often slip him some pocket money. “Don’t tell your dad,” he would say, but Wataru always did. Starting the year before, the amounts had grown to sizes too large for him to feel comfortable keeping quiet about. Whenever Wataru reported another gift to his parents, they would take it