Let's Imagine: Risako.

A local zoo where the number of visitors continues to decline year after year.

"If only our zoo had some kind of animal that could become a star... at this rate..."

The director said, looking into the distance with a lonely expression.
Witnessing this, Kusaka, a zookeeper, wanted to do something and began holding meetings with other zookeepers every day.

"Koalas, pandas, gorillas, giraffes—in the end, the popular animals are just too expensive, and we can't afford any of them, can we?"

On this day, too, several dozen minutes passed without anyone offering an idea.
Nishino, a veteran zookeeper who kept looking away and acting as if it were none of his business,
was just puffing on a cigarette.

Wrapped in white smoke,
Ono, a newcomer attending the meeting for the first time, spoke up.

"How about bringing in an animal that isn't at other zoos?"

To this question, Deputy Director Murayama replied.

"I've thought about that too, but that usually ends up being a reptile. The mammals that seem like they would be popular are all familiar animals that are already everywhere, and especially with large animals, the food costs are no joke, so there's no way we could... (laughs)"

The meeting room was filled with dry laughter.

"Wouldn't a reptile be fine?"

"Of course. But I can't think of many reptiles that would draw in customers. To begin with, there aren't that many visitors who come specifically for reptiles. Furthermore, if there are no examples of it being kept in other zoos, we have to wonder if we can properly care for it... If it were to die, it would attract attention in a bad way. We have to consider things like that."

"Then, can't we just take the plunge and bring in an elephant?"


That was what everyone was thinking. Everyone was wishing for it.
But precisely because they knew they couldn't afford it,
no one bothered to say it out loud.

When the ignorant Ono asked how much it would cost,
Murayama replied again, cutting him off.

"At the very least, 3..."

"3 million?"

"Don't be an idiot! 30 million!"

Ono was speechless at the sheer amount.


With no breakthrough in sight, Kusaka looked up at the sky.
"What on earth can we do to revive our zoo..."


The newcomer, Ono,
began to voice everything he could think of from various angles.

"Why don't we conduct a survey of the visitors?"

"We've done that many times; elephants are always overwhelmingly number one."

"But we used to have an elephant here, didn't we?"

"We did. Back then, there were many visitors, and we were busy every day, so thinking about it, the zoo was thriving... You're young, but you know a lot."

"I know! When I was in kindergarten, I came here on a field trip! I remember Risako the elephant!"


As soon as he heard that name,
Nishino, who had been puffing on his cigarette, teared up.

The meeting, which had run aground,
eventually saw a decrease in both frequency and participants.



A few days later.
Yamamoto, for the sake of cleaning,
headed to the animal shed that hadn't been used for years.

When he opened the old, rusty, heavy door,
there was Ono, his face covered in paint.


"...What are you doing?"

Seeing what was in front of Ono's gaze, Yamamoto was overcome with emotion.

"Can I... can I help you too?"

Ono looked down with a smile.

*This story is a work of imagination. The names of people and organizations appearing in it are unrelated to any real ones.