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Chapter 1
Prologue: The Puppy Dies
“Coco, say something… please….”
In the garden where we used to take happy walks every single day, my big sister was crying.
I could feel her warm hand stroking my white fur.
I tried to tilt my head at her like I always did, but I couldn’t gather any strength in my body.
Why is my body like this?
A cool puppy like me should be tapping my tail against her.
I should be gently chomping on her fingers—nom!—without hurting her.
It was strange that I couldn’t move like I usually did.
This won’t do. I have to nuzzle her nose-to-nose!
That’s how I make her smile.
I wriggled my body, which had felt heavier lately.
Since she was sitting on the garden bench, I wanted to fetch her favorite flower.
But I have no strength.
Instead of bringing her a flower, I barely managed to lift my head from her lap.
Her purple eyes were filled with tears.
“Coco. Hm? Why didn’t you even tell me you were sick…?”
Tears fell from her eyes, one drop at a time.
I sniffed with my dried-up nose, breathing in her scent.
It smells like sadness.
Why is my sister sad?
When she was with me, I could always hear only the happy rhythm of her heartbeat.
Does she hate me now that I’m weak? Because my fur’s falling out and I’m ugly?
As I pondered with my tiny head, she hugged me tightly and murmured,
“Coco.”
I felt that familiar warmth.
The first warmth of my life—after being born a stray, never once held by a human.
I burrowed a little deeper into her arms and let out a small sound.
“…Woof.”
She stroked my fur over and over again and whispered,
“If you were a person who could talk when you were sick… could we have lived together longer than five years?”
“……”
“If you weren’t such a good girl… maybe sending you away wouldn’t hurt this much.”
A tear dropped onto her cheek.
I’m a foolish dog who doesn’t understand more than half of what she says.
But I can tell when she’s sad faster than I can sense a ghost.
She can’t be sad. It must be because of me. I have to comfort her.
I slowly lifted my paw.
The left front paw I’d hidden ever since my fur started falling out—thin and pitiful—touched her cheek before falling away.
When she saw my dry little paw trembling in the air, she forced back her sobs.
“I love you.”
“……”
“Your big sister loves our Coco so, so much.”
Usually when she said “I love you,” it smelled warm and sweet—like when she called me a silly puppy.
But today was strange.
It smelled salty. Like bitter tears.
I tried to burrow into her arms more energetically to comfort her.
But my body wouldn’t listen. It grew stiff, slowly and on its own.
“Coco, Coco… my baby. Please don’t die. There’s still so much I want to do for you…”
I didn’t really understand death.
But hearing her voice, it sounded like something very, very sad.
Her face grew blurry. My vision dimmed.
And a vivid afterimage flashed through my mind.
My memories began from when I was born on the streets.
My puppy life wasn’t easy at first. Maybe more than just “not easy.”
I lived in a wartime camp, eating leftovers people called rations. Many people hated me.
“Ugh, how annoying. Get this damn dog out of here. It’s shedding.”
After the war ended, someone said they were going to eat me.
I was locked in a tiny room, waiting to be eaten…
But one deep night, I escaped with some friends through an open crack in the door!
“Did you hear? A few mutts escaped from the breeding place.”
“Whatever. They’re probably dead.”
As the men in the yard puffed on cigars, I slipped past them and ran away.
Nope!
I escaped bravely with other cool puppies.
That’s how I became a brave but scruffy stray.
Still, I don’t think I was very happy living on the streets.
“Ugh, dog smell. So gross.”
Many people hated me, spat at me, chased me away for no reason.
But all that painful, sad past has faded now.
Looking back, I was a very, very happy puppy.
The day I accidentally wandered onto a busy road full of humans.
The day my nose was overwhelmed with too many smells to know where to go.
The day I stood frozen in the middle of the wide street filled with square carriages and terrifying horses.
That was when a dazzling carriage screeched to a halt in front of me.
I will never forget the moment I locked eyes with my sister as she leaned out the window.
“What is it, coachman?”
“Lady Chloe, there’s a stray dog in front of the carriage. I’ll move it immediately.”
“…A stray dog?”
“Woof!”
She stared into my black bean-like eyes.
From her came a strong scent of loneliness.
Just like me.
“…Bring it into the carriage.”
“Pardon? It’s a stray, my lady. It could be dangerous. If you want a pet, we can get you a well-bred, cute puppy—”
“Bring it to me. Now.”
Her name was Chloe.
The first person I ever called my sister.
She said my eyes were like shiny black beans.
She asked why I seemed old but was still small enough to fit in her palm.
After washing my scruffy fur, she said I was white and pretty.
She even gave me a name. Coco.
When she first fell in love with her fiancé, I watched her write love letters.
When she ate delicious food, I wagged my tail on her lap.
Sometimes I got scolded for trying to steal her food!
When she said she felt depressed, I’d gently press my head against her arm to share warmth.
We watched flowers bloom five times together.
So what I want to say now is—
I’m glad I could say goodbye to the person I love most in the world.
I lifted my tail slightly and let out a small woof.
It meant I loved her very, very much too.
I don’t know if my voice reached her as she stroked me endlessly.
“My baby… please. If there’s a next life, be born as my daughter. Okay?”
Those were her last words.
And just like that, I died.
Complete darkness came.
And before me, instead of my sister, appeared a magnificent rainbow bridge.
* * *
After zooming across the Rainbow Bridge, I arrived at Puppy Star!
A paradise made just for dogs.
There were endless walking trails, fun rides, and mountains of sweet potatoes I’d always been forbidden to eat because they’d make me fat.
But…
What’s the point of a good place if she isn’t here?
I crumpled the white fur on my paws.
From Puppy Star, we sometimes watched the human world.
And when I did, my sister was being called terrible names.
People openly called her a “villainess.”
Her family isolated her.
Her fiancé treated her cruelly.
But… but…
She didn’t fight back at all.
She worked only the bare minimum and spent most of her time lying down.
She’s surrounded by dark energy!
When I used to pat her gently with my fluffy paws, light would burst out.
Her face would brighten with happiness.
But now I wasn’t there.
I stopped eating. Stopped doing anything.
For nearly a year, I became the saddest dog on Puppy Star.
That’s when the Dog God appeared before me.
A retriever god with gleaming golden fur looked down at me.
“Why aren’t you doing anything? Go on walks like the other dogs. Eat some sweet potatoes.”
“I’ve decided. I want to be reborn as a human!”
“What? A human?”
“Yes! My sister said if there’s a next life, I should be her daughter!”
“That won’t work. Your sister isn’t doing anything that would result in having a baby.”
“What kind of thing makes a baby?”
I tilted my head so hard my ears flapped.
My tail, which had almost started wagging at the thought of seeing her again, froze mid-swish.
“I don’t know. But you can’t be her daughter!”
I bared my fangs and lunged forward energetically.
“No! I have to go see my sister! She’ll die without me!”
“Ugh. Dogs are all the same. Fine. I can reincarnate you as a human. But I don’t recommend it.”
“Why?”
“Until your sister feels true intimacy toward you, you cannot reveal that you are Coco.”
“Huh? Then I’ll just become close to her again!”
“And whether she recognizes you or not, you must return here in exactly five years.”
“Whaaaat?! That means I can live with her for five more years?”
“If you live as a human, it will be much harder to part from her than it was as a dog. Are you sure?”
“That’s okay!”
If I can just make her very happy for five whole years!
The Dog God looked at me for a long moment, then changed the topic.
“Humans are different from dogs. They can be ugly. They can do terrible things without hesitation. Can you endure that?”
“I’m very bad too! My sister told me not to eat snacks, but I secretly tore them open. She said not to touch tissues, but I shredded those too!”
He let out a short laugh.
Probably thinking I was the worst.
“That’s why dogs are too kind. Very well. You’ll need some good abilities.”
“Good abilities?”
“First, the ability to speak with animals. Second, the power of foresight to see the future.”
“Woooow…”
“And lastly… intelligence that sparkles and increases whenever it involves your sister.”
The moment his hand touched me—
My fluffy body glowed white and radiant.
“This is the complete blessing of a god.”
After the light enveloping me faded, and he patted my head, calling me a good dog, my vision spun.
Other dogs gathered around me, shouting farewells.
“If you see my big brother, tell him I love him!”
“Tell my mom I’m sorry I couldn’t stay longer!”
“Tell my dad to shave more often!”
As I listened to their noisy goodbyes, I nodded so hard my ears flapped.
“Leave it to me! I’ll tell them!”
With my brand-new ability to see the future—
I’m going back to meet
the person I love most in the world.
My sister.
