Chapter 45 of "A Hundred Tales of the Grave." It’s eerie, yet somehow bittersweet and leaves you with an indescribable feeling.
On a hot summer day, a young boy named Shige-kun is moving far away. On the day of the move, Chiya-chan, a close girl friend of his, is sad to see him go. As a final memory, the two of them decide to play a game of hide-and-seek. Chiya-chan tries desperately to hide. "I really don't want to be found today." Because if he finds her and the game ends, she will have to truly say goodbye to Shige-kun, whom she loves so much. Chiya-chan hides inside an old refrigerator that was illegally dumped in the woods. Shige-kun searches for Chiya-chan, hears a noise, and reaches to open the refrigerator. However, his hand stops. From inside the refrigerator, he hears the sound of Chiya-chan sobbing, thinking of him. Sensing her feelings, Shige-kun simply murmurs, "I'm sorry," and walks away without opening the refrigerator. Feeling him leave, Chiya-chan tries to come out of the refrigerator to call him back. No matter how hard she pushes, though, the refrigerator door won't budge. Chiya-chan has become trapped inside the refrigerator.
Ten years later. Shige-kun returns to his hometown. Though his childhood memories are vague, he remembers Chiya-chan clearly. "She cried for me. And yet, there was nothing I could do, and we parted ways like that. Is she still angry with me now? Or has she forgotten all about me?" Thinking of her, he enters the woods, and finds the refrigerator left just as it was back then. Standing beside it is Chiya-chan, who has grown into a beautiful young woman. Shige-kun apologizes for what happened in the past. Chiya-chan says, "You didn't open it out of kindness, right?" and forgives him with a bright smile. Struck by Chiya-chan's beauty and kindness, Shige-kun blushes and feels awkward, and casually reaches out to try opening that refrigerator. At that moment, Chiya-chan's expression changes, and she says, "Don't open it." "Do you know the thought experiment called 'Schrödinger's cat'? If you trap a cat in a box with a chance of poison gas leaking out, you won't know if the cat is alive or dead until you open the box and check inside. In other words, being alive and being dead exist at the same time. Even so... will you open it?" Sweating profusely, Shige-kun struggles over whether or not to open the refrigerator, but ultimately decides not to. He invites Chiya-chan, saying, "Let's go get some ice cream." Chiya-chan: "Shige-kun... you're so kind, Shige-kun."
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