Box of Happiness
Box of Happiness (辛福の箱, Kōfuku no Hako) is a short story that is part of an anthology of short stories based on the Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan series. It was written by Ballad Kitaguni and published by Shueisha. "Box of Happiness" was included with the August 2017 issue of Ultra Jump to coincide with the release of Deoxyribonucleic Acid. It was then compiled in a collection named Rohan Kishibe Does Not Frolic with three other stories, which released for sale on July 19, 2018.
Rohan Kishibe visits the home of an antique dealer, Ikkei Gozan, who invites him under the pretense of showing him something bizarre, the Box of Happiness. Leaving Rohan alone in his dull guest room, Rohan learns that the box is actually a puzzle and starts reassembling it out of curiosity. However, the more he works on it, the more he starts noticing hidden treasures inside the room.
Summary
Chapter 1
Around midday, just before the rainy season, Rohan Kishibe visits the home of an antique dealer named Ikkei Gozan. Gozan had invited Rohan with the promise of showing him something bizarre, which piques his curiosity despite his reluctance. Upon entering the guest room, Rohan immediately dislikes the interior, finding it cluttered and unappealing. The only thing that surprises him is the presence of Gozan's wife, a beautiful woman who serves them tea before excusing herself. Rohan is shocked that Gozan is married and questions how it happened, suspecting social or financial motivations. Gozan insists that he truly loves his wife and describes her as his greatest treasure. Rohan remains unconvinced, finding Gozan's sentimental attitude uncharacteristic. Nonetheless, Rohan starts ranting about the interior design of Gozan's guest room, especially complaining about why anyone would have the aesthetic sense to place a figure of Roronoa Zoro in between Muten Roshi and Son Goku. Gozan explains that his wife is the one who takes care of that.
Growing impatient, Rohan demands to know why he was invited. Gozan presents a package wrapped in a grimy furoshiki, referring to it as The Box of Happiness. Rohan is immediately skeptical, finding the name suspicious. Gozan claims that people have paid large sums of money for it but insists that this is not a business deal. Instead, he wants Rohan to look at the box, stating that he himself is unable to properly see it. When Rohan presses for an explanation, Gozan suddenly brings up an incident where Rohan encountered a yokai. This catches Rohan off guard, as he never shared that information with him. Gozan learned about it from a friend of his, who has ties to Rohan's editor. Gozan insists that since Rohan was able to perceive a yokai, he might be able to make sense of this box as well.
Before Rohan can ask more, Gozan abruptly gets up and announces that he is leaving to Café Deux Magots. He explains that the box should not be opened with others present, and if he stays, he may be unable to resist his own curiosity. Rohan protests, but Gozan quickly exits, leaving him alone in the room. Rohan knows that Gozan wouldn't lie to him, but still thinks Gozan has some kind of plan. Frustrated, Rohan declares that he will not open the box just to satisfy Gozan's scheme. As he moves toward exiting the room, a sudden crash stops him. He turns to see that the furoshiki has unraveled on its own, revealing that the supposed box inside has already broken apart. Shocked, Rohan realizes that it had been shattered from the beginning, carefully reassembled and wrapped to appear whole. Rohan believes that Gozan set him up to make it seem as if Rohan had broken it. Although irritated at being manipulated, Rohan's curiosity takes over. As he inspects the fragments, he notices their uniform size and clean edges, far too precise for natural breakage. He soon realizes that what lies before him is not a broken box, but a puzzle.
Chapter 2
Rohan begins assembling the fragments of the broken box, guided by a sensation similar to when he summons Heaven's Door or encounters another Stand user, like when he first met Koichi Hirose and Toshikazu Hazamada. As he works, he notices that the pieces naturally fit together according to an unseen principle. He realizes that the box is bound by an invisible force, functioning like a puzzle that chooses its wielder. This explains why Ikkei Gozan was unable to reconstruct it himself.
The task is tedious due to the number of fragments, but Rohan's hands instinctively move as he pieces it back together. As the shape of the box emerges, so do its intricate engravings. The patterns resemble Persian ceramics yet have a spiritual quality reminiscent of Jomon pottery. Rohan is captivated by the balance and complexity of the design. He wonders if this beauty itself is the so-called happiness the box contains. Realizing how engrossed he has become, Rohan searches for a clock but has lost track of time. He recalls that Gozan had left abruptly and imagines his smug expression if he were to return and see the partially reconstructed box. Annoyed at the thought, Rohan looks around the room again and is struck by how uninspired it feels, considering Gozan's profession as an antique dealer. The guest room is little more than a dull, boxed-in space.
His thoughts are interrupted by a knock at the door. Expecting Gozan, Rohan is surprised when his wife enters instead, carrying a tray with a fresh pot of tea. She does not react to the puzzle pieces scattered on the floor and instead quietly clears the cold tea before pouring him a new cup. Apologizing for her husband's behavior, she acknowledges that he has a habit of abandoning guests. Unimpressed, Rohan calls it unprofessional, but she assures him that Gozan will return soon. Rohan observes her refined beauty and elegant movements. He finds himself wondering how a man like Gozan managed to marry someone like her. Unable to suppress his curiosity, he asks what made her choose him. She simply smiles and responds that love does not require choosing specific reasons. Rohan is left speechless, but the idea of marriage itself where one has to share a home with someone at all times is something Rohan couldn't imagine himself doing. As Gozan's wife exits with the used tray, Rohan takes a sip of the fresh tea and acknowledges that she is skilled at making it as well.
Chapter 3
Rohan realizes that he has already reconstructed half of the box. Despite having no obligation to finish, he finds himself unable to stop. At first, he thinks it might be sheer stubbornness, but the process flows so naturally that he barely notices the time passing. Looking back on it rationally, he feels that he had entered a trance-like state while working. As Rohan glances around the room, he notices something standing out on the cabinet. Among the otherwise uninspired decor, he finds a collection of rare CDs, such as a Led Zeppelin paper sleeve release, a Billy Joel gold label, and a left-facing edition of Abbey Road. Shocked that he had overlooked such valuable items, he scans further and realizes the bookshelf holds an even greater treasure trove. There is a complete set of Seton's Wild Animals, Babel II, and Hana no Keiji. There are also old issues of Weekly Shonen Jump, including the issue where Dragon Ball debuted. Rohan is shocked to see the latter issue being used as a bookend.
Rohan begins to wonder if this has always been Gozan's guest room or if something has subtly changed. As he contemplates this, he notices movement in the corner of his eye. A faint buzzing sound reaches his ears before a dragonfly takes flight from behind the cabinet. Rohan immediately questions where it could have come from in a sealed room. The dragonfly crosses his field of vision and hovers above the partially assembled box, making Rohan feel as if it is guiding him to finish assembling the box. Just as he moves to sit down, he hesitates. His fingers trace the fabric of the sofa, and he realizes it is a Drexel Heritage model, the same type that appeared in Pretty Woman. He cannot believe that he failed to recognize it until now. Wherever he looks, the room seems to reveal more charm and hidden value. Rather than questioning his situation, Rohan feels drawn to completing his task, feeling certain that completing the box will lead him to happiness.
Chapter 4
Hearing the buzz of the dragonfly, Rohan is brought back to his senses, noticing that only the top portion of the box remains unfinished. Looking around the room again, Rohan feels comfortable, as if it is his own home where he lived for years. The dragonfly lands on a plant in the corner of the room. As Rohan steps closer to examine it, he realizes it resembles a damselfly but with differences in its body structure. Unable to identify it immediately, he instinctively reaches for an insect encyclopedia on the bookshelf. Flipping through the pages, he quickly finds that it is a Japanese relict dragonfly, an extremely rare species native to Japan. While preserved specimens exist, seeing a live one is almost unheard of. Rohan debates how much he should observe it, knowing it is endangered. Momentarily absorbed in childlike excitement at his discovery, he is frustrated that he didn't bring his camera.
Rohan no longer feels his initial frustration about being invited to the dull house. As soon as he murmurs that the room is like a box filled with happiness, his vision distorts and he becomes dizzy. He loses sensation of his bones and his limbs, as well as his balance. Rohan recalls that he has experienced exhaustion before, having pushed himself too hard in his early days as a manga artist, but this is different. Realizing the danger, Rohan reaches for the wall, but his hand finds nothing. His body feels like it is sinking as well. He attempts to force himself to stay awake by writing "Wake up" on himself using Heaven's Door. However, his Stand is not able to fully manifest, and his fingers collapse before he could finish writing. Thus, Rohan is unable to move and loses consciousness.
Chapter 5
Rohan doesn't feel as if he is in a confined box anymore. Instead, the scenery around him resembles watercolor paint, as if he is in a cloudy aquarium. Struggling to focus his vision, he tries to move his hands but finds them weak. As he looks closer, he is startled by the sight of his own hand. It is small and soft, lacking the calluses he had developed from holding a pen. His body also feels lighter, and his viewpoint is lower than usual.
His blurry surroundings gradually take shape, revealing a completely different environment. The CDs, bookshelf, and ornamental plants are gone. The room he is in now is one that was buried deep in his memory. The scenery has sepia tones like an old photograph, making him feel both nostalgic and melancholic. He doesn't recognize the place, but he feels no fear. Instead, he senses a warm presence. As he focuses, that warmth takes the form of a smiling person and an animal. Seeing them makes Rohan feel lonely. The two look at him with sorrowful expressions and say something which he could not hear, then leave the room. As their warmth slips away and Rohan feels the cold setting in, he begins to regain his consciousness.
Chapter 6
A voice calls out to Rohan, asking if he has woken up. When he opens his eyes, he is back in the same dull, cluttered guest room where he had collapsed. He feels discomfort when trying to get up, as if he had been lying in an awkward position for too long. As he looks at the sofa, he sees Gozan's wife, who introduces herself as Chinami. Despite her beauty and perfect posture, something about her presence unsettles Rohan on an instinctive level, like the silent warning one feels when spotting a venomous insect. Rohan sees her holding a large box in her hands and caressing the lid. The puzzle was completed, forming a perfect cube.
Rohan has no memory of finishing the box and demands to know what happened and how much time passed. Chinami responds that the sun is already setting. More concerning than his lost time, however, is Chinami revealing that her husband is inside the box. Despite how absurd it sounded, Rohan knows it isn't a joke and considers Chinami dangerous. Chinami explains that the box has been passed down in her family for generations, meant to store things that are precious. The box lures its victims in with a dream of happiness before trapping their soul and body inside. Her husband had not realized this, believing it to just be a box filled with happiness rather than a prison. She equates the box to being like a mouse trap, with the "happiness" being the cheese that lures the mouse in.
Rohan realizes that it is not Ikkei Gozan who set him up, but Chinami. However, Chinami discloses that she had only told Gozan that Rohan might be able to reassemble the box. In the end, it was Gozan's idea to lure Rohan to their house, get Rohan to assemble it partway, and then finish it himself and claim all the credit. Chinami only followed his instructions, ensuring the outcome by adding a delayed sedative to Rohan's tea. Amused by her own manipulation, she sees this result as fate siding with her love. As she continues speaking, she starts losing her composure. She confesses that she truly loved her husband, believing their meeting was destiny. However, as time passed, he became more focused on work, leaving her alone for days at a time. Her love turned into obsession, and she began to suffocate in the loneliness of the home she had bought for them. Her frustration reaches a breaking point as she recounts how Gozan even left during their anniversary week, prioritizing his hospitalized mother instead. In a frenzy, she repeatedly pounds the box violently, bloodying her hands. Rohan worries that she'll break the box and kill Gozan since he is inside it.
Calming herself, Chinami reveals that the box cannot be broken once sealed. It had been shattered long ago by a "special" person who understood its true danger, but Rohan had unknowingly restored it. With a twisted smile, she thanks Rohan, as none of this would have been possible without his involvement and if he wasn't a "special" person as well. As a final gesture, she offers him anything he wants from Gozan's collection, claiming she has no use for it anymore. Disgusted by her indifference, Rohan states that while he never liked Gozan personally, he respected him as a merchant. Despite his schemes, Gozan never dealt in counterfeits and maintained a sense of business integrity. By contrast, Chinami has trampled over that trust without understanding its value.
Rohan calls out to Gozan, but Chinami tells him it's pointless since it's a sealed off world and he won't be able to respond while he's in heaven. Luckily, Rohan has the "key to Heaven's Door." Rohan calls Gozan's name again, asking what he sees. Against Chinami's expectations, Gozan's voice emerges from within the box. He describes seeing nothing but his wife's smiling face, the face he had once loved. However, he acknowledges that her love turned into dependency, something that would have eventually destroyed them both. Chinami is horrified that Gozan can still speak to Rohan, despite being sealed inside. Considering the box needed a "special person" to assemble it, Rohan doesn't find it surprising that his special ability could interfere with it. Rohan reveals that he had previously used Heaven's Door on Gozan as insurance when doing business with him, not wanting to be deceived in their deals. He had written that Gozan must always answer his questions. Thus, Gozan would never lie if Rohan asked him something.
Gozan thought that if he completed the box, he could go back to the time when he and his wife were happy. He tells the illusion of his wife inside the box that he wanted to surprise her for their anniversary tomorrow, but he got her a present. The real Chinami grows desperate, clawing at the box and demanding that he see the real her. She frantically screams to look at her, but Gozan does not hear her, as he tells the illusion of his wife that he loves her.
Chapter 7
As Rohan leaves their house, Chinami's desperate cries fade behind him. He reflects on Ikkei Gozan's fate, surprised that the man's idea of happiness was genuinely tied to his wife rather than something unrelated. Despite wasting his day, he considers that the strange events surrounding the box might at least serve as inspiration for a story. He contemplates the concept of happiness, questioning how much he saw in that room was real or just an illusion created by the box, especially since he had been drugged as well.
Rohan thinks about the dysfunctional dynamic between the Gozan couple, recognizing that while they had loved each other, their ideas of happiness had never truly aligned. Rohan doesn't deny wanting to have romance entirely, but he wonders whether all marriages are like that, realizing that even after committing to a life together, two people can still misunderstand each other completely. As he walks, he considers how some relationships crumble while others manage to work. The contrast intrigues him, and he thinks it might be an interesting theme for a manga. Nonetheless, Rohan's main conclusion from his experience is that he is not going to get married anytime soon.
Appearances
Gallery
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Ultra Jump August 2017 -
Short Stories booklet 1 -
