Upon his return, Nozomi was greeted by his parents, waiting for him on the doorstep. His worried mother found him grown up, while his grumpy father tried in vain to hide his relief at seeing his son safe and sound. The young man presented his old parents with the little wooden chest and told them about his adventure from the first day he met the Sparrow, his eternal Suzume. He explained almost everything. How he, the young boy from a small village hidden in the valley, had tamed a Divine one, voluntarily omitting his deep love, preferring to keep it for himself.

The old neighbor who spied on them continued to hate their happiness. When Nozomi gave the small chest to his mother, she opened it, complimenting the aesthetics of the box. Breathlessly, the humble woman took out a large silk stole, followed by jewels and gems, and, as she and her husband took out countless riches from the tiny box, Nozomi retrieved a small, speckled feather from between the silver and gold coins. His treasure.

Furious, the ramble-bearer did not hesitate to disturb the family and ordered the couple's son to tell her where this famous temple was. Of course, he refused. She presented him with a small box and promised to give him the precious tongue of his friend if he would tell her where the temple was.

Nozomi ignored the old woman and sighed in the face of such greed. Nor did he get flustered himself telling her that she would find what she was looking for on her own.

Immediately, the greedy, old woman quickly ventured out onto the slippery path of the forest, falling and scraping her knees without stopping her run. With great difficulty, she found her way to the temple, encountering only large shadows whispering in her path. She had wandered long in the woods, quickly straying from the pilgrims' trail. She arrived at the temple in poor condition and pounded on the great doorway until it opened. After taking advantage of their hospitality, the old, shriveled woman was offered the same choice as Nozomi, and the birds presented her with the two chests. Without any hesitation, she loaded the larger chest on her back, and her return trip was pathetic. She returned home, out of breath, believing she finally possessed great wealth.

The old woman, with bloodshot eyes and gasping for breath like a dyspneic woman, rushed to open the magnificent chest with its imposing engravings – a masterpiece of goldsmith's art. She uttered a cry of fear when she saw a horde of repulsive oni pour out of it. The unfortunate one tried to flee, but in vain. The ogres caught up with her, and she was attacked so savagely that they ended up dismembering her.

While she was dying on her tatamis, a ravishing silhouette, dressed in a long, red kimono widely cut and elegantly embroidered with golden butterflies, her face covered with a fox mask, invited herself home. Without making the slightest noise, wandering among the grotesque monsters, the kitsune slowly bent down, contemplating the woman’s last moments.

“I'm home, Sakuya...”

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 Oni: Creatures of Japanese folklore, similar to European ogres, which usually have a humanoid shape, gigantic size, sharp claws, two protruding horns growing on their foreheads, tousled hair, and an overall hideous appearance.