Hearing the footsteps of the keeper who would occasionally come by on their rounds, the two animals would summon all their strength and, with a tottering gait, struggle to their feet.

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Opening line

In Showa 18, enemy planes flew over the skies of Tokyo day after day.

In the midst of that Tokyo, there was a small zoo.

That zoo was home to three elephants named Goro, Yaeko, and Suzu.

One day, an order came from the military.

If a bomb were to fall on the zoo, destroying the cages and allowing the wild animals to escape into the city, it would be a disaster.

To prevent such a terrifying scenario, the order was given to euthanize animals such as lions, tigers, and bears.

Finally, the time came for the three elephants.

The first to be chosen was Goro, who was the most unruly of the three.
The zookeepers laced the potatoes—which Goro loved—with poison. However, the clever Goro sensed something was wrong with the tip of his trunk. He would bring the potato right up to his mouth, gaze at the zookeepers with a sad look, and then toss the poisoned potato far away with a couple of quick flings.
So, they tried using a thick syringe needle—the kind used on horses—but the elephant’s thick skin deflected every single needle, causing them to snap one after another.

With no other choice, they stopped giving him any food at all, and sadly, he died on the seventeenth day.

The only ones left were the gentle-hearted Yaé and Suzu.
Determined to save the two elephants at all costs, the zoo staff devised a plan to send them to the zoo in distant Sendai. However,