Curiosity about something one has never experienced is common to all. Similarly, thinking about the gains and losses that come with realizing curiosity is also common to everyone.
When doing something for the first time, it’s natural to prepare for possible situations, but when even those preparations don’t go as planned, someone with little experience will often stop thinking.
Aye and Siera were in such a situation.
Just as they were about to board a bus at the station, they realized their wallet was missing, and the bus they needed to catch had already left the station.
They wanted to go home because of the fear that they would be stranded again, but things didn’t go as planned.
To prepare for any situation, Siera had brought her phone. Even if she got scolded, going home with what she had was much better than being scolded for coming back empty-handed.
While rummaging through her crossbody bag, which she had been carrying, Siera stopped abruptly. She was sure she had grabbed her phone in the morning and hadn’t taken it out of her bag since then.
She hadn’t opened her bag even once when she went around places with Aye, so there was no chance of losing it. Suddenly, a thought crossed her mind.
‘…Did I grab it?’
Her certainty about having grabbed her phone in the morning began to fade.
Siera, who had high hopes of going to the city, felt anxious about going with Aye without an adult, but her excitement outweighed her anxiety.
She thought she should keep Aye alert so he wouldn’t make mistakes due to his cold, but by the time she realized it, she was so excited that she was playing along with Aye’s excitement.
As Siera recalled her memories, she remembered that she had left her phone on the desk before leaving the house in the morning.
The sun was setting, and golden twilight was casting over the sky. The two children, who had lost both their way and means of communication, sat on a park bench, staring at the ground.
No matter how hard she tried to think of ways to get home, she couldn’t find an answer. Her uneasiness grew more and more intense.
“I’m sorry.”
Aye turned his head at the clear sound of Siera’s voice, though her words were quiet.
“If only I had just taken my phone…”
The reason Aye suggested going to the city was because Siera had her phone. With a means of communication, they could solve problems somehow, so Aye believed Siera would take her phone and went to the city.
He believed Siera would take her phone.
Knowing this, Aye made the suggestion. Realizing this mistake made her feel foolish for not taking her phone.
Even though she enjoyed herself with Aye, she failed to bring the necessary items.
The more she thought about it, the more she felt ridiculous about the happy-go-lucky attitude she had while playing with Aye during the day.
“No, it was me who suggested going to the city. It was also me who lost the wallet…”
Aye felt equally ridiculous. He had confidently said nothing would happen to Siera, yet he lost the most important thing, the wallet.
He also thought that losing sight of Siera midway was his fault. It was Aye who persuaded Siera, who initially didn’t want to go to the city, to come along.
Since he persuaded her to come, he thought it was his responsibility to look after Siera. But the more he saw Siera enjoying herself in the city, the less responsible he felt.
And then, he lost sight of Siera once.
When he turned his head and saw Siera was gone, the shock returned. At that moment, he still had his wallet, so Aye thought he could somehow get home.
But without a wallet or a phone, Siera couldn’t contact anyone, and if adults found out she had come to the city alone, she would surely be scolded.
Desperate to find Siera and not wanting to create a situation where Siera gets scolded because of him, Aye searched frantically.
As a result, they ended up in a situation with neither wallet nor phone.
If only he had checked whether Siera had her phone when they left home and got to the bus stop, none of this would have happened. But it was too late to think about that now.
Siera, who admitted her fault, closed her mouth tightly. Even if Aye said it wasn’t her fault, she still felt it was her responsibility.
So, the two children fell silent again.
The sky, dyed by the twilight, quickly turned dark.
The children who were running around the park started to return home one by one, and Aye and Siera sat quietly in the park, which was now empty.
The market alley next to the park was still bustling, and Aye, who had been looking down, raised his head to see the lively market scene.
“Huh, huuu…”
“Seira…”
Siera, who had been silently sitting, suddenly sniffled.
A gurgling sound came from her stomach, which she was holding with her hands. The summer days were long, and the twilight time felt like dinner time after a full meal.
Looking at the clock in the center of the park, Aye realized it was past dinnertime, and seeing Seira sniffle, he felt hungry too.
“Are you okay?”
When he cautiously asked, Seira wiped away her tears.
“I’m hungry.”
She felt hungry as the usual dinner time passed and the hunger, intensified by the tension, felt even more overwhelming. Without any way to solve it, the hunger felt not just like hunger but like pain.
Aye was flustered. There was no immediate solution. If he hadn’t lost his wallet, he would have bought something to eat.
If he had his wallet, he would have taken the bus home earlier. He felt foolish again for losing his wallet and decided he had to find a way to resolve the current situation.
“Just wait a moment.”
As Aye stood up from the bench and headed somewhere, Seira grabbed his clothes.
“Where are you going?”
Seeing Seira’s wet eyes, Aye felt guilty for putting them in this situation.
“Just wait a moment. I’ll go somewhere and come back.”
“Are you coming back?”
“Yeah, I’ll definitely come back.”
Holding Seira’s hand tightly, Aye told her to wait and ran toward the market, letting go of her hand. Seeing Aye run quickly, Seira lowered her head again. She was so hungry and tense that she couldn’t even move a step.
As the minute felt like an hour to Seira, her gaze was fixed on the path Aye had taken. Aye was nowhere to be seen, and suddenly, she felt uneasy.
What if Aye had already returned? Would she be left alone here forever if Aye didn’t come back? She felt like crying.
“Aye…”
In the park, now only adults occasionally passing by, Seira sat alone and quietly called his name. Even if she whispered his name softly, as Aye always listened and answered, his response was not heard.
It felt like she was left alone in this world.
“Seira.”
When she lowered her head to shed tears, she heard a voice.
When she looked up, Aye, who wasn’t there a moment ago, stood in front of her, holding a paper bag.
“You must be very hungry. Here, eat this.”
Opening the bag, she found two wrapped toast sandwiches inside.
“Huh?”
Looking at Aye with a puzzled expression, wondering where he got money from, he smiled as he felt her gaze.
“I asked a nearby store for help.”
“Is it okay?”
“It’s better than being hungry.”
Sitting on the bench, Aye took one sandwich out of the bag and gave it to Seira. The warmth of the freshly made toast could be felt in her hand, and feeling hungry, Seira bit into the toast without hesitation.
Seeing Seira eat with a big bite, Aye felt relieved and watched her eat from start to finish, holding his own toast.
Despite usually eating slowly, Seira finished one sandwich in no time.
“Seira. This.”
“Huh?”
Worried that Seira might still be hungry, Aye split his sandwich in half and offered her the other half.
“Huh? Then you won’t have enough, Aye.”
“I’m fine. I’m not that hungry.”
Reluctantly, Seira accepted half of the sandwich from Aye. They ate the halves together, and only after finishing did they feel full.
“Are you okay now?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. How about you, Aye?”
“I’m fine too.”
With the hunger resolved, Seira’s expression became much more relaxed, and Aye could smile more comfortably.
“Shall we go home now?”
“How?”
At the suggestion to go home, Seira widened her eyes in surprise. With no means of communication or transportation, the idea of going home seemed absurd.
“We can walk. We can follow the same route we took by bus. It took us about 30 minutes by bus, so walking should get us there faster.”
Although his sense of distance was vague, this was the best option Aye could think of. Rather than staying put, going towards home seemed like a better choice.
“Let’s go together.”
“…Okay.”
Standing up from the bench, Aye held out his hand, and hesitantly, Seira took it. Believing Aye would lead them to their destination, Seira followed him toward the bus stop.
“This way. We should go that way.”
The two held hands tightly and walked down the street where streetlights were on. As they left the main road, the lights gradually became fewer. While there were many cars on the road, the number of people decreased.
Neither Aye nor Seira mentioned being scared. Saying they were scared would make them stop immediately.
However, they could tell each other was feeling scared. As people and light diminished, cars sped by on the adjacent road.
Whenever they thought they might not reach home, they squeezed each other’s hands tighter.
Aye, who had more experience in the city, felt even more tense trying to remember the scenery he saw while riding in cars and buses.
Feeling the responsibility to safely bring Seira home, Aye held her hand tightly and walked forward.
“!”
While searching his memory for familiar streets, Aye saw a clearly remembered path. He was certain it was the same one he had seen when riding with his parents or taking the bus.
Excited to have found a familiar path, Aye let go of Seira’s hand to confirm the direction and ran ahead.
“Aye!”
Surprised, Seira urgently called out, but her voice didn’t reach Aye’s ears. Running quickly, Aye was delighted to confirm he was on the right path and noticed Seira falling.
“Ouch, uuung!”
Seeing Seira fall, her tears burst out, and Aye rushed to her side.
“I’m sorry, Seira. Are you okay?”
After helping Seira up and comforting her, Aye patted her back.
“Ugh, huh. Huhu.”
Aye approached her quickly, and Seira stopped crying. Feeling relieved that Aye had returned, she calmed down.
“I’m sorry. I won’t go alone anymore.”
Knowing Seira had stopped crying, Aye patted her back further and released the hug, brushing off the dust from her dirty clothes. In the rush, Seira tripped and fell, scraping her chin and palm, and her knee was bleeding.
“…”
Seeing blood from Seira’s knee, Aye immediately took off his shirt and wrapped it around her knee.
“Here.”
Then, he crouched down in front of her and offered his back for her to climb on.
“But then you’ll be tired, Aye?”
“I’m fine. I can’t walk if my leg hurts.”
Though wrapped in a shirt, she still felt pain in her leg, and hesitantly, Seira climbed onto Aye’s back.
They started walking again. Thinking they would soon reach home since they were on a familiar path, they walked further but couldn’t see their neighborhood.
Still, Aye kept walking, believing they would eventually reach home.
Seira, feeling uneasy on Aye’s back, trusted that they would be okay as long as Aye was with her.
“Hey, Aye.”
Seira, who was carried, spoke hesitantly.
“You know, because of my parents’ work, I moved a lot.”
Surprised by Seira’s sudden story, Aye listened silently, curious about what happened.
“In my first year of school last year, I transferred schools during summer break after finishing first semester. The new school already had kids who were friends. But when I tried to make friends, I had to transfer again, and winter break came soon after.”
Hearing that Seira had moved three times in just the previous year, Aye listened intently without stopping.
“And this year, I transferred again shortly after the new school term started, and then another month later, I came here.”
Seira had moved to this place a month ago, around the time the new school term had just begun.
“I was worried I wouldn’t make friends if I transferred again, but then Aye invited me to play, so I pretended not to want to, but I was really happy. There were tough days, but playing with Aye made me forget the hardships… And today, even though I was scared, I was really looking forward to going to the city with you.”
“Yeah.”
Thinking that his actions had ruined everything she hoped for, Aye’s voice softened.
“…Actually, I wanted to become closer friends with you. And I want to stay close friends in the future.”
As Seira’s voice trembled while sharing her story, Aye’s footsteps halted.
“So, if I have to transfer again…”
Unable to finish her sentence, Seira hugged Aye while being carried. Feeling Seira trembling, Aye smiled brightly.
“Even if you transfer, I’ll always be your friend, Seira.”
“…Really?”
Understanding what Seira wanted, Aye smiled and shared his true feelings.
“Yeah. No matter where you go or what you do, I’ll always be your friend, so you don’t need to worry.”
“…Promise.”
Seira extended her pinky finger, and noticing Aye couldn’t use his hand, she forced her pinky onto his.
“Now?”
“Yeah. Promise.”
After experiencing a scary ordeal they had never encountered before, the two children felt responsible for what happened. Seira was worried that Aye, who had reached out to her, might not want to play with her anymore after this incident. Wanting to remain friends, she shared her story.
Feeling reassured by the promise of being friends forever, Seira’s face brightened with a smile.
Just as Aye was about to take another step, a car pulled up beside them.
“Mama. Papa.”
Two people got out of the car—a man and a woman. Upon seeing them, Seira, who was being carried, whispered softly.
“Seira!”
This was the first time Aye met Seira’s parents. Rushing over, Seira’s parents set her down and Aye followed.
“What are you doing here at this hour? Are you okay?”
“…I’m sorry. I was wrong.”
Afraid of getting scolded, Seira lowered her head, and her parents’ attention shifted from Seira to Aye.
“Are you Aye?”
“Yes, nice to meet you.”
Feeling the same fear of being scolded, Aye bowed slightly. However, the reaction from Seira’s parents was entirely different from what they expected.
“Let’s go home first. Your parents are probably looking for you.”
“…Okay.”
Neither Aye nor Seira said anything and got into the car. They remained silent during the ride. Soon, they arrived in their neighborhood, and Aye got out of the car and put on the jacket he had tied around Seira’s legs.
“I’ve informed your parents, so they’ll be home soon.”
“Thank you.”
“Aye, be careful on your way home.”
“Yeah, Seira too.”
Seira and her parents drove off in the opposite direction, and Aye watched the car disappear before heading home.
The house was empty; the door was open, and the lights were on.
Entering the living room, Aye sat on the sofa. As Seira’s parents had said, the sound of a car pulling up outside was heard shortly after.
Running footsteps approached, and the door opened. Aye’s mother entered the house.
“Aye!”
“Mom…”
“How could you be out this late? Don’t you know how worried I was?”
“I’m sorry.”
Feeling guilty for making his mother worry, Aye apologized in a low voice. His father, who had parked the car and entered the house late, met his eyes.
Usually calm and friendly, Aye’s father looked serious as he stared at Aye, causing Aye’s expression to distort.
“Dad… I’m sorry.”
“Aye, how is Seira?”
“Gah, gah. It’s my fault… I caused Seira to get hurt… Huhuu.”
Holding Seira from behind, Aye cried, unable to hold back his tears upon hearing his father’s question about Seira.
“Seira was crying and said she was hungry. It’s my fault… Huhuuu!”
Finally, the tears burst forth, and Aye’s father, who had approached, gently stroked his son’s hair.
“It’s enough to realize your mistake. Tomorrow, apologize properly to Seira.”
“Huh, yeah.”
The next morning.
Since Aye had stayed indoors all day yesterday after a major incident, he spent the morning quietly at home.
He sat quietly at the dining table, waiting for his mother to serve breakfast. Neither his mother nor father said anything to him, knowing that Aye was already aware of his mistake.
Even if Aye had acted as if he forgot what happened yesterday, his father, who intended to lecture him, decided it was better not to say anything given Aye’s quiet behavior.
“Aye, did you wash your hands?”
“Yes.”
Answering in a lifeless tone despite his mother’s question, Aye felt uneasy about his changed demeanor. His mother, concerned about his unusual behavior, noticed his silence.
Suddenly, the doorbell rang, and his mother glanced at Aye before heading to the door. His father, who had been sitting on the sofa, got up to help with dinner preparation.
Returning to the living room, his mother smiled at Aye and headed to the kitchen. Sitting quietly, Aye turned his head at the sensation of someone nearby.
“!”
For the first time, Seira came directly to Aye’s house. Surprised by her arrival, Aye quickly composed himself and thought about apologizing for the trouble they had caused yesterday.
“…What are we going to do today?”
Noticing Aye’s hesitation, Seira spoke first, and Aye, thinking he had misunderstood, simply stared at her blankly.
“What are we going to do today?”
“Uh…”
Not having thought about what to do, Aye could only respond blankly.
“From now on, I’ll check what you’re going to do before you do it.”
“…Really?”
Looking at the dining table, Seira smiled at Aye. Feeling energized by the word “friend,” Aye smiled back.
