Children Reason (9 page)

Pedestrians were becoming quite a lot,  I faintly understand that Hiyori’s destination was at the city central.

I felt it yesterday, but still it was as if I couldn’t get used to the city’s atmosphere at all.

Different types of advertisements, with cars passing by, and laughter of people decking layer by layer, creating a massive dissonant voice, and my brain was mixed up due to overload of information within the sounds.

Also, above those there was the heat.

Recalling about few days ago, I was still highly expecting my life here, right now I finally understood my ignorance deep in my heart.

To live in this kind of place, even if I have how many lives it’d be insufficient.

Until now, I don’t even, have the confidence to survive the summer hols.

"Ah, here it is.  Wait for me for a while"

A row of colorful shops. In front of one of the shops, Hiyori stopped down.

From the way she unhesitatingly went into the shop, looks like she arrived her destination.

"What kind of garish shop is this……"

While waiting for Hiyori in front of the shop as being told I observed the decorations outside the shop.

Totally shocking pink wall, with decorations like cookies and candies everywhere, on the board that was surrounded by lightbulbs that could increase the impact during night, its big shop name was written with shocking highlight yellow.

Such decoration with completely too much calorie, with the heat it made me wanted to puke.

After waiting for Hiyori I should go drink something…….. if I become dry here, who knows I might be taken to become a decor together with those cookies and candies.

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The automatic door opened along the beep, Hiyori who was carrying two small bags appeared.

"Ah, welcome back. You bought the things you want?"

As I asked Hiyori she smiled and replied “yeap!”

That overload cuteness made my heartbeat suddenly went faster.

Ahh, too great, too great to come just to see this………

"I BOUGHT A GIFT FOR KONOHA!"

I take back my words. I shouldn’t had come.

That guy again. Sigh, what the heck is going on seriously.

GIFT!? WHAT THE HECK IS WITH THAT!!!??

"Eh? What do you mean by gift……..?"

"Eh? It has nothing to do with you"

"PAK" as the topic was sliced into two, I couldn’t continue my words.

Looks like this whole time staying in this city, was just a training to increase my immune towards mental pain or something.

"Ah, but look, I bought one for you too"

"Ah, I see…… EEEHH!!?? FOR ME!!??"

"That’s right. Look"

As Hiyori said that, she slowly handed a small bag from the other hand.

The next moment, my failure life until now was as if it passed by my eyes, my head became hot.

"T-THANK YOU………………………."

"W-why are you crying………….. Gross……."

I tool back my words, but this is too great. I never expect to have such a surprise here, I haven’t even dream about it before.

"So happy……… thank you. Ah, can I open it!?"

"Hmm? You can" 

A small bag with light pink polka dots on it, from the weight I guess it’s some kind of keychain. No, perhaps, it’s a kind of stationery.

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As my chest kept expanding due to expectation I opened the small bag with my brightest smile for today, but in the bag came out a foul smell like rotten raw fish.

"UWAH IT’S SMELLY!?"

Facing this kind of unexpected situation I couldn’t resist from shouting.

From a bag handed by a little girl who came out from the boutique shop, seriously had a foul seafood smell coming out. Of course I was shocked.

Who would even expect that.

I gingerly twisted the bag and looked inside, the thing that came out, was a keychain of some sort of mysterious creature salmon with human legs.

"Ah? What. Any opinions?"

Of course Hiyori expressionlessly, overbearingly muttered.

"NO, EEEEEEEHHHHH!!!??? NOT AN OPINION BUT THIS IS WHAT!? WHAT IS THIS!!??"

If it’s a fruit-scented keychain I can still understand, but this thing here, I’m afraid it’s some kind of product to just make fun of it while making it, NO, it is totally a failure.

"It’s called ‘Red Salmon-chan phone strap’. I feel that,  you’ll like this kind of thing"

"NO NO, NOT AT ALL OKAY!? ANYWAY DID I DO SOMETHING THAT MAKES YOU THINK I’M LIKE THAT!?"

"Nope, just that I thought you’ll like this kind of smelly thing"

When Hiyori said that she sneered “hmph” with her overbearing sight again. Ahh, she’s totally trolling me.

"u….uu…………. but still thank you"

Still I felt happy when I received the gift, so I couldn’t debate any more. 

Looking at my miserable look, Hiyori sneered “hmph” again.

"Well, well it’s almost time to go back……. we don’t have much time left"

"Yea, right. Well then we should go from this road…….."

As usual, Hiyori swiftly paced forward, but she noticed something and suddenly stopped.

I looked at Hiyori’s leg, the culprit that actually made defiant Hiyori stopped down was unexpectedly a black cat.

Where did it come from, it suddenly appeared beside Hiyori’s leg, when I was thinking about that, the black cat started to softly rub its face, and purred.

"Wow it’s a cat Hiyori. Looks like it likes you"

That black cat with neat fur, slightly ran away after purring towards Hiyori, and like that, it went into a long narrow alley.

"Ah~. It went away. I really wanna touch it~. Right? Hiyori………."

 
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"I WANNA ADOPT THAT CAT…………..!"

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Hiyori’s face was more extreme than yesterday the first time she met Konoha, her face went red, and her breathe became rapid.

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"Eh, what did you just say…….?"

"IMMA CHASING IT, HIBIYA!"

After Hiyori said that, she ran into the alley to chase the black cat.

Different kinds of thrusts were spinning in my head, but anyway I should taste the joy of my name being called by Hiyori, and followed Hiyori.

Speedily passing by the metal trash bin that was located at the back door of the building, then running up the small stairs covered with moss, and this time running by the cramped crowds on the big road.

"Uwah….. H-Hiyori, I don’t think we can find it now……"

"No, just now there was one moment I saw its tail. There it is"

When Hiyori said that she turned left, and kicked the ground as she increased her speed. 

Daringly running in a place with lots of people is pretty incredible.

Luckily because I was running behind Hiyori I didn’t run into anyone, step by step I ran along the roadside.

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"Haa…… haa…….. THERE IT IS! RIGHT THERE!!’

Once again Hiyori speedily turned left and, it was a children’s park, with children rides located there.

And then I ran into the park too, and in the shadow of the light blue swing, the black cat just now was sitting there.

"Gotcha!"

Hiyori happily said that, and step by step she decreased her distance with the black cat.

"hueheuheuehuehue……….. good kid good kid. Be a good kid and let me touch you to my heart’s content………"

Hiyori gasped and stepped closer, releasing an atmosphere that if I were the cat I’d run away as soon as possible.

However, don’t say that the cat felt like running, it didn’t even flinch at all, it just stared intently at Hiyori only.

When I was thinking about such unbelievable thing, I suddenly noticed something, that I had a chill on my spine.

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Those eyes of the black cat that were staring at Hiyori, were as red as blood.

Didn’t Hiyori even notice that.

By looking at Hiyori who was attracted by that gloominess, it felt suspicious as if something possessed her body, and it felt dangerous.

"H-Hiyori! Wait! Don’t you think that cat looks strange?!"

"Eh? What!?"

When Hiyori heard my sudden voice she shockingly turned her head, the black cat glanced at me, and paused as if it wanted to say something, after that it ran away to somewhere.

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"Ah~!! I- I SAY! IT RAN AWAY!"

I moved my sight, Hiyori who noticed that the black cat ran away, looked very angry, and walked towards me.

"B-but that cat just now was strange wasn’t it? So I’m…… worried……"

"BUSYBODY! YOUR WORRY MAKES THINGS EVEN MORE TROUBLESOME!!"

Glaring at me, Hiyori said that. Still this standard wasn’t enough to calm her anger, and she continued scolding.

"At first I didn’t want such unreliable you, but I want Konoha to worry about me! And what the heck is wrong with you since yesterday you kept stuttering. ARE YOU STUPID!?"

Those words thrown towards me continuously, my head congested.

I know that this feeling that I’m willing to do, but isn’t this a bit too over.

"What stupid…….. WHY……….. WHY WON’T YOU UNDERSTAND!? I also don’t like to stutter…………"

"Eh~. I thought it’s because you like to stutter like this. Then what’s the reason?"

"That’s because………"

Being glared by Hiyori, I couldn’t say anything, that was the usual situation. Like now too, my words were immediately blocked.

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Ahh, to turn all the things in my head into words unflinchingly, had it happened before.

No, perhaps it never happen. If I say out that thing, what will happen. 

My brain stunned, my heart hurt. Along with the tingle.

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"W-what…………."

"That’s because………. towards Hiyori you………."

"Stop it………….."

"Since before, since a long time ago I already……….!"

"I TOLD YOU TO STOP DIDN’T I!?"

At Hiyori’s shout suddenly my conscious finally returned.

As I gingerly looked at her face, Hiyori made a look like she wanted to cry.

Is it because being stimulated by Hiyori’s voice, until now the cicadas that used to be quiet suddenly became noisy, from everywhere, the cicadas’ sounds surrounded me as if they were blaming at me.

For that very long time, it was already enough, for me to regret my impetuous action.

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"YOU’RE THE WORST"

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At last I heard that word from Hiyori’s voice, compared to every single scolding from her these days, that one pricked deeply into my heart than before.

"t-that…….."

Supposed that I couldn’t say anything, but my dumb mouth said its own words.

"I’m going back. Don’t follow me."

I couldn’t even look at Hiyori any more, I just lowered my head, the cicada’s corpse on the ground, was lying on its back.

Did that person, said something to someone. About me, could I even tell something.

Unconsciously my tears flowed down from my cheeks, tear, by tear it made black spots on the ground.

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No matter what it didn’t matter at all. Hiyori’s footsteps that were gradually further suddenly stopped. 

 ”You, when were you here……..?”

Hiyori suddenly voiced out, from her intonation, I could interpret who was she talking to. That was truthfully easy although that wasn’t what I wanted.

I lifted my head, and turned to Hiyori, as expected at the entrance of the park, unexpectedly stood Konoha sweating.

"Eh……. I’m here since starting? No, because when I woke up I realized you two were gone……. so, I thought that I had to look for you………."

Towards Konoha who pieced his words one by one, Hiyori asked in a trembled voice.

"……. That conversation, you heard that?"

Konoha still as usual, with his expression that no one knows his thoughts, he straight away replied.

"Eh? Yea. I heard that"

The moment when Hiyori heard that, she will run away to somewhere, I could imagine that at the moment.

Because of that I was a moment earlier than Hiyori who dashed out, my legs, were already running towards Hiyori.

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……….What was I planning to do. 

Is it to find an excuse again.

Or is it to hold Hiyori’s hand earlier than Konoha.

As expected Hiyori who ran away, already lost her lissome to run like before in the crowds, she was just running away from here, dumbly moving her legs only.

Just a few more steps and I could hold her hand.

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However, when I was so close to that, I was stunned by the view in front of me.

In front of Hiyori who ran out from the park, at the end of the regularly arranged white stripes there lit a red light.

And “that” meaning. It was something that could be easily understood without thinking, it was absolutely 
"DESPAIR"
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"HIYORI!! RED LIGHT!!!"

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