Chapter 3: Reliable Companions and Strategy Meeting (2)

 ＊

The next day, Izumi took the lead in the activity to dispel the misunderstandings among our classmates about Aoi.

Although it was called an activity, we didn't do anything extravagant.

For example, when Izumi and her friends had lunch together, she would invite Aoi along. After school, when they went somewhere else, Izumi would take Aoi with them. During class groupings, she would include Aoi as well.

In short, we started by increasing the opportunities for Aoi to interact with her classmates.

Of course, initially, some students were still puzzled.

However, thanks to Izumi's excellent communication skills, the students' guard gradually started to drop, and Aoi could slowly join in conversations with her peers.

As both Eishi and I were of the opposite sex, we decided to treat Aoi the same way as we treated other classmates, rather than being overly proactive in our interactions. While it was just ordinary activities, surprisingly, things went smoothly.

Izumi's efforts played a big role, and Aoi herself also worked hard.

Originally timid, Aoi now took the initiative to engage with others, and witnessing this transformation deeply moved me.

Although there were still some students who remained indifferent toward Aoi, I didn't think it was a big problem. I had thought about it before—my goal wasn't to make everyone accept her, but rather to increase the number of people willing to become her friends.

However, there was one troublesome issue that cropped up.

A group of boys had heard the rumors about the sudden appearance of a beautiful girl with black hair, and they would come to the classroom during break time just to catch a glimpse of Aoi.

It's not that I was jealous... I just thought these boys were being a bit too persistent.

I really wanted to step in and drive them all away, but thankfully, Izumi took care of the situation and dispersed them completely. I didn't get a chance to intervene, as it might have made things more complicated. I was grateful for Izumi's help.

Meanwhile, Eishi was amused watching me get impatient and restless.

＊

Time went by, and it was now Sunday, the weekend after that.

"Here is the facility we'll be visiting today."

The three of us—Aoi, Izumi, and I—arrived at a local orphanage.

At Izumi's suggestion, we decided to participate in the school's volunteer activity. Early the next morning, Izumi promptly informed the teacher that we would be joining this activity, which led us to the orphanage.

I was surprised by Izumi's efficiency. I didn't expect her to plan and arrange the itinerary so quickly.

There was a teacher and several other students around—around ten of us in total—participating in this activity, more than I had imagined.

By what Izumi said, it seemed that there were many similar facilities within the county.

I was astonished to learn that there were so many children unable to live with their parents, but perhaps it was just that we weren't aware, and there were actually quite a few families facing such circumstances.

In fact, Aoi was facing the same situation.

That's why I wondered—was it really okay to bring Aoi to such a place?

When Izumi told us about this facility, I even asked Aoi if it might be better to choose a different one, but to my surprise, she actually chose this one from several options. It caught me off guard.

"So, are we going to teach the children their lessons today, or just play with them?"

"Today, we're here to play with the children. Sometimes, the staff also arrange entertainment activities for us, but today, we'll just do whatever the children want to do."

As the teacher was explaining, she led us to a spacious recreation room.

As soon as we walked in, a group of children rushed towards Izumi and the other students.

"Hello, long time no see~♪"

Izumi couldn't hide her excitement and immediately started playing with the children.

"Alright, let's all play together!"

Amidst the cheerful atmosphere, we began to play with the children.

Izumi played hide-and-seek with me and the younger kids. The other boys played soccer with the older children, while Aoi played with the other girls and the kindergarten kids.

After playing for about half an hour...

"Izumi... I need a break..."

Exhausted from playing hide-and-seek with all my might, I gasped for breath and told Izumi.

"Sure, I'll keep playing with them for a while."

"Thanks, just don't overexert yourself either."

After reminding her, I excused myself from the group of children.

To be honest, I underestimated the energy levels of young kids. I had no idea where they got their boundless stamina.

At first, I thought playing hide-and-seek with the children would be easy, but as time went on, I started showing signs of fatigue. Almost every time, I ended up being the seeker.

Playing with these energetic kids was quite a burden for someone like me who didn't participate in club activities.

Leaving the group of children, I focused on adjusting my breath and looked around for a place to rest.

At that moment, my eyes met unintentionally with Aoi, who was playing house with the kindergarten students.

As soon as Aoi noticed me, she smiled and waved lightly.

"Aren't you playing hide-and-seek anymore?"

"Oh, yeah, I wanted to play with the other kids."

I felt a bit embarrassed to admit that I couldn't keep up with the children's energy.

"I see. Do you want to play with us instead?"

"Oh, I will intrude then."

I sat down in the middle of Aoi and the group of little girls.

All the girls' eyes were fixed on me, and I felt an invisible pressure... Many round eyes stared at me continuously. It was kind of intimidating.

"Big brother."

"Hm? What's up?"

One of the little girls tugged at my sleeve, looking up at me.

"Big brother, are you this big sister's boyfriend?"

"Boy-boyfriend?!"

Why is this kid suddenly saying something like that?

And then, all the children stared at me with innocent eyes, as if they were waiting for an answer.

Were they actually expecting an answer from me?

These kindergarten students nowadays are way too clever for their age... I thought to myself, not knowing how to respond.

"He's not my boyfriend, you know."

Aoi answered on my behalf, which made me let out a sigh of relief.

But just as I felt at ease...

"Then, is he your husband?"

The kindergarten student immediately asked another unexpected question.

From not being a boyfriend to suddenly becoming a husband... Their imagination was quite extraordinary.

"Well, he's not my boyfriend or my husband, uh..."

"What's wrong...? If he was your boyfriend or husband, then he could play the roles of mom and dad."

All the kindergarten students looked disappointed.

Honestly, I also felt a bit disheartened... Even though I wasn't Aoi's boyfriend, she still denied it immediately.

Well, it's not like I was her boyfriend in the first place, so there's no helping it.

"He's neither my boyfriend nor my husband, but he's a very important person to me... If you don't mind, can we play the roles of mom and dad?"

"Can we?"

Hearing Aoi's response, the eyes of the kindergarten students twinkled with excitement, full of anticipation.

"Of course, right, Hikaru?"

"Yeah, no problem at all!"

"That's awesome!"

These innocent and open-hearted smiles were heartwarming.

While chewing on the words "very important person" that Aoi had said, I did my best to play the role of dad.

Not a boyfriend, not a husband, and certainly not family, yet Aoi called me a "very important person."

Just that phrase made titles and designations seem insignificant. Thinking about it carefully, it really was quite unbelievable.

We played with the kindergarten students for a while longer. Then, I suddenly noticed a younger elementary school girl sitting alone in a corner of the recreation room, drawing by herself.

"Has that girl been alone all this time?"

When I asked the question, Aoi also looked at her and whispered back.

"Some students tried talking to her, but it seems like she ignored them."

"I see..."

Is she a shy child?

Or does she prefer being alone?

In any case, she seemed very lonely to me.

"I'll go check on her."

"I'll come with you."

Aoi lightly shook her head.

"I'll go alone; if she sees two high school students approaching, she might get scared."

"True, you're right."

"Sorry about that."

I watched Aoi's figure as she walked over to the girl.

After some time, while I was still playing house with the kindergarten students, I observed Aoi interacting with that girl. It seemed like she completely ignored Aoi's presence and didn't even look at her.

"Sorry to bother you, but that girl... Is she always alone?"

As I stopped a passing female staff member and asked, her expression darkened.

"Yeah, that girl has been here for three months now, and she's always like that. Even when we try to talk to her along with other children, she doesn't respond... We've been struggling to figure out how to connect with her."

Three months... That's a considerable amount of time to adapt to a new environment.

But to ease the loneliness of a child separated from her parents, even that amount of time might be too short.

I remembered when I was in elementary school, it always took some effort to adjust to a new class whenever I changed schools.

"Each child who comes here has their own story, and we adapt our approach based on their situation... However, that girl might be the type that's harder to handle."

"I see..."

This statement made me think about the meaning of volunteering.

While playing with the children is important, it would be best if we could also get closer to a child like her... but without relevant knowledge, we had no idea how to do that.

Even if we understood her feelings, we couldn't do anything for her, which made me a bit frustrated.

As my mind was occupied with thoughts, I returned to the group of children playing.

Several hours later, the visiting time came to an end.

The leading teacher and students were getting ready to leave, and I looked around, searching for Aoi. I spotted her sitting next to that girl, and I guessed that Aoi must have been with her the whole time.

Aoi didn't do anything; she just sat beside the girl while she was drawing.

"Aoi, it's about time to go."

"Yeah, I know."

Just as Aoi was about to get up...

"Huh?"

The girl grabbed Aoi's sleeve.

Both Aoi and I were surprised and speechless, just staring at the girl.

"...Don't leave."

After a while, the girl mumbled softly with her eyes lowered.

Her voice was so faint that it was almost inaudible.

"..."

Aoi and I exchanged glances.

Then, Aoi gently held the girl's hand and said, "I'm sorry, but I have to go home now. However, I promise to come and play with you again."

"Really?"

"Yeah, can we draw together next time?"

"Sure."

"Thank you, let's make a promise then."

Aoi smiled and extended her pinky finger, and the girl also extended her own pinky to hook with Aoi's.

Under the gaze of the staff and other children, we left the childcare center.

* * *

And that's how Aoi's first experience with volunteering came to a successful end.

After bidding farewell to Izumi and me, we walked home together.

The sunset cast the streets in a dark red hue, and I couldn't help but think about that girl.

"Does that girl want Aoi to spend more time with her?"

"Yeah, I think so."

Aoi replied with a determined tone.

"I heard from the staff that the child has been at the childcare center for three months but has never spoken to anyone. So when I saw her initiating a conversation with Aoi, I was honestly surprised. Aoi, what did you talk about with that child?"

"Huh?"

"I didn't do anything; I just sat beside her."

 Just being there... Was that enough to make that girl open up a little to Aoi?

No matter how the staff and the children tried to talk to her, she didn't respond, making it hard to believe that she would let her guard down for someone who just sat beside her for a short time like Aoi did.

I had mixed feelings, and Aoi continued, "I feel like that girl is just like how I was when I was a child."

"Like you, Aoi?"

As she said that, her gaze seemed to be fixed on her past self.

"When I was in kindergarten, I was very introverted, so I had no friends. I think my parents' troubled relationship indirectly affected my young heart, and I was always troubled by myself. At that time, I was just like that girl, not responding to anyone's care and always hiding in a corner of the classroom."

Listening to Aoi, it seemed like she was exactly like that girl at some point.

"But actually, I was very lonely. I wished someone would be by my side, and I wanted to have friends with good relationships, just like everyone else. However, I couldn't even say those words. But at that time..."

Aoi's gaze shifted towards the distant sunset.

"There was a boy who noticed me."

Her expression was calm, as if she was reminiscing about a beautiful memory.

"While others were cold and indifferent to me, that boy was willing to stay by my side. Though I say 'by my side,' he didn't talk to me or play with me. He just did his own thing next to me, and I think... Maybe he was afraid I would be lonely, so he stayed with me."

Hearing her say this, an old memory buried deep in my heart was awakened.

Aoi was probably feeling the same as that girl.

A first love girl who always sat alone in a corner of her room. No matter how I tried to talk to her, she ignored me. Just when we started exchanging a few words, my father was transferred, and I had to move away.

I regretted not being able to make that lonely girl, the girl I liked, smile.

I suddenly recalled what Eishi had said to me at the shopping center.

--Akira will always act without hesitation at crucial moments.

No, it's not something great.

If he was referring to that time, it was just an attempt to get closer to the girl I liked. In the end, I couldn't do anything for her, just a bitter memory called first love.

"In the eyes of the people around us, it might seem incredible. But just by doing that, it made me very happy. I only did what that boy did for me."

In other words, because Aoi had experienced something similar herself, she could understand that girl's feelings.

And it was precisely because Aoi did something that made her happy in the past that she could convey her feelings to that girl.

I thought that without Aoi, no one could get close to that girl's heart.

"Aoi and that boy are both very gentle."

I genuinely felt this way.

Considering Aoi's current situation, she probably had no spare energy to care about others.

That's why I was worried that something might happen during Aoi's visit to the childcare center.

Now, Aoi, who saw a child with similar experiences to hers, even if their situations were different, made me feel a little uneasy.

Even so, Aoi still cared for that girl; she was truly kind.

"If we are gentle, then Akira is also gentle."

"Me? No, I'm not gentle at all."

"That's not true."

Maybe because of the sunset, Aoi's eyes seemed a bit moist.

"The way you talked to me on that rainy day without asking for any details and offering help, and even now, staying by my side... Compared to what we did, Akira, you are much gentler."

Hearing her words, a sense of warmth welled up within me.

Honestly, I had been troubled by the things I had done.

--Was the choice I made back then right or wrong?

--Could there have been a better way?

--Isn't it better for Aoi if someone else had helped her instead of me?

Although these worries didn't disappear, Aoi's words calmed my heart a bit.

"...Let's go see that girl together next time."

"Yeah, I already made plans with her."

And so, we walked side by side toward home.

When I looked up, the colors of the sunset seemed even more vibrant than usual.