Where did his nephew go?
Takes.h.i.+ walks around the field, but he can"t see the boy anywhere. Surely, the boy hiding from him. Since parents are odd, it"s not odd that his nephew is also odd. He saunters aimlessly for a while, looking for his nephew until he sees a familiar woman. That"s Yuki"s mother.
Last night was strange. Yuta fought with that child without any reason. Takes.h.i.+ walks to the woman to ask about Yuki. The woman seems like she"s looking for something frantically.
"h.e.l.lo." Takes.h.i.+ bows his head a little.
The woman looks up at him. She widens her eyes. "You are...?"
"I am Kamiyama Takes.h.i.+." He smiles at her. "I apologize for my nephew"s behavior last night. Is Yuki doing well?"
She frowns in confusion. "Yuki?"
"Your son?" Takes.h.i.+ raises his brow. Is that not the name of her son?
Her eyes clear up a bit. "I am looking for him. Where did he go? His grandfather is waiting for him."
"I am looking for my nephew." Her behavior is quite odd. Then, there are too many odd people around him. "Shall we look for them together?"
She gives him a nod. They start walking together. She asks a few people if they have seen someone like Yuki. Someone gives him a direction toward the field.
"Is his wrist okay?" Takes.h.i.+ asks her with a quiet voice.
"He"s doing okay." Her reply is short and curt. Seeing her reluctance, he doesn"t ask her questions anymore. They keep walking quietly until they see two boys running in their direction.
"Yuki, where have you been?" Yuki"s mother scowls at her son. "I was looking for you everywhere... and what"s this? Your clothes are dirty. Did you roll in the mud again?"
Takes.h.i.+ looks at the boy"s hands. They are muddy. The smeared blood on his clothes is unmistakable. The bruise on his wrist is worse than before. He walks to the boy and bends down on his knees. His mother becomes quiet when she sees him taking Yuki"s hands.
"How did you get hurt?"
Yuki pulls back his hands. He glares at him. "It"s because of your rabid dog."
"Rabid dog?" Takes.h.i.+"s furrows his brows. Is he talking about his cute nephew?
"Big brother, that boy called her a girl." The boy with dark hair nudges Takes.h.i.+"s arm. "He fought with her."
"I am sorry for my nephew"s actions." Takes.h.i.+ apologizes to Yuki and his mother. "Yuki"s hurt because of my nephew. I will pay the medical fees."
Yuki"s mother pulls Yuki toward her. "There"s no need. We shouldn"t take children"s fight seriously. I will take him home and treat his wounds. It doesn"t seem serious to me."
Takes.h.i.+ wants to smack her head. The wrist is purple and red. Fingers are bruised. The face is scratched. How is that not serious? The boy looks too pale. How is he being treated at his home?
That"s not how a mother acts. The woman doesn"t seem normal to him.
After giving him a formal bow, the woman drags Yuki along with her. The boy is slower than the mother, but the mother isn"t slowing down. The boy looks back once and waves at his friend who waves back.
Takes.h.i.+ turns to the boy who is still gazing at his friend"s back. "What"s your name?"
Startled, the boy looks at him. "Sora."
"Sora, is Yuki your close friend?"
The boy gives him a nod.
"Can you tell me more about your friend?" Takes.h.i.+ asks him with a slow smile. Dazed by his smile, the boy gives him another nod.