Haruki, after literally falling onto his hands and knees, scanned his surroundings in alarm, desperately searching for the source of the voice. "Who's there?" he called out, his voice tinged with fear and confusion.
The silence stretched on, and for a moment, Haru questioned his own sanity, wondering if he had imagined the voice altogether. But just as doubt began to creep in, the voice spoke again, breaking the silence like a gentle breeze.
"First you try to break it, now you're sitting on it? I don't think that swing did anything wrong."
"What the hell?" Haruki's eyes darted around, but he saw no one. The mysterious voice only heightened his unease. "Who's talking?"
A sigh resonated through the air as the voice's owner urged him to look up. Following the advice, Haruki lifted his gaze, and his eyes landed on a small figure perched on a lower branch of a thick tree. A child, he realized, appearing slightly younger than himself. The boy's presence was partially obscured by the dancing shadows of the leaves, but Haruki could discern a book in his hands. Dressed in gray cargo pants and a navy turtle-neck sweater, he exuded an air of quiet confidence. Only the child's vibrant ginger locks peeked out from the shadows, adding a touch of vividness to the scene.
"You fell pretty hard and started crying earlier," the kid remarked, genuine concern in his voice. "You okay?"
"Like hell I was crying," Haru dismissed, his pride compelling him to rise and brush off his faded blue jeans.
"I saw."
Haruki mistook the kid's inquiry for mockery, instantly feeling a surge of annoyance.
"You saw wrong," he retorted, attempting to maintain composure. "And where did you even come from? You're disturbing my peace."
"You're the one who came later though," the boy in the tree said, a hint of woundedness in his tone.
But Haruki brushed off the remark, his voice laced with determination. "So, just because you arrived a little earlier, you think you have the right to meddle in other people's affairs?"
The kid's initial concern gradually transformed into indifference, leaving a silence in its wake. Eventually, he spoke again. "I was just shocked when a bawling kid stumbled into 'my' territory and began vandalizing 'my' property."
Haruki sensed the shift in the other's mood and scoffed, placing his hands on his hips. "Your property? Don't make me laugh."
"If not mine, then whose?"
"Park property doesn't belong to anyone, dumb kid," Haruki snorted. The kid fell silent, prompting Haruki to raise an eyebrow. "What, no more complaints?" he taunted.
"It's mine."
Haru felt baffled. Suddenly, he retorted with anger, "Listen, kid, I don't care who you think you are, but—"
"That swing, it has my name on it," the child spoke calmly.
"What name? What nonsense are you talking about?" Haru had reached his limit with the kid, so he lifted the swing seat and inspected it. Just an ordinary wooden plank. Nothing special about it.
He turned it over to examine the underside.
And there, in the corner of the plank, intricately carved initials caught his eye: K. N.
...Huh?
Realizing that his opponent had ceased arguing, the boy perched in the tree repeated flatly, "It's mine."
However, Haruki's stubbornness flared up.
He whirled around and snapped, "So what if there are initials carved into it? Some delinquent brat probably decided to mess around and do graffiti. Even if those are really your initials, it doesn't mean the swing belongs to you. You found it here and decided to personalize park property, which is against the rules!"
"It's still mine."
"Huh?"
"Forget it," the kid nonchalantly leaned back against the tree trunk, refocusing on his book.
Minutes ticked by, and it took a while for Haru to process what had just happened.
The kid was completely ignoring him now.
"Hey, I'm not done with you yet!"
Silence.
"Are you listening?!"
Still nothing.
"I know you can hear me!!"
The kid finally spoke, but it was only to say, "No point wasting words on someone who doesn't understand human speech."
Haruki, at a loss for words, remained silent.
What?!
"I dare he say that again!" Haruki pointed a threatening finger at the boy above, demanding, "Come down here and say that to my face!"
"I'd rather not."
"Ha! You're just scared," Haru sneered, a smug expression on his face. "Look at how you're trembling in your shoes!"
"I'm not wearing shoes."
"That wasn't literal!"
"My apologies then."
Throughout their entire exchange, Haruki was the only one screaming and yelling. Meanwhile, the ginger-haired kid maintained his composure, treating Haruki like a minor annoyance that could be easily ignored. With each sentence, Haruki's irritation grew. He had already been angry when he arrived, but this brat had managed to sour his mood even more.
Any thoughts of making friends with him vanished. A person as arrogant as this would never qualify to enter Haruki's inner circle.
"Tsk, screw this. As if I could even continue breathing the same air as you," Haruki finally spun around to leave, muttering angrily to himself. "Such an annoying brat. How troublesome..."
As he stalked off, the kid in the tree lowered his book and placed it on his lap, turning his head slightly to watch the intruder leave. He heard Haruki's muttered remarks but chose not to retaliate.
He was simply grateful for the return of peace and quiet.
Focusing back on his book, the ginger-haired kid muttered to himself, "They're all the same."
...
Haruki grumbled insults as he made his way to the park exit, feeling utterly furious. It wasn't until he reached the gate and glanced back that he realized he and the boy had been the only ones left. He suddenly realized how late it was. How long had he been wallowing miserably before encountering that kid earlier? Under the shade of that sprawling tree, time seemed to slip away.
In the distance, he noticed a security guard leaving his shed for an evening patrol, and for some reason, his thoughts turned to the boy from earlier.
Doesn't he realize how late it is? At this rate, he might get locked inside; Haruki thought, taking an unconscious step back in the direction he had just come from.
The sudden realization stunned him.
Just moments ago, the mere thought of that brat infuriated him. So why on earth was he considering going back?
Coming to a halt, Haruki turned once more and quietly exited the gate. It wasn't his problem to deal with. If the kid ended up locked inside, paying a visit to the patrol guard wouldn't be a difficult task.
...
As soon as Haruki stepped onto his front porch, he was greeted by a deeply concerned Maki Fukuda at the door, who had already prepared a coat to go out and search for him. Haruki quickly made up an excuse about running into a friend from school, explaining his delayed return. He avoided elaborating further and apologized for worrying his parents before heading to his room.
Though they weren't entirely convinced, his parents decided not to pry. Haruki had enough on his mind, and interrogation would only worsen his mood. Forcing dinner on him was out of the question, so Maki allowed him to eat during his own time.
Later that night, as he lay in bed, Haruki found himself involuntarily thinking about the peculiar kid he had encountered in the park. Despite his bitterness and reluctance, he secretly wondered if the boy had managed to leave in time or if the park's security had found him.
Lost in these thoughts, Haru gradually drifted into a dreamless sleep.
~~~~~~