It all started with a little girl standing in front of a big blue aquarium. Inside, swimming hundreds of different fishes. Dull to colorful. Small to big. The way the giant glass container shine so brightly blue outshining the other fish tanks captivated her.
Little Kizaki Matsuri's eyes darted at every corner of the tank, burning all the fishes she saw onto her memories. Her eyes slowly moved up to the top where the blinding light as if the sun showering the tank. She wondered if that was the real sun.
Fwoosh!
The sun flicker for a second as an enormous shadow passed by. Her eyes traced the shadow to a long figure with fins she feared the most. A Shark. The shark leisurely wiggle his way among the throng of fishes saying that he is the king of this tank. Matsuri's heart beating faster as to remember that sharks eat not only other fish but also human.
Matsuri took one step backward. Two steps. Three—Bump!—She was taken aback then turned around. What she was expecting was a towering feet of an adult and not another boy barely taller than her with the same uniform as her. His eyes were maroon and so clear she could see the blue tank in those eyes.
"Whale Shark…" The boy muttered.
"Eh?"
"It's a whale shark… they don't eat human."
With those words Matsuri felt relieved. But to her that doesn't reassuring as there was still the word 'Shark' in the name.
"Everyone had left… why are you still here?"
"Eh?" Matsuri darted around her surrounding. There weren't much people and also dark. She didn't see any other children with yellow hat but the boy.
Her heart beats faster and lungs gasping for air. Her eyes yet again about to burst out of tears. There's nobody. She was lost. Going home sounds impossible for her. But then…
"..!"
The boy grabbed her hand. "Follow me…" The boy started to walk, leading them away from the tank. He knew where he was going and for that Matsuri felt somehow safe.
"You know where the others?"
The boy didn't answer and kept walking as they wiggled their way through feet and baby strollers. Every time she started to lose the pace, the boy slowed down his rhythm and grasping her hand tighter than before.
After who knows how long they walk, the boy stopped in front of lining up fish tanks that were smaller than what they had just witness along the way.
"They should be here…" The boy muttered again.
When he said they, it must be their classmates. Matsuri started to feel restless again.
"Hey… shouldn't we asked the adults?"
The boy took a brief moment before answering, "If they found out that we were separated from others, Sensei might scold us."
Scold… she never like those word. But this feeling won't go away. The notion of not being able to go home and stuck in this maze of fishes were her fear.
"Don't worry, everyone shouldn't be far… trust me."
When he said that, yet again, Matsuri felt ease. The boy continued to tow her and leading her between rows and rows of fish tanks. Sometimes the boy would stop at a very interesting fish that color so dull yet look so interesting. Same with Matsuri, she will stop her feet and look at a fish that colorful but look like… a fish. Yet… their hand couldn't separate.
Suddenly, as they exited the area, a figure towered over them. He was a tall staff member. Despite his huge figure, the man gave them a warm smile as he crouched down. "The teacher had been looking for you guys."
Then the man spoke on the radio. Seemed to inform the other staff that he found two lost children.
Matsuri could breath easily but not for the boy. He looked more like disappointed than sad. He kept looking down as they wait for teacher to arrive.
The boy felt his hand being pulled and looked to his left where the girl smiling at him.
"We haven't know each other's name. I'm Kizaki Matsuri."
The boy froze. Her eyes were blue and glistening like the ocean tank while ago. "I'm Yamada Daichi…"
"Let's be friend, Daichi!"
He was baffled by her declaration. She was quite a while ago when they were walking through the exhibition and now suddenly become talkative.
Five minutes later, Nagomi-sensei arrived and bowed to the staff for finding the missing student.
"Both of you, it's dangerous to wonder around without a guardian," the teacher said with a worry in her tone. "So next time, don't separate from your friends okay?"
"Yes, Nagomi-sensei…" Both of them answered.
In the end, they were found out and scolded. But Matsuri didn't feel bad. She just glad that they can finally go home and also made a new friend… a best friend in fact.
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