The two of them came to a community park some distance away from Ogihara's home.
This is a small space, surrounded by a low fence, with a few ginkgo trees sparsely planted on both sides.
Swings, sandpit, toy castle...
Although the sparrow is small, it has all the internal organs.
Several children wearing short-breasted jackets were holding tools, kneeling or sitting, playing with the sand in the sandpit.
He burst out laughing, enjoying the present time carefree, as if he was never tired, simple and pure.
"come here."
Chi, chi.
Sayu sat down on the swing and motioned for him to come over.
Kato Yusuke did as he was told, holding the cold chain with both hands, and sat down on the swing next to him.
Chi, chi.
The sound of metal friction floated in the air.
The girl tapped the ground lightly with her toes and began to swing back and forth on the swing.
The sudden appearance of the uninvited guest attracted the curious gazes of the children across the street, but they quickly lost interest and continued to immerse themselves in making sand sculptures.
"I talked with my mother..."
"Um."
"After my brother's persuasion, I said to her, "I'm very sorry for causing trouble to you"..."
"Um."
"Then, let her eat the food... too."
"Um."
"...she said it was delicious."
"Um."
The chirping sound of the swing continued.
Sayu looked like she was looking into the distance and said, "In the end, she still didn't forgive me."
A little slower.
"Yes." Kato Yusuke nodded to show that he was listening.
The rustling, cool evening breeze blows.
I don’t know whether it is taking people back to the past yesterday, or the wind heading towards an unknown tomorrow passes between them.
""I... won't apologize to you, I won't apologize."
"Because...because, I really don't know...what went wrong."
The girl pushed her messed up hair behind her ears.
"...The eyes of my mother who said these words were full of sadness that I found incredible."
"In this way..." Kato Yusuke narrowed his eyes slightly and listened quietly.
"I always feel that, looking at a mother like that, I seem to finally understand why she is only so tough on me... There may be a past hidden in it that I don't know about."
Saying this, Sayu suddenly increased the strength of his swing.
Chirp, chirp, chirp, clang, clang.
In the sky, Venus couldn't wait to bloom.
At the entrance of the blue night, the petite body is riding on the swing, like a firefly floating in the air, illusory and beautiful.
Kato Yusuke's eyes also swayed, chasing the hair flying in the wind and the flowing skirt, until the next sentence came out.
"——Then, mother wants me to stay."
Boom.
It was like being hit in the head by something heavy.
"Although it's only for a little while."
The girl continued: "But since I was born, this is the first time I have talked calmly with my mother like this. That's all... but it makes me extremely happy."
The soft tone and the sound of chains floated into my ears.
Kato Yusuke put his arms on his spread thighs, crossed his hands into fists and put them to his mouth, and murmured.
"so……"
A feeling of frustration spread throughout my guts.
As if sensing his unhappiness, Sayu slowly stopped the swing.
At this time, a burst of crying suddenly came from the opposite side.
Looking up, I saw a child in the sandpit, covering his eyes with his arms and crying, while other children looked on helplessly.
Seeing this scene, the girl immediately got up from the swing and ran over there.
"What's wrong?" she said as she knelt down next to the crying boy.
"Ouch, it hurts so much, my hands hurt so much...!"
"Ah, it turns out you fell down. Can you let me take a look?"
Perhaps sensing the tenderness of her words, the boy sobbed and stretched out his hands, spreading them upward.
On the small palm of his hand, a small scratch appeared in Sayu's eyes, and there was still a lot of sand on it.
Seeing that there was nothing serious, Sayu nodded his head gently and spoke softer.
"It's okay, it's just a small injury. Sister will help you take care of it now."
"Ugh, really...?"
"That's right~"
"But it still hurts...!"
"If you are a handsome man, you will show your strong side at this time, and your friends are watching."
First, he calmed the boy's emotions and stopped him from crying, and then started rummaging in his pocket again.
Handkerchief, wet wipes, and band-aid, three things soon appeared in the girl's hands.
"Okay~ Don't move around next time, little brother."
Sayu warned while tearing open the package of disposable wipes.
Then he took the boy's injured hand and carefully cleaned the sand near the wound with a wet wipe.
Other children also gathered around and observed this scene curiously with their big round eyes.
"hiss……"
The irritation caused by the alcohol penetrated into the skin, making the boy's mouth pout and almost cry again.
However, perhaps considering that his companion was a little embarrassed in the presence, he finally managed to hold back the tears in his eyes and prevent them from falling.
"What a good boy. You are very brave."
"I'm...brave?"
"Yeah! So handsome~"
Sayu nodded with a smile, put the used wet wipes on his legs, then tore off a band-aid and carefully applied it to the bruised area. Finally, he wrapped the boy's hand with a handkerchief and slapped it on the back.
A knot.
"Okay, that's good. Does it still hurt now?"
Faced with the inquiry, the boy first looked at his hands, and then at her and the friends around him. Although his lips were murmuring, he shook his head vigorously, wiped his tears and said loudly:
"It doesn't hurt anymore, thank you, big sister!"
Sayu patted his head and praised: "Well, he is a man."
See the situation.
"Wow~ That's amazing."
The other children immediately surrounded the boy excitedly and sent words of admiration.
"Ah Jian is so brave, he didn't cry at all!"
"How handsome!"
"..."
Without participating in the children's interaction, Sayu walked to Kato Yusuke, who was following him, and looked at the scene with a smile.
"Why do you wear a Band-Aid?"
"This..."
The girl scratched her cheek in embarrassment and explained: "Because Yusuke often does some random things, so I prepared some with me, and I just happened to use them."
Yusuke was stunned by the unexpected answer, and then he also smiled.
"Is that so?"
"Well, that's it~"
The two of them stared at each other quietly, a sense of warmth welling up in their hearts.
Grain bracelet
"Sister, thank you! You are a good person!" The boy ran over and hugged Sayu's leg, his face full of sincerity and intimacy, and expressed his gratitude again.
Sayu also smiled and rubbed his little head.
Looking at the smiling girl, Kato Yusuke couldn't help but narrowed his eyes slightly, always feeling very dazzling.
At this time, a suspicious voice sounded from not far away.
"Xiao Jian...?"
Looking up, I saw a middle-aged woman with permed and curly hair looking at this place doubtfully, or at the boy at their feet.
"Ah! Mom!"
When the boy saw the person coming, he immediately let go and ran towards the person. At the same time, he raised his hands and shouted: "Mom, I accidentally fell down just now, and it was this big sister who helped me."
Although she was a little confused at first, after hearing the boy's explanation and seeing the handkerchief in his hand, the woman quickly understood.
Then he led the boy forward with a grateful smile on his face, bowed and said: "Thank you very much, little girl."
"No, it's just a small matter, you're welcome." Sayu waved her hands in embarrassment.
"How could it be that you are so kind-hearted..."
The woman who raised her head suddenly stopped mid-sentence and looked at her face carefully with doubtful eyes.
Just when Sayu turned her head away in confusion...
"Who are you……!"
As if she suddenly remembered something, the woman suddenly shouted: "You are the daughter of the Ogiwara family, the murderer——!!"
"……Eh?"
Sayu's smile froze on her face.
Time seemed to suddenly stand still.
Kato Yusuke's expression suddenly changed and he immediately took a step forward.
"What nonsense are you talking about! Auntie!"
"Children, come with me quickly——! Don't come near them!!"
The woman who said this grabbed the boy and called the other children to join her, leading them to leave here in a hurry.
He looked frightened and uneasy, as if he was avoiding a snake or a scorpion.
"What are you doing, Mom! That big sister is a good person...!"
"Shut up! What do children know? Come home with me!"
The sound faded away quickly.
The park that was noisy just now suddenly fell into silence.
Without choosing to chase after him, Kato Yusuke turned around and looked behind him.
Sayu just stood there blankly.
The vermilion sunset gathered the last trace of its afterglow on the horizon, and the light in the girl's eyes went out silently.
Like a candle in the wind...
…
In front of the Ogihara house, there are longing figures.
Just like taking a walk at night, residents from all over the neighborhood gathered here and chatted together.
"Good evening, Mrs. Yamazaki."
"Ah, good evening, Mr. Suzuki."
"Um, what are you doing?"
"Ah, haven't you heard about that?"
"That thing...? Sorry, I just got off work. What happened?"
"Hey, do you still remember that incident half a year ago...that murder incident?"
"Aha……?"
"The incident that happened in our area, where a classmate was pushed down from a building... was really shocking."
"Uh...? But I remember the outcome of that incident. Didn't the police report that it was suicide?"
"Oh, who can tell whether there is evidence for that incident or not?"
"Hmm...but why are you bringing this up now...?"
"Hey! This is it, Mr. Suzuki! The devil is back!"
"came back……?"
"That's right, that's the... second daughter of the Ogihara family."
"Well, why do you know such a thing?"
"Because I just saw it with my own eyes in the park! That demon actually appeared next to the children. It is simply too dangerous."
"Did the other party do anything hurtful?"
"No—! Fortunately, I arrived in time and sent the children to a safe place without giving her a chance."
"Oh... But isn't this all just your speculation? After all, it seems that the daughter of the Ogiwara family is only in high school, right? Would she really do this..."
"That's too much, Mr. Suzuki——! How can you talk like that? You have to know that I sent your child back!"
"This, this... I'm sorry... I made a mistake."
"Hey, why does that family have the nerve to live here, just causing trouble to others?"
"..."
Long sighs and short sighs came and went, and similar words were everywhere.
A group of middle-aged women were talking to each other, whispering to each other, and pointing at the Ogiwara family's bungalow.
Until the police who received the report came here in a police car.
After a lot of persuasion.
Everyone reluctantly returned to their homes...
I saw the crowd disperse.
In the bungalow, Kazusa Ogiwara, who was peering out of the second-floor window, breathed a sigh of relief.
After glancing at his mother who had already fallen asleep after drinking melatonin, he tightened the curtains and walked to the corridor on the second floor, where he happened to see the young man walking quietly out of Sayu's room.
Then he lowered his voice and asked, "How is Sayu?"
"I cried for a while and fell asleep temporarily." Kato Yusuke also whispered back after closing the door, with a large wet mark on the clothes on his chest.
"Well, thank you for your hard work."
"Let's talk in another place."
"good."
The two slowly walked downstairs and came to the living room.
After making sure that the sound would not disturb the people upstairs, Yusuke said in an extremely solemn tone: "I want to take Sayu away, this place is not suitable for her."
Ogiwara Kazusa frowned slightly at this, then shook his head and said: "I said, this matter must be decided by mother and Sayu themselves..."
The words are not finished yet...
Snapped.
A hand suddenly grabbed his arm.
"This is just a notification."
Kato Yusuke said in a deep voice: "I will not let Sayu live in this kind of environment."
The sudden force on his wrist made Yisa's expression change slightly, and he felt as if his arm was clamped by a vise, making him unable to move.
The air started to feel oppressive.
Staring into the other party's serious and intimidating eyes, Ogiwara Kazusa was silent for a while, and then slowly exhaled.
"...Then what did Sayu say? About this matter."
"She'll agree."
"With all due respect, is this what Kato-kun meant or Sayu's? Did you actually talk about this matter during the time you were out?"
Kato Yusuke frowned and slowly let go of his hand.
"And even if you take her away now, what will happen?"
Yi Sa glanced at him and rubbed her wrist, then continued: "Sayu's heart has been hurt. Even if she returns to Tokyo, can she continue to live as if nothing happened?"
Yusuke remained silent about this, his face filled with gloom, then turned around and walked out. When he reached the door, he suddenly stopped again, turned his face sideways and said:
"Even so, it's better than staying in Hokkaido. I don't believe you can take care of two people at the same time while taking care of the company."
With a "bang" sound, the door was closed with a little force.