Chapter 192: Evil Female Executive ~For the First Time~ (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 192: Evil Female Executive ~For the First Time~ (4)
Everyone feels curiosity toward things they have never experienced. Likewise, everyone weighs the potential gains and losses before acting on that curiosity.
When doing something for the first time, it is only natural to prepare for contingencies. However, when even those preparations go awry, someone with little experience is bound to freeze up.
That was exactly the situation A and Seira found themselves in.
The moment they tried to board the bus at the stop, they realized the wallet was gone, and the bus they were supposed to take pulled away.
Anxious that they might be separated again, they tried to find a way home, but nothing went according to plan.
They had brought Seira’s phone just in case of an emergency. Even if they got in trouble, going home was far better than staying stranded like this.
Seira paused as she rummaged through the crossbody bag she was wearing. She was certain she had packed her phone that morning for just such an occasion, and she hadn't taken it out of the bag once since leaving the house.
Since she hadn't opened the bag while they were playing together, there was no way she could have lost it. Then, a sudden thought flashed through her mind.
‘…Did I really pack it?’
Her certainty that she had grabbed her phone before leaving home began to blur.
Seira had been filled with great expectations about coming to the city. Although she felt uneasy about coming out with just A and no adults, her excitement had been greater.
She had told herself to stay sharp so that the restless A wouldn't make a mistake, but she had soon been swept up in his energy, becoming excited enough to play along with him.
Tracing back her memories, Seira finally remembered. Before leaving the house that morning, she had left her phone sitting right there on her desk.
The sun was dipping below the horizon, casting a golden glow across the sky. The two children, having lost both their way home and their means of contact, sat on a park bench, staring blankly at the ground.
No matter how much they racked their brains for a way to get home, no answer came. The anxiety in their hearts only grew larger.
"I'm sorry."
Seira’s voice was small, but A heard it clearly and turned his head.
"If only I had remembered my phone..."
The reason A had suggested coming to the city was because Seira had a phone. He believed that as long as they had a way to contact someone if a problem arose, they could solve it somehow. He had trusted that Seira would bring it.
Seira would bring the phone.
Seira knew that A had made the suggestion with that assumption in mind. Because she knew, she felt like a fool for making the mistake of leaving it behind.
She had enjoyed herself so much, yet she had failed to take care of the one thing she was supposed to.
The more she thought about it, the more pathetic she felt for having been all smiles while playing with A earlier that day.
"No, I'm the one who suggested coming to the city. And I'm the one who lost the wallet..."
A felt just as pathetic. Despite his grand promises to Seira that there would be no problems, he had lost the most important thing: the wallet.
He also felt that losing track of Seira earlier was his fault. It was A who had persuaded Seira to come along when she had initially expressed her reluctance.
Since he was the one who convinced her, he felt it was his responsibility to look after her. But as he watched Seira having fun in the city, that heavy sense of responsibility had gradually faded.
And then, he had lost her once.
The shock he felt when he turned around and saw she was gone came rushing back. Even then, he still had his wallet, so he could have found a way home somehow.
But Seira, who had come along trusting him with only her phone, had no way to get home unless she could call someone. It was obvious they would both be scolded by adults if they found out they had recklessly come to the city alone.
He didn't want Seira to be the only one getting in trouble because of him, so he had searched for her desperately.
The result was their current situation: no wallet, no phone.
If only he had checked at the bus stop to see if Seira had her phone before they left. The thought came too late; the damage was done.
Seira, who had claimed the fault was hers, fell silent. Even though A said otherwise, she still believed the blame lay with her.
The two children fell into silence once more.
The sky, dyed by the sunset, turned black in an instant.
The children who had been playing in the park returned home one by one, leaving A and Seira sitting alone in the empty park.
The market alley next to the park was still bustling. A, who had been staring at the ground, lifted his head to look toward the market, which overflowed with bright and cheerful energy.
"Sniff, hic."
"Seira..."
Seira, who had been sitting still in silence, began to sob.
A growl echoed from the stomach she was clutching with her hands. Summer days are long, and the time around sunset is usually when people have already finished dinner.
Looking at the clock in the center of the park, he saw that dinner time had long since passed. Watching the sobbing Seira, A felt the pangs of hunger as well.
"Are you okay?"
When he asked softly, Seira wiped away her falling tears.
"I'm hungry."
As her usual mealtime passed, the hunger set in, and the tension of their situation made it feel even more overwhelming. Moreover, because there was no clear solution, the hunger felt like more than just an empty stomach—it felt like a physical ache.
A panicked. There was nothing he could do right now. If he hadn't lost his wallet, he would have bought her something to eat.
In fact, if he had the wallet, they would have been home on the bus long ago. Once again, he felt pathetic for losing it and decided he had to resolve this situation somehow.
"Wait just a moment."
As A stood up from the bench to go somewhere, Seira grabbed his sleeve.
"Where are you going?"
Seeing her tearful eyes as she lifted her head, A felt a wave of guilt for letting things get this far.
"Just wait a moment. I'll be right back."
"You're coming back, right?"
"Yeah. I'll definitely come back."
A squeezed Seira’s hand and told her to wait, then let go and ran toward the market. Watching A run off at full speed, Seira lowered her head again. Between the nerves and the hunger, she couldn't bring herself to take a single step.
Minutes passed like hours, and Seira’s gaze remained fixed on the path A had taken. He was nowhere to be seen, and a sudden wave of anxiety washed over her.
What if A had just gone home? What if he didn't come back and she was left here alone forever? The worry surged, and she felt like she was about to burst into tears.
"A..."
Sitting alone in the park, where now only the occasional adult passed by, she softly called his name. Even when she called out in a tiny voice, barely audible, A had always listened and answered—but now, there was no reply.
She felt as if she had been left all alone in the world.
"Seira."
Just as she lowered her head to let the tears fall, she heard a voice.
She looked up to find A standing in front of her, holding a paper bag.
"You're really hungry, right? Here, eat this."
When he opened the paper bag, there were two toasts wrapped in paper inside.
"Huh?"
She looked at A with eyes that asked, 'How? You don't have any money because you lost your wallet.' Sensing her gaze, he offered a smile.
"I went to the shop over there and asked them for a favor."
"Is that okay?"
"It's better than being hungry."
Sitting on the bench, A took one toast out of the bag and pressed it into Seira’s hand. The warmth of the freshly made toast seeped into her palm. Driven by hunger, Seira didn't hesitate and took a bite.
Seeing Seira take a large bite and start eating, A finally felt a bit of relief. He held his own toast and watched her eat from beginning to end.
Perhaps because she was so hungry, Seira, who usually wasn't a fast eater, finished the toast in an instant.
"Seira. Here."
"Hmm?"
Worried that she might still be hungry, A split his toast in half and handed one piece to her.
"Oh? But then you won't have much to eat, A."
"I'm fine. I'm not that hungry."
After a moment's hesitation, Seira took the half-toast A offered. She ate the remaining half with him, and only after finishing it did her stomach finally feel full.
"Are you okay now?"
"Yeah, I'm okay. What about you, A?"
"I'm fine too."
With her hunger satisfied, Seira’s expression looked much more relaxed than before, allowing A to smile with a lighter heart.
"Shall we go home now?"
"How?"
At the suggestion of going home, Seira’s eyes widened in confusion. With no way to contact anyone and no means of transportation, the idea of "going home" made her wonder what on earth he was talking about.
"I think we can walk. We can just follow the road the bus took. It took about thirty minutes by bus, so maybe we can get there quickly if we walk."
His sense of distance was vague, but it was the best plan A could come up with. He judged that it was better to head toward home than to stay here where no one knew where they were.
"Let's go together."
"...Okay."
A stood up from the bench and reached out his hand. After a moment of hesitation, Seira took it. Since A spoke with such confidence, she believed they could surely reach home. With that trust, Seira headed toward the bus stop with A.
"We came from this way, so we should go that way."
The two children held hands tightly and walked along the street lit by streetlamps. As they left the main thoroughfare, the lights began to thin out. There were many cars on the road, but at some point, they noticed the number of pedestrians was dwindling.
However, neither of them mentioned being scared. They felt that the moment they said they were afraid, their feet would stop moving.
Yet, they could tell they were both frightened. The people disappeared, leaving only the rhythmic glow of streetlamps on the wide road, while cars sped past on the adjacent driveway.
Whenever the thought of whether they could truly make it home crossed their minds, they gripped each other's hands tighter.
A, who had slightly more experience in the city than Seira, couldn't help but be even more tense. He racked his memory as hard as he could, trying to recall the scenery he had seen while riding in cars.
Feeling the responsibility to get Seira home safely, A kept his eyes forward and walked on, holding her hand firmly.
"!"
While searching through his flickering memories, A saw a road he definitely recognized. He was certain because it was a path he had seen both when riding with his parents and when taking the bus.
Overjoyed at finding a familiar road, A let go of Seira’s hand and ran ahead to confirm the path.
"A!"
A startled Seira called out to him urgently, but her voice didn't reach his ears. A, having run ahead quickly, looked around and rejoiced that he was indeed on the right path.
"Seira! I know this road. If we go that way—"
It was only two bus stops away, but the scenery had changed completely. Thrilled to have found a familiar landmark amidst it all, A spoke loudly and turned around, only to find Seira had fallen.
"Ugh, waaaah!"
The moment their eyes met, Seira burst into tears. A rushed back to her side.
"I'm sorry, Seira. Are you okay?"
After helping the crying Seira up, he hugged her and patted her back.
"Ugh, hic. Sniff."
Perhaps because A had come to her immediately, Seira stopped crying quickly. She was relieved that A, who had been moving away, had come back.
"I'm sorry. I won't go on ahead alone."
Knowing she had stopped crying, he patted her back a bit more before releasing the hug and brushing the dust off her clothes. Seira, who had tripped while trying to chase after the running A, had a slightly scraped chin and palms, and her knee was torn and bleeding.
"..."
Seeing the blood on Seira’s knee, A immediately took off his overshirt and wrapped it around her leg.
"Here."
Then, he crouched down in front of her and offered his back for a piggyback ride.
"But then it'll be hard for you, A."
"It's okay. You can't walk if your leg hurts."
Though the shirt was wrapped around it, the pain in her leg was still there. After a moment's hesitation, Seira climbed onto the back A was patiently offering.
And so, they began to walk again. A had thought they would be home soon since he found a familiar road, but no matter how much they walked, their neighborhood was nowhere in sight.
Still, A didn't stop walking, believing that if they just kept going, they would eventually arrive.
Seira, riding on his back, was equally anxious, but she felt it would be okay as long as A was with her.
"Hey, A."
When Seira called out softly from his back, A turned his head slightly.
"You know... I've moved a lot because of my mom and dad's work."
A wondered why she was suddenly bringing this up, but he didn't ask and simply listened to her story as he walked.
"I went to school for the first time last year, but I transferred during summer break after the first semester ended. At the new school, all the kids were already friends. But just as I was getting close to them, I transferred again, and soon it was winter break."
Hearing for the first time that Seira had transferred three times just last year, A listened intently without slowing his pace.
"And then this year started, but not long after the new semester began, I transferred again. Then a month later, I transferred again and came here."
Seira had moved here a month ago, shortly after the new semester had started.
"I thought I'd probably transfer again, so I tried not to get close to anyone. But then A asked me to play... I pretended I didn't want to, but I was actually really happy. There are hard days, but when I play with A, I forget about the hard things... I was scared about coming to the city today, but I was also really looking forward to it."
"Yeah."
A’s voice grew low as he thought about how her expectations had been ruined because of him.
"...Actually, I wanted to become even closer friends with A. And I want us to stay friends in the future, too."
Seira’s voice trembled as she told her story, and A’s feet, which had been moving steadily, came to a halt.
"So, if... if I ever transfer again..."
Unable to finish her sentence, Seira hugged A tightly from behind. Feeling her trembling, A offered a bright smile.
"Even if you transfer, Seira, I'll always be your friend."
"...Really?"
Sensing what Seira wanted to hear, A spoke his sincere feelings with a smile.
"Yeah. No matter where you go or what you do, I'll be your friend forever, so you don't have to worry."
"...Promise."
Seira held out her pinky from his back. A realized he couldn't use his hands.
"Seira, I can't hook pinkies right now."
When he laughed awkwardly and said he couldn't make the promise because he was carrying her, Seira forced her pinky to hook around A’s hand that was supporting her.
"There. Now it's done, right? It's a promise."
"Yeah, a promise."
They had gone through a frightening experience they had never known before, and both children believed the fault was their own. Seira had been anxious that A, who had reached out to her, might not want to play with her anymore because of this incident. Her desire to remain his friend had prompted her to open up.
Hearing that they would be friends forever allowed her to relax, and a smile finally appeared on her previously dark face.
Just as A was about to take another step, a car coming from behind pulled up beside them.
"Mom. Dad."
Two people got out of the car. It was a man and a woman, and the moment she saw them, Seira spoke softly.
"Seira!"
A was meeting Seira’s parents for the first time. They rushed toward the two children, and A carefully set Seira down.
"What are you doing here at this hour? Are you okay?"
"...I'm sorry. I did something bad."
Seira lowered her head, shrinking back in anticipation of a scolding. Her parents' gaze shifted from her to A.
"You must be A?"
"Ah, yes. Hello."
A also shrunk back, expecting to be scolded. However, the reaction from Seira’s parents was completely different from what the two had imagined.
"Let's go home first. A, your parents are looking for you right now, too."
"...Yes."
A and Seira couldn't say another word as they climbed into the car. The two remained silent during the ride. It didn't take long to reach the neighborhood. A got out in front of his house and took back the shirt he had tied around Seira’s leg.
"We've contacted your parents, so they'll be home soon."
"Yes. Thank you."
"A, get home safe."
"Yeah. You too, Seira."
With that, Seira and her parents drove off toward their house a block away, and A watched the car disappear before entering his home.
The door was unlocked and the lights were on, but no one was inside.
A went into the living room and sat on the sofa. Just as Seira’s parents had said, it wasn't long before he heard a car stop outside.
Then came the sound of someone running. Along with the sound of the door swinging open, A’s mother rushed into the house.
"A!"
"Mom..."
"How could you stay out until this hour? Do you have any idea how worried I was?"
"I'm sorry."
He apologized in a tiny voice, filled with guilt for making his mother worry. As his mother held him, A’s eyes met his father's, who had entered a moment later after parking the car.
His father, who usually had a friendly and gentle gaze, was looking at A with a very serious expression. The moment A saw his father's eyes, his face crumpled.
"Dad... I'm sorry."
"A. What about Seira?"
"Ugh, hic. Because of me... Seira got hurt because of me... Sniff."
While held in his mother's arms, A looked at his father's face over her shoulder and finally let out the tears he had been holding back when asked about Seira.
"Seira cried, and she said she was hungry. Because of me, Seira... Waaaaah!"
He finally burst into a full sob, and A’s father approached and stroked his son's head.
"It's enough that you know what you did wrong. Make sure to apologize properly to Seira tomorrow."
"Sniff, okay."
*
The next morning.
Because he had left the house early and caused such a big scene the day before, A stayed quietly at home from the morning without going out.
He sat obediently in a chair at the dining table, waiting for his mother to finish making breakfast. Neither his mother nor his father said a word to him. They knew A was already well aware of his mistake.
A’s father, who had intended to give him a lecture if he acted as if he had forgotten about yesterday, decided it was better to say nothing seeing his son so subdued.
"A. Did you wash your hands?"
"Yeah."
He answered his mother's question in a dejected voice as she set the dishes on the table. Even though she knew he was reflecting on his actions, seeing her son so unlike his usual self made A’s mother feel uneasy.
Just then, the doorbell rang. After glancing at her son, she headed to the front door. His father stood up from the sofa to help with the meal preparations.
A moment later, his mother returned to the living room with a smile and headed to the kitchen. A, still sitting still, turned his head at the sensation of someone nearby.
"!"
For the first time, Seira had come to A’s house on her own. Surprised that she had come without him going to get her, A’s shock was brief. He decided he had to apologize for yesterday—for the trouble he caused by suggesting they go to the city.
"...What are we going to do today?"
Seira, who had been gauging A’s reaction, spoke first. Thinking he had misheard her, A stared at her blankly and let out a confused, "Huh?"
"I asked what we're going to do today."
"Uh..."
A, who hadn't even thought about what to do today, couldn't give a proper answer and just made a dumbfounded sound.
"From now on, I'm going to check everything before you do it, A."
"...Always?"
"Of course. Because we're friends."
Seira, who had been looking at the dining table, turned to A and smiled. Cheered up by her calling him a friend, A smiled back, and as their eyes met, the two of them simply shared a smile for a long moment.