After a break, we were back to patrolling. I half expected Shoko to insist that the three of us stick together, but surprisingly, she suggested we split up to cover more ground. Mai was quick to agree, and I had no objections either.
Without deciding on a strict route, I strolled around Dreamland like before, keeping an eye out.
After wandering around for a good thirty minutes, I didn’t find a single lost child. Whenever I did spot a kid by themselves, it was usually because they were waiting on their family to finish shopping at a nearby store. If everything stayed this quiet, that would be ideal—but I couldn’t shake a faint sense of anticlimax compared to other volunteer days.
Then, I heard a faint electronic tone.
“…Ah, ah. Testing, testing. This is Shoko.”
Shoko’s voice came over the radio. I put in my earphone to catch her words clearly.
“What’s up?”
“Lost child spotted in the D21 area. Requesting immediate assistance.”
“…Assistance? Shouldn’t you just contact the Lost Child Center?”
“Just get over here, quick! Ah! Oh no! Gwahhhh—”
Her transmission abruptly cut off. This reeked of something fishy. I tried calling back over the radio, but there was no response.
I had a bad feeling about this, but I couldn’t exactly ignore it. Sighing, I headed toward D21. Luckily, it wasn’t too far, and I’d get there in a few minutes if I moved quickly through the crowd.
D21 was the event area. A large outdoor stage was set up, with a big crowd gathered around. I scanned the area for Shoko, but she was nowhere in sight.
“Shoko, I’m here. Where are you?”
There was still no response from her. After another search around the area, I still didn’t see any sign of her. For a moment, anxiety twisted in my gut—had something actually happened to her? Just then—
“Yuichi-san!”
Mai ran up, looking flustered and anxious.
“You came too?”
“Um, Shoko-san called me over the radio too.”
“She called me too.”
As the two of us stood there, confused and at a loss, the light on my radio suddenly turned red.
When I turned it on and put in my earphone, Shoko’s voice came through.
“A boy lost in love has been found. His name is Hirano Yuichi. Escort mission commencing.”
“We’re leaving, Mai. Shoko’s just messing with us.”
I felt so exasperated that I couldn’t even be mad. That girl really was something else. Just as I was about to turn and leave, a huge burst of flame erupted from the outdoor stage. A grand fanfare blared, and the crowd burst into cheers.
“Ah, looks like the circus show just started.”
So Shoko timed it for this, huh? Even from this distance, we had a clear enough view of the circus. Damn, she put a lot of effort into this.
“It’s for Kawase-san, Yuichi. Cheering up Kawase-san is part of our mission today, right?”
I could faintly hear Shoko’s stifled laughter over the radio, even as she tried to contain it.
“…Shall we watch a little?”
“Is that really okay? Won’t it count as slacking off…?”
“No, Shoko’s covering our part of the patrol, apparently.”
“Wha?”
“Oh, I see… In that case, let’s watch for a bit!”
Mai’s eyes sparkled with childlike excitement as she gazed at the stage. A clown appeared from backstage, greeting the crowd and performing tricks—juggling, tumbling through hoops, and a string of light-hearted acts followed. Then came stunts involving tigers and the trapeze, thrilling the audience each time the performers nailed their moves. Mai was completely absorbed, exclaiming “Ohhh!” and “Wow!” every now and then.
I’d always seen Mai making others happy, but it felt rare to see her so delighted herself. Watching her like this, her carefree excitement reminded me of Kazuki. It struck me again—they really were siblings.
“If you don’t act now, you’re no man at all.”
If that meddling woman weren’t here, I could just enjoy the circus.
“Listen, first, you lift Kawase-san’s chin with your right hand, turn her toward you, and then whisper in her ear, ‘Mai, your eyes captivate me more than any performance—’”
I turned off the radio.
“Did something happen, Yuichi-san?”
“Nah, just shooed off a noisy pest.”
“Is that so?—? Uh, yes.”
Mai murmured something to herself, then stared intently at me.
“Yuichi-san, please stop juggling my heart like that—wait, what does that even mean?”
“Turn off your radio.”
The circus ended about an hour later. Together with Mai and the cheering crowd, I clapped for the performers. As people began to trickle out, Mai and I moved away from the area.
“The circus was amazing!”
“Yeah. It’s the first time I’ve seen one too; it’s a lot of fun.”
“Yes!”
Mai began to skip lightly as she walked. Watching her, I was glad I’d invited her for today’s volunteer work.
Until now, Mai’s days off had probably been either spent visiting Kazuki in the hospital or volunteering. She needed a day off to simply enjoy herself once in a while.
“Mommy, wasn’t that awesome?”
“Yes, it really was.”
“When I grow up, I’m going to be a clown!”
“Haha, aim a little higher if you’re going to set a goal.”
In the crowd streaming out of the area, I spotted a young family. A child was walking happily, holding hands with both parents.
“…”
Mai gazed at the family with a wistful expression.
“I wish Kazuki could’ve seen this too.”
“…Have you ever been to a place like this with your family?”
“Kazuki’s always been a bit weak, so we never really went anywhere far.”
“I see.”
Mai stood there for a moment, as if recalling memories with Kazuki. Quietly wiping the corner of her eye so I couldn’t see, she said,
“Do you think there’s circuses in heaven, too?”
She didn’t know it, but those words tore right through me.
“…Who knows.”
“Do you think people in heaven can see this world? If they could, maybe Kazuki would have seen this circus too.”
“…Who knows.”
“Yuichi-san?”
Just then, the sound of a child crying reached us.
Mai and I turned at the same time toward the voice. A small boy was crying loudly by the side of the road. We quickly rushed over to him.
“What’s wrong, kiddo? Where are your parents?”
Mai spoke gently, and the boy sniffled as he shook his head.
“You got separated from them?”
“Yeah…”
“What’s your name?”
This time, I asked him.
“…Hayato.”
“Hayato-kun, do you remember where you got separated from your parents?”
As Mai consoled Hayato, I used the radio to contact the Lost Child Center.
“This is Hirano. We found a lost boy in D21. His name is Hayato.”
“Could you describe the child’s appearance?”
“He’s in the lower grades of elementary school, wearing a small backpack, a red T-shirt, shorts, and sneakers. Both parents are likely in the park.”
“Understood. Please bring him to us, and contact us if there are any issues.”
After hanging up, I turned to Mai.
“Let’s take him to the Lost Child Center.”
“Yes. Hayato-kun, let’s go look for your parents together.”
When Mai gently took Hayato’s hand, he suddenly pulled away, pouting.
“I’m hungry.”
“Huh?”
I couldn’t help but let out a flat response.
“I’m hungry.”
“Hayato-kun, didn’t you eat lunch?”
He nodded, then plopped down on the ground. Mai looked at me, clearly at a loss.
“Hayato, let’s find your parents first. Then you can have lunch.”
But he shook his head and wouldn’t budge. No matter how we coaxed him, Hayato refused to move.
“What should we do?”
“Maybe contact the Lost Child Center again?”
“Why don’t we get him some food?”
“I mean, we could… but wouldn’t it be tricky?”
I looked around. It was just after noon—prime lunchtime. Every food spot was packed, and there wasn’t anything we could grab on the go.
“…How about there?”
Mai pointed to a large restaurant labeled Dream Restaurant. It was a three-story building with large windows, and from here, I could see a few open seats by the windows. A place that size probably wouldn’t fill up completely, so if we waited a bit, a seat might open up.
“Hayato-kun, how about we eat there?”
At Mai’s suggestion, Hayato stopped crying and nodded. Smiling, Mai helped him to his feet.
“I’ll take him to that restaurant. Yuichi-san, could you please update the Lost Child Center?”
“I don’t mind, but… are you sure? Going that far for him?”
“Yes. I want to do something nice for him.”
Mai gently patted Hayato’s head.
“…”
He seemed even younger than Kazuki. I wondered if, unconsciously, Mai was seeing Kazuki in this boy. Maybe, somewhere in her heart, she dreamed of going around a theme park with her little brother.
“…Alright, he’s in your hands. Call me if anything comes up.”
After nodding, I walked toward the Lost Child Center. I glanced back once and saw Mai and Hayato entering the restaurant, hand in hand, looking just like siblings.
“Hmm… I’d rather you didn’t make such choices on your own…”
The middle-aged male staff member gave me a slightly sour look, but I kept my head down, apologizing profusely.
“I’m really sorry. But he was too hungry to move.”
“If that’s the case, please contact us first next time… Oh well. I’ll make an announcement through the park speakers, so could you describe the child again?”
I told him Hayato’s description, and after a few more clarifications, I received his approval to wait outside the Lost Child Center.
Now all I had to do was wait for Mai to return. If necessary, I could go pick them up.
“Oh, Yuichi, what are you doing here?”
Shoko appeared, holding the hand of a small girl beside her.
“Another lost kid?”
“Yeah. She ran out of the haunted house and got separated from her parents.”
“Doing actual volunteer work, I see.”
“Leaving her alone would’ve been a bad idea. Another lost child on your end? …Wait, where’s Kawase-san?”
I prompted her to drop the girl off first, then explained the situation to her after she returned.
“Wow, impressive. I could never do that.”
“It’s something she wants to do. Might as well let her.”
“Yuichi, you really get Kawase-san, huh?”
Shoko sidled up to me with a mischievous grin.
“…What?”
“So, what happened?”
“What do you mean?”
I could guess what she wanted to know, but I asked to make sure.
“Did you confess?”
“No, we just watched the circus.”
“And after that?”
“We found a lost child.”
Shoko let out a deep, exaggerated sigh and shrugged her shoulders.
“Ugh, you coward.”
“I keep telling you, Mai and I aren’t like that. And why are you so determined to get us together?”
I was starting to feel like I couldn’t keep up with her junior-high-level antics.
“Because you used to hate people who acted all self-righteous. When I first met Kawase-san, I was sure she was exactly that type. I thought, ‘Wow, she’s definitely not going to get along with Yuichi.’ But then, before I knew it, you two clicked, and now you’re doing volunteer work together. I was stunned.”
“…”
“I’ve never seen you so fixated on someone before, Yuichi. Watching you two, I realized you’re kindred spirits.”
Kindred spirits… Maybe she was right.
In the end, we were probably saying the same things and thinking the same way, just from different perspectives.
At first, we clashed head-on, but we quickly came to understand each other, and now, we walked the same path.
Mai embraced people’s goodwill directly. After what happened with my sister, I’d grown cynical, unable to see things clearly. If I hadn’t met her, I probably would have kept wallowing in my issues.
“You two are perfect for each other. You don’t hate Kawase-san, right?”
“…I guess not.”
Satisfied with my response, Shoko grinned.
“Once volunteering’s over, why don’t you ride the Ferris wheel together?”
“We’ll see.”
After that, Shoko didn’t say another word, and I silently waited for Mai to return.
At that moment—
A loud bang resonated through my stomach.
Shoko and I whipped our heads in the direction of the sound. A dark plume of smoke was rising in the distance. The whole park erupted into chaos as people stopped to stare at the source of the explosion.
“Was that… an explosion?”
Shoko furrowed her brows. Inside the Lost Child Center, people were rushing about in confusion.
“What the hell happened!?”
One of the staff members was calling someone on the radio.
“…Hello? …What? An explosion? Where? …Dream Restaurant?”
My eyes widened.
