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Idris thought that the child he had encountered in the forest yesterday would never appear before him again.
No, he wouldn't even think about the child at all.
Because if he heard such words, he wouldn't want to come back out of spite. That's only natural.
But...
"Hello?"
Breaking Idris's expectations, the child came again the next day.
Very confidently, even to his house.
Idris, who belatedly felt something was wrong, tried to close the door, but the child's foot, wedged into the doorframe, was faster.
"I went home yesterday and thought about it, and I wanted to apologize properly."
"I don't need―"
"Yesterday, I was really sorry for thinking selfishly and being nosy. I didn't consider your position."
It's rare for people to admit their mistakes and apologize.
Idris was inwardly surprised by the child's sincere apology, but that was all.
"Are you done? Then leave."
But unlike Idris, who was trying to chase the child away as soon as possible, the child didn't let go of the door he was holding.
"Wait, wait! I still have something to say!"
Idris was starting to get annoyed again, but instead of fighting with the child, he decided to listen to one more word.
"You don't need my help, but I need your help."
What could a person who looks perfectly healthy―though not really blind―need the help of a blind person for?
As if answering Idris's question, the child continued.
"I don't have any friends. So, can you be my friend?"
Huh.
Idris burst into an absurd chuckle.
That was his first meeting with the child.
After that day.
Whether it was true that the child had no friends, she came to visit so often that it was sickening.
"My name is Aria. What's your name?"
Idris didn't tell Aria his name.
'In a few days, he'll get tired of this friend game anyway.'
There was no need to tell his name to a child who would soon leave.
The two children roamed the forest together, caught and grilled fish, and on rainy days, they listened to the sound of the rain―Aria wanted to splash in puddles, but Idris didn't like it―and played.
"I hear the sound of insects outside. Can you hear it? I think autumn has come."
Aria expressed her surroundings through hearing, smell, and touch rather than sight, perhaps out of consideration for him, who couldn't see.
Only then did Idris realize.
Spring, when his mother passed away.
Time, which seemed like it would never pass, had flowed and he was already standing before autumn.
And the child, who had come at the beginning of summer and was expected to pass with the summer rain, was still steadfastly by his side.
'When will this kid leave me?'
Idris was curious, but at the same time, he didn't want to know.
The time for which he was curious about the end but didn't want to know, continued peacefully for a while after that.
Of course, there were also days that weren't peaceful.
"Hey, beggar. Where did that girl you were hanging out with go?"
Idris, who had arrived at the entrance of the forest to meet Aria, ran into the village children.
They were the guys who harassed him for various reasons whenever they ran into him.
Usually, if he just stayed still without answering, they would pour out jeers and taunts and then leave...
"Hey, you just ignored us when we called you last time and just left, right?"
"Did you make a new friend, so you don't need us anymore?"
Today, they didn't seem to have any intention of passing by quietly and kicked him without warning.
"Kuh..."
Normally, he would have taken a few hits.
Those guys would be happier if he ran away, and even if he fought back, he wouldn't be able to handle them with his eyes covered.
'But Aria will be here soon.'
Then she would see him being beaten.
He didn't want that at all.
'If I just take off this eye patch, I might be able to beat these guys.'
Just as Idris, driven to the edge, was about to take off his eye patch.
"Hey, what are you guys doing?"
He heard the voice he absolutely didn't want to hear at this moment.
"Hey, your girlfriend is here!"
The children's voices taunting him as if to confirm his fate rang in his ears.
Soon, he felt the owner of the approaching footsteps support and lift him up.
"Are you okay?"
His heart was pounding faster than usual with shame, helplessness, and anger toward himself rather than pain.
He wanted to take off his eye patch right now and fight the village children.
He wanted to show them that he wasn't going to be beaten so obediently by these guys, that he wasn't that weak.
But...
"Idris, never let other people see your eyes. Never..."
His mother's words that anyone who saw his eyes would be cursed came to mind, and he couldn't take off his eye patch.
If he took off his eye patch now, not only the village children but also Aria would be caught up in the curse.
Idris gritted his teeth and lowered the hand that had been clutching his eye patch.
"If you guys bother him one more time, I'm going to tell the guards!"
"Oh, how scary. But the guards aren't interested in our village."
"I know a guard uncle. If you're curious if it's true, try it again next time."
The children taunted Aria and Idris and snorted, but they didn't chase after them, perhaps because they had lost interest.
After confirming that the village children weren't following, Idris angrily pushed away Aria's hand that was supporting him.
"Get your hand off me."
"Your leg is hurt. You're bleeding a lot..."
"I said get off me!"
Idris turned his back on the startled Aria and returned home.
But Aria, who had followed him, approached again.
"I'm sorry. If I had come just a little sooner, that wouldn't have happened..."
"..."
"Does it hurt a lot? Let's get you treated quickly."
Was this child empty-headed, or was she stubborn enough to pretend not to know even if she did?
His anger at himself jumped to the wrong place.
"I don't need that stuff, so go home."
At the repeated cold refusal, Aria seemed to pause for a moment, but soon said in a firm voice.
"I'll go home as soon as I treat your injuries."
Idris twisted his lips.
He thought she was an empty-headed idiot for staying by his side for so long, even though he said he didn't like it, but he had to revise that assessment.
This child was stubborn.
Just like him.
"Are you deaf? I said I don't need it, so don't worry about it and leave!"
"How can I not worry? You're hurt. Just let me see how much you're hurt―"
"What does it matter to you whether I'm hurt or not?"
"Because we're friends!"
Idris paused when Aria shouted.
Aria, who had always answered back to him without giving in to his words, had never raised her voice until now.
He felt that something was wrong, but the young boy didn't want to admit his mistake.
"Who would think of someone like you as a friend? Mind your own business!"
His voice grew louder as if denying his mistake.
Then an angry voice returned.
"You stubborn, pig-headed idiot!"
Idris was quite shocked by that, and soon became angry.
Aria, who he thought would always be on his side, was angry at him. He felt betrayed.
"I'm just a stubborn idiot!"
"Even though you're just a selfish, stupid idiot!"
The two children shouted insults at each other for a long time, and soon became exhausted and sat far apart.
Even so, it was a small house of only one room, so they could hear each other's heavy breathing.
'I think I won... but it feels bad.'
He was the last one to shout, and Aria was the one who was breathing heavily and gave up first.
It was the first time he had clashed head-on with a peer friend, and the first time he had won.
But the first victory was neither as happy nor as superior as he had expected.
As he was trying to suppress his uneasy feelings and emotions, a sobbing sound began to echo in the quiet room.
She tried to suppress it as much as possible, but Idris, who had lived with his eyes covered for a long time, had sensitive hearing and recognized the sound.
Aria was crying.
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