Prologue Ep-5

And so, a few days later, the two of us arrived at the large park beyond the hill, which was a little farther away than the park where we usually played. To be honest, this was my first time coming here without my mom or dad.

I felt a small flutter of excitement.

“Hey, hey, Matsuri-chan. That, I want to do that!”

In the direction Hime-chan was pointing stood a large piece of playground equipment. One glance at it was enough to make any child’s heart leap. But today, our purpose lay elsewhere.

Patience. Patience.

“No, you can’t. Today we came here just the two of us to look for a present for Shin-kun. Hime-chan, you’re supposed to meet Shin-kun to play tomorrow, right?”

I had heard directly from her that Kagami-kun had invited her out tomorrow. And most likely, tomorrow would be the “day of the promise,” the day he would give her the ring.

That was precisely why, no matter what, I had to make sure Hime-chan prepared a present filled with her feelings today.

“Uu… I’ve been thinking this for a while, but Matsuri-chan, I think you care too much about Shin-kun. I won’t forgive you if you cheat.”

Somehow, that last line did not sound like something a six-year-old would normally say.

“That’s not it. I just want Shin-kun to have a memory that makes him think living in this town was wonderful. Because I like this place too.”

I brushed it off with a deliberately vague explanation.

Hime-chan looked slightly unconvinced, but when I added, “Besides, I want to see the cute flowers Hime-chan found. Will you take me there?” her expression suddenly lit up.

“Leave it to me! Mama told me how to get there. She said kids shouldn’t go alone, but if it’s with Matsuri-chan, it’ll definitely be okay!”

Good. Her mood was fixed.

Although she had just casually said something that sounded a little alarming.

After that, we would quickly gather the presents, wrap them, add a letter or something, and get everything ready. Just as my thoughts reached that point, I froze.

Because the direction Hime-chan pointed toward was not the playground area at all, but farther away, deeper inside, leading straight into the forest along a narrow hiking trail.