It's been a week since the incident. Kimiko had just finished her lessons for the day and she went to the park, there being her new favorite place in town. She had told her relatives about her new friends, and even though they were wary, she promised them that they knew nothing about her abilities.
Though if they did, I probably could've saved him.
She shook the thought out of her head. What's done is done. She can't change the past. All she can do now is be there for her friend, who is no doubt having a much harder time than she is over it.
When she arrived, the boy she was looking for wasn't present, so she decided to wait for a little while. Families came and went. She watched as some played with kites, climbed on the playground, shared snacks, or even just simply sitting and enjoying the wind. Roughly 15 minutes passed, but still no sign of him.
He's not coming.
With that as her conclusion, she turned to a clock by the gates. Ever since she became friends with the boys, her brother made it a point to pick her up late so she could spend at least a couple of hours with them. Seeing how she still had plenty of time to spare, she headed towards his house.
The first time she came over was the week before. She wanted to accompany her friend after what had happened and got permission to stay the night. Luckily, she had walked around the neighborhood enough times to know what street they lived in.
Arriving at the door of the grey, two story house, she stood still on the porch. Was it alright to come here uninvited? Sure, they've been friends for a year, and she had met his parents a few times already, but to come to their front door like this? She supposed being worried for her friend would be a valid reason, but what if he wanted to be alone?
As she debated with herself, the door opened to reveal a brown-haired woman. She had spotted the girl fidgeting from the window and wondered why she didn't just knock. Seeing her jump in surprise at her sudden appearance, she gave her a smile. "Kimiko, it's good to see you again."
"Good to see you too, ma'am..."
"Are you here to see Kyousuke?" When she nodded, the woman led her inside. "He's in his room. You remember which one it is, right?"
"Mmhm. Thank you." She bowed before disappearing through the doorway behind the kitchen.
She went up the wooden stairs, passing by quite a lot of framed photos. Most of them were of the brothers playing together. Being five years apart, this year was Yuuichi's last and Kyousuke's first in elementary. The only school-related thing they did together so far was the summer festival held a couple of months ago.
And they were looking forward to Christmas too...
She shook the thought out of her head and faced the door before her. This time, she didn't hesitate on knocking. "Kyou? It's Kimiko... Can I come in?"
No response.
"I'm going to let myself in, then..."
The lights were off and the blinds were blocking any light from coming in through the window. Squinting, she could just barely make out the shape of a lump on the bed.
She lowered herself on her legs, sitting on the floor. Getting a closer look at the head of the lump, she figured he was facing the wall. Reaching out, she patted his shoulder. "Kyousuke?"
"I don't feel like going to the park anymore..." His voice was just slightly muffled by the duvet, but his discouraged tone was clear.
Because that's where it happened? "Okay... Then, what about the riverbank? No one uses it on the weekends."
He spun his body around before peeking out of the covers. "I... I don't want to play anymore..."
Her eyes widened. "W-What?! But what about your dreams? Don't you want to be like Gouenji-san? You can't just give up on them! You've improved a lot since I first met you!"
"I want to make them come true with nii-chan!" He argued back, his head now completely out of the duvet. She could just barely see the tears gathering in the corner of his eyes. "If anyone deserves to be playing in the world tournament, it's nii-chan!"
"But... Kyou, he..."
"I know he can't play right now, but the doctor says that there's a way to help him!" He continued. "We just have to get enough money, so until then, I'll work really, really hard to get it! And then we can play again!"
She couldn't respond to that. She was in too much shock. Could he really just give soccer up like that? How long could he keep it up?
The next week, she came to see him at his house again. He was studying so hard he barely realized she was there. The same thing happened in the next week, and the week after that, and the week after that. Months went by, and before she knew it, another year had passed. His favorite ball remained untouched in the corner of his room, collecting nothing but dust.
~~~~~
She had just turned seven years old earlier that week. Her lessons were cancelled and instead, they held a party at her cousin's house. Though, as usual, she'd run off to the park that afternoon.
Every week, she'd always wait there for about 15 minutes for him to show up, and every time he didn't, she'd go over to his house. She had always hoped that someday, he will be at the park kicking the ball while waiting for her.
Which is why, when she arrived that day, a large smile immediately made its way to her face.
Kyousuke was there, staring blankly at the ball by his feet. He looked like he was deep in thought.
"Kyou!"
Seeing her running over, he gave her a small smile. "Hey, Kimiko. Happy birthday."
"Thanks!" Her gaze turned to the ball by his feet. "So, you're going to play again? Really?"
He turned away. "Just for today... And not for too long..."
She frowned at this. "Are you really serious about that? It could take years, Kyou... You can't abandon what you love for that long..."
"I'm not abandoning it, I'm just... taking a break."
But for how long? She heard about the sum they needed for his brother's surgery. It wasn't the kind of 'expensive' that you could afford even after working your whole life. That kind of 'expensive' could only be paid off by someone who had been blessed by the goddess of luck and fortune.
The only retort that came to her mind was, "Do you really think Yuu-san wants you to do this?"
He tensed up at the mention of his brother. "I... It doesn't matter! It was my fault that that happened to him! I have to do something about it!"
"It's not―" She took a deep breath, stopping herself from arguing. She knew full well that, when that's the topic, he won't listen to her. "Even if that's the case, that doesn't mean you have to stop playing! You can play while looking for a way to get it! You can even maybe play to get it! I'll help you!"
"But..." He was running out of arguments, she knew.
"Come on." She kicked the ball to their old spot, further away from the other children around. Then, she started doing some simple tricks before passing the ball back to him. "Try doing what I just did."
"Okay...?" He managed to trap the ball. "Just don't expect me to be any good..." He fumbled with it quite a lot, but eventually managed to do as told. He kicked the ball towards her.
She changed the routine this time, but the difficulty didn't increase. Soon, he found himself being able to handle the ball pretty well. They kept at it for a while, neither of them saying a word. They were too focused on each other's movements to realize how dark it had gotten.
She took a peek at his face and was delighted to see him so focused on the ball. He was enjoying himself.
"Ah―" His foot slipped and he fell on his bum, groaning. "I could've gotten that one!"
A teasing smile appeared on her face. "Do you still want to 'take a break'?"
He blinked up at her before quickly turning away, realizing what she meant. "Y-You're the one who told me to copy you, so... so, I'm just..." He stood up and kicked the ball towards her. "W-Whatever! Do it again! I'll get it this time!"
She did, but not without laughing. That night, she stayed over at his place again, talking about nothing but soccer.