28: The Girl by the Water

“Wait! You’re the man from before—the one with the fishing rod…!?”

Rena clutched her phone tightly as she hurried along the edge of the pond, trying to catch up with the figure ahead.
The ground beneath her feet was covered in damp grass and gravel, forcing her to tread carefully to avoid slipping.
Each time her footsteps touched the ground, small ripples formed across the still surface of the water.

“I still have questions for you!”

She was panting now, but kept her eyes fixed on the figure, moving forward while keeping careful watch on the ground to avoid stumbling on stones or tufts of grass.
The edge of the pond was muddy, and she constantly had to adjust her balance as her shoes threatened to sink into the earth.

The silhouette ahead gradually grew smaller in the distance.
A sense of urgency swelled in her chest, but she took a deep breath, trying to stay calm.
With a cautious but quickened pace, she pushed on.

Then, suddenly, the figure stopped and turned around.
It wasn’t the man with the fishing rod.
It was a little girl in a light blue dress.

“Huh? A girl…?”

A wave of surprise—and a tinge of disappointment—washed over Rena.
Still, there might be a clue here.
She stepped closer and bent down to the girl’s level.

“Hi there… Sorry, but have you seen a man around here?
He had a fishing rod… He might’ve been near this pond?”

The girl said nothing.
She simply looked up at Rena with wide eyes.
Her golden hair clung to her shoulders, dripping with water.
Her dress was soaked, too—like she had just fallen into the pond.

“Hey… are you alright? Did you fall in or something?”

Rena’s concern deepened.
The girl clutched a white stuffed toy under her arm.
It was waterlogged, hanging heavily from her grasp.

“You’re completely soaked…!
Come on, let’s get you away from the water—”

As she gently reached out and took the girl’s hand, the plush toy slipped from the girl’s grasp and dropped to the ground.

Rena froze.

“Huh…? That stuffed toy… it’s…”

Lying on the ground was a plush character shaped like a rice ball—a cute little onigiri mascot.
It was the very same kind Rena had adored as a child.
The sight of it triggered something deep within her.

“Wait…
Are you…me…?”

Staring at the child version of herself, Rena turned pale and stood motionless, rooted in place.