The school bell had already rung when Kenta realized he was standing in the wrong place.The building in front of him was huge. Too big. Too many windows. Too many children in yellow hats walking in neat lines like they knew exactly where they were going. Kenta tightened his bag straps and swallowed.“I think… I think this isn’t my class.”His voice was small, almost eaten by the spring wind.“are you lost again ?”Kenta turned. Souta stood a few steps away, with his sleeves rolled up and a calm look on his face.“I—I think so,” Kenta said quickly. The teacher said to follow the blue line, but there are two blue lines and one of them goes outside and—”He stopped, breathless.Souta crouched down so they were closer to the same height. Kenta felt something loosen in his chest.“I thought I was going to be late forever,” he admitted.Souta laughed softly. “Forever is a long time. First grade doesn’t last that long.”They started walking. Souta pointed at the floor as they went. “See? This blue line is for second grade. First grade follows the one with the little stars next to it.”Kenta looked down. He hadn’t noticed the stars before. They were tiny, almost hidden, like they were shy.“Oh.”“Most people miss them,” Souta said. “I did when I was six.”“You were lost too?” Kenta asked, eyes wide.“Very lost. I ended up in the music room and cried because everyone was singing.”Kenta giggled before he could stop himself.They reached a hallway where children sat neatly on small chairs. A sign on the door reads 1–B. Kenta’s heart jumped.“That’s it,” Souta said. “Your class.”Kenta hesitated.Souta noticed and gently tapped the door. “I’ll walk you in.”Inside, the teacher turned. “Ah, there you are Nijima,” she said kindly. “We were just about to start.”Kenta bowed like he’d practiced and hurried to an empty seat. Before sitting down, he turned around.“Thank you,” he said, a little louder this time.Souta raised a hand in a small wave. “Have a good day, Kenta.”As the lesson began, Kenta sat straighter than before. The classroom still felt big, but now he knew something important.Even in a school full of strangers, someone older could help you find your way.~By the tenth day of school, everyone knew one thing.Kenta was very good at getting lost.He got lost going to class.He got lost coming back from class.Once, somehow, he got lost between his desk and the door.“This is a talent,” Souta said seriously, watching Kenta spin slowly in the hallway like a confused top. “A dangerous one.”“I’m not doing it on purpose,” Kenta protested. “The school moves.”“The school does not move.”“Yes it does. Yesterday the stairs were on the left.”“They have always been on the left.”Kenta crossed his arms. “That’s what it wants you to think.”Souta sighed like a tired adult trapped in a ten-year-old body. “Okay. New plan.”
Plan One: The Human Map
Souta walked Kenta to class while explaining everything in great detail.“This hallway smells like crayons. That’s your clue. Then you turn when you see the frog poster. Not the cat poster. The frog.”Kenta nodded very hard.Five minutes later, Souta found him in front of the janitor’s closet.“There was a frog,” Kenta said defensively. “On a book.”“That was a drawing of a frog. On someone’s notebook.”“…It still counted.”Plan One was declared a failure.
Plan Two: The Rope Strategy
At lunch, Souta handed Kenta a long piece of red yarn.“You hold one end. I hold the other. Like mountain climbers.”Kenta’s eyes sparkled. “Cool!”Three steps later, a teacher gasped.Two steps after that, the yarn caught on a chair.One step after that, both boys fell.Plan Two ended on the floor.
Plan Three: Extreme Visibility
The next morning, Kenta arrived wearing:-a yellow hat-a yellow jacket-a yellow name tagand a sticker that said “FIRST GRADE — PLEASE RETURN”Kenta stared. “You look like a walking warning sign.”“I can be seen from space,” Kenta said proudly.He still got lost.
Plan Four: Sound-Based Navigation
Souta gave him a tiny bell.“If you’re lost, shake it. I’ll hear you.”Kenta shook it immediately.Kling kling kling.Teachers looked. Students looked. The principal looked.“Kenta,” Souta hissed, dragging him away, “you only ring it when you’re lost.”“I might be lost,” Kenta said. “I like to be prepared.”The bell was confiscated.
Plan Five: The Ultimate Solution
Souta crouched in front of Kenta, serious again.“Okay. Final plan.”Kenta leaned in. “Is it secret?”“Yes.”“Is it dangerous?”“A little.”“Is there snacks?”“…No.”Kenta thought. “Okay.”Souta pointed to his chest. “You just find me.”Kenta blinked. “You?”“I’m always near the stairs after class. If you can’t find your room, lunch, or the bathroom—come to me.”Kenta smiled so wide it almost hurt.“So you’re like… my checkpoint?”“Exactly.”From that day on, whenever a small first grader appeared suddenly at Souta’s side, teachers already knew.“Oh,” they’d say. “Kenta’s lost again.”But Kenta never worried anymore.Because getting lost wasn’t so scary when someone older had a plan—even if it took five tries to find the right one.~The day was quiet in the way only late afternoons were.The sun came in soft through the classroom windows, making the floor shiny. Souta sat on the steps near the entrance, swinging his legs slowly. Kenta sat next to him, his feet not reaching the ground, hugging his bag like it was a pillow.“Souta,” Kenta said suddenly, “do you have parents?”Souta blinked.It wasn’t a rude question. Kenta never asked rude questions. He asked honest ones, the kind that came straight from his chest.“…I did,” Souta answered after a moment.“Oh.” Kenta nodded, thinking. “Mine are at home right now.”Souta smiled a little. “Tell me about them.”Kenta lit up immediately.“My dad is really nice,” he said. “He uses a wheelchair, he’s always at home. He knows everything. He fixes my toys and makes pancakes that look like animals, but sometimes they look like blobs.”Kenta chuckled.“He lets me sit on his lap even though I’m heavy,” Kenta continued. “And when we go outside, I push his wheelchair really fast and he says ‘Kenta! I’m flying!’ but Mom tells us to stop.”“And your mom?” Souta asked gently.“She’s a housewife,” Kenta said proudly. “But she’s looking for a job. She practices interviews in the mirror and wears her serious face.”Kenta scrunched his face to imitate her.Souta laughed quietly.Kenta looked up at Souta. “What about your parents?”Souta’s legs stopped swinging.“I don’t remember them very well,” he said. “They died when I was little.”“Oh.” Kenta's voice was small again. “Did it hurt?”Souta thought about it. “I don’t remember the pain. Just… being carried. Someone warm.”Kenta leaned closer without thinking.“I live with my big sister and big brother now,” Souta continued. “My sister makes sure I do my homework. My brother pretends he doesn’t care but always waits up for me.”“That’s nice,” Kenta said seriously. “So you’re not alone.”“No,” Souta said. “I’m not.”Kenta reached into his bag and pulled out a slightly squished cookie. “My mom made this. You can have half.”Kenta hesitated. Then he took it.They ate in silence, crumbs on their fingers, the kind of silence that didn’t feel lonely.“My dad says,” Kenta said suddenly, “that families are people who stay.”Souta looked at him, surprised.Kenta smiled, small and sure. “So your sister and brother are your parents too.”Souta’s chest felt tight, but in a good way.“…Yeah,” he said. “I think you’re right.”The sun dipped lower. Soon, they’d have to go home.But for a little while longer, they sat together—two boys carrying different stories, sharing them carefully, like something precious.End of chapter 19
Please sign in to leave a comment.