After encountering Seia, Kenji continued his walk for a little while longer before returning to the kindergarten. Mika, who had woken up from her nap, and Nagisa, who was making black tea, welcomed him. Seeing her calmly stir the teapot with a spoon, it seemed she wasn't angry anymore.
"Where have you been?"
"Just for a walk."
"You should've taken me with you!"
"You were sleeping just fine, what's with the sudden fuss?"
"No bad words!"
"You were sleeping soundly, what's this sudden nonsense?"
Kenji flicked Mika's head with the back of his hand and wiped his forehead with his sleeve.
It was summer, so even a little movement made him sweat, but the air conditioning inside the kindergarten was blasting, making it quite cool.
And the air conditioner here, despite being designed as an air conditioner, was a monster equipped with an air purifier, a heater, and even functions to shoot and quarantine external intruders. They said it was a product from Millennium, which made him wonder just what kind of place that was. He decided he had to visit it someday.
"I'm going to go wash up. You two should get ready to leave soon."
Kenji said, looking back at Mika and Nagisa.
Unlike him, who lived at the kindergarten because he had no home, the two of them had homes to return to. At five o'clock, their parents would come to the kindergarten to pick them up.
Kenji grinned and patted the head of Mika, who was standing before him. It was an odd sight since Mika was taller than him, but she didn't push his hand away. Instead, she bent her waist slightly to make it easier for him to pat her.
"Feels good?"
"Mmm... yeah."
"Like a dog."
"What did you say?"
"I said you're like a puppy. It's a compliment, means you're cute."
"Is-is that so? Heehee."
Ignoring Mika's foolish giggle and Nagisa's sharp glare, Kenji entered the shower. A short while later, he came out wearing a fresh change of clothes with a towel draped over his head. Mika and Nagisa were already ready to go.
The two of them waved as they saw Kenji come out of the shower.
"See you tomorrow, Kenji!"
"See you tomorrow."
"Yeah, see you."
After seeing the two of them off outside the kindergarten, Kenji dried his hair with a hairdryer. It looked like an ordinary hairdryer, but like the air conditioner, it was packed with features. Unlike the air conditioner, however, all its functions were safe, so there was no risk of getting a lead bullet embedded in his skull.
He dried his hair neatly and laid out his futon on the kindergarten floor. There was no bed, so he had no choice.
"Going to bed already?"
"Ah, Sensei."
Torimune, who had just returned from seeing Mika and Nagisa off, approached Kenji with a gentle smile. Kenji smiled back and shook his head.
"No, I just wanted to lay it out in advance."
"Fufu. You're so diligent. Oh, speaking of which, isn't it about time for dinner? If there's anything you want to eat, just let me know. I'll make it for you before I leave."
"Anything is fine, really. I'm not a picky eater."
"Is that so?"
Torimune patted Kenji's head with a smile, then waddled into the dining area. A few minutes later, she came out carrying a steak on a plate.
It looked like a high-quality, expensive piece of meat. But Kenji's reaction was calm. He had been surprised by the steak a few months ago, but after eating it almost every day, he had gotten used to it. Not that he was tired of it, so he accepted the plate with a grin.
"Thank you."
"Not at all~ Anyway, Sensei has to get going now. Will you be alright on your own?"
"Yes. Please get home safely."
Torimune nodded and left the kindergarten with a bouncy step. Through the window, he could see her husband, who had come to meet her, embracing her. A dog hugging a bird. It was a comical sight, especially since the dog was shorter than the bird.
'Well, if they're happy, that's what matters.'
Kenji cut a piece of steak, put it in his mouth, and leaned back.
Since it was summer, the sun hadn't set yet.
The sun, hanging over the horizon, shimmered in the evening glow. It wasn't much different from the sunsets he had seen on Earth, but the halo floating in the sky gave it a more mystical atmosphere.
"..."
Kenji rested his chin on his hand and stared blankly at the setting sun. He wasn't thinking about anything serious. Just wondering what he would do to make a living in the future.
He couldn't stay at the kindergarten forever. But it wasn't like he could enroll in elementary, middle, or high school either.
'To think you can't be a student without a halo.'
Of course, that didn't mean he lost the opportunity for an education. He just couldn't attend school; the subjects taught there could be accessed anytime through libraries or bookstores. But Kenji wasn't particularly interested in education. He had already learned everything, so why would he learn it again?
Still, he planned to look into history and the mysteries of this world someday. He thought that knowing those things would make it easier to live here in the future.
"...Hah."
Kenji let out a deep sigh and chewed and swallowed the last piece of steak.
"Time to sleep."
After washing the plate clean and brushing his teeth, he lay down on the futon he had laid out. It was still early to be sleeping, but his young body was able to fall asleep quickly.
*
Three years had passed since he had fallen into Kivotos. Kenji was now eight years old on the surface, and Mika and Nagisa had to graduate from kindergarten and enter elementary school. The two, who had naturally assumed Kenji would be going to elementary school with them, burst into tears when they realized it was impossible.
He knew Mika was prone to crying, but he never expected even the calm Nagisa to cry. Kenji was flustered but also felt a ticklish sense of satisfaction. It wasn't a bad feeling, knowing that they had become so close that they would cry at the thought of not being able to be together.
"Shh. Stop crying, both of you. It's not like we'll never see each other again, right?"
"But, but...!"
"If Kenji isn't going, then I'm not going either."
"It's not that I'm not going, it's that I can't go."
Kenji sighed and flicked Nagisa on the forehead. It didn't hurt much, but Nagisa pouted and covered her forehead with her hand.
"Anyway, you don't start living in the dorms until middle school, right? So until then, you can still come here and see me, can't you?"
"And when we go to middle school?"
"I'll come visit you then. I looked it up the other day, and it doesn't seem like outsiders are strictly forbidden. It might be a problem if I were a student from another school, but it should be fine for me."
"Really?"
"Yeah, really."
"Really, really?"
"Yes."
Kenji smiled as he stroked the whining Mika's hair. Nagisa, who had been watching them, tugged on the hem of his clothes. Then she stuck her head out.
"...Me too..."
"Alright, alright."
Kenji comforted them both by roughly messing up their hair with both hands.
A few months after that incident, Mika and Nagisa had perfectly adapted to school life. After school, they would stop by the kindergarten every day to spend time with Kenji, and on weekends, the three of them would go on picnics as a routine.
While spending time with the two of them, Kenji also had occasional encounters with Seia. It wasn't by his own will. The most convenient path to wander around Trinity was through the residential district, and every time he passed by, she would call out to him. At first, she only spouted strange phrases, but when Kenji intentionally ignored her, she reverted to a normal way of speaking.
"Don't ignore me...!"
In the end, she was just a girl her age. Only then did Kenji begin to treat her as he did Mika or Nagisa. Sometimes they would talk with him leaning against the wall she peeked over, or they would spend time playing word chain.
During those peaceful days, in October of that year.
That day was an ordinary day as well. Mika, who had come to the kindergarten after school, hovered around Kenji, smiling brightly, while Nagisa played chess by herself, sipping black tea. Mika had already been thoroughly beaten, and Kenji's game had ended anticlimactically when an angry Nagisa flipped the chessboard after he employed a knight tactic using his pawns.
It was a tactic that would be impossible under normal circumstances, but the vast skill gap between Kenji and Nagisa made it possible. So, she was practicing by herself, determined not to fall for it a second time.
"Doesn't that mean you lost?"
"I haven't lost yet. The game wasn't decided."
"Well, do your best. Next up is the bishop tactic."
"Grrrgh!"
-Crack.
The chess piece Nagisa was holding crumbled. Kenji cleared his throat at the sight and turned his head. Mika, who had sat down next to him at some point, had sparkling eyes as if she had something to say.
"What's up?"
"Heehee, I have something to show you!"
"What is it?"
At Kenji's question, Mika took something out of her pocket.
"Ta-da~☆"
"...A gun?"
It was a pistol. A small pistol with a size and recoil suitable for children. Mika waved the gun in front of Kenji's eyes, grinning foolishly. Kenji's expression hardened slightly.
"...Where did you get that."
"It's something they give out at school. I got one too."
Nagisa answered, showing him the gun holder on her thigh. Kenji swallowed hard and turned his head towards Mika. Mika stared right back into his sunken, dark eyes.
"This is loaded, you know? But it doesn't hurt that much if you get shot! It just stings a little, right, Nagi-chan?"
"It's just as Mika-san says. I've been shot too, and it was nothing."
"Kenji, want to try getting shot once?"
Mika asked, her eyes sparkling.
Click.
The muzzle of the pistol was aimed at Kenji's abdomen. Kenji forced the corners of his mouth into a twisted smile and grabbed Mika's wrist, which was holding the gun.
"Later. I'll try it later. For now—"
"Aww! You coward!"
"Kenji-san, do you perhaps dislike pain? Don't worry. It really is nothing."
"No, that's not it—"
"Ah, an opening!"
Mika's shout.
Kenji's head whipped around to face her. But her finger pulled the trigger faster.
-Bang!
A single gunshot.
"Ahaha~"
"Fufu."
The laughter of two girls.
"...Guh."
Fresh blood spurted from his mouth.
Blood splattered onto Mika's face. The metallic taste of blood spread from her lips. Mika tilted her head.
"Huh?"
As she spoke, Kenji's body crumbled. He clutched the wound that had pierced through his abdomen, gasping for breath. His face was contorted in pain, and his bloodshot eyes were so red they looked as if they would shed tears of blood at any moment. Clear tears were already welling up at their corners.
"Kah, heuk, keuh...!"
The suppressed groan that escaped Kenji's lips snapped Mika out of her daze. Nagisa, who had been making tea, also shot up from her chair and rushed to Kenji.
"Kenji!"
Mika's pupils trembled uncontrollably as she watched Nagisa grab Kenji's shoulders and saw Torimune burst out of a room in a panic.
Her hands and face, stained red. And the horrible taste spreading across her tongue.
The moment she registered it, her mind went blank.
"Huh?"