Chapter Text
The high school boy walked home through the road he usually took when he left. You could say, the distance between his house and school was not so far to be traveled on foot. Coincidentally, he had a senior who was also his neighbor. His parents trusted the senior to accompany him to and from school, so he didn't have to worry about going home alone.
On their way home, they always passed by a notice board where several papers were pinned, whether it was advertising brochures, events, or even lost pets. Usually, he always paid attention to the paper there—even before he entered high school—which contained a photo of a missing teenager, and he always hoped in his heart that the person being searched for would be found soon.
However, there was a moment when the high school boy noticed that the paper he always paid attention to was missing. For others, it might be a normal thing. Especially if the paper had been there for a long time, it would surely be replaced with a new announcement. But his heart seemed to reject that this was normal. It felt like something was amiss, but he didn't know what it was.
The boy began to ask his senior, whom he regarded as his brother, "Daichan, have you noticed anything different about this notice board?"
The one called Daichan looked at the notice board in surprise, "What's wrong, Yamachan? It's just a normal notice board that we always pass by."
In truth, the class gap between Yamada and Daiki was between a freshman and a senior in the third year of high school. But Daiki wouldn't protest being called by someone he considered his brother by using the -chan honorific. It would be more uncomfortable if Yamada called him Arioka.
Returning to the current situation, Daiki continued to look puzzled at the notice board in front of him. Although it did seem like there was a space where nothing was pasted as if there was a paper that had been stuck there before, was this what Yamada meant?
"The missing teenager announcement is missing. Isn't that strange?"
Daiki became even more puzzled. Did he never pay attention to the notice board so much that he didn't even know there was a missing teenager poster stuck there before?
"Isn't it normal for old papers to be replaced with new ones? Besides, if the teenager has been missing for a long time, isn't it like holding a fog? With a little hope, you can find him in a fine condition."
"Don't talk nonsense, Daichan!"
It seemed like his senior's words had gone too far. Daiki might never understand what it felt like to be in someone's shoes who had lost someone precious to them. Yamada had never been in that position either, but he understood how painful it could be.
"Are you curious about that teenager? What's his name?"
"Inoo Kei."
Daiki's brain received the name with a feeling of familiarity. That name. Daiki had heard that name before. But he couldn't remember. Where and when.
"Do you know him, Daichan?"
His question made Daiki, who was still thinking hard, snap out of it, "Ah, I feel like I've heard the name before. But, I don't remember."
Yamada's face looked unsatisfied. His heart felt uneasy as if something was wrong. Yet, he didn't know who Inoo Kei was. But why did his heart and mind seem to want to know?
This feeling was really bothering him.