Chapter Text
Age Nine
Yuuta quietly passed the small plastic scooper to Inumaki, who was crouched down gathering snow into a neat pile with his mittened hands. Inumaki's eyes crinkled with a smile from behind the thick purple muffler his mother had wrapped around most of his face that morning, and Yuuta found himself automatically smiling back at Inumaki.
Yuuta returned to his task with all the seriousness only a child could muster, digging up fresh snow and dropping it into the bright blue plastic bucket that sat beside them. The bucket was part of a snow-play set his mother had gifted him that Christmas morning, and although several weeks had already passed since then, he still treated it like one of his greatest treasures.
The little park beneath their apartment buildings was lively that afternoon.
It wasn't a large park by any means. A newly constructed playpen stood near the center, accompanied by two swings and a small trampoline that had quickly become the pride of the neighborhood. For the families living in the surrounding apartment blocks, it was more than enough.
Children ran through the snow-covered grounds, their laughter carrying through the crisp winter air while a few parents chatted nearby while keeping watch over their kids. The entire park buzzed with life. Amid the noise, Yuuta heard a series of heavy crunches approaching and lifted his head to see Takumi.
Yuuta felt his stomach sink.
Takumi was a middle schooler, several grades above both him and Inumaki, who were only third graders. Despite the age difference, Takumi acted as though he were a grown man among children, constantly bossing younger kids around as if they existed solely to listen to him.
Yuuta had tried complaining about him before but his mother had always been quick to shush him, telling him to be patient with Takumi. It wasn't until one night, when he had secretly stayed awake alongside his younger toddler sister, that he accidentally overheard the reason. While walking back toward his room, he had heard his mother speaking in the living room. She had recently started a small nursing job, one she had only gotten through the help of Takumi's mother.
After hearing that, Yuuta understood why his mother always asked him to tolerate Takumi.
Although…understanding it didn't make him dislike Takumi any less and now Takumi had marched directly over to them and without any warning, he kicked down one of the small snow forts Inumaki had spent nearly half an hour building.
The tiny structure collapsed as Takumi mockingly laughed.
"Stop," Yuuta said weakly.
"Shut it, runt" Takumi sneered and he laughed as he stomped down another fort. Beside Yuuta, Inumaki's eyes immediately became glassy.
Yuuta scrambled to his feet and tried to push Takumi away but it was a hopeless effort. Takumi was tall even for a fifth grader, and he barely seemed to notice the shove before casually pushing Yuuta back.
Yuuta lost his balance and fell into the snow with an oof. Refusing the urge to cry, he glared up at Takumi.
Takumi only laughed harder.
"You're such a weakling, Okkotsu—"
A snowball slammed into the back of his head, the impact cutting him off.
They froze and Takumi spun around furiously "Who did that?!"
Standing several feet away were two children who looked around the same age as Yuuta and Inumaki. One was a girl with long straight dark hair, dressed in a kimono despite the cold and the other was a boy with noticeable eyebags wearing a panda-patterned sweater.
The girl stared at Takumi with complete indifference, "Get lost"
She didn't raise her voice and Yuuta felt that she didn't need to because something about the way she said it made it sound more threatening than if she had shouted.
The boy beside her puffed out his chest. "Yeah, get away from them," he yelled "Or I'm gonna call my dad!"
Takumi clenched his fists, "What're you gonna do, stupid? What's your dad gonna do?"
The boy gasped dramatically and turned to the girl beside him, "He said the s-word, Maki”
The girl rolled her eyes, they watched her as she bent down, her hand disappeared into the snow before emerging with something clenched inside her fist and casually raised her arm.
"It was snow last time," she said quietly, her gaze never leaving Takumi, "I'll hit you with a rock next"
Takumi visibly faltered and honestly, even Yuuta felt intimidated and beside him, Inumaki's tears started flowing faster.
"Fine!" Takumi snapped "But I won't forget this, ahh—"
He flinched when the girl pulled her arm back as though preparing to throw. A second later, he turned and bolted.
The panda-sweatshirt boy jogged over, "I hope you're both okay”, and offered his hand.
Yuuta accepted it and shakily stood "Th-thank you"
The girl simply shrugged. The rock slipped from her hand and landed with a soft muffled thump in the snow. Only then did she awkwardly approach and after a moment of hesitation, she gently patted Inumaki's shoulder.
"He's a loser who likes making little kids cry," she said. "He can't do anything. Don't worry"
Inumaki hiccuped through his silent tears. Hearing her say that made Yuuta feel calmer too. Now that the immediate danger had passed, he found himself properly looking at her.
She looked cool…..like really cool with her straight dark hair framing her face and the kimono draped neatly around her small figure, she reminded him of the ancient deities from the Japanese folklore books he loved reading.
"Uh, you're a little kid too," the boy pointed out and barely ducked in time to avoid the swing of her arm, bursting into giggles.
"Mmm" Inumaki tugged lightly on the girl's kimono sleeve and began signing.
The girl looked down, "Uh..."
Yuuta hurried to explain, "Inumaki says thank-k you. He's, uh... deaf, so he's signing it" Then he quickly added, "Oh, and I'm Yuuta"
The boy grinned, "Well, I'm Panda and this is Maki. Hope she didn't scare you both"
wellll she had scared them a bit although thankfully the threat hadn't been directed at them, Yuuta thought so.
"You guys come here often?" Panda asked and began gathering the snow Takumi had stomped apart.
"Yeah. We live..." Yuuta paused, having completely forgotten his apartment number so he pointed toward the balcony overlooking the park, "There"
"Ohhh” Panda nodded enthusiastically,"So close" He scooped up another handful of snow, "Mine and Maki's families just moved down the block"
"Are you brother and sister?" Yuuta asked Maki.
"Nope," Panda answered before she could, "but my dad is friends with her dad"
Maki crouched beside Panda without comment to gather the fallen snow forts and Yuuta could see that she seemed content simply watching everyone.
"W-we go to Irawaka Elementary," Yuuta said. "What school do you both go to?"
Maki shrugged and Panda scratched his cheek, "Uh, I don't know. I have to ask my dad…we were so busy moving houses after all" For a moment, Panda’s smile softened, "I miss my old home, but..." He glanced around the park, "I like it here. We didn't have a park at my old house"
Inumaki chirped and pointed toward the bucket.
"..you want me to get that?" Maki asked softly, "Okay."
Soon Panda and Inumaki were busy packing snow into the bucket together, the two immediately seemed to understand each other. Yuuta found himself left sitting beside Maki as silence settled between them.
Maki appeared perfectly comfortable with it, while Yuuta was racking his head to think of something to talk about with her.
"U-uhm... Maki-san?"
She turned toward him and that’s when he noticed her golden eyes, not brown nor hazel, her eyes were actually golden. Yuuta had never seen eyes like hers before. For a moment he couldn’t help but stare.
Panda cleared his throat, that’s when Yuuta realized he was staring and heat immediately flooded his face "I-I uh..."
Desperate for something to say, he gestured toward her forest green kimono with flamingo’s on it, "Don't you feel cold in that... Maki-san?".
Maki looked down. "No"
"Oh..okay"
A few seconds later, she softly spoke again. “I'm not cold." Yuuta watches as she pushes a strand of hair behind her ear, "It's warmer than my other clothes"
The kimono suited her, everything about it suited her. The winter sunlight reflected against the snow around them, making her golden eyes seem even brighter.
Yuuta absently touched his cheek, his face still felt strangely warm…maybe he was getting sick and maybe that was why his mother had tried convincing him to stay home earlier. Although he was glad he didn’t listen, because he got to meet Maki.
"MAKI!"
All four children looked up to see a tall man standing at the edge of the park, waving. He wore a similar yukata to Maki’s, except his was muted plain black. Yuuta noticed the moment Maki saw the man, she smiled for the first time in his vision. Her entire face changed, the reserved expression she had worn all afternoon disappeared as her eyes lit up with a sparkle and her mouth curved into a genuine smile.
"I'll see you guys later" Maki stood and dusted snow from her kimono before running toward him.
"Bye-bye!" Panda called as he waved enthusiastically before returning to the snow forts.
Yuuta’s attention remained fixed on Maki. The tall man effortlessly picked her up and settled her on his shoulder, making Maki laugh. The sound of it carried faintly across the snow.
"That's her dad," Panda mused. "Toji-ji"
Inumaki signed: That's a weird name.
Panda giggled, "I know"
Yuuta continued watching as Maki and her father disappeared down the snowy street as the winter wind swept gently through the park. Around him, children laughed and played and, Panda and Inumaki argued over the shape of a snow fort.
Everything seemed ordinary and yet something inside him felt strangely different.
Nine year old Yuuta didn't know it then, having a hard time to put a label on that feeling…but years later, when he looked back on that winter afternoon, he would realize that his life had quietly changed the moment a girl in a kimono threatened a bully with a rock and smiled at him beneath falling snow.