"I'm talking."
The man spoke calmly.
The girl froze.
So...
Was that really how it was?
From beginning to end, had only the senior been talking?
Sigh...
"Is he mute?"
The girl blurted out.
The next second, she covered her mouth.
Ahem... no...
The girl gave an awkward little smile.
"Sorry... I didn't mean..."
She wished she could smack herself.
She really needed to think before she spoke...
"It's all right."
The man shook his head slightly.
The gloomy sky was reflected in his eyes.
It made his already dim eyes seem a little darker.
"I've wondered, too... Maybe he couldn't speak..."
Oh, oh.
The girl relaxed.
She hadn't meant any harm.
It was just the first thought that came to her based on the man's description.
Other than being unable to speak...
Who would spend time with someone without saying a word?
She meant under normal circumstances.
If two friends had fallen out and were giving each other the silent treatment, then it was possible they wouldn't speak.
Back then, it was almost as if whoever spoke first lost.
"But I no longer have a chance to find out..."
The man shook his head.
"Huh?"
The girl let out a sound before she could stop herself.
No chance to find out...
That human...
"We parted ways..."
A trace of hoarseness crept into the man's voice.
"For certain reasons..."
He didn't elaborate.
"We haven't seen each other in a long time..."
Oh, oh.
The girl nodded quietly.
She'd thought so.
According to the senior, he and the older brother who was older than him had met by chance while taking shelter from the rain.
She understood that sort of situation.
For example, she often went to a certain convenience store to buy things.