Otherwise, the little boy was afraid he might start crying.
After a long while, the little boy finally rasped, "Th-thank you."
Big Sister would give him another gift next time.
At the thought, happy bubbles rose in the little boy's heart.
He felt like he was floating.
"Thank you."
The little boy repeated his thanks, louder and more clearly this time.
"You're welcome."
Big Sister winked at the little boy.
The little boy couldn't help winking back.
Then he smiled.
Big Sister smiled too.
As the two of them looked at each other's smiles, they laughed more and more freely.
That scene appeared in the boy's mind once again.
There was light in his eyes.
But his expression was full of melancholy.
What a shame...
He might never get to receive Big Sister's second gift...
The boy shook his head slightly.
And the mushroom-head boy...
He was a very nice person too.
Because of the mushroom-head boy, he'd had his first experience happily playing with someone his own age.
Big Sister was wonderful.
But Big Sister was an adult.
The mushroom-head boy was different from Big Sister.
Besides, unlike Big Sister's disappearance without a trace, there were more clues to the mushroom-head boy's disappearance.
Though it was only a guess.
But it was possible.
He'd suddenly moved away without having time to tell the mushroom-head boy.
And, by coincidence, his move had happened just when the mushroom-head boy had something come up and couldn't visit him.
So they'd missed each other just like that.
The contact information the mushroom-head boy had for him no longer worked.
Was the mushroom-head boy angry?
So after he couldn't get through on the phone, the mushroom-head boy hadn't come to their usual spot to look for him either.