A simple apology would do.
As long as it wasn't on purpose, anyone would feel bad and apologize.
"Right?"
The kind stranger smiled. "That's the problem."
"The boy won't apologize."
"He won't apologize?"
The old lady was surprised.
"Why?"
"Hadn't they figured out it was all a misunderstanding?"
"That's right."
The kind stranger was a little puzzled, too. "But the boy said the girl had misunderstood."
"When he first said, 'Why did she pop the child's balloon?' he wasn't talking to the girl..."
Huh?
The old lady was confused.
"Then who was he talking to?"
She asked instinctively.
"Wait, that doesn't make sense."
The old lady quickly caught on. "Was he talking to himself? The girl would still have heard him, wouldn't she?"
"Unless the person he was really talking to was standing behind the girl."
That could certainly have caused a misunderstanding.
"Was there someone behind the girl at the time?"
"No."
The kind stranger shook his head.
"You saw for yourself."
"It was just those few people."
"There was nobody else."
"That made the girl even angrier."
"I can understand..."
The old lady murmured.
That was just lying through your teeth, wasn't it?
"Right?"
The kind stranger smacked his lips.
Everyone watching could understand how the girl felt.
"She thought the boy was just making excuses because he didn't want to apologize."
"...It does sound a bit like that."
The old lady furrowed her brows slightly.
"That boy..."
"He's got no sense of responsibility."
"It's fine to misunderstand someone."
"Once you realize you got them wrong, just apologize."
"Why make excuses instead of admitting it?"
"Exactly."
The kind stranger nodded.
"At first, when I saw him speak up for a child, I thought he was a kindhearted, helpful