The child looked a little sheepish.
It seemed he'd misunderstood the uncle.
When he saw the uncle was really about to leave, he immediately called out to stop him.
But...
Besides being wary of the uncle, part of the reason he'd hesitated was that...
He really... hadn't found the answer himself yet.
How could he give the uncle an answer?
The uncle was a little surprised.
And a little stunned.
"...You still don't know what that sound was?"
Mm.
The child nodded.
He'd followed the sound here.
He'd only been leaning against the wall for a little while when the uncle's voice suddenly came from behind him, startling him...
The uncle: ...
Had he come too early?
It was different from before.
Before, he'd come across the child too late.
He hadn't met the child when the child saw the Old grandfather with green hair.
So he'd missed the chance to meet that Old grandfather with green hair.
This time, the child was complaining that he'd shown up too early.
The child had just been trying hard to find the answer.
His arrival had interrupted the child's efforts.
"Well..."
The uncle grinned. "Shall I let you carry on?"
"I won't disturb you."
The child blinked.
Huh?
Carry on?
He turned to look toward the alley entrance.
Now that he'd missed the right moment, could he still find the answer?
"Can you still hear anything now?"
the uncle asked.
The child froze.
Oh, right...
He pricked up his ears.
Tilting his head, he listened hard.
The uncle stayed quiet.
For a moment, the space around them suddenly fell silent.
Rain pattered noisily.
The traffic and people's conversations, muffled by the rain, seemed to come through a thin veil.
They sounded hazy and far