Her desire was even stronger than the one she'd had earlier, when she wanted to catch a little goldfish for herself...
The child wanted to help her uncle catch a little goldfish.
This intense wish gave the child courage.
She turned to look at the old man.
"Old man."
The child twisted the fish net in her fingers.
Her gaze dropped.
She seemed afraid to look at him.
But soon, she forced herself to raise her eyes.
Even though her gaze wavered and she looked as if she might burst into tears at any moment...
She still forced herself to persevere.
She looked at the old man for a second, then looked away for a second.
She looked at him for a second, then looked away for a second...
"You..."
The child took a deep breath.
"Could you..."
"...give me a few more fish nets?"
The child steeled herself, shut her eyes, and called out.
She thought she'd shouted.
In truth, her voice was only a little louder than a mosquito's buzz.
"What?"
The old man asked reflexively.
He was a little surprised.
From his brief time with the child, the old man had gotten the impression that she was the sort who kept everything bottled up, a timid girl who was too embarrassed to speak her mind.
So when he heard her request...
The old man was a little...
Caught off guard.
Saying it once had already drained every bit of the child's courage.
To make her say it again...
The child's lips quivered.
She made a muffled sound that she couldn't even hear herself.
"I can't hear you," the old man said bluntly. "Speak louder."
The child trembled all over.
She lowered her eyes.
Her instinctive timidity made her want to back down.