What a coincidence
As if sensing her gaze...
The man turned around.
His eyes landed squarely on the ponytailed girl's face.
The ponytailed girl's heart gave a jolt.
She couldn't help taking a step back.
Her expression grew somewhat panicked and stiff.
The man stared at her for a while.
Then...
The corners of his mouth stretched wide.
He broke into a smile.
The ponytailed girl had no idea what that smile meant.
But in her eyes...
That smile beneath the setting sun...
Was terrifying.
Her pupils suddenly widened.
In her intense fright, the ponytailed girl finally regained control of her body.
She turned and ran.
"Ah!"
The ponytailed girl ran into someone.
The force of the collision knocked her backward, and she fell to the ground.
A sharp pain shot through her tailbone.
Tears instantly welled in the corners of her eyes.
The person she'd run into was an old woman.
She, too, staggered back several steps.
After flailing about rather awkwardly, the old woman managed to steady herself.
"What are you doing?"
Once she was on her feet, the old woman began to scold her.
"Are you in such a hurry to get yourself killed?"
"Why are you running so fast?"
"Don't you watch where you're going?"
The ponytailed girl was flustered and at a loss.
She stared blankly at the old woman.
The old woman looked down and realized she'd collided with a child.
She immediately understood.
No wonder she hadn't fallen.
It was the other girl who'd gone down.
Seeing that such a young child had run into her and fallen to the ground, looking pale and pitiful...
The old woman's expression softened considerably.
"Why aren't you getting up?"
The old woman's tone was somewhat gruff.