Swing~ Swing~
It was getting later in the day, and the elementary students poured out of the classroom and joined their parents waiting for them in the schoolyard.
Across from the school, in the playground, Ellie sat on a swing, gently pushing herself back and forth in the warm afternoon sun.
She was feeling lonely.
While she loved her mother dearly, she was always busy with the dojo, and they barely had any quality time together.
Thus, most of the time, she was alone.
At times like this, it really made her miss her father, whom she had never met and only seen pictures and videos of.
"…Stupid dojo… stupid martial arts… everything is so dumb…"
She pouted and thought about heading back home.
However, she was starting to feel a little selfish and thought that maybe if she didn't go home straight away, her mother would start to miss her.
"…Hey, isn't that Aoi's daughter?"
"…Yeah, you're right, she is!"
"…"
