The morning was unusually warm.
Although the sun had only just begun its slow ascent above the horizon, the summer heat had already settled over Ballyhilin. The air felt heavy, and even the gentlest breeze carried little relief. It was the kind of morning that promised an even hotter afternoon.
Unlike the quiet days before, the town was already alive.
Horse-drawn carts rolled steadily along the narrow roads, their wheels clattering softly against the stone streets. Women gathered in small groups outside their homes, exchanging stories and laughter as they went about their morning chores. Shopkeepers opened their businesses one by one, while working men disappeared into the rhythm of another ordinary day. Elderly villagers occupied weathered benches beneath the shade of old trees, watching the town awaken with the calm patience that only age could teach.
Among the familiar faces of Ballyhilin, however, two strangers wandered through its streets.
Anna and Ai.
Walking side by side, they made their way toward the beach.
Neither of them hurried. Their pace was relaxed—slow enough to enjoy the lively atmosphere around them, yet steady enough to reach the coast before the heat became unbearable.
Anna's excitement had been obvious from the moment they left the house.
What surprised her far more was Ai.
She had expected endless excuses, quiet complaints, or at the very least an indifferent expression.
Instead…
Ai actually seemed to be enjoying herself.
The realization alone made Anna smile.
After several minutes of walking together, she finally asked,
"So… are you enjoying your time here?"
Ai glanced at her before answering.
"To your surprise… quite a lot."
Anna's smile widened.
"That's good to hear."
Ai returned the smile, then allowed a brief silence to settle between them before speaking again.
"Well… your grandfather is really a good person."
Anna blinked.
"…Yeah, he is."
She tilted her head curiously.
"But how can you tell?"
Ai shrugged lightly.
"Three days are enough to learn a little about someone."
She looked ahead as she continued.
"And besides… he seems a little young to be someone's grandfather."
Anna laughed softly.
"Well… he is only fifty-five."
Ai nodded absentmindedly.
"Oh… fifty-five, huh…"
She paused.
Then suddenly stopped walking.
"…Wait."
Anna turned toward her.
"He's fifty-five?"
"Yeah."
"And you're sixteen."
"Yes?"
Anna looked at her with genuine confusion.
"Why? Do you have a stomachache or something?"
Ai ignored the question entirely.
"And he's your grandfather?"
She narrowed her eyes.
"The math isn't adding up."
Anna stared at her for a second.
Then an awkward smile slowly spread across her face.
"Oh…"
She scratched the back of her head.
"I think I forgot to tell you."
Ai folded her arms.
"Tell me what?"
Anna laughed nervously.
"He isn't actually my real grandfather."
For a moment, Ai simply looked at her.
"What?"
"Yeah…" Anna rubbed the back of her neck. "Now that I think about it… I never mentioned that."
She gave an embarrassed laugh.
"Clumsy me."
Ai waited silently.
"You already know my parents died during the war in 1944."
Ai nodded.
"Well… Gramps was a soldier back then."
Anna's voice became noticeably quieter.
"I don't remember any of it myself. I was too young."
She looked toward the road ahead.
"He told me he found me hiding underneath a bed."
A brief silence followed.
"And… he took me with him."
There wasn't the slightest hint of self-pity in her voice.
She simply stated it as though she were recalling someone else's story.
"He raised me until I was twelve."
A faint smile returned to her face.
"Then he sent me to England to live with my real uncle and aunt."
She nudged Ai gently with her shoulder.
"And that's where I met you."
Anna smiled sheepishly.
"Well… I think that's enough autobiography for one morning."
Ai didn't smile back.
Instead, she looked directly into Anna's eyes.
There was something unusually intense in her expression.
A mixture of sympathy…
Curiosity…
And words she hadn't yet found.
"I don't—"
"Ai."
Anna interrupted her before she could finish.
"We can talk about that later."
She slowly raised a finger and pointed farther down the road.
"But… could you look over there first?"
Ai followed her gaze.
Standing a short distance ahead was a little girl.
She couldn't have been older than six or seven.
She wore a bright red dress that contrasted beautifully with the quiet colors of the town around her. Her tiny arms were firmly crossed over her chest, and an unmistakable pout had formed on her face.
Most importantly…
She was staring directly at the two of them.
No.
Glowering at them.
Her expression was so comically serious that it looked as though she had spent the last several minutes preparing an angry lecture.
The determination on her tiny face was almost overwhelming.
Ai blinked.
For a brief moment, only one thought crossed her mind.
…She's adorable.
Beside her, Anna sighed dramatically.
"…Now what?"
Ai said nothing.
Her eyes remained fixed on the little girl, quietly studying the determined pout on her tiny face.
Anna glanced at Ai, then back at the child.
After a brief moment of hesitation, she spoke.
"…Maybe she's… looking at us."
Ai gave a slow nod.
Without another word, she stepped forward and walked toward the little girl. Anna quickly followed behind.
The closer they came, the deeper the girl's pout became, as if she were preparing herself for a very important confrontation.
Eventually, they stopped only a few steps away.
The little girl remained exactly where she was, arms folded tightly across her chest, glaring up at the two teenagers with astonishing determination.
For a moment, none of them spoke.
Finally, Ai cautiously took a small step forward.
She crouched down until she was almost at eye level with the child, resting both hands on her knees.
In the gentlest voice she could manage, she asked,
"Are you… lost?"
The little girl continued pouting.
Then she nodded.
Ai blinked twice.
She briefly looked back at Anna before turning to the child again.
"W-What's your name?"
The little girl immediately shook her head.
"You don't need to know Kanna's name!" she declared with surprising authority. "What you should do is take Kanna back to her Mama!"
Ai and Anna exchanged a confused glance.
Neither of them had expected that answer.
A few minutes later…
The three of them were walking together through the streets of Ballyhilin.
Rather accurately, Kanna had somehow taken command of the group.
She marched confidently in front, her hands swinging happily at her sides, the earlier anger having vanished completely. A bright smile now decorated her face, making it difficult to believe she had been glaring at them only moments ago.
Behind her walked Anna and Ai.
Somewhere along the way, Kanna had successfully convinced the two older girls to help her find her mother.
Anna smiled warmly as she looked at the child.
"So… where was the last place you saw your mom? Could you tell us again?"
Kanna glanced over her shoulder.
A second later, she dramatically puffed out her cheeks.
"Hmph!"
She folded her arms again.
"Fine. But you'd better not forget what Kanna tells you this time."
Anna couldn't help smiling.
"We won't."
Kanna nodded proudly.
"Mama and Kanna came to the post office to send a letter."
She spoke with exaggerated seriousness, as though narrating the greatest mystery in the world.
"Mama was standing in line, and Kanna was waiting beside her."
Then her eyes suddenly sparkled.
"That's when Kanna saw the balloon man!"
"The balloon man?" Anna repeated.
"Yes!"
Kanna nodded enthusiastically.
"He was walking on the street wearing a very strange mask."
She stretched both arms wide as though describing something incredible.
"And he had balloons!"
"So many balloons!"
She raised a finger dramatically.
"But Kanna wanted the red one."
She looked down at her dress proudly.
"Because red is the same color as Kanna's dress."
Ai listened quietly.
"So Kanna ran after him."
The little girl sighed dramatically.
"But the balloon man was too fast."
"I couldn't catch him."
"And then…"
Her cheerful voice gradually became quieter.
"He disappeared."
Kanna looked toward the road ahead.
"And when Kanna stopped…"
She swallowed.
"Mama wasn't there anymore."
Silence settled between the three of them.
"Kanna got really scared."
She kicked a small pebble on the road.
"Our house is near the mountains."
"So Kanna doesn't really know the town."
Anna's smile slowly faded.
"But the strangest part wasn't that."
Kanna suddenly stopped walking.
She turned around to face both girls.
"Nobody noticed Kanna."
Her voice had become unusually quiet.
"Everyone just kept walking."
She lowered her head.
"Like… Kanna wasn't even there."
Ai's expression subtly changed.
"When Uncle and Aunt come to visit, they're always happy to see Kanna."
"The lady next door always gives Kanna pancakes whenever she makes them for Sam."
"So…"
Kanna looked genuinely confused.
"Why was everyone pretending Kanna didn't exist?"
Her cheeks puffed out once more.
"That made Kanna really angry."
She pointed dramatically at Anna and Ai.
"And then…"
"You two appeared."
A smile slowly returned to her face.
"You were the first people who noticed Kanna."
Anna let out a small giggle.
"Maybe everyone was just scared of you."
She laughed.
"With the way you keep glaring at people."
Kanna gasped in disbelief.
"Why would they be scared of Kanna?"
She crossed her arms proudly.
"Don't get the wrong idea, Cupcake."
"Kanna was the one who got scared!"
Anna blinked.
"…Cupcake?"
"Yes."
Kanna nodded with absolute confidence.
"Because your face looks like a cupcake."
She pointed at Anna's blonde hair.
"And your hair reminds Kanna of butterscotch."
She smiled brightly.
"And butterscotch is Kanna's favorite flavor."
Anna burst into laughter.
"Hahaha!"
She looked toward Ai.
"Ai, did you hear that?"
No response.
Anna blinked.
"Ai?"
She turned around.
Ai had stopped walking.
Her cheerful expression had vanished.
She stood completely still, staring silently at Kanna.
Her brows were tightly furrowed.
Her lips moved almost imperceptibly, whispering something to herself.
"Ai?"
Anna's smile disappeared.
"What's wrong?"
Ai didn't answer immediately.
Her eyes remained fixed on Kanna as countless thoughts raced through her mind.
Finally, in a quiet voice filled with unease, she spoke.
"…Something's wrong."
Her eyes narrowed.
"Something is very wrong."
Chapter Ends.
To be Continued