Anna stared at Ai with widened eyes. Leaning in, she lowered her voice until it was barely more than a whisper.
"W-What do you mean… wrong? What is going on?"
Ai kept her eyes fixed on the road ahead.
"Can't you tell? Think about what Kanna said. 'It was like I didn't exist.' How did nobody notice a little girl wandering the streets alone? That sentence keeps ringing in my head."
Anna frowned.
"Maybe she's exaggerating to make the story sound more dramatic. Or maybe she only felt invisible because nobody helped her." She glanced toward Kanna, who continued walking ahead of them. "Besides, when we first saw her, even we weren't immediately sure something was wrong. It's possible other people noticed her too but simply assumed she was fine."
Ai gave a slow nod.
"That's possible… but there's something else that's been bothering me since this morning."
"Oh?" Anna asked, raising an eyebrow. "And what's that?"
"I only had the chance to properly look around the town today while we were together, so I wasn't certain before. But after hearing Kanna's story…" Ai paused, choosing her words carefully. "I think it's worth mentioning."
Anna let out a small sigh.
"Ai… you've been watching too many detective movies."
Ignoring the remark, Ai continued.
"Since this morning, I've noticed that this town is… normal."
Anna blinked.
"…That's a good thing, isn't it? Don't tell me you hit your head this morning."
"No, that's exactly what I mean." Ai's expression remained thoughtful. "It's too normal."
She looked around as they walked.
"Everything seems perfectly ordinary. Nothing stands out. Nothing feels suspicious. Logically, everything checks out… and yet…" Her voice grew quieter. "There's this feeling that something is wrong."
She struggled to explain it.
"It's hard to describe. There isn't any evidence. No obvious clue. Just… a feeling that something beneath the surface doesn't fit."
Anna smiled and gently nudged her shoulder.
"Don't worry. Once we find Kanna's mother, I'll buy you a juice. Maybe that'll cure your detective instincts."
Ai let out a faint smile, but it disappeared almost immediately.
"Even so… the thing that concerns me the most isn't the town."
"What is it?"
"The balloon man."
Anna looked at her in confusion.
"What about him?"
"Kanna said he was wearing a mask."
"…And?"
"That's unusual."
Anna shrugged.
"Not really. People wear masks for festivals or to entertain children all the time."
"True," Ai admitted. "But that's not what bothers me."
She looked toward Kanna again.
"If it had been a funny or colorful mask, Kanna would probably have described it. Children are naturally curious about things like that. She would've talked about how it looked, or laughed about it. But she never mentioned the mask itself."
Ai's eyes narrowed.
"Which makes me think it wasn't the kind of mask meant to entertain children."
Anna folded her arms.
"That's still a huge assumption. We can't accuse someone just because they're wearing a strange mask."
"I know."
Ai's tone remained calm.
"But that's only part of it."
She continued, her thoughts connecting one piece at a time.
"Kanna also said she chased the balloon man until she lost sight of him… and that happened somewhere around where we found her."
She looked down the road stretching before them.
"We've been walking this path for almost fifteen minutes now."
Her gaze slowly swept across the surroundings.
"And during that entire time…"
"…we haven't seen a single child."
As if moved by the same thought, both girls instinctively looked around.
A wooden cart rolled lazily past them.
Two elderly men argued over something neither seemed willing to let go.
A shopkeeper stood outside his store, rhythmically sweeping dust from the entrance.
A stray dog trotted across the road before disappearing into a narrow alley.
Life continued exactly as it should.
Everything felt ordinary.
Everything felt alive.
And yet…
There wasn't a single child in sight.
Anna remained silent.
This time, Ai's observation couldn't be brushed aside so easily.
Since morning, apart from Kanna herself, they hadn't seen any children anywhere in town.
Not on the streets.
Not near the shops.
Not even playing in front of their homes.
If that was true…
Then why had the balloon man been heading toward this road in the first place?
After several quiet moments, Anna finally spoke.
"But… all of this is still just speculation, isn't it?"
Ai nodded.
"Yeah… you're right. Maybe I'm simply overthinking—"
Before she could finish, Kanna, who had been walking a few steps ahead, suddenly turned around.
"What are you two whispering about back there?"
Anna immediately straightened up with a playful grin.
"Hey! Don't eavesdrop on us."
"I wasn't!" Kanna puffed out her cheeks. "And besides…"
She pointed excitedly down the street.
"Look! We're almost at the post office."
Anna blinked.
"…Wait."
A smile slowly spread across her face.
"What do you mean by 'Kanna without K'?"
She paused for a second before laughing softly.
"…Ah."
"That actually makes sense now."
"Then where's your mother?" Ai suddenly asked. "We're standing right in front of the post office now."
Anna and Kanna both turned their attention toward the building ahead.
For a moment, neither of them said anything.
The post office stood at the end of the street like a building that had somehow been forgotten by time. Its brick walls had once been painted a warm, earthy red, but years of neglect had drained the color from them, leaving behind a dull, faded brown. Dark stains crawled beneath the windows, and patches of old plaster had peeled away from the walls, exposing the rough brick underneath. The windows were narrow and dusty, their glass reflecting almost nothing of the afternoon light. Even the wooden sign above the entrance looked worn, its lettering faded and barely legible.
There was nothing inherently frightening about the building.
And yet, somehow, it was unsettling.
It looked less like a place where people came to send letters and more like a structure that had simply remained standing after everything else had moved on.
What made it stranger was that the building wasn't deserted.
Far from it.
A large crowd had gathered in front of the main entrance. People stood shoulder to shoulder, some talking quietly among themselves, others simply staring toward the building. There were enough people there to make the scene feel busy.
But to Ai, it didn't feel alive.
The crowd had a strange stillness to it.
Nobody laughed.
Nobody appeared excited.
Even the conversations seemed muted, as though every person was instinctively careful not to raise their voice. Faces looked blank, expressions subdued, movements slow and mechanical.
It was a crowd.
But it felt like a lifeless crowd.
Ai's eyes narrowed.
She began scanning the entire area.
First the building.
Then the entrance.
Then the windows.
Then the people.
Her gaze moved from one face to another, carefully observing their expressions and body language. She studied the arrangement of the crowd, the surrounding streets, the entrances and exits, even the spaces between the people. She took her time, allowing her eyes to linger wherever something seemed even remotely unusual.
Anna noticed her expression change.
Ai's breathing had become slightly heavier.
A thin layer of sweat began to form across her forehead.
Something inside her was screaming at her to leave.
She didn't know why.
There was no clear threat.
No weapon.
No obvious danger.
Nothing she could point to and say, There.
And yet every instinct she possessed was telling her that they should not remain there.
Ai suddenly reached for Anna's hand.
"Let's go."
Anna barely had time to react.
"Ai—?"
Ai pulled her backward, preparing to run.
But before either of them could take another step—
"MAMA!"
Kanna's voice rang through the street.
Ai froze.
Kanna was pointing excitedly across the road.
A woman stood beside the pathway opposite the post office.
She appeared to be in her late twenties, with a remarkably graceful appearance. She wore a crimson dress that seemed almost deliberately chosen to complement her features. The color contrasted sharply against her pale complexion, while her long black hair fell neatly around her shoulders.
But there was something about her smile.
It was too wide.
Too deliberate.
Too perfectly maintained.
Her expression was pleasant, almost welcoming, yet Ai couldn't shake the strange impression that there was something predatory hidden behind it.
A fox.
That was the first thought that entered Ai's mind when she saw her.
Not because the woman looked frightening.
Quite the opposite.
She looked beautiful.
But there was something clever and strangely watchful about her face.
Kanna didn't seem to notice any of it.
"Mama!"
She immediately ran toward her.
"Kanna!"
The woman opened her arms, and Kanna rushed straight into them. Her mother embraced her tightly, holding her for several seconds as though she had been desperately worried about her.
Anna and Ai followed at a slower pace.
Once Kanna's mother noticed them, her smile widened.
"Oh, thank you. Thank you both, young ladies, for finding my daughter and taking care of her."
Ai remained silent, her eyes fixed on the woman.
Anna, however, quickly waved her hands.
"No, no, it was nothing. Well…" She gave an awkward little laugh. "To put it more accurately, I think it was actually your daughter who kind of took care of us."
Kanna's face immediately turned into an enormous pout.
Her mother laughed.
"Cupcake, you shouldn't make fun of Kanna in front of Mama."
Anna couldn't help laughing as well.
Kanna crossed her arms, clearly offended.
Then she glanced toward Ai.
"…Just follow Miss Sherlock and remain quiet."
Anna slowly turned toward Ai.
Ai stared back at her.
"A new nickname?"
Anna grinned.
The woman laughed softly before turning her attention back to the two girls.
"Kanna, behave yourself. And I'm truly sorry, young ladies. I can't properly thank you right now, but I insist that you visit our house sometime."
"Oh, really, there's no need," Anna replied. "It's not a big deal. We were just—"
"No."
The woman's voice remained gentle, but there was a firmness beneath it.
"You saved my only daughter. The least I can do is offer you something in return. And besides…" She looked down at Kanna. "Kanna would like that too, wouldn't you?"
Kanna immediately nodded.
A bright smile appeared across her face.
"Of course!"
Anna hesitated for a moment before sighing dramatically.
"Well… if you're insisting that much, I suppose we can't really refuse."
"Good." The woman smiled.
She took Kanna's hand.
"Then please excuse us. Come on, Kanna. We should go."
Kanna waved enthusiastically at the girls.
"Bye!"
Anna waved back.
"Bye, Kanna!"
The woman turned around with Kanna beside her, and the two began walking away down the pathway.
Anna watched them disappear into the distance.
Ai did the same.
For several seconds, neither girl spoke.
Then, without taking her eyes off the woman, Ai quietly said,
"Didn't that woman look like she was angry at us?"
Anna slowly turned toward her.
She didn't answer.
Chapter ends
To be continued