Kindergarten Bully [Oikawa Tooru] | ✔

Omake Three: Naoko

The Lost Child

"Jingle bells, jingle bells..."

Christmas carols wafted through the old radio and into the atmosphere as Naoko entered the little grocery store with zeal, her hair bouncing along with her movements.

"Nao-chan," the elderly shopkeeper greeted, cracking a toothy, kind smile at her. He had teeth missing in a few spots but Naoko didn't mind. He was a kind old thing and they found great joy being in each others' company. "Here to do a few Christmas errands for your parents?"

Naoko—who was to turn twelve this Christmas Eve (which was today, but she wouldn't officially be twelve until around ten o'clock)—nodded excitedly (or with as much excitement as she would show, anyway; she always had been quite a stoic little girl). "Ojii-san, I'm here to pick up some fish balls and octopus balls for tonight's steamboat."

Her parents were off at a meeting and would be taking the train back to Miyagi tofay to make it in time for Naoko's birthday. Both parents adored and doted on their little girl. Naoko didn't mind the attention per se, but she wished that they would treat Tadashi better; he deserved and needed the love more than she did. He had been getting bullied intensely lately due to his coming out a few years back. The fact that he had been held back two years due to him having to recover his eye didn't help very much either.

The shopkeeper gave her what she needed and she paid him handsomely, telling him to keep the change. "Ojii-san, my family is very rich. We have money to spare."

The old man's eyes crinkled as he smiled and accepted the extra money. But he didn't do it without delivering a warning first. "Careful, Nao-chan, you may not always be blessed with money to splash around."

Naoko nodded impatiently before bidding the man goodbye and a Merry Christmas. She appreciated his concern, but she doubted that the circumstances of her lifestyle would be changing anytime soon. The Makoshima parents both worked in the music and entertainment industry and were paid well for their services. They were well liked so Naoko further doubted that they'd be getting fired or resigning anytime soon.

It was already late when she walked out of the store—her parents would be arriving at the station soon, and Naoko would play her role as the good daughter and meet them there.

The processed meat balls in the plastic bag swayed back and forth as she lightly jogged along the path to te station. On her way down to her destination, she passed many other citizens doing their own thing. An elderly florist was tending to her flowers, an acne-ridden teenager was wearing a sandwich board advertising for a local cafe, and a young boy and his friend seemed to be playing some kind of game in a small park.

The boy had fluffy brown hair and his friend had dark black hair that was spiked upward. The brown-haired boy seemed to be rambling about something while his friend looked to be mildly exasperated. Naoko saw the universal finger sign for 'gun' be tossed around a few times. It was a funny sight, especially since the two boys seemed older than her by maybe a year or two.

Her journey came to a close after fifteen minutes of power-walking through the streets. Pleased with herself, Naoko sat down on a cold wooden bench, waiting for her parents to emerge from the next train and greet her with warm hugs and kisses.

All around her, people went about with their daily lives. Naoko pulled out a bag of biscuits that she had also bought from the grocery store and began to eat. Naoko loved eating—she always had and always would, no matter what. All food was comfort food to Naoko.

About an hour later, she had devoured all of her biscuits. And her parents still hadn't arrived yet, which was certainly odd. But, she supposed, with the snow, there must have been some delay that was preventing her parents' arrival. She patiently continued to wait, ignoring the sympathetic looks that strangers were giving her, having probably wrongly assumed that she was some lost child. Well, she wasn't lost at all. Defiantly, she lifted her chin to subtly glower at those 'concerned' adults. She didn't need their pity—she had grown strong on her own because she had something to protect: Tadashi.

Two hours later, the sun had set and there was literally no life at the small train station. Everybody had gone home to be with their families and friends in their warm houses. Feeling the cold biting into her skin despite the many layers she was wearing, she drew her knees to her chest, setting her feet flat on the bench. Bits of frost had gathered on the unmoved plastic bag beside her, still containing the ingredients for tonight's steamboat dinner.

No more trains arrived after the nine o'clock train on Christmas. It was already way past that time. Silently, Naoko got up and picked up the grocery bag, unable to feel her fingers thanks to the wintry chill.

Still silent, she walked all the way back home, the plastic grocery bag slapping against her thigh as she made the journey through the painfully vacant streets, all alone.

xXx

The clock struck past ten o'clock when she received the call informing her that her parents had died in a train accident.

There was no steamboat dinner that night.