Behind Watanabe

If.

One afternoon where Junkyu was playing with Hanami until they lost track of time. The weather forecast for the week was very accurate, it was said that the sun would continue to shine for a whole week and people could enjoy their week without having to take umbrellas with them. In that case, Junkyu also found the opportunity to play to his heart's content outdoors with Hanami, of course after all the homework and school preparation was done.

For the first time, Junkyu asked Hanami's parents for permission to take their daughter to the beach and play. The two of them weren't going to swim, simply enjoying the afternoon sun and building sand castles instead. At first Mr. and Mrs. Watanabe looked worried, but they trusted Junkyu and asked them to go home when the sun was about to set. Junkyu obeyed the order and felt uncontained joy. He also missed the beach very much.

"Is this castle for princess Hanami?"

"Hahaha, it's too small for me, Junkyu. I'm a big girl now!" Hanami laughed. The two of them seem so close and intimate with each other, even Junkyu acts as if he is Hanami's older brother.

"You are indeed a big girl."

On the other hand, Junkyu helped Hanami build a solid foundation for her sand castle. They made sure that the sand castle was built a little away from the beach so it would not be easily carried away by the water.

After a while, the sand castle was completed. They are very proud of themselves for making something new, especially Hanami, a girl who lives near the panai, but rarely steps on the sand. On second thought, Mr and Mrs Watanabe tend to be very busy and rarely make time for their children. What a shame, Junkyu thought.

"Yaaaaay, the sandcastle is done!" Hanami exclaimed happily.

"Yes! We have successfully built this beautiful sand castle. Good job, Hanami." The two of them did a high-five.

"Junkyu, can I have some mineral water? Mine's empty already..." Hanami showed him her empty, pink water bottle.

"Sure. Wait here and don't go anywhere! Let me get some water for you at the nearest faucet."

Hanami nodded her head and Junkyu went to get clean drinking water from the faucet not far from where they built the sand castle. As far as the eye could see, there were only a few people going to the beach and most of them were not even playing or sunbathing, but either working as fisherman or cleaning the beach. To think about it, there weren't many people living there and there weren't many places to accommodate tourists. However, Junkyu was grateful because he could enjoy such a beautiful nature that had not been touched by the ignorant hands of tourists yet.

After fetching water, Junkyu returned to his previous place and saw Hanami still playing by the sand castle. "Here, the water."

"Thank you." Hanami took her water bottle back and drank the water so deliciously, it seemed that the girl was thirsty. "It tastes good..."

"I bet it does..."

"Junkyu," Hanami handed her bottle to Junkyu, non-verbally asking him to close the lid, while Junkyu was waiting until Hanami finished her sentence, "could you ask mom and dad to send me to public school?"

That was unexpected and Junkyu could not see where Hanami came from with the talk. "Oh? W-what... happened? Aren't you enjoying your private lesson at home?" Junkyu stuttered.

"I thought, it would be fun to have more friends and meet new people. Junkyu, didn't you go to public school as well?"

For a ten year old, surely Hanami was an articulate and well-mannered child. She fascinated Junkyu with her charms and adorable personality, but it was no surprise that Hanami grew up in a different environment and it affected her maturity, which Junkyu took pity of. Just like her brother Haruto, Hanami could have had stored unspoken hope in her heart.