At the Waiting Shed [Haikyuu!!]

[6/10] Yukihime

"Why are you crying?"

The little chocolate-haired boy sniffed before raising his head. The wind seemed to wipe the tears off his face to calm him.

He looked around to search wherever the voice might have come from. It was a vast place of towering trees and then...

His eyes caught a glimpse of a teenage girl with a fox mask staring at him while she hid behind a tree.

Their staring contest only stopped when the little boy stood up and cried in relief and joy.

"I'm saved!!!" He held his arms in front of him, forming a gesture that he wanted a hug.

He ran towards the girl who took a step to the side the moment he was near at least for an inch, letting his face smack itself on the earth.

He didn't expect to meet the ground headfirst.

"Hey kid" the girl spoke and called his attention. The boy lifted his head off the ground while puffing his cheeks because of the irritation and embarrassment the incident caused before sitting up to see the masked girl standing in front of him.

"You're..." She paused while inspecting the little boy's appearance. "You're a human child, aren't you?"

The little boy didn't respond immediately. It was such a bizarre question after all.

"If I'm touched by a human, I'll disappear" She told him.

The boy cocked his head to the side in confusion. "By human you mean... Nee-san, aren't you human?"

"I'm..." It took her a couple of seconds before she finished what she was saying. "I'm something that lives in this forest"

To her surprise (which he didn't see because of the mask she was wearing), the boy's eyes ignited with sparks and excitement. "So then... are you one of those youkai?"

"..."

"What do you mean you'll disappear though?" the little boy asked. He spread his arm out in an attempt to touch her but she moved a step back, making his hand meet the ground again.

He did it repeatedly and eventually got up. Before they knew it, the little boy was playing tag with her until...

"WWAAAAHHHH!" the boy cried out in pain as his knees dropped and his hands on his head. "You really aren't a human... *sobs* No human would ever hit a child"

The teenage girl watched the little boy cry before she heaved a sigh. She glanced at the branch she used to hit him and stuck it out for him. "Hey shortie"

The boy sniffed and looked up to her and saw the branch.

"Grab the other end" the stranger said without looking at him. "I'll show the way out of this place"

The child blinked a few times before he stood up and held the branch.

The boy's eyes lit up in delight as he stood up. "TTHHHAAANNNKK YYYOOO-"

The girl hit her with the branch as the child rolled around the ground in pain.

"Didn't I just tell you?" The masked girl panted.

>> Fast Forward <<

The masked lady led the poor lost boy through the forest and eventually found the staircase leading down the place.

"It's just like going on a date" the child grinned.

"Not a very romantic one though" the girl interjected.