𝙒𝙍𝙊𝙉𝙂 𝙉𝙐𝙈𝘽𝙀𝙍, 𝙃𝙊𝙀. ➥ ᵏⁱᵗᵃ ˢʰⁱⁿˢᵘᵏᵉ

5. | 𝙬𝙚 𝙢𝙚𝙚𝙩 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣

you walked along the empty sidewalk, not bothering to acknowledge where your feet were leading you. you had quickly slipped on a coat and running shoes for warmth, along with your bag. your mind was caught up in a small daze, dispirited by the fresh news from your mom.

a child's laughter brought you out of your thoughts, alerting you of your current location. your eyes scanned your surroundings to discover that you've walked to the park, a place where you used to go plenty of times as a kid. it was as if you were struck by nostalgia.

as you grew older, you started becoming more focused on your studies and eventually lost interest. as a result of that, you barely ever got the chance to come here.

you heaved a deep breath,

'It's been a while,'

"mom, lookie!" a little girl came running towards your direction, pointing towards a butterfly that drifted behind you. a woman, who you assumed was her mother, followed her with quick steps.

"slow down, hazuki!"

before you could think or move, her small body crashed into you, causing you to stumble backward, thankfully you didn't fall. the girl, on the other hand, supposedly named 'hazuki', fell roughly on her back. fortunately, her elbow held her up, avoiding hitting her head.

you let out a gasp of surprise, forgetting about your own problems, you rushed over to the child.

"woah, there!" you gently held both of her forearms, helping her up.

"hazuki!" her mother ran up next to her, shooting an apologetic look to you. "i am so sorry."

you shook your head dismissively, "it's fine,"

turning your attention back, you removed your hands, inspecting her for any injuries.

"are you alright? you're not hurt are you?"

hazuki's eyes were on the brink of tearing up.

she motioned to her elbow, which was now scratched up due to the fall. the wound was minor, but it had tiny specs of blood seeping through.

"oh, no." you grimaced at the sight.

you turned to her mother, "um, i'm sorry ma'am, but do you have any water with you?"

"yes, i do. why?" she responded, slight suspicion lacing her voice.

"i have tissues and band-aids that i can use to aid her. is that okay?"

"oh! of course, thank you." she nodded at you, an understanding smile making its way to her face. she handed you an unopened bottle of water.

you shot her a smile as you took hold of the bottle, hazuki's hand in your other as you led her to a nearby bench.

settling your bag on the bench, you brushed away the fallen leaves. you turned to her with an affectionate smile on your face, patting the empty space on the seat.

"come on, let's get your elbow fixed up, yeah?"

hazuki, who's eyes no longer held tears, smiled at you, nodding her head eagerly. she sat on the bench, offering you her arm so that you could mend her injuries.