Minowa Orphanage, Japan - Fifteen Years Ago
"Jin-nii! Wait for me!" a little girl, no older than five years old, was trying hard to catch hear breath while calling for her friend. She waited for a couple of minutes until an older boy came out from behind a building nearby.
"You're so slow, Mai!" the boy said jokingly, but he walked back toward the girl and patiently waited until she can breathe more easily.
"Gomen..." she mumbled apologetically. She didn't dare to look up at her friend's face. She was afraid that she would see a disappointed expression on his face.
"It's okay. It was my fault for running away like that." He patted her head gently to reassure her that he wasn't mad at her.
Mai smiled gratefully at him. Jin had been staying at the orphanage for much longer than her. He was her only friend at the orphanage. The other children didn't like playing with Mai as she was often unable to keep up during their play. Yes, Mai wasn't a very healthy child. Her body was weak and she often had difficulty for breathing when she was tired or too stressed out.
"Thank you, Jin-nii."
"Anything for my favorite girl", he grinned cheekily at her and playfully kissed her cheek to tease her. Mai was easily embarrased, and her blushing face was so adorable that he couldn't help himself not to tease her.
"Mou... Jin-nii! You should stop doing that! The others will get mad at me!" She scolded him while covering her blushing cheeks with her hands.
He just laughed and casually messed up her hair.
"Let them be. They're just jealous. Now, do you want to come with me? I heard from Tae obaa-san that some books will be delivered today. There might be something that we can read together", he offered.
" Oh yes! I'd love too, Jin-nii!" she squealed excitedly.
He laughed again at her excitement. After Mai came, he always felt such happiness whenever he saw her smiling. He promised himself that he will always try his best to make her smile, no matter what.
"Calm down, Mai. Now, hold my hand and don't let go, okay? The way to the library is a bit slippery today. You might slip and fall if you don't hold on to me". He reached out his hand to her.
"Okay, Jin-nii. I'll make sure to hold on tightly." She took his outstreched hand into her smaller hand.
"Don't worry. I won't let go of your hand. I will make sure that you won't fall". He told her quietly.
A Market Near Minowa Orphanage, Japan - Twelve Years Ago
"Do you two remember what you need to buy?" an elderly woman, around sixty years old, asked the two children in front of her.
The eight-year old girl was busy looking at her surroundings while the nine-year old boy smiled and answered the woman assuringly.
"Don't worry, Obaa-san. I have the list of things that we need to buy. Mai has also memorized the list, don't you Mai?" he asked the girl while he tightened his hold on her hand. Mai might get lost if they are separated in a busy market such as this one. Therefore, he would make sure to hold her hand at all times when they were away from Tae.
"Yes! I remember everything, Obaa-san! Eggs, onions, soba and leeks, am I correct?" she looked up to the dark-haired boy for confirmation.
"That's right, Mai. Now Obaa-san, I think we need to go before the store gets too crowded", he said to the elderly.
The woman nodded at them. "Be careful, Okay? I will wait for you at the meat store."
They promised her that they would be careful, bowed, and then walked away to look for the things they needed to buy.
(At the store nearby)
"Jin-nii, I don't think you can bring the eggs to the cashier with one hand", she told the older boy as she noticed his hesitation when he looked at the eggs.
"You don't know until you try."
"No, Jin-nii. You can't. Just let go for a while. I will wait here for you, okay?"
"But..."
"Come on, Jin-nii. I'll be fine! I'm a big girl, right? Besides, Obaa-san must be waiting for us. She might worry if we take too long".
He was still hesitant about letting her out of his sight, but Mai was correct. Tae might get worried if they didn't come back soon.
"Okay. But you should be a good girl and stay right here okay? I'll just leave for a while", he told her and slowly let go of her hand.
"I will, Jin-nii".
"I'll be back soon".
(a few moments later)
The line at the cashier was unexpectedly long. It took a while for him until he actually finished his purchases. After he paid for their things he immediately got back to the spot where he left Mai. However, the brunette girl was nowhere to be found.
"Mai?" He looked around the store, but he didn't see her. He came out of the store to look outside, but he still couldn't find her.
"Jin-kun? Are you okay? Where is Mai-chan?" a familiar voice called out to him when he started to panic. It was Tae. The elderly woman looked worried as she noticed his restless expression and the absence of the little girl.
"Tae obaa-san! I can't find Mai! She was just here, and now I couldn't find her!"
"Calm down, Jin-kun. She might be walking around to see the market", she attempted to calm him, however, her effort was not working since she also felt uneasy. Mai sometimes wandered around the orphanage, but she never did that in a crowded place like this. She also never willingly left the older boy's side for too long.
"Ano... are you perhaps looking for the little girl who was in the store earlier?" a young women approached them and asked hesitantly.
"Yes! We are looking for her. Onee-san did you see her?" the boy immediately turned his attention toward the young woman.
"Actually... I saw an Oji-san talking to her earlier. I thought he was her father. He took her with him not too long ago", she explained to them.
She remembered that the girl looked a little hesitant and the man grabbed her a little too forcefully, but she thought it was just because the child was being difficult toward her father. Now she realized that the man was probably attempting to kidnap the little girl.
"Do you remember how he looked like?" Tae asked.
"Uhm... He's a bit thin. He wears a long dark brown coat and a checkered scarf, if I'm not mistaken", the young woman explained.
"Which way did they go, Onee-san?" the boy asked desperately.
"I think they went that way...", she pointed toward their left. Without waiting for further explanation, the boy ran to the direction where the man had taken Mai.
'Please be safe, Mai. I'm coming to get you', he prayed quietly while continued to run, leaving the frantic Tae and the confused Onee-san behind.
(Near the end of the market)
He ran until he reached the end of the market. In front of him was the way to the residential area, which meant that it would be harder to find Mai if the man took her into one of the house.
He looked around to see if there was anyone he could asked, but then he heard a familiar voice cried out to him.
"Jin-nii!"
He turned around so fast that he felt a little bit dizzy, but looked visibly relieved upon seeing the brunette little girl.
"Mai! Where have you been? An Onee-san told me that some random Oji-san took you away!" he half-ran half-walked toward the little girl while trying to calm himself. He shouldn't let Mai saw how shaken up he was.
"That Oji-san asked me to help him looking for something, and he said that it was something so precious to him. But when he took me away from the shop, I felt like I mustn't follow him. So I cried and one of the security Oji-san noticed. The weird Oji-san just left me there, so the security Oji-san offered to let me help looking for your and Oba-san", she explained.
The black-haired boy finally noticed the traces of tears in the younger girl's cheeks. He felt ashamed of himself for not being able to protect her.
"I'm sorry. You were scared, weren't you?", he said as he pulled the little girl into his embrace.
The girl looked like she was about to cry again, but she noticed the gloomy expression on her friend's face. She swallowed the cry that about to come out and returned his embrace.
"I'm okay, Jin-nii. You're here now", she whispered, hoping that she would somehow reassured the boy, letting him know that what happened wasn't his fault.
"From now on, you shouldn't go anywhere alone without me, okay? And definitely not with any random people", he scolded her lightly.
"What if I need to go to the toilet? Do you need to come too?" she teased him to ease the tension between them.
"Ha. Very funny. Now let's go back. Tae Obaa-san must be really worried".
"Hai hai. Thank you for looking for me Jin-nii. And I'm sorry if I've made you worried".
"Of course I was worried. What if he takes you somewhere where I couldn't find you? Promise me that you'll never do that again".
"I promise, Jin-nii. Pinky promise?" she offered her little finger and smiled apologetically at him. He intertwined his finger with hers and accepted her silent apology.
"Now let's go home, Jin-nii. I'm hungry," she asked sheepishly as she felt her stomach rumbled.
He chuckled and took hold of her hand to make sure that she would stay close to his side. Together, they walked back hand in hand to where Tae was.
A Small House Near the Minowa Orphanage, Japan - Five Years Ago
"Jin-nii! I made it! I made it!" the fifteen-year old Mai was happily shouting while barging into her older brother-like-friend's room.
Unfortunately, the said person was in the middle of changing his clothes. By the time the brunette rudely entered his room, the young lad was still halfway putting on his trousers and didn't even get a chance to put a shirt on.
"Geez, Mai! I was still changing!" he hurriedly put on his trousers and grabbed around for his shirt, yet the girl remained unaware of his embarrasment.
"Guess what, Jin-nii? I got accepted into your school! Now we can go to school together again!" she exclaimed happily.
Ever since he entered into high school, Mai had been feeling a little bit lonely. Therefore, she had been studying hard so that she would be able to enter the same school as him. It would be great if they could spend time together at the school again like when they were still in the elementary school.
"Really? That's great, Mai! You studied really hard for the test; I know you'd be able to pass!" he beamed at her news; his search for the shirt was forgotten.
"I was not confident when I took the test, but I'm glad that it all worked out in the end. Thank you for tutoring me, Jin-nii!" she hugged her friend in joy, not noticing that the boy is still shirtless and now blushing; his embarrassement coming back tenfold.
"Umm... Mai, you see.. I was actually in the middle of changing my clothes you know.." he stammered uncomfortably.
His younger friend finally noticed their situation and eep-ed in horror.
"Oh my God I'm so sorry! I'm leaving now!" she stuttered and quickly made her way out of his room, leaving the dark-haired boy speechless.
"Seriously that Mai. She has no self-awareness whatsoever." he mumbled to himself.
'But she felt warm though. Was it because she had been running? Although it was embarrassing, it felt nice to hold her like that.' He thought to himself.
"Hurry finish your changing, Jin-nii! Obaa-san told me to go shopping to the market. She said she's going to make my favorite udon for dinner!" Mai called out to him from outside the door.
"Almost done! I'll see you downstairs!"
He put on his shirt and grabbed his wallet from the desk. He had been saving his allowance money to buy Mai a present when she passed her test, and now seemed to be a good time.
'I'll drop by that small shop near the market when she's busy looking for the ingredients. That blue butterfly hairpin I saw yesterday would look really cute on her.'
He walked down the stairs and found Mai waiting for him by the door.
"Geez, what took you so long? Come on Jin-nii!" she grabbed his hand and urged him to walk faster, worried that the shop would ran out of the noodles by the time they get there.
He laughed at her urgency and followed obediently; his hand still holding hers as they walked side by side away from the orphanage.
(One week later. Mai's first day of school - In the evening)
Mai was busy setting the table for dinner while Tae was still focused on preparing the beef stew. One year ago, the owner of the orphanage had moved the other children to a bigger place in the city. However, Jin and Mai was reluctant to leave since Mai was in her last year of middle school and was going to take the exam soon, while Jin didn't want to leave Mai behind. So Tae offered them to stay with her since her daughter recently moved out to live with her husband. Both teens quickly agreed since that meant that they didn't have to change school. Further, they were also very fond of Tae like their own grandmother.
"So how's your first day at school, Mai-chan? Was it fun?" Tae asked the brunette while stirring the stew.
"Hai! My new classmates are all nice. But among all of them, I really like talking to Michiru and Keiko. They like reading mystery novels like me, Obaa-san," she cheerfully informed the elderly woman.
"I'm glad you already made friends, Mai-chan. Did you meet Jin-kun at school? You couldn't go together this morning since he needs to come early."
"Oh yes! You know what Obaa-san? Jin-nii is actually the student body president of our school! I saw him at the morning assembly. He came early because he needed to prepare his speech. He is the top student and the captain of the tennis club. All my friends said that he's really cool!"
"Am I, Mai?" she was startled to hear the said student body president's voice from behind her. Apparently, the boy had arrived not too long ago, and was quietly listening to their conversation.
"Ugh, don't sneak up on me like that, Jin-nii! What if I drop the plates?"
He chuckled and gently messed up her hair while casually took over the plates from her and arranged them on the table.
"Well, you were too busy talking about my coolness that you didn't realize that I'm already back." he said teasingly.
"Pssh. what coolness? Those girls didn't know your true nature, that's all. I bet a lot of them confessed to you, right?" she teased him back to cover up her embarrassment in getting caught when talking about him.
"Yup," he replied absent-mindedly.
"Wait, they did? I didn't know that. So which one is your girlfriend?" she asked in surprise. although they were together most of the time at home, Jin rarely talked about his school life. He often listen to her stories instead, so she didn't know much about her brother-figure's life outside the house.
"No one," he said.
"What? Seriously? you turned them all down? why?" she said curiously. She saw a lot of cute girls at the second-year and third-year sections during the morning assembly. Taking his look and position at school into consideration, she bet that some of them would have confessed to him.
"Hm. I'm just not interested, I guess."
"Oh, really? Or perhaps you already have someone that you like, Jin-nii?"
"Why do you want to know, though?"
"Well, it seems that my new friends Michiru and Keiko are your fans now. They were really ecstatic when they find out we live at the same house. They asked a lot of questions about you."
"You told them?" he frowned at what she said. He didn't care about gossips, but some girls at his school can be mean sometimes, and he didn't want Mai to be a target of their bullying if she was involved in any kind of rumors with him.
"Ah, but I told them not to tell anyone! They agreed to keep it a secret. But they said that they would love to visit someday," she confessed sheepishly.
"Oh. I see," he responded quietly. He was a bit disappointed that her sudden interest in his love life was only because of her friends.
"Hush now, you two. Let's eat our dinner before it gets cold. Mai could you help getting the stew, please?" Tae's interference ended their conversation.
Mai obediently went toward the kitchen and proceeded to put the stew into their small bowls. However, being the clumsy girl she was, she accidentally spilled some stew on her hand.
"Ouch, its hot!" she grimaced at the pain.
Before Tae could do anything, Jin already walked up to Mai's side and took her lightly burned hand under the kitchen faucet to cool it down.
"Obaa-san, I'll give Mai some ointment first to cool down the burn. Its in the living room, right?"
"Yes, Jin-kun. I put it in the first aid kit box. Are you okay, Mai? Do you want to see a doctor?" Tae asked in worry.
"I'm okay, Obaa-san. It doesn't hurt that much, really. And Jin-nii, you should just continue eating. I'll be fine. The pain will go away soon," she told them.
"Nonsense. Look, your skin has gotten red already. It might leave a scar if you don't treat it soon. Now go. I'll take care of the food." Tae scolded her lightly and shoo-ed them both.
Mai had no choice but to obey. She followed Jin to the living room and patiently waited while he was looking for the ointment.
"Ah, here it is. Mai, give me your hand," he ordered her.
She held out her hand and he gently took it into his own. He slowly spreaded the ointment on the reddened skin, and abruptly stopped when he saw her winced in pain.
"Does it hurt?" he looked at her in concern.
"It just stings a bit," she admitted.
He then brought her hand closer to his face and gently blew on the burnt part.
"Sheesh, Jin-nii. I'm not a little kid, you know. I can handle a little bit of pain," she protested.
"Hush. Be quiet." He ignored her protest and continued to blow on her hand.
'You probably can handle the pain, Mai. But I can't handle seeing you in pain."
They sat there together for a while until Tae finally called out to them.