"Anything that you like?" Ban asked Chi with a big smile that was drawn across his lovely face.
Chi, as she was usually doing, did not respond. She circled her eyes around the city and watched the chain of events around her.
There were the vendors selling balloons to the little children merrily playing.
The ground was filled with pallid winter snow.
The children were gathering snowballs and they threw it at one another.
Two were riding seesaw.
One was on swing.
The other one was pushing him.
However, while everybody was happy, there was one boy who was left behind weeping at the corner of the playground and no one seemed to care.
Everyone was busy doing his thing. No one knows what the problem of this little boy was… and no one was even interested to know.
The boy wept silently as the cold breeze blew and whistle to his ears. The birds sang a very beautiful melody. The nature was trying to create an orchestra yet the boy continued to cry.
It seemed that there was not one and not a thing that would soothe his young wounded heart.
All throughout he remained a solitary melancholic little figure…
A pitiable little thing hiding behind the shadows of his sinister past…
Chi's vision was caught by the lamenting little boy.
She felt a cold shiver ran down across his spine.
She could not understand but she also felt his sorrow.
She wanted to approach him.
She wanted to know what the problem was.
Moreover, she wanted to know in what way she could be of help.
As she tried to walk towards the boy's direction, Ban stopped her.
Her questioning eyes stare at Ban whose hand was placed over her shoulders but face looking at another direction.
"There is no way you could help him. Just let him be."
"But why?"
" That little boy's parents had passed away. Approaching him cannot restore their lives anyway."
"But…"
"Yameru!"
The tears were forced out from Chi's eyes as Ban yelled at her.
Ban felt guilty for making her cry.
He did not mean to.
Why did I shout in the first place?
Could it be because he was also affected?
Could it be because he had also experienced being deprived of his parents' love?
Or, could it be because his jealousy had been aroused?
He stared at Chi who was quietly weeping. He was standing trembling in front of her. He was also helpless that he could not understand what was happening to him.
You're still thinking of him. Aren't you, Chi?After a long moment of silence…
A long moment for thought…
At last!
The words came out from his mouth…
"Go - go" He hesitated.
"Gomen ne." He finally said bowing his head down.
"O, hontou ni gomen nasai, watashi no Chi."
He moved closer to the woman and wrapped his hand around her making it tight.
"Hontou ni aishite'ru." He whispered to her ears.