Published: August 2, 2025
“Have you found him!?”
“No good, looks like that way is no good either…”
“That mischievous brat, where could he have gone?”
In the village square at the center of the village, the adults searching for the missing Niki boy kept going out and returning without rest. Among those adults were the people from Shikum’s pier.
“Ryoma! How’s it over there!?”
“Mr. Sain… At least near the village, there are no boats going out on the lake. I did see a few fishing boats from other villages, but none had children onboard. Also, on the road leading out from the village entrance, there were no children or carriages to hide in.”
I had the limule birds assist me, sharing their vision.
We searched mainly outside the village from high places, but there was no success…
“I see… Oh! Peyron! How about your side?”
“All the village boats’ locations have been confirmed. Also, no boats came from other places today.”
“So that means he’s not on the lake?”
The last time Niki boy was seen was right after he threw an okta at me.
Once caught and scolded, he had resisted and then disappeared.
It had already been four hours since then. Since it was winter and the days were shorter, it was starting to get dark outside.
“If it’s not a kidnapping…”
“Yeah, he’d come back by now if nothing happened…”
“Is that so?”
“That kid… he’s a habitual prankster but always came back before dark. Even if he knew he’d get scolded.”
“He at least followed the minimum rules. We used to be kids who misbehaved too, and if something really dangerous happened, he’d listen when told. That’s why we always let it slide with just a fist and a light scolding.”
I hoped he was just sulking and hiding somewhere, but the possibility that something had happened could not be denied.
“I’m sorry, if only I had caught him properly.”
“It’s our son’s fault. Don’t blame yourself too much.”
“Damn that idiot! Causing trouble and then running off when scolded, what’s that all about? When I find him, I’m going to give him a thorough scolding!”
Looking toward the rough voice, I saw a young couple. Judging by their conversation, they were probably Niki’s parents. Mostly hidden behind the two were the grandmother who had been looking for Niki during the day.
The grandmother was weeping, clasping her hands toward the old and tattered jizo statue shrine in the square. She must have been full of regret and worry.
Anyway, we wanted to find him quickly, but since he wasn’t found in the village, on the highway, or the lake, that left only the forest that surrounds the village almost entirely. And despite it being winter, the forest was lively with branches and leaves spread wide.
I tried giving instructions to Zex and Fünf, who were searching the highway, but the thick canopy blocked the view from above. Inside, it seemed too many branches made it hard for the limule birds to fly. Unfortunately, it seemed difficult to even rely on the limule birds’ help here.
I wanted some clue… what about when I was a kid?
After falling out with my father, I think I had a few similar incidents.
I recall that back then, even if I ran away from home, I had nowhere to go.
I’d end up at some random park… yes, even if I tried to go far, a child’s legs could only carry me so far. I might have thought I was far away, but actually I hadn’t gone that far from home.
Now that I think about it, I heard about a kid who ran away and crashed at a friend’s house… I didn’t have friends like that. …In the end, many kids tend to hide in places they know well, I guess?
A place familiar to Niki boy in the forest… hmm? Speaking of forest,
“Mr. Sain, Mr. Peyron, the okta we ate earlier, they live in the forest, right?”
“Ah? Yeah, why all of a sudden?”
“That okta was originally something Niki-kun threw at me. But where did he get it? I don’t think an adult would give it as a prank, so if he prepared it himself, maybe he went into the forest once to catch the okta before meeting us?”