"Kenji!"
Seeing her brother finally wake up, the girl with the ponytail pulled him into a fierce, trembling embrace, her heart overflowing with relief.
"Kenji, you scared the life out of me…" The curly-haired boy muttered, surreptitiously wiping the corners of his eyes, his voice thick with a suppressed sob.
"…Sorry," the boy with the almond-shaped eyes croaked between coughs. He looked at his sister and his friend with an apologetic gaze. "I didn't mean to make you worry."
"As long as you're okay. That's all that matters," the girl sighed, finally letting out the breath she'd been holding.
"This little guy is surprisingly sensible," Reiko remarked from the sidelines, unable to hide her admiration.
"And you're still just a kid yourself," Hayashi Shuichi teased, reaching out to give his sister's cheek a playful pinch.
"I'll be a grown-up before you know it!" the little cousin countered, puffing out her chest with a look of utter solemnity. Whether she meant growing up in years or in some other form of maturity was anyone's guess.
The sound of their voices reminded the girl with the ponytail of her manners. She scrambled to her feet and gave Shuichi a deep, ninety-degree bow.
"Thank you so much! I truly don't know what we would have done if you hadn't jumped in to save him. Kenji might have…" Her voice trailed off, a shudder running through her as the "what-ifs" began to sink in.
Beside her, the curly-haired boy also stood up and mimicked the deep bow. Even the half-drowned boy on the ground struggled to push himself up to show his gratitude.
"It's enough that he's alright," Shuichi said, placing a steadying hand on the boy's shoulder to keep him from exerting himself. "Just remember for next time—stay away from the water's edge, especially on narrow embankments like that one."
"I will," Kenji nodded fervently, the memory of the cold, suffocating water still fresh in his mind. The curly-haired boy echoed the promise just as quickly.
"To think you were racing to see who was smarter," Reiko giggled. "I suppose you know the answer now, don't you?"
Kenji scratched his head sheepishly, while the curly-haired boy simply blurted out, "We're both idiots. Neither of us is smart."
His blunt honesty drew a laugh from Shuichi and Reiko, and even the girl with the ponytail allowed a gentle, graceful smile to grace her lips.
Seeing that the boy was out of danger, Shuichi prepared to take his sister and continue their walk through Korakuen. However, before they could move, the girl spoke up again.
"You saved Kenji, and I honestly don't know how to repay you… Oh! I have these. Three tickets for the Champion Carnival boxing finals. Please, I insist you take them!"
"The boxing finals?" Shuichi said, surprised. "You three actually like boxing?"
"Jinpei's dad is fighting in the finals tonight," the girl explained, gesturing to the curly-haired boy. "He's the one who gave us the tickets."
"My dad is Matsuda Jotaro!" the boy—Jinpei—declared, puffing out his chest with immense pride. "He's definitely going to win the championship today!"
"If you give us the tickets, what will the three of you do?" Reiko asked curiously. "You won't be able to see the match, and it's your own father's big night!"
"The match is important, but Kenji's life is more important," Jinpei said without a moment's hesitation. "Besides, my dad is going to win anyway. It… it doesn't matter if I'm there to see it or not."
Despite his brave words, the faint flicker of regret in his eyes was hard to miss.
"Haha, you should keep the tickets," Reiko said, patting Jinpei on the head like a doting older sister. "We're actually here for the boxing, too, and we already have our tickets. Right, Onii-chan?"
She looked up at her brother, only to find him standing there with a stunned, faraway look in his eyes. "Onii-chan? What's wrong?"
Jinpei… Matsuda. Matsuda Jinpei?
Shuichi snapped out of his daze and looked directly at the girl with the ponytail. "What is your family name?"
"Our name?" the girl asked, looking puzzled. "Both Kenji and I are Hagiwaras."
Matsuda Jinpei, Hagiwara Kenji, and Hagiwara Chihaya…
How did I not put it together sooner?! Shuichi mentally slapped his forehead.
"Um," Hagiwara Chihaya asked tentatively, "is there something wrong with our name?"
"No, not at all. I just remembered an old acquaintance with a similar name," Shuichi lied smoothly, brushing off her curiosity. "By the way, where are you three headed? Are you going to keep exploring the garden?"
"Well…" Chihaya looked down at her brother.
"Nee-san, I'm fine," Kenji insisted, forcing a bright, cheerful smile. "We came all the way to Tokyo for this. Don't let me ruin the trip for you and Jinpei."
"...Alright then," Chihaya smiled dotingly. "We'll rest here for a bit, then we'll head further inside."
"In that case, why don't we go together?" Shuichi suggested. "It might be a bit difficult for you to look after these two on your own, especially with one of them dripping wet."
Chihaya blinked in surprise, then looked at him with genuine gratitude. "Thank you very much."
"No need to be so formal. We're practically friends now," Shuichi said. He introduced himself and Reiko, then extended a hand with a friendly smile.
Something about his gaze made Chihaya's cheeks flush a faint pink. She reached out and shook his hand with a sudden, uncharacteristic shyness.
Onii-chan!
Reiko's suspicious gaze darted between her brother and Hagiwara Chihaya, her eyes narrowing with a look of sharp, protective alarm.
"Let's get Kenji into the sun for a bit," Shuichi said, checking the dampness of his own clothes. "With this weather, everything should be dry in about half an hour."
"Okay," Chihaya agreed, her voice soft and compliant.
Kenji looked at his sister in surprise. Chihaya was usually the bold, energetic one who feared nothing—since when had she become so quiet and demure?
Shuichi took the initiative to pick Kenji up and carry him to a nearby bench bathed in direct sunlight. After setting the boy down, he sat beside him to let his own clothes dry. Chihaya sat on his other side.
As the silence stretched on, Shuichi decided to break the ice. "Kenji mentioned you're visiting Tokyo. You're not from around here?"
"Well, it's complicated," Chihaya explained with a smile. "Our house and Jinpei's are right on the border between Tokyo and Kanagawa. You could call us Tokyoites or Kanagawans; either one works."
"The reason we don't come to central Tokyo often is just because we're young. Our parents don't like us traveling this far alone."
"This time, it's because Uncle Matsuda made it to the finals. He invited our father to come watch the match, and Kenji and I were allowed to tag along."
"I see," Shuichi noted. Realizing the Hagiwara siblings didn't seem to know much about the garden they were sitting in, he began to explain the history of Korakuen to them.
"...So that's why," Kenji nodded, his eyes wide with newfound understanding. "No wonder the names are so strange. It's not just an imitation; a scholar from China actually helped design it. Big Brother, you really know a lot!"
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