Chapter 1: What If…All of Them Were Little?

Chapter 1:
What If…All of Them Were Little?

OUR KIDS were something special. They were all about the same height, but with their own unique personalities, and you could tell them apart at a glance. For some reason, I couldn’t help but marvel at the miracle of biology. By making children as cute as possible, it handily ensured that we living creatures would protect our young.

That aside, these kids had a lot more individuality than I did at their age. Across the room, a girl with sky-blue hair was playing with a friend who always wore a helmet. They were all so unique… Then again, when it comes to blue hair, maybe “unique” is an understatement.

“Shima-chan, wait!”

During free time, two of the kids ran back and forth from the hallway to the classroom: the most obnoxious—er, energetic of the older girls, Shima-chan, and the girl who always chased after her, Taru-chan. Shima-chan had a funny way of running, with both hands thrust out in front of her, yet it was oddly soothing to watch. As for Taru-chan, she ran with both hands raised straight in the air. Equally as odd…and equally as cute.

But while it was fun to watch them run around energetically, I couldn’t let my guard down, since there was no telling when they might hurt themselves. Shima-chan in particular was like a runaway freight train. If you don’t want to put walls up between yourself and your friends, that’s one thing, but do try to be mindful of real walls, okay? Seriously, how do you still manage to run into things face-first when you have your hands out in front of you?

As they cut through the center of the classroom, however, I realized I wasn’t the only one watching them. After I made sure the other kids were behaving, I glanced over, and sure enough, Sakura-chan was sitting quietly by herself, playing with Play-Doh and staring intently at Shima-chan.

Out of all the older girls, Sakura-chan was easily the “problem child.” She wasn’t violent or badly behaved; if she were, the issue could be remedied a lot more easily. Instead, she struggled with basic communication skills—she barely spoke or reacted to anyone. According to her mother, this was how she behaved at home, too. She’s impossible to understand, the woman had told me with a pained smile. I didn’t argue with her at the time, but quietly, I disagreed.

While she might have seemed unreadable at first glance, Sakura-chan’s behavior here in the classroom was actually quite straightforward. She didn’t have any close friends, but she had seemingly taken an interest in Shima-chan, a social butterfly who could talk to just about anyone. That said, Sakura-chan never initiated any conversations. As much as she wanted to play with Shima-chan, she couldn’t take the first step. Instead, she would carry her toys over near Shima-chan and simply hope to be noticed. She wasn’t shy—she just didn’t know how to talk to someone. And whenever Shima-chan was with her other friends, Sakura-chan would retreat even further.

In contrast, Akira-chan and Tae-chan were playing happily over in the corner. What are they doing? Giving each other piggyback rides?

“Nnrgh…!”

“Akira-chan, you’re so strong!”

Tae-chan looked perfectly content on top of Akira-chan, whose face had turned beet red. Eventually she couldn’t take it anymore and slumped to the ground, lowering Tae-chan, who crouched down beside her.

“You did a good job!”

“Uh huh, I sure did. Now pay up.”

Tae-chan took Akira-chan by the hand, then planted a big kiss on her forehead. Akira-chan beamed from ear to ear. They were such close friends, it was unusual to ever see one without the other.

One time I was invited over to Akira-chan’s house…only to realize it was a palatial mansion! With bamboo trees lining the path! It was all so fanciful, I could scarcely believe it. Then someone from the family came to greet me, and I mistakenly thought it was Akira-chan’s young father—until he told me he was her brother! I couldn’t believe that, either!

Now then, back to Sakura-chan. She was still staring intently at Shima-chan, who was busy playing with building blocks along with Taru-chan and the other girls. The blocks linked together like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, and right now they were trying to build a house. How did she even get there? She was just running around a minute ago! I swear, I can’t take my eyes off her for a single second… Man, parents have it rough.

Anyway, I couldn’t bear to see Sakura-chan sitting all alone, so I decided to lend a hand. Truth be told, I wasn’t really supposed to meddle in the kids’ friendships, but I just couldn’t take it. “Shima-chan, can I borrow you real quick?” I asked, as she was busy building a roof for their house. She got up and walked over, carrying a block in one hand.

“But Sensei, I didn’t break anything this time!” With her free hand on her head, she looked at me in confusion. “This time,” she says!

“I know, and I’m so proud of you! But I think Sakura-chan wants to play, too.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sakura-chan flinch in surprise. Apparently she was listening.

“Sure!”

Shima-chan readily agreed to this suggestion. She dashed over to Sakura-chan; Sakura-chan flinched even harder this time, then hastily stared at the floor like she was trying to pretend she wasn’t watching us.

“C’mon, let’s go!”

Without any lead-up whatsoever, Shima-chan grabbed her hand and started pulling. Sakura-chan set her Play-Doh down on the floor, then rose to her feet, looking from Shima-chan to me and back. Her eyebrows fluttered up and down like she wasn’t sure whether to be happy or concerned.

Then Shima-chan dragged her over to the building blocks. “Here’s a block. You can start from wherever you want.” She handed over the block she was carrying, then went back to building.

At this, the joy left Sakura-chan’s face, and her eyes started to tear up. As Shima-chan ran around to the opposite side of the play area, Sakura-chan followed after her and grabbed her hand.

“Hm? What is it?”

“Um…let’s play over there instead…” She pointed over at the vacant area where she was previously sitting.

“No way!” Shima-chan held up her blocks. “How come? I like it here!”

“But…I wanna play over there…” Sakura-chan tugged on the other girl’s hand.

“Whoa, whoa!” Shima-chan started to stumble, but she regained her balance. “No! Let’s play with everybody!”

“Yeah! Don’t steal Shima-chan for yourself!” Taru-chan chimed in.

Now that she was outnumbered, Sakura-chan’s shoulders started to shake. Uh-oh.

“I…I want Shima-chan to play with me… Play with me…!”

Sure enough, she began to cry. Aww, sweetheart. Honestly, I wasn’t sure whether to intervene again. Maybe I messed up by butting in the first time.

Sakura-chan was not the type to play in a big group. This was no moral failing on her part, but still…she was just so inept. At this rate, I’m not sure she’ll make any friends in elementary school.

“You need to show consideration for your friends.”

This time, I flinched. Out of nowhere, another girl had appeared—and another blue-haired one at that. But while she and the girl across the room from us both radiated sparkles, their hairstyles were completely different. This one had half of her hair tied up in the shape of a butterfly, with the other half cascading down her shoulders like a bright blue waterfall. It was all quite surreal…well, except for the rice ball in her hand. I could see kelp poking out from the center.

“That’s what everyone always says, and I imagine Planet Earth is no different.” Her canteen wobbled as it hung across her torso. It was raining outside, and yet she was dressed for a picnic.

“Wh-whoa! Who are you?” Even Shima-chan was startled by the sudden newcomer. Stubbornly, she drew herself up to her fullest height.

“Keh heh heh! In your current form, you don’t stand a chance against me, Shimamura-san! Hyah!”

She grabbed Shima-chan’s hand and started spinning her around. Uhhh…what are you doing? She kept going…and going…and going…until finally her legs gave out.

“Whoa whoa whoa…” Suddenly freed, Shima-chan staggered dizzily.

“How do you like that, hmm?” the other girl shot back, though she wasn’t in much better shape. Where did you even come from?

“That was mean!”

“Heh heh heh! That’s what happens when you spin out of control,” she smirked, still wobbling. “Unless you’re well-trained, like myself.”

She straightened up suddenly, though it was clear she was pressing her feet down hard on the floor; from behind, I could see her leg muscles twitching.

“You have to be able to walk before you can run,” she explained calmly. Then she glanced over at Sakura-chan.

Sakura-chan wasn’t comfortable making eye contact with strangers, so she hastily stared down at the floor. Then, for some reason, the other girl started cackling loudly. I looked at Sakura-chan, then back at the other girl; Shima-chan followed suit.

…Ah, I see. I couldn’t comprehend how her brain worked, but in that moment, I could see what she was getting at. What about Shima-chan, though? Did she understand?

Shima-chan looked up at the other girl, her innocent eyes tinged sky-blue like she was absorbing the other girl’s sparkle. And then, a moment later…

“I don’t get it, but okay,” she nodded. “Today I’ll play with Sakura-chan in solitude.”

That…was a surprisingly big word for someone her age. Ugh, she must have picked it up from the kid in the helmet. I swear, I don’t know where that kid learns these words. Still, judging from her decision, she must have caught the other girl’s drift.

Shima-chan looked over her shoulder at Sakura-chan, whose face lit up despite the tears in her eyes. Her lips curled, and her eyebrows raised.

“But once I stop being dizzy, I wanna play with my other friends, too.”

At this, Sakura-chan stared down at the floor again. Then, after a moment, she took Shima-chan by the hand and pulled her back over to the spot where she left her Play-Doh. Shima-chan was usually one to lead rather than follow, so it was rather amusing to see quiet, aloof Sakura-chan bossing her around for a change.

Taru-chan, however, was not amused in the least. “That’s not faaaair,” she whined.

Hmmm… Can’t please everybody, I guess. Would it make them happier if I joined in her place? Or would that be weird? Before I could decide, however, the girl with blue butterfly hair walked up to me with her chest puffed out.

“Keh heh heh! In the side stories, I take charge!”

I had no idea what she was talking about. Then I noticed how much taller she was compared to everyone else. Was she always in my class…? No, I don’t think she was!

“Where are you from?”

Lunchtime ended ages ago, so where did she get that rice ball?

“To be clear, this is an alternate-universe story about what would happen if they met this early on. Absolutely none of this is canon.”

“Uhhhh…?”

“Care for a drink?” She uncapped her canteen, poured some into the lid, and offered it to me.

“Oh, uh, thanks.”

I accepted it and took a sip, expecting water. But it was not water. It was a yogurt drink so sweet and thick, I questioned whether it was a milkshake instead. The girl drank it all down without missing a beat, of course.

“That said, it’s a shame Little isn’t here.”

And with that, she toddled away, never once listening to a word I said. What an adorable intruder… Er, should I be calling the cops, or…?

“What do you wanna make, Sakura-chan?” Shima-chan asked as the two of them shaped their Play-Doh.

“I…I dunno,” Sakura-chan replied, her voice cracking slightly. She had the emotional intelligence to sense that Shima-chan was making an effort to be nice…and it got a smile out of her, stiff though it was. When I saw it, my heart slid down out of my throat and back to my chest where it belonged.

Sakura-chan was a girl with a lot of issues, and she had a lot of growing up to do over the course of her life. But as long as she could read the signs—as long as she could smile—she was going to be A-OK.