Yukimura Seiichi kept that strange child in mind.

The next day, he and Jingguang went out half for a walk and half for a search, but they did not meet the child again.

On the third day, the two came to the town's primary school.

It happened to be the time when students were getting out of school.

In other words, the two were just waiting for the students to finish school.

Nearly half of the children in the town go to school here. The two sat quietly at a stall in front of the school, eating oden while watching the children coming out.

They did not see the child in the crowd.

It was not until the sun set that they saw the child who was wearing an ill-fitting, baggy coat, so cold that he hunched his neck into the collar, but without even a scarf.

The two looked at each other.

I didn't bother to disturb him, I just planned to go to the school tomorrow to find out about the child's situation.

If your family is really poor, the school will also provide poverty subsidies.

Could it be that the leaders here have neglected it?

Jing Guang's eyes turned cold. If this was true, then the principal's career would be over.

A principal who was inspecting the campus: A-choo——

I have a cold? Never mind, I should hurry up and patrol the campus, lest some of the kids don't go home and stay in school, and get locked up again at night.

In fact, Jingguang misunderstood. The principal is still dedicated to his job.

The two of them looked at the child from a distance. He was alone, sitting leisurely on the flower bed in front of the school gate with his head down, and he didn't go home.

Looks like he's very sad and depressed.

Yukimura Seiichi was a little worried.

He was about to step forward when Jingguang suddenly stopped him.

The child didn't notice them at all. Instead, he suddenly stood up and looked at the empty green belt next to him. He screamed and looked frightened.

The two looked over there, and there was no one there, only fallen leaves blown by the breeze.

Yukimura Seiichi was very puzzled. Jingguang looked there carefully, but indeed could not see anything.

But he didn't think the kid was acting.

He had observed that the child had clear eyes and was not the kind of child who would deceive adults.

Jingguang had no idea why the other kids called him a liar and stayed away from him.

He needs to learn more about the child before making a decision.

But Yukimura Seiichi beside him looked at the child running away in a hurry, as if there was something dangerous chasing him, and felt a little worried.

The two of them escorted the child all the way back home.

However, even when the child returned home and stood at the door, he still did not look happy. Instead, he sighed like a little adult, then gently opened the door and whispered, "I'm back..."

The two of them wrote down the address and house number outside before returning home.

At night, at the dining table,

Yukimura Seiichi couldn't help but ask his doubts: "Grandma, I saw a child yesterday and today, and no one played with him. He looked very lonely. Do you know what's going on with that child? Is his family in financial difficulty?"

Jingguang also stopped eating and looked at Grandma Yukimura.

Grandma Yukimura thought for a moment and said, "Oh, you mean little Natsume?"