"I'm home, Granny."

"Ah Leyon, is it?" Claire called out.

"I got your medicines," said Leyon. After putting the bag he was carrying on a small cabinet in the living room, he went to his grandmother, being mindful of the unfamiliar guest who was also present there. A little girl trailed along his shadow, hidden behind his slightly taller frame.

"Who's that behind you?" asked Claire, giving a curious look behind her grandson. And before Leyon could reply, Evelyn who was the guest interrupted him.

"Hikari? Is that you? Hikari!" cried Evelyn. The little girl was the daughter she had been looking for.

Hikari quickly ran towards her mother and jumped into her arms, crying soundlessly. Evelyn kneeled and hugged her daughter as if her life depended on it. "Where have you been? You silly child. You have made me so worried," Evelyn scolded her daughter even though she knew she would never get a reply from her.

"I found her near our house so I brought her home," Leyon finally spoke, staring at the mother and daughter who were still hugging each other.

After breaking the hug with her daughter, Evelyn crawled up to Leyon and held his small hand while kneeling on the floor. With tear-filled eyes, she looked up at him and gave him a warm smile. "You must be Leyon, right? Thank you for bringing Hikari. You're a good boy," she said to him.

"Of course. My grandson is a very good boy. You don't know how lucky that this old, fat lady has such a caring, helpful grandson," Claire joked, hoping to lighten up the gloomy atmosphere in the room.

"You're right." Evelyn smiled. She got up and turned to her daughter. "Hikari. You should thank Leyon."

Hikari wiped off her tears and ran towards Leyon. Taking out a small marker pen from her coat pocket, she scribbled something on the notebook that was hanging from her neck. She then held up the notebook with her two small hands and showed Leyon what she had written on the note.

In big bold letters, the following words were written: THANK YOU.

"You're welcome," Leyon said to Hikari, and she rewarded him with the brightest smile he had ever seen in his life. This girl, who had suddenly emerged out of nowhere was extremely weird but oddly cute.

Claire and Evelyn stood silently, smiling at each other as they watched the interaction between the two children.

"I'm sorry, Leyon," Evelyn said to him after a while. "You must be confused. My Hikari, well, she can't speak... but I hope you can become her friend. I think she really likes you."

Seeing her mother's warm and friendly nature towards Leyon, Hikari took it as approval and quickly scribbled something down on her notebook again.

"Will yu be my frend?" it stated.

Leyon stared at Hikari, completely dumbfounded for a few seconds before replying, "Yes... My name is Leyon. It's nice to meet you." He extended his hand, waiting for her to do the same.

Pausing a bit, as if contemplating whether or not to do it, Hikari slowly raised her hand to shake his.

"Isn't your grandson such a gentleman?" Evelyn said to Claire.

"Yup. My grandson is the best," Claire exclaimed in glee. "Now get along well, you two."

Hikari felt her heart brimming with happiness. She even forgot the problems of her family for a moment. This was the first time that anyone had ever agreed to be her friend. Most of the children in her neighbourhood would only bully her or not want to be friends with her at all. They would not even play with her since she couldn't speak. She was always the pitiful, mute girl that nobody cared about, that nobody paid any attention to. But Leyon was willing to be her friend. How could she not be happy?

"It's getting late. Hikari, let's go home," Evelyn said to her daughter.

"Is it really okay for you both to go back now? You're welcome to stay the night here, Evelyn," Claire said, but Evelyn shook her head, denying the offer.

"It's really fine, mama Claire. We'll be okay now," Evelyn firmly replied.

"I can't help but worry. Your husband..." Claire sighed, but she let it go after seeing the apologetic look on Evelyn's face. "Anyways, have a good night, my dear." Claire smiled sweetly.

"You too, mama Claire." Evelyn softly smiled back. "Hikari, wave goodbye to Leyon. Let's go home." She motioned to her daughter.

Hikari reluctantly lifted her hand and waved goodbye to Leyon.

Standing in the doorway of their home, Claire and Leyon watched them go, their eyes fixed on their backs until they saw them finally disappear into the corner of the road.

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"Let's eat before the food gets cold," Claire said to her grandson. After Evelyn left with Hikari, both of them settled down on the small dining table in the kitchen, preparing to have dinner.

In the comfortable silence of the house that accommodated just the two of them, the soft sound of steel clinking onto the porcelain plates could be heard much louder than their own voices. Setting up the plates and spoons on the small dining table, Leyon turned and stared at his grandmother, as if wanting to ask her something.

Taking the rice paddle from the kitchen counter, Leyon then proceeded to scoop the rice out of the rice cooker that was placed on top of the dining table, his mind still deciding if he should ask his grandmother or not. A few seconds later, he couldn't hold back anymore and finally opened his mouth to speak.

"That little girl and her mother, do you know them?" Leyon asked.

"Are you curious about Hikari?" Claire giggled. Covering her hands with a kitchen napkin, she brought out a lidded pan filled with hot and deliciously cooked stew and placed it on the table. "Huu...that's hot... So, you were saying? Ah yes. About Hikari. Her mother's name is Evelyn, she's the nice lady you met today. They live a couple of blocks down the neighbourhood."

Leyon nodded his head in understanding.

"Here. Give me that. Allow me to serve the rice," Claire said, seeing her grandson fumbling with the rice paddle, struggling to scoop it up. "It must be your first time meeting them. Don't worry. You'll see them quite often from now on. Hikari is a very sweet girl. I think you both will get along just fine... What do you think of her, anyway?" she added, putting the rice on their plates simultaneously.

"I don't know. Everything about her is just so weird. She wears a yellow raincoat when it's not even raining."

"Oh, that? It's because Hikari hails from a family of fishermen. Usually, she accompanies her father when he goes fishing in the sea. Out on a boat in the vast sea, the weather can be quite unpredictable, not to mention she will get wet now and then if the tides become harsh. That's probably why she wears them."

"Oh." Leyon scowled at himself, suddenly feeling quite unhappy. When his grandmother mentioned the word fishermen, realisation quickly dawned on him. So that was the reason why Hikari smelt like raw fish when he encountered her. She was out in the sea catching fish with her father. I shouldn't have told her she smelt like fish, he thought, instantly regretting the words he'd said to her earlier that night. He definitely wouldn't judge people by their appearance ever again.

"That little girl has completely taken over your mind, hasn't she?" Claire teased.

"No, not at all." Leyon could feel his cheeks heating up at his grandmother's words. "She's just weird. That's all. And she has a name that is even weirder."

Claire could not help but laugh at her grandson. "That's because she has a Japanese name," she clarified.

"But she's not Japanese, is she?" Leyon asked.

"I believe she has spiked some curiosity in you, my dear." Claire laughed again.

"No. I'm not curious." Leyon blushed. "I'm hungry. Let's eat." He quickly changed the subject.

"Okay, honey." Claire smiled, giving him a knowing look. "Let's eat. Granny cooked chicken stew for you. It's your favourite," she exclaimed joyfully, lifting the lid of the pan. "I made vegetable broth too. This is good for your health. Eat up lots."

"Mm," Leyon mumbled, stuffing food into his mouth.

"You're quite happy, aren't you?" Claire said to Leyon after a while.

"About what?"

"Hikari. She's the first friend you made here, is she not? No matter how much you try to hide from granny, granny can still see what's on your mind. You're thrilled to have a new friend, aren't you?" Claire flashed her eyebrows at Leyon.

"No... it's not like that." Leyon tried to feign ignorance but failed horribly. His face turned scarlet red in embarrassment.

"Whatever you say, my love."

Wearing a wide smile that reached her eyes, Claire watched her grandson hungrily dig up the food she had prepared for him. She was overjoyed. Ever since his parents' death, Leyon hardly ever spoke, oftentimes brooding on his private thoughts and hiding his feelings. Claire could never do anything to bring back the boy from the past.

Leyon had completely changed since the accident. He became more responsible and independent, even though he was just a tiny little kid. He never cried, and he never mentioned or talked about the events of the car accident. Claire had been worried about him. The disturbing thought that he might be experiencing some kind of psychological trauma had even crossed her mind countless times, worrying her endlessly. But something seemed to have changed within him after he encountered Hikari that same day. Claire could see it in his eyes, the way his spirits lightened up when he talked about Hikari. He was starting to open up; Hikari had somehow triggered his feelings. Perhaps all he needed was a friend like Hikari, a social companion to make him feel like a kid again, to help him cope with all the pain and suffering he went through, and to allow him to heal.

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The only form of light illuminating his room from the darkness was the burning flame of a plain white candle that stood on his bedside table. On top of the same table were also pictures of him and his parents. Just like every picture told a story about one's life, the pictures on his bedside table told their own story too, no matter how good or bad it might have been. Captured in those pictures were memories of happiness and contentment — the feelings of fulfilment he no longer had.

Picking up the small wooden frame that held a picture of his parents, Leyon looked at it for a long time, his eyes studying all the intricate details of the simple clicked photograph. Out of all the pictures, that one was the only one that meant a lot to him, the one where all his happy memories were carved into. It was their family picture taken somewhere on a beach.

Unconsciously, Leyon smiled as he looked at the picture. There in the picture was his mother, sporting a wide smile and looking at his father, who was carrying him on top of his shoulders. Tracing his fingers over the thin glass of the frame, Leyon studied the appearance of his parents, reliving those fun, joyful moments full of laughter; those happy moments they had spent together; those moments he would never get to experience again.

"Pa. Ma," Leyon said to the picture as he tried to smile through the heaviness emerging from within his chest. "I'm okay now. I'm with granny... I hope you both are doing fine," he continued, putting the picture down to its rightful place. "I'm going to live well from now on. So please, continue to watch over me from heaven... I love you, Papa, Mama."

Blowing off the candle next to him, Leyon settled down on his bed and soon drifted to sleep.

Unbeknownst to him, Claire had been secretly watching Leyon from the cracked open door of his room and had witnessed everything. Silently and in tears, she slowly closed the door and leaned backwards, her hands tightly clasping her mouth to muffle the sounds of her uncontrollable sobs.

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Beneath the unending crystal-clear blue sky, the lush green valleys stretched out far and wide, looking magnificently rich and radiant. The morning sun shone like a fiery ball in the sky; its pale-yellow beams splashed like gold dust upon the swaying leaves of May, bold and daring yet warm and beautiful. The soft cushion of green grasses growing in the meadows of the valley moved steadily in the direction of the breeze, dancing like the waves. The sweet scent of spring blossoms and the melodious morning chorus of the songbirds filled the heavenly air. It was a little paradise on earth. This was the beauty of the countryside.

Sitting on the lavish green grass, Leyon gazed far into the horizon, picturing everything he was seeing and engraving them into his memory. A tiny fraction of him wished he could relish this moment with his parents, but he knew that was impossible. Nevertheless, he was thankful to the person who brought him here. Though that person could only accompany him silently by his side, he didn't mind.

Leyon hadn't at all expected Hikari to come to his house right after the night they both met, but she surprised him that morning, barging into his house like an uninvited guest and shoving her written notes in his face, asking to come play with her. He could tell Hikari liked him a lot. Though she was mute, she wasn't so different from the other kids. She had this giddy, cute nature of hers that made it harder for him to turn her down. Maybe he didn't want to disappoint this new friend he just made.

Leyon wouldn't voice it out loud, but he knew Hikari's intentions. He knew she was trying to cheer him up by bringing him here, and he was genuinely grateful for that.

"It smells nice here," said Leyon, taking in a deep breath. Hikari scribbled down some words into her notebook and handed it to him.

"Will you com and play wit me eveyday here?" The words were written on the note in messy handwriting.

Leyon nodded his head, giving Hikari a warm smile.

"Hey, Hikari... I can help you improve your vocabulary if you want."

"Realy? Tech me, Leon." Hikari scribbled on her notebook, and then passed it to Leyon excitedly.

"Okay. First of all, my name isn't Leon. It's Leyon, L-E-Y-O-N." Leyon wrote down the spelling of his name in Hikari's notebook and continued, "Do you get it now?"

Hikari nodded in understanding.

"Good. So, you can call- write my name like this from now on. You can also write Ley for short if you want. My parents used to call me by this name... but nobody calls me that anymore," said Leyon, sadness crossing his face a brief second before he shook it off completely. Clearing his throat, he went on, "See here." He wrote down some words in the notebook. "You see this letter 'a'? This should be written like..."

Leyon placed his fingers on the notebook, pointing to the words Hikari needed to understand whilst the latter intently watched and listened to his teachings with a very determined look plastered on her face.

"That's it. You just have to learn these for now. Then we can continue tomorrow," Leyon concluded.

Hikari beamed as she stared at her notes, scanning the contents of the lesson Leyon had taught her. She then looked up at Leyon. Giving him a wide smile, she instinctively opened her mouth to thank him. "Thank You." Her lips seemed to move, forming the words but no sound came out.

As if consumed by grief, Hikari's once happy and brimming eyes suddenly lost all their shade. A single drop of tear cascaded down her cheek and fell on her notebook. Then came another. Before long, it became a full-blown wail. She was crying so bitterly, so painfully it was hard for Leyon to watch.

"What's wrong?" Leyon asked worriedly. "Are you hurt somewhere?" Confused and not knowing what to do, he tried to say comforting words to stop Hikari from crying but couldn't. Nobody had ever taught him how to console a crying girl.

The more Hikari continued to cry, the more Leyon was confused as to why she was suddenly crying like that. He couldn't help but feel alarmed at her condition. This Hikari, to him, was just like a delicate piece of glass, and he was scared if he touched her, she would break.

"I hate people who cry," Leyon suddenly blurted before he could stop himself. He had said it out of desperation and that seemed to have worked.

Hikari instantly paused and gazed up at him.

"Stop crying... I don't know why you're crying, but if you think crying can solve everything, if you think crying can fix everything, then just do it. Cry all you want," said Leyon in a serious tone.

Hikari looked at Leyon, confused and horrified.

Leyon's expression had turned cold and placid. "But if you're crying for problems that you can't solve or for things that are out of your control, then you're just being stupid. You should know crying will never solve anything," Leyon said. "My dad... taught me a man should never cry for things that are out of his control. He taught me crying won't solve my problems, it will only show weakness and never make me strong. So, I will never cry. No matter what, I have to be strong to protect the ones I love. Even though I couldn't protect... them."

The last words almost faded into a whisper, but Hikari fully understood what Leyon meant to say.

Quickly wiping off her tears with the back of her hand, Hikari took her marker pen and scribbled something in her notebook.

"I'm sorry. I'm okay now," it read.

"Good." Leyon smiled at Hikari.

Getting up from the soft grass, Leyon extended his hand at Hikari, motioning his eyes at her to take it. She accepted his hand, and he quickly pulled her up. "Let's go home."