Sand Sculpture of the Heart - Track 7
(Today’s groups are Tao-kun and Kinari-kun as well as Kuguri-san, Raito-san and Chihiro-kun.)
(The evening shows have all been packed with people, so I think we can safely say this study tour has been a success. Alright, let’s do our best with the hospitality today too!)
Tao runs over to
Chief…! C-Could you come with me!?
Tao-kun? Weren’t you with Kinari-kun? Did something happen!?
Something… Something weird’s going on with Kinari!
What!?
O-Over there! Over there, Kinari is…!
(What’s up with that crowd?! It looks like… people fainted over by the sand dunes?!)
Kinari-ku—!
Hey there, lány. Do you want to touch my body? I’ll let you do it, but just with your fingertips.
(Gasps)! What’s going on? I feel like I’m doing something wrong!
What will you do, fíu? If you’re going to play with me, at least be sincere about it.
Hieeek! Sh-Should I make an offering or something?!
Kinari-kun?!
(Wh-Wh-What happened to him?!)
Oh, cica. You poor thing, running around like this. If you keep this up, you’ll end up horribly bro—
Stop, Kinari-kun, stooop! That’s an order! Speak how you normally do!
Yes, Master.
Phew… Is he back to his usual self…?
Tao-kun, I’ll call Nayuki-kun and ask him to come here ASAP, so can I leave you in charge for a bit?
Ah, yes, of course!
Hey, Kinari… I don’t know what’s going on, but if you’re not feeling good, make sure to get plenty of rest.
Whew, the people who collapsed are alright now, and Nayuki-kun sent Chihiro-kun out, so everything turned out fine.
…I apologize, Master. My hospitality was an inconvenience.
It’s fine, but… why on earth…?
Ummm, sorry, but were you… mimicking Kuguri-san?
Yes. Kuguri informed me of what I was missing, and I executed it.
(Was Kuguri-san… teasing Kinari-kun? I’ll have to have a word with him later and set things straight.)
Kinari-kun. Since you were serious, then you must’ve had a reason for it, right? What were you missing…?
…I wanted to grow up quickly.
…!
I believed that if I had done what Kuguri taught me, then I would develop my emotions faster.
(He did mention that he felt he didn’t have enough grains of sand needed for emotional development the other day…)
Do you really want… to become an adult that badly…?
…Time is finite. For everyone except myself.
(…Oh. Is that why… Kinari-kun is so anxious…?)
Kinari-kun.
Yes, Master?
We have a day off from Ambassador work tomorrow… So let’s take the chance to go somewhere together!
…Yes. I will accompany you, Master.
Sound of waves crashing.
The breeze feels so niiiice… This is the Uradome Coast. I’ve been here before and it’s one of my favorite places.
I have recorded it as a favorite location of yours, Master.
This coast has a pretty complicated terrain, since it was formed by rough tides. You can enjoy multiple views. Even just the sight of the clear sea is…
Wait. That’s not what I wanted to talk about today,
…?
Yesterday, you mentioned how you wanted to grow up quickly. I wanted to ask you directly what made you feel that way, Kinari-kun.
…
I consulted with the members of Ev3ns about how I could obtain 21 grams… Through this, I came to realize that, in terms of emotional development, I’m still that of a child…
So that means you’ve just started growing, right?
…Yes. However, I am unsure of what I should do in order to develop.
I would like to catch up to everyone as soon as possible… and that includes you, Master.
……
I guess that means you’re in the childhood stage for now. In that case, let’s build a sandcastle together!
A sandcastle?
Yeah! When I was a kid, I always built sandcastles when I went to the beach. Let’s build one together.
Yes, Master.
First we pile up the sand, then add a little water here and there!
! The sand has hardened.
The key is to pack it down nice and tight. Once the castle is big enough, then we can dig out a tunnel on both sides.
It seems you enjoyed playing like this as a child, Master.
Yeah, With my little sister. It was really fun then, and it’s still just as fun now.
Alright! Let’s dig that tunnel, Kinari-kun!
Yes.
One small error could cause the tunnel we’ve created to collapse…
If that happens, we can just start over and build it again. We’ll keep making progress patiently.
……
…Yes! It goes all the way through!
C’mon, Kinari-kun! Let’s hold hands under the tunnel!
…Yes.
As a kid, I used to love this moment of connecting with someone through the tunnel. And I still love it now. It makes me so happy.
I believe… I also feel happy…
Yeah…!
The Chief and Kinari sit down.
I… realize now that I didn’t fully grasp how badly you wanted to obtain those 21 grams and grow up fast, Kinari-kun.
Master…?
The other day, when you told me you felt like you didn’t have enough grains of sand, I said there wasn’t a need to rush, right?
……
If you feel like you’re still a child, then it’s perfectly okay to let it stay that way and to take your time. A childhood only happens once, so you should treasure it. That’s what I think.
The boys from the Day Team are all 16, right? I can feel just how passionate they are when I’m around them. It’s unique, and it reminds me of how important it is to cherish those moments.
…I agree. I also find it pleasant to engage with them.
As an adult now, I find myself wishing that I’d taken my time to grow up as a kid.
But that’s not how it is for you. You want to change now, Kinari-kun.
So, it’s not just a matter of telling you not to rush, or to take it slow.
……
I’m here for you. I’m cheering you on. I love the Kinari-kun you are now, and I’ll still love the Kinari-kun you become in the future.
“Work hard, take your time, and grow! I believe in you!” That’s what I should have said.
…!
…When I was a kid, even I wanted to grow up quickly. I guess I totally forgot what that feeling was like.
You felt that way as well, Master?
Yeah. Like when I got into fights with friends, or couldn’t go out because of family reasons…
I used to think that growing up would solve all of my problems, and then wondered why that didn’t happen. I ended up feeling pathetic and not liking my younger self.
Even now, I still have times when I find myself feeling down!
What do you do in those cases?
Well, it’s hard to live if you’re constantly beating yourself up, isn’t it?
Even though others might be there for me, I can’t dump my woes onto them and have them comfort me instead. In the end, I’m the one who needs to accept my own flaws.
So, I hug myself! With my whooole heart!
You do it to yourself…
Ahaha, I’m a little embarrassed that I don’t have anything more profound to say… but I don’t have any other ideas.
When I comfort myself during hard times with a hug and tell myself that everything is okay, I feel a little more at ease. It helps me believe I can keep moving forward.
Is… that so.
It looks like you feel like your current self isn’t enough, Kinari-kun. I won’t tell you not to rush anymore, but…
I hope you’ll remember to give both the current you and the child-like you a warm hug every so often.
……
A hug…?
Yeah, a hug. With your whole heart.
……
Even if momentarily, I felt as though my younger self… was not that bad.
The part of myself that wishes to grow… and the part of me that has not changed… are still a part of who I am.
….Do adults still find themselves wanting to embrace their child-like selves?
Yeah. At least, I do, some days.
……
(Perhaps an adult’s heart isn’t an entirely separate entity from a child’s. Rather, it is something that has grown while embracing the child within…)