Dream A Lost Time

Chapter 6 A Broken Doll

It was morning time; Rey was in his school. Rey was walking towards his classroom. Door was already opened, and he entered the classroom. Some students were already present in the classroom. He heard someone calling him, "hi Rey." Rey looked at the direction of the voice and greeted the person, "hey Nick." Rey walked to his seat that was close to the window in the middle of the line. Rey was looking at the clear blue sky. After Rey, ten more students entered the classroom. Students were busy while discussing what they did yesterday. Shortly after, black -haired middle-aged man entered the classroom and closed the door. When he closed the door, everyone's eyes averted to the middle-aged man with short black in white shirt and black formal trousers. He had gentle facial features and deep brown eyes. Everyone stopped talking when they looked at him. He was the teacher of that class, and his name was Rye. All the eyes were fixed on him, due to this, no one noticed there was one more person. Person was hiding behind the teacher. Teacher looked at the short brown hair girl who was hiding behind him. He looked at her gently and asked her, "don't be afraid. They are all good kids." All the students looked at the girl with short brown hair. They started whispering, "is she a new student? I have never seen her before." Rey who was still looking outside out of his habit. He was unaware of the fact that there was a new presence in the classroom. Short brown hair girl peaked at the students from behind the teacher. Rye encouraged her while looking at her gently, "don't worry." She showed herself in front of everyone. Rye introduced her, "Kids, this is Kiniko, and she is joining our class from today." When Rey heard the name of the new student, he looked at the direction of the short brown hair girl with shocked expression and muttered to himself, "are you kidding me!? Her parents found only this school for her. On top of that, why is she even in my class?" Rey thought about yesterday the time he spent with her and lost in despair, "Dammit! this is no good. If she started acting like chunibyo again then what am I gonna do? I don't want to be a laughing stalk. I must think a way to prevent this from happening. Wait a minute, I just met her once. If I make my distance from her and pretend not to know her, probably she would forget about what happened yesterday. For now, I must make sure, she won't see me. this is difficult because we are in the same class, but this is not impossible. I can avoid her." But his all plans destroyed the moment teacher assigned Kiniko's seat. Rye pointed out the seat next to Rey which was unoccupied for the time being, "you can sit over there." Kiniko looked at the direction and nodded. Rey averted his gaze towards the window and cursed his luck, "Dammit, why I am so unlucky. Couldn't he choose another seat for her. there are still 4 other unoccupied seats. I guess could not help but to face this trial with all what I have got. Wait why I am making this sound like some kinda game. It sounds like I am turning to chunibyo by myself." As he was thinking, Kiniko walked towards her seat and her eyes looked at Rey. She recognized him in an instant and called him in childish tone, "Rey." Rey looked at her with shocked face and thought, "did I hear right, or it's my imagination. She called me by my real name not with that stupid nickname Knight. I did not expect this, but this is good. Story that I told her maybe took some effects on her." Yesterday, When Charlette and Makino arrived at the park. After Kiniko blurted out the things happened in the park to Makino and Charlette. Rey took some measures to prevent this happening again. Rey told her, "Look Kiniko, you can't tell everyone about that I am your Knight." Kiniko replied, "why can't I?" Rey made a story to make believe her, "because it's a secret. If evil god knows about it, then we would be in trouble. So, call me by my name and from now on I am your friend." Rey looked at Kiniko and replied, "hey Kiniko." Rye looked at both kids and said to Rey, "this is good you know her, so help her if she needs anything." Rey looked at Rye and said with a bitter smile, "Okey teacher." Rey sighed and thought, "at least my idea worked on her." Kiniko occupied her seat next to Rey. All things were settled, Rye started the class while taking attendance of everyone by calling their names one by one.

After some studying, it was recess time for all the students. Some girls circled around Kiniko and started introducing themselves, "hey I am Sammy, my name is Kara…..." Kiniko looked at Rey's seat, but he was already left the classroom. All the girls were friendly towards her, so she did not feel uncomfortable and walked out with them to eat the lunch. Rey walked with his friend to eat lunch. Nick and Rey sat down under the big tree outside the building. Nick and Rey opened their lunch boxes and started eating. They both shared their food with each other. Nick complimented on Charlette's cooking to Rey, "Your mom always made food with unusual flavors. I can eat this for forever." Rey replied to him, "same goes for your mom." Nick nodded. After eating satisfying lunch, Nick asked to Rey while handing over his lunch box, "can you take this with you." Rey nodded and took the lunch box with him. Shortly after, he arrived at his classroom and entered it. He looked at three boys who were circling around Kiniko's bench and asked with angry expression, "what are you doing?" One of the boys looked at Rey and replied, "what it is to you?" Rey walked to them and shouted, "stop messing with her things." One of the boys opened the bag and took doll from her bag, "a doll." Rey kept the lunch boxes and started to struggle with them to steal her things from them. They shouted at Rey, "Rey, stop." One of the boys accidently broke the doll and they all stopped fighting. Boy through the doll on the floor and said, "it's not my fault. It's all your fault, Rey." Other two boys agreed with him and said, "let's go, we were just checking it not that we were stealing anything from her." Rey was dumbfounded when he heard them, "They are blaming me for all of this, even they are the one who broke the doll. What should I do? if she saw that broken doll, I know she is not going to stop crying." Rey heard footsteps approaching to the classroom. He fixed Kiniko's things, and hastily picked up the broken doll and stuffed it into his bag. He picked up the lunch box and moved to his seat. Recess time was about to end, and other children started to come back to the classroom. Kiniko also came back to the classroom with her new friends. Rey saw Kiniko and started feeling a little nervous. Kiniko walked to her seat and sat down. She looked at Rey and asked him in a childish tone, "Rey, where were you? I did not see you in the lunch break." Rey lifted his arm and started stroking his hair to hide his nervousness, "Oh I was with Nick. We usually eat lunch together. Sorry, I did not invite you." Kiniko shook her head and replied, "that's okay. I made some new friends." Rey felt little relieved about that she had not notice anything yet and replied to her, "good for you." Lunch time was over now, and Rye again started the study lesson. After a few hours, School time was over. All the students started to put their things in their bags and to leave the classroom. Rey asked Kiniko while putting his things into his bag, "is your mom going to come for you?" Kiniko was looking in a little trouble while checking her bag, but she nodded at his question. Kiniko thought in her mind, "did I forget Chika at home." Chika was her doll's name. When she could not find it in her bag, she thought that she forgot to bring it with her. Rey did not ask anything else and said to her, "shall we go?" Kiniko picked up her bag and walked with him. They both reached the front gate of the school where Makino was already waiting for them. Makino's eyes met with Kiniko and Rey. Makino was a little surprised to see Rey with Kiniko, but she felt a little relieved about the fact that Rey was with her. She felt like she didn't have to worry about her daughter. Kiniko called her mom, "mama." Makino patted her head and asked, "how was your first day?" Kiniko answered with a smile, "it was good. I made many friends and Rey is in my class too." Makino averted her hazel eyes to Rey, "Rey, I am happy to find out that you are studying in this school. now I don't have to worry about Kiniko." Rey thought to himself, "I just met you both yesterday. It's not like I am going to take care of your cry baby for you all the time. Why she is feeling like that she found a caretaker for her girl. why are you feeling so relieve? Don't you know woman that you must ask first before putting of your responsibilities on others." Rey hid his real emotion under smiling mask and replied to Makino, "You would not have to worry about her even if I am in any another school. She is good with making friends." Makino nodded and asked Rey, "are you coming with us, or Charlette is going to pick up you?" Rey shook his head and asked to her for a favor, "I have something to do. I can't go with you. could you call to my mom? and tell her I will be little late today?" Makino replied, "I will call her but where are you going?" Rey thanked her and said, "thanks, it's nothing major." Rey ran towards the different direction. Kiniko looked at Rey's direction who had distance himself from them in a few seconds and disappeared. She asked to Makino, "mama, why did Rey leave us?" Makino looked at her daughter's puzzled eyes and answered, "I don't know, but we can invite him to play with you later. They live just close to our house." Kiniko nodded happily and walked with her mother.

After some distance, Rey slowed down his speed to catch some breath. After covering some distance, he arrived in the downtown. People were going in and out from all the small shops in the town. He looked up at the hanging signboard. It was named "Joy with Toy" and designed like a cartoon character. Rey opened the door and hanging bells made sounds to make the owner about the customer. Rey looked around at the small shop. The shop had many kinds of toys from animal toys to action figures. Beautiful women in her late 20s emerged with short purple hair from under the counter. She moved her beautiful amber eyes to the direction of Rey and asked Rey, "How may I help you, Kiddo?" Rey looked at the beautiful woman who had a beautiful smile on her face and replied while taking out a doll from his bag, "I need your help to fix this toy." Rey handed the toy while requesting her, "can you please fix it?" She grabbed at the doll whose neck was a little broken and looked carefully before answering. After carefully observing, she replied with the same beautiful smile, "I can try to fix it." Rey nodded at her. She started working on fixing the doll, meanwhile Rey started looking around the shop. She fixed the doll in no time and called Rey, "Kiddo, it is fixed." Rey ran to her and happily asked her, "do you really fixed it?" She nodded at him with a smile, and she asked, "Do you want anything else?" Rey shook his head and took out some money to give her, "Not today. I have just this much today. would it be enough to cover the fixing cost?" Pretty women gave him back the money and said, "don't worry about that. you don't need to pay anything for that." Rey said, "thank you, then I will come next time with my mom and buy some toys." Pretty women nodded with smiles. Rey said goodbye to pretty women and walked towards his home. After 10 minutes' walk, he stopped in front of two-story small house. he walked to front door and pressed the doorbell. Shortly after, short brown hair women in black dress came out from the door. Rey greeted her, "Hello aunt Makino." She responded back to him with smile, "hello Rey, come In." Rey did not get in and took out a doll from his bag and handed to her and explained everything what happened. After listening his story, Makino said, "Kiniko has been searching for this doll since she came back from school. Thanks Rey." As they were busy in talking each other, Kiniko descended the stairs and started walking towards them, "mama, I could not find Chika anywhere?" Makino looked back to Kiniko and said, "I found it." Rey told her that not to tell her about what happened, because if she found it was broken that would probably make her cry. That's what she told her that she found it. Kiniko ran to her mom and first looked at the doll in her hands then averted her eyes towards the front door. She blinked and asked her mom, "mama, who were you talking with just now?" Makino looked at the direction with astonished expression when she found no one in front of her. She sighed and lied, "it was someone who got the wrong address." Kiniko did not refute her. She took the doll and went to her room. Rey who was hiding behind the outer walls of the house and thought to himself, "that was close. If she had seen me then I had to play with her that stupid Knight game." Rey started walking and shortly after arrived at his home. He entered the house and found his mom. Charlette asked to Rey, "what took you so long? You know, I was worried about you." Rey looked at her and saw worried expression in her eyes. He apologized and explained everything to her, "I am sorry, mom. In school, some boys...." Charlette used to drop him to school and picked him up, but he insisted her not to do it, because he felt little embarrassed, so she stopped. Charlette listened to him and told Rey to change his school dress. She made some snacks for him. After eating snacks with her mother. Rey did the daily routine task reading manga, playing soccer and after eating dinner, he went to bed.