When I was in elementary school, there was a boy named N-kun who was a friend I used to play baseball with.
N-kun loved baseball more than anyone else in our class, and he had his own glove and bat.
At that time, not many kids had their own bats and gloves, and we had to borrow equipment from the school.
For N-kun, the glove and bat were like treasures.
One day, however, he was playing with his glove and bat.
As usual, we all played baseball together, and when the sky was getting dimmer and dimmer…
Someone said, “Let’s go home soon,” and we decided to go home.
We all live several kilometers away from home, so each of us took a bicycle.
I also went to get my bicycle and tried to go home with a friend who was especially close to me.
And that’s when I started running toward the school gate.
I noticed that N-kun had left his glove and bat, which he always treasured, in the corner of the field.
I picked up the bat and glove and went looking for N-kun, hoping to deliver them to him.
As I walked out of the school gate, I saw N-kun running along the rice field path.
I strained my stomach as hard as I could and shouted, “Hey N-kun, glove and bat! I shouted.
N-kun replied, “I don’t need it anymore, so I’ll give it to you.
I was a little confused as to why he would give me his glove and bat, which he had cherished so much.
I took it home anyway.
That night I decided to call N-kun to ask him if he really wanted to give me the glove and bat.
However, the mother who answered the phone informed me of N-kun’s death.
N-kun was about to cross a pedestrian crossing on his bicycle when he was caught in a dump truck that was making a left turn.
Did N-kun know that he was going to die?
