The path led them toward the northern side of the grounds, where the trees grew denser and shadows covered most of the ground.
There was an open space between the trees with short, well-kept grass, and in that space, two children were running around without any particular destination.
Takeshi watched them for a moment as he walked. They looked about six to eight years old, he estimated. Neither of them was paying attention to the terrain.
The smaller of the two sped up to catch the other, stepped badly on a patch where the grass gave way over loose soil, and fell forward. His right knee struck the ground, and he stayed still for a second before beginning to cry.
Takeshi stopped and changed direction toward the child to help him.
He was about four steps away when someone reached the boy before he did.
