Chapter 82.1

Chapter 82.1. Puppies

-Miu’s Mom POV-

“So I wonder if the oden vendor at the food stall has been keeping them so far?”

“Yes! He used to run an oden shop at night! He gave them to me to take care of because he was going somewhere far away.”

Holding up the two puppies in her hands, Mirei smiles and happily tells me, but Mirei finds Miu’s story disturbing.

“At night …… far away ……….”

Mirei’s brain conjures up an image of an old man in an oden shop, struggling to pull a rear car cart. He’s a tired old man pulling a cart filled with unsold oden late at night.

He must have to work until midnight to make ends meet. The only people by his side are his puppies. Then, he breaks down and gets hospitalized, so he decides, in tears, to give them up. How hard it must have been for him to give them away to the adorable little girl who always comes to play with them.

Hmmm…? Midnight. Mirei, who had been delusional, came to her senses and realized something extraordinary.

“Mii-chan, you were out at night!”

“I guess I was sleepwalking and went out?”

“Miu?”

I glared at my daughter, who was still trying to cover it with angry flames in my eyes. After seeing my angry face, Miu flinched and panicked, but she noticed I didn’t let up my anger. My husband also notices this and glares at Miu with a serious expression.

“I’m sorry… But the oden was delicious, and the puppy was adorable.”

Shrugging, Miu turns her face down and apologizes.

“I’ve never seen an oden stall around here before. Where was it, Mi-chan?”

But then I realized something strange. I had never seen an oden vendor. So my husband wondered why and asked her about it. Yes, it was strange. There were guards around the house. I’m sorry to call it suspicious. But a food stall is a mass of weirdness. It was impossible not to notice.

“Nn-, …… and~, won’t you be angry with me, papa?”

“I’m going to get angry. But tell me.”

He’s unusually angry, and so am I. If I don’t get angry here, Miu might do the same thing again, and she might get kidnapped. The thought of that fills me with anxiety. I don’t want that feeling of despair when I heard she get kidnapped. I don’t want Miu to get kidnapped. She’s our lovely daughter.

Miu, who glanced up at us and realized we won’t forgive her, replied with a tearful look.

“Practice magic. Taatte, flying, like that and playing on the trees in the nearby forest.”

The way she taught me with her gestures was so adorable that I almost forgave her, but the content was outrageous. Forest?

“A forest is ……… quite a distance! You’ve gone that far!”

Speaking of a forest a short distance from this house, it would take 30 minutes to walk there. I would be surprised that a small child had gone out that far.

“Yeah! Everyone is asleep at night, and it’s quiet, so I was doing a little practice!”

With a smile with no malice, I’m so surprised that I’m almost crushed by what my daughter tells me. I had no idea she was going to a place so far away from home. We had underestimated a magician’s physical abilities.

“I want to show everyone how good my magic has become!”

Covering her mouth with a small hand, Miu wiggled and shook her body. She wanted to surprise everyone with her little surprise.

It’s the mischievous behavior of a child. When I was a child, I liked to build a secret base and went to a convenience store in the middle of the night with just the kids, hiding from our parents. I loved the unusual atmosphere of the middle of the night. And I would occasionally play with other children behind our parents’ backs.

…Even as an ordinary child, I would be thunderstruck by my parents if they found out. I have to be angry with Miu. But, if she was an ordinary child, a good scolding might suffice, but Miu isn’t an ordinary child. So before we get angry, we think of Miu, who is gone, and our faces darken with worry.

“Mii-chan… Don’t go out at night. There are a lot of scary people outside at night.”

I put my hand on Miu’s shoulder and tell her. That’s because it’s very important.

“Scary people? Maybe a ghost? Can I beat them with a shiny object?”

Normal children would be scared if I told them it was a ghost, but Miu, on the contrary, is ready to knock it down. The puppies were growling as if to say they’ll do their best too. But for an ordinary child, a story that would end in anger and become a heartwarming memory would be no good for Miu. It hurts my heart, but I must do it. It’s for Miu’s safety.

“They’re much, much scarier people. So don’t go out alone at night. Please promise me you’ll do that?”

“And Dad, too. Mii-chan is a recovery magician, so you’ll get targeted by many scary people. That’s why you shouldn’t act alone.”

We stare at Miu. Her parents’ serious faces surprised her, but she shook her body and nodded at us softly.

“Yeah. I won’t go out to play in the middle of the night! I promise with Papa and Mama! When I go, I’ll confirm I’m safe with Goe!”

“Hm. Then that’s a promise. Don’t lie to me, okay?”

“Yes! I’ll ask for the strong Goe-san!”

I pat Miu’s head, thinking that I should give a warning to Kongo-san. Her silvery gray hair is smooth and silky. I want to touch it forever.

My adorable daughter who closes her eyes and looks comfortable soothed my heart. Miu was about to drop the puppy in her arms, so my husband hurried to catch it. Seeing the smiling faces of her parents makes Miu think that this happiness will last forever.