"You..."
Aiyi turned around to look behind her, her expression somewhat incredulous as she looked at Shien, who was holding her up.
"What is it?"
Shien looked completely unconcerned, though inwardly he was crying out.
It couldn't be helped. The little girl in his arms was just too soft, fragrant, and light, and she felt so good to hold that Shien had nearly fallen to temptation the instant he picked her up.
Seeing Aiyi's incredulous expression, Shien found it amusing.
"I only picked you up. Was that really so surprising?"
With how adorable this little girl was, everyone in the world probably wanted to hold her. Her family must have held her plenty too, right?
Yet as Shien thought that, Aiyi fell silent.
"It is surprising," Aiyi murmured. "I can't even remember how long it's been since someone held me like this."
Aiyi's words shattered Shien's earlier assumption.
"Has no one held you before?"
Shien was genuinely surprised.
Who would have thought that Aiyi would lower her eyes instead?
"Of course they have," Aiyi said calmly. "It was simply a very, very long time ago."
"Is that so?" Shien laughed, as though he were watching a child pretend to be an adult. "How long ago?"
"At least longer than you imagine." In a tone that sounded both nostalgic and sorrowful, Aiyi said, "There was only one person who could hold me like this, but she is no longer here."
Aiyi's words made the atmosphere around them considerably heavier.
"Uh..."
Shien suddenly had no idea what to say.
Looking at this adorable little girl with nostalgia written all over her face, Shien truly began to wonder.
Could this girl named Aiyi really be no ordinary person?
Magic power he couldn't sense.
Strangely mature yet willful behavior.
And now, this atmosphere.
All