"Thank you, Shermane."
Outside an apartment building on the edge of the North Borough, Daisy watched two workers in uniforms bearing a bear paw and the words "Black Bear Cannery" carry the last box into her new home. A heartfelt smile spread across her face as she thanked Shermane beside her.
"There's no need to thank me. This was all paid for with the money Liv saved through her hard work. I only helped her find a reasonably priced place... If you study hard and get into the Grammar School in the North Borough, that'll be the best way to thank her."
Shermane watched Liv bustle around inside the apartment, taking cups and ornaments out of boxes and arranging them throughout the new home. As she spoke with feeling, she raised a hand, instinctively wanting to stroke Daisy's head, but stopped herself at the last moment and quietly lowered it.
That was Sherman's habit, not mine... she thought in a daze. Suddenly, something rough but warm touched her palm. She looked down and found that Daisy had taken her hand.
It was a hand that had repeatedly been scalded by steam, yet had kept helping her mother iron clothes. Only after Liv joined the Canned Food Factory and found a job that could support the whole family had that hand finally been able to hold a pen and study without worry.
"Shermane... If you want to pat my head, go ahead..."
With Daisy's "invitation," Shermane hesitated for a moment before raising her hand and resting it on the girl's head.
The familiar sensation left them both stunned.
A moment later, Daisy asked cautiously:
"Shermane, may I ask... When will Sherman come back?"
The two names sounded extremely similar. Shermane was briefly dazed before remembering that this, too, was her own