She said.
"The reward I was talking about is right in front of me now~ Isn't it?"
"Eh?" Miss Ark looked somewhat surprised.
For a moment, she couldn't quite process it.
Little Griseo spoke in a sweet, childlike voice. Reflected in her eyes was Miss Ark's lovely face, so pure and adorably endearing.
"It's you, my very best reward~"
"..."
"Although the old Miss Ark was a little slow and naturally naive, as well as somewhat meticulous, rational, and rather wooden. She often couldn't turn a corner and was quite rigid."
"She was also very cute."
"But! The Miss Ark of now can cry, laugh, get angry, and feel down. Her emotions and expressions are both much more vivid. It's as if she's a real person now."
"I like you even more now!"
"..."
If she really had to put it into words...
Miss Ark was someone she had watched grow up all this time, wasn't she?
If... this counted as a kind of growth!
Watching her gradually develop emotions and a sense of self from a lifeform that had once been almost inorganic, awaken her own consciousness, and come to understand more clearly what she wanted to do.
As her wife's husband.
Of course she was happy to see this.
Even if she wasn't looking at it from the perspective of a husband.
Even if she was merely a creator watching over her growth and hoping she would become more independent.
The changes in her now were still deeply gratifying.
Like a sprout growing strong.
Finally, the tiny seedling had grown into a towering tree.
How could that sense of accomplishment and comfort be described in just a few words?
"..." Miss Ark stared blankly at Little Griseo and parted her lips slightly, as if she wanted to say