The boy's reaction did not surprise Shade. If someone could calmly accept that he was about to drink the "Price of Growth," that would have been what surprised Shade.
"What kind of growth do you want?"
Shade asked. The boy, who was protecting himself with a toy knife, was not stumped by the question. He raised his head to look at Shade:
"To be carefree, to be free, not to be restrained by adults, to do whatever I want, to..."
Shade did not keep listening. Instead, he turned and shook his head at the Saint. This was not growth. The boy did not even understand what he wanted.
The god maintained that smile:
"When you told this gentleman of your wish, what you desired truly was to become an adult."
The voice was as gentle as ever, but Shade instinctively felt that Its tone seemed somewhat different:
"Lying and denying what you said before are not things good children do."
The god spoke softly, picked up the teacup, and gave it a slight shake. Shade was so startled that he nearly dodged away.
"Child, I want to tell you something: when you make a request and a kind person fulfills it, even if you are dissatisfied, you should not criticize them."
Shade inexplicably thought of the story the god had told when they first met, about the witch princess who yearned for immortality. He understood then that the boy likely had no other choice.
The young man in the ridiculous Clown Hat carried the teacup out from behind the counter, bent down, and offered it to the boy. He said nothing, merely smiling at him. The boy bit his lip, deeply unwilling to accept this. He turned to look at the other two children, then said with his head held