"How do you know it didn't do anything?"
The man rudely cut the boy off again, finding his words utterly ridiculous.
"Were you with it the whole time?"
"Did you see what happened?"
"Besides, even if it hasn't done anything so far, that doesn't mean it won't do anything later."
"It's a monster."
The man gave a cold sneer. "Monsters are all bad."
"No."
The boy instinctively spoke up. "Big Ox is a good monster."
"Big Ox is my friend."
There were some things the man said that he couldn't refute.
It was true that he had been apart from Big Ox for a long time.
All these years, he had known nothing about what had happened to Big Ox.
But he was willing to believe in Big Ox.
To believe in the monster who had carefully returned the umbrella he'd left behind when he got scared.
To believe in the monster who had smiled foolishly when he received the candy.
To believe in the monster who had kept searching for him so he could give him a gift in return.
"I believe in Big Ox."
The boy spoke with conviction.
"...What a naive kid."
The man stared at the boy for a while, then muttered under his breath.
There was a hint of mockery in his voice, but he also seemed to find it amusing.
The man didn't argue with the boy.
There was no point.
It was just a child's way of thinking.
What did it matter to him?
"Are you done?"
He looked at Xiao Xiao, but didn't wait for a reply. He simply turned around.
"I'm leaving."
"Sir, where's Big Ox?"
The boy asked anxiously.
"Where's Big Ox?"
The man turned around. His gaze fell on the boy, making his face feel