The boy couldn't help taking a deep breath.
It smelled wonderful.
A smile appeared on the boy's face.
"Xuanxuan, you're back?"
A woman came out of the kitchen at the sound, her eyes crinkling with a smile.
"You're just in time."
"Dinner's ready."
"Mm."
The boy answered loudly.
"I'm hungry."
His matter-of-fact words carried a hint of childish affection.
"Then eat plenty."
The woman smiled warmly.
"Don't forget to wash your hands before dinner."
After they finished eating, Mom went to work.
Mom's work schedule alternated between weeks with one day off and weeks with two.
She'd made a special trip home to cook for him.
The boy leaned against the windowsill. He didn't look away until Mom was out of sight.
After sitting there in a daze for a while, the boy thought of what had happened in the park that morning.
"I'm not human."
"I'm a monster."
Those two sentences echoed in the boy's mind.
They struck him like heavy blows, leaving him dizzy.
The boy held his head.
She...
The boy froze for a moment.
Then he gave a wry smile and shook his head.
In the end, he still hadn't learned that girl's name.
Even though she'd said she was a monster,
he wasn't used to calling her that.
Perhaps it was because of his first impression of her.
In his eyes, she was just a girl.
A special girl with gray hair and gray eyes.
Could it be...
A sudden thought struck the boy.
She... hadn't wanted to tell him her name?
Was it because she was a monster?
Or... did she simply not want to tell him?
He didn't know.
He hoped it was the first reason.
If it was the second... he'd feel