"Or you can choose a name for yourself."
As long as he had something convenient to call her, that was all he needed.
The gray-haired girl blinked.
"You want to give me a name?"
She looked at the boy in surprise.
"You can choose one yourself, too."
The boy added.
He wasn't insisting that she accept a name he chose for her.
"Is that okay?"
The boy wasn't sure whether his suggestion was appropriate.
Or whether it might offend her.
The boy carefully studied the gray-haired girl's expression.
She didn't seem... unhappy, did she?
"That's fine."
The gray-haired girl nodded.
"You can pick one for me."
Her tone was rather casual.
She didn't seem to care much about the name she was about to get.
The boy was surprised.
She'd actually agreed to his suggestion?
And even let him choose a name for her.
Soon, excitement welled up inside him.
He'd never even named a cat or a dog.
Let alone a person—
No.
A monster.
Right.
The boy realized.
He was going to name a monster.
He couldn't help clenching his hands together.
Unrestrained excitement showed in every feature.
Calm down.
The boy pinched the back of his hand.
"I'm going to give you a name?"
"Really?"
The gray-haired girl replied matter-of-factly.
"Weren't you going to give me a name?"
"Then go ahead."
The boy pressed his lips together.
The corners of his mouth kept lifting.
"Yeah."
"...Is there a character you like?"
The boy furrowed his brow and thought for a while.
Maybe he was too excited to properly calm down.
His mind was completely blank.
He tapped his head.
Then he asked the monster girl what she thought.
"No."
The gray-haired girl shook her head without hesitation.