Xingxing grinned.
The little boy, who had bought a new balloon, walked past Xingxing, holding it by its string.
It was a—
A strangely shaped balloon, as far as Xingxing was concerned.
Xingxing curiously reached out a paw—
Of course, it had retracted its claws.
It tapped the oddly shaped balloon.
The balloon suddenly tipped to one side.
The little boy looked up, as if he had sensed something.
A hint of puzzlement appeared in his big eyes.
"Mom, was there wind just now?"
"Hm?"
The woman tilted her head and looked down at the child beside her.
"No."
"What's wrong?"
"The balloon tilted to one side."
The little boy tugged on his balloon.
It had already returned to its normal position.
The woman smiled, not particularly concerned.
"Oh."
"There might have been a slight breeze just now."
"Maybe you were walking too fast and stirred up some wind."
"Oh, okay."
The little boy nodded.
Then he looped the string around his hand once more.
The balloon suddenly dropped a little lower.
"The wind can't blow my balloon away."
The little boy muttered seriously.
The woman smiled as she watched her child fuss over it.
Her face was full of tenderness.
Xingxing blinked.
It hadn't used much force just now.
It hadn't expected the balloon to tilt so dramatically.
But...
This was pretty fun.
Xingxing reached out a paw again.
This time, having learned from its earlier attempt, it used even less force.
So the balloon only tilted slightly before quickly returning to its original position.
A cackling laugh came from Xingxing.
The little boy and his mother gradually walked away.
Xingxing hesitated for a moment.
It turned to look at the large bunch of balloons in the vendor's hand.
Hmm.
This