At the little boy's prompting, the woman sat back down on the swing.
"You're right!"
Before he had even settled into his seat, the little boy eagerly started telling Big Sister about how he'd run into the mushroom-head boy again that day.
"I really did run into him again today..."
The woman sat on the swing beside the little boy.
She tilted her head as she watched him.
Her eyes crinkled with a smile.
Her expression was gentle.
Ever since their chance meeting, the little boy had run into the mushroom-head boy now and then.
After asking him a few times why he came here and always getting the same vague answer, the little boy stopped asking.
He was happy to see the mushroom-head boy so often.
With a friend to keep him company and play with, the little boy found the familiar emptiness and arguments at home much easier to bear.
At least...
Compared to being all alone before, he now had Big Sister, who was more like the mother he remembered than his actual mom.
He had a friend his own age.
He had someone to talk to.
And someone to share things with.
Even if he didn't show it, he was truly happy inside.
Big Sister and the mushroom-head boy were both important to the little boy.
He told Big Sister a lot about the mushroom-head boy.
And he told the mushroom-head boy a lot about Big Sister.
So even though Big Sister and the mushroom-head boy had never met, they already knew a lot about each other.
The little boy really wanted to introduce Big Sister and the mushroom-head boy to each other.
Neither of them objected to the idea.
It was just...
The little boy's features scrunched up into a frown.