The little girl pressed her lips together.
Running away from home had been wrong of her...
If she hadn't run into that strange creature, which had even taken her to see such beautiful flowers...
She might have stayed scared, tense, and panicked until Mom found her.
She might even have gotten hurt.
If the strange creature hadn't saved her...
But...
Why had she run away from home...
"...It was all Mom's fault..."
"Still, Nannan..."
Here we go again...
"Say—"
But before they got home, Mom's words had brought back the urge to run away.
Anger surged up inside her in an instant.
Big Boy rubbed his head against the teddy bear.
Then Mom let go of her. Up close, she could clearly see that Mom's eyes were red.
They were wide, and tears kept falling.
The man ushered the woman back into the room.
The man said knowingly,
"Mom only said that because she wants what's best for you."
She couldn't help arguing with Mom again.
She bit her lower lip slightly.
The soft touch seemed to soothe her unsettled heart a little.
Her round eyes widened even more.
She realized.
"Weren't you afraid you'd run into a bad person?"
Her sense of hurt and anger welled up again.
"If I hadn't gone looking for you, Mom would've been crying by now."
She abruptly lifted her head.
"You're just a little kid..."
"Stop rubbing them."
"You're so young, but you've got quite a temper."
The little girl immediately turned and glared at the man.
"Stop, stop!"
"You must be tired from looking for her, too."
She was a little thirsty, actually.
She reached out and wrapped her arms around Dad's neck.
After finishing her water, the little girl lay back down against the teddy bear.
"What