"Only then would they know why you were sad."
"...You weren't being unreasonable."
Chi Xiuchuan patiently guided the child.
"You really were sad."
"You need to let your parents know that."
"Don't get upset before you've even said anything."
"That would only make your parents angrier."
"And it would make you angrier and sadder, too."
The child lowered his head slightly.
Kong Meijing nodded.
I tried to explain myself.
"...A wondrous encounter that belonged only to you..."
I'd told my classmates about the Dog with Eight Legs, but not one of them believed me.
"Isn't that nice?"
"You really saw it!"
Chi Xiuchuan asked with a smile.
After they laid everything out in the open, the child and his parents cleared up their misunderstanding and estrangement.
His attitude was casual, too.
How could a dog have six legs?
"If you want to look for the Dog with Eight Legs, then go ahead."
"Wouldn't it be nice to think of it as a little wondrous encounter that belongs only to you?"
"I didn't!"
The Dog with Eight Legs...
Before Chi Xiuchuan could say anything, the child hurriedly spoke up, as if he'd guessed what Chi Xiuchuan was about to say. "It's real!"
He thought that the next time he saw the Dog with Six Legs, he'd be sure to show his parents.
And then...
"But I hope you understand that you happened to see that dog."
How could a human have six legs?
"It's okay if you can't find it."
"Then I got sick..."
He listened to Chi Xiuchuan.
"I promise."
"They said I was honest."
What a pair of useless adults.
"I told my classmates, too, that I'd seen a dog with six legs."
The child once again declared with righteous