"That boy named Xiao Xiao was right."
"Mm-hmm."
The girl was puzzled.
She was surprised that, after hearing her story, the first person they mentioned was Xiao Xiao.
"Didn't he say he'd take care of the monster?"
"So you can put your mind at ease."
The old man's lips curled into a smile.
She'd gotten a little worked up while telling the story.
It was possible the boy had felt disappointed.
Your grip tightened.
You thought it might be better to give the balloon to that child.
That was true.
"No, no..."
"Mom, I want that kitty balloon~"
"What?"
A child had appeared behind her at some point, gazing without blinking at the little white Big Cat balloon she'd just picked out.
The woman looked at the girl for a moment.
"Missy's giving the balloon to Niu Niu."
Her face was full of affection.
All those things they'd said...
The things your family had said... About monsters? They were just your nightmares... You figured if you stopped thinking about them, they wouldn't appear... Those words...
It seemed like they'd said a lot, but none of it had really gone through your mind...
"Here."
"Let's leave that topic at that."
"You..."
At that moment, your friends' words had a lot in common with your family's...
The girl's lips moved.
You pressed your lips together.
"Thank you."
The child went up on tiptoe and reached for the balloon again.
You hadn't suddenly decided to buy a balloon and then picked this one.
Actually, that wasn't true.
"Don't think about it anymore."
"Isn't it a good thing if the monster doesn't show up?"
You pulled the balloon down and held it in front of you.
"Mom will buy it for you."
"Can I