It was Child's Mom calling.
The man checked the time.
He could roughly guess why Child's Mom was calling.
He quickly answered the phone.
Child's Mom let out a sigh of relief.
At least he had answered.
And so quickly, too...
It seemed nothing had happened.
"...Why are you still not home? It's so late."
As the hour grew later and later, Child's Mom still couldn't see the father and daughter, who should have been home long ago.
Was it because of the heavy rain?
Child's Mom couldn't wait any longer.
She called him.
The call connected right away, and the familiar voice in her ear calmed Child's Mom's unease.
She couldn't help sounding a little put out.
"Are you not coming home for dinner?"
She had finished cooking a while ago.
If the father and daughter didn't come home soon, the food would get cold.
"I'm sorry."
The man apologized at once. "Something came up."
"We'll be home soon."
Child's Mom paused, swallowing the question of what had happened.
They could talk about it face-to-face once the father and daughter got home.
She smiled.
"All right."
"Be careful on your way back."
"There's no rush."
It was already late anyway...
"...A little more time won't make a difference."
"Mm."
The man put away his phone.
He looked at the teacher. "Sorry, Teacher."
"I've taken up your time."
"It's getting late."
"You should head home."
"We're going home, too."
"Mm."
The teacher nodded.
"Anna."
The teacher bent down to look at the mushroom-haired girl. "See you tomorrow."
She hid the curiosity in her eyes behind a smile.
What exactly had the mushroom-haired girl seen to make her react that way...
She didn't know.
The mushroom-haired girl herself didn't seem to know, either.
She hadn't