The little mushroom-haired girl looked at her mom through the wisps of steam rising from her hot cocoa.
Hm?
Nana's parents were hesitating over whether to wait until tomorrow to talk about it...
Lulu's parents were just as hesitant.
But...
After thinking it over for a long time, Lulu's mom still decided to speak up.
Because...
As far as the two children's behavior tonight was concerned...
She felt her own child was more at fault.
"Lulu."
Lulu's mom looked at the child, who was lining up her dolls.
It seemed their earlier conversation had already become a thing of the past.
All its effects...
Had become a thing of the past, too.
Lulu looked at her mom.
A trace of questioning showed in her eyes.
"You..."
Lulu's mom paused.
Her brows drew together slightly.
She found it hard to figure out how to put things into words.
"Lulu, let's talk about your conversation with Anna just now."
Lulu's dad got straight to the point.
The child was fine.
Of course.
What could possibly be wrong with her?
Anna was the one with a problem...
Lulu froze.
She lowered her eyes.
She seemed very focused on the dolls in front of her.
Lulu's mom was a little surprised by how direct Lulu's dad was.
Looking at the child, she felt that being direct was fine, too.
This child...
"Why didn't you tell us about this before?"
Lulu's mom asked her first question.
It was such a big deal...
She'd "fallen out" with her very best friend...
Wasn't that a big deal?
"If Anna's mom hadn't called me tonight..."
Lulu's mom sounded a little displeased.
"Were you planning to keep it from us forever?"
Lulu stiffened.
After a long while...
Lulu mumbled, "...There was