"Paimon?"
At the familiar voice, Steven's face instantly lit up with delight, and he instinctively moved to open the door.
But Mark reacted quickly and stopped him.
Mark frowned slightly, a flicker of wariness crossing his eyes. Then he remembered the "Goddess Paimon" doll he had left in the treatment room. After a moment's hesitation, he let go.
He tilted his head slightly, signaling for Steven to step back, then slowly reached out and gently pressed down on the door handle.
Paimon's hand was already aching from constantly pounding on the doorframe, and her throat was painfully dry.
Anxiety covered the little one's face, her round cheeks scrunched up.
Growing impatient, Paimon began knocking even harder.
Fortunately, Mark opened the door just then.
As expected, Mark received a head-on blow from Paimon.
Smack! A crisp sound rang out. Mark clutched his forehead in pain. "Ow!"
The recoil also made Paimon cry out, "Ah!"
The stinging sensation soon faded, but the skin on Mark's forehead visibly reddened and swelled.
Meanwhile, Little Paimon, who had caused it, was shaking her aching hand and blowing on it.
Paimon pouted slightly, tears glistening in her eyes as though it hurt terribly. "Mr. Steven's forehead feels like it's made of stone. Ooh! That hurts!! Hoo~ hoo~ hoo~"
Still complaining, Paimon glanced over and saw the swelling on his forehead. The rest of her words abruptly caught in her throat.
"Sorry, um, Paimon didn't do it on purpose. It happened because you opened the door so suddenly, Mr. Steven."
Paimon sheepishly hid her hand behind her back. An embarrassed blush rose to her cheeks, and she lowered her little head.
"Paimon had been knocking for ages, but nobody came out, so Paimon got a little impatient and used a bit more strength. Hehe, could you forgive