After a short wait, Mitsuri's emotions settled down.
But it seemed they had not settled completely.
After the surprise and excitement of their reunion came the embarrassment of having boldly thrown herself into a boy's arms, rushing straight to her head.
Then Mitsuri's brain shut down.
The arms that had been wrapped tightly around Kanzaki Kumo dropped limply, and she slumped against him as though all her strength had drained away, wisps of steam seeming to rise from her head.
Mitsuri's sudden loss of strength startled Kanzaki Kumo, and he quickly reached out to support her.
Seeing the girl's brain overload and turn her into a steam-powered maiden, Kanzaki Kumo did not know whether to laugh or cry.
"Mitsuri, Mitsuri? Are you all right?"
He called softly twice, taking her by the shoulders and giving her a gentle shake, and her eyes finally regained their focus.
"Mm... I'm fine... Sorry, Kanzaki-oniisan, that was rude of me. I'm so sorry. I didn't hurt you, did I?"
Only after coming to her senses did Mitsuri remember that she had not held back her strength at all when she hugged Kanzaki Kumo in her excitement, and she immediately grew worried.
A few months earlier, Mitsuri had made a few friends her own age, but after she got carried away while playing and failed to control her strength, breaking one friend's arm, no one had dared to be friends with her anymore.
And now, if Kanzaki Kumo had been hurt because of it too, she would lose even her last friend.
"I'm fine." Seeing Mitsuri's worry and guilt, Kanzaki Kumo smiled and shook his head, roughly guessing why she had failed to make friends.
With that kind of strength, a single poorly controlled blow would probably be more than a child of ten or