Chapter 82

"Was it that the yatai (food stall) had been keeping them until now?"

"Yeah! They were running an oden stand at night! They were going to a far place, so they gave them to me, saying to take good care of them."

Miharu held up the two puppies alternately with her small hands and told me with a happy smile, but I felt a sense of unease at the content.

"At night... to a far place..."

In my mind, I could picture the old man who ran the oden stand pulling his cart with great effort, a tired old man pulling a cart loaded with leftover oden late at night.

He must have had to work until late at night to make ends meet. The only ones by his side were the puppies. And eventually, his body broke down, and he decided to part with them before being hospitalized. How painful it must have been to decide to give them to a cute little girl who often came to play...

...Hmm? Late at night? Beautiful, who had been lost in her imagination, snapped back to reality and realized something terrible.

"Miharu, you were out at night!"

"I must have gone outside in my sleep?"

"Miharu?"

I glared at my daughter, who was still trying to cover up, with flames of anger in my eyes. Seeing my angry face, Miharu panicked, but she realized I wasn't going to calm down. My husband also noticed and glared at Miharu with a serious expression.

"I'm sorry... but the oden was delicious, and the puppies were so cute."

Miharu bowed her head and apologized, looking dejected.

"I've never seen an oden stand around here, Miharu. Where was it?"

But I realized something odd. I had never seen an oden stand. My husband, finding it strange, questioned her. Indeed, it was odd. There were guards around our house. While it might be unfair to call it suspicious, a food stall was a bundle of suspicion. There was no way I wouldn't have noticed it.

"Hmm... well, will Dad get mad?"

"I will. But you have to tell me."

It was rare for me to be this angry. I was too. If I didn't get angry now, she might do the same thing again and get kidnapped. The thought of that filled me with anxiety. The despair I felt when I heard she was kidnapped... I don't want Miharu to be kidnapped. She's our adorable daughter.

Miharu, looking up at us with her big eyes, realized we wouldn't forgive her and answered with a teary face.

"Magic practice. I flew and played on the trees in the nearby forest."

She explained with gestures, and her adorable appearance almost made me forgive her, but the content was shocking. The forest?

"The forest... that's quite a distance! You went that far!"

The forest a little away from our house is a 30-minute walk. I was surprised that a small child had gone that far.

"Yeah! Everyone was sleeping, and it was quiet, so I did a little practice!"

Her innocent smile, as if she had no ill intentions, made me almost faint with shock. I never thought she would go so far. We had underestimated the physical abilities of a magic user.

"I'll surprise everyone with my improved magic!"

She covered her mouth with her small hands and swayed her body, clearly wanting to surprise everyone.

It was a mischievous action typical of a child. I remember making a secret base and going to the convenience store at night with my friends without my parents knowing. I liked the unusual atmosphere at night and often played without my parents knowing.

...Even for a normal child, if they got caught, they would get a scolding from their parents. So, I had to be angry with Miharu. But while a normal child might get away with a stern lecture, Miharu is not a normal child. So, before getting angry, we were worried about Miharu being gone and our faces darkened.

"Miharu... you mustn't go out at night. There are many scary people at night."

I put my hand on Miharu's shoulder and lectured her. This was very important.

"Scary people? Like ghosts? Can I defeat them with my magic?"

For a normal child, mentioning ghosts would be scary, but Miharu was ready to defeat them. The puppies also barked, as if saying they would try their best too. But for a normal child, this would be a heartwarming memory that ends with a scolding. For Miharu, it was different. It hurt, but it was for her safety.

"Even scarier people. So, you mustn't go out to play alone at night. Will you promise me, Miharu?"

"And to Dad. Miharu is a healer, so many scary people are targeting her. So, you mustn't act alone."

We stared at Miharu seriously. She looked surprised but nodded hesitantly.

"Okay. I won't go out at night! I promise to Dad and Mom! I'll call for help if I go out!"

"Hehe. Then it's a promise. No lying, okay?"

"Okay! I'll ask for help from a strong guardian!"

I stroked Miharu's head, thinking I should warn Mr. Kongo. Her silver-gray hair was smooth like silk. I wanted to touch it forever.

Miharu, who was holding the puppies, looked like she was about to drop them, so my husband quickly caught them. Seeing the two of them, I hoped this happiness would last forever.

"Let's do a pinky promise."

"Pinky promise, if I lie, I'll eat a whole mouthful of cream puffs!"

"Hey! That's too easy to break!"

"Kyaa!"

The cunning Miharu laughed and handed the puppies to my husband, then rolled on the floor. It was her practiced somersault. She rolled like a tire. Oh, Miharu.

The puppies, thinking she was playing, got excited and ran around Miharu, wagging their tails. They were still puppies. What breed are they?

"By the way, what are their names?"

"Hmm... Gery and Flex!"

The puppies were pouncing on her, and Miharu told me while laughing.

I thought Gery was a bit of a strange name, but my husband started laughing. He seemed to have realized something. What is it?

"The old man who ran the oden stand had a good sense of humor. So, the oden stand's dogs are Gery and Flex. Yes, that makes sense."

"What do you mean, honey?"

"Nothing, just a wordplay. I'll explain later, it's from the story of Odin."

"Sure. Then we need to register these puppies and get them their rabies shots."

We need to register them as pets. There's a lot to do when raising puppies.

"Let's have dinner. But what about the puppies?"

The puppies were still playing with Miharu. Miharu, who had been rolling around, seemed to have been caught, with the puppies on top of her. ...It's hard to leave these cute puppies behind.

Seeing Gery and Flex, who had already become part of our family, I hesitated. Is it okay to leave them behind?

I had experience raising a dog in my childhood. I took good care of it, but it died of old age. Thinking back, I had spoiled it, and it became very clingy, always sticking to someone.

How about these puppies? They seem to be attached to Miharu, with one rubbing its face against her. The other one was clinging to my leg, making little whining sounds. It seems hungry. Which one is Gery and which one is Flex?

"Let's order takeout instead of going out."

We decided to stop going out to eat. We need to decide what to do with the puppies.

"Yay! I want char ramen!"

She meant char siu ramen. Miharu is so adorable. Her innocent mistakes are so cute.

"Then I'll have a Tianjin rice bowl."

"I think I'll have fried rice."

I checked the phone number of the old ramen shop that still delivers. We used to order from them often after moving into this house.

I placed the order over the phone. The usual cheerful owner's voice said, "Sure thing," and I hung up.

Thinking this might be the last time we order from them, I felt a bit sad. When we first moved into this house, we ordered takeout and laughed, saying we would work hard as a couple. This house has many memories, and tomorrow will be the last day.

Miharu must have noticed my mood. She looked suddenly anxious, pulled away from the puppies, and tugged at my skirt.

"Mom, are you sad? Is it because of me?"

"No, it's not because of you. Miharu's power is a wonderful gift from a god to help people."

"That's right, Miharu. It's not your fault at all. We are proud of you. So, you don't need to worry about it."

My husband also gently stroked Miharu's head. Miharu's power is a gift from heaven. We would never reject it. This situation is not Miharu's fault.

It's the fault of those who target healers. We mustn't blame Miharu. We mustn't blame her, and even if it were her fault, we are a family. We must support each other and live together.

"I'll get stronger! I'll become the strongest and protect everyone! I'll earn a few hundred trillion yen and make lots of friends!"

Miharu spoke of her childlike dreams, puffed out her chest, and exhaled. Her words made me very happy.

"Oh, Miharu's dreams are so big. Then, I'll definitely protect Miharu."

"Me too, Miharu."

"Dad, Mom!"

The clingy Miharu jumped into our arms and hugged us. She's always so clingy.

The loneliness that had been lingering disappeared. Yes, we can handle any situation. We can do it. We have such a wonderful husband and daughter. I hope our next child will also grow up to be a kind person.

We will move to the Takanoya family's house the day after tomorrow. But we will be fine, I thought, smiling.