Naruhito (70)
"Hiiro, goldfish."
The escort had arrived, but I couldn’t take my eyes off the goldfish. Ah, something string-like was coming out from the goldfish’s bottom.
Huh? What is that? Could it be... poop?
It floated, swaying, with it still hanging.
Why is it just hanging there?
Ha, hahaha.
I can’t stop laughing.
Shizuku tightened the arms holding me close. Ah, would it be heavy if I moved?
I turned to look at her.
She was smiling kindly, looking at me.
"Shizuku. Am I heavy?"
"Not at all. Little Naruhito, are you having fun?"
I looked at the goldfish again. It was still attached to its bottom.
"Hehe. You know, it’s hanging from its bottom. Hehehe."
"Oh my, really. It’s stuck there, isn’t it?"
"It’s opening its mouth. Is it going to eat more?"
"It’s always opening its mouth. It’ll keep eating as long as you feed it."
"That’s amazing."
"It’s not amazing at all. The goldfish can’t tell if it’s eaten too much, so its stomach can swell too much, and it might die."
"Really?"
"That’s why you can’t give them too much food."
"I see."
"Do you like it that much? Should we get some at home?"
At some point, Hiiro, who was right next to me, spoke.
"There’s no need to get them, since you can see them here."
Shizuku replied to Hiiro.
"You can always come here to see it, Little Naruhito."
I’d be happy to have one at home, but if I watched it all the time, I might not be able to get any work done. It might be better to come here and see it.
As I nodded, Shizuku hugged me tightly again.
"Mother, shouldn’t you return Naruhito soon?"
"If Little Naruhito still wants to look at the goldfish, there’s no rush. No need to worry. There’s juice and snacks, so it’s fine to leave him here."
"I’m done with all the work here, so I planned on heading home."
"Little Naruhito, would you like a snack? We have ice cream."
"Ice cream?"
"It’s cold and delicious. Do you want to try it?"
A cold treat! I’d like to try it.
But, is it okay?
While I was hesitating, the woman who had been in the room all this time went to the next room and brought back four glass dishes filled with something white. She lined them up on the low table and then quietly stepped back to the corner of the room.
Shizuku and I got down from the rocking chair and sat on the floor together.
"Hiiro, you too, and Dear, you as well, take a seat."
"Dear"? I looked and saw a man standing by the entrance of the room.
"I was debating whether to come in."
The man who entered after saying that looked just like Sekitora.
"Hello. I’m Akashi."
"I’m Naruhito. Hello."
I wonder if I should call Akashi "Dear"...
What do you think about this chapter?
