While holding Dori’s hand, I tried to have a conversation with her.
「Dori, can you apologize to Yuri-chan?」
「No!」
Dori stopped in her tracks and started heading back toward the flower field. She was more stubborn than I’d expected.
I understood her feelings—no one likes apologizing for something they don’t feel was wrong.
「I know you felt upset, Dori, but it’s not okay to pull people like that.」
「Y not?」
「If I hadn’t caught Yuri-chan, she might have gotten seriously hurt.」
「Downt ker.」
It was clear how much Dori hated the idea of me being taken away from her.
While it was just a field and likely wouldn’t lead to a serious injury, I had to explain this properly. If I didn’t, she might grow up thinking it’s okay to lash out whenever something upset her.
I’d never raised a child before, but I knew this was the kind of thing that needed to be addressed.
「If someone did the same thing to you, I’d be really sad.」
「Cry-cry?」
「I’d probably cry. You’re very important to me, Dori.」
My words seemed to make her think.
This was just a small squabble between children, so Haruki and the others hadn’t said anything. But as her parent, I needed to apologize to them for letting my child push their daughter.
「Yuri-chan has people who care about her too, like Haruki and her mother. If she got hurt, it would make a lot of people sad. You don’t want to make others sad, do you?」
「No.」
「Then let’s apologize properly. You can also tell her what upset you. I’ll help you.」
Compared to Yuri, Dori often struggled to express herself. Even adults like Seina sometimes had trouble understanding her.
But no matter how difficult it might be, it was important to encourage her to communicate with words rather than actions.
「Wat if she no-no?」
「Then you come talk to us, okay?」
I could tell Dori had been trying to show how she felt through her words and actions, but when that didn’t work, she resorted to pulling Yuri.
The important thing was for her to try on her own first. If she couldn’t manage, she could always turn to the adults for help.
There were plenty of people who would support her—besides me, there were my grandparents and even the explorers.
「Okay.」
Dori seemed to understand. Letting go of my hand, she suddenly took off running.
「Hey, that’s the wrong way!」
She was as fast as ever, and before I knew it, she was back in the flower field.
「What are you doing?」
「Flowers!」
Dori began picking flowers from the field, likely intending to give them to Yuri as a reconciliation gift. I joined in, helping her gather flowers to bring back home.
-0-
Now it was time for our resident super grandma to step in.
「Grandma!」
「Yes, yes!」
When I called out at the entrance, she came from the back, holding a basket of freshly fried potato chips. It seemed frying potato chips had become her routine whenever Potato was out in the field.
Speaking of Potato, he’d apparently come back without me noticing and was now sitting on the house’s threshold with his legs crossed. Seeing him like that, I couldn’t help but wonder if he really was a Mitsume Wolf—or if there was a person inside that body.
「Could you turn these flowers into a small bouquet? Dori got into a fight with Haruki’s daughter, so we’re going to apologize.」
「Fufufu, Naoki’s really become a dad, hasn’t he?」
Grandma chuckled as she looked at me and Dori. While she began gathering her tools, I took over frying the remaining potato chips.
「Dori-chan, why don’t we make a flower crown while we’re at it?」
「Krawn?」
Grandma pulled out some wire and started shaping it. Watching her work from a distance, I was once again amazed by her dexterity.
When I thought of a flower crown, I imagined a simple ring adorned with flowers. But what she created looked more like a tiara, designed to sit snugly on someone’s head.
「You could probably sell this for a good price.」
「What nonsense. There’s no way I could make money from my little hobby.」
Despite her modesty, what she’d crafted in mere minutes was far beyond the realm of a casual hobby. It was thoughtfully designed, ensuring no one could get hurt and allowing the flowers to be easily swapped out.
Dori excitedly began decorating the crown with flowers she liked.
Having finished frying the chips, I decided to record a video of Grandma making another matching crown. It wasn’t for a stream, but I thought it might be fun to show it to Senna and Lady later.
「This is so simple anyone could do it.」
Grandma said as her hands moved swiftly.
Dori finished her flower crown and proudly placed it on her head. The loose twin braids paired with the crown highlighted her cuteness even more.
「Hmm, Dori, you’re adorable!」
I started a mini photoshoot with my smartphone, thinking I’d send the pictures to Sena later.
Little did I know that this moment would eventually inspire the regular fan club wallpaper distributions.
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