I carried the finished flower crown as I headed toward the Kojima Poultry Farm. For some reason, Karaage insisted on coming along, trailing after me the whole way.
The chickens at the farm were as busy as ever. Karaage, meanwhile, was comparing his body to that of the chickens, sizing himself up.
『Kuwe!』
『Kokko!』
Both puffed out their chests, showing off their proud postures as if competing to see whose was more impressive. Perhaps they felt some kind of kinship as fellow birds.
When standing next to the chickens, Karaage had grown to nearly the same size as them. His fluffy feathers bore some resemblance, but his overall appearance was clearly different.
Just as the old man had said, maybe he wasn’t a chicken after all. Still, to me, he’s nothing but a chicken. He’s absolutely not a cockatrice.
Meanwhile, Dori clung nervously behind me, hiding.
Having never interacted with kids her own age before, she probably had no idea how to apologize properly.
To prepare, we’d practiced saying sorry in advance.
「Are you ready?」
「Yeah.」
I gently patted Dori’s head, trying to ease her nerves. Relaxing slightly, she stepped forward. Karaage rubbed against her with his body, as if offering his own encouragement.
――Ding-dong!
I rang the doorbell.
「Oh, Naoki and Dori-chan, what’s up?」
Haruki came out from inside.
「We’re here because Dori wants to apologize to Yuri-chan.」
「Ah, you really didn’t need to. I can already imagine Yuri probably did something to upset her.」
As expected of a father, he knows his daughter well. Still, I explained that Dori wanted to apologize properly, and Haruki went to call Yuri.
「Papa!」
A moment later, Yuri burst out energetically, running straight for me and throwing her arms around me. Does this kid not have a concept of personal space? We’ve only met once before, and this is just our second meeting.
「Did you come to see me?」
「Dori said she wanted to apologize to you, so I was hoping you could listen.」
Letting go of me, Yuri turned to face Dori, her expression betraying a hint of displeasure.
Dori took a small step back, but I placed a hand on her shoulder to support her.
Looking up at me, Dori gave a small nod.
「Aym sowwy.」
Dori bowed her head and apologized. Her words were slightly slurred, but just seeing her do it moved me deeply.
This was the first time she had ever apologized to someone her age. I was already regretting not recording this moment on video.
「Fine. But, Papa is now Yuri’s.」
Behind Yuri stood Haruki, sighing in exasperation. I couldn’t understand why Yuri was so attached to me.
「Papa is Dori’s!」
「Then that makes us rivals.」
Yuri stepped forward and extended her hand toward Dori. Not knowing what to do, Dori froze, so I leaned in close and whispered into her ear.
「Just shake it gently.」
Following my advice, Dori took Yuri’s hand gently. I had been worried she might squeeze too hard, but she held it carefully, returning the gesture just right.
Then, as if remembering something important, Dori spoke up.
「Ah, por you!」
She handed over the flower crown she had been holding in her other hand, and Yuri’s eyes sparkled with delight.
Girls really do love cute things, don’t they? Now that I think about it, wasn’t the thing Dori had been most excited to bring back a pair of overalls?
「Is this the same one as yours, Dori?」
「Yeah!」
「nihihi, thank you.」
「I’ll put it on you!」
Dori placed the flower crown on Yuri’s head. With matching crowns, the two of them looked almost like sisters.
「Ahh, this is too much. It’s so cute I’m gonna cry.」
I had planned to watch quietly, but the words slipped out. So this is what the viewers mean when they say something is “lethally cute.” Experiencing it myself, I felt like my heart was about to burst from the sheer adorableness.
「Hey, Haruki, take a picture.」
「Me?」
「Of course. I want one with Papa and Dori.」
She could’ve just taken a selfie, but Haruki reluctantly pulled out his phone. If Dori treated me like this, I think I’d end up crying too.
「Hey, Dori, come here for a sec.」
Dori leaned in as Yuri whispered something to her. Kids really do love their little secrets at this age.
「Okay, I’m taking the picture!」
I crouched down to match their height, and the two of them positioned themselves on either side of me.
「Say cheeeeseee!」
With the cue, I felt soft kisses land on both my cheeks.
I didn’t think they’d actually do it, but here we are.
For once, I felt like I’d won against Haruki. A smug grin crept onto my face.
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