Hime shook her head slightly.
"I was happy, you know?"
She looked a little surprised at what I said.
"I was really happy to hear that you thought I was special. There's no need for me to apologize for that... In fact, I'm the one who should be sorry."
This time, I got an apology instead.
Of course, I don't think Hime needs to apologize, but it seems she thinks otherwise.
"I was certainly surprised, but more than that, I was so happy that I didn't know what to do. Every time I saw Yohei's face, my heart started beating hard and I couldn't say anything."
Lunch break will be over in a few minutes.
Even as we watched the students around us quickly walk back, our feet stopped.
I know I can't talk for long.
However, we still had a lot to talk about, so I didn't feel like rushing.
"But when I saw you feeding Yohei... I felt like it was unfair."
"That's unfair...?"
"I thought I'd like to feed it to Yohei too."
Kiyoshi's plan helped repair his strained relationship with Hime.
However, it was a mystery as to why this child had become normal.
Apparently, there was a good reason.
"That's when I realized. If I don't know what to do and just do nothing, I'll end up feeling more and more dissatisfied like this... I didn't want to continue feeling the same way in the future, so I decided that it was best to talk about it properly."
...This kid is really smart.
They understand their emotions, change their ways, and reach conclusions through logical thinking.
She often shows a childish side in front of me. I think the awkwardness was caused by her being controlled by her own emotions. However, she realized that this was no good and improved, which showed her being more than just a child.
It's been a long time since I felt this way.
Hime is indeed a genius little girl who has skipped grades.
"In other words, jealousy."
"Jealousy, huh?"
"Yes. I was just a little jealous of my sister."
Then Hime laughed a little.
Her adorable smile was just as cute as I expected...it made me laugh too.
It was the first time I had ever seen such tiny, cute jealousy.
"Hehe... That's strange, considering you said you wanted me to marry your sister. You should be happier than that, but you're jealous."
And at the same time, I realized.
Hime's emotions are also gradually changing.
Somehow... I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel that way too.
Hime's affection is no longer innocent and childish.
There's no way I wouldn't notice.
He was not so insensitive as to not realize that the feelings of the girl who had grown so purely, straightforwardly, and innocently attached to him were growing warmer with each passing day.
"...Ah, it's almost lunchtime. Yohei, let's hurry back."
However, Hime isn't yet aware of that.
He hasn't reached that level yet, but just like today, I'm sure he'll realize that feeling soon.
(By then, I need to sort out my feelings too.)
So that I can properly guide this child as an older person.
I also decided to do my best.