-Miu’s Mom POV-
“Am I thinking of people as pawns? Mama, there’s no way. People just have to endure the pain, right?”
Miu’s mouth hung open in surprise, her body trembling at the unexpected revelation. It seemed like she had just realized it, as she was visibly shaken.
“Come to think of it… When did I start thinking it’s okay to endure damage? At first… it hurt so much… I should have really endured it.”
“Miu? Are you okay? I want you to be careful from now on. I want you to face the pain head-on instead of being indifferent to your pain, thinking you can heal it with recovery magic… Miu?”
For some reason, Miu seemed off. While the content was certainly shocking, I might have been too harsh on a child. However, something seemed strange about her reaction.
Miu turned pale and staggered to her feet.
“It was probably… at that time. Gradually, until the start of the game… It’s bad, but…”
Mumbling to herself, Miu’s figure vanished. She disappeared from right in front of me, probably using some teleportation magic.
“Miu!”
Startled by the sudden disappearance of my daughter, I stood up. She probably went to the only place she would go when in trouble.
Quickly leaving the room, I headed towards Miu’s bedroom. As soon as I reached the front of the bedroom, I turned the doorknob.
“Miu, are you there?”
The bedroom was pitch dark. A king-size bed was filled with numerous animal dolls, and among them, I could see Miu crouching as if hiding.
“Miu, are you okay?”
Crouching, Miu didn’t raise her face and spoke in a murmuring tone.
“Family is the best, right, mama?”
“Yes, I think so too.”
“I thought that if there was love, value would be born in this world. But it was different. In the end, I was only seeing things in terms of numbers. I only loved the character of a close-knit family. I was actually indifferent.”
“That’s not true, Miu. You’re not such a cold daughter, right?”
I comforted her by approaching Miu and sitting at the edge of the bed. Miu shook her head vigorously and spoke sadly.
“No, I thought I could just heal the wounds. I realized I was just quantifying it as damage, like in a game. I wasn’t really enduring anything. I only kept the pain in the corner of my consciousness. Because I no longer felt pain, I didn’t care about doing dangerous things to others.”
“Do you really not feel pain?”
Gently stroking Miu’s head, I asked, and she replied in a small voice.
“I set myself to numb it. I can do that. Before, I would never have let Papa and others, whom I made drunk, go to dangerous Tokyo. But since I didn’t feel pain, I stopped caring.”
“I see… In that case, let’s make you feel pain again. Can you do that, Miu?”
“But if I do that, I’ll become weaker. It will hinder my actions and create openings in battles.”
“Even if you’re weak, it’s okay. Miu, you’re human, and it’s okay to be weak. When you’re in trouble, ask everyone for help. Even your unreliable mom will help you!”
I hugged Miu gently and stroked her head, running my fingers through her shiny gray hair tenderly.
“Am I human?”
“Yes, you’re mama and papa’s lovely daughter.”
“…I… am… human…”
Miu repeated the word as if in a daze.
“I see… that’s right. Trying to become strong like in a game was a mistake. It was a mistake to quantify everything. Maybe that’s why I couldn’t truly understand the love of the family.”
Miu started sobbing softly. I realized this might be the first time I had seen Miu cry.
“I might not fully understand even now… But I know I was wrong. Lately, I’ve been too synchronized, too carried away. Observing from the outside, not seeing people as humans, risking my beloved papa without thinking, just looking at the results, thinking it’s okay.”
“Miu?”
With a flash, Miu’s body emitted a platinum light, her hair floating gently, and her eyes taking on a platinum hue.
“It was a mistake. Family love alone was not enough. Everything overlapped, and love is something that happens when all these things come together. It was wrong to think of others as mere stones, to love only the family. I needed to find feelings for others, whether hatred, anger, or negative emotions. It was necessary to care about others.”
The radiant Miu spoke almost like a whisper.
“So let’s reclaim all emotions. Let’s remember. Life is not just about living happily.”
[Be human.]
In the dazzling light, I involuntarily closed my eyes. When I gently opened them after the light subsided, Miu had collapsed and was sleeping peacefully.
“I didn’t intend to become a god~”
I chuckled at her mumbled words and gently stroked her head. Somehow, I felt that everything would be okay. Well, I’ll be more careful if something like this happens again.
I didn’t quite understand what she was saying, but I intuitively grasped that it was something very important to Miu. She’ll probably talk about it when she’s ready. Until then, I’ll wait.
After all, we’re a family. It’s a mother’s role to help her daughter.