Friendly Reunion

"By the way, sir, who is that?" The child stared at me with eyes of curiosity.

Since I wasn't facing her, she couldn't completely see my face.

"Ah, right… I totally forgot about that." Neron said with a small laugh.

'Forgot, my foot. Were you just waiting for her to ask? If that's the case… I can't miss my queue!'

"He's an old acquaintance of yours, after all."

My lips curled up into a smile, and I prepared myself.

"After leaving for so long, he finally returns…"

'Not yet… not yet…'

Holding in my laughter, I began to move slowly.

"… Won't you say hello to your old friend?"

'It's now!'

Rising from where I sat, I slowly turned to make eye contact with the girl, keeping my face low—considering her height—and smiled.

The moment she saw my face, her expression melted, and her widened eyes greeted me.

"Y—you're… J—Jared?!"

My smile grew even larger, and I was grateful to Neron for the dramatic introduction.

'This is fun.'

"It's been a while…"