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IBP 92
‘But, where is that child?’
Perhaps it was because she had used dark magic for so long.
The berserk state had completely stopped, yet her vision continued to blur.
‘I can’t see clearly.’
Chloe suddenly reached into her pocket.
Then, she gripped the <stone of eternity>.
Had she somehow anticipated that this would happen?
The memory of the little one who had pestered her to always carry the stone of eternity brought a smile to her lips.
Come to think of it, it was always Coco who came looking for her.
‘Now, I’ll be the one to find you.’
If she had manifested her supernatural ability to this extent, she must be collapsed somewhere.
The moment she infused mana into the stone.
A spark of light flickered from the stone.
She hadn't noticed it until now, but it felt as if the light was pointing her toward the direction of the person she loved.
As she drew closer to Coco, the halo of light surrounding the family heirloom grew larger.
Chloe slowly moved her steps in the direction where the light intensified.
One step, two steps.
Though her legs felt heavy, her heart felt light.
The area where the light flickered most intensely was near the center of the lake.
It seemed she had fully manifested the ‘light ability’ at this very spot.
It was a clear, pure white light, powerful enough to destroy a barrier stone...
Surely, she must be completely exhausted from using so much mana.
Should she give this grateful little child some sweet potatoes?
‘From now on, I should speak to her more warmly.’
Reflecting on how prickly she had been, Chloe stepped closer, finally realizing the depth of her feelings for the little one.
Until that moment, Chloe did not know exactly what state Coco was in.
And when the halo of light finally became vivid.
When Chloe's blurred vision was perfectly restored.
At that moment, what she saw before her eyes was...
A five-year-old child transforming into a tiny, fluffy puppy amidst a burst of pure white light.
Seeing this, Chloe's eyes widened.
“What in the...?”
A body that was already tiny had turned into a puppy with snow-white fur.
Chloe had no idea how a human could turn into a dog.
But she knew exactly who that puppy was.
“Coco...?”
She couldn't understand why Coco had returned to the form of puppy Coco.
It was utterly baffling.
And yet...
Somehow, it all made sense.
...Perhaps, in her subconscious, she had already guessed this?
With a trembling body, she knelt before the tiny puppy lying on the freezing ground.
“Oh, my baby...”
It was you, my baby.
How could I have forgotten?
This tiny body.
These minuscule paws.
“My baby, why, why are you collapsed here on the ground? Hmm?”
“...”
The little Coco who had always chattered away in front of her.
The Coco who had embraced her so warmly.
She was lying on the ground, covered in dirt.
As if she weren't breathing.
Chloe barely managed to mutter, her voice sounding as if she were choking.
But the words simply wouldn't come.
She thought that pathetic pleas or apologies would spill out of her mouth.
“Ugh, uuuugh. Uggh...”
But what actually escaped her lips were merely the sobbing, guttural sounds of a beast.
“My baby. You... you came back to me.”
Coco, who had turned back into a tiny, white, scruffy puppy.
Her excessively small body was freezing stiff on the cold ground.
Chloe, frozen in shock, tenderly pulled the fallen Coco into her arms.
It didn't matter that she was covered in dust and dirt.
Her heart ached too much.
She carefully brushed the dirt off Coco's fur.
“Why, why are you so light?”
She used to respond to her words with a ‘woof.’
When she became a child, she had chattered by her side every time.
Today was different.
Her ears were drooping low.
The small body was merely trembling, slowly growing colder.
She held Coco in her arms and whispered softly.
“Coco, Coco. My baby...”
Chloe continued her pleas, though no answer came.
“Did you... did you come back to me? But I didn't recognize you properly... I acted so foolishly, didn't I...?”
Chloe thought about it every single day.
That she would be able to meet Coco again someday.
And she had believed that if Coco were to be reincarnated, she would recognize her without a shadow of a doubt.
“You were the only happiness in my life. And I... to you...”
Stupidly, I didn't know I wouldn't recognize you.
“Please, just this once, forgive me...”
Big sister waited for a very long time.
“I prayed every night for you to come back. I thought that if you returned, I would spend every day with you.”
But far from spending every day together, she had put Coco in danger with her own hands.
She clenched her teeth.
“You must have been hurt because I was mean. My baby...”
“...”
“It was because I was too scared. I was afraid I would love you too much as a child, so I pushed you away on purpose.”
To the one who only wanted to die.
Coco, who had reached out her hand to her twice.
First as a small, fragile puppy.
Then as a tiny child...
“It's me!”
“Hmph, you still can't recognize me.”
...The little child who had first reached out her hand so warmly.
She should have told her that she recognized her.
She should have hugged her tight and told her that she was her big sister.
She should have held our Coco warmly and made her the happiest person in the world...
“Hmph. I like big sister a lot.”
“Of course! Because I like big sister the most in the whole world!”
Big sister likes Coco the most in the world, too.
No, she loves her the most in the world.
She should have told her that.
“Hmph, I'm cuter than that puppy...”
Our Coco is the cutest in the world. She should have said that.
Looking back, everything was a regret.
Chloe whispered in a voice that sounded as if it were breaking.
“I'm so sorry, what should I do...”
Coco had always been by her side.
‘Could there have ever been another being in the world who cherished and loved me so completely?’
No, there wasn't a single one.
When things were very hard, there were times when she would pant and lick her cheek with a red tongue.
And when she became human, she had held her hand tightly with her small hand...
How could there be any other such precious existence?
Chloe looked down, ruminating on the lingering images of Coco.
Hugging Coco's dirt-covered body tightly, she murmured softly.
“Compared to the love my baby gives, the love I can give is so insignificant.”
Stupidly, all I can do is say I'm sorry...
“I'm so pathetic, I'm sorry...”
Chloe bit her trembling lip hard.
She tried her best to keep Coco warm by hugging her tightly.
But Coco's body continued to cool.
As if her breath were about to stop at any moment.
She kissed Coco's forehead.
“Please. Just one more time, won't you give big sister a chance to love our Coco more?”
Placing a trembling hand on Coco's cooling body, Chloe sobbed.
“I'm sure I can do better this time. I know I'm being shameless, but... I can really raise our baby well this time.”
Now big sister can play ball with you every day.
I can give you lots of the sweet potatoes you love.
I'm confident I can make you smile now.
“Please open your eyes...”
So, please...
Won't you be close with big sister again?
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