Miu’s bluntness completely shattered any illusion of a heart-to-heart moment. My smile slowly slid off my face as I froze, staring at the small child still in my arms. With a sigh, I knelt to place him gently on the ground.
“Time to let go, Miu. You can walk on your own,” I muttered, slightly bitter.
I should have known his compliance would not come easily as his small fingers dug into my arm defiantly. “No!”
“Please, Miu—you’re getting heavy,” I pleaded.
As I released my grip on him, Miu tightened his arms around my neck so that he was hanging like a monkey on a tree. His grip was as tight as steel as he protested, “Mister says you need to get stronger. Noa needs to exercise, wake up early, and eat three meals a day to grow nice and strong!”
“Mister Kyle said that?” I asked, unsurprised.
“Uh-huh, that’s what Mister always says!”
