AFTER apologizing to the nurse, the girl who had just left Mio’s side slowly walked back to her hospital room. There, she found a surprise waiting for her.
“Big sister Nonoka!” she shouted, her eyes glimmering with joy.
“Miyu, there you are. Where’d you go?”
Miyu giggled sheepishly. “I just went on a little walk.”
“Okay. As long as it was a little walk.” Nonoka paused. “How are you feeling?”
“Fine! Like always.”
Nonoka looked askance at her, but not all accusingly. “Reeaally?”
“Yeah!” Miyu shot back. Then her face lit up. “Oh, also! I did it! I did the thing that you taught me!”
“What thing?” Nonoka asked, a little confused.
“The thing where you said never to give my name out to strangers! So, when someone asked me for my name just now, I gave them a fake name! I said I was Miu!”
As Miyu stood there, her little chest puffed out in pride, the innocent little girl remained blissfully unaware of the looming consequences that her one small white lie could unleash.
And neither did Nonoka. She barely registered the implications of what Miyu had just said, preoccupied as she was with how to persuade Miyu to go through with the surgical procedure she needed.