Shu couldn't make out the magic spell. The moment old John opened his mouth, the entire world before Shu's eyes glitched like a bad signal.
Then, his perspective shifted to Sirin's side.
After spending some time with John, little Sirin skipped away from him and into the hallway.
This was when Sirin had just arrived at the Tower of Babylon, before she had received the devastating news of her mother's departure. The liveliness and cheerfulness of a four-year-old still resided within her.
Perhaps disliking the cold, steel environment of the hallway, Sirin wandered for a bit before returning to her room.
Standing on her tiptoes, she climbed onto a stool and carefully placed "Shu" on the desk. "Shu" fell over, and Sirin propped him up again, pressing down firmly, but he still wouldn't sit up.
"Why won't you sit up…" little Sirin pouted. She picked up "Shu" and thought for a moment, then took out a small, toy-like plastic sword and placed it on "Shu's" lap, holding him in place.
Shu recognized it. It was the unpullable Homu Holy Sword.
With "Shu" secured, Sirin rested her arms on the desk, her chubby, smiling face propped up on them, her big, beautiful golden eyes staring straight at Shu.
Shu had no choice but to stare back.
After a moment of staring, Sirin suddenly buried her face in her arms. A while later, she looked up with a mischievous grin.
"Actually… you're alive, aren't you?" Sirin smiled like a smug little villain, confidently inviting "Shu" to interact.
Unfortunately, Shu couldn't control the body and could only watch as Sirin talked to herself.
After finishing her sentence, Sirin covered her mouth and, in a poorly feigned voice, mimicked a terrified tone.
"What! You found me out! (Fake voice)"
"Hmph, I know magic! Your little tricks can't fool the smart and witty me~☆" Sirin said, hands on her hips, then pointed at "Shu."
"Show your true form!"
"Ahhhhh… It's Magical Girl Sirin! (Fake voice)"
"Quick, tell me! What are you doing here with this magical girl!" Sirin produced a similarly cheap-looking magic wand from somewhere and pointed it at "Shu."
"Wuwuwu, don't hit me! I'll talk, I'll talk! (Fake voice)" Sirin deliberately raised "Shu's" hands into a defensive cowering position.
"Actually, I'm a good guy, here on a mission to rescue the princess captured by the Demon King… (Fake voice)"
"So I'm the princess! Hmph, you're too late, the Demon King has already been chased away by this magical girl~☆… Wait, no, that's not right… If the princess is strong, the Demon King couldn't have captured her…"
"So I'm not the princess? That won't work either… Hmm…"
Frustrated, Sirin put down the wand and let go of "Shu." "Shu" fell over again.
After a long moment of pondering, Sirin came up with a brilliant solution.
"Then I'm not the princess, I'm the king!" Sirin picked up "Shu," not forgetting to place the sword in "Shu's" hand.
"You are my strongest knight! Come, let's go with this queen to defeat the evil dragon and save the princess!!"
Sirin held "Shu" and the magic wand high above her head and ran around the room gleefully.
Shu watched "himself" being thrown up and down again and again, watched "himself" battle the "blanket dragon" with Sirin, rolling around in a "world" the size of a bed, watched the black plastic bag "Demon King" destroy half the "world" in one move…
In the end, amidst the chaotic world, the brave and powerful king, wrapped in the "blanket dragon," hugged "Shu" the knight, and fell asleep with a smile on her face.
The wand was tossed aside, and the black plastic bag hanging by the window fluttered in the wind. Except for Sirin's sleep-talking, everything was silent.
"Hehe… defeat the Demon King… save Mom… knight… hero… hehe…"
---||---
The world seemed to freeze at that moment. The open storybook, the messy bed, the fluttering black plastic bag, Sirin sleeping with a smile, and the sword in "Shu's" hand.
Everything was frozen in this picture, bathed in the twilight glow from the window.
Except for the magic wand… it was tossed aside by Sirin, perhaps it fell under the bed, or into some unknown corner.
The next day, the devastating news that her mother would never wake up shattered the dream Sirin had just built. She cried all night, clutching "Shu."
And that night, Shu never saw that lively Sirin again, nor did he hear her mention the magic wand.
From that moment on, it vanished from Sirin's life.
Shu watched Sirin become obedient, quiet, and increasingly withdrawn. He watched people pass by her, only for her to turn away.
Until the little Sirin, wearing the same clothes she had on when she first arrived at Babylon, stopped. With one hand holding "Shu," she looked back to find…
…the crossroads were empty. There was no one left, no possibility of connection.
She looked around at the empty intersections, only darkness for company.
A light rain began to fall from the sky. Sirin lowered her head and continued walking, then covered her ears, letting the world around her fade away until she stepped into a puddle.
The still water rippled, then transformed into a bright mirror, reflecting Sirin's current appearance.
She had grown up… Her hair was longer, her face had lost its baby fat, and the light in her eyes was less brilliant, replaced by heavy, dark circles.
Sirin realized that of everything she had, only "Shu" remained the same.
If she let go of "Shu," she would fully step into "adulthood."
---||---
["But… I don't want to grow up."]
So Sirin stayed there, sitting on the ground, hugging her knees, unwilling to take another step forward, unable to take a step back, letting the fading world swallow her up and "Shu" fall to the ground.
A long, long time seemed to pass… Shu suddenly felt control of his body return. He looked down at himself; he was no longer that little doll.
In the end, Sirin had lost her last bit of "childhood."