"… I like you."

──Spirit. When expressing her own existence in Japanese, she said that word came the closest to describing herself.

A supernatural lifeform brought forth by mysterious techniques resembling sorcery or magic.

However, while looking at her back curiously, he couldn't sense even the slightest degree of dangerous ambience, but rather it was better to say──

"──What's the matter?"

"...Wa!"

Having unexpectedly drawn closer to his face, Shinji jolted his shoulders back in surprise.

Mio tilted her head curiously while looking at him.

"N-no, it's nothing."

"...Is that so?"

As if remembering something, Mio fixed her posture upright before once again asking something curiously.

"Compared to that, what is that thing?"

Having pointed towards something again, Shinji lifted his face and gazed towards the direction of Mio's fingertips.

Placed in the store front of the game center, it was a large rectangular box that made a lively sound.

Several stuffed toys were arranged inside the glass box, there beady eyes starting to attract nearby pedestrians.

"Ah, it's a crane game. There's a robotic arm at the top of the box, right? You have to operate it from the outside to grab the stuffed toy inside."

"Oh? That's something interesting to think about."

After he briefly explained the game, Mio took a brisk footstep towards the crane game, intently looking inside the box.

Was she looking at the fancy bear inside?

Shinji thought to himself while slowly walking towards her side.

Then, he stared at the box before speaking.

"Shall I get it out for you?"

"...Eh?"

Hearing those words, Mio raised her head alongside showing an expression indicating that she didn't expect that at all.

He cracked a smile seeing that look.

After placing the money in the machine, he began to follow the instructions for operating the metallic claw.

Ten minutes later, although it was not a splendid campaign...he somehow managed to capture the bear doll inside before his wallet ran dry.

"Come on──! Just like that──!"

To tell the truth, because of the continual previous failures, the success exhilarated more than it probably should have.

At the moment, the doll fell into the exit, Shinji let out a large shout in spite of the presence of the people around him.

The customers at the game center and nearby pedestrians were surprised to hear this before walking away with amused smiles.

"..."

Although he is shameless enough to get many girls around him but shouting in the public could still make his face flush red.

Then, he tightened his shoulders as he took out the bear plushy.

"A-anyway. Here, Mio."

"...?"

Looking down, Mio did seem to understand what Shinji was saying or the reasons behind his peculiar behavior.

Meanwhile, Shinji, who still felt a glow of embarrassment from his shout earlier, grabbed Mio's hand to give her the bear plushy.

"...? Are you giving this to me?"

"Um, I captured that for that reason. ...Or do you not want it? I saw you look at it so diligently, so I thought you might have liked it."

"Like..."

Mio repeated that word while staring intently at the stuffed doll she was handed with.

"Like...feelings of affection...being strongly interested in something..."

Mio murmured as if reciting definitions from a dictionary while holding the bear toy against her chest.

"──That's it. ...Uh, this should be the feeling of like. A way of expression appreciation to you. Expressing gratitude. ...No, it should be..."

Mio gestured the momentary idea in her mind, Mio immediately turned to him.

"──Thank you. I'm very happy. I like you."

Just then, she said that with a cheerful smile.

"....Eh!?"

That smile felt like it had pierced his heart in a dream-like illusion.

Because of those unexpected words, Shinji's face flushed red.

Her tone is very innocent that his shamelessness can't counter it.

It was like a brand new page was being written about his life with Mio starting from then.

For him, it was one of his irreplaceable interactions with a girl.

──However, Shinji hadn't noticed yet.

The meaning behind the existence of the girl called Mio.

And the existence of humans who would pursue that meaning.