Beautiful

"Oh, Mio's fine."

Ackster opened his overshirt to reveal Mio snuggling inside a pocket like a kitten. Ackster hadn't seen the slime sleep before. Mio sometimes entered a kind of stasis whenever they consumed a piece of him. But this time, it actually seemed like they were sleeping.

Ackster even felt like it looked like Mio was dreaming.

"That's a relief."

"Did you grow attached?"

Mio had, after all, been stuck with Wilma for over a year. It wouldn't be strange if Wilma also made a connection with the cute and intelligent slime.

"Maybe. You're free to leave Mio with me the next time you're off to die."

"Sure."

Wilma looked at the sleeping Mio with a warm gaze before looking at Ackster again.

"...Grandma said you died. I refused to believe it. But what happened?"

"I did."

Ackster nodded as he closed his shirt to let Mio sleep undisturbed.

"?"