"Wake up, Elle?"

A somewhat familiar voice came from "Elle".

Annan immediately noticed that Elle was under the covers.

So instead of directly opening the quilt and sitting up, he shrank back inside, and at the same time opened his eyes and followed the voice.

That's Amos.

A young man in his early thirties, with short tan hair and dark blue pupils. He was carefully grooming his beard in front of the mirror with an electric razor, and when he heard Elle's voice, he stopped the razor on his own.

Amos turned to look over with a light, happy smile on his face.

- It was a completely different demeanor from Amos in the gallery's nightmare.

Amos, the painter in the nightmare, is full of an aura that is incomparable. Even in the face of his daughter Elle, he didn't have anything good to say, but sighed again and again, his expression was painful and tangled, and his face was full of stubble and messy hair...... I feel very sad.

But now Amos is not only smiling, but also has a very fashionable hairstyle, and is even humming a little song happily.

It seems to be a short piece of opera from where I heard it lately. I even forgot the lyrics thoroughly, so I could only hum randomly with incomplete tones. But this alone can also be seen that he is in a very happy mood.

"Don't stay up late, Elle. Your routine is so unhealthy. ”

Amos shaved his beard, slapped the lotion on his face, walked over, stood in front of the quilt and said dissatisfiedly: "If you want to watch the animation at half past eight in the morning, then you might as well go to bed early."

"It was half past eight, not half past six, half past five. You go to bed early and get up early, eat and have breakfast, and then watch the same...... Are you listening, Elle? ”

"Oh......"

"Elle" curled up under the covers, making a muffled, sleepy voice and not responding positively.

Amos sighed helplessly, but he didn't get angry.

He just instructed: "Your mother's world tour ended yesterday, and she said she was home tonight...... I have to make a business trip, and I estimate that it will take two or three days to come back. If you don't go to bed too early tonight, don't go out and stay at home.

"She should have come back around midnight...... Did you hear that? ”

"Whew."

The quilt let out a low whine.

"Then I'll just let you hear it?"

Amos also smiled good-naturedly, patted the quilt that was curled up, and said briskly: "I'll come back and bring you a gift...... Bringing you something to eat? And the record...... What more do you want? ”

“…… As you see fit. ”

"Casual is the worst gift to give."

The man thought seriously for a while, as if he suddenly thought of something: "Ah, I remember—you seem to have mentioned it on your birthday, asking your father to paint you a portrait?"

"I'm sorry, but at that time, I wanted to draw it for you. But that day I waited for you at home for a long time, and you went out to play. I was already on a business trip when you came home after that...... I thought, since your birthday has passed, why don't I draw it for you on the next Al Hon's holy day?

"I think...... Since it is a portrait painted by your father, there must be feelings hidden in it, and it is a treasure that cannot be copied. I will paint this painting as a sacrifice to Jaron, and I think Jaron will be pleased. That would be the best sacrifice.

"But if you want, I'll draw it for you when Daddy comes back."

Amos smiled softly and patted the quilt that was bulging into a ball: "Compared with Yaon's commendation, it is really more important than Elle."

"Alright, I'm out of the house. Goodbye—"

He said...... Picking up the suitcase that had already been packed, he walked to the door.

After he had been gone for a long time, Elle slowly slipped out of the covers.

Her blonde hair was shaggy and messy, and her face had very clear tear stains.

She wept quietly and silently.

- Although Annan now controls Elle's body, Elle can still hear and see.

"Is that what you want, Elle?"

Annan's voice sounded low.

With the voice of Elle's body, low and soft...... Gentle as a mother.

【…… Yes. I'm sorry ......]

“…… What is there to say sorry for this. ”

[I don't know, but I just want to say that...... And, thank you]

Hearing the pitiful voice in her heart, "Elle" raised her eyebrows.

"What did you say last week?"

【…… I had a fight with Amos]

"What are you arguing with him......"

[I, I'm ...... I do not know...... However, when I suddenly felt that Amos was back, I panicked...... I didn't actually want to quarrel with him, but I didn't know what to say, and my emotions were very chaotic, so I ...... In the end, he didn't understand what I meant, but he apologized to me and quietly left...... I, I'll ......]

In the bottom of her heart, Elle's voice was intermittent, gradually overflowing with crying.

Ay......

Annan sighed deeply.

It's still a little girl.

Because the emotions in my heart are too complicated - joy, panic, love, remembrance, worry...... Many emotions are intertwined, and Elle lacks sufficient ability to express herself, but instead turns into a rootless anger.

“…… It's better to say that Amos didn't quarrel with you, which means that he has a really good temper here. ”

[Amos Actually...... He used to have a good temper ......]

Elle's weak, slightly aggrieved voice sounded from the bottom of her heart.

[It's just that after his progress suddenly stopped, he gradually became irritable...... It's fine for me and my mother, but it's getting more and more angry with outsiders...... And it's a fault-finding ...... for no reason.]

That's because of the genius who is smooth sailing, and for the first time he has encountered a threshold that he can't cross with his talent.

But you father and daughter are quite alike—albeit not related by blood.

But at least as soon as my emotions were messed up, I started to find someone to quarrel...... It's really in the same vein.

Annan thought for a moment and said in a low voice:

"Then you can think of it this way...... Since Amos has always had a good temper before, his talent is also very good. Why do you suddenly encounter the threshold of talent? ”

【…… Why? 】

"Thinking back to that time, the Skeleton Gong had already appeared in Frozen Water Harbor - his destination was clear from the very beginning. That's where you and Amos are...... So, can the reason for the stagnation of Amos's talent be attributed to the skeleton male? ”

[Actually、Is there such a reason...... Is this true? 】

Fake, of course.

There is no evidence, just a superficial connection, and the reason is attributed to one point – this is a classic imposed cause and effect, which can be called Mori Kogoro-level reasoning.

Annan, of course, knows this as well.

But so what?

The pot on the crumbs is not bad anyway...... Since he had to die anyway, it would be better for her to understand that this is the pot of bones than for Elle, a completely innocent little girl, to weep alone and wallow herself in the shadows of the past because of the injustice of her fate.

Then wait for the skeleton to burp, "the enemy is dead, and the great revenge has been avenged"...... The shadow that had been haunting her heart was released.

This is one of the few contributions that the Skeleton Gong can do.

And......

Annan narrowed his eyes slightly.

Who's to say that this must be "unwarranted speculation"?