The time flew by in the tranquil village of Yomoguita, and the icy winter gave way to a lush spring.

In the garden, Haru once again dedicated himself to refining his senses. Aware that physical improvement had its limits, he focused his efforts on mastering his sensory abilities in a more natural way.

In a meditative state, the world sharpened in his mind, forming a detailed picture through smells, sounds, and thermal sensations.

Concentrated to the extreme, he even explored his strange ability for absolute concentration to expand his perception to the maximum.

Within a radius of 20 meters, he picked up on everything that was happening, even beyond walls and partitions.

"Sigh... I think I've reached my limit. I don't see much room for improvement now. It's just a matter of waiting for this body to mature," he thought with a tinge of disappointment.

Standing up, he quickly walked back into the house, reflecting on the eight months he had spent in this world. Despite the tumultuous start, nothing truly dangerous had happened, causing him to reconsider the place's danger.

Imitating the clumsy gait of a baby, Haru soon reached the main room of the house, where another argument was underway.

"I've already told you, I'm not going back. Haru and I are fine here!" stated a female voice, mixing anger and exhaustion.

"Please, Natsumi, forgive me. That day, I wasn't thinking straight. But now I'm here, please, come back. I miss you," pleaded a male voice. Suddenly, the sound of something breaking followed by a roar of anger echoed through the room.

"I've told you to leave! We don't need you anymore!" shouted Natsumi in fury. "If you really cared about us, you would have defended us from the beginning. No matter how many times you come here to ask for forgiveness, I'm not going back!" she yelled in a fit of rage.

After a few minutes of silence, the sound of footsteps echoed, and the door closed with a muffled sound, followed by a weak and tired voice.

"I know I messed up. If you need anything, the doors of our house will be open," said the male voice.

Silence settled in the house. Moments later, muffled sounds of crying came from the room.

Watching his mother curled up on the floor, with shards of ceramic scattered around, Haru felt guilt eating away at him.

"Sometimes, I just wish these tears, sorrows, and pains would disappear," he thought as he hugged her.

Unbeknownst to him, the tears streaming down his mother's face disappeared for a moment, as if they had never existed. But a few seconds later, they reappeared, as if they had never been absent.

Four years passed, leaving behind only memories and marks of time.

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In a humble house near the forest, a young woman with a basket of laundry on her back waited patiently.

After a few moments, footsteps approached, and the door opened to reveal another woman, already middle-aged, with a surprised expression upon seeing the visitor.

"Good morning, Miss Yukimura. Are the clothes ready?" asked the older woman.

"Yes, Mrs. Yamamoto. Here are the pieces you asked to sew. Six pieces in exchange for a bag of rice," replied Natsumi, handing over the basket.

Mrs. Yamamoto quickly returned with a small bag of rice as payment and invited Natsumi in for tea, expressing curiosity about her sewing skills.

"No, it's okay. I have to get back to take care of Haru. You know how he is, always getting into trouble with his friends," replied Natsumi, embarrassed.

"Aha! Sayuri and Renji must be dragging him into another mischief," Mrs. Yamamoto commented, laughing at the thought of her and Natsumi's children.

"All right! I have to go before those five do something silly again. Another day, maybe I'll accept the tea invitation!" said Natsumi.

After saying goodbye, Natsumi returned home, where she found a group of children playing in the street. Watching them, she recalled the challenges she had faced upon arriving in the village and raising her son.

Speaking of him, she didn't spot him in the group of children, already imagining where he could be. She headed to the backyard, only to find him engaged in a small skirmish.

Haru, with his red hair and flame marks on his face, skillfully dodged the attacks of the other two boys.

No matter how hard they tried, his friends couldn't touch him.

In the end, exhausted, the two boys fell defeated to the ground. Witnessing that, Natsumi called out to Haru.

"Haru, it's dinner time! Call your friends to eat too!" she said.

Haru, always with an indifferent expression, smiled upon hearing his mother's voice from afar. A radiant smile, rare to see.

One of the boys on the ground noticed and teased him.

"Looks like the snowman finally melted, huh... mommy's boy!" he mocked.

"You should smile more, Haru. It's that stone-faced look that keeps other kids away from you," the other boy on the ground commented.

Listening to his friends' words, Haru just shook his head resignedly.

"It's not that I don't want to smile more. It's that my emotions, for some reason, rarely manifest," he reflected as he helped his friends up.

Watching, the boys interpreted his gesture as a denial.

"Well... let's eat already, I'm starving!" the girl said.

"You're always hungry, Sayuri. If I didn't know you're my sister, I'd think you're descended from some kind of pig, always so hungry," the other boy joked.

"Renji! I'm telling mom what you said, just wait until we get home!" threatened Sayuri, bursting into indignation.

While the group argued, Natsumi set the table for dinner. Time passed, and soon it was night.

Natsumi, lying in bed with Haru in her arms, quickly fell asleep due to the exhaustion of the day.

In a moment of dreaming, she saw Haru grown up and both still living together in a simple yet cozy house. But the dream changed when Haru left with a girl, leaving her alone and helpless.

Waking up startled, Natsumi hugged Haru tightly, afraid of losing him. The memory of the nightmare haunted her, but she fell asleep again.

The next day, work continued, but the nightmare didn't leave her mind. She knew that one day Haru would leave, but she couldn't help but feel afraid and sad at the thought.

Despite feeling terrible, the day went on without major changes, until Haru approached her unexpectedly.

"Mom, are you okay?" he asked, with a concerned tone.

"Yes, son, I'm just tired!" she replied, trying to reassure him.

"If you need to talk, I'm here. You always say we should support each other, after all, we only have each other in this vast world!" he continued, still showing concern.

Upon hearing her son's words, Natsumi couldn't hold back the emotion and hugged him tightly.

"Haru, do you plan to leave the village and explore the world outside?" she asked, with fear and guilt buried in her chest.

Noticing her concern, Haru promptly reassured her.

"Of course, Mom! The old carpenter always tells us about the wonders of the world beyond the village. One day, I'll take you, along with Sayuri and Renji, to see the gigantic metal serpent he talks about so much!" he replied, with enthusiasm.

Upon hearing the first part of Haru's response, Natsumi felt her heart tighten, but the second part brought her relief.

"Yes, let's stay together forever!" she affirmed, with determination and a hint of guilt.

Observing the woman who brought him into the world, Haru understood the reason for her possessiveness. Despite having to maintain the facade of a child, his mind was still that of a modern adult.

It was not uncommon for a mother, who had sacrificed everything for her children and lived for them, to develop such possessiveness, driven by the fear of losing them.

Unable to find a satisfactory solution to the problem, the only option that occurred to him was to help her understand that, regardless of their location, she would never lose him. For now, it was better to just comfort her.

"Is it really necessary to leave here? Although the idea of allowing the tragic plot to unfold makes me uncomfortable, I don't see a real urgency in interfering with it. After all, I don't even know at what point in the story we are. Maybe it's better to stay here, safe, with the people I love," he pondered, something that had long puzzled him.

The day passed like this, with Haru undecided about whether to interfere in the plot. In the end, he concluded that it was better to leave things as they were. After all, he was already happy living his life, so why should he sacrifice everything for a group of strangers?

Thus, time passed, with Haru finally accepting his new life and relieving a huge burden from his shoulders.