Mahiru Shiina felt as though she were living in a dream.
After being scolded by her mother at her family home in Kyoto, she returned to Ikebukuro, Tokyo, only to encounter a talking fox.
The fox saw through her troubles and offered to grant her one wish.
Almost as if possessed, Mahiru made her wish to the fox.
"I wish Dad and Mum could dote on me like their real daughter."
This tiny, insignificant wish in an ordinary family represented over a decade of effort for Mahiru Shiina.
She had tried so very hard to be the gentle, obedient child in her parents' eyes.
Top ten in school every year, master of cooking, domestic goddess, excellent physique, perfect image - she'd strived to be the best child possible.
Yet all she received was her father's silence and her mother's resentment.
As if everything she did was meaningless, even counterproductive.
She could no longer find her way forward. She'd given her absolute best, yet never achieved the desired outcome.
So... perhaps it was alright to seek help? From outsiders, or even... from the divine.
"What splendid desire."
An elegant yet slightly unhinged woman's voice softly murmured:
"Pure, intense, with just a hint of beauty."
"A child like you... if properly guided, might even become an Angel."
"But since you've made your wish, I'll gladly accept."
The words faded into the haze of consciousness. When Mahiru came to her senses, she found herself staring speechlessly at two people before her.
"What's wrong, Mahiru? Why are you looking at Daddy like that?"
Before Mahiru stood a middle-aged man holding a newspaper, regarding her with puzzlement.
The man opposite had chestnut hair similar to Mahiru's, wearing a white shirt and wristwatch - the very picture of an ordinary salaryman sitting across the dining table.
On the table lay unwashed dishes, as if dinner had just concluded.
Mahiru gaped at the scene, especially stunned by the man's concerned expression.
In her memory, this man had only ever offered her endless silence.
"Father..." Mahiru stared bewildered at Asahi Shiina, disbelief written across her face.
"Why so formal suddenly? You always call me Daddy."
Asahi chuckled, then suddenly tensed:
"Wait... Mahiru, have you started dating at school?"
His expression grew flustered:
"Not that Daddy forbids it, but boys these days aren't as steady as in my generation, and you're still so young with little experience to spot the bad ones..."
Watching Asahi's nervous rambling, Mahiru couldn't help it - she laughed.
Her laughter only worsened Asahi's panic:
"What's so funny? Daddy's asking something important here!"
Just then, a woman's voice interjected:
"Why all the sudden noise?"
At the sound, Mahiru froze.
She slowly turned to see a woman in an apron emerge from the kitchen and stood transfixed.
Sayo Shiina wiped her hands on the apron before shooting Asahi an exasperated look:
"Darling, were you just scolding Mahiru?"
Sayo Shiina spoke while walking over to clear the dishes, shooting Asahi Shiina a glare as she did so:
"You should apologise to Mahiru."
"I didn't even say anything... Besides, if Mahiru really is dating at this age..."
Before Asahi could finish, Sayo coldly interjected:
"I was exactly Mahiru's age when we got engaged. So engagements are fine, but dating isn't?"
Asahi immediately fell silent.
After reprimanding Asahi, Sayo turned to Mahiru Shiina and said:
"Mahiru, Mum supports you dating. Of course, anything too intimate should wait until after marriage. Don't learn from your father, who gets drunk and-"
"Hey! Don't talk about that in front of our daughter!"
"Who says you can tell me what to do?"
Their exchange made Mahiru burst into laughter.
But as she laughed, tears began streaming down her face:
"So this is what you two are like when you're affectionate."
"Mahiru?"
Both Asahi and Sayo froze at their daughter's words.
Then Asahi couldn't help chuckling:
"What nonsense are you talking about? Isn't this how Dad and Mum always are?"
"It's different."
Mahiru shook her head, her expression regretful:
"You never smile when you meet. Even when you talk, it's always with cold words."
"Either using my affairs to criticise each other or just arguing - that's all you ever do."
Mahiru's voice grew quieter as she spoke, heavy with melancholy as she sighed:
"Miss Echidna, you're here, aren't you?"
"Aren't you going to continue?"
Without a sound, a snow-white fox appeared on the dining table.
She curled up there as if she'd always been present.
At this moment, Asahi's doting expression and Sayo's puzzled look froze as if they'd turned to stone, standing rigidly like statues.
Seeing them like this, Mahiru showed no surprise, only murmuring wistfully:
"I knew it..."
Without looking at her parents again, she asked softly:
"Can you let them go?"
"Is this really what you want?" Echidna studied Mahiru intently. "This is the happy family you wished for."
"To give up so easily - is that truly fine?"
"For me, it probably isn't fine?" Mahiru said uncertainly. Then she smiled, her expression relaxing. "But dreams always end when you wake up, don't they?"
"..." Echidna silently watched Mahiru without responding.
Mahiru glanced at her parents again before smiling:
"Actually, I noticed long ago that I was an unwanted child."
"Without me, Dad and Mum would probably be like this, properly together with their true loves, wouldn't they?"
Echidna's expression remained indifferent. "Perhaps."
Hearing this, Mahiru took a deep breath before turning back with a smile:
"Miss Echidna, you said you can grant wishes, right?"
"Haven't I already granted one?" Echidna sounded puzzled.
"No, I'm not talking about Mahiru Shiina's wish. I'm talking about Mahiru's wish."
Mahiru smiled faintly and said to Echidna:
"Mahiru's wish... is that Mahiru had never been born."
Hearing this, Echidna's eyes widened in shock as she stared at Mahiru Shiina. Finally, the corners of her mouth lifted into an increasingly grotesque smile:
"I see!"
"Then I shall take responsibility for granting your wish!!"
As these words were spoken—
Ding-dong.
Both Mahiru Shiina, who was preparing to close her eyes, and Echidna, who was about to begin the ritual, paused simultaneously and looked towards the entryway.
At that very moment, a cheerful male voice came from outside:
"Excuse me, is Miss Mahiru Shiina home? There's a delivery for you!"
At the sound of this familiar voice, Mahiru Shiina froze.