Hearing this complaint, Mika's playful demeanor faded.
He instead looked at Nadia with a sad, almost disappointed expression—the kind a child makes when they've been caught doing something wrong and are about to apologize.
"You're right." He said quietly, his voice carrying a note of genuine remorse. "That prank went too far. I shouldn't have scared you like that."
Nadia blinked, caught off guard by his sudden change in tone.
"I just wanted to do something fun. Something like we used to do back in the old days."
He let out a small, rueful laugh.
"I guess I got carried away. Overstepped a bit."
He shifted Astrid's weight on his back, making sure she was still comfortable.
"I'm sorry about that. Really."
"And..."
He paused, looking down at his feet for a moment before meeting her eyes again.
"I won't make such pranks again. I don't want to disturb you anymore. Things aren't like they were in the past—we've all grown up, changed."
