You! Don’t Press that Button! - Chap 13
“Peep.”
Peep stared intently at the duke with those small eyes and cried. It was impossible to tell what the bird wanted to say. The duke wished Peep would turn into a human and speak to him. He worried that resentment might fill that tiny heart.
“Cheep. Peep.”
As they quietly made eye contact, the bird mumbled softly. That murmur seemed to be telling him to bring food right away. The duke rose from his spot and picked up another bag hanging from the horse’s saddle.
As he rummaged through it with his back turned, he saw Peep breathing weakly with its eyes closed. Worried that the bird might die, he hurriedly approached and placed his finger on its plump chest. Fortunately, the small heart was beating vigorously, goingthump-thump.
Feeling the pulse through his fingertips, the duke let out a sigh of relief. Then, suddenly coming to his senses, he chuckled wryly. Even from a distance, his keen senses could have easily confirmed it, yet he had rushed over without realizing it. The way his emotions swayed back and forth for that small life was ridiculous.
He raised his hand and placed it on his own chest this time. Thump-thump, his heart was racing as if greatly startled by something. The duke could now understand. He had given his heart to that tiny bird more than he had thought.
“How fascinating.”
He couldn’t remember how many years it had been. He had inherited the blood of the Arma race. Although diluted and without any remarkable abilities, he had a lifespan several times longer than humans, slightly convenient abilities, and senses slightly superior to the average person.
Even those with mixed blood of their race had long lifespans, even if they lacked special abilities. He himself had survived for a long time despite the blood being passed down through several generations. However, finding these people was not easy. They had all grown weary and taken their own lives. Despite their long lifespans, they were merely humans with weak mental strength.
He, too, had found the approaching daily life dull as he lived for a long time. Sometimes, his reactions to the events around him felt like a predetermined script. But amazingly, this small creature had begun to crack the hard shell of boredom. As if pecked by that tiny beak, which was like a seed.
The duke lowered his head and gazed at the small bird. It was white and tiny. Round and cute. That was all, yet it had moved his heart in this way.
It was truly a fascinating being.
🐤
“Cheep! Cheep!”
Bring out something more delicious! Bring it out!
I stomped my feet on the ground, protesting. Seeing me like that, the duke had an expression that seemed to say he didn’t know what to do.No, you said you’d bring food!What the duke offered was nothing more than a measly piece of jerky. Upon confirming that it wasn’t meat full of juices, I couldn’t contain my anger.
Exhausted from rolling and tumbling inside the bag, I had fallen asleep as soon as I let my guard down. Expecting a spread of food to be laid out before me when I woke up. After taking a nap and waking up, there wasn’t a single limb that didn’t ache, and even my beak hurt.And yet, all he had prepared for me in this state was jerky!Lava boiled inside me.
I fiercely raised my eyes and glared at the duke. Perhaps intimidated by my fierce gaze, the duke was making a strange expression as he looked at me.
“Peep!”
Bring out some more plump meat!
I flapped my wings to express myself more effectively. Meat, meat! Give me meat! Then, the duke pondered for a moment, reached out, and gently tapped my head, saying,
“At the earliest, the next day, or about two days later. We’ll stop by an inn then, and I’ll give you something delicious.”
“Peep?”
Really?
As I tilted my head and looked at the duke, he smiled and nodded. Did he understand? It seemed like the duke was understanding my words more and more with each passing day. Curious, I stretched out my neck to observe the duke, and he burst into laughter.
“Cheep.”
I’m not sure, but seeing him laugh like that, he must be happy. Right. Well, as long as the person is happy.
In the end, I grabbed a piece of jerky with my beak and went between the duke’s legs. It was a perfect spot to rest, warm and shielded from the wind. I wiggled my bottom, settled down, and chewed on the jerky, holding it with my feet.
“Chomp.”
The jerky was tough and chewy.He said it would take two days at most, so let’s endure it for a bit.I let out a deep sigh and diligently tore at the jerky. As I moistened it with saliva and frantically tore at it, the duke, who had been supporting my back, suddenly stood up.
“Cheep?”
Caught off guard by his sudden movement, I, who had been completely leaning against him, rolled over backward. The jerky flew out of my beak, which had opened in surprise, appearing in slow motion. A round body was truly inconvenient. I always had to be careful, as I would roll over at the slightest provocation. I looked up at the duke with a perplexed expression.
“Who’s there?”
The duke drew a sword, which he had picked up at some point, and pointed it at the middle of the forest. The sharp blade reflected the moonlight, shining with a keen edge. He was glaring at a specific spot with fierce eyes. Was someone there? Feeling the sudden tension, I quickly got up and narrowed my eyes, staring at that spot.
Silence prevailed for a while. And just when I thought there was no one there, the tall grass rustled.
“Peep!”
There is!
I exclaimed, holding my breath in shock. I continued to glare at the spot where the grass had moved, keeping my fierce eyes wide open without hiding my tension. I tried to maintain a poker face while watching, but my heart was pounding loudly.
The rustling of the grass grew louder, accompanied by the crackling sound of the bonfire. The duke took a step closer and warned again.
“Come out.”
Intimidated by the duke’s sharp aura, the figure hiding in the grass revealed itself. Emerging from the dark forest was a person. With both hands raised above their shoulders in surrender, they showed themselves to us.
“I meant no harm by observing.”
It was a man with black hair resembling the dark sky. The man, who had come out with his hands raised as if to show he meant no harm, stood before us. His features seemed somewhat stern and as sharp as a wolf, but he didn’t give off a bad impression. If not for his sharp eyes, he would have looked rather gentle.
Could he be a bad person?I flapped my wings and flew up, landing on top of the duke’s head.
“Peep peep.”
As I perched on the duke’s head, the man standing in front of us looked at me. The moment our eyes met, his stern face softened slightly, giving me the impression that he might be fond of animals. I guess he really isn’t a bad person. A brief silence hung between the three of us, which was broken by the black-haired man.
“I was walking as it got dark and saw the light, so I came.”
“How long have you been there?”
“Not long. I was looking for a suitable place to camp but couldn’t find one, so I wandered around and discovered this spot.”
The black-haired man waved his hands, once again showing that he was harmless. Watching him, the duke gave a light nod. It meant he could lower his raised hands. The man seemed to understand, slowly lowering his hands and asking,
“May I sit down?”
“…Sit.”
“Cheep.”
Yeah. Sit down.
As if understanding my words, he slowly approached us and sat down first, bending his legs on the opposite side. The duke, who had been watching his actions indifferently, also carefully sat down. The two of them quietly held their positions with the bonfire between them.
I sat on top of the duke’s head and diligently observed the man. Perhaps he had been traveling for a long time, as the sleeves and knee areas of his clothes were quite worn out. After examining his clothes, I raised my head to look at his face.
It seemed there were many good-looking people in this world. The man in front of us had a rather handsome face with a different charm from the duke. As I observed his face from atop the duke’s head, our eyes suddenly met.
“Peep.”
Oh my.
I quickly averted my gaze elsewhere.
“Cheep. Cheep cheep.”
As I chirped as if whistling while looking beyond the mountains, I heard a low chuckle from in front of me.Are you laughing at me?I turned my head and glared at the man. He was covering his mouth with his lightly clenched hand, laughing.
“Cheep!”
Why are you laughing!
Even as I loudly protested, he spoke in a voice unable to hide his laughter.
“What a cute little one. Is it your companion animal?”
“…Companion?”
“Uh… It refers to an animal that is like family.”
I was surprised that the man referred to me as a child and a companion animal. In this world, they didn’t seem to treat animals like family. My favorable impression of him skyrocketed. I stepped on the duke’s head with my feet and flapped my wings simultaneously.
My curiosity pointed to him. At that moment, as I was about to fly to him, following my instincts, I felt a hand enveloping me.
“Cheep?”
What?
I was caught by the duke, still in the posture of flapping my wings.What? Let go! It’s uncomfortable for my wings!He even lowered his hand and brought me to his lap. Guarantee my field of vision! I struggled, but he only adjusted his grip slightly to avoid hurting me, not letting me go.
Why did you suddenly grab me?Fuming, I raised my head and looked up at the face of the duke who was holding me. He had a very slight frown on his face.
“Cheep. Peep.”
Don’t block my path.
I spoke sternly. Yet, his grip on me didn’t loosen. It was nice and warm as he held me gently, but it was uncomfortable that he was blocking my actions.
“Cheep!”
Let go!
I shouted loudly, widening my eyes into a triangular shape. Hearing my outburst, the duke kept his lips tightly sealed, looking at a loss for what to do, but he didn’t release his grip. I glared at him fiercely, not yielding to his weak expression. Although he still didn’t let me go, he seemed intimidated and wiggled his fingers slightly.
As the two of us continued our staring contest, the sound of loud laughter was heard once again.
“Cheep?”
Is this situation funny?
I whipped my head around and glared at him. Is laughter appropriate when things are so serious? The man, seeing my terrifying face, waved his hand and said,
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to laugh.”
He laughed, his body shaking slightly, finding something amusing.Then why are you laughing!
