You! Don’t Press that Button! - Chap 45

“What are you trying to do now?” I glared at Liras, who was watching me like a test subject with narrowed eyes. As a dragon, he wasn’t intimidated by my sharp gaze and broke into laughter, opening his mouth wide with a delighted “ha ha” sound.

“It’s truly fascinating how short and stubby it is.”

Sh-short and stubby? I couldn’t hide my shock. I’m not that short… and stubby… am I? Of course, if I lower my head and look down, all I see are my plump chest and belly instead of feet, but…

At Liras’s shocking words, my small beak opened slightly. As I stood there, mouth agape, the hand that had been tapping my head slowly came down and tapped my beak.

“The white and round shape reminds me of a snowflake, or a black dot made with a pen on clean white paper.”

“Chirp! Chirp!”

Ah, he’s simply teasing me. To show him not to tease me further, I pecked at the hand holding my body with my beak. Perhaps the beak was sharp, as Liras’s grip that had been restraining me loosened. Seizing the opportunity, I flapped my wings and flew up to Karhan’s head.

Karhan’s head, where I landed after a long time, still had lush hair. It was a place I had never thought of when I was human, but as a bird, it drew me in as if it were my heart’s home. I nestled my small bottom on his warm crown.

“Chir-p.”

Instantly finding comfort, I narrowed my eyes and smiled. Chirping softly, I opened my beak and gathered locks of hair, one mouthful at a time, stacking them neatly around me. The familiar action felt different after so long.

“Chirp.”

Seeing my happy demeanor, Liras spoke.

“If your body remembers, transforming back should be no problem.”

“Thank you, Lord Liras.”

Karhan, who expressed gratitude on my behalf, lifted his hand and slowly lowered me from atop his head. His large hand enveloped my small body. After stroking my head a couple of times, he spoke in a slightly worried tone.

“I should call you Chirpy for now.”

“Cheep?”

Why? I tilted my head, looking up at Karhan in confusion. Why is he suddenly calling me Chirpy? Unable to hide my bewilderment, Karhan parted his lips.

“There are hypothetical situations, so it’s better to be cautious even a little. Don’t take it to heart.”

Ah, come to think of it, when I was in human form, I used to hide the wings on my back. Karhan didn’t want anyone to find out that I was a Joinean. That’s probably why he had been constantly worried after encountering Adair. He said that if people found out, bad things could happen to me.

Understanding to some extent, as we were distinctly different species from humans, I nodded.

“Chirp!”

Trust only me! I raised my right wing, clenched it like a fist, and tapped Karhan’s palm firmly. Seeing my charismatic display, the corners of his mouth rose even higher.

As trust deepened between us, a voice tinged with doubt suddenly spoke.

“But… no matter how much I think about it, it’s strange. A shapeshifter not knowing how to return to their original form…”

Liras stood with his arms crossed, looking at me. I wasn’t certain, but I had a rough idea of the answer. The reason I couldn’t transform back into a bird was probably because I thought my original form was human. By assuming that I was human and questioning how a bird’s body could function, I was bound to fail repeatedly.

Unable to express my thoughts as they were, I whistled nonchalantly, pretending not to know. Seeing my reaction, Liras narrowed his eyes. No matter how much you stare, I can’t tell you! I displayed tremendous acting skills and looked away.

“Well, let’s overlook such trivial matters. Why don’t you try turning back into a human, just in case?”

Just in case you can’t return. He smiled, his eyes curved like a crescent moon. Turn into a human? Indeed, it would be a big problem if I failed to transform after Liras left. I nodded in agreement.

Sitting on Karhan’s hand, I closed my eyes tightly and focused. That sensation he had imprinted in my mind. I calmly recalled the image of a human body. I could feel the wings on the sides of my body gradually moving to my back, and non-existent flesh forming. As my body grew larger, I felt myself sinking downward.

Oh my. I opened my tightly closed eyes wide.

“Ack!”

There was no issue with me transforming from a chirpy form into a human. Although I was naked, being among men, it wasn’t something to be overly conscious about. However, the major problem was that I had been on Karhan’s hand while in bird form.

Due to the sudden increase in size and weight, Karhan, who had been holding me with one hand, staggered. As Karhan collapsed, I also began to fall, opening my eyes wide and flailing my hands in panic.

“Ahh!”

As I screamed and my vision shook violently, I saw it. Liras, with one hand raised to his mouth and eyes crinkled in laughter. That moment was like watching the results of an experiment in slow motion.

That bastard!

Fortunately or unfortunately, in the chaos, the curses that had risen to my throat couldn’t escape. As I plummeted to the floor, a fierce wind brushed past my ears. Thinking that my head would soon collide with the ground, I clenched my fists and closed my eyes. Just before my buttocks hit the floor and my head followed, something softly enveloped the back of my head. That something acted as a cushion, protecting me.

Although my buttocks that had hit the hard floor were sore, my head didn’t suffer any pain as it hadn’t collided forcefully. I cautiously lifted my eyelids, which had been tightly shut due to the fear of falling. What I saw were Karhan’s silver-gray eyes, sparkling very close to me.

Lying naked on the floor, my face was extremely close to Karhan’s, close enough for our breaths to mingle. Naturally holding my breath, I gulped down the saliva that had pooled in my mouth and studied his face.

His navy-blue hair, which was always neatly combed back, was disheveled, with a few strands falling over his face. Was it partly because I had been building a nest? Embarrassed, various thoughts kept intruding.

It seemed I wasn’t the only one finding this situation awkward. Karhan’s slightly quivering silver-gray eyes revealed his flustered emotions. Seeing his eyes, uncharacteristically wide open, I cautiously parted my lips.

“A-are you okay…?”

Of course, I was the one who had landed on my buttocks, but Karhan seemed to be the one who needed to be asked if he was all right. At my words, Karhan, who had been still, let out an “ah” sound and came to his senses. The hand that had been supporting the back of my head slowly withdrew.

“Are you all right?”

“Mm-hmm. My bottom hurts a little, but I’m okay.”

“…I see.”

He calmly nodded. As my mind settled to some extent, I finally remembered the culprit behind this incident. I wrinkled my nose and focused my eyes. I abruptly turned my head and glared at Liras, who was standing beside us. A smile was still blooming on his face.

“You, you!”

This wicked fellow!

Recalling my aching buttocks, I gritted my teeth. I saw it when I fell! I saw you smirking at me! In my mind, respect had now vanished. Liras was someone who was busy making fun of me. Respect was a luxury for such a mean person.

I lightly grabbed Karhan’s shoulders, who was lying on top of me, and pushed him. Karhan awkwardly raised his body, and the shadow that had been covering my face disappeared. I also propped myself up on my elbows, sat on the floor, and pointed a finger at Liras.

“I saw you laughing! You did it on purpose!”

He must have intentionally instigated it when I was on Karhan’s hand. And I foolishly fell for it. Hearing my words, Liras shrugged his shoulders and spoke with an innocent expression as if he knew nothing.

“What are you talking about? I was just smiling because I was proud to see you safely transforming into a human.”

“Proud, my foot. Your smile was devilish!”

“Oh my, it saddens me that you interpret my actions in such a twisted way.”

He tapped his chest with a clenched fist as if his heart ached. His arched eyebrows made him look pitiful. If it were the old me, I would have felt guilty and apologized at this point, but I had already seen the devil. I couldn’t forget his face when I fell. It was truly evil.

Even as Karhan brought a blanket and covered my back, my anger didn’t subside. Just as I was about to take a deep breath and explode in anger, Liras’s eyes, which had been scrunched up in pity, widened round.

“Ah.”

His forest-like green eyes sparkled. He stared at me for a moment and then curled up the corners of his mouth. What is he trying to do, smiling like that again? I glared at him without letting my guard down. Liras slightly tilted his head to the side and spoke.

“May I ask you something?”

“…What?”

What are you trying to ask now that makes me feel uneasy? I shot him a warning glance, telling him to watch his words. He smiled gently, narrowing his eyes, and opened his mouth.

“Are all birds originally small?”

“If birds aren’t small, do you think they’d be as big as dragons?”

“Oh, is that so? Indeed, dragons are far larger.”

He spoke with a strangely annoying smile.

I couldn’t understand why he was stating the obvious, that dragons were far larger. Displeased with his creepy smile, I abruptly turned my head away. At my sharp reaction, Karhan gently chided me, telling me not to behave like that. Feeling upset by his words, I quickly transformed into a bird.

“Chirp!”

I swiftly flew onto the bed, turned my back, and made it clear that I didn’t want to deal with him anymore. Karhan let out a small sigh at my adamant behavior. My anger is justified! Nevertheless, I felt uneasy, as if I had become a childish little kid. Liras didn’t seem to mind my reaction and waved his hand gently, saying it was all right.

“Since everything that needed to be resolved seems to be done, I shall take my leave now.”

“You’re leaving so soon?”

When he said he would leave as soon as the matter was resolved, Karhan looked at him with a slightly worried expression.

“I need to make a timely exit to avoid being disliked.”

It sounded like he was saying it for me to hear. He’s being mean until the very end, that wicked heart!

“Chirp chirp!”

I spread my wings high in the sky and chirped loudly. When I was human, I had to think about various things before taking action, but as a bird, such thoughts didn’t enter my mind.

Seeing me standing on the bed, chirping loudly, Liras burst into lively laughter. Then he approached me, crouched down, and reached out his hand. His extended fingers ruffled my head. The clumsy touch made my head sway from side to side.

“I’ll get going. If you need me in the future, just call for me.”