You! Don’t Press that Button! - Chap 5

You want to eat? A mere animal? Pfft, he let out a light laugh. These days, there were too many things he had to worry about, so he must have been unnecessarily empathizing with the bird. He lightly shook his head and cut the meat with a knife again, putting it in his mouth. No, he tried to. If only it weren’t for the sound coming from the side.

“Cheep!”

The bird cried out once more. The duke, who was about to put the food in his mouth, stopped his hand and turned his gaze. The bird’s eyes looking at him became even more desperate, and now it was even drooling.

The duke briefly made eye contact with the bird like that. The small animal didn’t avoid his gaze. The duke, who slightly moved one eyebrow, asked in a skeptical voice.

“…Claude. Didn’t you bring bird feed?”

“Ah. Although it’s not the food this bird used to eat, I brought something that can be used as bird feed.”

Claude took out a container filled with bird feed from the lowest shelf of the cart. Then he grabbed the feed with tongs, put it in the cage, and returned to his place. The feed container was already hidden under the cart. Only then did the duke, who could finally eat the meat with peace of mind, nod his head and ask.

“What is that?”

“It’s an insect called a mealworm.”

“I see.”

Keeping his gaze on the cage, he picked up another piece of meat, chewed it thoroughly, and swallowed. He neatly wiped the corners of his mouth and spoke.

“Does it ever happen that insects eat birds?”

“Pardon? No. Usually, that doesn’t happen, but…”

“Really? But how does it look to you?”

The duke pointed to the cage with the fork he was holding. Claude looked at the cage the duke pointed to, wondering why His Grace was suddenly asking him such a thing. Only then could he understand why the duke had asked him that question.

“Chirp… Cheep…”

A fresh insect was raising both legs and beating the bird, and the bird was trembling in the corner, covering its face with both wings.

🐤

“Cheeep…!”

Save me!

I cried in the corner of the cage, covering my face with both wings. At first, when the person called the butler said he would give me something to eat, I approached him, wagging my body, wondering what delicious thing he would give me. However, what awaited me was neither warm soup nor meat full of texture.

Crunch―

The food he took out of the container made a very creepy sound behind my back. It was none other than an evil insect. It glared at me with shiny, disgusting eyes and threatened me with sharp hands. Frightened by the suddenly appearing villain, I took refuge in the corner.

Although I fled in a hurry, it was just inside a cage enclosed on all sides. The insect approached me with an even more arrogant gesture. It raised its hands high and began striking me down without a moment’s hesitation.

In the end, I’m being hit now, hearing a crunchy sound. When I was human, I could have run away, saying “Ew, gross!” but now I was about the size of a human fist. In other words, this insect is smaller than me, but not extremely small.

Ack! Ack!

“Cheep! Chirp!”

Stop it! Stop it, you devil!

I cried out, telling it to stop while sobbing. However, for some reason, the insect beat my back even more excitedly.

As I was being unilaterally assaulted and trembling like that, at some point, the feeling of being tapped on my back disappeared.What’s this?I slightly lowered the wings covering my face and looked back.

The cage door is open.That wicked butler fellow who put the bug in my space had stuck the tongs in again. The insect was being dragged out of the cage, flailing around.

You, you wicked fellow!

Thinking this was my chance, I aimed for the gap where the cage was open and vigorously flew up. It was practically my first flight. Making a flapping sound, I quickly came out of the cage.

“Oh…!”

As I popped out at an unexpected moment, the butler Claude was startled and let me go without catching me. I magnificently soared up to the ceiling and sharply drove my beak down into his head like a drill.

“Cheep!”

How could you put a bug in there? A bug!

I was so furious that I couldn’t come to my senses. I tightly grasped his hair with my toes and pecked down with my beak, peck peck! Although I was a small bird the size of a fist, my beak was very sharp and sturdy. As I diligently pecked down on his crown, Claude raised both hands to try to block me. Quickly noticing that, I flapped my wings.

“Cheeep!”

Flying high into the sky, I cried out loudly like a phoenix.

How’s that? My skills!

I puffed out my chest and looked down at him. Then, as I tried to peck down quickly once more, in the blink of an eye, a large hand approached and grabbed me with one hand.Huh? What’s this?With a puzzled face, I looked down at something restraining me. An adult’s sizable hand was grasping my body.

“Chirp?”

After glaring at the hand that was too huge for me, I raised my head and could see the identity of the one who caught me. It was the duke, looking at me with silver-gray eyes. His sharp gaze examined me thoroughly, and I tried not to back down, raising my head high and looking down at him.

“Chirp!”

What are you looking at?

I let out a loud cry. However, he stared at me expressionlessly without even flinching. Only after a long while did he raise one hand.What’s this? What? Is he going to hit me? Are you going to hit me?

Gasp!I hurriedly turned my head and looked around. I tried to escape by putting strength into my body, but with this small body, I couldn’t break free from an adult male’s grip. Save the bird! Save the bird! Not knowing my desperate feelings, the large hand slowly approached me, and soon a shadow fell over my face. Anticipating the impact that would soon come, I tightly closed my eyes.

Stroke, stroke.

Huh?I didn’t feel the impact I had expected. Rather, something soft lightly brushed against my head. Realizing the situation was unfolding strangely, I slightly opened my eyes that I had squeezed shut. As a result of examining the situation with narrowed eyes, I could see the duke stroking my head with his finger.

“Chirp?”

He didn’t stop his gentle stroking motion with an expressionless face.

Oh, what’s this? It feels good. Ooh, it feels good. No, why does it feel good?

“Cheep.”

The touch stroking my head was very soft, giving me a languid feeling. My eyes closed on their own, and the tension in my body that had been tightly wound loosened. As I became limp like a person soaking their body in warm water, only then did he release the strength in his hand that had been restraining me from moving.

The duke’s hand opened wide, and I lay on top of it with a plop. Then he moved the touch that had been stroking my head and touched my chest.Ah, that’s a bit burdensome.

“Cheep chirp.”

Feeling good, I unknowingly trembled my body. As I was obediently feeling his touch like that, the hand that had been diligently stroking me stopped.

“Chirp?”

When I opened my eyes, the two fingers neatly spread out were suspended in the air.Why did it stop?I spread my left wing and flapped it. Here, here, stroke like this! As I tapped my body, I could see one of the duke’s eyebrows rising upward.Did he not understand?

I had no choice but to raise my heavy body that had been lying down. Then I gently pecked that hand with my beak so it wouldn’t hurt.With this, stroke here! Flap, flap. I even moved my wings to achieve perfect communication. Only then did he seem to understand and began stroking me with his fingers again.

Good, that’s it.I closed my eyes and felt the gentle touch caressing my body.

🐤

The duke looked down at the bird lying and feeling his touch. When he stopped stroking, the bird pecked his fingers with its beak as if it was the most natural thing to do. And it tapped its body with its wings. It was a signal to stroke it. Out of curiosity, he stopped his hand and just stared at it, and the bird let out a small sigh and flapped its wings, pointing to its side.

It had been a long time since he had received such a trivial order from someone, so he stroked the bird with a strange feeling. The small creature closed its eyes and diligently felt his touch. Judging from its even breathing, it was clear that if he continued stroking like this, the bird would soon fall asleep.

“How cute.”

“Pardon?”

The butler unintentionally asked back, thinking he had misheard. Ordinarily, it was common etiquette for an attendant to listen to the master’s words and not ask again. Moreover, for him, the butler of a ducal family second only to the imperial family, it was an even more unforgivable breach of etiquette, which meant that the duke’s reaction was surprising. The duke answered without minding the butler’s mistake.

“It’s curious that a beast fears insects and doesn’t fear humans.”

His gaze didn’t leave the bird. The small living being on his hand was still receiving his gentle touch in a relaxed state. The act of stroking a small animal with delicate movements he had never done before was unexpectedly enjoyable. Perhaps because its fur was fluffy, it was fun to touch.

As he was engrossed in caressing the bird, having stopped eating, the bird that had been lying prettily on his hand suddenly opened its eyes. Then it abruptly got up from its place.

With a plop sound, a warm liquid was felt in his palm.

“…?”

The bird pooped in the duke’s palm.

🐤

Oops, my mistake.

“Cheep.”

It was difficult to control my sphincter, so the moment I thought it was coming out, it really did. I hurriedly turned my body and looked up at the duke. He alternately looked at me on the tip of his hand and my trace next to it.

Oh, oh no…

“Chirp…”

Perhaps he hadn’t yet accepted the situation, as his expression remained unchanged. I rotated my pupils here and there, sneakily gauging his reaction, and got off his hand.

Sorry. Since I became a bird, I found out that I can poop anytime. No one even pays attention… Anyway, sorry. I couldn’t bring myself to look at the duke’s face.

The trace of poop on his hand was very blatant. A feast of white and another strange color unfolded on his soft palm. Not yet dry, some of the liquid flowed down. I can’t bear to look anymore. I turned around, lightly clicked my tongue, and bowed my head. As I was obediently staying put, acknowledging my mistake, I heard a small voice from behind.

「Shaha.」

The wind blew gently, and a strange sound was heard. It was a voice coming from a person’s mouth, but it sounded like something I had never heard before. As I tilted my head in confusion, a magical scene unfolded before my eyes. The trace I left on his hand had cleanly disappeared. I hopped up and raised my head.

Gasp. What? How did it disappear in an instant?