The granny’s gaze was fixed on Raymon.
Poor Raymon, his hair was being torn out by Luna.
“Yes, well… we are in the same class.”
“Then can’t you take him with you?”
“Yes?”
“He comes here every day and just stays here. He must not have friends. Play with him, even if it’s just for today.”
“But…”
“I’m worried he might end up like that child. That’s why I’m asking you this favor.”
The granny reached out her hands and gently grasped mine.
And she handed me something.
Cold metal, but to me, it felt incredibly warm!
‘Judging by its weight… it’s gold!’
Not copper, not silver, but gold.
An amount sufficient for your Raymon to become our Raymon. (TL Note: Reminder that he’s calling Raymon a piece of shit, but is emphasizing that he’s now OUR piece of shit)
“Keke, leave it to me. I will make sure he has an unforgettable day today.”
“…I misjudged you. You only resemble that kind child in appearance.”
Keke! Such an impertinent remark!
Despite appearances, I am a person with a Buddha-like perfect personality!
“Raymon, come here.”
“Uh, uh… Zero, it hurts so much.”
“Luna, that’s too much. To bully my best friend Raymon!”
“…?”
I reached out my arm and supported Raymon.
Keke, come here, 1 gold… no, Raymon.
For today, just for today.
We’re best friends.
Parrot’s Diary #2
“Hey, friend! Look at this! I brought your favorite fruit!”
I glided down, wings spread wide.
Whack!
“Huh?”
Luterus looked at his empty hand.
I had easily snatched the fruit from his grasp.
“Ah, darn it. I was going to use this as an excuse to play with you today.”
Luterus leaned against a tree pillar. It was the tree I was sitting in.
A week since I started hanging around the Academy.
Still unable to make a friend.
Me, a parrot, and Luterus, a human.
“They seem to be going for training together. I’m envious.”
“…”
“Aah~ I want to form a team and play with friends too. Always getting zero points for team play. The teachers are too harsh, don’t you think?”
Apparently, making friends is also considered a skill here.
I can empathize. What a demanding Academy.
If parrots also had an Academy.
‘I would have scored zero too.’
It was when I was halfway through the fruit.
Luterus’s face suddenly appeared beside me.
Plop!
“Whoa!”
Thump!
Luterus fell to the ground below. It must have been at least 2 meters.
When did he climb up here?
“Ouch… Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
Tears flowed from Luterus’s eyes.
It must be because of the pain. He hit his back on the ground after falling from the tree.
“Am I… really not cut out for this? Can’t I make friends? Just because of how I look?”
Luterus sobbed.
Tears streamed endlessly from his small eyes.
Have I inadvertently worsened his emotional wounds?
I’m not sure.
‘Let’s leave.’
It’s a waste of time. That’s why I must leave.
But after gliding for a while, I found myself in front of Luterus again.
“Parrot…?”
We are different in appearance.
Different species.
We barely communicate. But still.
‘Can we become friends?’
I’m not sure.
Just having these thoughts, pondering these questions, is probably wrong.
But.
I wanted to alleviate his loneliness, and mine, even if just for a moment.
Slowly puffing up my neck, I uttered the words I’d been holding back for a long time.
“Friend! Friend!”
Luterus smiled brightly.
Just for a moment. Just for a very brief moment, we are friends.
Until we each find other friends.
Raymon and I, bound by the bond of best friends because of 1 gold.
But I soon had to regret that decision.
“Be, best friend… I’m so happy.”
Raymon twisted his body and blushed.
It’s annoying how a boy can be so whiny.
Even when stepped on by Luna, or when receiving contemptuous looks from Rodelin and Luna.
There were many times I felt like discovering a new preference, but this preference is definitely not okay.
Morally, socially, and even censorially(?).
In many ways, it’s going to be the end of me.
Anyway, Raymon’s shyness was a problem, but the real issue was something else…
“Hey, are you really best friends with him?”
“Keke, yes, we are.”
“Why?”
“…Because we’re friends?”
“Aren’t we friends too? Then I guess we’re best friends too?”
“…I suppose you could say that.”
“Who gave you permission? I don’t need a friend who lacks loyalty.”
Is loyalty necessary even among friends?
But I couldn’t say, ‘Oh, that’s surprising!’
Because Luna’s glare was too fierce.
‘I have a bad feeling about this…’
Luna’s interrogation did not stop there.
“When did you become best friends?”
“Well… that time, after I parted ways with you. You know.”
“I saw you enter the dorm. You haven’t come out of your room since then.”
How does she know I haven’t come out?
Was my beloved daughter(?) actually a stalker?
“Explain precisely when, where, what, how, and why you became best friends with him.”
Do I have to explain why we became best friends using the four Ws and one H?
Like I’d bother with that.
“Keke, Luna. There’s no reason for being best friends. It just happens when the hearts match.”
“That’s what I’m curious about! How did your hearts match? You haven’t even met before.”
Ah, I see. Being slick doesn’t work when it comes to a friend’s issue?
And so, I learned something new.
Though it might cost me my life.
“What could it be? What’s the reason~ Ah?”
It was when Luna was pressing me, slowly leaning in closer.
Raymon wedged himself between us and shouted.
“Stop it! If you’re jealous, be jealous of me!”
“Jealous? What are you talking about? I’d never be jealous. Especially not of someone who’s disloyal and dirty.”
“It is jealousy! It’s ugly! Jealousy is really ugly!”
“…Ugly?”
Crack— Crack-crack-.
Luna’s neck made a bizarre sound as it twisted.
Scary.
Not joking, really scary.
A horror movie unfolding right before my eyes.
Oh, she kind of resembles the final boss, now that I look closely.
“Eek!”
Raymon hid behind me.
To make Luna into the final boss and then hide behind me.
That’s so typical of our Raymon.
“I’ll stuff you… The title of the piece will be ‘The Friend Who Couldn’t Become a Best Friend’. Don’t worry. It won’t hurt at all.”
To stuff, you have to skin completely. It’s the default.
It means the basic setting.
Luna, her neck bent nearly 90 degrees, was approaching.
I blurted out an excuse I just thought of.
“Keke, Luna. Do we really need to call our relationship best friends? We’re in a relationship where we share secrets.”
Pause-.
“Even if we’re best friends, we don’t just casually share secrets, right?”
“Hmm… True.”
Finally, Luna’s neck returned to normal.
Luna glanced towards Raymon and said.
“We share many secrets, a very secretive and sticky(?) relationship.”
No, it’s not like that.
Regardless of my thoughts, a smile settled on Luna’s lips.
A smile of victory.
Seeing this, Raymon started to blabber.
“I, I like cute things.”
“…”
“Zero, did you know? When I was little…”
Does he think sharing secrets will make him more than just a friend?
Raymon kept blabbering non-stop.
Even whispering secrets I really didn’t want to know.
Ah, I’m tired. Really.
“Alright, enough chit-chat. Can everyone focus?”
Rodelin’s call to order.
It seemed she had finally organized her thoughts.
“I’ve organized the information. There was an incident 20 years ago.”
The loss of the Sacred Sword, a student’s disappearance, traces of a demon, the appearance of a parrot, signs of erosion, and so on.
“It could be several unrelated events, or all interconnected. It’s just speculation, but at least three of these are likely related.”
In reality, all of them were intertwined, but Rodelin couldn’t be certain of that.
“The problem is there’s no place left to gather more information. Does anyone have any ideas?”
Rodelin’s question, but everyone remained silent.
After all, the only one here capable of such deduction was Rodelin herself.
‘Well, except for me.’
Wondering if she was counting on me, Rodelin glanced in my direction.
Deciding to fulfill her expectations, I spoke up.
“The location of the Sacred Sword, perhaps?”
“The Sacred Sword? But that place…”
“You thought it was the least likely, right? Because it’s too obvious.”
“…!!”
Rodelin’s eyes widened.
What we were looking for were traces of the demon.
More precisely, a research lab or facility for erosion.
So, the location of the Sacred Sword would be the first place to be ruled out.
It was nothing more than a spot where the sword had been thrust into the ground, abandoned by its owner.
The spot continuously radiated holy power.
But who would build a demon’s research facility near such a place?
It would be madness.
“That’s precisely why it’s more likely.”
“Yes, the investigators back then probably thought the same as us. They wouldn’t have searched thoroughly around the Sacred Sword.”
“Hmm…”
“You know the saying, ‘The darkest place is under the candlestick.'”
“The darkest place is under the candlestick…”
Rodelin muttered, mimicking my pose.
Perhaps she realized it was a pose that boosted deductive reasoning?
After a moment of thought, Rodelin spoke.
“It’s worth investigating. The safety of the students is paramount.”
“An excellent decision.”
“Unfortunately, we can’t request support from the Academy yet. There’s nothing concrete…”
I smiled inwardly, watching Rodelin murmur to herself.
All the information we currently had was based on rumors.
Without solid evidence, we couldn’t rashly ask for support.
‘The best things are to be enjoyed alone.’
If there was someone strong in our group, they’d be sent away just before encountering the Demon’s Shard.
After all, why would students be fighting a demon?
“Let’s go.”
And so, we headed towards the grave of the Sacred Sword.
–TL Notes–
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