ITDSF 06

Chapter 6

“Are you having fun, little baby?”

“Ppi!”

“They’re bubbles!”

“Ppii-pii!”

I was in heaven.

It felt as though all the exhaustion from my long, tiring day had simply melted away.

Floating soap bubbles drifting through the air while I enjoyed a bath in a tub full of fluffy foam.

“Ppiiiiii…”

There was no place better than this.

I stretched my wings out wide and yawned.

When I returned from the forest, I experienced my first great joy.

My room had been redecorated.

I had always thought my original room was incredibly luxurious, but Rosaria had insisted that it was nothing special.

At first, I hadn’t understood what she meant.

But the moment I saw the newly decorated room, I understood.

It was so beautiful that it might as well have been reborn along with me.

White chiffon curtains swayed softly beside the window, and next to them stood a huge bed that looked unbelievably soft.

The carpet on the floor had been replaced with a smooth, fluffy white one, and there was even a table with a vase on it, along with a sofa.

And that wasn’t even all…

“Let’s do it one more time, little baby!”

“Ppiii!”

Rosaria blew a strong breath, sending rainbow-colored soap bubbles floating gently into the air.

This time, I was going to catch one.

Holding my breath, I stared intently at the bubbles like a swift predator stalking its prey.

In fact, this was the first time in my life I’d ever seen soap bubbles.

At first, I had been frightened because I had no idea what those round things floating through the air were, and I had done nothing but run away from them…

But before I knew it, I was putting every ounce of my strength into trying to catch them.

They floated gently through the air.

“Ppiit!”

I backed up just far enough to reach the bubble floating in front of me.

Then, after waiting for the right moment, I flapped my wings.

“Ppiiit!”

How many times did I repeat that?

By the time every last bit of strength had drained from my body, Rosaria announced that playtime was over.

“That’s enough for today, little baby. We’ve already spent too much time here.”

“Ppi, ppiii! Ppi!”

No! I haven’t even caught one properly yet! Can’t I try just one more time?

I stubbornly clung to the edge of the bathtub and shook my head.

Then Rosaria pulled out her secret weapon.

“Don’t you want to lie down on your new bed, little baby?”

“…Ppi?”

“It’ll be incredibly soft and cozy. You can even jump around on the bed.”

Those tempting words made the strength drain from my wings.

A soft, cozy bed?

Even the basket had been incredibly comfortable, so how warm and wonderful would an actual bed be?

I completely gave up the resistance I’d been putting up to stay in the tub.

Once I obediently climbed out, Rosaria wrapped me in a towel and carried me outside.

And then, at long last, my body touched the bed I’d been looking forward to so much.

“Ppi!”

So soft.

“Ppiii…!”

The gentle touch of her hands as she carefully dried my feathers made my eyes slowly grow heavy.

I decided to simply surrender to the darkness creeping into my vision.

“…Ppiii… ppi…”

“Oh my, little baby?”

“…Ppi…”

Surrounded by a luxurious comfort unlike that of my basket, I drifted into a deep, peaceful sleep.

After returning from the forest, peaceful days continued one after another.

I kept growing steadily, and my body had gotten a little bigger.

It was an extremely small difference, but one of my daily routines these days was looking at myself in the mirror.

“Ppiiit.”

“Little baby, your tail has gotten a little longer!”

“Ppi!”

I spun around in circles in front of the mirror, trying to get a good look at the tail that was difficult to see.

My tiny little tail was beginning to take on a proper shape.

At first, I had found it annoying because it kept getting in the way whenever I sat down.

But when Rosaria brought another mirror and positioned it so that I could see my tail, I changed my mind.

Well, well. It’s pretty, isn’t it?

I liked my tail very much.

It sometimes looked as though I had a horn growing out of my backside, but Rosaria said that once it grew more, it would become long and soft like an adult’s.

Then it’ll be even prettier, right?

“Your steps have become much steadier lately!”

“Ppii!”

I thought my tail helped me keep my balance.

My once-wobbly steps were gradually becoming more stable.

I could even run now, albeit only for short distances.

Although I still fell over sometimes.

I spun around and around, trying to look at my tail.

“Ppii-pi! Ppi!”

“Ghk!”

“Ppi?”

And every time I did that, Rosaria seemed to clutch her chest more and more frequently.

I toddled over to her as she sat on the floor with her head lowered, wanting to check her complexion.

“N-No. I can’t get too excited. The little baby might get hurt.”

“Ppi-pi-pi-pi.”

“Phew.”

“Ppi-pi-pi-pi!”

I called out to Rosaria, who was saying something that sounded suspiciously like the lines of a villain.

I still couldn’t speak, but she knew that I was calling for her whenever I made that sound.

“Yes, little baby. Would you like a snack?”

“Ppi.”

As though nothing had happened, Rosaria regained her composure and returned to her usual calm self.

She placed one snack after another into my mouth from the small bowl.

Delicious!

My tail wagged of its own accord.

There was nothing better than a tail when it came to expressing emotions.

When I swayed my body from side to side to show how happy I was, Rosaria smiled fondly.

“You’re still growing, so you need to eat plenty and grow big and strong.”

“Ppit.”

“Taking care of you has become the most rewarding thing in my life lately. It makes me so happy.”

I swallowed my snack and opened my beak.

As though she’d been waiting for it, Rosaria immediately popped another snack into my mouth.

Every day was so happy that it almost felt like a dream.

“Ppiiit!”

I wish every day could be like this.

I leaned back against a cushion and stretched out my legs.

But I couldn’t live like this forever, could I?

Once I became an adult, I’d have to leave this house.

No…

Could I stay here until I became an adult?

The owner of the house might change her mind and tell me to leave before then.

Because the owner didn’t like me very much.

The thought of a future where I could be thrown out at any moment suddenly made me depressed.

This place was incredibly peaceful, but I had no idea what the outside world was like.

“Ppiii…”

A sigh escaped me.

Seeing me like that, Rosaria spoke to me.

“Little baby, are you uncomfortable somewhere?”

“Ppi-pi-pi-pi.”

“Pardon?”

Rosaria, who was clearing away the bowl I’d finished eating from, opened her eyes wide.

I weakly shook my head.

No.

Once I became an adult bird, I’d have to manage on my own.

But the world was far too harsh for a baby bird to survive alone!

Besides, I was becoming thoroughly accustomed to Rosaria taking care of me.

What would happen when I was alone later?

I didn’t want to be alone again.

As I took out one worry about the future after another, my tail drooped lower and lower.

“Are you worried about something?”

“Ppi.”

I shook my head to say that it was nothing.

“But your tail is drooping.”

“Ppi-pii.”

It really is nothing.

Rosaria blinked at me in confusion, clearly unable to understand what was going on.

After sitting there dejectedly for quite some time, I finally pushed myself up.

I couldn’t just keep sitting here moping!

“Ppiit!”

First, I should figure out what I could do.

Once I finally pulled myself together and gathered my strength, I felt my tail rise again.

This was really fascinating no matter how many times I saw it.

The mystery of tails…

I’d had a tail in my previous life too, but it had never reacted this faithfully to my emotions.

No…

Maybe I’d actually been extremely emotional back then, too. There simply hadn’t been many occasions that made my tail react that strongly.

Droop.

My tail fell again.

Thinking about my previous life had put me in a bad mood again.

I shook my head vigorously to chase away those pointless thoughts.

“Ppi-pit!”

No.

I’m not the person I used to be anymore.

I lightly smacked my cheeks with both wings.

All right.

Before I became an adult, I needed to become strong enough to leave the estate and survive on my own!

“Ppiit. Ppit!”

Whoosh.

My tail shot straight up.

Pat, pat.

I toddled over to the water container beside the snack bowl and dipped my beak into it.

Refreshing!

After drinking my fill, I wiped the moisture from my beak with a wing.

At the time, I had no idea.

I had no idea just how worried Rosaria looked as she watched my condition change from moment to moment.

Nor did I know what misunderstanding she would come to have because of it.

If I had known, I would have desperately tried to tell her that it wasn’t like that at all.