"Oh?"
Hearing Little Bird say that, X smiled and asked,
"Are they all as cute as you?"
"What! Big brother, how can you say something like that!"
Little Bird puffed out her cheeks, put her hands on her hips, and flew off X 's shoulder to hover in front of him.
"I'm the forest's punisher! Don't tease me like that!"
"Sorry, sorry~ Punisher Little Bird~"
X laughed even harder, though he still honestly apologized.
"I just wanted to compliment you. Being cute doesn't conflict with being a punisher… and besides, we're not chatting as criminal and punisher right now, are we?"
"…Mm."
"Are there many animals in the forest?"
X asked curiously.
"Then why is it so quiet?"
"Well… not exactly…"
Little Bird flew back onto X 's shoulder, propping her chin up with her tiny hand.
"There's a big monster in the forest right now, so everyone rarely comes here to play."
"Other than me, there should only be Big Bird Sister and Tall Bird Sister left in the forest…"
As she said this, a hint of sadness crept into her voice.
"Actually, I've been staying here, waiting for my two sisters to come back and find me…"
"As long as the three of us birds can gather again and work together, that dangerous big monster won't be able to run wild in this forest anymore."
"Do you know where your two sisters are right now?"
"I don't know…"
Little Bird shook her head.
"It's because I can't sense their presence that I've been sitting here waiting…"
"But today, I think I felt Big Bird Sister's aura… it was very faint, but I'm sure it was her! We'll definitely meet her soon!"
"Do you want me to help look for them?"
X tilted his head toward Little Bird and made a suggestion.
"I wanted to explore this forest a bit more anyway. After all, one more person means one more helping hand, right?"
"No, no! The forest is too dangerous! You'll get killed by that monster!"
Little Bird shook her head so hard it was like a rattle drum.
"I think we should just stay here, play games, and wait for Big Bird Sister to come find me herself! She'll definitely be able to find me!"
As she spoke, she looked at X with her sparkling eyes, clearly trying to act cute and stubborn.
"Just waiting around like that is kind of dumb, isn't it…"
Unable to resist her pouty behavior, X reached out and gently rubbed her little head.
"Since you can already sense her presence, why not go look for her?"
"Don't you want to see your Big Bird Sister sooner?"
"Hmm… that does make sense…"
"Right?"
"But… Big Bird Sister's presence is really too faint, and there's something interfering with how her aura reaches me…"
Little Bird drooped her head.
"I really can't pinpoint where she is…"
"It's fine. Worst case, we split up."
As he said that, X carried Little Bird on his shoulder and suddenly dashed around the massive black tree beside them several times at a speed no ordinary person could hope to match.
When he stopped, he winked proudly at Little Bird on his shoulder.
"Don't judge me by appearances—I'm not just an ordinary guy!"
"Even if we really run into that big monster you mentioned, I'm confident I can get away from it!"
"…Mm."
After witnessing X 's speed and agility firsthand, a trace of surprise flashed through Little Bird's eyes.
This big brother in front of her… really didn't seem ordinary at all.
She fell into a brief moment of contemplation, her tiny brows knitting together.
After pondering for a long time, she finally seemed to make up her mind.
She stretched out her soft little hand and carefully slipped it into a nearly invisible pocket on the side of her small dress, rummaging around for a moment.
Then she pulled out a tiny pendant that emitted a gentle silver glow and, without further explanation, hung it around X 's neck.
"Alright then! Here… take this!"
The pendant's design was simple—a small, cone-shaped charm resembling a claw tip, gleaming with silver light.
"Tall Bird Sister's eyes were given to Big Bird Sister… so she can't see right now. I'm afraid she might judge you with that scale…"
"If you run into her, hurry and show her this pendant!"
"As soon as she smells my scent on it, she'll know you're not a bad person—you're my friend—and she won't hurt you."
After carefully fastening the pendant around X 's neck, the blue-and-white wings at Little Bird's waist fluttered again.
She floated off his shoulder and hovered in front of him, her expression unusually serious.
"Big brother, don't lose this pendant, okay?"
"If you lose it… then… then I won't be able to find you anymore. And if you really get into danger, I won't be able to rush over and save you in time!"
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