Shella , who was about to be slammed into the ground, floated gently for just a moment.
“Shella …!”
It was the spirit magic of Ketsuekette Sea.
Thanks to the wind spirits buying a bit of time, we barely made it.
I caught the falling girl and, carried by the momentum, crashed into the grove.
The sound of branches and wood breaking was unexpectedly loud, and Shella flailed her arms and legs in my arms.
Perhaps she was confused, trembling as if struggling underwater.
“Calm down, Shella . You’re safe now.”
To prevent her from injuring herself while struggling, I held her close through my robe.
Being careful not to touch her skin was an obvious habit for someone with a cousin her age.
Still, if my cousin saw me in this situation, she’d probably give me a cold look and say, “You’re the worst,” which honestly scared me.
I repeated “It’s okay” in a whisper-like tone, and the girl in my arms finally calmed down.
Still holding Shella , I slowly sat up.
Then, I noticed white feathers floating around us like snow. They were beautiful, I thought absentmindedly.
(Did I crash into a bird’s nest or something…?)
If so, I felt bad about it.
I thought about healing the baby birds if they were injured—and then I froze.
(Wait, didn’t I see feathers before crashing into the grove? Actually, weren’t the white feathers centered around Shella as she fell…?)
Shella stirred slightly in my arms.
As I hurried to let go, I noticed something strange.
It was her back that moved. Even through the robe, I could feel an odd bulge.
For a moment, I thought it might be Ketsue, but Ketsue was already climbing onto my shoulder, trying to look worriedly at the young girl.
If that’s the case, then…
“Shella ? That thing on your back… is it—”
“Ah! I-I’m sorry, forgive me!”
Shella came to her senses and, in her rush to push away from my chest, stumbled over some bushes and tumbled down.
As she flipped over with surprising momentum, her robe was lifted. Fortunately, since adventurer outfits aren’t skirts, while it was an awkward position, nothing indecent was visible. Barely safe!
But the thing she probably wanted to hide was burned into my memory.
There, hidden under her robe, were a pair of small, delicate wings, just the size of an open hand, sprouting from her back.
“…Wings?”
“!!”
The tiny wings, covered in soft white feathers, seemed to grow out from around her shoulder blades.
(Shella is a beastkin with wings?)
I nodded, feeling like I understood, but Shella was panicking, looking up at me with tearful eyes. Her voice trembled as she asked:
“D-Did you see…?”
“If you mean your underwear, I didn’t see, so don’t worry. If it’s about the thing on your back, yeah, I saw that.”
“Ahh…”
The girl slumped her shoulders in dejection.
For now, I helped her up.
I used [Cleanse Magic] to rid her of the dirt and grass stains covering her, then led her to an open area by the hand.
I pulled out a folding chair from my [Item Box] and sat her down. I handed her a cup of honeyed hot milk.
Shella timidly took a sip, and her face lit up.
“This is delicious…! I didn’t know milk could be so sweet.”
“It’s Ketsue’s favorite hot milk. The honey makes it sweet.”
“Na~an?”
“Yes, yes, I have some for you too.”
I served Ketsue his own cup of hot milk and sipped my tea. I really wanted a can of coffee, but I held back for now.
The warm and sweet drink seemed to help Shella calm down.
“Hey, Shella . That thing on your back… was it bad that I saw it? If so, I’ll pretend I didn’t, so don’t feel so down.”
“No, it’s not exactly bad… but it’s not great either. You’re not at fault, Tohma. It’s my fault for carelessly falling from the tree. And even though I took the trouble to use my wings, they didn’t help at all. That’s just sad…”
“Hey, I wouldn’t say they didn’t help. I mean, didn’t you float a little before Ketsue’s spirit magic kicked in?”
“You don’t have to flatter me. These wings are small, weak, and completely useless.”
With a sigh, Shella retracted her wings.
The small wings disappeared with a shuuu sound, leaving her shoulder blades visible.
She adjusted her robe to cover her back and undid the ribbon in her tied-up hair.
Her silver hair cascaded down her back with a soft, cool sound.
It felt like such a waste to hide those lovely wings, I thought vaguely.
“Shella , what kind of species are you?”
“I am a winged human. Among beastmen, we are called ‘bird people.'”
“Heh. First time I’ve seen one. Is it a rare species?”
“Hehe. From my perspective, elves are the rare ones. …Yes, there aren’t many of us. Also, compared to other beastmen, we’re a very weak species, so we live hidden in the forest.”
Only a handful of winged humans can become adventurers.
Among bird people, only those with the blood of falcons or eagles, strong and brave, stand at the top, according to Shella .
“My village, where I was born, was small and full of weak bird people. We lived quietly and hid ourselves. We lived in the trees and fled from beasts by flying, so we managed to survive.”
“Come to think of it, you were vegetarian… no, your village doesn’t eat meat, right?”
“Yes. We survive by eating nuts, fruits, and wild plants. Occasionally, we eat a little insects or small animals, but I was never satisfied.”
Shella looked up at me, her face filled with a deep sense of pleading. I understood. From the thinness of her limbs, it was clear she had struggled with food.
“I wanted to eat a full meal of meat, but I couldn’t say it. I was a failure. You saw it, right? My wings are so small, I can’t fly on my own.”
In the village, everyone had magnificent wings.
With wind magic and their wings, winged humans fly gracefully high in the sky.
Even small children could easily fly over trees, but Shella could only float a few centimeters off the ground.
“For winged humans, flying is as natural as breathing. But I can’t fly, so I’m a failure…”
I couldn’t casually tell her that wasn’t true.
In a world infested with magical beasts and monsters, it’s hard to survive if you’re not strong.
“My father, mother, and older sister all had beautiful wings. The elder said that maybe I inherited too much of my ancestors’ blood.”
Shella was born with mixed blood from various types of “birds,” perhaps making her wings so weak and small.
“Everyone in my family was kind. They brought lots of nuts for me, the failure. But I was always hungry.”
For the herbivorous bird people of her village, carnivorous bird people were a terrifying existence.
She says that as she cried out for meat, she gradually became isolated in the village.
“Is that why you ran away?”
“Yes. We didn’t have proper weapons, and we couldn’t hunt prey. I thought I was going to starve, so I ran away.”
A girl, not even in her mid-teens, had made a bold decision.
But, I thought, it was probably for the best.
When I first found her, she was in terrible shape, but now Shella is completely healthy.
I found a far more attractive girl who laughed energetically and ate heartily than a fragile, sickly, beautiful girl.
“Then, why hide your wings? Is it because you’re a rare species and might be targeted by someone?”
“If someone from the village sees me, they might try to bring me back…”
“Huh? What’s that about? Shella , you’re an adult now. Even if you left the village, your wishes should come first.”
I unintentionally raised my voice.
Shella smiled sheepishly but seemed just a little happy.
“Well, I was special to the people of my village…”
“Special?”
I frowned in dissatisfaction. How could she be special when they never made sure she was properly fed?
Shella looked around and swallowed nervously.
“Because my skill was special. It was special for winged humans, I mean.”
“It’s a secret, okay?” She whispered in my ear as she leaned close. Her breath brushed against my ear, tickling it.
“…Huh?”
Before my eyes, Shella ‘s form distorted.
She was surrounded by soft white light, and in the next moment, she disappeared, melting into the air.
Only her clothes fell to the ground with a soft pasa.
“Shella !?”
I quickly reached for the clothes, but just then, they moved.
After some wiggling, something managed to find a gap in the fabric, and it popped its head out.
“…Huh?”
A small, adorable bird covered in fluffy white feathers like the first snow appeared before me.
It chirped cutely, “Chuu chuu, pichi pichi,” then hopped onto my hand.
It was a shape I recognized. A very popular bird, even now. I remembered well, having won a stuffed animal of it from a crane game at my cousin Natsuki’s request. A snow fairy, a snow angel, just like a stuffed toy.
Yes, this cute bird was…
“Shima-enaga…? No, it’s Shella …?”
“Chui!”
The small and adorable Shima-enaga bird nodded vigorously, and I couldn’t help but be completely captivated.
