The large number of caterpillars must have been gathered by Koruko for Loa.
While we were discussing what to do about Loaโs meal, Koruko went outside.
After hearing the conversation, Loa caught the caterpillars that seemed suitable for eating.
What a truly kind and clever chicken.
โLuria ? What is going on here?โ
But Mother was furious.
โUhโฆ food?โ
โFood? Whose?โ
โUmmโฆ the birdsโ?โ
When I glanced at the owl, it walked over to the caterpillars and took a bite.
โHa!โ
โHa? No, the caterpillars areโโ
โFlap flap flapโ
From the window, five birds, a hawk and sparrows combined, flew in.
All of them were carrying caterpillars.
โPeep~โ
โWait a secondโฆโ
Ignoring my mother, who was making a strained face, the birds chirped and began putting the caterpillars into the basket.
โThisโฆ Is Luria making them do this?โ
โYes. Luria is making them do it.โ
โI see, the basket was prepared tooโฆโ
The basket was likely prepared by Koruko. Koruko must have searched for a suitable basket to put the caterpillars in from inside the room, then placed it behind the bed.
But I couldnโt say, โKoruko and the birds did it on their own.โ
Koruko and the birds did it for Loa.
If someone was going to get scolded, it would be me.
I gathered the birds and said, โCome here.โ
I petted Koruko, the owl, the hawk, and the sparrows, one by one.
โThank you.โ
โโฆLuria . Why did you do this?โ
Mother was behind me, so I couldnโt see her expression. But I could tell from her voice that she was angry.
โโฆBecauseโฆ if we donโt have a birdcage, the food will run out.โ
โSo, youโre not trying to eat them yourself?โ
โI wouldnโt do such a thing. But Luria made them do it.โ
โI see.โ
When I explained that I wasnโt gathering them to eat, the anger seemed to fade from Motherโs voice.
โIโll have the birdsโ food delivered. So, stop making them gather caterpillars.โ
โโฆHmm, butโฆโ
โLuria ?โ
โUnderstood.โ
If I resisted any further, Mother might start watching me closely and give me work to do here.
Instead of hoarding the caterpillars, Iโll directly hand them to Loa from the birds.
โDonโt let them gather caterpillars anymore, okay?โ
โGot it.โ
Mother hugged me tightly and patted my head.
โKoko!โ
When Koruko flapped its wings happily, it came over to press its body against me.
Thanks to the caterpillars, the damage to my clothesโ shoulder and my sword training with the owl had been forgotten.
Koruko may have planned to bring the caterpillars while Mother was here, to cause some distractions.
If thatโs the case, Koruko is as much of a strategist as I am.
โHmm. Koruko is amazing.โ
โKoko.โ
I gently petted Koruko.
โThe caterpillarsโฆโ
โKyuu kyuu!โ
Just as Mother was about to speak about the caterpillarsโ fate, Carro rushed over and immediately ate one.
โHa!โ
Being a strategist, I realized this was Carroโs plan.
Mother was likely about to say, โGo throw away the caterpillars.โ
So, I moved to prevent that from happening.
โCarro. The caterpillars are food for the birds, okay?โ
While being careful not to be seen by Mother, I winked at Carro, signaling.
โKyuu~โ
Carro nodded while holding a caterpillar in both hands and eating it.
โThe food for the birds that is hard to get.โ
I subtly conveyed to Mother that the caterpillars were important for the birdsโ food.
โSo, the ones who already have food, like Carro, shouldnโt eat them.โ
โKyuu.โ
โUntil the birdsโ food arrives, the caterpillars are precious.โ
When I glanced at Mother, she sighed heavily.
โAlright. Luria . Iโll instruct the delivery of the birdsโ food before noon.โ
โThank you!โ
Once the food arrives, the birdsโ food situation will improve.
Then, Loa should be able to get some of the birdsโ food too.
โThatโs good, Luria -chan.โ
โYeah, Iโm glad.โ
Sara, who had been tense all this time, seemed to relax.
She had been worried that I might get scolded.
โI wondered what would happen,โ Kuro also seemed to be relieved.
โMother, Iโll take responsibility for these caterpillars.โ
โResponsibility? What exactly do you mean?โ
โI wonโt let even one escape.โ
โI see, thatโs important.โ
โIโll make sure all of them get eaten.โ
โYes, thatโs important. But thereโs one more important thing, right?โ
โโฆHmm?โ
What could it be?
โOh, Luria wonโt eat them?โ
โWell, of course, thatโs important. But thatโs not it.โ
After hearing my response, Mother seemed a bit flustered.
She had always been cautious about me eating insects, so it was surprising that she hadnโt anticipated this.
โI wonโt eat them, butโฆ hmm.โ
โLuria not eating them is obvious, okay? You canโt eat them. Do you understand?โ
โI understand.โ
Mother repeatedly emphasized this.
โThereโs one more important thing. Donโt let them gather any more.โ
โEh?โ
โEh? You donโt need to gather any more since the birdsโ food will arrive by noon. Is that clear?โ
โYes.โ
With Motherโs strong insistence, I had no choice but to agree.
โDonโt let them gather caterpillars anymore. Understood?โ
โGot it.โ
โAnd the caterpillars?โ
โI wonโt make them gather any more.โ
โGood, thatโs settled. And Iโm sure you understand, but caterpillars and caterpillars are of course off-limits, right?โ
โI understand.โ
Though caterpillars and worms werenโt allowed, I thought maybe beetles would be okay.
โOf course, beetles and cicadas are also not allowed, okay?โ
โYes, I understand!โ
Motherโs sharpness is troublesome.