Harpy's Flight
Having somehow cleared the massive hurdle that was the President, I spent my time painting sky-blue nail polish onto the long talons before me. I'd picked up a few things that Harpy and I could enjoy together while retrieving El Dorado's contact info.
"You like listening to music, don't you, Harpy? I heard from the team leader that you usually hold your egg and play music when I'm not around."
"...Yes. When I was alone before, I used to play with things people left behind."
I recalled something similar in her profile. "The most fascinating one was a small box that played music and voices when you pressed a triangular button... but for some reason, most of the strange items people left behind would break after just a few days..."
That was obviously because they couldn't be recharged. The batteries had run out.
"I was wondering if you'd like me to play some music if you're bored."
"N-no way...! Right now, listening to C-Counselor's voice is... uuu... much better..."
Ah, that one hit me straight in the heart. I'm done for. How can she say something so embarrassing so directly? Though she still gets shy when calling me by name, which is very much like Harpy... Impressive.
Come to think of it, it feels more like a nickname the team leader or President made up rather than my actual name. Still, since it's not my full name, it's not dangerous, and being called that by Harpy makes it feel like an affectionate nickname, which I don't mind.
"Counselor...?"
"There, that hand's done. Be careful not to smudge it. You want to look pretty when you meet Dorothy, right?"
"Yes..."
Her expression still showed worry about this long-awaited reunion, but after coming this far, turning back without meeting her wasn't really an option.
"Of course, only if Harpy truly wants to meet her. I don't want to keep carrying this guilt forever either. Be brave, Harpy."
"Uuu... Ung..."
'Sniff... Thank you...'
At the moment of their incomplete farewell, Harpy had hurt Dorothy and fled without apologizing. Even now, meeting again would require great courage. Setting aside how Dorothy might feel about her, it wasn't even certain if she still remembered Harpy...
"Uhu~ That's enough lovey-dovey time for you two. You're making me want to butt in without thinking."
"Please hold back a little. You're the adult here."
"It's because you two are having so much fun without me."
The President leaned forward from her seat, deliberately pushing her exposed cleavage toward me through her unbuttoned shirt. But at this point, I was at least immune when it came to breasts. With the very embodiment of maternal love sitting right beside me, there was no way I'd be distracted... no way...
"Uuu... Ung, look over here!"
"Ah, Harpy?"
With a slightly sulky expression, Harpy pouted her lips and gently pulled my shoulder, drawing my gaze toward her. She had just called me by my name properly, hadn't she?
"You should learn to hold back a little~ You're the adult here."
So that was intentional... Was this a provocation?
"So include me too~ Your hands look pretty skilled."
Seeing her smiling brightly, I realized she must have learned that unsettling smile from the team leader. I desperately wanted to refuse, but I had a strong feeling that ignoring her would only make things more troublesome.
"...Please wait until Harpy's turn is over. If you have a color you want, pick it now."
"Okay!"
Seeing the President beam with a refreshing smile, I couldn't help but chuckle weakly. So this is what traveling with others feels like. My parents have never been on an overseas trip either. This is perfect timing. Once we get back, I should look into sending them on a nice luxury package tour as a way to show my gratitude. Ah, before that, I should invite them to my new place and treat them to a meal...
"Heat...? Fire?"
'Is this a dangerous one?'
Just as I was thinking about my parents, whom I'd been neglecting lately, the smile on the President's face vanished in an instant as she muttered those words. The previously natural atmosphere sank immediately, and her gaze turned sharp.
"...President?"
When I called out to her, sensing something was wrong, she didn't answer. Instead, she turned to look out the window. The view below was still covered by thick clouds, with only patches of deep blue sea visible beyond.
"...It's falling."
"What?"
"Both of you, get close!"
Before Harpy and I could react to her shout, the President stood up and pulled us both into her arms. Crackle...!! Crackle...!
And then, I was certain I heard the sound of fabric tearing. Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep—
After that, a piercing ringing filled my ears. My vision was filled with black smoke and bursts of light swirling chaotically. A massive shockwave shook my entire body, and a violent gust threatened to sweep me away, leaving me with a disorienting sensation of my consciousness drifting far away against my will.
"Mmm..."
When I came to again...
"...Ah."
Squawk, squawk.
"...?"
Seagulls? Right in front of me, three or four seagulls were flapping their wings and circling around. What was going on...? My whole body ached, especially my shoulders. Actually, it wasn't so much pain as the feeling of being tightly gripped by something...?
"Waaah?!"
"Uwaaaah...?!"
I recognized those black, hook-like talons gripping both my armpits. I'd seen them somewhere before, but having them suddenly clamp onto my shoulders was startling even for me.
"P-please don't move suddenly...! It's hard to fly like this...!"
"...That's Harpy's voice."
So I wasn't dead after all. More importantly, how was I floating in the sky right now? ...It was dark above me.
"Harpy...?"
With a stiff neck, I looked up with difficulty, but unfortunately couldn't see Harpy's face. What I could see were her plump thighs beneath her skirt, a pair of large wings covered in brown feathers flapping steadily, and... the soft, heavy flesh swelling from her chest, swaying dynamically with each wingbeat, obscuring her face. That size... that weight... It was definitely Harpy. So right now, I was being carried by her...?
"...Harpy, what exactly happened?"
"Um... I don't know either... Sniff... The President told me to fly toward that place up ahead..."
'And then she just fell straight into the sea... Uuu... I hope she's okay...'
"The President...? No, more importantly, you can fly, Harpy?"
"O-of course!"
...Right. She'd been photographed flying when she was first discovered. During all the time we'd spent together, I'd only seen her wings trembling with embarrassment, never actually seen her soaring through the sky like this. Of course, the ceiling of her containment cell wasn't that high, so it made sense... But she really could fly. I found myself looking at those wings, which I'd only thought of as a blanket substitute, in a new light.
"B-but, Harpy, I might be imagining things, but..."
"Yes...?"
"Why does it feel like... the sea is getting closer?"
"Uuuu...!"
Harpy flapped her wings harder at my words, but our altitude didn't increase. So it wasn't my imagination. "Haa... haa... I can't help it... To fly while carrying Counselor..."
"Yeah, I get it... Sorry."
"Huuu... uhuuu..."
But what exactly had happened? We were definitely on a plane. Where had the plane gone? The acrid smell of smoke and oil still lingered in my nose. There was no way the plane was intact. Had it been shot down? Had the President violated airspace without permission?
"The President will be fine, so don't worry too much, Harpy. I'm not just saying that... She's much tougher than we can imagine."
Recalling how she'd caught bullets barehanded at point-blank range, I figured she'd be okay this time too... but even so, surviving a plane explosion seemed unlikely. Since there was nothing I could do except hang helplessly in the air like a lamb caught by an eagle, calming Harpy down was the priority for now.
Looking back at my last memory... Right before the explosion, the President had pulled us both into her arms. And then... she tore open the side of the plane and jumped out, and the explosion...
"...Is she really okay... Sniff..."
"Yeah..."
I answered that she probably was, but below us was nothing but ocean. Land was visible in the distance, but at the rate we were descending, we'd be taking a dip in the sea before reaching that long, anchovy-shaped island near the shore. Given that Harpy probably couldn't swim, if things got really bad, I'd have her let go of me... Wait, I couldn't swim either.
"Uuuu...!"
Harpy was flapping her wings with all her might, but despite her efforts, we kept getting closer to the sea. Was the Icarus story, where wings heavy with seawater cause a fall, based on reality? ...No, it was more likely because I was too heavy for the two of us to fly together.
"Harpy... If it really comes down to it, let go of me."
"What?! No...! I can't! I won't!"
"..."
But it seemed Harpy's stamina was reaching its limit. At this rate, we'd both end up in the sea. It was a shame that our final moments together would be like this, with her face hidden behind her massive chest... "....! ...!"
"?"
Where... what was that sound?
"Over here~ Here~!"
That voice... Could it be?
"Harpy? Just for a moment, down below...?"
"President...? Uhhit?"
"Ah."
Startled by the President's voice suddenly coming from below, Harpy's wingbeat faltered, and naturally, the only thing left for us was to fall. As we plummeted from a considerable height above the water's surface, I desperately grabbed Harpy's legs and pulled her into my arms. Naturally, my heavier body ended up facing downward. Splash...!
Feeling a massive impact rush past my ears, I lost consciousness once again.