Chapter 140
Chapter 140
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 140
Chapter Title: Surviving in the Sky Garden (2)
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Had the early morning dew not yet dried?
A droplet clinging to the tip of a leaf sparkled in the rising sun.
It shimmered a bright green, like an emerald.
The scenery was so beautiful it could have been a painting.
Of course, this Sky Garden was a bit different from Reversmountain, where the third assignment took place yesterday.
The trees and grass all around didn't grow wild; instead, they had a manicured feel.
If Reversmountain was a place seemingly untouched by human hands, the Sky Garden was like a meticulously crafted work of art.
No wonder 'garden' was in its name.
Just strolling around and taking in the surroundings was enough to clear my head.
'So this is what it takes to keep fairies around. It's impressive. I can feel the designers' effort and philosophy.'
Unlike Reversmountain, this wasn't a particularly dangerous environment.
For one, fairies were a gentle species that didn't attack people unprovoked.
The ecosystem would have been built around less aggressive animals for their sake.
The most dangerous animal here was probably a weasel, at worst.
I could probably chase off a weasel-level threat without using psychokinesis.
There couldn't possibly be some monstrous weasel that could tear a person in half.
"..."
Anyway, it was a relief that it wasn't dangerous, but...
Thinking this, I glanced down at my wrist.
A pure white paper band was wrapped around the inside of my wrist, where my watch was.
Its design reminded me of an amusement park ticket.
This paper band was something the proctor had given me. Some sort of device to lure fairies.
Apparently, it dampened the wearer's presence and emitted a wavelength that piqued a fairy's curiosity.
The only doubt I had was whether a fairy would actually approach me.
I knew it was effective, but there had been cases where they avoided someone for looking 'boring'.
What if a fairy shows no interest, just flits around nearby, and then disappears...
'Hmm... To get the World Tree Seed, I need to meet the fairy who hid it. Once I meet her, I know what she likes, so I can probably entice her somehow... But what if I can't find her at all?'
Come to think of it, meeting a specific fairy in a place this vast might be incredibly difficult.
As I thought this and scanned my surroundings, a cold sweat trickled down my back.
This could turn into a real headache.
Just then, I caught sight of faintly glittering particles floating in the air.
"...?"
I stopped in my tracks and narrowed my eyes, studying the particles closely.
I instinctively knew it was the trace of a fairy.
The color scattering in the air was yellow.
The fairy I was looking for was purple. So this one was probably unrelated.
Should I just ignore it and move on, to save my energy?
No, I might be able to get some useful information.
After a moment of thought, I straightened up as if I'd just noticed and stared intently at the traces.
Then, I took a chocolate cookie I had prepared from my pocket and placed it on my palm.
"A coookieee!"
"...!"
*Whoosh!*
A gentle breeze rustled my hair, and with it came the loud voice of a child.
It was followed by the sensation of something soft and warm clinging tightly to my arm.
The sudden impact naturally made me stumble.
But since I had expected this, I carefully supported whatever was on my arm to keep it from falling.
But regardless of my actions...
...the unidentified thing clinging to my arm simply gobbled up the thin cookie on my palm.
"Om nom nom... Delicious, delicious! This is tastier than Mingling's honey cookies... Ah."
As the cookie crumbled into nothing, the creature dangling from my arm stared up at me blankly.
The emotion etched on its face was unmistakable bewilderment.
It seemed even the creature itself hadn't expected to be lured out so easily by a cookie.
I let out a dry laugh behind my mask, looking down at the small child clinging to my arm.
'So this is a fairy. It's... cuter than I expected. I was honestly worried it would be in the uncanny valley.'
Seen up close, the fairy was quite adorable.
Its head-to-body ratio was about 2.5 heads tall?
Perhaps because of its light, fluttering clothes...
...it felt more like a living doll than a creature.
Add to that its large, bell-like eyes, cute little lips, and exaggerated movements...
...and you had a creature that anyone who liked cute things would go crazy for. Isn't Alice in danger?
"A-a human... I've fallen into a human's trap! Luring Chiriru with a cookie! You plan to harm Chiriru!"
But despite having devoured the cookie, the fairy, Chiriru, seemed wary of me.
It was a bit odd for it to be so cautious after flying over on its own accord.
Still, I had no intention of harming it.
Keeping my posture firm to support the fairy, I placed a new cookie on my palm.
Perhaps surprised by a cookie appearing from my seemingly empty hand...
...Chiriru's eyes went wide as it shouted in disbelief.
"A-a cookie appeared from your palm! It's magic! But you shouldn't have any mana!"
"..."
So, are you not going to eat it?
I tapped the cookie with my thumb and tilted my head as if to ask.
Was it too hard to give up the cookie?
After a moment of hesitation, Chiriru shouted that it would eat it and stuffed the cookie into its mouth.
And just like that, its wariness faded. Hmm, couldn't ask for an easier target.
Ah, for the record, this wasn't psychokinesis, but the principle of a magic trick.
I had just hidden an extra cookie behind my fingers, like hiding a card.
Good thing I practiced while watching shorts before bed. I never thought I'd actually use it.
'The fairies living in the Sky Garden are protected from outside influences. The story mentioned that since they only ever eat snacks made from natural ingredients, they go absolutely wild for things like cookies loaded with sugar.'
For reference, loving sweets was a fairy trait.
The best they could hope for was a crude cookie made with natural honey on very rare occasions.
It was only natural they'd lose their minds over a carefully made treat.
Well, the reaction still varied depending on the fairy's personality.
I guess I should call myself lucky for running into a cookie-loving fairy on the first try.
But on second thought, it wasn't entirely a good thing.
If the test was my only goal, I could just lure it with cookies, become its friend, and pass.
But my goal right now was the World Tree Seed, hidden somewhere in the Sky Garden by a certain fairy.
At this point, whether I passed the assignment or not didn't matter.
No matter how I looked at it, preventing the end of the world was more important.
'I should probably... just let this one go.'
As Chiriru wriggled, seemingly asking for more, I gave it another cookie and gently stroked its head.
Perhaps satisfied after eating until its belly was full...
...Chiriru looked up at me, its cute face covered in crumbs, and declared proudly.
"Hehe, hehe... I see! You, who gives me all these cookies, are a good human! I will give you the chance to be friends with Chiriru!"
"..."
I averted my gaze slightly from the proud-looking Chiriru perched on my palm.
Because, frankly, becoming friends would be a bit of a problem.
Think about it. The actions of every student in the Sky Garden were being monitored through their watches.
So if I befriended a fairy but kept wandering around the Sky Garden?
That would be like openly advertising that I was up to something.
For my part, it was better if we went our separate ways here.
I still had plenty of time to legally roam the Sky Garden. I couldn't afford any interruptions.
However, as if sensing my thoughts...
...Chiriru, who had been glancing at me, began to shrink, its confidence visibly fading.
"Ch-Chiriru wants to be friends with the human..."
Maybe it had a sad experience of being rejected by someone it wanted to befriend.
Chiriru then spoke in a trembling voice, as if in utter disbelief.
"You don't want to be friends with Chiriru...?"
*Drip, drip.*
Large teardrops welled up in Chiriru's big eyes.
Its innocent face pricked at my conscience like a thorn.
I broke into a cold sweat as Chiriru pressed its soft cheek against my arm.
No matter how you looked at it, the atmosphere was one of it pleading with me to be its friend.
But if I heartlessly pushed it away now, I couldn't predict what a hurt Chiriru might do.
If it wanted to, couldn't it prevent other fairies from approaching me?
That would be a problem. I wouldn't be able to meet the purple fairy, my target.
I might have just made the worst possible mistake.
'Hmm, in that case... Ah, I can just secretly become its friend without the proctors knowing.'
I put the hand of my free arm into my pocket and grasped Echo.
I then asked Echo if there was anyone with a device nearby.
[ Searching! ...Yes, there are no other electronic devices within at least a 100-meter radius. ]
'Then can you hack my watch and temporarily stop it from transmitting data? Preferably without getting caught.'
[ Understood. For the next minute, I will repeatedly transmit a loop of your actions from ten minutes ago. ]
Good. It's a crude decoy, but it'll work.
Plus, I've confirmed there are no proctors watching nearby...
I swiftly lifted the fox mask from my face and looked at Chiriru.
Chiriru, who had been crying sorrowfully, stopped and looked up at me.
"Pr... Pretty..."
"...!"
I then brought my index finger to my lips in a 'shh' gesture.
The fact that we're friends is an absolute secret.
It was a gesture filled with that meaning.
Chiriru might be naive, but it wasn't a fool.
It nodded so vigorously I could feel the breeze.
Having received confirmation, I gently set Chiriru on the ground, gave it a smile, and put my mask back on.
I gave it a few more cookies as a parting gift.
Chiriru, its face bright red, nibbled on the cookies and mumbled blankly.
"A s-secret... Chiriru and the human's secret..."
"..."
How cute.
I gently stroked the head of the seated Chiriru, then turned and walked deeper into the Sky Garden, signaling my departure.
This way, I shouldn't have to worry about any repercussions.
I felt like I'd handled one problem quite cleverly.
But no sooner had I thought that, I heard the sound of an explosion nearby.
It was a violent stimulus that shattered the peace.