The Gift-Giving Bird's Mischief
"Levinas's ice cream!" Levinas stretched her hand toward the unreachable sky. A blue bird circled above us, savoring its victory. "Chirp-chirp! Enjoy your meal!" Levinas waved her outstretched hand at the bird. She covered her mouth and giggled, swinging her legs back and forth. Even though her precious ice cream had been stolen, she didn't seem particularly sad.
"Levinas, you didn't get to eat much ice cream. Are you okay?"
"Yeah! Sharing it makes it taste even better!"
"I see." So she wasn't throwing a tantrum—she was just telling us to enjoy it. Her naturally kind nature was almost admirable.
"If you want more, just collect more empty bottles!"
"Okay. There are plenty of empty bottles around."
It was a relief that Levinas wasn't getting angry or teary-eyed. Just as I reached out to pat her head in praise, she pulled a carrot stick from her pocket.
"Actually, Levinas has something even tastier!"
It was the carrot snack Han Yeoreum had made. Levinas held up her favorite treat toward the sky. The seasoning powder on the stick sparkled in the sunlight. That was more than enough to catch the flying bird's attention.
Whoosh—! The bird dove straight for the stick. It was fast, but to my eyes, which could see arrows in slow motion, there was plenty of time to think. Levinas might be kind, but getting tricked twice in a row would make anyone angry. For her sake, I decided to catch the bird.
'Without hurting anyone…'
I grabbed the training bow I'd brought along. In that split second, I calculated the bird's flight path. It would pass right by me to snatch the carrot stick and fly back up. Timing it perfectly as it flew past, I swung the bow with all my strength.
Whoosh—! Thud—!
"Chirp!"
A solid impact and the bird's cry. My wrist stung from the swing.
"Eek?!"
"……?"
Startled by my sudden action, Levinas flinched. Saebyeok, who had been lying on the bench with her eyes closed, rubbed them and sat up.
"The bird tried to steal the carrot."
"Really?! What a greedy bird!"
"Chirp, chirp…"
The bird that had fallen to the ground was still alive and twitching. As expected, it wasn't an ordinary bird.
"Nyaah!"
Saebyeok stretched like a cat and jumped down from the bench. She picked up the struggling bird and brought it over to us.
"Should we eat it?"
"Hmm…?"
We'd caught it, but since it was a species I'd never seen before, I wasn't sure if it was edible. It might even be a protected species. For now, I decided to ask Sofia. Its fate could be decided after that. Maybe it was considered a rare delicacy.
**
"Chirp, chirp…"
Holding the frightened bird by the scruff of its neck, we headed to the mana stone exchange where Sofia was. I looked around for a while but couldn't find her anywhere. Then I noticed a tuft of blue hair peeking out from behind a table. She was just short enough to be hidden from view.
"Sofia."
Clutching the bird, I ran toward her. Sofia, who had been working on paperwork, looked up at us.
"What seems to be the matter?"
"I caught a bird, but I don't know what kind it is."
"Hmm…?"
I held the bird out toward the puzzled Sofia. It was a blue bird hanging limply by its scruff.
"That's…"
Sofia's eyes widened slightly more than usual. If even she was surprised, this definitely wasn't an ordinary bird.
"Do you know what it is?"
"Yes. It's a Gift-Giver."
"A Gift-Giver…?"
"They play pranks and then leave gifts, hence the name. It's a creature from our world. I wonder how it ended up on Earth…"
A spark of life shone in Sofia's eyes. She seemed genuinely happy to see a creature from her homeland.
"I guess bird meat is the gift."
Saebyeok glared fiercely at the bird. Its body trembled.
"…It's best not to eat it if possible. These are rare creatures that only appear before beastkin children. Just being able to see one is a miracle."
"I understand."
If it wasn't edible, there was no reason to kill it. I placed the bird on the windowsill of an open window.
"Chirp-chirp, don't steal food anymore! If you want something, ask Levinas first, okay?!"
Levinas waved at the bird. With a flutter of wings, a seed no bigger than a fingernail fell from its chest.
"Huh?"
It was a seed. Was this what Sofia meant by a gift? Levinas picked it up instead of me.
"We plant it in the ground!"
"Yeah. I guess it's a gift for Levinas."
At the word "gift," Levinas's ears perked up. Unable to contain her joy, she stomped her feet in place before dashing toward the exchange's exit.
"Saebyeok! Levinas is going to plant this!"
"Okay. I'll stay and talk with Sofia a bit more."
"Got it!"
Saebyeok chased after the departing Levinas. I knew it was to keep her safe.
'I wonder what kind of seed it is.'
It reminded me of the swallow from the fairy tale Levinas had read. The one that gave a pumpkin seed after having its leg fixed, only for a monster to emerge. Surely it wouldn't give a seed that spawns a monster just because I hit it once? I stared worriedly at the exit Levinas had left through.
"Winter, aren't you going to plant the seed? A Gift-Giver's seed is quite valuable."
"I'd rather be with Sofia than the gift."
"Hmph, I see."
Sofia's face flushed red. She lowered her head and tapped the floor with her foot.
"But nothing dangerous will come out of the seed, right?"
"It shouldn't. The Gift-Giver is a kind of spirit beast, after all."
"That's a relief."
Feeling reassured, I looked around. The familiar sight of the exchange, which we always visited after hunting, came into view.
'Hmm…'
Come to think of it, I didn't really know what Sofia did exactly. I only ever received help from her. As her "family," I felt a bit ashamed.
"Sofia, can I watch you work?"
"It's fine, but don't cause any trouble… Not that you would."
"Okay. I'll be quiet."
"Good. Take a look around. It could be a valuable experience."
"Yes!"
With Sofia's permission, I decided to observe what she did from her side today.
**
A white beastkin child sat in one corner of the mana stone exchange. The gazes of people coming to sell mana stones and those working at the exchange were all fixed on the child.
'She's really cute.'
Sitting in a chair much too big for her, she stared blankly at Sofia's face beside her. She looked so happy just watching that she was smiling with her eyes. The child must really like her shark "big sister."
Those who didn't know Sofia's true identity thought nothing more of it.
"Oh my, Winter. You're here today?"
After finishing her break, Yoo Sang-ah returned and looked at Winter sitting in her chair. Realizing the chair's owner had returned, Winter stood up.
"Yes. I'm observing."
"Are you?"
Yoo Sang-ah sat down and lifted Winter onto her lap. The doll-like child's tail perked up.
"……!"
"There weren't any empty chairs left."
"Y-you could have just stood…"
"No. I can't stand seeing someone struggle. I'd cry."
"O-okay…"
It was a little embarrassing. Winter rubbed her white thighs.
'Yahoo.'
Winter's perked-up tail brushed against Yoo Sang-ah's chin. Yoo Sang-ah cheered inwardly.
'This is true happiness.'
If she could hold this adorable child in her arms, she felt like she could work nonstop all year round. As if to prove her thoughts weren't a lie, Yoo Sang-ah threw herself into her work without rest. Every now and then, Winter's questions made her incredibly happy.
"What kind of mana stone is this?"
"This is a Giant Ogre mana stone."
"Aha…"
Winter only asked questions during lulls in the work so as not to interrupt. How could a child be this kind and lovable? Yoo Sang-ah smiled with her eyes and patted Winter's head.
Just then, the exchange door opened and a group of adventurers walked in.
"Wow, today's a jackpot!"
"Right?"
The adventurers were carrying two heavy-looking bags. One approached Sofia while the other came toward Yoo Sang-ah. Seeing Winter on her lap, the adventurer chuckled and held out his bag.
"Sang-ah, can you exchange this for me?"
"Sure. What kind of mana stone is it?"
"Blue Liger mana stones. I practically wiped out their entire population, you know?"
A Blue Liger. A new species born from the mix of regular tigers and lion-type monsters. The adventurer proudly shook out the mana stones from his bag as if boasting about his catch. A single radiant blue mana stone rolled right up to Yoo Sang-ah.
"The quality is excellent…?"
They were all high-grade. While examining the mana stones' condition, Yoo Sang-ah noticed something strange about Winter. Her ears and tail were standing stiffly upright. Her body trembled as cold sweat ran down her face.
Was she sick? Why all of a sudden? As Yoo Sang-ah puzzled over it, she realized the truth. You shouldn't show beastkin children mana stones from the same species.
'…I forgot.'
Hundreds of different mana stones came through the exchange every day. If she sat a child here, it was inevitable that cat-type mana stones would appear eventually.
"Ah…"
The adventurer and Yoo Sang-ah's eyes met in the air. Since the Yeomyeong Guild was famous for having many beastkin children, the adventurers who frequented the place knew this rule to some extent. You must never show beastkin children mana stones from the same species. It was apparently like showing them a pile of corpses.
Was this my fault…? The adventurer felt his breath catch in his throat. Winter's drooping ears and tail trembled slightly.