30 – 30. Trickery
Crows are clever. They belong to the exceptionally clever category.
When in need of a tool, they find something useful and use it, and if it is beyond their reach, they use their heads.
They even lead birds of prey to tear apart and eat a carcass they cannot dissect themselves, and then they feast on the leftovers.
Well, anyway, it was quite amusing to see such a smart bird perched in front of me, letting me stroke it.
Now, as I meet its gaze, I caress both sides of its cheeks –
“Caw, caw.”
It blinks its eyes while making that sound.
For someone like me who wanted to raise a pet like a dog or a cat, communicating with animals was a very welcome thing.
Moreover, it was a joy to see it boasting its glossy feathers, just like a crow I know, without speaking the strange language of humans, and entrusting itself to my hand. How could I not be delighted?
And the amusing part was that the feathers weren’t entirely black.
In the candlelight, they were slightly purple… or, what should I call it? A color like petroleum? Yes, a color with a hint of the greenish hue of oil.
But one thing was clear, it had a rather cute appearance.
As I continued to stroke it for a while, the sound of commotion from outside suddenly reached my ears.
…That’s also the sound of crow cries.
Flapping their wings vigorously, a flock of crows was cutting through the sky.
Falling raindrops from the dark and heavy sky, occasionally fluttering leaves, they were riding the wind.
“Look over there. Your friends are flying through the rain.”
Tapping lightly on its chest with my palm, I pointed at the crows with one hand.
But the bird, lying there completely limp, seemed unfazed by such things, as if it didn’t care at all. It continued to tap, tap with its beak, reaching out for more touches.
“Oh, I wish you would touch me more.”
It made a cooing sound, as if it enjoyed being gently scratched between its feathers by the tip of my finger.
But the problem was that the crows were circling. Specifically, they were circling towards me.
Wait, why?
Quack, quack!
Shaking off the wet feathers, the crows quickly settled under the trees and furniture in the garden, shaking their bodies to dry themselves.
They would clean their beaks, stretch their wings, and give a little shake, one by one.
It must be cold outside. Wouldn’t it be better to bring them inside?
It’s quite amusing, really.
Now I even have the thought of taking care of the birds because I have nothing else to do…
Laughing without reason, I opened the door wide, heading towards the garden.
“It’s cold outside. Come inside quickly.”
I even gestured for them to come inside, but they just stared at me silently.
With a very cold, red glow in their eyes.
Suddenly, feeling a sense of unease, I turned my head towards the dining table, and there the crow was trembling in fear.
It was stuck to the wall with feathers puffed up, unable to close its beak.
At the end of its gaze was her.
With ink stains on her hands and her hair fluttering with strands of fur.
“Can you explain what on earth is going on?”
And on my shoulder, instead of the creature I used to stroke, there was a giant crow with a much larger build, perched.
*
That big crow spread its wings wide and gently landed on the table where I had been sitting.
And then, it stared at the creature I used to stroke.
“What… what’s going on? I just woke up and was about to eat the prepared food…”
“Eat?”
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Oh, my goodness. The voice is so heavy.
And even a red light flashed in its eyes that I hadn’t seen recently.
Did I do something terribly wrong?
“So, you were petting the crow you left in the room, right? Because you were bored…”
“Yeah, I was petting the crow. Not me?”
No, it’s still just blurting out its inner thoughts.
But seriously? Jealous of a crow?
“Yeah, you were. You were closing your eyes halfway as if you were about to die from cuteness and petting it. On the head, cheeks, neck… beak, belly.”
“Yeah, I did.”
“You know, at first, I was really angry thinking you were fooling around.”
Fooling around? With a crow? Is it really necessary to push it this far?
“Fooling around, how could I… with an animal-“
“They think the same way. They like being petted, taken care of, and even try to repay you in their own way. It’s admirable, but it’s incredibly cunning here. How could they meddle with someone who has a master.”
“Hee, heeik…”
The flickering eyes seemed to be staring at me continuously, but the other eye was clearly focused on the crow pressed against the wall.
With occasional side glances and lips twitching, it must have been anger.
“No, no… I’m not that angry. Yeah. There’s no need to be angry, and there’s no reason to be jealous. Because he’s a male.”
“A male… huh?”
“Yeah, a male. At least the ones next to you are all males. I can’t stand watching that bastard wagging his tail at you and flipping my eyes.”
It’s funny to be jealous of animals, isn’t it? Right?
…I’ve already seen funny and unfunny things –
“Huh? What did you say?”
Oh, please, I’m supposed to use my telepathic abilities here.
“So, what’s the answer?”
“Well… it’s funny…”
“Is that so? But you know, I really worked hard, and it’s so unfair that the only one who received a reward is that demanding guy.”
I grabbed my hand in frustration and threw myself onto the bed.
Seriously, it’s ridiculously easy.
I can’t even imagine how strong she is now.
“You probably know what I’m talking about.”
…Whether I know or not.
*
On the bed, she and I sit intertwined.
By the way, this bed is really spacious. Two people with a tall build could easily sleep here.
“Hurry. Do it quickly. Don’t tease me…”
It’s her faint voice.
A beautiful woman in the world is asking me to stroke her hair.
“Just the hair…?”
Oh my, what a strange creature.
What’s more surprising is that it’s me –
“Ouch!”
“Don’t say weird things and do it quickly…!”
She lightly pinched my leg. Is she really the person I knew?
Even if her personality is different, this is too different.
When we used to fight, there was a terrifying countess, and now there’s a girl with a playful attitude –
“Ah!”
“Do it quickly…!”
Finally, after taking a deep breath, I gently brought my hand to her head and started stroking.
It’s truly silky. This hair.
But strangely enough, her hair doesn’t seem to be completely black.
It’s like a raven’s, you could say.
How strange. It didn’t seem like this before.
Let’s see, let’s see… So, for now, let’s just brush it thoroughly.
It’s really smooth. By the way, it also has a nice scent.
There can’t be shampoo like this in the world. How can it be this good?
“Well, um… because the maids take good care of it… when I wake up in the morning and wash…”
hehehe, you’re diligent.
“If I want to look good to you… it’s only natural.”
…Well, I feel a little embarrassed for no reason.
Then, here, now that I’ve gotten used to it a bit – gently behind the ear too –
“Euh-heek?!”
“Wow-ack?!”
While holding her body, she trembled and recoiled forward.
“W-what, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”
Is she feeling too sensitive? I hope I didn’t make a mistake.
“Euh, euh-hee… I-I’m fine… just, gently…”
With a pale face, she trembled, revealing her snow-white shoulders, which had a slight pink tint.
Snow-white, but her shoulders had a hint of pink, giving them a lively look.
Goodness..
If it’s like this, maybe I’ll show a little sincerity.
“Just a moment, this isn’t sincere, right?!”
As a gentle breeze blew by her ear, I drew a line from her neck and wrapped my arms around her shoulders.
“Just a moment, ma-ah, huh?!”
Ah, it smells so good.
The scent of perfume is faint but sweet, just my taste.
With my nose buried in my long hair, I scratched under my chin with my fingertips.
“Mmm… Ah…! Alright, alright, I’m done… Ah!”
Oh my, since I asked first, it’s only proper to do it right.
“I didn’t know it would feel this good…”
“What about gently scratching your scalp?”
“Well, that sounds nice too…”
“Okay, so here’s the thing… Look at that poor thing. I did it because I was bored.”
“Look at it?”
Oh dear, look at how sharp my voice has become.
Should I loosen up a bit?
“It would be nice if you looked…”
Putting wind in someone’s ear doesn’t discriminate, it has the same effect on everyone.
Now even my eyes are wide open, I’m completely sprawled out.
So where should I look?
“Should I calm you down? Hmm?”
“…It’s still not calm.”
Well, there’s nothing I can do then. Is it something you did?
“What did I do wrong – Ah! Mmm, stop! Just a moment!”
She stuck her fingertips into my armpit and flicked her fingers wildly.
If this didn’t work, I was prepared to kick her, but oh well. It seems to be effective.
Plus, the bed is wide enough that I can hold her bouncing body with my legs.
“Ah, ahaahak! It’s, it’s ticklish, stop!”
“I’m mad, no, I’m not mad. I’m mad, I’m not mad!”
“But, still, I haven’t… Ah, ahniik! I haven’t, haven’t!”
Right. She should admit it obediently –
But there were two things that I overlooked,
First, her strength is stronger than mine.
Second, I was lying there with my shirt unbuttoned.
As soon as I loosened my grip, she immediately grabbed both of my arms and climbed onto my stomach.
Wait a minute,
Those eyes are a bit dangerous.
“What’s dangerous?”
No, even the position of your hands is dangerous.
You’re not even married yet?
“You can just do it, why?”
…Oh my god.