Chapter 4

The rustling sound of the wind tickled his ears. Somewhere, a bird or something chirped cheerfully, and his consciousness became clearer.

The wind felt good. It was soft and warm, like a spring breeze.

He could tell that his body was lying on its back, but he felt like he could stay this way forever. With a pleasant feeling, he kept his eyes closed, and something fluffy touched his cheek. Then, something cold hit his neck, and he opened his eyes, wondering what it was.

"...Ah, it's bright."

The blue sky spread above him. The halo of the sun was visible high in the sky, making his eyes a bit dazzled. It seemed like a shadow was falling on part of it, but what was it?

When he reached out his hand, it sank into something fluffy.

"Hmm?"

As his eyes adjusted to the light, he finally realized what was looking down at him.

"Cluck, cluck."

A white, streamlined body. A flame-like crest on its head. Deformed yellow feet and a round bottom. A fluffy, crimson tail that seemed to flow with the wind. And large, black, beady eyes that gazed at him.

His fingertips were buried in the fluffy, white chest of this creature.

In short, it was a chicken.

"Chicken...? Why...?"

His head was still groggy from just waking up.

He sat up and looked into the black, beady eyes that were staring at him. They had a certain charm and seemed intelligent. The chicken looked straight at him and tilted its head. Hmm, can chickens really tilt their heads?

...As he gradually woke up, he realized something. Right, he was playing a game. This was inside Divine Beast Village Online. So, the chicken in front of him...!

"Could you be my partner?"

"Cluck, cluck!"

The chicken in front of him spread its wings and chirped.

He moved his fingers, which were buried in the chicken's feathers. It was a completely harmless action since it was a chicken, but if he did this to a human in reality, it would be a total creeper move.

"Cute!"

He picked it up and spun around on the spot. The chicken, despite being hugged tightly by him, chirped happily with wide eyes.

Each time he spun, the fluffy tail waved in the wind. It was a type of chicken with a long tail like a phoenix. The smooth, large, and impressive comb on its head probably stimulated his neck earlier.

The surroundings felt like a grassland. Despite just starting the game, there was no trace of a starting town. Looking around, there was a door at the edge of the grassland. It was the only thing there.

"Hmm? Where am I?"

Hmm, how do I check my status? Ah, there's a button at the edge of my vision. Should I press this? Let me tap and scroll.

There it is.

The place name is... "The Room of Encounters"?

I see, so I haven't reached the town yet. There's an initial mission at the bottom that says "Get along with the holy beast!"

I tapped on the partner section below my status.

I thought for a moment that it was strange to check the partner's status before my own, but it's fine! Because this little one is so cute!

"Status, open!"

It's just a simple job of pressing the button to look cool.

Chickens are so cute, right??

There's a close battle on Twitter about whether they are cute or not! But they are cute, right??

I'm looking forward to it!

I'm waiting for bookmarks and evaluations from those who are excited!