Chapter 5

For a while, I gazed in the direction the bird had flown. Even after the bird was no longer visible, I think I was still dazed.

...But then, I snapped out of it, went outside the tent, and checked the spring.

There, a single feather that had fallen lay on the ground. I stepped into the spring and picked it up.

The gray feather was about as long as my upper arm. It was huge. What is this? What is this?

Encountering the unknown was terrifying, but more than that, it was thrilling. Was I mistaking the thrill of fear for excitement? What do they call this? The suspension bridge effect?

But it’s fine. Whether it’s a suspension bridge or a stepping stone, it doesn’t matter. I liked that bird. I want to draw it. I’ve decided. I will definitely draw it.

I don’t want to materialize it; I just want to draw a picture.

...Ah, it’s been a while since I felt this way. Recently, I’ve been drawing to materialize things.

Yeah. Then, it’s perfect. I’ll take a break from thinking about survival and just draw a picture for myself. I’ve decided.

With a goal set, things move quickly. I will find that bird again and draw it. I’ve decided.

Since I’ve decided, the first thing to do is...

...a bath.

Yeah, I thought. I had completely forgotten. But I remembered.

I hadn’t taken a bath for about a week...

I drew soap, buckets, and other things and took a bath.

I was hesitant to undress outdoors... but, well, there’s probably no one around. Yeah, no one is around, right...?

The water was cold, but I felt refreshed after getting clean for the first time in a while. I’ll take regular baths from now on. Or maybe I’ll build a bath. A hot spring might be nice. Also, I should separate the water for daily use and drinking. That means I need to create another spring first...?

...I decided to put the water issue aside for now. Now, it’s about the bird. For that, I need clothes.

No, because after taking a bath and getting clean, putting on clothes I’ve worn for a week... I just didn’t want to. Also, the dirt on the clothes bothered me. And they smelled a bit.

...So, I ended up drawing new clothes to wear after the bath. I should prepare properly next time.

After that, I packed my bag and set out.

I headed in the direction the bird had flown. There’s no other clue, but if I listen carefully, I can hear a faint bird call, so I think I’ll manage somehow. Probably.

I think I have good hearing. I can pick up even small sounds.

So, it’s useful when I need to find something like a bird. I kept searching for the ‘kyu-kyu-kyo’-like chirping and kept walking.

If I found something with a beautiful color along the way, I picked it up to use as paint later.

The best find this time was a purple flower. The color is mauve. It’s such a vivid purple, and it would make a great color for paint.

I also found a bright green insect shell, probably a lizard eggshell, and a translucent brown gem-like fragment. I got quite a variety, so the walk was definitely worth it.

“...I wonder if there are more creatures this way.”

Probably, there are more creatures here than where I was initially. I hadn’t seen insect shells or eggshells before. Come to think of it, I hadn’t really encountered any animals properly. I only used a butterfly’s corpse for paint once, and that was it. After that, I hadn’t seen any dead or living creatures.

...Yeah, I really haven’t seen any animals. That bird was the first. That’s why I was so moved.

If there are more animals, there might be danger, too. What if a bear appears? I can only run, but bears are surprisingly fast, I think.

Even if it’s not a bear, if a wolf or a stray dog appears, I’ll probably die. I’ll try to run. If that doesn’t work, I’ll give up and die. But I want to draw the bear, dog, or wolf before I die. No, I won’t have time for that.

...Well, I’ll be careful. As much as I can.

As I walked through the forest, the bird’s calls gradually got closer.

From that point on, I paid attention and searched the surroundings...

...and I found it.

“Huge”

A large tree.

And on that tree, a huge bird’s nest.

...It’s definitely that one.

I’m not good at climbing trees. I tried once when I was younger, fell, and got covered in mud, which got me scolded. I haven’t climbed a tree since.

But I can’t see it if I don’t climb, so I have to.

...However, of course, I can’t climb such a huge tree... so, I’ll draw a ladder to hang on a nearby tree. I’ll climb that ladder and observe the bird’s nest from the adjacent tree.

I drew a ladder and climbed the tree.

The branches were surprisingly thick and sturdy, and even as a beginner at tree climbing, I managed to stabilize myself on the tree.

The view from the tree was not bad at all. I could see the forest spreading out. I couldn’t see beyond that. ...If I climbed higher, I might see where the forest ends.

But it’s fine. What I want to see now is not the terrain or anything, but just the bird’s nest.

I peered into the bird’s nest hanging in the middle of the adjacent tree.

...There was no bird.

But instead... there were eggs.

The eggshells were a beautiful robin’s egg blue... blue.