Chapter 31

I held Crow tightly for a while.

Although it shouldn't have been warm, it was.

While gently stroking Crow, I asked him,

"Why did Roa die?"

...

Stopping his purring, Crow fell silent.

"Crow?"

"I'm sorry. I can't say. I think Roa-sama wanted it that way."

"Why?"

"I can't say the reason either. ...Sorry?"

Crow looked dejected, his tail drooping.

"I see."

"Sorry?"

Crow kept apologizing repeatedly.

"Don't apologize. If that's what Roa wanted, then that's fine."

I wanted to know about Roa's last moments.

But if Roa didn't want it to be known, it was better not to know.

I held back.

On the bed, holding Crow, surrounded by Daru, Caro, and Korko,

"Ruria-sama!" "Pet me!" "Crow is being unfair!"

The fluffy spirits gathered around.

"Wow! The usual spirits! You can talk now?"

These were the spirits I often saw.

I had played spirit-tossing with Daru.

But during that time, the spirits didn't say a word.

"We can talk now!" "Crow said not to talk!" "Pet me!"

I stroked the fluffy spirits.

"No, that's not true. I didn't say it out of malice."

"But why?"

"Human children learn to speak more slowly and develop strange speech patterns when they talk to spirits."

"But I don't think that's true?"

"...Yeah."

"Everyone, will you talk to me from now on?"

"We want to, we want to... but I think it's better to hold back for now."

"Hmm"

"Why, why?" "Talk to Ruria-sama!" "Throw me!"

I grabbed a fluffy spirit and tossed it.

"Kyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkya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