Aochi
"Huh? Why is there a bird here? That shouldn’t be possible."
What do you mean it shouldn’t be? At this point, everything he said feels questionable.
"Hey, judging from its form, isn’t that a fake crane?"
"The bird that eats hearts."
The Harvester of Hearts corrected me flatly.
Either way, why the hell is it showing up here? Its shadow kept growing larger, heading straight toward us. Was it coming for our hearts?
Even so, it was just one bird. The Harvester would shoot it down with that bow-gun of his, and that would be the end of it—except...
"Hey, why are you just standing there? At least bring out that shield from your hand."
The Harvester didn’t move, staring at the fake crane.
Rhone, who had looked like he was about to draw a blade from his hand, lowered both arms as well.
What the hell? Just a moment ago he was saying he wouldn’t give up on me—something almost romantic—and now this?
Scattering the glowing little nebulae floating all around, the fake crane landed in front of us.
Its movements were still violent. The fear I felt when I saw it on deck earlier in the day came rushing back.
I instinctively stepped in front of Oomi to shield him. The Harvester glanced at me and spoke.
"Well, it’s been a while. The bird that eats hearts stuffed with black cosmos."
"It has been a long time. I have been searching for you. To find you inside the Perching Stone… very much like you."
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Stuffed with cosmos? Was this the very fake crane the Harvester had mentioned back on the train?
"And what about you? Why chase me all the way here?"
"To deliver you warnings and recommendations."
The fake crane swept its gaze over all of us.
Beneath the fluffy-looking white breast feathers, was the black cosmos still buried there?
"How generous. All right then, tell me."
"This place is not safe. God knows that you are here. That is the warning."
"Don’t tell me… my Tufted puffin betrayed me?"
I didn’t want to believe that the one who begged to stay by my side would do such a thing.
"Tufted puffin?"
"That’s what he calls the Watcher Bird."
The fake crane tilted its long neck, as if to say, “That’s odd.”Too bad I couldn’t show it an image search of a Tufted puffin—I’d left my belongings behind.
"The Watcher Bird has not spoken a single word about you. It was my comrades. Surely you have not forgotten—you are God’s favorite Harvester. Otherwise, what you are doing—"
"Do not say it."
I had never heard the Harvester speak so coldly. I thought no matter what words he used, warmth would always seep through.
“…My apologies. In any case, that is the warning. And the recommendation is: eat the black cosmos.”
"What?"
Even the Harvester clearly had no idea what that meant.
"It will aid you when God comes after you. Even a wound inflicted by God can be healed by black cosmos. If you intend to escape, you will need it."
"No."
The Harvester rejected it without hesitation.
"Hey, why? The fake crane is trying to be nice—"
"Are you talking about me?"
Again it tilted its long neck, looking right at me. I must have seemed completely insane by now.
"There are no black cosmos blooming here. And I don’t eat birds that devour hearts."
"Ah…"
So this fake crane was telling us to eat the black cosmos still within itself. Which would mean splitting open its own chest.
"Think of it as a bird’s repayment of kindness. Will you not accept it?"
"Like the story of the Crane’s Gratitude?"
Oomi shot me a look, as if to say, “Shut up.”I only meant that birds with this sort of image seemed dutiful. Now I was being ignored by both the bird and the Harvester.
"I will not take it. And you shouldn’t venture outside anymore either—it’s too dangerous. Stay here with us. Your comrades are, sadly, doomed to be crushed by this world. But you, thanks to that boy’s whim, have a body beyond God’s control. You would be the first heart-eating bird to reach the next world. Not a bad fate, is it?"
The Harvester smiled, the wrinkles at his eyes just the way I liked them. The fake crane gave an elegant shake of its head, as if conceding defeat.
"To come this far and plead with you, and still you are stubborn. But you will at least heed the warning, yes? Do not let your guard down. I will say it again: God has already noticed that your ship is gone. And thanks to my comrades’ betrayal, he knows you entered here. He will come searching for you. And when he sees humans here whose selection has not yet been completed—"
"Then I’ll be the only one taken by force."
Oze, who had been listening in silence, finally spoke quietly.