Mygo, you guys seem to be getting a bit heavy-hearted.

Page 76

But those who have done their research beforehand know that in nature, these birds of prey with their thick feathers are by no means inferior in terms of cunning and treachery.

Even during the day, they are used to camouflaging themselves in the shadows so that they are not easily noticed, which is why owls have never been very popular or have many fans in zoos.

Nagasaki Motoyo cautiously waved to the large, motionless creature in the tree.

"Goo? Awooo—!!"

A cry more piercing and terrifying than any scream echoed through the garden the moment the disguise was discovered. The penetrating cry pierced through the glass and entered Su Shi's ears. Although she knew it was just a bluff, the cry still made her unconsciously take a step back.

In that brief moment of distraction, the owl had vanished again.

"What a cunning, despicable creature..."

Nagasaki Motoyo gave a self-deprecating laugh.

"And they're also very cute."

"...!"

Who?

Nagasaki Motoyo turned her head to look in the direction of the sound.

...Yanming stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze falling on the spot where the owl had disappeared, just like hers, his face full of admiration.

...That's really baffling.

"cute?"

Nagasaki Motoyo shook her head. "Have you ever seen an owl get wet? If you have, you won't find them cute."

Yanming was surprised that she was still willing to talk to him. After a moment of surprise, he continued, "I've seen them. Although they usually look round and fluffy, most owls are just bloated. They try to fluff up their feathers to make themselves look bigger in order to scare away some predators."

"If you wet them with water, the owls' bodies will quickly collapse and shrink, and at first glance... it can be quite frightening."

Yanming agreed with Su Shi's statement.

Su Shi withdrew her gaze from him and said in a hoarse voice, "That kind of owl's true nature is that no one wants to get close to it."

"But she's still very cute."

"...?"

Su Shi felt a little angry, but she also felt that it was a foolish thing to lose her temper for no reason.

He didn't provoke me; he was just stating his views.

Even if I dislike Yanming, I shouldn't pick a fight with him in a place where there's no reason at all.

Before she could refute him, Yanming chimed in again: "There was a time when I, well... to be precise, when I was little, I thought birds like owls, who live with a different face, were really 'cool'."

"Despite its true appearance being so thin, weak, and unappealing, it can skillfully use all sorts of disguises to shape itself into a form that conforms to human aesthetics in order to gain human favor."

"...That idea is arrogant, isn't it? Owls are animals of nature. How could they have evolved camouflage abilities because they wanted to 'please' someone?"

"So I quickly rejected that idea after that."

"Now I know clearly that the fundamental purpose of the owls evolving into the form we know today is only that one thing that has never changed since ancient times—'survival'."

"It has nothing to do with their own will; the owls have no choice but to become what they are now in order to survive in the 'forest'."

Chapter 111 The Secret Between Two People

After hearing these words, Nagasaki Motoyo frowned.

She inexplicably felt that the other person wasn't referring to owls, but rather implying something else, though she had no proof.

"...Even so, that owl is not 'cute' at all."

Su Shi subconsciously refuted Yan Ming's words.

Such selfish and despicable animals, in their true form... how could they possibly be worthy of public approval?

No matter how many people approach it because of its fluffy and soft appearance, they will eventually recognize its ugliness after a bucket of cold water is poured over it, and then abandon it without a second thought.

In any case, the final outcome is the same.

"That's not the case. It's precisely because of their camouflage for survival that I think owls are cute creatures, because in my eyes, 'pity is cuteness'."

"Ugh... What a disgusting statement."

Su Shi made no attempt to hide her prejudice against Yan Ming.

"So, Nagasaki-san, where's your disguise?"

Yanming turned around and said calmly, "Have you given up?"

Rather than revealing his true intentions, he acted as if he were just asking casually, as relaxed and casual as if asking if someone had eaten lunch.

Su Shi was so enraged by this sudden question that she stammered, "What are you going to do now?"

Yanming did not answer her question, but continued, "Did you give up... or did you think that pretending in front of me was no longer effective, so you simply stopped caring?"

Nagasaki Motoyo sneered, "Just like you said, what's the point of pretending in front of you anymore? You've already seen how humiliating I am, so if you want to keep mocking me, then go ahead!"

Shh—it's too loud, the lights will hear us.

Yanming put a finger to his lips as a reminder.

"!"

Nagasaki Motoyo immediately fell silent and looked warily in the direction of the others.

Fortunately, they did not realize their lapse in composure.

Yanming refocused his attention on the Owl Garden and said, "Let's just keep this as a secret between the two of us, Nagasaki Motoyo. Whether you believe it or not, I'm not saying this to embarrass you."

"Now you're pretending to be a good person..."

Yanming interrupted her: "But I acted very convincingly. Apart from you, no one else has discovered this so far."

Nagasaki Motoyo understood what Yanming meant: "Are you saying that I also have leverage over you, and that you even handed this leverage over to me yourself?"

"You can interpret it that way, or you can have even more malicious speculations about me without any problem."

"..."

"After all, we are all hypocrites."

"..."

"Instead of an owl."

Seeing that she stopped talking, Yanming tactfully walked away.

"..."

"Gurgle. Gurgle?"

In the garden, the great owl from before had somehow returned to the same branch, tilting its head and staring at Su Shi just as Su Shi had looked at it before.

Nagasaki Motoyo also noticed this gaze.

then.

She gave the innocent owl a fierce look.

"Coo?! Coo coo coo—"

The owl was so frightened that it almost fell off the branch, then flapped its wings and slunk away.

However, Su Shi was merely bluffing.

She is human, not an owl.

although.

The contrasts found in the owl can also be found in Nagasaki Motoyo.

"...What a terrifying person. He fooled Xiaoxiang and the others all by himself...I will expose your true colors to everyone one day."

However, due to Yanming's intentional or unintentional guidance, Nagasaki Motoyo failed to notice the slight wavering in her heart.

……

"Let's go to the aquarium next!"

Xiangzi suggested, "I heard there are penguins there!"

Upon hearing his name, Lamp's ears immediately perked up.

"Yes, yes! ...I did some research before I came. There are several different kinds of penguins here. If Xiaoxiang is interested, I...I can tell you about them!"

The lamp seemed a little excited when those short, black-and-white creatures were mentioned.

"If the lamp goes, I'll go too."

The battle with the red panda had ended inconclusively, but Shiina Tatsuki stubbornly believed it was his victory.

"There are more than just penguins in the aquarium; the walruses there are about twice my size."

Yanming gestured with a smile.

Xiangzi's interest was piqued: "Really? I want to see!"

After lunch, Mu returned to his usual taciturn self, merely nodding in agreement with the suggestion to go to the aquarium.

She can do either.

Anyway, she has never felt happy visiting the zoo.

Mu doesn't like moving animals; for her, her own little vegetable garden is more to her liking.

...Since cucumbers and cherry tomatoes can't talk, you can whisper whatever you want to them. No matter how much you go overboard, they won't give you a hard time or leave you. They just quietly absorb water and grow.

That's good.

Thinking of this, Mu secretly glanced at Yanming, who was being pestered by Xiangzi.

If I have the chance, I'd like to let him try cherry tomatoes again... I wonder if he'll like them.

"Unanimously approved! Location: Aquarium. Fellow Crychic members, set sail!"

"Yes, Captain Toyokawa! ...But I don't seem to be from Crychic, do I?"

After saluting and catching the joke, Yanming said helplessly.

Xiangzi waved his hand.

As the person who originally founded the band Crychic, her power is limitless!

"First Officer Yanming, I hereby declare that from this day forward you are an unofficial member of Crychic!"

"Yes, yes, yes... Let's go quickly, my little darling."

After the ice was broken among the Crychic members, the band's existence did not become a taboo subject that could not be mentioned. Instead, it was preserved as a warm and memorable time, and the few members outside of the group could occasionally joke about it.

This is also what Yanming hoped to see.

"Xiao Xiang! Crychic is a band of five, we don't need another bassist!"

"Su Shi is right, a band with two basses is indeed too bulky..."

Xiangzi thoughtfully rubbed his chin, then waved his hand again, "Yanming, I hereby announce that you are fired!"

"Snapped!"

"Ugh, Yanming, you hit me again..."

It only took Xiangzi a second to go from smug to pitiful.

But this second was the limit of Yanming's slap, definitely not her limit.

"Hurry up and go, you idiot!"

"Okay, okay... don't yell at me..."

Su Shi frowned as she looked at Yan Ming's sinus surgery, which started with almost zero frames.

Could such a naturalness in his actions really be a disguise?