I Got a Present~
I finally made it to the stables. Of course, Vii was amused and stayed in a back hug the whole time...
"Snowy."
(Oh my? Joan. Happy birthday.)
"Thank you, Snowy. Ah, let me introduce you. This is my aunt on my father's side, Lady Juliette, her husband Lord Gilbert, and this is Vee."
"Joan, why is my introduction the only one that’s so half-baked?"
(Ehehe, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Snowy. Lady Juliette, Lord Gilbert, Young master Vee. I'm glad to meet you. This is my mate, Zex, my daughter Noir, and my son Blau.)
Noir, who takes after Zex, is a beautiful black bay. But her fierce temperament is her only flaw...
Zex and Noir can’t speak, so they only bowed their heads.
(Nice to meet you. I’m Blau, contracted to Young lady Joan. A pleasure to meet you.)
"Well, how very polite of you. As expected from someone contracted to our dear Joan—you’ve got good manners."
(Thank you very much. To be praised by such a beautiful lady as yourself, today may become a day I’ll never forget... neigh.)
As Blau tried to unleash his usual feminist charm on Aunt Julie, Noir kicked him.
I had no idea what they were saying, but the two seemed to be communicating with soft whinnies.
(I'm sorry. I tried to teach Blau to be gentle with women, but he turned out like... that. I’m not sure where I went wrong…)
"Oh, it’s fine. I didn’t feel offended or anything... Besides, I’m also the mother of two boys, so I understand well what you’re going through, Snowy. For some reason, they always take things in weird directions."
(Thank you, Lady Juliette. I completely understand. It’s like, “why would you take it that way?” It’s baffling.)
Snowy and Aunt Julie have... become mom friends?
"Ah, um, Snowy, I’d like to perform a Search on you. Is that okay?"
"Yes, of course. Go ahead."
"Search Open."
——————————————————
[Snowy]
Pegasus. Adult.
Contracted with
Joan.
Attributes
Wind
Earth
Status
Healthy, but mentally fatigued
Note
Can speak to humans due to contract.
Can communicate telepathically with Joan only.
Madly in love with her mate, Zex.
Worried about Blau’s overly feminist nature.
Concerned about Noir’s aggressive temperament.
——————————————————
““““……””””
I got so caught up in Snowy’s notes that I forgot to look at her elements... I’ll give her some dried Brapes fruit on the way home—it helps reduce stress.
"Thanks, Snowy. Also… sounds like you’re dealing with a lot. If anything happens, don’t hesitate to tell me."
(… Thank you, Joan. Parenthood brings all sorts of things... Noir’s so temperamental she won’t let anyone ride her, and Blau is… well, you’ve seen him.)
"Snowy, I’ll always listen to you vent too, okay?"
(Thank you, Lady Juliette.)
"I’d like to Search Blau too."
(Of course, if it’s for my Young lady.)
"Ah, yeah yeah. Search Open."
(Young lady, aren’t you being a little too casual with me?)
——————————————————
[Blau]
Pegasus. 2 years old (about 13 in human years).
Contracted with
Joan.
Attributes
Wind
Earth
Condition
Healthy.
Note
Can speak to humans due to contract.
Can communicate telepathically with Joan only.
Loves beautiful things and Joan.
Loves himself even more.
——————————————————
““““Huh?””””
What? “Loves himself even more”? So he’s a feminist and a narcissist?
Ugh, no way. That’s my least favorite type…
"Ah, yeah. Thanks."
(Well? I was perfect, wasn’t I?)
"……"
(Young lady? What’s wrong? Are you stunned by my charm? Of course you are. It can’t be helped—I’m a chosen, perfect—)
"... Nope."
(Eh? What do you mean?)
"Blau, I’ll say this clearly… I cannot handle that soft, over-polite vibe of yours, or how much you love yourself, or how you push your values onto others!"
(Eh!)
"Joan, isn’t that a bit too blunt…?"
"No, Big brother Gil. If I don’t say it clearly now, I’ll end up spending all my time with Blau feeling uncomfortable. I think it’s good to be kind to women. But Blau… you go way overboard. I’m guessing Noir has told you off about it too, hasn’t she?"
I looked at Noir and she nodded. Thought so…
"There's our contract, and Blau has his personality too…"
(Young lady, are you… are you going to abandon me? Please, let me stay by your side)
Blau rubbed up against me. While petting him, I said,
"Umm… let me think about it a bit."
Saying that, I took my hand off Blau and went over to Noir.
"Noir, thanks for looking after Blau. It must be tough for you too."
As I petted Noir, I heard:
—If it’s for Mom and you, Young lady Joan, I don’t mind.
"Eh?"
—Eh?
"That was you, Noir?"
—Can you hear me? What I’m saying?
"Yeah. I can… but why?"
—I don’t know either.
"Right... Noir, hold on a sec."
—Assist-chan! Emergency!!
—A: What’s wrong?
—J: Why can I hear Noir’s voice?
—A: Ah, I forgot to mention. It’s your 10th birthday present?
—J: Huh? Present?
—A: Yep! It’s an original skill just for you called Animal Talk. You can talk with any animal you touch. Handy, right?
—J: Ah, yeah… uh, thanks, Assist-chan.
—Are you okay, Young lady Joan?
"Ah, yeah. Apparently as a birthday present, I gained the ability to talk to animals I touch."
—Wow. As expected of someone totally out of the norm.
"……"
I can talk to animals now… I’m basically like Mr. Mutsugoro or something.
Ah, wait—Mr. Mutsugoro didn’t actually *talk* to animals…
Dad said three skills is normal. What the heck does *normal* even mean?
What do you think about this chapter?
