He looked down at the cage he had put down for a moment.

The blue bird sat quietly and stared at Noel.

Without even realizing what he was doing.

“…..Are you stupid too?”

Noel took a moment to catch his breath.

Both his shoulders and back were tingling. It was because he had been walking constantly without a break.

“It would have been nice if you had come to the Duchy too.”

It would have had a good relationship with Rieta, comforting each other.

Above all, he wouldn’t have let it live alone in a place without a sky like this.

All of the beautiful gardens of the Duchy could have become this bird’s home, or perhaps helped it return to its homeland. He doesn’t know if it’s possible.

“Noel!”

Just then, Rieta arrived at where he was.

She held out the watch and had a very desperate look, which meant only one thing.

Time is up.

The blue light they had seen earlier bloomed on the ceiling.

Wizards, who will soon notice that the cage is gone, will come in to assess the situation.

Noel collapsed, his exhausted body slamming against the locked door.

At that moment, the door that could not be opened, began to move.

The hot summer air passed over Noel’s cheek and brushed against the nearby cage.

***

“Noel!”

With Rieta’s screams, Noel fell to the outside of the door.

The clear blue sky that came into view for a moment was welcome.

He sat down on the roof without even having time to get up, dragging the cage over the door.

He finally opened the cage. where it touches the sky.

“…..”

But no matter how long, this stupid bird never flew outside.

Just sitting in the cage and looking at the white clouds.

As if it was carefully examining what it should not be greedy for.

“Get out, you idiot!”

Noel yelled at the bird in frustration.

To force the bird out, he even put his hand into the cage, but he stopped doing so because the bird freaked out and ran away.

In the end, even after a while, the bird remained.

Noel took turns looking at Rieta, who was monitoring the situation from the emergency stairway, and at the bird, then let out a long sigh and lowered the cage onto the roof.

What the hell did he do

It was really unlike Noel Mayer to cause an accident just from listening to BB and Rieta’s story.

“You, actually, did you like being here?”

He sat down on the floor and asked towards the cage. Of course, the bird gave no answer.

Well, perhaps it could have really liked it.

It may feel stuffy because it is like a cage, but in other words, it can live comfortably without typhoons or natural enemies.

“Then why don’t you say that? You idiot.”

Noel scolded the cage for no reason.

“Even if I open the door, you won’t come out, and you look depressed for some reason, so you must…”

It seemed to overlap with Rieta who always missed Liz, so he couldn’t bear to leave it as it was.

He let out a long sigh, and soon the bird chirped something at Noel.

Like giving comfort.

“What a funny little thing, really.”

When Noel burst into laughter as if he was dumbfounded, this time the bird spread its wings wide and fluttered.

As they exchanged reactions like this, it felt like they were having a conversation.

Of course, it is impossible for a bird and a human being to share words with each other in the first place.

“Noel.”

At that time, Rieta spoke in a serious voice.

“Looks like wizards are coming in. The door is open.”

“Damn.”

He put his forehead between my knees.

He didn’t know how to explain this nonsense.

Was it funny seeing him despair? The bird that seldom cries talked loudly.

Noel decided to admit, if nothing else, the bird does resemble Rieta.

Teasing him the same way like this.

“……You don’t have to be the same in useless things.”

When Noel muttered that and raised his head, he gasped in amazement.

The bird that was only in the cage came out and was in front of Noel.

It was staring at him.

“What are you?”

When he asked this in bewilderment, the bird clung to his leg with a flutter.

Seeing that act, he felt a strange affection.

Noel recalled the story BB had told them.

This foolish bird who has given up on the sky, still expects affection for people?

While living quietly alone in a space where no one comes and goes………

Noel raised his hand.

And he cautiously reached out to the bird.

Tap.

Tenderness spread from where he touched.

The sensation of the different temperatures meeting was very strange.

From the little head to the wings, Noel carefully traced the shape of the little bird in his hands.

Come to think of it, the fact that he couldn’t communicate with words to the bird was not a big problem.

Even though he spoke differently from Rieta when they were young, they clearly understood each other at heart.