“Whether they are fighting to protect their territory, or hunting to live, for us to interfere would be nothing more than the self-serving self-interest of the human ego.”
She began to stride forward, with such assuredness that the guards forgot for a second that they were here to stop her. They let her walk past.
“However,” Kanata said, “I came to a conclusion of my own. In times such as this...”
“In times such as this?” the guards echoed, curious.
Kanata made a tight fist. “In times such as this, I shall side with the fluffiest!”
“That is self-serving!” blurted out one guard.
“You can’t get more self-interested!” shouted the other.
Kanata chortled and made a break for it, running ahead of the guards. “Of course it’s self-serving!” she called. “It’s absolutely solipsistic! It has nothing to do with the laws of nature! I didn’t come this far to be held back by something like that!”
All of Kanata’s efforts had been for this day. All of her talent, all of her training, all of her progress. All to be offered up on the altar of fluff! Kanata flew like the wind to the furball’s side. She was full of determination.
“That’s enough!” Kanata shouted.
“Gugeeey?!” the birds squawked.
For just a second they were so shocked to see a young girl cutting in between themselves and the furball that they stopped moving. But upon realizing that their opponent was a young girl, they cried with delight. This was more prey!
“Gargargargar!” Their terrible shrieks filled the air as one of the two flew down to rake at Kanata with its wicked talons.
“You will harm the fluff no further!” Kanata declared. “I won’t allow it!”
She swung up with one of her arms, smacking the monster on its incoming talons with the back of her hand. Just that small movement was enough to send the bird flying, looking for all the world like it was slipping on ice. It lost its stability and fell from the air in a tailspin, crashing noisily into a tree to one side behind Kanata.
“Gu... Gugey?!” The birds were confused.
They had fought humans who blocked their attacks with great shields, but never before had they seen a human parry their attacks with only her bare hands. She was strong. There would be no toying with or tormenting this human. For all that she looked like a small girl, this was an opponent worthy of their full strength. They had been careless, but no more. To bring down their opponent, they would have to change tactics.
“Gugeeeeeey!”
The bird who had crashed into the tree did not seem to be badly injured. Its rock-hard feathers had protected it from the blow. Both birds flew up high, wheeling around in great circles, trying to feel out a weakness in Kanata’s defense.
Kanata, still keeping an eye on the birds, turned to the furball she had covered. “Are you all right? I’ll get you out of here as soon as I can.”
“M-Miu...” the furball cried feebly. It sounded like a small kitten.
“S-So cute!” Kanata was so charmed by the creature’s adorable voice that she lost her focus.
The birds noticed. One bird stopped circling and dove straight for her. This time it was not using its talons, but its sharp, spear-like beak, launching its own body like a deadly arrow to impale its prey. This attack could tear through the thickest of shields and the sturdiest of armor as if they were tissue paper. Some of the humans these birds had fought had thought that they could brace themselves to take the hit and finish the bird off with a counterattack. For their cleverness, they had all ended up skewered on the birds’ beaks. There was no defense against the penetrative force of this dive.
The bird’s hard feathers cut through the air, making a high-pitched whistling sound. Certain of its victory, it sped up, aiming to open a hole in the human’s soft belly.
“Gugeeeeeey!” it cried.
With the help of gravity, it flew through the air faster than an arrow. It was flying just about fast enough to break the sound barrier.
“Miu! Miu!” the furball cried, trying as hard as it could to tell Kanata, Behind you!, but Kanata wouldn’t turn around.
“Oh my gosh!” she exclaimed. “Cuuuute!”
The bird scoffed at her stupidity. Foolish human girl. She would die along with the critter. It braced its body for impact, stiffening its muscles and pulling its wings back around its body to minimize air resistance. Thin, stiff, and straight, it resembled nothing so much as an arrow. Its force was enough to break through a castle’s strong gate as thoroughly as any battering ram. It bore down on Kanata, the roar deafening as it tore through the air. It had her. She would die with that goofy expression of adoration still on her face. Or so it thought.
“Gu...gugeygey?!”
Kanata blocked the attack effortlessly. No, block isn’t quite the right word. She caught the bird’s beak in her hand, stopping it in midair with nothing more than her reflexes and her grip strength. All that even after the debuff from the Beast Tamer Profession.
The two guards cried out in justifiable shock at her fearsome power. “N-No way!” one shouted. “O-One handed?!”
“Like she’s playing catch! What is this girl?!”
However, the birds were still confident of their victory. That attack had been a feint. Even though its dive was faster than an arrow, there were some skilled adventurers who were able to dodge one way or another. And when they were off balance, the other bird would strike. The first bird would cry out when it dove, bringing the enemy’s attention to itself, while the other streaked silently through the air for the killing blow. These birds had perfected this flawless two-stage attack as brothers, and it had yet to be defeated.
The other bird silently flew at Kanata from behind, beak first.
“M-Miu! Miu!” The furball knew how dangerous this attack was. It tried desperately to warn her.
“You really are just the cutest!” Kanata exclaimed passionately, and she easily caught the second bird in her other hand. The birds, whose movement had been suddenly halted, vibrated in her grip.
“Miu...” The furball didn’t know what to make of this girl.
“Cute, cute, cuuuuuute!” Kanata couldn’t get enough of that little voice. Even its astonished gasp just now made her squirm—even as she still clutched the birds in both hands.