Chapter 126
I greet Eko.
The two children are with me as well.
I'm debating whether to give these children names.
It's inconvenient when I need to call them.
But... I don't know if it's all right to name them without asking.
Also, for the past few days, they've been calling me something strange.
I hear it over and over, but I can't make it out at all.
Is there something wrong with my ears?
For now, I'm assuming they're calling me "Big Brother."
I hope it's not "Uncle."
But given our age difference... No, it has to be Big Brother.
No doubt about it!
The walking sticks' strange dance again today.
The water amoeba and the field amoeba have both settled down over the past few days.
The water amoeba is doing its usual greeting.
...It's cold, so maybe I should stop letting it splash me with water.
The field amoeba is taking it easy now that there's no fieldwork to do.
I'd like it to stop startling me by blending into the soil.
...Has it thought up a new game?
I hope that game doesn't evolve.
With the way it's blending in now, I can tell it's there if I look closely, but anything beyond that...
The walking sticks are as usual.
Their strange dance.
I've gotten used to watching them lately, so I've noticed that they have different kinds of dances.
The direction they spin and the number of times they jump differ, among other things.
I didn't notice at first because their movements were all over the place.
Lately, they've become so synchronized that I can feel their unity.
Still, some of them spin the opposite way, which is cute.
Dances can have meanings in Japan. I wonder if the walking sticks' dances do too?
I'd like to know if they do... but that's probably impossible.
The smallest walking stick is about five centimeters long.
It's a little unsteady, and I worry it'll get blown away.
...
Morning chores are over.
I head back home with the children.
It's gotten quite a bit colder.
Autumn is short in this world.
It'll be snowing again in no time.
Hm? That's a flying lizard, isn't it?
A lizard's body with wings—it's unmistakably a flying lizard, but something feels off.
When I sense its magical power... Fluffy?
It's nodding, so does that mean it's Fluffy?
...Um, is this growth?
Huh? Fluffy was a lizard?
I did wonder if they were the same species... but I never thought it would actually be true.
Oh, congratulations. You've grown, huh?
Does it feel good when I pat its head? It closes its eyes.
It's more expressive than Fluffy was.
...Could Marshmallow be the same way...? I'd better be prepared.
Still, after Fluffy, now it's a lizard.
A fish that changes its name as it grows... No, that's different. Its name changes, but it's still a fish.
It's a butterfly.
It's like a chrysalis turning into a butterfly.
I see, I see.
I liked the previous form better... No, lizards are cute too.
...
It's been a while since Fluffy and I came to the lake to fish.
The children are napping at home.
They must have gotten sleepy watching the dance.
The lake! It's been a while.
The lake seems much cleaner than when I saw it before. Is that related to the forest changing?
Well, cleaner is a good thing.
By the way, why has the lake's shape changed?
Somehow, rivers have formed from the lake here and there.
Is that okay?
No problem.
I see.
I wonder if the lake is expanding its territory on its own too.
Well, this is a world where trees move on their own, so I guess it's possible.
Could a river form toward the house too?
It can.
I hope it doesn't cause problems for the fields.
I'd better ask it, then. Please don't make a river in the fields.
Fluffy dove into the water.
I wonder what kind of fish it'll catch today... No, this isn't fishing—Fluffy is catching fish by hand.
...Huh?
Did Fluffy have hands in its original form?
It drank wine and ate food too, didn't it?
My memories of its hands are... Huh?
Why can't I remember?
Oh, another big one today.
The one-eyed ones will be happy.
I watch Fluffy, now evolved into a lizard.
It flies while clutching a fish in its tiny hands.
It has hands...
Maybe I should check with Marshmallow.