"Let's see what happens tomorrow. I can sense the life inside the egg. A-Bai should be fine."
Chisato had no better solution and could only leave it at that.
Torikaze left behind a puppet to watch over A-Bai. At the first sign of any change, it was to wake him immediately.
Yet by the following morning, A-Bai's egg still showed no changes.
Torikaze got up early. Having just finished getting ready and stepped outside, he saw Seiryu and Ryuufuu standing on the roof, watching the giant egg amid the flames.
"Torikaze, what's happening to Mother? I can feel her getting stronger."
Torikaze told Seiryu and Ryuufuu what had happened the night before. Upon hearing it, the couple fell silent as well.
Like Torikaze, they had no way to resolve A-Bai's current condition.
"You two don't need to worry too much. No matter what, this is a good thing for A-Bai. If she succeeds, she'll become the first Phoenix in the entire Shinobi World."
Though Torikaze said that, Seiryu and Ryuufuu were still worried about their mother.
Ever since they were eggs, A-Bai had incubated them with her body heat, then fed and cared for them.
Though they were of different species, A-Bai was their mother. That was an unchangeable fact.
"If anything happens, remember to call us."
Seiryu and Ryuufuu spread their wings and flew back to the bird's nest in the rear courtyard.
Torikaze set a chair beside the egg and sat there, looking at his phone.
Every so often, he turned to check on A-Bai.
"A-Bai, you can't let anything happen to you. You have to succeed!"
Torikaze looked calm on the surface, but inwardly, he was nervous beyond measure.
For the first time, he felt as though he was about to lose a family member.
Yet there