Help! The Bird Is Gone!

On the vast, boundless sea, waves surge and ripples spread, while the gentle sunlight shines on that solitary island, bringing a lazy, warm feeling.

Four fair little feet, with toes as clear as jade bamboo shoots and lotus feet, stepped on the slightly warm fine sand, experiencing the interesting friction and grainy feeling on the soles of their feet, and followed the tide, riding the waves.

A salty, damp breeze blew by, causing her long pink and blue hair to flutter gently.

"Splash!"

Suddenly, two beautiful figures observing the sea surface swiftly bent down, each scooping up a lively, wriggling fish from the water and tossing it behind them with a sense of triumphant satisfaction.

"Slap! Slap!"

Two sea fish, forced ashore, landed one after the other on a banana leaf in the shade.

Beneath the banana leaf, a bristle-like blue feather sensed the movement above, instantly stood erect, casually parted the banana leaf, and leaped up from the grass under the shade of the tree.

"Eating fish again? Lately, I feel like throwing up whenever I smell fish."

Harpy broke off a branch, squatted down, and poked at the two nearly dead sea creatures. Their blue, feather-like tufts of hair lay listlessly on the ground, their wings supporting their deformed cheeks, their little faces contorted in a pained sigh.

"What else can we eat if we don't eat fish?"

The girl, with long pink hair, pointed ears, a white feather headdress, and gray-black bird wings on her back, pointed to the bird-like features on herself and Harpy, looking completely at ease.

Then, the girl seemed to remember something, her expression showing some resistance, and she muttered to herself.

"Insects are such disgusting things, you can eat them if you want."

The Harpy gestured and spoke, glistening saliva dripping from the corners of her mouth as she spoke, her throat moving unconsciously.

"Braised beef! Lamb chops! Grilled spider legs too! If you really can't find any of those, then make some yakitori skewers! Spread some barbecue sauce on them, and season them with cumin and lemon!"

The pink-haired girl looked at her sea buddy who was staring longingly at her, and tentatively blinked her colorful eyes.

"Then, I'll feed them some Magic Potion, try a few more times, and I guarantee I'll conjure up whatever cows, sheep, spiders, or the like you mentioned?"

Harpy quickly shook his head, his little face scrunched up, complaining irritably.

"You still dare to talk! No matter how those things change in appearance, they still taste like fish. They don't satisfy your cravings at all, and if you eat too much of them, you'll easily turn into a piglet!"

The pink-haired girl looked embarrassed and helpless as she gazed at the shimmering seawater.

"How about I catch some lobsters, shellfish, crabs, or something like that for you, to change things up?"

The Harpy twitched her lips, looking somewhat dejected.

"Are there any other islands? I miss home and want to go play on other islands."

When the topic turned to "home" and "other islands," Harpy swallowed hard, maintaining his usual excellent manners.

Upon hearing that Harpy intended to leave, the pink-haired girl panicked and quickly shook her head to stop him.

"No, no, no, how about we have some barley porridge? It's my specialty!"

"I'm getting tired of this too..."

"I found fresh nectar and a whole patch of growing mint!"

"Okay then."

After being repeatedly persuaded by the pink-haired girl, Harpy wavered and finally nodded, indicating that she was willing to stay a few more days.

"It's settled then. I'll go prepare dinner right away. Get ready for a feast, everyone!"

With her wish fulfilled, the pink-haired girl waved her slender arms with great enthusiasm. Her fair little feet crunched on the sand as she stepped over the crashing waves. She ran forward, picked up the tin staff with the moon mark stuck in the rocks, and hummed a cheerful tune as she headed towards the cabin in the woods.

"Tina, stop playing around, let's go too."

As the sun began to set and wisps of smoke rose from the chimneys, Harpy, who had been lying on the beach, warming himself comfortably on both sides, stood up, shook the sand off his feathers, and called out.

In the distance, a beautiful figure with blue hair floated on the sea like a fish in water. With a sudden dive, she parted the waves and swam to the beach in a few breaths.

In her arms, she was also holding a swordfish the size of herself.

"You... don't like it? Then forget it..."

Seeing Harpy shake his head repeatedly, his face filled with fear, Tina tilted her Harpy. After understanding what she meant, she stammered in response.

Immediately, the Young Goddess Form turned back towards the sea with some regret, gently pushing the swordfish in her arms into the water.

After surviving the ordeal, the little creature broke free of its restraints and immediately swung its tail to escape, its dorsal fin cutting through the waves at an extremely fast speed, leaving a white line on the sea surface.

I don't know if it's just my imagination, but now Tina seems to express her emotions more freely, speak more clearly, and even think more smoothly than when she was on land.

Harpy stared at the goddess before him and muttered to himself. But when his gaze shifted slightly downwards and landed on her full figure, which was wet with seawater and revealed through the thin veil, her expression turned strange.

It seems that area has developed again.

Hey, we're all the same, aren't we?

The Harpy stared at her exposed chest, somewhat bewildered.

It's just two pieces of meat, you can't even eat them, so why do Athena Medusa argue about it every day?

Is being young important? Or should I try to grow a little older too?

Who should I ask? Her? That girl is skilled at making all sorts of Magic Potion.

Harpy recalled his pink-haired friend from earlier, but when his wandering thoughts touched upon the girl 'Harpy, and he immediately shook his head, cutting off his distracting thoughts.

However, the cheerful and Harpy quickly put those thoughts behind him, grabbed Tina who was gazing absently at the sea beside him, sniffed, and skipped and hopped towards the wooden house they were building.

Although the wheat porridge on the table is fragrant and rich, the combination of mint and honey elevates the flavor to another level.

But even the best food will become bland and tasteless if you eat it a thousand times, and you might even feel nauseous.

Therefore, Harpy "only" ate five large bowls before stopping swallowing and collapsing onto the table, completely stuffed.

After the meal, the diligent pink-haired girl summoned a group of piglets of various colors to come in and clean up the dishes. She then sat on a rattan cane, swinging her white pig legs, waving a tin cane, and directing the piglets to entertain themselves.

Tina, as was her habit, left the house, went around into the huge cavern opened by Magecraft, climbed up to the center of a black, round rock about 1 meter in diameter, curled up, and fell into a deep sleep.

At midnight, a stealthy figure quietly approached, finally crept up to the edge of the stone bed.

Ever since Tina dragged this thing onto the island, she has treated this broken rock like a treasure, hiding it in the cave and refusing to sleep with them or let them see it.

Could there be something interesting or good hidden inside?

Under the moonlight, the pink-haired girl's colorful eyes were filled with curiosity. She would tap and knock, listen and touch, trying to explore the mysteries within.

Click!

Suddenly, a crisp cracking sound came from beneath her. As the soft crackling of the stone spread, the pink-haired girl raised her hand in astonishment, staring at the pieces of stone that had crumbled away. Her pupils contracted sharply.

Broken... broken?

It's none of my business! They didn't do it on purpose!

The pink-haired girl shook her head like a rattle-drum. Seeing that Tina was still awake, she quietly walked towards the cave entrance while holding her tin staff.

As they retreated to the edge, the moonlight that streamed into the cave reflected off the rocks.

Subconsciously observing, the pink-haired girl's curiosity was piqued, and she returned to the bedside to examine it repeatedly.

The shape looks like... scales?

And there's another thin layer... is it shedding skin?

The girl, squatting on the ground, looked puzzled. How could scales and bits of skin have fallen onto the stone?

After scratching her ear, she looked up in confusion, and in that instant, all her questions suddenly became clear.

Suddenly, a pair of blood-red vertical pupils, the size of lanterns, appeared above her head, staring intently at an uninvited guest.

A faint hissing sound drifted over, and the black snake's head, lurking in the shadows, drooped. A terrifying and eerie aura spread, and a chill ran down the girl's spine, from her tailbone all the way to the top of her head.

"Ah! What a huge snake!"

Don't eat me! My flesh is sour, it doesn't taste good at all!

These words, this feeling, seem so familiar.

The snake lowered its head, revealing a strange, human-like expression, and gazed at the small bird fluttering with its eyes closed in front of it, a smile playing on its lips.

"Help! The bird is dead!"

A mournful, piercing cry echoed through the deep, dark cave.

Circe