It didn't happen every time.
But whenever the little girl got discouraged, a feather would appear in her field of vision.
It made her think the feather was really, really cunning.
The feather at home would turn up beside her pillow every so often.
The little girl had gotten used to it.
She no longer fretted over whether she'd forgotten to put the feather back in her notebook.
The big bird no longer flew away as soon as it saw her.
She could even exchange a few words with it.
One day, the little girl was doing her homework until her head spun and her vision blurred. She was chewing on the end of her pen when she absentmindedly glanced up and saw the big bird outside the window. The little girl: ?!
"Creak~"
The chair legs scraped against the floor with a loud noise.
"Big bird?!"
The little girl cried out in delight.
She didn't have to go looking for it anymore. The big bird would sometimes appear outside her window.
While she did her homework, the big bird would quietly perch on a branch outside.
Whenever she looked up, she could see it.
She was very happy.
For a long time, the big bird had been there in the little girl's memories.
They had done so many things together.
They drew pictures together, did puzzles together, and made crafts together...
One night, the big bird even carried her high into the sky.
She reached out.
Never had the moon been so close to her.
The stars twinkled all around her.
The child's carefree laughter drifted through the air.
She hugged the big bird tightly around the neck.
She loudly told it how much she liked it and how happy she was.
Later...