Volume 4 Chapter 14 Interlude - Seirei, Hiring Extra Pigeons
While Tenhou is in the Eastern Town of Toukaku, Seirei, who stayed behind in the capital of Hokurin...
"I want to keep extra pigeons. Can I get your permission?"
Seirei made this request the day after Tenhou went to Toukaku.
It was evening.
The place was a room in the Kou family home.
Gyokushi and Kairyou were present.
It had been a while since Kairyou had a meal with Seirei.
In the northern fortress, he had been busy with defense duties and had no time to meet with family.
After returning to Hokurin with Tenhou, he finally had some time to relax.
Seirei, sitting at the table after a long time, seemed like a different person.
It was as if she had awakened to her mission, sitting confidently.
With her reddish eyes, she looked straight at Gyokushi and expressed her wish.
"I think it would be better to have multiple pigeons to keep in touch with Tenhou-niisan."
"I know you entrusted a pigeon to Tenhou for communication."
Gyokushi replied.
"However, Tenhou is busy too. He might not always be able to contact you, you know?"
"This isn't just for personal use. There might be times when my brother wants to contact his martial arts master or important people."
Seirei answered seriously.
"At times like this, if there are no pigeons or if the pigeons are tired, it will take longer to get in touch. So, I want to prepare some backup pigeons."
"Is that so Tenhou can do its job properly?"
"Yes. I believe brother will do something great in this job too."
Seirei's tone was completely serious.
"I understand."
Gyokushi nodded as if convinced.
"Let's get some extra pigeons. Now then, Kairyou."
"Yes, Mother."
"Please help Seirei look for pigeons. If you go to the town or the forest, you should be able to find a few. In the meantime, Kairyou, protect Seirei. With Hakuyou."
"Understood. Mother."
So, Seirei, Kairyou, and Hakuyou set out to look for pigeons.
The next day.
In the Kou family's yard, a dozen birds had gathered.
"Everyone, thank you for coming together."
"......"
"......"
In front of Seirei, who was talking to the birds, Kairyou and Hakuyou were at a loss for words.
In about 2 hours, Seirei had gathered a dozen pigeons.
It wasn't a big deal.
She just walked around the town and the forest, calling out to the pigeons she saw.
She spoke normally to the birds nearby.
She whistled to the birds far away.
Just like that, more than ten pigeons came to the Kou family's yard on their own.
"...I didn't know Seirei had this kind of power."
"...Is this what they call 'bird gathering'?"
Kairyou and Hakuyou didn't know.
Seirei gained the ability to talk to animals through 'Beast Body Guidance.'
Thanks to her daily training with Tenhou, this ability has been getting stronger.
And in the game 'History of Swordmaster,' Ryuu Seirei is a villainess.
Her charm, as a 'beauty who can sway a nation,' was powerful enough to move an entire country.
Now, Seirei is growing up healthily.
Her charm is now being used in a healthy way.
The birds are drawn to Seirei.
"Indeed... Mother didn't say 'just one.' With this many, we can exchange letters frequently."
Kairyou nodded, impressed.
However, Seirei shook her head and said,
"No, the selection is from now on."
"What? "
"The pigeons need to fly to Toukaku. I need to check if they have that ability."
Seirei looked at the pigeons.
When she whispered softly, the pigeons all raised their right wings at once.
Next, they raised their left wings. Then, they spun around once on the spot.
Finally, they started to walk around on the ground.
After that, Seirei exchanged words with the pigeons for a little while.
She carefully observed their behavior, and then──
"These ones are not qualified."
''...Coo, cooo..''
When Seirei declared this, 2 of the pigeons flew away, looking disappointed.
"How can you tell that!?"
"Ah, yes. It's important, so I watch closely and listen to their opinions."
Seirei nodded seriously.
"Next, we will conduct the balance test,"
"Balance test? Why?"
"It's to make sure they can carry my letter properly. If they tilt while moving and bump into a tree, they might drop the letter."
"...I see?"
"Alright, Hakuyou-san, please go ahead."
"Y-yes."
Hakuyou picked up a stick.
She was using it as a weapon since she was a guard for Seirei.
She held one end of the stick and positioned it to be level.
Then──
'Coo, coo, cooo.'
Hop.
A pigeon flew and landed on the stick.
It started to walk slowly from one end to the other.
When the first pigeon finished, the next one came. Then the one after that.
"Okay. The last one wobbled a bit. That's a fail. The next one passed. Oh, the next one failed too. Sorry, but please try again next time."
'Coo, coo, cooo!'
"Huh? You want to try again? I'm sorry... we have to keep moving."
'...Coo, cooo.'
The pigeon walked away, looking down.
It seemed important for the pigeons to become part of Seirei.
In the end, only 3 pigeons managed to cross the stick.
"Three is enough."
"They're excellent pigeons. I think they can handle the job."
Kairyou and Hakuyou looked satisfied.
Seirei was about to nod at their words──
"Oh, I almost forgot something important. We need to check this last thing."
Seirei clapped her hands as if she realized something.
"This is very important. Please wait a moment..."
Seirei crouched down and brought her face close to the 3 pigeons.
And then, they thought they heard her whispering softly──
''...Coo, coo, cooo.''
With a flurry of wings, 2 pigeons flew away.
Only one white pigeon remained.
"I've decided. I'm going to keep this one."
Seirei declared as she perched the white pigeon on her shoulder.
"This one will definitely help Tenhou-niisan with his work."
"I don't get it. What makes this pigeon different from the others?"
Kairyou tilted his head in confusion, and Seirei replied,
"This one is good at recognizing people's faces."
If a pigeon that can't tell faces is given a letter, it might end up with the wrong person.
That must be avoided at all costs.
Tenhou's letters are important, so they need to be delivered to the right person.
The pigeon Seirei always had is now with Tenhou.
When that pigeon returns, it will be sent out with the second pigeon to Tenhou.
That way, the second pigeon should be able to remember Tenhou's face and where he is.
──Seirei explained all this.
"This one lived in town, so it's good at recognizing faces. It said it never forgets a face it has seen once. So, it can help me and my brother."
Seirei blushed as she made her declaration.
"This one will definitely help Tenhou-niisan."
Saying that, Seirei crouched down to the ground.
She leaned close to the pigeon that landed on the ground, seeming to give it enthusiastic instructions.
Kairyou couldn't understand what she was saying, but Seirei was working hard.
Kairyou saw that scene and──
"...My younger brother and sister-in-law are really something."
──let out a sigh that seemed full of emotion.
Tenhou is a martial artist who earns everyone's trust.
Seirei can control animals and use them as messengers. They have strict standards for choosing who can be used.
Both of them use their powers for the Kou family.
"Father said, 'As long as Kairyou and Tenhou are here, the Kou family will be safe.' If Seirei joins, it will be even safer. I think so, Hakuyou."
"Yes. Hakuyou agrees."
Kairyou and Hakuyou said those words.
──On the other hand, Seirei──
"...Okay? Please remember brother's face well."
'Coo, coo, coo.'
"Yes. You are confident in recognizing people's faces, right? You can tell their gender just by looking..."
'Coo, coo, coo.'
"Huh? You're confident because you've lived in town for a long time?"
'Coo, coo, coo!'
"Okay, I believe that. Now... this is just in case. If possible..."
'Coo, coo?'
"Please report who is around brother and their genders. N-no, I don't mean anything deep by it. I just want to know about the people around brother. I don't only want to know about women. Of course, I have to greet the women by brother's side as a sister... I need to talk to them properly..."
'Coo, coo, coo!!'
"Leave it to me? Really? I believe in you, okay? I believed in you! Please take care of it, alright? Pigeon-san!"
Seirei and the new pigeon were eagerly having such a meeting.
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