Rooster

Wataru: A good day to you! I am your Hibiki Wataru... ☆

Fufufu, you’re full of energy today as well! Good boy ♪

Hokuto: You’re not supposed to take the parrots out of their pen, Buchou; it might try to fly off. ...Hey, are you listening to me?

Wataru: Not to worry! I’m listening to you while I feed the parrots~ I would not miss a single word you have to say.

Hokuto: Is that so. Well now it’s perched on your shoulder and behaving itself, so I guess I don’t have to worry anymore.

If you’ve got the parrots under control, then I’ll feed the rabbits and chickens with Tomoya.

Isara has had some trouble with the chickens in the past, so it would be better that both of us handle it.^[1]

Wataru: One moment, Hokuto-kun. I was only offering them food while I greeted them; I have no issue looking after the chickens.

It would be quite interesting to teach a chicken to do tricks, don’t you think? So you go ahead and take care of Daifuku-chan ♪^[2]

Hokuto: Who the hell is Daifuku-chan...

Wait. How do you know about that?

Wataru: Oh, I don’t remember when it happened, but there was a time when you were sitting on a chair in the club room, lost in a daze.

At one point, I made an attempt to lend my ear to your troubles.

In that moment, however, you began to mumble incoherently about some “Daifuku... Daifuku...”

I made a speedy run to the convenience store and picked up some daifuku for you, then stuffed it in your mouth! And oh, how bombastically did you choke~^[3]

When you shouted, “Are you trying to kill me?!” it sent a thrill right through me. Hatred is just another form of love! Simply wonderful, we have awoken a new love within us... ☆

In any case, that’s how I came to learn about this: directly from you. I merely extended a loving hand! Has this cleared up any confusion?

Hokuto: Oh, I vaguely remember something like that...

You said something like, I was the one who wanted the daifuku, and I responded that the Daifuku I meant was the white rabbit in the animal pens, not the food.

Wataru: Giving something a name makes you fond of them, doesn’t it? Nevertheless, feeding duties rotate between clubs.

We ought not assign them names so thoughtlessly, lest they stop responding.

Hokuto: I get that. I haven’t even called it that name since that time we were feeding it, you know.

I’ve been so busy preparing for SS lately that I’ve left all of this to Tomoya... Sorry, Tomoya.

Tomoya: No, I really like animals, so it’s no problem at all! Honestly, it’d be awesome if I could feed them every day.

Wataru: Animals quite like you, don’t they Tomoya-kun? I quite like you as well, you know ☆

Tomoya: What’s with that all of a sudden?! Uh, anyway, It’ll get dark soon, so we’re wasting time with all this talking. Who’s gonna be in charge of what?

Wataru: Yes, allow me to deal with the chickens. Cock-a-doodle-doo... ☆

Tomoya: What about you, Hokuto-senpai? Buchou’s already fed the parrots, so all that’s left is cleaning the pen. Easy peasy~ ♪

Hokuto: I’d say the rabbits... but they’re all sniffing at you like they want you to take care of them. So I’ll take the parrots, instead.

Tomoya: Got it!

Tomoya: Aww, aren’t you guys so good~ Ahaha, c’mon now, you don’t have to crowd around me. I’ll pet each and every one of you ♪

Oh hey, what’s wrong? You got your ears pinned back, are you nervous about something...?

This bunny over here is curled up in the corner of the pen, like it’s scared.

...Huh? There’s a lot of noise coming from the chicken coop. Did that guy piss them off or something?

I can’t clean the pen like this. I’ll just check in and see what’s up.

Wataru: Now, lift your wings to the sky and sing along in chorus! La, lala~ ♪

Tomoya: ...What the hell are you doing?

Wataru: Oh, Tomoya-kun! Is it not obvious?

If you have trouble understanding, then close your eyes! Are they closed? No no, all the way, please~

Yes, perfect, just like that! Now, slowly open your eyes! It is time to wake up~ ♪

Tomoya: Whoa, there’s a chicken right in front of me?! What if it kicks me?! That’ll hurt!

Huh? Um, why are you holding a hula hoop...?

Wataru: Fufufu, you have finally noticed, have you?

Even though I was appealing to you like this, you only had eyes for the chickens. I may tear my handkerchief for how much I’ve torn into it out of frustration.

Tomoya: No, you definitely didn’t have the hula hoop until just now. Where did you even get that from?

Wataru: It was a piece of cake to fish it out ☆ In any case, the hula hoop is not the star of this show. Please direct your attention to the chickens~ ☆

This fellow will now jump through my hoop!

Yes, a roaring success! A round of applause~ ☆

Next I will raise the hoop to my waist!

And another clean jump~ You thought it would end there, didn’t you?

But we will break the bounds of limitation! I now raise the hoop above my head!

If you please, show us a dream—a true miracle...!

Tomoya: I–it flew...?! No, hang on, chickens are flightless birds, right?! What? Then how’d it fly...?

Wataru: That’s a very nice reaction. I’m happy I was able to surprise you!

The chicken’s ancestors were bred in a way that made them poor at flying, but that doesn’t mean they were incapable of flight.

As a result of that selective breeding, the chickens of today can’t fly—or rather, they simply have no reason to fly.

This little one is not so plump, which means there was a possibility of getting it to fly up here using the right methods. But of course, it will always be difficult for them to soar through the big, blue sky.

Anyway, now that I’ve finished feeding and cleaning here, shall I come give you a hand?

Tomoya: Huh? You mean you weren’t just teaching them tricks...? Don’t tell me you were cleaning and training them at the same time?!

Wataru: That’s right... ☆

I finished putting out the feed at the same time I procured the hula hoop! Time is money, don’t you know! Now we have extra time to deepen our bonds!

Love blossoms through talk and touch: let us cultivate together this flower we call miracle... ☆