Drawn Mochi Volume 3 Chapter 4.1: Mysterious Creatures and the Bamboo Fruit Observation Team*3

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　Oh, no. It’s not good. I summoned the Houou without thinking about its food! This is exactly what they mean when they say, “Buy a bookshelf before cleaning up your room!”

“…Hey, are you okay?” (Laocles)

“Ugh, I haven’t gone to bed yet…” (Tougo)

　Moreover, perhaps because I summoned the phoenix, I started to run out of magic power. But no. If I sleep now, it’s going to be disastrous. I don’t know how many days I’ll fall asleep, so I can’t! If I fall asleep here, the Houou’s food will be gone!

　At least, I thought, and drew a bamboo fruit on the drawing paper on which the Houou had just left.

　I know the shape of the bamboo fruit because I saw it in a botanical reference book before. I remember it well because I was surprised that bamboo can bear fruit.

　So, all that’s left is to draw…

“Uu……” (Tougo)

“…Hey, if they’re a summoned beast, they can get by with just water to some extent. I hear that if they’re inside a magic stone, they don’t use up much energy either.”

“But coming out and staying at home hungry for the first few days isn’t much to look forward to…” (Tougo)

　My consciousness was getting fuzzier and fuzzier, but I drew anyway.

　Bamboo fruits. about six. That was my limit…

　I managed to color them in, and finished them up, thinking, “Please come out, please come out, please come out…” Then I watched the bamboo fruits pop out of the drawing paper, and I went to bed.

　Yeah, good night…

　When I woke up, the Houou was in front of me. Apparently, it was on the hammock with me.

　As I gazed at it absentmindedly, the Houou chirped and tilted its head… then squinted and rubbed its head against my neck.

“Yeah, good morning…” (Tougo)

　I gently patted the Houou’s head, and it chirped, and then sweetly bit my earlobe with the tip of its beak.

　The beak is sharp and hard, but it seems to be able to control the force of the bite. It didn’t hurt. It just tickled. Very ticklish.

“That tickles.” (Tougo)

　I asked him to stop because it tickled too much. Then the Hououy easily stopped the playful bite and came to tickle my neck with its wings.

“Hey, come on. You can’t do that.” (Tougo)

　…It seems that this Houou has a very mischievous personality. I ended up being tickled by the Houou while I was lying on the hammock. Yeah, I guess the horse is going to learn something strange. I don’t want the horse to learn that, so please don’t do that.

“Good morning. How many days?” (Tougo)

“Two days.” (Laocles)

　Okay, safe.

　…I went to see Laocles and found out that he had only been out of magic for two days.

　That’s amazing. When I materialize Alicorn and Phoenix, it was 6 days, but this time it was 2 days. Is it because I have grown up? Or was it because the Houou was on my stomach? Did he share his magical power with me?

　Well, whatever it was, I was happy. If I had slept too long, the Houou would have gone hungry.

“Laocles, did the Houou eat bamboo fruits?” (Tougo)

“Oh, yeah. If it’s the fruits you materialize, then here they are.” (Laocles)

　Laocles showed me the fruits in the basket. There are 4… That means he’s eating one a day, I guess.

“…one a day is alright.” (Tougo)

　On the contrary, one a day is fine? Bamboo fruits are not that big, though. I wonder since the Houou is as big as I am… but isn’t it hungry?

　Perhaps, for Houou, bamboo fruits are like snacks.

“Want some?” (Tougo)

　I thought it would be okay if it was a snack, so I offered the bamboo fruit to the Houou. Then, the Houou began to eat the bamboo fruit from my hand.

　The Houou pecked and ate the bamboo fruit quietly, and when it had eaten the last piece, it squealed happily.

　He then stares at the basket next to me… Yes, I mean, the basket with the bamboo fruit in it…

“…would you like one more?” (Tougo)

　I offered him another one, and he ate it.

　…In the end, all the remaining fruits went into the Houou’s stomach.

　Ugh… Could this be he wanted to eat them, but I had been holding back for so long?

　After eating four bamboo fruits, the Houou flew away as if to say, “Enough is enough.” After that, he drank water from the spring and started playing something with the horses. They seem to be having fun.

　Seeing the happy Houou, I feel happy for him. …On the other hand, I feel very sorry when I think that he had to endure and eat the bamboo fruits until now.

“What’s wrong, you look so gloomy.” (Laocles)

　Laocles came up next to me and asked me.

“…If I accidentally faint, this child will become hungry.” (Tougo)

“However, I hear that basically summoned beasts don’t need that much food. If they can survive with water and magic power, there is no need to force yourself to create the fruit.” (Laocles)

　Well, does that mean that bamboo fruits are a snack for the Houou?

　But they ate so many of them. …Hmmm.

“I asked him to come out for my own reasons. I’m sad to make them hungry.” (Tougo)

　If you want to eat, eat a lot. Of course, I want you to take care of your health… but it would be too much to not be able to eat what you want to eat for my convenience.

“Then try not to faint… Is that difficult?” (Laocles)

“Yes.” (Tougo)

　And after this, I’ll probably faint. I know I’ll run out of magic. After all, I need at least another “creature that is good at hiding”. Even if it’s not, there’s no doubt that if something happens, I’ll run out of magic power.

　So, I thought of a solution.

　To allow the Houou to eat the bamboo fruit without me having to draw it…

“I want to grow a bamboo plant that grows bamboo fruits every day.” (Tougo)

“…What is bamboo, anyway? I’ve never heard of it.” (Laocles)

“Let’s see, a plant like this.” (Tougo)

　When I drew a little and showed it, Laocles looked into it with great interest. Apparently, he had never seen bamboo before.

“It’s quite beautiful to see so many of these growing and swaying in the wind.” (Tougo)

“Really?” (Laocles)

　I quite like the scenery of bamboo groves. The sun’s rays are like a greenish translucent light. The sound of the wind rustling in the breeze is also nice. Also, bamboo shoots are delicious. That’s why I love bamboo…

“If so, let it grow. You grew these fruit trees, right?” (Laocles)

“Yes, I could, but…” (Tougo)

　Yes. I thought that if I managed to draw and grow a bamboo tree that would produce bamboo fruits every day, the Houou would not be hungry and could live happily. …but there is a big problem.

“I heard that bamboo is very propagative.” (Tougo)

“…Really?” (Laocles)

　Laocles looks unfamiliar. Yes, I think so. That’s why I have to teach him about the threat of bamboo.

“They grow fast.” (Tougo)

“Grow……?”(Laocles)

“They grow about 30 cm a day.”  (Tougo)

　I tried to express “30 cm” with my hand, and Laocles fell silent.

“And it’s powerful. If it grows under the floor of the house, it will break through the floor of the house.” (Tougo)

　…Laocles was at a loss for words.

“Moreover… it grows by underground stems (rhizomes). You have to dig up all of them, including the roots, to get rid of them.” (Tougo)

You look at me like, “There’s such a horrible plant”, but yes, there is. There is indeed a plant that grows 30 cm a day and breaks through the floor, and it grows at an incredible rate and is extremely propagative.

“Does that mean that this forest be taken over by that plant?” (Laocles)

“…Yes, if the forest becomes a bamboo grove, it would be a predicament, and I’m sorry.” (Tougo)

　That’s why I’m troubled.

　I feel sorry that the Houou is hungry, but I also feel sorry that this forest will be in trouble because of the bamboo.

“I wish the Houou would have eaten the bamboo shoots too…” (Tougo)

　Just then, the Houou flew by and I asked him, “Do you also eat bamboo shoots?” just tilted its head and crooned. Yes, that’s right. They only eat the fruits, not the bamboo shoots.

　…Well, it can’t be helped. Now that I’ve materialize the Houou, I have to take care of the bamboo.