The picturesque rice cakes are delicious today

Episode 14: Sweet Traps and Trap Breaks * 9

"... before Claire stopped being Claire?

When I heard back, Mr Crowe looked at me and smiled a little gently.

"You took me to the flower fields, didn't you?

"Yeah."

"At that time. I thought I'd never seen a flower in a long time."

I don't understand the words you said.

If it were a flower, Claire would have seen as many as she wanted.

For example, at a party in the royal castle, there were flowers on the venue. Flowers were also blooming in the garden. And above all, it was on the way to this flower field. It's not like I haven't seen it. But...

"It's not like seeing flowers. I spent a while seeing flowers without thinking they were beautiful. That was obvious, not particularly painful. Yes, I noticed."

I realized I hadn't seen what was there. That shock... is unimaginable. I've been in a similar situation before.

But maybe I wasn't hungry at that time, so...

"If the human mind were to live in vain, my heart would have been starving to death."

... I don't think I can really understand how Crowe feels.

It takes time for me to realize that there are flowers for the first time and to realize that they are beautiful. It must be very painful to realize such a mind.

"... but when I'm here, my dead heart starts moving. But if that's the case, my heart will surely die again when I return to duty....."

That's what Mr Crowe said and leaned.

"... I can't stay here anymore."

"... then why don't you stay here forever?

I didn't know what to say to Claire standing still, and I didn't know if this was the right answer.

"You don't have to go back. That way you won't get hurt."

Then, Mr. Crowe laughs... but soon.

"I can't. She's really not in danger."

I'm conscious. But... anyway, I don't want to leave Mr. Crowe like this.

Heart bait should be so that everyone can eat it. You need food, but you can't eat it. You can't have a hungry heart. So....

"I'm going to tell you now."

But Mr Crowe told me to give up.

"My mission was to seduce Faye Brad Redgard and extract information from House Redgard."

"Huh? Me?

"That's right. That's how I got to you."

Approaching... eh, maybe when you came to get a drink at the party? Closer to that time... that's all?

"I get a drink like that, I make a good story with a little bump or something, and then I attract Faye Brad Redgard and pull out the information. That's how it was written.... but my plans have changed. Because there was a boy who looked me in the eye before Faye Brad Redgard."

... yeah. I was fascinated. It's me.

"Um... my information is, after all, a red dragon"

"Yes, I'm a detective hired to extract information from you about the Red Dragon. An adoptive daughter is a formal title."

After all, I have a strong feeling. Both Faye and Laocles have been alert to that.

But at the same time, I feel a little lonely. The feeling of betrayal is too short a relationship.

"I'm glad you said that."

"Yes. Either way, the job will fail when we fail to seduce this boy."

That's what Mr Crowe said and he glanced at me with a slight glance. [M]

"You just look like a beginner, you have an incredible magic, don't you? The charm doesn't go exactly the way I thought it would. It's supposed to be working, but it's been working since we first met, and for some reason it's the only way to paint..."

"Uh, sorry."

I think that's because I think... I have to draw something fascinating. Mm-hmm.

"Absolutely. He's a feeder boy. There's an affordable rabbit, so I thought I'd put it in a sweet trap, but it was handy, and somehow the trap was broken... no, I'm sure you can't catch it with a normal standard trap in the first place. Even if you try to catch him, he'll slip away, you."

That's what Mr Crowe said and sighed.

Hmm... is this what they call me a weirdo? Sure, there may be a little bit of that. You don't have to say that like an eel...

"... well, that's fine. This employer doesn't pay well, and he's trying to get me to work outside the bill. Maybe it's best to run away properly."

That's what Mr Crowe said, and he slipped out of the cannon.

... eh, got out!?

"Eh, you know, it was tied up...?

Then Mr Crowe smiled with a slightly bad face.

"I'm not tied up. It's easy to get out of here."

Is that what this is about? Amazing. I feel like a professional.

"That's what makes me disappear here. I'm sorry I got involved."

And as it stands, Claire tries to go somewhere with a blanket on.

"Wait!

Unexpectedly, I called out. Then, like in response to my voice, the unicorns and the Tenma blocked Claire's way and tried to get Claire back to the hammock.

"No, what?"

"I have to draw your picture."

When I said that, Mr Crowe looked a little troubled. [M]

"You don't have to worry about the request. If Claire suddenly disappeared, that would be all. Even the Shales might be able to divulge information about their house if I run away. I don't think you have time for this. Even though I'm hiding in the clouds for the moment....."

"That's not true. I want to draw you. [M] It doesn't have anything to do with the request."

When I said that, Mr. Crowe... smiled.

"I fell in love with you at first sight. So I want to draw something that is satisfactory."

As I approached Mr. Crowe, the horses paved the way for me. I'll go through there and get to Mr Crowe.

"So stay here a little longer.... can't I?

Grab Claire's hand and peek straight into Claire's eyes.

... even though I knew Claire's eyes might be enchanting, I still wanted to look her in the eye and tell her.

"Ah, hey...."

Then, Mr. Crowe was upset, quickly distracted, bent down... and gently waved my hand.

"I can't. I told you earlier. I'm a dangerous detective who's after you, aren't I?

That's fine.

"No... Besides, I'm not going to be able to stay here."

And Claire smiles with a troubled face.

"I can't work anymore. Don't let your heart move. What about detectives?"

"Then why don't you stop working and live here?

At my suggestion, Mr Crowe giggled.... I thought you said something so weird.

"That's no good either. You won't be able to live without money. Self-sufficiency isn't bad... but it's not for me."

With that said, Mr Crowe looks around.

Horses. And horses. And the bamboo. The house over there, and the forest over there. And the sky.

Looking at those things... Mr. Crowe looked a little down.

"Life with money may also be my 'heart-feeding'. Or maybe it's the poison of the heart. I can't go back once I've eaten it. The food you can eat in this forest is very nice and delicious, but... you won't get either. But if you stay here, you'll want both."

... that's what Crowe said, but his eyes are looking at horses and forests.

When I looked into those eyes... I just wanted to say it.

"Then you can get both."

If you want money and the woods, you can get both. It's too sad that you can only have one.

"I'll hire you."

... maybe this is where I spend my money. [M]

As soon as I said so, Mr. Crowe rounded his eyes. [M] Laocles also rounded his eyes. Faye laughed at the shards.

Wow! Corn! I thought about it all!

"Yeah, but maybe there's nothing else I can think of."

I... fortunately, I don't need money. [M] That's why you can spend all the money you want. But I don't have to spend any money in particular... so if there's a place to spend money, I'm sure it's to hire a model.

"... does that mean the Red Gard family hires you?

"No, it's not me, it's Corn who hires them!

"Do you have the money to hire... this kid?

"Not really....."

Well, but I've said it with momentum, but I wonder what kind of money I have. I know that even if I bought 100 hams, it would be enough money...

"... even if I hire 10 detectives, I have more money."

If I thought so, Laocles said so. I see. I can employ 10 of Mr. Crowe's men. I did it.

"That's what it is. You don't have to worry about Corn's finances."

Lying, Claire shouted out her mind. Yeah, but if you can draw a jewel and Mr. Crowe can hire you, I'll draw as many jewels as I can.

"If you will live here, I will build a house for you. If you want to get out of town, I think the horses will give you a ride, and if you need a Summoner just for you, then...."

"Well, wait. Wait a minute. You... um..."

Crowe held his forehead down and roared... and he looked at me with a slight look and said.

"I thought you were just a cute little boy... It's really a feeder boy."

... I'm a little happy to be upgraded from a cute boy to a feeder boy.

In the meantime, Mr Crowe decided to stay here for the next two months. After that... think about it slowly.

"Well, you can't do it right away. I'm suddenly changing my way of life."

"Rather, you should be suspicious if you want to be executed immediately."

"Yeah."

While I'm talking to Faye and Laocles, I'm watching Crowe play with the horses outside the window. Crowe was worried, but it seems that the horses took the trouble and decided to play in the water together. And now I'm playing with my horse, and I'm smiling a little quietly.

"If a detective tries to get out of the back world, he'll need to be prepared. Once a mission fails, it loses credibility. And if you betray your client and leave the world behind, you'll lose your credibility as a detective forever."

... I see. I simply thought and said, "Do you want to live here" or "I'll hire you", but is that the end of your professional life? That's... um, if Crowe likes his current job, I think he'll be lost.

"Well... but isn't that okay? Mr. Claire, you said you haven't seen flowers in a long time.

But Fei laughed and said.

"In other words, Claire is already 'watching the flowers'.... you can't go back either way. It's hard."

It's my fault, isn't it? What should I do? I took away Mr. Crowe's choice. Maybe we should have been more careful.

"Ma, isn't that nice? Thanks to the corn."

But Faye said that and slapped me in the back.

"Maybe it's my fault."

"Oh, thanks." I mean, Mr. Crowe himself, it's fascinating to see flowers in the woods, right? I hope so. Huh? "

... I guess so. I thought there might be people who don't need food in their hearts.

But... yeah, I see. If you look back now, you'll see.

When I went to the flower fields with Claire, she seemed confused, perhaps because her heart had been surprised by the food for the first time in a long time. I heard from my teacher that if I suddenly put food in an empty stomach, my stomach would be surprised.

... if she didn't need food in her heart, maybe she wasn't confused in the first place.

Claire was confused because it's been a long time since she ate her heart's food... which means that Claire's heart is a heart that eats its food.

"... from now on, I want you to eat all kinds of heart food."

"Oh, that's nice. Feed. Feed. Feed Mr. Claire!

Feed. … Somehow, I imagined Claire glimpsing alongside Chiyoko Phoenix.

"Well... it's a corner. If you hire Claire, I think that's a good choice. If there was one good detective, it would be very helpful. I'm pretty good at fighting with my body, but I'm not good at fighting with my heart. Claire seems to be better at that."

Yeah, I think so. Mr. Crowe... probably has something we don't have. That's why you'll be able to help me a lot.

"Besides, if you hire me, you can paint all you want."

And above all, if you hire Claire to stay here, you can draw all you want! All - you - can - paint such a beautiful person! All - you - can - draw Claire, who is going to eat a lot of heart food and become more and more beautiful!... what a fascinating story!

"I hope you'll hire me...."

I was outside the window watching Crowe play with the horses with laughter for a while.

Please, may he be modeled and hired!