Back to present , xio was still lost while gently touching the necklace which was yuzai's..a painned expression on his face.. like things actually really didn't went good .
Then xio blinked as a sudden flurry of motion disrupted the quiet kitchen. A massive black-and-white crow had appeared out of nowhere and snatched a whole dragon fruit in its beak. The fruit was large, but the bird carried it effortlessly. Before he could react, nearly fifteen more of the same type swooped into the kitchen, their talons clicking softly against the stone floor.
These crows didn't seem ordinary. Their feathers shimmered faintly under the morning light, and their eyes held something uncanny—not human, but more aware than an average bird. Yokai, possibly. Maybe a third-class colony type from this deep Fukaki forest. They weren't 1st or 2nd class, certainly not unique or divine beasts. But still... unusual.
"Hey! Why are you all gathered here? Give it back! I don't have enough food to share with you right now," Xio said, his voice edged with tired annoyance. He had no energy for a battle over breakfast. The memory of last night still weighed heavily on his mind. With a sigh, he reached out to take the dragon fruit back from the crow.
But the bird was stubborn.
The others sat nearby, watching like amused spectators, heads tilted, eyes glinting. The one with the dragon fruit refused to release it. Xio narrowed his eyes.
"I'll give you another one later. Now give it to me," he muttered, voice low. "I need it more than you."
The crow let out a strange laugh—a hoarse, almost human-like sound. The rest echoed it, their beaks slightly parted as if mocking him.
"Did you just... laugh at me?! I swear, I'm not in the mood for this. I'm injured, I haven't slept, and I'm talking to birds."
He yanked again and managed to wrestle the fruit free—but the crow retaliated, grabbing his injured wrist and twisting with sharp talons.
"AH! Stupid crow!" he hissed, dropping the fruit.
It hit the floor with a dull thud. The crow seized it immediately, fluttering triumphantly into the air.
"Fine! Take it and leave!" Xio growled, cradling his wrist. The ache from Kuradome's guqin attack and his fight with kirihito some hours ago flared again.
The crows cackled and flew off in a flurry of flapping wings, vanishing into the dense canopy outside. Some circled back, peeking into the adjoining room.
Xio paused, noticing something.
"Are they... peeking at Kirihito?" he muttered.
It made sense in a way. Animals and yokai alike were unusually drawn to Kirihito. Still, the scene was unsettling. Shaking off the irritation, Xio prepared a plate of rice noodles and sliced dragon fruit, and stepped into the next room.
He was met with chaos.
His eyes widened. "What the—?!"
More than thirty of those strange crows had invaded the room. Kirihito lay deeply asleep, his robe loose around his shoulders. Several crows had nestled into his chest and neck, some even trying to slip beneath his clothing. His arms subconsciously wrapped around three of them.
They giggled softly, beaks parting in eerie mimicry of smiles. Their half-lidded eyes glinted with something almost... infatuated. One was grooming Kirihito's hair tenderly, like a mate. The white snake beside him hissed furiously, jealous and ignored.
Kirihito mumbled in his sleep, "Ahh... fluffy... warm..."
Xio froze. Those weren't animals. They had to be yokai.
He cleared his throat, cautiously setting the food tray down.
"H-Hey! Move! He's not a dragon fruit!" Xio scolded, waving his hands.
The crows cried out in protest, barely shifting. One crow had nearly disappeared inside Kirihito's robe, tail sticking out, muffled laughter echoing.
Kirihito stirred.
"Dragon fruit?" he mumbled.
He sat up suddenly, dislodging several crows, who tumbled onto the bed. The rest fluttered with excitement.
"So many birdies..." he said groggily, patting the one still trying to burrow into his robe.
"No going inside! It tickles and feels weird," he said, pulling it out and tucking it in his arms instead.
Xio, meanwhile, was trying to wrestle a crow away from the gem on his waist sash.
Kirihito suddenly gasped, eyes lighting up.
"Dragon fruit! You brought it for me?!" he asked, smiling wide.
Xio glanced over, finally managing to swat away the crow clinging to his belt. He nodded, lips curving into a reluctant smile.
Kirihito grinned, cheeks pink with excitement. His mouth watered visibly, and he opened it, clearly expecting to be fed.
The crow in his arms continued trying to nuzzle under his robe, rubbing face at his lower stomach , making him flinch and squirm. He kept a hand pressed to its face to block it.
The other crows suddenly grew quiet. They stared at Xio, their eyes narrowed. Jealousy. But Xio ignored them.
He fed a slice of dragon fruit to Kirihito, who happily took it in, cheeks puffing slightly.
The crows watched intently as his lips moved, eyes following the motion of his throat as he swallowed. One opened its mouth slightly, like it hoped Kirihito would feed it by mouth.
Kirihito reached out, gently holding Xio's hand, licking the juice from his fingers. His long, papery tongue brushed Xio's skin.
"You should eat the rice noodles first," Xio murmured.
He handed over the bowl. Kirihito took it with both hands, slurped the entire portion like soup, not bothering with chopsticks.
He licked his lips clean and opened his mouth again, waiting for another slice.
Xio chuckled and obliged, feeding him another piece.
The crows shifted uncomfortably, clearly feeling left out.
But for now, Xio didn't care.
Kirihito was smiling. And somehow, that was enough to silence even the strangest of yokai