Home of the cranes.

On the surface, it's a small wooden hut with a fence to protect against youkai, but will it really protect against the able-bodied youkai?

"This is my home, it looks safe~" Tsuruko introduced his home with a smile.

“…… It's a bit safe indeed. Sakura glanced casually for a while, then slowly sat down on a chair, her body still trembling slightly.

"Don't be so outsider, I'm not like those uncles in the world, who hate monsters and hate monsters, but I like monsters very much. ”

"......" Sakura Xue just listened quietly, not daring to make a sound at all.

"Hmm...... It seems that you are still not used to communicating with humans, but it doesn't matter, I will let you talk happily with humans. ”

Tsuruko also thinks that Sakurayuki is not good at communicating with people, but the real reason why Sakurayuki is reluctant to speak is that she is actually afraid of humans, afraid that she will encounter misfortune as soon as she speaks, just like the echo girl in the Western story.

It's safe and quiet around here, as Tsuruko says, and although you can't hear the screams of youkai, there's still no guarantee that youkai will appear.

At this time, Tsuruko thought for a long time, and finally asked Sakurayuki:

"Sakura-chan, you're a cat demon, aren't you? ”

The cat demon belongs to the combination of a monster and a cat, that is, a kitten that has become a monster, Sakura Xue doesn't know when she was born and who her parents are, she only knows that as soon as she opens her eyes, there is endless escape, and eternal darkness.

"Yes, I'm a cat demon, you hate me very much, right, even if you like monsters, you hate me as a cat demon too, I'm a disaster, even if someone wants me, I'm just going to die early. ”

Sakurayuki tried to persuade Tsuruko to give up on her, but unfortunately, Tsuruko did not look disgusted, but put on a smile.

"You are all kind monsters, how can I hate you? You are not like those monsters who can only eat people, and besides, if you can only eat people, then I would have been eaten by you a long time ago. ”

"What if I, like you say, will only eat people?"

"In this case, then I will be willing to be eaten by you, because you are my friend!"

Click-

Sakurayuki was shocked, a youkai like her had no friends at all, let alone friends with humans.

"You...... You're not wrong, right?" Sakura Xue looked incredulous.

"What I'm saying is true, you're the most human-like youkai I've ever seen. ”

“……”

"Not only is it the most similar, but you also have the same emotions as humans, such as shyness, happiness, sadness, anger, anger, disappointment, and your own body, with your own memories, everything that belongs to you, isn't it that you are not the most human-like youkai?"

There is a reason, Sakura Xue was completely defeated by the crane, in fact, it is also right, with such characteristics, anyone will admit that he is a complete "person".

"I'm sorry......" Sakurayuki didn't know how to express her gratitude and apologies to Tsuruko, so she could only say this.

"It's okay, I've met several youkai like you, but they're not like you, they don't listen to my persuasion and send them to death......"

"......" Sakura Xue saw the crane's expression, her face looked much sadder, and she didn't dare to say a few more words.

"Haha~ The past always has to pass, and I'm used to it. ”

"Sister Tsuruko, thank you so much......"

"I'm not that eloquent......"

Both laughed at the same time.

As the sky began to fall into the darkness of Pangea, Tsuruko and Sakuraki picked some fruit and began to eat dinner.

The crane took a bite of the apple, and the sweet taste instantly melted into the tip of his tongue, and he couldn't help but admire, "The fruit of the Forest of Mist is still so delicious." ”

Hearing Tsuruko say that, Sakura Yuki also took a bite of the apple.

"Well, Sister Tsuruko, it's really delicious!"

"I've lived in the Forest of Mist for a long time, and the fruits here are naturally so good that I can tell what's sweet, what's sour, and what's bitter almost entirely by taste. ”

"It's amazing!" Sakura's eyes sparkled, and her golden pupils were even more dazzling.

"It's nothing, there are hundreds of mushrooms in the Forest of Mist, and I'll tell you, seventy percent of the mushrooms here are poisonous. ”

"Eh, that's terrifying!" Sakurayuki's expression turned horrified.

"With Sister Hezi here, I will help you extinguish even a fire. Tsuruko patted his chest and said.

"Hmm~ Sister Tsuruko is the best~" Sakurayuki snuggled up to Tsuruko, who also smiled and stroked her little head.

It's been a long time.

On the other side of Tsuruko's house, the Forest of Mist was filled with a disgusting stench, and several evil figures were roaming in the shadows of the forest.

"This is it. A huge black shadow made a terrifying sound.

"Boss, little brother, I can't be wrong, that woman and kitten are here. A small figure bent over and said.

"Huh...... Dare to kill my brother...... I'm going to make them worse off in the flames than dead......" The largest black shadow smiled sinisterly, its belly and hands swaying to the sound of its laughter.

The moonlight reflected on the earth, and several evil figures began to slowly appear, each with its own fierce and vicious spirits, exactly the same as the giant bear killed by the crane, it seemed to be a race, everyone had a torch in their hand, and their eyes were fixed on the crane's wooden house, and the torch was coated with fire oil, and it was almost lit.

On the side of the wooden house, Sakura Xue and Tsuru were covered with a small torn quilt, and in order to keep warmer, Tsuruko hugged Sakura, and their bodies suddenly became unusually warm.

Outside, several giant bear monsters and the largest giant bear monster took out the matches they had snatched from near the human world, and lit the torches in their hands one after another, and the flames burned like the blazing heart of revenge of the giant bear.

"Huh...... Don't blame me, woman, who told you to kill my brother, and tonight, you can take the torment of the fire...... Hehehe...... Hahahahahaha!!!" the giant bear laughed wildly, and his voice was almost resounding through the Fog Forest, as evidenced by the fact that there were many birds flying out of the woods.

The bear looked at the other bears, nodded, and viciously threw the burning torch in his hand towards the hut, and the other bears did the same.

Because it was a wooden house, the flames were more easily ignited, and immediately a crimson flame ignited, and the sound of burning indicated that the wooden house was about to be consumed by the flames of death.

Inside the wooden house.

The room was filled with choking white smoke, and the crane felt the heat of the place in the moment before falling asleep, and got up with a frightened face, although it was a quick start, but the fire had begun to spread to the wooden door.

"Ahem, ahem...... What's going on, I remember it's very shady here, why is there a fire?" the crane choked on the fierce white smoke, and in her memory, this was indeed a suitable place to build a home.

"Sister Tsuruko, what's wrong? ahem...... It's so choking here......" Sakurayuki was also choked by the white smoke, covered her nose with her hands, and then slowly opened her eyes, and what she saw was not a beautiful night, but a hellish fire.

"Uh...... No, the windows are locked, which bastard did it?" Tsuruko tried with all his might to break open the vent-sized window, but it had already been nailed up with planks and nails by the giant bear outside.

"Ahem...... It's painful...... Sister Tsuruko ...... "Sakurayuki was choked by the smoke and couldn't breathe, and her consciousness gradually began to blur, Tsuruko found the sleepy Sakurayuki, hurriedly hugged her, and slapped her in the face heavily.

"Sakura-chan, wake up, if you fall asleep, you'll never wake up!"

The crane is a hunter, and unlike other humans, she is still able to get excited to the end.

"Hmm...... I know......" Sakura Xue opened her eyes with difficulty, and her delicate body made people look very pitiful.

"What should I do......" Tsuruko observed various places in the wooden house in the midst of the crisis, when a piece of wood on the roof was burned off.

Boom -

As one piece of wood breaks, the others also break, and the direction in which the wood falls is Sakurayuki, who is having trouble breathing.

"Sakura-chan!

"Ahh

Sakura's eyes are closed, she really can't walk, so are people, so are youkai, if you don't breathe, then what kind of way can you walk.

A thought suddenly flashed in Tsuruko's mind, and then she quickly ran in front of Sakurayuki, stretched out her arms, and hugged Sakurayuki.

Clicking (bone breaking).

Sakura Xue felt a stream of heat dripping on the corner of her mouth, and inadvertently licked it, fishy, and a little bitter, and when she opened her eyes, she cried-

"Tsuruko...... Sister Tsuruko!!!"

Tsuruko's head and shoulders had been smashed with flamed wood, and his clothes had been burned, and Tsuruko, who was bleeding from the top of his head, did not cry, but smiled at Sakurayuki, who was already desperate.

Sakura...... I saved you again......"

The crane's voice has become very weak, the head wound is very fatal, and now there is a fire, and there are no medicines, so if it continues, it will only be a slow death.

"Sister Tsuruko! Sister Tsuruko!" After all, Sakura Xue was still a child, and she still didn't have a good ability to adapt to seeing someone injured for the first time, and she cried despite the thick white smoke around her.

Ignoring his injury, Tsuruko smiled and comforted Sakura, "Sakura-chan...... No matter what happens...... You can't even cry, because that will only make you weaker......"

"Sister Tsuruko!"

"I told you...... As long as I'm still around, I'll help you put out even a fire...... Look, isn't that already done......"

The crane's vast body is like the sea, and even if it is a flame from hell, as long as the sea water does not dry up, it can be extinguished.

"Sister Tsuruko...... I...... I know...... So, you can't leave me!" Once Tsuruko dies, Sakurayuki will become a lonely person again, and there will be no more kind-hearted people like Tsuruko.

The fire is still spreading, and Tsuruko and Sakurayuki are surrounded by a sea of fire, unable to move or break away.

Tsuruko's vision began to blur, and she knew that her life was about to come to an end, and at this time, she remembered that there was a secret door in the wall, which was prepared for emergency escape, but the hole was too small, and Tsuruko looked at Sakurayuki, and the smile on her face became brighter and brighter.

Sakura...... Get out of that secret door...... Sister, I can't do it......"

"I don't want to! I want to be with my sister! Even if I run away, I will run away with my sister!" Sakura Xue never gave up on the crane, if it was someone else, she would have flown separately long ago.

Seeing Sakurayuki say this, Tsuruko shook his head, stood up with difficulty, walked to a box, opened the box, took out a worn cloak from it, and said to Sakurayuki:

"Sakura-chan, even if we escape, what can you do to heal me? I guess that the people who set the fire outside will definitely find us, and we will still be caught in the end, although I don't know what they have a deep grudge to set fire to, but it will definitely be very dangerous, you can escape with this cloak and go to the world, I think, there will be good people like me to help you......"

At this time, Sakura Xue would never listen, she was still the same, grabbing the crane's hand and not letting go.

Sakura...... I'm sorry...... Sister, I won't be with you anymore...... The fire here is too big...... Hurry up and escape......"

"No, I don't want it! Sister Tsuruko said that she would stay with me for the rest of her life!"

Sakura shook her head desperately.

Tsuruko felt that the flames would definitely consume them if they continued like this, so she hurriedly draped her cloak over Sakurayuki.

"Listen Sakura, you have to live well, you have to prove to your sister that you are not living alone. ”

"......" Sakura Xue was speechless.

The fire began to grow fierce.

"There's no time...... Escape from the secret door and live with my life, Sakurayuki, no matter what difficulties you face in the future, you must think calmly......"

"Sister Tsuruko......"

"Let's go!" Tsuruko used her last strength to push Sakurayuki away, and when Sakurayuki hit the wall, the secret door opened automatically.

"Hmm...... Sister Tsuruko, I promise, I will live well!" Sakurayuki smiled as well in order to reassure Tsuruko.

"Huh...... You have to live...... Sakura......"

Sakurayuki quickly escaped from the wooden house, the secret door slowly closed, and the crane sat on the floor, accepting the erosion of the flames for Sakurayuki.

Sakura...... My sister has been ...... It's all around you......"

The flames of death erupted in an instant, completely engulfing the weather-beaten wooden house, and although Sakurayuki who escaped from the wooden house kept a smile on her face, tears containing all her emotions flowed from the corners of her eyes.

"Sister Tsuruko...... No, Sister Tsuruko and I promised...... I must live, and I must not cry again!"

Sakurayuki wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes with her hand and mustered up the courage to flee the place.

Outside the wooden house.

"Boss, the woman and the kitten are probably burned to death, are we going to check it out?" A bear monster reported to the giant bear monster.

"No need, this flame, humans can't bear it, let's go, I want the humans who came here to understand that the Forest of Mist is a place for the strong, and that white-haired human!"

The giant bear monster roared, it was a human and it was a human being who had already been deaf, and Sakurayuki, who was fleeing, also heard the roar, but she didn't know that the murderer who set the fire was the giant bear monster.