We continue on our search in the direction in which the tiger is believed to have headed, but the traces we were able to find at the beginning have disappeared along the way. |
The Train Knights are good at searching for traces, such as following the source of the Phantom Mist, but the forest is so vast that it will take a long time at this rate. |
Karakawa |
"Then let's search from the sky." |
Euston |
"Do you mean search from the tops of tall trees, Miss Karakawa?" |
Karakawa |
"No, Karakawa's Hinomotogo can be controlled at will. That's why I can straddle it like this--" |
Karakawa, astride the Hinomotogo, floated in the air, akin to a witch flying on her broom in stories. |
Euston |
"It's amazing that you can use it not only as a weapon, but also for your own transportation, Karakawa!" |
Karakawa |
"It-it's not that amazing~" |
Austerlitz |
"No, it's a great thing. After all, it's a huge localised bite of pressure. Just imagining the load is enough to heat me up." |
Austerlitz |
"And every time you swivel in the air, it rubs against you, and excitement spills all over. And yet, to be able to jump out of the air, L'Austerlitz would be a hot little Litz." |
Euston |
"I agree with Miss Austerlitz." |
Conductor |
Se-Seriously Euston, even you are influenced by Austerlitz's imagination... |
Euston |
"What are you talking about, Sir Conductor? I'm talking about the load on the body? If you were a normal person, flying astride a spear's handle would be very damaging to your body." |
Conductor |
Ah, that's what you mean. Sorry Euston, forget what I said. |
Karakawa |
"Not quite understand what you mean, but Karakawa is used to handling the Hinomotogo, so the load should be no problem." |
Karakawa |
"See, just like that!" |
As if to reassure the two people that are worried, Karakawa flew up into the sky on the Hinomotogo and waved towards us. |
Euston |
"You really are flying freely in the sky. How wonderful...!" |
Euston |
"You must have worked with that spear for a long time to be able to do that." |
Austerlitz |
"I see, so you've been working with that spear since you were a little girl..." |
Austerlitz closed her eyes, and her cheeks are flushed red. Please stop imagining perverted things. |
Euston |
"Miss Karakawa! The tiger, are you going to find it?" |
Karakawa |
"Ugh, it's quite difficult to see it because of the leaves in the way~" |
Karakawa |
"There's what looked like tiger fur over there! It must be the tiger we're looking for. Please follow me!" |
The strategy of searching from the sky seems to have been a great success, as the tiger is spotted so quickly. |
We followed Karakawa guiding us from the sky, and we rushed to the tiger. Though, after we reached a certain point, Karakawa came down. |
Karakawa |
"It's behind that bush." |
As we focused our attention on the bush Karakawa was pointing at, we suddenly heard leaves rustling and shaking. |
Euston |
"Looks like it's sensed us. Everyone, please be careful." |
Karakawa |
"It might be quite a challenge to catch it unharmed." |
Conductor |
Even if a tiger jumps on us, we have to be prepared to deal with it. |
But, while everyone was nervous, the thing who came out of the bushes was-- |
Austerlitz |
"Ah, you are quite a cute tiger cub, aren't you?" |
Karakawa |
"This is unexpected. The cub was probably born just a little while ago. At this age, it's more like a kitten." |
Euston |
"Hao, hao how..." |
Euston |
"HOW ADORAAAAABLE~!!" |
Euston caught the startled tiger cub trying to run away, her eyes shining. |
Euston |
"I can't get enough of this adorable looking, mischievous thing~!" |
Karakawa |
"It's even more adorable when it's threatening." |
Euston |
"Sorry, don't be scared. Look, I'll give you a treat for letting me pet you. Yes yes, you can eat a lot~" |
Euston |
"How lucky I am to be able to see a tiger cub with my own eyes! It's a very auspicious start to the New Year!" |
Saying that, she gently released the tiger cub and it went back towards the bushes. |
Austerlitz |
"The presence of the child means that its parent is nearby, L'Austerlitz guesses." |
Euston |
"You're right. But would a tiger from the screen have children?" |
Karakawa |
"Not quite sure, but it feels like we should check to be sure when we get here." |
Euston |
"Fair enough... Karakawa has a point." |
Euston nodded in agreement. |
That's why we decided to check just in case, even if it was probably not the same tiger we were chasing. |