The Concerned Nightbird

The day of the Moonlight Gathering is here!

Rosetta! Melina! I trust you're both prepared?

Of course. I've memorized the lines of both the nightbird and the narrator. How about you, Melina?

I'm prepared as well. There's just one thing...

Thillelille, I'm still having trouble with the lines for when I have to call out to you.

You'd better focus then! You're playing the part of Thillelille's younger sister, so I expect a heartfelt and loving "sis"!

They do say a monster haunts the stage, one that can rattle even the best actor, so why not practice once more? Here, read this line.

...Rosetta.

Oh? Is everything alright, Melina? Thillelille has already taken her place on stage.

There's something I wanted to tell you before the show. You said that a monster haunts the stage, didn't you?

Why, y-yes.

Well, you should be prepared for the monster to bare its teeth at you, too.

Oh...?

(What did she mean by that? Was it a declaration of war from the young songbird?)

(Today's show needs to go well, but the monster represents things we can't see coming... Could she be planning something?)

(If so...)

(This is truly exciting!)

(I can't wait to see what she has in store for us...)

Once upon a time, there lived two young snowbirds who were waiting for their parents to return from a warm land far away.

It's awfully cold, isn't it?

Not with you by my side. Come closer and cuddle with me until our parents come home.

One day, the sisters find an injured nightbird caught in a fierce blizzard, and they bring her home to shelter her from the storm.

(The snowbirds are about to encounter the nightbird. If she is up to something, now would be the time...)

(Will I really have to face a monster? Or will she perform unscripted lines? Or maybe she's arranged for stage malfunctions?)

Poor thing. If I stay by her side and keep her warm, perhaps she'll open her eyes.

(Well, so far so good...)

No, you mustn't. You'll freeze if you do. I'm afraid it's...

I know the winds are cold, but I hope these soft, tiny wings can provide some comfort...

(Hmm, she's sticking to the script. Were her words just a warning? Or perhaps it was all in my head...)

(Hmm...I sense something fluffy nearby...)

(...! Could that be...?!)

(Ngh... I want to open my eyes and see for myself, but I'm supposed to be unconscious...)

Oh, my. What a kind little creature you are, sharing your warmth with the nightbird.

Though as you can see, she's still very cold. It may take some time for her to warm up.

(Ah, so you'll have me endure this a while longer.)

Oh, what a soft little tail you have. Perhaps that will help too.

Ngh...

(So this is the monster that haunts the stage... A true terror...)

(...What a horrible ordeal that was. But it's over now. From here, we simply follow the script.)

It feels as though I've been lost in a long dream, a dream in which I was wrapped in the warmth of snow.

Was it you who saved me?

......!

Nightbird... You're awake. How do you feel?

I fear I don't have much longer. But now that I have awakened, I may fulfill my final duty.

I am the bearer of hope, and I have traveled from a faraway land in search of a pure heart worthy of my power.

But I have no need to look any further... because I have found you.

Me...?

Yes. I have never seen a heart as beautiful as yours. Now, tell me your wish. What is it that you truly desire?

...... My wish...

My wish is to give what little I have left to save my...

...Wait!

(Oh, what's this now?)

......?!

Thille, snowbird?

Ooh, it's too much to bear! Melina, I can't stand by and let you do this!

Calm down. It's...

I know! I know it's just a play! But...this ending...!

Giving all of yourself to me only to disappear in a beautiful light...

......

Ros, I mean, nightbird! Thillelille's heart is just as beautiful as her sister's! Therefore, I would like to make a wish in her place!

So please, make me a deal instead!

(Another monster rears its head!)

(Who would have guessed that this story would have such a surprising ending?)

(I never knew Thillelille was such a talented storyteller! Now...)

Thillelille.

Eep! ...I-I take full responsibility for what happened! Thillelille is ready to accept whatever consequences come her way!

Hmm...it's one thing to pull something like that when telling a story in town, but quite another during a show for the church.

Altering the ending altered what the children learned and, by extension, could be seen as an alteration to the doctrine.

Ohhh...

But not to worry. I'll make sure you stay out of the interrogation room♪

Y-You will?

Of course♪ Think of it as an expression of gratitude for putting on such a wonderful show.

This should do.

It wasn't like me to try so hard to protect the sisters. But...

Something about them felt so familiar. The two of them huddled together, sharing their warmth...

Rosetta, what are those papers?

Oh, just the original text of "The Snowbird Sisters" and theories and such from the tower and basement archives.

I asked around and finally managed to gather all this. See for yourself.

These are versions of the story told in various corners of the world. Look at all the different endings...

If we say that we purposefully adapted it in our own way as well, the church should have no objection to it.

You did this by yourself?

*chuckle* Well, if the church has a problem with our play, I will be the one held responsible after all.

But also, in that moment on stage, all I wanted to do was support her choice.

And yours as well, Melina.

Mine?

You weren't happy with the ending either, were you?

Isn't that why you were searching for the original text or anything that might prove it ends differently?

I was doing no such thing...

Oh, really? Then what brought you all the way out here?

I-I...

Yes?

...I see you didn't get enough of the monster's wrath on stage.

Hm? What do you mean?

Good timing, Noah.

You weren't done tickling her, were you? Well, now your free to do as you please.