Chapter 1640: A Bamboo Dragonfly ( 1640 )

Buddy glanced at Javier again, his beak opening in protest.

"Cuquawked! Cuquawked!?" (Master! That cat witch is rummaging through all your things! She’s touching everything! And you’re just letting her do it!?)

Javier laughed softly.

"Just let her be, Buddy. It’s fine. Nothing in there is dangerous. She’s not breaking anything. She’s just... exploring."

Buddy gave him a flat look, his beak pressed into a thin line, his eyes half-lidded with disbelief. He let out another squawk, his tone pointed.

"Cuquawked? Cuquawked." (Exploring? She’s treating your chest like a toy box. And speaking of which... what were you even looking for in there before she showed up? You were digging around for something.)

Javier’s smile softened. He glanced toward the chest, his expression turning thoughtful.

"Ah, that? Yeah." He nodded slowly. "I was looking for something that could assist Celine and Lyzia with their training. Something that could help them understand mana control and instant casting faster."

He glanced toward the chest. Mimi’s voice was rising with excitement, her tail a golden blur above the rim.

"Nya? Husband... this wood thing... what was it for?"

She popped her head out, holding up a small wooden object. A slender stick, smooth and carved, with a small wooden propeller at the top. Thin bamboo blades, delicate and perfectly balanced.

Javier’s smile widened. He took it from her hand and turned it over, checking every edge, every blade, every joint.

"This is a bamboo dragonfly. It flies. You spin the stick between your palms, and the propeller lifts it into the air."

He held it between both palms, the stick vertical.

"Let me show you."

He pressed his palms together, rolled the stick sharply, and released it. The bamboo dragonfly shot upward, its blades spinning, catching the morning air. It climbed high above their heads, a small wooden bird circling in the pale blue sky. It hovered there for a moment, spinning in the morning light, before it began to drift slowly back down toward the sand.

Buddy tilted his head, watching the little wooden thing spin in the air.

Mimi’s eyes widened. Her tail shot straight up, her ears perking high.

"Nyaaa! It can fly?! Without mana?! Without magic?! Just from spinning it?!"

She scrambled up out of the chest and jumped down to the sand, running to where the bamboo dragonfly was drifting back down.

Buddy ran behind Mimi, chasing after the bamboo dragonfly, his wings flapping as he waddled awkwardly across the sand. Mimi dashed ahead with her arms outstretched, her tail streaming behind her like a golden banner.

The bamboo dragonfly drifted slowly down, its blades spinning lazily, and finally landed on the sand with a soft, weightless touch.

Mimi scooped it up, held it up to her face, her tongue sticking out the side of her mouth in concentration, her brow furrowed. She pressed her palms together, rolled the stick sharply the way Javier had done, and released it.

The bamboo dragonfly wobbled upward, spun once, then dropped straight down onto the sand.

"Nyaaaa! Why is it so hard!!!"

She snatched it up and tried again. This time it climbed a little higher before its blades stuttered and it fell back down. She tried again, and again, each attempt ending the same way, the little wooden toy spinning weakly before dropping to the sand.

Buddy tilted his head to the side, watching her with growing amusement.

"Cuquawked?" (Maybe you did it wrong?)

Mimi puffed her cheek and tried once more. She rolled the stick as hard as she could, her arms shaking with the effort, and released it. The bamboo dragonfly shot upward, spinning fast, climbing higher than before.

Mimi’s eyes lit up. Her tail shot straight up. Then the blades stuttered, the toy tilted sideways, and it dropped like a stone, landing in the sand with a soft thud.

Mimi let out a frustrated huff, her cheeks puffed out, her ears drooping.

Buddy wiggled his butt side to side, bobbing his head in a slow, exaggerated rhythm, his beak curling into a smug smirk. He let out a series of teasing squawks, his head bobbing with each sound.

"Cuquawked~ Cuquawked~" (Awww, is the little cat witch having trouble? Can’t even make a simple wooden toy fly~? What a clumsy little witch~ Maybe your hands are too soft for it~)

"Nya!"

Mimi’s head snapped toward him, her ears flattening, her tail bristling.

"Dumb pekko! I’d like to see you try!"

Buddy stopped mid-bob. His head turned slowly, his eyes narrowing down at her with a flat look of utter disbelief.

"Cuquawked?" (That thing is for humans, not for pekko. Humans have hands. Pekko have wings and talons. How do you expect me to spin it with these?)

Mimi’s smirk widened. Her tail swayed behind her in slow, mischievous arcs, her ears perking high. She raised one hand and pulled down the lower lid of her eye with her finger, sticking her tongue out at Buddy.

"Nya nya~ Dumb pekko is all talk~ All beak and no brains~ Can’t even try, can’t even fly, can’t do anything but squawk~ Nya nya nya~"

Buddy’s wings flapped repeatedly in protest, his feathers ruffling with indignation. He gave her a sharp, narrowed look and let out a series of rapid, indignant squawks.

"C... Cuquawked!? Cuquawked!!" (W... wha!? You little—! I’ll show you how it’s done! Even without hands!)

Mimi’s smirk widened further. She swayed her hips side to side, her tail curling in a slow, mocking rhythm, her head tilting with exaggerated pity.

"Nya~ Mimi doesn’t think so~ Big orange bird can’t do it~ Big orange bird will fail~ All talk~ All squawk~ No spinny~"

Buddy’s head bobbed rapidly, his squawks rising in pitch and speed as he fired back at her. The two of them went back and forth, mocking each other in a rapid exchange of squawks and nyas, their voices overlapping in a chaotic duet of bickering.

Then Buddy’s eyes narrowed. He lunged forward and snatched the bamboo dragonfly from the sand with his beak. He puffed his chest out, his head held high, and let out a confident, triumphant squawk.

"Cuquawked~" (Let me show you how it should be done~ Little cat~)

He tilted his head back, then swung it forward in a smooth, deliberate arc, and the bamboo dragonfly flew from his beak. It spun upward, its blades catching the air, and held steady at a certain distance, spinning in place, perfectly balanced, as if it were hanging on a string.

He glanced at Mimi, his beak curling into a smug smirk, his eyebrows wiggling with pure, triumphant confidence.

"Cuquawked~ Cuquawked~?" (That’s how it’s done~ And I did it without hands~ What do you think of that, little cat~?)

( End Of Chapter )