I’m an Alraune, a plant monster girl.
And floating over there was a mysterious white-haired girl.


A human flying through the air.
It was an unbelievable sight.


To be fair though, this entire day had been one astonishing event after another.

I encountered an absurdly oversized dragon, watched as White Bird-san extinguished a fire with a bucket of water and started talking, then was pollinated by myself, turned into a seed, and reborn as a little girl.… a lot really did happen.
So I thought there couldn’t possibly be anything left to surprise me.

But then, a being beyond my wildest imaginations appeared right in front of me.

What even is that strange person?

Hovering motionless in midair wasn’t something humans could do.
It should be impossible with normal magic.

So, who exactly is that white-haired girl flying up there?


As I stared up at the sky, my eyes locked with hers.
Somehow, though, I didn’t feel any hostility coming from her gaze.

Still, I wasn’t that big of a fool to stay defenseless in front of someone this suspicious.
This past year living in the forest had trained me well.

I glared back at her.
Sure, I’m a little girl now, so I might not look very scary, but I’ll do my best regardless.


As if oblivious to my efforts, the white-haired girl tilted her head slightly.

“Huh. Was she always this small?”

Hey, what’s wrong with being small?
I’m just a sprout, you know.

I was literally just born.
If you think in human terms, I’m basically a baby, so of course I’m small.

In my previous life I lived as a Japanese high school girl, and then I lived seventeen years as a saint.
So being treated like an actual child is… a little awkward, honestly.


“Well, she’s small, but she’s definitely an Alraune.”

The white-haired girl hummed to herself while examining me like she was confirming something.

Could it be… was she looking for me?

Was her target… me?
She did say “Alraune,” after all.

Now that I think about it, this girl looked exactly like the person drawn in that mysterious picture the minotaur from the Demon King’s army had.

The drawing was so terrible that I’d assumed it was an old woman because of the white hair.
But it seems that picture was actually of this white-haired girl.

A girl drawn on documents belonging to the Demon King’s Army.
Could she be one of their comrades?

The minotaur was searching for her, after all. Maybe she was a missing comrade.
Or, considering the sleeping potion the minotaur carried, she could be an ally who deserted.


If she was connected to the Demon King’s army, then her unnatural ability to hover in midair suddenly makes sense.
In that case, that would mean the girl wasn’t human.


But that just makes things worse.
Whether she was part of the Demon King’s army or used to be, there was a high chance she could become my enemy.


She seemed to have been looking for me, too. If things go badly, I might even get handed over to the Demon King’s army.

And that means I’ll get a reunion with Fire Dragon-sama himself.

This time, as vengeance for his minotaur subordinates, I’m definitely going to get burned.
After barely escaping the blue flames and being reborn, that future was just too cruel.


I raised my vines toward the sky in warning.

I survived this long.
I’m not about to waste that miracle.
If it comes to it, I’ll fight with everything I’ve got!


As I let my vines sway threateningly, the white-haired girl suddenly widened her eyes.
Then she waved her hand at me.

It was like she was casually saying, “Hey.”

No, that’s not it!
I know my vines are short and small right now so they might not look intimidating, but this is me doing my absolute best to intimidate you!

I’m not waving at you, ok?
And you don’t need to wave back!


But instead of backing off, the white-haired girl’s expression softened, looking relieved.
She slowly descended towards me.

Hovering to a stop a short distance away, she smiled gently and spoke.


“So it really is that Alraune. You’ve gotten smaller, but I’m so glad you didn’t get burned…”


The white‑haired girl was an adorable little girl.
At first glance, she looked like an ordinary, quiet child.
But somehow, she gave the impression of someone who hadn’t known much happiness.

Honestly, she doesn’t look like some dangerous mystery person who could hover in midair.
For a minion of the Demon King’s army, she was far too cute and frail.

Though the white hair was still concerning.

Now that she was closer, I’d guess she was around ten years old.
It’s not normal for a child that age to have pure white hair.


Still, I won’t let my guard down.
In the forest, a single moment of carelessness could mean death.

I made my vines and thorns writhe, letting them coil around me threateningly.
The white-haired girl flinched at that.

She slowly drifted backward, still floating.


Huh.
Was she… scared of me?

If she was afraid of a little girl like me, maybe she wasn’t very strong.
I decided to ask her something.


“Who… are you?”

“You know who I am, don’t you?”


She answered my question with another question.
What does that mean?
I don’t really understand anything yet, but at this point, I might as well ask everything that’s been bothering me.


“Why… did you move… away when you saw… the thorns?”

“Because they’re dangerous.”


Dangerous?
She thinks I’m dangerous?

I’m not dangerous at all.
Just a harmless flower from the forest.
And a little girl at that.

The white-haired girl opened her mouth, looking troubled.


“You’re planning to catch me with those thorns and eat me, aren’t you?”


Ah.
Yeah, she’s clearly wary of me.
But how does she know I’m a carnivorous plant?

With my youthful appearance, I shouldn’t look like an Alraune that could swallow humans whole.


“If you promise not to eat me, I’ll give you this.”

The white-haired girl reached behind her back, pulling something out.
Seems like she’d been hiding something the whole time.

Was it a weapon?
Maybe she’s trying to make me lower my guard before attacking.

As I braced myself, paying the utmost attention, a bucket emerged from behind the white-haired girl.

Hmm.
Definitely not a weapon.
It’s just a bucket.


──Eh, a bucket?


I had seen that bucket once before.

Back when the forest was on fire.
White Bird-san had poured water from a bucket to extinguish the flames clinging to my bulb.

It looked just like that one.


“I came to water you. It was a promise, after all…”

The white-haired girl muttered shyly.

──A promise.

I didn’t remember ever making a promise with a human girl.
Perhaps she’s mistaken me for another flower.

But I remembered having made a promise before… with someone who wasn’t human.


“I was surprised. I thought the talking flower would definitely have burned to death, yet you made it through.”


──Talking flower.

I had heard that name once before too.
The white bird had called me that.

Come to think of it, the white bird could talk for some reason.


“You were bigger than me before, but now you’re so small… and honestly, pretty cute.”


The white-haired girl spoke, expressionless.

That’s strange.
I was sure I had never met a white-haired girl before.

Even counting my memories from my time as a saint, I don’t recall seeing a child this distinctive.

Besides, the one who promised to water me wasn’t human.

Maybe because my gaze grew more guarded, the white-haired girl froze in confusion.


“I see… I guess you wouldn’t recognize me while I was still in human form”


She lowered her head slightly, looking troubled.


“But if I do this, you’ll understand, right?”


The white-haired girl exhaled softly.
Then, her body began to distort.
Her entire form compressed in on itself, swirling inward.

For a moment, I almost wondered if I was seeing a hallucination. After all, the scene before me felt far too unreal to be real.

While I was too stunned that I gulped down a mouthful of nectar, the white-haired girl had already transformed.


What was floating there was no longer a human.

It was a white bird.

The white-haired girl had turned into a white bird.

And not just any bird.
It was White Bird-san, someone I had seen countless times over the past year.


“Now you understand, right?”


White Bird-san called out to me in human words.


At last, it clicked.

The one who promised to water me.
The one who extinguished the fire with a bucket.

There was only one possible answer.
One person, or rather, one bird.

Still, it was hard to believe.
A human turning into an animal, an animal turning into a human. It was completely beyond common sense.
I was so shocked that I nearly dribbled nectar out of my mouth—that’s how surprised I was.

This girl wasn’t part of the Demon King’s army.
In fact, she wasn’t an enemy at all.
If anything, she was an ally.

Still dazed, I asked softly,

“White… Bird-san?”

In response, White Bird-san opened her small beak.

“Chuun.”

That clumsy chirp. No doubt about it.

Not just her appearance, even her mannerisms were exactly the same.


The white-haired girl’s true identity was White Bird-san.

Normally, seeing something as absurd as a person transforming into a bird would make me more cautious. But instead, I felt my tension draining right out of me.


Ah… honestly.
White Bird-san, whenever I see you, I can’t help but feel at ease.

You saved my life so many times.
I always thought you were a little strange, sure.


But there’s one thing I know for certain.
If the white-haired girl was White Bird-san, then I can trust you.

Because you’re my prince adorned in white wings.

***


Author’s Note:

Thank you very much for reading.
I could not have come this far without everyone’s encouragement.
Once again, thank you for your continued support.
m(_ _)m

Next Time: The True Identity of the White Bird