The Chick Class Hunter is Being Filial

[Copycat Parrot Plush (B-Rank)]
Imitates the actions and appearance of the target.
Guru pulled out the parrot plush and sat it down on the closed toilet seat.

“Guru, are you done yet?”
“Yeees—”
The parrot plush answered in her place.

Guru gave the parrot plush a little pat on the head, then climbed onto the toilet tank and began wriggling through the ventilation shaft.
At the fork in the duct, she peeked both ways and decided to go right.
Hewe it is.

She carefully opened the vent and poked her face out—
“I’ll go provide backup now!”
A man with a tattoo on the back of his hand rushed out of the guest room.

Ooh!
Guru waited until the man closed the door, then dropped down onto the soft bed.
“Euchaa!”

Thump! Boing! Thump!
She bounced on the mattress a few times and landed softly on the floor.
Pwetty sure dis is it.

Checking the map, the glowing point was definitely showing this room.
Where’s Gwuu’s undewwing?
As she looked around, a metallic clanging echoed from inside a giant structure draped in white cloth.
Clang!

……?
Yikes.
After confirming again that the room was empty, Guru slowly approached the structure.

It’s huge…
Clang!
It’s inside.

Guru carefully pulled back the cloth.
Fwoosh!
What she saw was a large cage, the kind used to contain beasts.
But inside wasn’t a beast—it was a person.

A boy, about the same size as Guru.
He stepped out from the shadows and gripped the bars.
His pale face was framed by dark bangs, the color of a moonless night.

He was wrapped almost entirely in scrolls scrawled with crimson letters of restriction.
Through his fringe, his eyes—unusual irises speckled like stars—locked onto Guru.
Thump!

A sudden wave of fear surged through her—
but—
[‘Fear’ has been nullified by ‘Mephisto’.]
Hoom? Thump-thump gone.

Blink blink. Guru fluttered her eyes.
“……?”
The boy scrunched his face like he didn’t quite trust what he was seeing—

“……Ah.”
Then fixed his gaze on Mephisto.
“You are the unfilial one who tore out your father’s heart and sealed it.”

The corners of his mouth stretched wide, revealing sharp teeth like a shark’s.
Eeeeek—!
Guru twitched her shoulders in fright at the terrifying face.

“Usurper.”
The boy pressed his forehead against the bars and smiled with a ghastly grin.
Guru gripped her backpack straps tight, lips quivering.
……W-What’s he saying?

The words were way too difficult for a kid their age.
In a trembling voice, Guru asked again.
“Cha… Chachacha?”

The boy paused, then spoke slowly and clearly once more.
“……Usurper.”
“Chacha…?”

“Usurper.”
Even so…
“I dunno!”

“Peep!”
Guru put her hands on her hips and responded confidently.
On her head, Mephisto mirrored her—pressing his wings to his sides and sticking his neck up proudly.

Her teacher said a good child is someone who can be honest when they don’t know something.
“Hoom!”
“Peep!”

“……”
Watching the absurdly confident child and her baby bird, Veilach suddenly looked like a deflated balloon.
“Seems the Lord lost much when reborn as such a pitiful creature…”

To think he became a chubby little chick.
Unlike himself, whose true form was sealed inside this vessel, Mephisto’s body had been rebuilt directly from his soul.
Though Mephisto hadn’t obeyed him, he was still undeniably a Lord.

What kind of lunatic would do such a horrific thing to a Lord?
The mere thought was terrifying.
Still, how did it end up this stupid?

Veilach closed his mouth in disgust, then suddenly sniffed the air around Guru.
“You… received the Lord’s power, didn’t you.”
“……!”

Guru, now understanding what he meant, spoke solemnly as she put her hands back on her hips.
“I dunno!”
“Peep!”

Veilach, seemingly worn out by her consistent responses, waved his hand dismissively.
“Enough.”
These fools in front of him had drained his will to fight.

He’d been looking forward to a rare meal.
A small child’s energy should’ve been a good snack, even in his current form.
“Go. Yellow bean.”

He waved his hand like he was shooing away something annoying.
“Be—Bean?!”
Guru clutched her chest, PTSD from chickpeas hitting her all at once.

Krrrk!
The boy did look her age, but he spoke with way too many difficult words and acted more mature than the whole galaxy.
He definitely didn’t seem normal… Probably was a ‘follower’ after all.

Guru took a deep breath.
If that’s the case, she couldn’t lose!
“…C-come wiff Gwuu. I give dis.”

Digging into her bag, she pulled out a yogurt she’d secretly stashed away.
“Dis for you. Be Gwuu’s undewwing.”
“……”

Veilach felt his energy draining even faster listening to the yellow bean.
“I can’t leave.”
He actually made [N O V E L I G H T] an effort to explain himself, patient even for these idiots.

“As you can see, I’ve long been sealed within this fleshly vessel. I don’t know what you intend to do with me…”
“Hoom?”
Wha, huh?

Guru clearly didn’t get a word of it. Veilach shut his mouth tight.
Has the scent of my homeland softened me?
He couldn’t believe he’d nearly spilled his secrets to the unfilial brat who usurped his Lord’s throne—and to this little yellow bean carrying that power.

“……I spoke needlessly. Just go.”
“Cuz of dis?”
Guru shook the padlock on the cage.

Clank! Clank!
So stwong.
“Yes, that’s why—”

Just go already.
Veilach was trying to shoo her off when—
Click!

Guru lifted the broken padlock with a fork.
“Got it!”
…What?

“……H-How?”
Veilach stammered as he pushed on the bars.
Creeeeak—

The door to the cage, which had trapped him all this time, opened far too easily.
“You awe the bestest!”
“Peep!”

Guru and Mephisto puffed up with pride, huffing air out their noses.
“……?”
Veilach gaped in disbelief.

Even sealed in a human child’s body, the cage was made of material his own power couldn’t break.
With a dull toy fork…?
Guess she really wasn’t ordinary.

Even if she acted like a fool, she’d been chosen by Mephisto. That must mean she had a special ability.
Suppressing a swell of admiration, Veilach cautiously stepped outside the cage.
A strange emotion washed over him.

How long had it been, since he’d stepped outside this cramped cell…?
He took a deep breath.
“Is dis uncomfy?”

Just then, Guru scratched at the scroll wrapped around him and peeled it off with her fork.
“……?!”
She just tore off the restriction like it was nothing?! How?! What even—?

Veilach stared in total confusion.
What… is this child?
After tearing up the scroll, Guru beamed at him.

“Feew bettuh now?”
Still flustered, Veilach gave a small nod.
“That’s good.”

***
“Carefuw, carefuw.”
Guru cracked the room door open and peeked both ways.

Veilach, confused as to why he was following her at all, nonetheless mirrored her movement.
“I’m Gwuu. What’s yo name?”
“I am Veilach of Shados.”

“Vei… umm.”
Afraid she’d mispronounce it, Guru just nodded vaguely.
Undewwing names awe so hawd…

Vei… in the Hang Hang time…
“Shhh! Tiptoe tiptoe.”
After confirming the hallway was clear, Guru pressed a finger to her lips and began tippy-toeing along.

“We gotta go back to da potty. Ungnie Awin’s waitin’.”
Veilach stared at the back of the little girl holding his hand with a strange expression.
This little creature… she sensed all the life around them, but if it wasn’t visible in front of her, she acted like it didn’t exist.

As a nearby door began to open, he quietly held it shut with force.
From inside, a group of humans tried pushing it open, confused.
Now what…

Blocking all of them would only cause a scene.
In this small human body, it was difficult to exert force—and the one leading him was just a clueless bean.
……Sigh.

No other choice.
Veilach spoke to the child tiptoeing ahead.
“Little Lord, if you wish to make me your follower, then open the cradle.”

Guru’s mouth fell open.
“Yo—Yo potty?”
Guru knew what a potty was. Grandmas used it!

Huh? She tilted her head.
“Pee?”
“The cradle!”

“Hoom! You mean da cwadle…”
Guru nodded like she totally understood.
“Okay!”

She didn’t know at all!
She was too embarrassed to admit it after pretending she got it.
I’m sowwy, Miss Jungyoon. Gwuu is a bad wiar…

Holding back tears, she glanced around nervously.
…What do I do?
Weww… gotta twy. Wike da main chawactew in an anime!

Guru hesitated, then raised her index finger high.
“Open sesame, cwadle!”