As a greedy parrot, Tianyu absolutely loved human food.
Until one day, he accidentally ate a red-and-white capsule. When he woke up, he'd turned into a bald little chick.
Tianyu's whole world collapsed.
*
A baby chick needs someone to raise it.
Tianyu circled the underground parking garage and picked out the most expensive car among all the budget models: a Porsche 356A.
Tianyu's eyes lit up: A rich guy!
The organization's top killer had just finished a job. When he got into his beloved car, he found several cuts in the leather seats and the mission briefing chewed to bits.
Vodka panicked. "Big Brother, it wasn't me!"
Soft breathing sounded as the little bird, its feathers a shade of sky blue, rolled over onto the seat in its sleep.
Gin's fingers twitched lightly, brushing the bird's warm, soft body.
As if possessed, he took the bird home.
Life under the care of a top killer was great, but Tianyu didn't plan to lie flat.
People, birds are pretty amazing too!
Tokyo's nights were always rife with crime. Tianyu spread his wings, flew through the winding maze of alleyways, and landed on Gin's shoulder.
Tianyu: Person, the rats are here!
At an abandoned factory, the enemy made a last, desperate stand. Gin wiped the blood from his face and fired his last bullet.
Tianyu staggered over with a round object in his beak and dropped it into Gin's hand.
Tianyu: Person, the bird found you a bomb!
Rum was always as shrewd as they came and didn't believe for a second that Gin had inexplicably become a bird owner.
"Gin, let me see your bird."
Gin gave him a cold look. The hand holding his gun carefully cupped the little bird and hid it in his palm.
As if it were a treasure.
*
The day he turned human, Tianyu thought long and hard.
If a bird turns into a person, will people stop keeping birds?
When he confessed, the beautiful boy tugged at Gin's sleeve and gazed at him anxiously before curling up in his cigar-scented embrace.
Tianyu: "Person, you really like little birds too, don't you? Oh, speaking of birds..."
That night, those sky-blue eyes filled with tears.
Tianyu choked back a sob and thought: That's not the bird I meant!
---Reading Notes---
* Gin pairing
* All five members of the police academy cohort survive
* Tianyu is a little bird spirit who turns human later on. He's a peach-faced lovebird, an absolutely adorable little chick!
Theme: Face fate with a smile