Chapter 8: Are You a Bird?
During the day, Jantis briefly pushed aside her doubts about herself because of the cotton candy Jason bought, and the sweet taste made her unable to resist squinting with joy.
Jason took out his phone and captured her in this state, very satisfied with the girl's image and composition. Mainly, seeing the girl's joyful expression made him feel pleased.
In the evening, Jason went out to engage in nighttime activities he hadn't done in a long time. Jantis studied some courses he recommended on her own and glanced through the fairy tale collection Jason had recently bought. Many things in it she didn't understand, and she couldn't grasp why the protagonists behaved in certain ways.
With this lack of understanding, she saw the hour hand reach ten o'clock and decided to go to bed.
This was the time Jason set for her to sleep. He said children shouldn't stay up late, or they'll become ugly and won't grow tall. Anyway, she couldn't sleep during the day like him, and she still had to go to tutoring classes tomorrow.
As Jantis lay down, the doubts she had suppressed during the day in the park resurfaced.
Staring at the ceiling with her eyes open, she felt no drowsiness even when she closed her eyes. Her current life felt as stable as a dream, and she was somewhat uncomfortable with it, yet she also liked it very much. But she also knew that her current life was because of Jason.
The more she thought, the more memories she recalled, including the moment she opened her eyes in this world for the first time. That sense of bewilderment still lingered, like when she saw a sparrow flying during the day and suddenly felt like she could too.
Was her mind broken? Was she not suffering from amnesia after all?
Jantis wasn't sure. The blankness of her past made it incomprehensible for her. Unbeknownst to her, as she intertwined her hands on her abdomen, she twisted them into several gestures that were both unfamiliar and familiar.
The next moment, with a bang, the bed was missing a little girl but gained a small white bird.
The bird chirped in confusion, completely unaware of the current situation. It turned its head left and right, seeing bird wings on both sides. Looking down, it couldn't see its own feet, but it could feel them...
Flapping its wings a few times, it fell in front of the room's mirror. Inside, there was indeed a chirping bird.
Jantis: ?!
"Chirp chirp chirp chirp!" Her voice was filled with undisguised horror. Why had she turned into a bird? Was she really not a normal human? Was she originally a bird?
Her eyes also turned red. After wandering around for a few laps, Jantis calmed herself down. Whether she was a human or a bird, she decided to turn back into a human first. But how could she do that?!
Jantis: I don't know how!
"Sizzle—" A piercing, uncomfortable sound came from the glass window. Jantis abruptly turned her head and swallowed nervously. Could it be? Had that guy come again?
Originally, Jantis didn't want to go see, but thinking about what Jason had said before, that alleged female ghost might not harm her. She could try to ask some questions and maybe glean some information about herself, but she shouldn't get too close to that guy.
After pondering for a moment, she decided to go and see.
Looking at her wings in the mirror, she now had wings. Couldn't she fly now anyway?
Thinking this, Jantis confidently spread her wings and fluttered towards the window.
As expected, with no flying experience, Jantis crashed. She hit the ground, feeling a bit painful, but the little bird didn't become discouraged because of it. She tried a few more times and found a bit of a feeling.
She successfully flew to the window, but was blocked by the thick curtains.
But that's okay, she squeezed in through the gap underneath. Across the glass window, she made eye contact with the familiar yet unfamiliar female ghost. Trembling uncontrollably, her chirping voice couldn't help but tremble, "Chirp~?"
Jantis: ...Can she understand bird calls?
As it turned out, she couldn't understand. When she saw this bird, not much larger than the palm of a hand, chirping, the female ghost outside was stunned.
Jantis swore she saw the female ghost's pupils shrink. Could a ghost's eyes change too?
One ghost, one bird, staring at each other with big eyes, neither knowing what the other was trying to express.
Jantis wanted to ask why she was here, and if she had nothing to do, she should stay away. She was genuinely afraid. In this situation, she couldn't ask any other questions.
And she didn't know when Jason would be back. Hopefully, when he returned, she would have returned to normal.
If not... Jantis thought of this possibility, and the bird's body stiffened.
The female ghost outside stared blankly at the adorable yet chaotic little bird inside. She could confirm that this little bird was indeed the girl from before. She extended her sharp fingertips and tapped on the window. Seeing the little bird look over, she slowly pointed in one direction.
Jantis: ???
It seems like she wants her to go in that direction. The little bird tilted its head, a hint of confusion flashing in its eyes. Jantis wasn't afraid of much, except for ghosts, but perhaps following her could shed some light on things? Fear of ghosts was still fear of ghosts, but how could she find out without entering the lion's den? She used her claws to tap on the glass window, indicating that she couldn't go because of it. Outside, the female ghost uttered some words in a hoarse voice that Jantis couldn't understand, then stared at the little bird. Seeing that it didn't move at all, she reached out and forcefully grabbed the window... Jantis was startled, flapping her wings backward, but was blocked by the curtains and didn't fall to the ground. She understood that the other party wanted to break the glass. But the tough bulletproof glass only left scratches, showing that Jason used quality materials. Jantis stood back on the windowsill. The little bird's face showed no expression, but the female ghost outside continued her relentless efforts. She looked at the latch next to her, realizing she wasn't big enough for it. She tried to manipulate it and found that her strength wasn't so small. She opened the latch, but couldn't lift the window. The ghost, not very clever but observing her actions, slowly raised the window with her hand. Jantis flew out. She mimicked the flight of sparrows she had seen during the day, looking at the ghost. She lowered the window and pointed ahead. "Chirp." Jantis suppressed her fear and responded before flying in that direction. The initially unstable bird gradually mastered the skill of flying. Fluttering its wings, occasionally morphing mid-air, with the ghost following alongside. Her crawling speed was faster than the bird's flying speed, and she even corrected the bird's direction. Jantis suddenly began to wonder about one thing. If she crawled on the walls and ground like this, wouldn't she scare people to death if they saw her... when she was already so scared. Soon, the ghost stopped on the wall. Jantis chirped in confusion and she pointed diagonally upward but didn't continue to lead the way. Jantis looked in that direction and faintly heard the sounds of fighting. She didn't think the ghost led her here to watch a show. She wanted to ask something, but then realized that the ghost had disappeared without her noticing. Jantis focused her mind and flew diagonally upward. On the rooftop of that building, there were two people, one of whom Jantis was very familiar with—the jacket and hood—the obvious signs of injury. The other was dressed all in black. The person in black landed a punch on the person in the red hood's abdomen, seeming to hit his wound, and he didn't get up for a while. Jantis's eyes instantly sharpened. Sometimes, Jason would come back with injuries, but he always handled them well, and he wouldn't even disclose any information about his injuries to her. So, was this it? Seeing the adult she liked being bullied like this, she couldn't contain the anger in her heart, but the angrier she got, the calmer she had to be. If she remained in bird form, she couldn't do anything, but she didn't know how to turn back into a human— But even so, Jantis knew she couldn't just watch while Jason was being attacked. So what if she was a bird? Why couldn't she help Jason? Jantis, the little bird, flew over without hesitation. "Chirp chirp chirp!" Don't hit my mommy Jason! Jantis began to babble nonsense, knowing that no one could understand her. Looking at this inexplicably intruding little bird, Batman: ??? The bird stood between Batman and the person in the red hood, seemingly scolding Batman. Batman was full of doubts. Was this really a bird? The person in the red hood found an opportunity and pulled out his gun, firing several shots at Batman. Batman raised his cape and blocked all the bullets. When he looked again, the person in the red hood had disappeared, and the bird was gone too. Batman didn't pursue. He instructed Robin, "Have you found out about the recent actions of the Red Hood? Also, investigate that bird carefully." Ordinary birds wouldn't rush into dangerous battles like this. Animal instincts towards danger were always astonishing, but this bird completely defied its nature. Robin replied, "Yes, Batman." ...
Arriving at a slightly safer place, the Red Hood looked at the little bird perched on his shoulder and chuckled, "Hey, little bird, you really helped me out this time."
"Chirp chirp chirp!" Quickly tend to your wound!
Jantis anxiously fluttered around. That impact didn't seem to affect Jason at all, and he even wanted to reach out and touch the affectionate little bird, but the pain from his wound brought him back to his senses. He cursed, "Damn it, Batman was actually waiting outside."
He had handled things, didn't get hurt in the scuffle with the thugs, but ended up being found by Batman who had come after hearing the news. They didn't go after the criminals but chased after him... Okay, he was also a criminal, of course.
Jantis tilted her head, puzzled by how Jason suddenly seemed a bit down.
She flew to the other side of him, trying to see his expression, but it was blocked by his hood.
Jason quickly dealt with his wound, regained some strength, and then left the area.
Jantis followed along, watching him hop on his motorcycle and speed away. She knew Jason wouldn't go back to their place to treat his wound. She didn't leave but instead followed closely. She was worried about him.
The Red Hood was surprised. This bird seemed almost sentient. Not only did it look different from ordinary birds, but its intrusion into the fight between two people proved it wasn't ordinary.
Jason didn't shoo it away but instead let it follow him into a safehouse. He started tending to his wounds, noticing that the bird was still staring at him, its brows furrowed.
"A bird worrying about me..." Jason chuckled at his strange thought. "It's really something."
"Little bird, do you know how dangerous your actions were just now?" Jason spoke as if talking to someone he could confide in, yet also as if advising the bird. He turned his head to tend to his wounds, saying, "Maybe Batman is already investigating this unusual bird of yours. He'll definitely think you're mine... Do you have an owner? How about I keep you?"
"But... you're already keeping me."
A soft, emotionless voice echoed in the safehouse. Jason abruptly turned his head, seemingly hearing a crack in his neck, his eyes widening in disbelief. "Jenny?!"
Jantis looked at her hands and feet in astonishment. "Did I turn back?"
Jason: ?!
Faced with this sudden transformation, he was stunned. "Are you a bird?!"
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone