Episode -2 D

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Eat recalls that day, a very long time ago.

--

Wearing a red cloak that fluttered as he moved through outer space, he headed straight toward a place where armed Olpin were gathered.

A low-ranking Olpin, the first to spot Eat, shouted.

“Ah, it’s Eat! The Red Chicken is coming!”

The Olpin glared at Eat as he approached, weapons in hand. Their relationship doesn’t look very good.

Eat walks up to the biggest Olpin among them. He is the general of the Olpin group.

Eat: “I came to see Polun. Let me see Polun.”

General: “You wretch! How dare you speak the name of the Olpin Supreme Commander so casually! How many times must I tell you to watch that mouth before you understand!”

The Eat the general is looking at now is completely different from the present. He is tall and looks swift.

Of course, he is smaller than the general—but that’s because the general was unusually large. Compared to ordinary Olpin, Eat was slightly bigger.

Eat: “I’m busy, so move. If you don’t… you…”

General: “You wretch! How dare you threaten me? And if I don’t, what will you do!

Fine, good! Today I’ll correct that arrogant attitude of yours!”

In an instant, all armed Olpin surround Eat. In the silence, the air of battle gathers.

Meanwhile, far, far away, the golden owl Polun, watching while drinking a beverage through a straw, wears worried eyes.

Polun: “Ah… this won’t do… hm…”

At the Olpin captain’s order to charge, all the Olpin rush at Eat.

Polun watches in silence, and drinks every last drop left in his cup. ‘Slurp slurp’ [The sound of sucking through a straw down to the bottom]

Dark outer space. The captain’s black cloak blocks the view. As the cloak slowly shifts, Eat comes into view, fists clenched.

Around him, all those Olpin are floating in space, unconscious.

And the captain’s eyes, once burning with fighting spirit, slowly close, and as if letting go of everything, he loses consciousness..

Polun: “Hey~! What do you mean, one punch, one punch! That’s why I told you not to mess with the Red Chicken! Why won’t you listen!”

Eat flies toward Polun. He waves at Polun with a smile. [He has something to ask Polun.]

Polun: “What~ you’re waving at me like you did something good? Want praise? Is that guy even sane?”

Eat: “Polun, I’m in a huge hurry right now. This time I really found the cure.”

Eat: "Just give me a little more time, one last time! I’ll resolve everything. Please, Polun~”

Polun: “Haah…” [In pain]

Eat: “Polun, it’s true! I’ll show you proof right now. Just a moment! Postpone the judgment. Please, Polun. Yeah?”

Polun: “Ugh… Eat.”

Eat: “Uh, Polun…”

Polun: “Time has… been enough.”

Eat: “Huh? Polun! Wait… I can explain, it’s true!”

Polun: “I’m sorry. It’s no longer within my authority.”

Polun, leaving Eat behind, creates a shining door and tries to enter it.

Eat hurriedly approaches, trying to change Polun’s mind, but—

<Thud>

he crashes into an invisible wall.

Eat: “Aagh… what is this? Polun! Polun! Don’t go! Listen to me!”

Polun: “I’m sorry. Time has been enough.” …."It’s really outside my authority now…." Before Eat’s eyes, Polun disappears. No matter how loudly he shouts, Polun does not look back.

Eat, pounding on the invisible wall, finally calms his hurt feelings and turns away.

And as he tries to leave, again—

<Thud>

Eat: “Aagh…”

Not only behind him, but all around him, is blocking Eat. This invisible force was mysterious, and even Eat’s powerful strength could not break it.

Eat struggles desperately to break the door…… Each time he thrusts his fist, is it just his imagination that his hand feels closer and closer?

He stops and looks at his hand for a moment… strange. For some reason, his hand feels smaller than before.

He checks his body this way and that… no way—there is nowhere, hands or feet, that hasn’t become smaller.

He screams and calls Polun.

“Hey!! Polun!! Polun!”

[This… is Eat’s past memory.]

As he remembered that moment of pain, he suddenly came to his senses—and the golden owl Polun, Olpin’s Supreme Commander, was holding his hand tightly.

Polun: “My friend, have you been well all this time?”

Eat: “…You bastard…”

Polun: “Yeah, Eat. Say anything. I’m listening.” [An extremely gentle gaze]

Eat: “…You…”

Polun: “Yeah?”

Eat: “You made me like this… How dare you make me like this?”

At the same time, Eat grabs Polun by the collar and shakes him. Polun’s owl head wobbles as he’s shaken.

Polun is not surprised by the expected sequence. If anything, he is far too calm.

Eat: “Look at me! You made me like this!”

Polun: “No.”

Eat: “What!”

Polun: “Nope~ I don’t have the ability to make you like that. Meaning, it wasn’t me.”

Eat: “What is wrong with you! Change me back!”

Polun: “I don’t have the power to change you back. Meaning, truly, it wasn’t me.”

Roter and Pad, Polun’s direct subordinates, witness this scene and whisper to each other.

Pad: “Looking at it, Eat really might be a legend~ No! For sure…”

Roter: “Right! I think so too!”

Pad: “Have you ever seen the Supreme Commander act so flustered toward someone? It’s my first time, you know~”

Roter: “That’s crazy, seriously! I think so too!”

Pad: “Eat was a real legend.”

Roter: “So crazy, so crazy~ What’s there to say! My mouth just hurts~”

…Under a night sky where the round, round~ brightly shining moonlight beautifully lit the whole world,

today, the Olpin have gathered… and are getting grabbed by the collar.

-2 D END

Moritarin Chapter 3