APVCS 02

Chapter 2

Chapter 2. Crossing the Rainbow Bridge

I pressed my tiny paws into the soft, fluffy clouds.

Just when I finally crossed the rainbow bridge after struggling so hard that all my claws were worn out!

My fluffy puppy body and soul separated.

“Even if I can’t make you your sister’s daughter, I will make you her younger sister’s body.”

I only blinked my eyes once.

And finally, my soul slipped right into a child’s body.

“Wow! This is super amazing!”

I waved my hands around energetically, which had replaced my white tail.

Then, information about this body seeped into my mind.

A warm, freshly made body created by the Puppy God.

And perhaps because of the god’s blessing?

Humans were made to believe that I had ‘lived with my family in a rural village until I was five years old, then was adopted into my sister’s family.’

“My name is Coco, just like before. I’m five years old!”

Plump hands like well-puffed sweet potato bread.

Short and stubby limbs like turnips.

And round, white feet!

She was a very cute child with silver hair and purple eyes.

“I’m really my sister’s little sister now!”

I suddenly sat up from the body that had been lying quietly on the bed.

“I have to go see my sister quickly!”

But then.

As soon as I stood up, my arms and legs flailed around…….

Thump, thump!

My tiny body fell onto the floor with a heavy thud.

“Gasp…….”

I had encountered my first obstacle.

“Using a human body is not easy.”

Going from walking on four legs to walking on two legs was extremely difficult.

It felt as if my body had turned into a huge log!

But I, Coco.

I would definitely succeed in taking this great first step.

Because I had to go see my sister.

“I came back to save my sister. This much is nothing……!”

I raised one leg with a serious expression.

With great difficulty, I managed to stand awkwardly on two feet.

“Success!”

I had smashed through my first obstacle!

Just as I was proudly smiling, a maid with brown hair opened the door and came inside.

“Baby, I heard a noise, so I came in. Are you all right?”

“Ah……. Yes! I’m okay!”

“Then, shall we start preparing your luggage? You will have to leave the estate soon…….”

What did she mean by leaving……?

“Coco, walk!”

“Yeah, yeah! I love going for walks!”

I energetically nodded while remembering my sister’s voice.

The maid then looked at me with pity.

“Not for a walk……. I mean that you have to leave the family.”

“Huh……?”

I saw the paper in the maid’s hand.

[Request for Eviction and Cancellation of Adoption]

“Wh-what kind of sheep is a cancellation of adoption……?”

“Well……. It means that you will have to leave this estate soon.”

I opened my round mouth as wide as a dry roasted sweet potato.

It had only been five minutes since I was happy about becoming my sister’s little sister.

And now I was about to be kicked out of this house.

Not long ago, a divine oracle had been given to the Ardos Ducal Family.

In short, it said:

<Adopt a child blessed by God. Through this child’s special ability, the family will prosper.>

The family quickly found a child who met the conditions of the oracle.

A girl born to commoners.

Living in a village near the sea in the south.

Five years old.

Most importantly, she was a child who showed a divine mark when a holy relic was brought close to her!

That child was none other than me, Coco!

But……

“They say that when a ‘holy relic’ is brought close to the so-called <Blessed Child>, a divine mark appears. When the holy relic was brought close to Your Grace’s body, the divine mark clearly appeared as proof that you had received God’s blessing, so they brought you here and registered you into the family…….”

“……Th-then what?!”

“But a month ago, the divine mark suddenly disappeared……. Since this was extremely unusual, many priests came to investigate. It happened not long ago. Don’t you remember?”

“Umm…….”

……Puppy God, what’s with this setting?!

This is a thorny road!

The maid looked very sorry for me.

I didn’t understand half of what she was saying, but I answered bravely.

“But, umm, if they test me again now, maybe it’ll be different? It might appear again!”

But she only shook her head.

“I heard that His Grace the Duke of Ardos has gone to the north for a campaign. Even if you request another test right away, it will probably be difficult to carry out.”

“Then do I have to leave now……?”

“Still, the divine mark did appear for a short time, and the situation is so unusual.”

“…….”

“So they say the cancellation of the adoption will be put on hold for now. That’s fortunate, isn’t it?”

The maid explained the cancellation procedure in detail.

First, the Duke of Ardos would return and check my special ability.

After that, the priests would come again to check whether I really had no divine mark.

After going through that process, if I was not the Blessed Child, they would cancel my adoption…….

It was a relief that I wouldn’t have to leave the estate right away, but I still felt a little sad.

After all, it meant I couldn’t become my ‘real sister’s little sister.’

‘But it’s okay! There are always trials along the way when you’re trying to save your sister.’

I had returned to the human world to make my sister happy.

That was all I needed to think about.

“And finally……. Give you a rapidly increasing intelligence when it comes to things related to your sister.”

It seemed there was nothing I could do about the adoption for now.

So first, I would meet my sister!

“Then, how can I meet Lady Chloe Ardos?”

“Y-You want to meet Lady Chloe? A-a direct member of the family?”

“Yes!”

“Unless there is a special reason, it would be difficult to meet the direct family members separately. Especially Lady Chloe. Even if you are adopted, it will probably be very difficult for you to meet her.”

Thud.

It felt like a rock had fallen on my head.

The maid murmured sympathetically.

“Ah! But there is an exception.”

“Gasp!”

“If you perform a great deed, it is possible. There was even one servant among us who performed a great deed and was allowed to meet a direct family member.”

The moment I heard the words ‘great deed,’ my confidence suddenly soared.

I stuck out my chubby belly and proudly said,

“Doing a great deed is easy!”

“Pardon? Baby, what do you mean…….”

“It’s my specialty!”

Ignoring her, I stretched my neck and looked around.

‘If I want to perform a great deed…….’

Unfortunately, this was not a place where I could perform a great deed.

‘Then I’ll just walk to a place where I can perform one!’

I took an awkward but grand step forward.

I would meet my sister somehow!

“Baby, where are you going?”

“……Huh?”

“You need to sleep. Sleep.”

……Plop.

My round, soft body was lifted up helplessly.

And just like that, I was forcibly put back into bed.

The first way to perform a great deed.

Move around by myself!

But the maid was always by my side.

I pretended to take a nap while snoring softly.

Fortunately, I had originally been a body that slept twenty hours a day.

So the maid was easily fooled.

The second way to perform a great deed.

Sneak out of the annex around sunset.

‘Puppies are really good at moving around secretly!’

My sister had often praised me by saying, ‘Our Coco is the best in the world at secretly causing trouble.’

And I was able to sneak out quite easily.

Sadly, I had already been determined to be a ‘fake,’ so there were hardly any people guarding me.

‘With these tiny, round feet, even if I walk for more than ten minutes, I can’t get very far…….’

Still, fortunately, I achieved something.

“I found it!”

I stared at the door of a fancy barn.

‘From my experience taking walks with my sister, the grass in front of this barn is the best place to perform a great deed!’

I’m glad this barn is nearby!

I awkwardly opened the barn door with my hands.

A manger filled with hay.

And, far over there, the thing I was looking for!

Just as I was smiling happily, a small sound leaked through the slightly open door.

“Thunder is dying. This is serious. If Lord Ruth finds out, we’ll be in big trouble.”

It was Dot, the veterinarian I had seen before I died.

“Lady Chloe, you need to let him go now. If you keep holding on any longer, Coco will be in too much pain……”

I shook my head back and forth to forget that voice, which sounded like an auditory hallucination.

Then I heard another veterinarian’s voice.

“To report on his current condition, Lord Thunder has become extremely weak. He isn’t eating at all, either.”

Come to think of it, I could see a horse through the crack in the barn door.

It was a magnificent horse with a proud black mane.

‘Is his name Thunder?’

Looking again, Thunder really did look weak.

Even with a delicious carrot right in front of him, there wasn’t even a spark in his eyes.

“I’d like to observe him and find out what exactly is wrong with him……. But whenever anyone approaches him, he kicks the servants. Because of that, several servants have already had broken ribs…….”

Maybe that was why everyone was staying far away from the horse even now.

The veterinarian sighed and held his forehead.

“We can’t even tie him up and observe him. Lord Ruth treasures Thunder so much.”

Lord Ruth? If it’s Ruth Ardos!

He’s my sister’s real older brother.

I heard he was extremely prickly and that wind came rushing from his hands.

My sister had even shown me his portrait and told me, ‘He’s scary, so don’t go near him even if you see him later!’

‘Just like my sister loved me, I guess Ruth loved Thunder.’

Being sick must be really hard. Poor thing…….

But I didn’t have time to feel sorry for Thunder.

The important thing for me was performing a great deed so I could meet my sister.

I secretly hid in a blind spot outside the barn.

And I waited quietly until Dot and the others left.

At last, I was alone inside the barn.

I carefully looked around and then quietly walked toward the corner of the barn.

And finally.

“A ball!”

I found the old ball that I had hidden after playing with my sister before.

It had been a whole year, and it was still there. I guess the servants didn’t clean very well!

Anyway, this was incredibly lucky for me.

“Hehe!”

Beside Thunder, who was lying as still as a dead mouse,

I very carefully stood the ball upright.

“D-did I do it?”

I desperately resisted the urge to ask someone to throw the ball for me.

Ten minutes after I stood the ball on the floor,

the ball that had been rolling slowly suddenly stopped.

“I finally performed a great deed!”

I bounced my little body up and down and smiled brightly.

“Now I can meet my sister!”

But right at that moment.

The horse beside me, Thunder, opened his mouth wide and yawned.

Then he muttered as if he were looking at some idiot.

“You really are an idiot. Normally, ‘performing a great deed’ doesn’t mean that.”

“Huh? Then what does it mean?”

When I asked the horse, the ball on the floor rolled away.

‘Another failure!’

I drooped my shoulders and picked up the ball again.

But Thunder suddenly stood up as if he didn’t care at all about my ball rolling away.

“W-w-w-wait. Did you just answer me?”