When pigeons read a picture book, they follow the words with their small heads and eyes.
They calmly follow not just the letters and illustrations, but even the shape of the book.
Do humans read like this, I wonder?
“Hey, Mommy Kanade. Popporo is smart.”
When Hinato’s slightly chubby body touched my skin, it felt just like a cool watermelon.
Also, when making pigeons read picture books, it seems humans are the ones who feel more interested.
As if running a race, wanting them to read a little more—because you are smart, after all.
Now, the adventure story in this picture book is about a boy who takes pity on people suffering from poverty, makes friends with a pigeon—an animal—and sets out on a new journey with resurrection on his back, even if he gets betrayed.
I thought it was a bit too complicated, and that maybe adults wouldn’t even understand it.
“This pigeon named Jiggle was saved by a boy named Rise, right?”
Ah, that’s right. Hinato was a human with higher intelligence than a pigeon.
This mysterious power of hers, allowing her to communicate not just with this Popporo but with other animals as well, doesn’t make her an esper or a psychic, just an ordinary girl. Despite being 14 years old, she participates in volunteer work to make up for past wounds, actively undergoes special training from Karen, and has the sensitivity to look forward to her lessons.
What if she had been a pigeon…?
“If I were Jiggle, I think I would have made everyone follow my own will instead of obeying Rise. But while talking with pigeons, I met you moms and learned what it means to be human.”
But how did she learn from the text about betrayal?
“This pigeon isn’t just lustful. It seems to be trying to feel true love even if it means sacrificing itself.”
I see…
Popporo is desperate to follow, but Hinato is desperate to grasp her surroundings and reveal her inner self. That might be why animal words can be directly conveyed—?
I wish I also had a day when I could reveal the secret I haven’t told my mother—the reason why I developed feelings for the same sex. But while reading the picture book, I feel like, “Maybe it’s okay now.”
I feel a sensation as if my once indecisive feelings are being completely wiped out ever since I met pigeons. The thing I’ve wanted to say all along… what is it?
“Mommy Kanade. Jiggle has a lot of pride, but it went beyond the range of feelings that can embrace others… So, she didn’t realize she was committing her own actions. Without reflecting or apologizing.”
They say that when the capacity for emotional embrace exceeds its limit, organisms display unusual traits.
If the allowable range toward love is a “connection,” did my mother hold a pure will for me? Is that why I became an animal doctor—?
“And so she became the new queen of the pigeons—that’s the kind of feeling the picture book opens your heart to. Popporo opened her heart, too. Because I once lost love, right? Popporo~~ kiss!”
Instead of treating animals as a doctor, I am taught by what animals do.
In other words, the true doctor wasn’t a human, but a pigeon.
Precisely because we are both females, I felt a softness and warmth within another female.
As someone with the same will to eventually accept the same sex and calm one’s feelings.
“Mom? The title of this picture book is a story about holding a dazzling light and eventually looking out at the same horizon. It says the pigeon and its master were of the same sex.”
Ah, so that’s why the title is “Sunsha-in” (Sunshine)…
This makes it sound just like Rise is Hinato and Jiggle is me.
If I become honest, too, maybe I can become a light that illuminates the darkness.
For my mother…
“Eh? Mom is hiding a secret? Popporo has such a sharp sensitivity, doesn’t she~”
–Afternoon 12:00
Sorry. I cried a little and was using my smartphone in the toilet.
Picture books give us deep emotion and make us feel that they can clear away our own darkness.
That is natural, and can even be considered the greatest gift.
Prrrrr-rrrrr-rrrr
“Huh? Kanade? What’s wrong?”
Actually, I have a secret from Mom. The reason I woke up to homosexuality is because when I was little, I accidentally gave a cookie to a small pigeon Mom used to keep and played house with it.
Also, its feathers were flexible and soft, giving a feeling just like a mother…
《Ho-ho? You finally revealed it. But isn’t that an important foundation for your learning as a medical doctor?》
Eh? Aren’t you surprised?
《Giving human food to animals… that comes from a place of love!》
Hehe… and yet nowadays you’re the one warning pet owners, “Please be careful not to let them eat cookies whole.”
《That’s also a form of affection, isn’t it? It’s a frontline of life where past failures lead to success. Huh? Are you crying? Aren’t you Hinato-chan’s mother?》
Yeah. We don’t have a blood tie, but Hinato is your legitimate grandchild.
《I found myself wondering—will that child go down a different path when she grows up?》
Hehe. I am a mother. I am the presence that supports that child’s future.
She will surely continue to grow while receiving love from those around her.
《Kanade, you’ve started saying sensible things. I look at you in a new light! I’ve fallen for you all over again!!》
I’m hanging up now.
Thank you, Mom.