I Can Speak with Animals and Demons Chapter 5

Just ten months had pa.s.sed since I reincarnated in this world.

Recently, i managed to learn how to walk.

Several months ago, Julia accidentally left the door to my room open.

I thought this was a good opportunity to announce the fact that I could crawl to my mother, but I was almost stepped on by a house maid as I entered the corridor.

That was dangerous. She was carrying a large jar at the time.

It was at that moment that I decided not to force myself too much.

Elder sister Julia, who had left my door open, got a serious scolding.

So as not to repeat such an incident, I decided to be well behaved from now on.

I wanted to show them that I could walk by strolling around the residence.

As i was thinking this, footsteps could be heard.

Ah? Is it mother? another pair of footsteps could also be heard

Is it mother and elder sister together?

However, my idea was wrong.

Mainly because a masculine voice could be heard from the corridor.

「It’s about your younger brother. You should stop secluding yourself in your room and play with him more」

「…….yes」

I could hear father’s voice and was the other one Gladys? (TLN: Not gonna use honorifics, Gladys is one of his brothers) 

Is it troublesome to play with me? Is it unpleasant to have your private time deprived?

My brothers were completely different from my capricious elder sister, they had never visited my room before.

I can sort of understand their feelings.

Babies are so delicate they can cry just by touching them, it can be very embarra.s.sing. If it happens by chance, most men get fl.u.s.tered.

The door to my room opens slowly as three people enter.

Father enters first, my elder brothers follow closely behind.

Like my elder sister who looks like mother, my brothers look alot like father. Are they twins? Their hair colour was slightly different, but they were both good looking.

Their clothes were also of a similar style to father’s.

One of them shows an expression as if to say this is troublesome.

Second son of the Earl. Girion, aged six years old.

He has short hair with bangs, on his face he sports a pair of gla.s.ses. His face seems intellectual as opposed to brother Gladys’ and father’s. I don’t think this because he wears gla.s.ses, but because his eyes are slit and cool.

They are both wearing white shirts with long black trousers. It sort of resembles a tuxedo.

My house certainly isn’t lacking any money.

Everyone imagines living in such a household. However, conversations seem far too stiff and detached, it’s way too formal.

「He doesn’t cry?」

「……i don’t understand」

Girion and Gladys raise a shameful voice, Father replies with a powerful tone.

「How pathetic」

「So has father ever held him!?」

「Gu! Oh…..I have never done that….」

「Isn’t father the same then!」

Brother mercilessly attacks Father’s weak point.

「I shall do it now!」

「Really? Isn’t everything you do, done with at your full strength?」

「…….mother always shouts at me for breaking things」

「Alright, leave it to me!」

My quite simple father almost seemed like a child at that point.

Father reaches into my crib and puts his hands under my armpits. He lifts me from the bed with his rugged hands very easily.

Ah! The pain! You’re squeezing too hard! My arm!

「Aa, Auu」

I twist my face as i raise an unpleasant cry.

「Didn’t Jed nearly cry?」

「Father. I think Jed dislikes it」

「Wha? What?」

With the panicked voice of Gladys and the criticism from Girion, father reluctantly returns me to my crib.

「Hey, didn’t you use too much strength?」

「is that so? Maybe I should try again, i think i know how much power to put in now」

「No, i think you should stop now」

「…….his shoulder has reddened a little」

Gladys lifts up my shirt, displaying my shoulder. Everyone confirms its reddened state.

「Ah! If mother finds out she’ll be furious!」

「That’s right」

「Gah!? Claire is so scary when she’s angry!」

「Should we stay silent about this?」

The reddening is probably only temporary.

My father and elder brothers fall into a panic as they don’t understand my current state.

「Auu」

At my leaked words, the movement of the three people abruptly stops.

「What’s wrong? Jed?」

「That’s dangerous. Maybe he’s going to cry because it feels sore?」

「Perhaps we should call over mother」

「However, if we call over Claire—」

『If you call me over what?』

「「「…………」」」

The air in the room suddenly froze. The three people in the room cannot even make a sound due to the pressure exerted by mother.

My mother was floating a scary smile.

「No, this is…」

「Come here」

「……yes」

Father tried to make an excuse, however his face looked like a criminal about to face the gallows.

「Lina, please see to Jed. It seems we can’t trust men with this」

「Certainly, ma’am」

The nearby housemaid bows after receiving instructions from mother.

Is the true master of this house, mother?

As the housemaid enters, everyone else leaves.

Mother and father’s figures disappear as the door is closed.

「How much have you heard?」

「I heard everything. Because you were speaking a loud voice as usual」

「……uuuh, I just wanted to hold Jed….」

The conversation between the two people began to fade as they got further away. Mother’s tone was strong, whereas father’s was timid.

×　　　　×　　　　　×

On the midnight of that day. At a time when everyone is asleep, moonlight streams into my room.

I am suddenly awoken by a strange voice.

『Hyuuua! It’s night, night! Our time! The sun can eat s.h.i.t!』

I want to look outside, but sadly as a baby, I can only look upwards.

Having looked into the stream of moonlight, only the shadow of a bird could be seen.

There’s no way that’s the call of a bird. There are lodgings for employees nearby, however that is enclosed by trees, so it can’t be them.

Can mother, father and my siblings not hear this?

Does this make me unusual?

Although i stayed up for a while, I could not hear the strange voice again.

I slept whilst wondering about this.

×　　　　　　×　　　　　　×

「Hey, don’t you think that Jed has been looking at the ceiling alot recently?」

「Jed? Is there something attached to the ceiling?」

「Of course there is nothing. Jed’s room is very carefully cleaned regularly, every corner is thoroughly cleaned」

「Well, perhaps he sees a pattern that interests him. Like a tree or something?」

Father consults with mother in my presence.

「However, the ceiling in this room is completely white?」

Although my actions seemed to have worried father, mother does not seem concerned.

I look at the ceiling again with a dubious expression.

They are right. I am certainly watching the ceiling. It is also as they say, a pure white ceiling with no pattern.

However, I was not trying to look at something on the ceiling, but rather something in it.

It’s faint, however I can vaguely make out voices.

『Hey! Where is it, is it here?』

『The Cheese?』

『Can we find cheese here?』

『Cheese? where? 』

『Cheese? Oh, there should be some here』

『Really!? Do you have the cheese with you?』

『Hey! Where is it?』

『Cheese? Cheese is always found in the kitchen on the first floor』

『I see, then why are we here!?』

『To search for new food?』

『Search, search!』

…….is there a ghost in the ceiling? Does the ghost eat cheese?

Although I don’t understand what they are, I decided to listen to them to pa.s.s the time.

Father was staring at me strangely.

After looking at me for a while, he leaves the room.

A short time after, father and a housemaid return to my room.

Did father borrow the housemaids broom? He seems to be tightly gripping it.

After glancing at me, father moves towards where I was staring and started poking the ceiling with the broom.

『Uwaa! What, what? Is this an earthquake!?』

『Uwa! Please help! I’m falling over!』

『The search is cancelled!!』

A voice filled with panic could be heard, is the ghost fairly small?

「Ah, Jed seems pleased」

「Hmm? True, I don’t understand why though」

After seeing my smile, mother and father are pleased.

Father continued poking the ceiling as I watched.

『Ahhhhh! I can’t even move!』

『Hiiiii!』

『Uooo! Cling to the pillars!』

After that, the strange voices from the ceiling disappeared. How regrettable…