The Strongest Onmyoji and the Shikigami With AI are Unparalleled in Another World ~ A Second Life Properly Enjoyed Using Artificial Intelligence ~ - Chapter 136

Lily picked up a piece of wood and used her magic to form chopsticks for everyone.
“How about this? Anything else?”
After finishing everything, Lily asked.
“This is fine. Thanks.”
“It’s fine! It’s fine! I was bored anyway!”
Lily sure is cheerful.
“…When can we eat the hot pot?”
This time, Alice asked.
“Well… it’s not that difficult a dish, so we can probably eat anytime. Mm, wait just a bit.”
“…I’ll wait.”
Since Alice nodded, I tried connecting with AI-chan telepathically.
((“AI-chan?”))
((“Yes, yes~?”))
Of course, it’s AI-chan.
((“What are you up to? Still knitting with Natalia?”))
((“Yes, we are. Is something the matter?”))
((“Lily made us a clay pot and chopsticks. Alice is asking when we can eat.”))
((“Anytime is fine. We just need ingredients. You could buy some, but the boar you said you wanted isn’t sold. I think they have orc meat, though.”))
Orc meat, huh… I don’t really want that…
((“Shall we go hunting?”))
((“Sure! I’ll be right over.”))
((“I’ll be waiting.”))
With that, I ended the telepathic communication.
“We’ll go hunting and eat if we catch something. What about you, Alice?”
“…I’ll go. I’ll join you for once.”
Since Alice nodded, we headed to the bonfire and waited for AI-chan.
After waiting for a while, AI-chan showed up, bringing along Koma-chan.
“Master, sorry to keep you waiting.”
“Where’s Natalia?”
I thought she’d come if she was with AI-chan.
“She said she’s going to buy other ingredients and seasonings.”
Ah, I see.
“Alright, the four of us will go then. Lily, is the western forest okay?”
“Yeah, let’s go!”
We left the dismantling site, stopped by the guild to tell Pamela we were heading to the western forest, and then walked toward the west gate.
Once we passed through the west gate, we walked across the plains, aiming for the forest.
“What were you knitting?”
I asked AI-chan, who was walking next to me.
“Socks for you, Master. Your feet get cold, after all.”
“Ah, I see, I see.”
Good, good…
What a truly adorable one.
I patted AI-chan’s head and started walking toward the western forest.
When we reached the forest, we veered off the path and pushed through the grass, heading deeper inside.
“Stop.”
As we were walking through the forest, Lily suddenly stopped and signaled for us to halt.
“What’s up?”
From what I could detect, there were no monsters, and since AI-chan didn’t say anything, it seemed there weren’t any boars around either.
“We might not catch a boar, so I’m going to secure at least some meat.”
Lily said this as she looked up at the sky.
We followed her gaze upward and saw Crow-chan flying through the sky.
“Alright, Crow-chan is up there.”
Lily then faced forward and took out a regular arrow, not a magic one.
She nocked the arrow and drew back the string.
However, in the direction she was aiming, there didn’t seem to be anything.
No, wait… upon closer inspection, there was a bird perched on a tree branch.
“How can you even see that…?”
“You can’t tell at all because of its camouflage, right?”
“…Proverb: ‘Lily of the town, Lily of the forest.’ The meaning is that people have their strengths and weaknesses.”
Don’t just go making proverbs about Lily.
Though, I have to admit, it’s a pretty clear example.
“Take this!”
As we were talking, Lily released the arrow.
The arrow flew straight and hit the bird perched on the tree, knocking it down.
“That’s amazing!”
“Impressive as always.”
“…Heh, my friends.”
“Well, yeah!”
While we were praising her, Lily showed a smug expression.
Honestly, it’s pretty cool.
“Alright, let’s move on!”
After retrieving the bird, we continued walking deeper into the forest.
“Do elves not make traps or anything?”
As we walked, AI-chan asked Lily.
“We don’t make them often. For elves, it’s all about the bow! If you can’t use one, you’re not considered a full-fledged elf!”
“You’re certainly very skilled.”
“Well, yeah! Since I wasn’t good at magic, I practiced especially hard with the bow!”
Considering she has about the same amount of magic power as Natalia, it’s hard to believe she’s not good at magic, but I guess that’s just by elf standards.
“What are elves like?”
Since I’d been curious for a while, I decided to ask.
“What do you mean, ‘what are they like?'”
“Before, you said you weren’t very elf-like. Leanne said the same thing. But you’re the only elf I know, so I’ve been wondering.”
“Oh, that… well, elves tend to keep to themselves in the forest, so they don’t interact much with others. They’re quiet, reserved, and all of them seem really smart.”
Ah… yeah. That doesn’t sound like you at all.
“I like how cheerful you are.”
“That’s right. You lighten up the mood.”
“…No one thinks of you as the disappointing elf.”
What a terrible nickname.
“Thank you… I’m so lucky to have such good people around me…”
Wait, is she crying?
Uh… what do I do now…
As I was feeling a bit flustered, the two little ones beside me looked up at me. With no other choice, I walked over to Lily and placed a hand on her head.
“We’re counting on you. Let’s keep doing our best together.”
“Yeah… thanks. I won’t tell anyone about that mysterious medicine.”
…She noticed. And, seriously, don’t bring it up!
“…Mysterious medicine? Is it the one we’ve been drinking every night?”
Alice reacted.
“Oh, Alice, look! There’s a beautiful flower blooming here! It’s rare to see one blooming in winter!”
AI-chan quickly tried to change the subject.
“…That’s a flower called something-or-other. You should take it back to Annie. I think it’s used as an ingredient for medicine. So, what’s this mysterious medicine?”
Alice seems to have sensed something…
“…Shh! Everyone, be quiet.”
Lily stopped us, crouched down, and began inspecting the ground and the surrounding grass.
“…What is it?”
Wondering if something had happened, I asked in a low voice.
“This is boar droppings. And there are signs that the grass was pushed aside… and it’s fresh. It might be nearby.”
Looks like she found some traces of a boar.
“Let’s carefully track it while using AI-chan’s search.”
“Understood.”
We began moving again, slowly, with Lily leading the way.
Well… I’m glad the conversation got sidetracked.