"Human"?
Shoebill, do you know what species of animal she is?
I think she might be a "human."
I've only heard rumors, so I don't know much about them.
But I hear that, like you, they come up with lots of strange ideas,
and they're supposed to be very clever.
A human...
What kind of animal is that?
What do they look like? Do they have claws and fangs?
I don't know what they look like.
I just know that they're smart and know a lot, and can use and make different tools.
Does that ring any bells?
Not yet.
Which Area do they live in? We'd like to go there.
Where do they live? Does anybody know?
No one knows?
Bag-chan!
This is great! Now we only have to find out where "humans" live.
Yeah.
Maybe that's what you should ask at the library.
To get to the library, go into the Forest Area
and turn right at the second fork in the road.
Be careful where you turn.
Got it.
Thank you for your help.
Shoebill-chan, you were a big help, too. Thanks.
But why didn't you say what was on your mind sooner? We were pretty scared.
I don't mean to, but I always end up staring when I see a chance.
Oh, okay. Here I thought you were mad at us.
Sorry. I honestly want to chat with everyone more cheerfully.
I know it's not cute when I stay too quiet...
You really are scary!
Hey, that's mean!
See ya.
Take care now.
That was a pretty hectic Area.
I know. I never thought we'd end up in a battle.
But now we can get to the library!
Yeah.
I wonder what kind of habitat you live in? I can't wait to see.
Sorry in advance if it's a really dark or cold place.
I can see in the dark, so that's no big deal.
If it's cold, well, maybe I'll stop at the entrance.
Aww, that's mean!
There are so many trees.
It's pretty how the sunlight filters through them.
What's this thing?
Maybe there's something to the right.
Wanna check it out, since we've stopped already?
Yeah, let's.
Understood.
It goes pretty far.
Let's go, let's go!
Okay.
Got them.
We got them.
It's all winding.
It's kind of like a room.
Huh? I see something.
Question: A camel can drink 500 cups of water at a time. If True: Proceed right. If False: Froceed left.
What's this thing?
"A camel can drink 500 cups of water at a time."
"If true, proceed right. If false, proceed left."
Huh? Bag-chan, what are you saying?
Huh? That's what the writing says.
There's writing?
Question: A camel can drink 500 cups of water at a time. If True: Proceed right. If False: Froceed left.
Yeah. This word says "question."
"Word"? Oh, so you call this a word?
Bag-chan, you really are amazing.
Y-You think so?
I bet that's true, because the desert is really hot.
Are we supposed to go in the direction of the correct answer?
Then we go right.
Wait, Serval-chan!
Correct! Camels drink 80 liters at a time, and can drink up to 136 liters of water. They can even drink water with high salt concentration.
It says we were correct.
Awesome!
500 cups? Wow.
I can understand how they feel. Your throat gets so dry in the desert.
This is the next question.
There's another one.
Let's see...
"The water is stored in the camel's hump.
Question: The water is stored in the camel's hump. If True: Proceed right. If False: Proceed left.
If true, proceed right. If false, proceed left."
So that's why they can drink so much water!
Camels have humps?
Yup! I've heard about that.
We go this way, then!
Huh?
Isn't this...
Question: A camel can drink 500 cups of water at a time. If True: Proceed right. If False: Proceed left.
Serval-chan, this is the first room.
Huh? But why?
Maybe you end up back here if you choose the wrong answer.
Meow! I won't lose!
One more time!
Okay, this time, we'll go the other way.
Correct! Camels storing water in their humps is a myth. Actually, a camel's hump stores fat. Concentrating their body fat in one place as humps helps keep their bodies from getting too hot.
"Camels storing water in their humps is a myth. Actually..."
So the humps have nothing to do with that.
They actually help alleviate the heat, huh?
There's the next sign.
All right! Let's keep moving.
We were wrong?
We did it!
Correct!
Go, us!
Awesome!
Correct!
We were wrong?
No good?
It's the other way around?
I feel like we've walked a whole lot.
You said it.
Boss, can't you tell us the answer?
Lucky-san isn't saying anything.
Because we're inside an attraction. Do your best to answer them.
All right! This is...
Which way do you think, Bag-chan?
I think this one's true, maybe.
Okay! To the right!
It's bright and open here.
Is that the library?
It's incredible.
I see a big tree inside it.
Is the professor in there? Let's go check it out!
Serval-chan!
Huh? What happened?
Order: Strigiformes Family: Strigidae Genus: Ptilopsis
Good day. I am Professor Northern White-faced Owl.
Good day. I am her assistant, Eurasian Eagle Owl.
Order: Strigiformes Family: Strigidae Genus: Bubo
Hello. I'm Bag.
Where did you two come from? I didn't hear a thing!
For us, flying without making a sound is elementary.
You're the first Friends to make it this far.
We have high hopes for you.
We're the first? Awesome!
Huh? I thought lots of other Friends had come here to look things up.
If you take the road straight instead of the maze, you'd arrive over there.
Huh? What's with that?
The Friends who occasionally go in through the right generally get lost and leave.
We fell for it.
They're promising, aren't they, Professor?
Indeed, assistant. Today we will feast.
Anyway, we were hoping you could tell us what kind of animal Bag-chan is.
At the library, you answer questions, right?
That's elementary.
If you want us to answer your questions, you will cook for us.
Cook?
Cooking means to combine ingredients in such a way as
to create food dishes of different shapes and flavors.
It does.
Why not just eat Japari buns? They're delicious.
We're tired of eating them.
It is true that Japari buns
have the perfect balance of nutrients and fill our stomachs...
But we are food lovers.
Since we have these bodies now, we wish to eat things we can only eat in these forms.
Besides, using our brains means using energy. And since we are wise...
If we have no food, we might not be able to remember. And since we are wise...
Really?
Now, try to satisfy our stomachs.
Will you do it or not?
Sounds fun.
We'll do it!
Y-Yeah.
The distinctive long feathers over their eyes are called ear tufts.
Tobu Zoo, Kidokoro-oneesan (Saitama)
Owls like the Eurasian scops owl and the brown hawk-owl are relatively small,
while horned owls are relatively large. That's one way owl species are divided up.
Compared to other birds of prey like hawks, they're slow fliers.
Their hunting style is to attack prey after the prey comes close.
So I think of them as pretty laid-back for a bird of prey.
Scops owls can squeeze their bodies to disguise themselves as tree branches.
Ikefukurou Owl Café, Nakajima-oneesan (Tokyo)
They're gray in color, their plumage is glossy,
and they have ear tufts over their eyes.
It's cute how they have a mustache like an old man.
They're pretty expressive.
When they're annoyed, they'll make an annoyed face,
and when they find something interesting, their eyes will sparkle.
Each individual owl has their own likes and dislikes.
It's pretty fun when you notice the differences between them.
You may read about cooking here.
Since you were able to pass through the Quiz Forest, you must be able to read.
You should refer to the books and cook using the ingredients provided.
Eggplant and Spring Onion Tomato Sauce Stew
Your time begins now.
Huh?
If you can prepare a dish we find tasty before this sand runs out,
we'll tell you what kind of animal you are.
We'll also throw in a bonus prize.
Okay! I'm ready!
Yeah!
Think you can understand it?
Yeah. It says the dishes you can cook depend on the ingredients you have.
Then we should see what we have to work with first.
That's a lot!
Where did you get these ingredients?
We borrowed a teensy bit from the field where the ingredients
for Japari buns are grown.
A teensy-weensy bit.
Can't you just eat them like this?
It is not cooking until the ingredients have been prepared somehow.
We are not interested in unprepared food.
That sounds like a lot of work. Why would you do that?
We have to use what we have here, and it has to be simple...
Maybe this one?
Let me see!
Got it! What do we do first?
It says we start with...
She can read perfectly. She must be a human.
If she is a human, she's sure to be able to cook a dish for us. Drool...
Finally, we'll be able to taste cooking. Drool...
Huh? Did you just say "human"?
I haven't the foggiest idea what you're talking about.
We might remember once we've eaten a dish. Get cooking.
Excuse me, but it says we need something called a pot?
Glad you asked that.
Come with us.
You can use this place.
The Lucky Beasts seem to maintain it occasionally, so it can be used.
What is all this?
What do we do with this?
It says to put ingredients and water inside the pot and heat it to a boil.
Do we have a heat source?
Another excellent question.
Not bad.
We can't just hand over fire to you. You'll have to look into it yourselves.
I'll do some research and consider the options.
In the meantime, Serval-chan, can you chop these up?
Um... um...
Meow meow meow!
Not bad. You finally made yourself useful.
You are the chopper.
All right! I'll chop these all up!
All of these methods look kind of hard. You need tools or strength...
Maybe this one that uses wood?
Serval-chan, I'm back.
Whoa!
You chopped up so much. Thanks.
Next, we put this all in the pot...
Add water...
And now we heat it to a boil.
Oh, yeah! Did you find some fire?
Yes. You need fire.
You must obtain it.
I thought I'd try getting some like this.
We place the paper on the ground, in a place that gets good sunlight, and...
It's sparkling.
Now we move the fire to wood scraps and gradually add bigger pieces.
This should be a big enough fire to boil the...
Huh?
What are you all doing over there?
Well...
It's just...
It's kind of scary...
On medium heat, first warm up the ingredients, and then add spices.
Place the rice we prepared here.
Gradually increase the heat, and then simmer at the end.
Once it's done, put out the fire and set it aside for a bit to cool.
Serve it up with the rice, and...
It's ready!
Let us restate the rules.
If either of us approves of your dish, you pass,
and we'll tell you what kind of animal you are.
Now then...
It's time for the judging.
Then again, it looks quite frightful up close.
Is it supposed to look like this?
Yes, I think so.
Oh, you're supposed to use those tools to eat it.
Because it's hot.
Do you two really know all about cooking?
O-Of course!
We were testing you.
Spicy!
It's spicy!
What is this? Is it safe to eat?
Drink some water.
This is no good.
No good at all.
We can't tell you what kind of animal you are for this.
What?
You can't?
But we worked so hard to make it! Come on!
No. This isn't edible.
No. You must keep trying until we're satisfied.
Is this even food?
How can it have such a strong taste?
Hey, you're eating it!
This is so...
I don't know why... but I can't stop.
It's addicting.
So this is cooking!
You pass.
We'll tell you what you want to know, so give us seconds.
So, your tummies are full now, right? Tell us!
Very well.
You are...
...a human!
Okay. Then Shoebill-chan was right.
Yeah.
They're not surprised.
This is when everyone usually gets impressed.
Can you tell us more about humans?
Very well.
Their identifying characteristics: they are bipedal.
They have a high capacity for communicating, learning, and more.
They are diverse and difficult to describe succinctly. A very unusual species.
They live in groups. They can move great distances.
They can throw. They're relatively large.
They have many interesting characteristics,
but we find their ability to make and use tools deeply fascinating.
In fact, the relics here in the park were all built by humans.
Wow.
But they look a little like us Friends, don't they?
That's a foregone conclusion.
We Friends are animals who were transformed into humans.
Do you feel like you know what you are now?
It hasn't really hit me yet.
This is great! Now that we know what kind of animal you are,
all we have to do is go to where the humans live.
Hey, Professor, where can you usually find humans in the park?
There aren't any. Not anymore.
The humans went extinct.
Extinct?
One day, they disappeared.
Why?
Either they couldn't live here...
...or they're still here, but somewhere we don't know about.
Then we need to find the place.
Whatever the case, you should go to an Area with an environment suitable for humans.
Living in an Area that isn't right for you will shorten your lifespan.
And one more thing. Near the humans—
Oh, yeah! You said you'd give us a bonus prize, right? What is it?
Concert tickets.
PPP Comeback Concert tickets are hot items, and impossible to get just anywhere.
These ones even get you VIP treatment and handshakes.
Also, this.
PPP? And what's that?
Oh, wow! We get to see PPP?!
Oh, they're something called idols, and I've heard they dance and sing,
and they're supposed to be amazing.
We can really have these?
They were given to us
as thanks for lending our intelligence to help with their management.
But we aren't too keen on noisiness, so you can have them.
I'm glad we got to eat cooking for the first time.
I feel so satisfied.
Wait, then how did the other Friends get you to answer questions?
We just answered them.
Huh?!
We made you cook because you read your way through the Quiz Forest.
I'm stuffed.
Bye now!
Thank you!
Bag, you should know that Ceruleans used to often be found near humans.
Be careful on the road.
Huh?!
No worries! I'll take care of them.
Serval's jokes aside...
I'm not joking!
If you see any, run away immediately.
A good life comes from eating good food.
Also, once you locate the humans, be sure to come visit again.
We'll be waiting for seconds.
You got it!
This really is a lovely home.
If you'd like, you should stay the night.
I want to hear what happened next!
Then, when I found the hat in the savanna—listen to this—
Boss started talking!
I saw Boss talking, too.
What?!
What did he say to you, Raccoon-san?
Um, what was it again, Fennec?
He said that something important to the Friends and us is underground.
And as for where...
PPP Preview!
This week we're learning about the margay.
They imitate the calls of other animals.
Really? Wow!
They imitate?
Okay, Gen, you're up.
Go ahead.
Imitation of a margay.
That's your guess?
Next time: "PPP Live."