Chapter 26

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## Chapter Chronology

### Next

Chapter 27

This is chapter 26 in the Heaven's Design Team manga series.

## Plot

A new day begins but with a twist. Due to the recent request from God making things tense around the office, Shimoda has an idea to lighten the mood by having a friendly competition. Acting as a game show host, Shimoda announces the battle for “a bird that lives on an island of ice.” Kanamori acts as the commentator, eager to see what the others come up with. She explains that since the cold temperatures will affect the bird’s survival, the final result will likely be a bird that can’t fly.

Shimoda then turns the attention to the two designers who will be competing, Kimura and Unabara. Unabara is eager to make something round and adorable, while Kimura is determined not to let it happen. Apparently, he is still ticked off at Unabara for ignoring his suggestions when he helped with the sea otter’s design.

Round one begins with the design of the bird’s body for living on land and in the sea. Both designers come up with similar designs. But Kimura’s design has long legs, whereas Unabara’s are short and stubby. Kanamori is pleased with the color design, using both black and white to blend in the water from above and below. Shimoda then contacts the on-site judge Higuchi who has set up Trial Island in the Galapagos to mirror arctic conditions. Although puzzled by Shimoda’s enthusiasm, Higuchi initiates the first field test to see which bird can catch a fish first.

Both birds make their way to the water, with Kimura’s having a slight lead thanks to its legs. After a few minutes of swimming, both birds return and the winner is Unabara’s bird. Suddenly Kimura’s bird starts to sway and later collapses to the ground. Higuchi diagnoses the problem as hypothermia due to its long legs. Kimura interjects stating he gave it long legs to circulate warm and cold blood to regulate body temperature. He then goes on to state that Unabara’s bird wouldn’t stand a chance with its short legs. However, Unabara corrects him by stating that his bird also has long legs. They are just in a squatting position to help keep the body warm. With this new information, Unabara’s design is declared the winner for round one.

Round two begins with ideas to prevent the bird's prey from escaping. Unabara’s design features a large serrated beak, whereas Kimura’s design features a large barbed tongue. After examining the two, Higuchi believes Kimura’s design would work better but with a smaller tongue. Kimura is declared the winner of round two.

Round three begins with figuring out how the bird will filter salt from the water and expel it with bodily fluids. Unabara’s idea is to mix the salt with its tears, while Kimura’s idea is to mix the salt with its snot. Higuchi picks Kimura’s idea as tears would more likely crystallize. Kimura is declared the winner again. For round four both designers come up with looks for the babies. However, Unabara wins with his fluffy coat idea over Kimura‘s spiny coat.

Round five determines how the bird will hold its breath for long periods of time. Kimura wins by suggesting giving the bird the ability to thermoregulate and decrease the temperature of its organs to reduce heat loss. Round six determines how the babies will recognize their parents. Unabara wins by suggesting the parents talk to their babies. Both designers are tied. Kimura is pleased that more of his ideas were picked than he expected. Even Unabara acknowledges that he may have met his match.

The final round begins with determining how the species will survive in the cold environment. Unabara declares the parent will fast, while Kimura declares that the chick will fast. Higuchi has a tough time deciding between the two as both ideas have potential. Ultimately, God gives the final say and approves both designs. Thus the king penguin and the emperor penguin are born.

Both designers are declared winners. In addition, God gives both designers the ability to add an extra element of their choice. Unabara decides to change the variation of the check design. As for Kimura, he gives his design square pupils instead of round ones.

## New Animals

* King Penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus)
* Emperor Penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri)