Chapter 13: The Rabbit Beast-human
by Meher“You can’t look!!”
A desperate scream, nearly a shriek, burst from Luna’s lips.
“Okay, okay. I understand. First, please calm down…”
I reflexively shut my eyes.
Lowering my voice as much as possible, I tried to soothe her gently.
Even with my eyes closed, the image of her white rabbit ears lingered.
So fluffy….
I immediately erased the thought from my mind.
“You didn’t peek, did you?! You’re not looking, are you?!”
“I’m not.”
I turned my back to her slightly, a clear gesture that I posed no threat.
At my action, her ragged breathing began to slow, little by little.
And in that moment, as if the thread of tension had snapped…
“Hic…”
A tiny sob reached my ears.
“It was dispelled again… hic.”
Her voice grew thick with sorrow.
Then, a familiar message appeared in the darkness before my closed eyes.
[Warning: Composite Magic (B-grade) is attempting to break free from you.]
It was a notification that Luna was trying to use escape magic. I could feel a sudden vortex of magical energy swirling at her feet.
The message that followed, however, was completely different from before.
[Would you like to disable Composite Magic (Rabbit Hole)? (Y/N)]
This time, the system was asking for my input.
You could have asked me earlier, you know.
But Rabbit Hole? It seemed to be the name of Luna’s teleportation skill. A fitting name for her, but… it wasn’t a perception-degradation spell. Could I really disable this too?
‘…’
It seemed Luna was somewhat inept with her magic.
From what I knew, Outsiders from the Empire were all masters of magic. I’d heard that while Earth’s awakened could also use magic, their level of development and sophistication was so far behind the Empire’s that they had received a great deal of help from its Outsiders.
For an S-class hunter from the Empire to have her magic dispelled by me…
In the end, I decided not to disable it this time. Forcibly keeping her here now would be the worst possible move. It was better to let a terrified rabbit dig its own burrow and escape than to corner it.
I selected N in my mind.
[Disabling Rabbit Hole (B) has been denied. The user is breaking free from you.]
Pop!
At the sound, I slowly opened my eyes.
There was no one in front of me. Only the faint scent of strawberries remained.
I stared at the empty chair for a moment before quietly pressing the button on the office intercom.
“Team Leader, could you please come back?”
Less than a minute later, the door flew open with enough force to nearly break it, and the HR team leader rushed in.
His expression was a mixture of worry that Luna had caused some kind of trouble and hope that the session was already over.
“Counselor! Did something happen… Huh? Where is Luna…?”
He looked around the empty room, bewildered.
I gestured for him to sit. Then, I pushed the cup of warm tea I had just poured toward him.
“Please, have a drink first.”
My calm demeanor only seemed to make the team leader more anxious.
I lifted my own teacup, savored the aroma for a moment, and then got to the point, my eyes fixed on his.
“Team Leader. How much do you know about Luna?”
My question was less out of genuine curiosity and more of a test. I needed to confirm one thing: the fact that she was a beast-human, something she desperately tried to hide. If the Union Guild didn’t know, I would have to keep her secret.
“Excuse me?… What do you mean by that…?”
As expected, the team leader’s eyes wavered in confusion.
[Guk Hae-won]
[Main Stance]
[He is wondering if you have already discovered that Hunter Luna is a beast-human.]
Got it. He knows.
I met his gaze and spoke softly.
“What I’m asking about is related to Ms. Luna’s origins.”
The team leader let out a deep sigh.
“Hah… You’ve already figured it out.”
With a weary expression, he finally admitted everything.
“It took us a year to find out…”
I smiled slightly and shook my head.
“What should we do, Counselor?”
His voice was filled with a desperate plea for help.
I answered calmly, “I’ll handle it from here.”
I chose my words for a moment before laying out my plan.
“First, I’ll schedule Ms. Luna for the last appointment today. If she doesn’t show up even then… we’ll reschedule.”
“What? But she’s the most urgent case…” the team leader started to add, flustered.
“She must be in an extremely sensitive state right now. Her meeting with me couldn’t have been very pleasant.”
Not just this morning, but last week’s encounter probably wasn’t pleasant either, I added internally.
“I’ll give her some time rather than pushing her.”
The team leader nodded at my explanation.
“However, I have one request.”
I looked at him and said, “Could you prepare the guild’s organizational chart for me? I’ll need one that includes members’ origins and other such details.”
“The organizational chart…? Yes, of course. I’ll get it ready right away!”
The team leader hastily stood up and headed outside.
I gazed at the empty chair across from me.
My day was as busy as ever. Even without Luna, I had plenty of patients.
*
Several more counseling sessions followed.
Most dealt with minor identity confusion that Outsiders experienced, or light stress from combat. They were manageable cases.
“Thank you, Physician. Your words have made my path feel clearer.”
“Not at all. Please feel free to visit anytime.”
The patient who had just finished his session was a ronin from Jungwon. He had been lamenting his situation, belonging to neither the righteous factions nor the Demonic Cult, and was struggling with his identity.
I offered him a new perspective: that belonging to neither was the mark of a true ronin.
He left the office with a look of relief.
I turned on my tablet to check the next appointment. A dwarf from the Empire. A blacksmith, who was apparently suffering from a creative block.
Hoping I might glean some information about Luna from him, I called toward the door.
“Next, please come in.”
Creeak.
The door opened, and the next patient entered.
But the one standing there was a woman with the ears of a gray rabbit. Long, pointed ears, their tips dyed black, poked out from between strands of long, voluminous hair.
Her outfit was incredibly daring. She wore a full-body, legging-style combat suit that revealed every curve of her body.
She approached me with light steps, perched on the corner of my desk, and leaned in deeply.
“Wow~ You’re super handsome, Doctor.”
She scanned me with her red eyes and licked her lips slightly.
Who is this? Did the order get mixed up?
Hiding my surprise, I quickly turned my gaze to the guild member list on my tablet. It contained the organizational chart.
The profile of the woman before me popped up on the screen.
The patient’s name was Elice.
An Outsider from the Empire, just like Luna… and a beast-human.
It was clearly written that she was a beast-human. In her profile picture, she proudly showed off her ears. She seemed to be the type to openly display her identity.
The moment my ability recognized her name, it had already finished its analysis.
[Elice]
[Main Stance]
[She has found a male of a type she likes for the first time in a while. She is strongly thinking about wanting to mate with him in this counseling office.]
[Optimal Response] [Satisfaction Compatibility 100%]
[Let her have what she wants.]
‘…?’
Says who?
I had no intention of granting her wish.
But… what was this? No matter how I looked at it, she didn’t seem to have any mental problems. Her Main Stance showed no trace of worries or trauma, only a mind full of primal desire.
It was hard to see her as a patient.
In that case, this person, Elice, was likely…
I formed a hypothesis and waited for her next move.
“Doctor~”
She leaned closer toward me. Her gray hair swayed, brushing against her face.
“What are you doing after this?”
“Probably… heading straight home if nothing comes up,” I answered calmly.
“Oh, really? Then how about dinner with me?”
She didn’t give up, throwing out her next suggestion. Then, she began to stare blatantly at my face, scanning my eyes, nose, and lips in turn.
A satisfied smile spread across her face.
“Hmm… no, wait. The more I look, the more you’re my type. Wanna just sleep with me?”
Elice dropped the bombshell as if it were nothing. Without giving me a chance to answer, she added another.
“I may be a rabbit beast-human, but I don’t normally do this with just anyone, you know? For real. Reeeally.”
I wasn’t particularly surprised. This was the image of beast-humans I knew and had heard about in the media. Luna was just a special case.
I gave a standard reply.
“I’m sorry, Ms. Elice. Due to professional ethics, I do not engage in private relationships with my patients.”
At my answer, Elice’s smile deepened.
“Oh… is that so?”
She moved an inch closer, whispering in a sweet voice.
“But I’m not a patient.”
I thought so. She looked perfectly healthy from every angle.
I replied nonchalantly, “Yes, I figured as much.”
“Ooh~ So then?” Elice’s eyes sparkled mischievously.
“I refuse.”
At those words, for the first time, Elice’s smile vanished.
Translated By: Meher (RaidenTL)
Please do consider subscribing to my Patreon or donate to my Ko-fi if you like this work or to get early access to chapters
0 Comments