Chapter 21: Instinct Manifestation Period

Originally, the first session of the afternoon was supposed to be with Luna.

However, as I looked at the two names floating on my tablet, I paused to think.

While it was impossible to know what Elice was truly thinking, she didn’t seem to have any outwardly visible problems. Her session probably wouldn’t take long.

Luna’s session, on the other hand, was likely to run over.

In that case, it seemed better to switch their order. It would be better for Elice, too, rather than making her wait.

I pressed the button on the intercom.

“For the next session… could you please tell Hunter Elice to come in?”

Knock, knock.

Not even a minute later, a light knock sounded at the door.

“Coming in~”

But as if she had no intention of waiting for my reply, the door swung wide open along with a cheerful voice.

Dark gray hair, a stark contrast to Luna’s, was streaked with a vivid red highlight. Perched atop her head was a pair of twitching rabbit ears.

It was Elice.

She entered with soundless steps. It seemed to be a racial trait of rabbit beast-humans, as both Luna and Elice walked silently, muffling their footsteps.

Elice casually plopped down in the chair across from me. Then, as if she’d discovered a fascinating spectacle, she stared at me with intrigued eyes.

“……”

The corners of Elice’s lips were slightly raised, and her red eyes were wide open.

As I met her blatant stare, I quietly activated my ability.

[Elice]

[MAIN STANCE]

[After seeing the significant change in her sister yesterday, she has come here feeling a strong curiosity about you, the cause of it. In truth, she’s also happy to have a legitimate excuse to ditch a bothersome mission she had this afternoon. It’s a win-win, which is even better.]

[SUITABLE RESPONSE] [Satisfaction Rate: 90%]

[Ask her why she’s here, at least as a formality.]

I had to suppress a laugh at that last part.

It wasn’t wrong. It was basically telling me to just ask, since there was no real problem to worry about.

Nodding, I met Elice’s gaze. Her red pupils glittered like rubies in the light.

“Hunter Elice, what sort of concerns brought you to apply for a session yourself?” I asked in a genuinely soft voice, purely as a formality.

At my question, Elice tilted her head for a moment, then nodded as if thinking, ‘Ah, right. This is a counseling center.’

“Ahhh…”

She let out a long, deep sigh and rested her chin on the desk before speaking. Her perky ears even drooped as if overcome with sorrow.

“The thing is… I’m…”

“Yes.”

I took out a notepad and pen, pretending to take notes.

But the words that followed were…

“Lately, I’ve been in my instinct manifestation period….”

“……”

Snap.

The sound of the pen nib breaking echoed through the counseling office.

My hand, still holding the pen, froze completely.

She called it an instinct manifestation period, but I knew what that implied.

I slowly raised my head and met her eyes.

The woman who, just a moment ago, wore an expression of sorrow as if she carried all the world’s burdens, was gone. Elice was smiling seductively, a look of deep satisfaction on her face at my reaction.

I silently set the pen down.

I was flustered, yes, but I had no intention of being dragged along at her pace. Whatever her true nature or intentions, right now, Elice was my client.

Letting a client lead the session is a mistake a counselor must never make; it’s grounds for disqualification. After all, the very first thing a counselor learns is the warning against this kind of ‘transference’ from a client.

I immediately erased my personal feelings and replied in a business-like manner, nodding calmly.

“I see. Your instinct manifestation period. That must be very difficult for you.”

“Yes…? Ah… yes….”

At my unexpectedly calm reaction, Elice’s eyes wavered slightly.

I paid it no mind and continued with my diagnostic questions.

“If I may ask, when did these symptoms begin?”

“S-Since I was born….”

Elice tried to maintain her provocative posture, but her voice was trembling more than before.

“Ah, I see.”

This exasperating rabbit.

I clicked my tongue inwardly and threw my next question.

“When that period comes, are there any changes to your psychological state or mood?”

“…Yes, my mood… it gets very good….”

She barely managed to answer, but I pressed on without a pause.

“Then, what are the specific symptoms?”

“…Excuse me…?”

This time, her question back to me was thick with bewilderment.

She had dangled bait, thinking she’d get a flustered reaction, but now I was analyzing it with the seriousness of a surgeon’s scalpel. It was her turn to be flustered.

I readjusted my grip on the pen and added an explanation in a very kind and professional tone.

“The symptoms. Besides ‘your mood getting very good,’ I mean. Could you tell me specifically what parts of your daily life are made difficult by this instinct manifestation period? I’m afraid I lack experience when it comes to the instinct manifestation periods of beast-humans. The more detail you can provide, the more accurately I can help you.”

At my words, the seductive smile that had been playing on Elice’s lips finally vanished completely.

“Ah… ah… yes…. W-Well, you see….”

She averted her gaze, her mind clearly racing desperately.

“Well, you see… my ears… they perk up… and my cheeks get all flushed… and the inside of my… my stomach… it tingles… and tingles….”

Her voice grew smaller and smaller as she spoke.

Then, finally, she hung her head low. Her once-perky gray ears drooped like rain-soaked paper.

“I’m sorryyy….”

A declaration of surrender, at last.

“Why would you tell such a lie….”

“I was just… curiousss….”

[Elice]

[MAIN STANCE]

[She has unwittingly revealed all the characteristics of her species’ instinct manifestation period. She feels that if she continues to joke around, she herself will be in danger.]

Wait a minute.

So you’re telling me those jumbled symptoms she just blurted out are the actual symptoms for rabbit beast-humans?

I feel like I’ve just learned a secret I wasn’t supposed to know.

Elice, though a handful, seemed to be an honest rabbit.

And my ability presented the next option.

[SUITABLE RESPONSE] [Satisfaction Rate: 100%]

[Go get your sister.]

The phrasing was blunt.

But the number ‘100%’ floating beside it stopped my hesitation. This was a sure thing.

However, saying it so bluntly wasn’t my style. I decided to wrap it up in my own way.

“Would you mind going to get your sister for me?”

I smiled as I asked, pulling a small box of macarons from my bag. They were handmade macarons I’d bought yesterday from the most famous pâtisserie in the city for Luna. For some reason, I’d had the foresight to buy two boxes that day, and now I was thankful for it.

I opened the box. Inside, a red strawberry macaron and a pure white vanilla macaron lay side by side.

Without hesitation, I picked up the vanilla macaron, its cream filling thick, and held it out in front of Elice.

In that exact moment, my ability let out a cheer.

[!! That is an even more excellent choice!!]

Yeah, thanks.

At my offer, Elice’s red eyes fixed on the macaron. Her gray ears, of their own accord, perked up.

“Okayyy….”

She replied softly, her hand reaching for the macaron.

I thought she would take it and, as promised, go get Luna.

However.

“……”

Rustle.

“……?”

Rustle… Sniff, sniff….

Elice took the macaron, tore open the wrapper, and began to smell it.

Crunch.

And then she started eating it.

“Nom, nom.”

“…?”

Hey, why isn’t she leaving?

Elice remained seated, savoring the taste with a blissful expression. Only after she had eaten about half the macaron did she let out a satisfied sigh. Her once-drooping ears were now perked up again, full of life.

Seemingly in a better mood, she swung her legs back and forth before finally speaking.

“Hmm… I should at least pay you back for the macaron. Right, Counselor?”

“No, that’s quite all right.”

Despite my answer, she gave me another seductive smile and leaned forward.

“You seem like you’re going to have a hard time with my innocent sister, so I’ll give you an important pro-tip about beast-humans.”

Now this was interesting….

Aside from the fact that the source was Elice, it sounded like something worth hearing.

Without letting my guard down, I asked what her true intentions were.

“…What is it?”

“Among us beast-humans, there’s a compliment we only give each other… a very pleasant greeting.”

Then, Elice suddenly bowed her head, presenting her long, perky gray ears toward me instead of her face. The line of her white nape was left completely defenseless.

Twitch, twitch.

Her ears moved lightly, as if trying to entice me.

“The right one… from your perspective, the outer part of the right ear. If you stroke it like this… swoosh … that’s a pleasant greeting among us beast-humans.”

Hmm….

I immediately checked Elice’s status. There was no way I could just trust her.

[Elice]

[MAIN STANCE]

[She wants to inform you that in beast-human society, this act is used as a ■compliment and a ■-ly pleasant greeting. She wants you to use this on Luna.]

What the?

Some of the letters in the middle were glitching out, crackling like static.

But the words ‘compliment’ and ‘pleasant greeting,’ combined with the fact that she wanted me to use it on Luna, gave it an overall positive feel.

“I see. Thank you.”

Still.

Swoosh.

I had to be sure.

To confirm her words, I gently swept my palm over the outside of Elice’s right ear. It would be strange not to, with the perfect test subject right in front of me.

Luna was delicate. Everything had to be tested first.

‘Whoa….’

An unbelievably soft and warm sensation met my fingertips. This was quite addictive.

“!”

In that instant, Elice’s body trembled as if shocked by electricity and went rigid. Her cheeks flushed slightly… and she finally nodded.

“Yes… like that. You’re… good at it, you know?”

Her voice, unlike before, was slightly higher-pitched.

Looking at Elice’s expression, she didn’t seem upset. It appeared to be genuine information.

“Thank you. That was very useful information. But… I suppose getting Luna to show me her ears in the first place is the bigger hurdle.”

She nodded at my words.

“Ah? Oh, that’s… true…. Well then, good luck….”

Elice suddenly snatched up the half-eaten macaron and awkwardly clutched her lower abdomen. Then, she practically fled the counseling office.

She came in as she pleased, and she left as she pleased.

I watched her go with a wry smile before picking up the intercom.

“Could you please let Hunter Luna know it’s her turn?”

In the end, the main client was Luna.

*

“Hah… hah….”

Elice burst out of the counseling office and leaned against the cold hallway wall, gasping for breath.

She clutched her lower abdomen. The dizzying, thrilling sensation that had bloomed from deep inside her when his wide palm brushed against her ear still hadn’t faded.

Lifting her head slightly, she saw her own reflection in the hallway window, her face flushed bright red. And her perked-up ears were trembling uncontrollably.

“……I can’t believe he actually did it to me….”

She never thought he would. But he had stroked her ear without hesitation.

She had barely managed to hold it in. It had taken immense self-control not to make a strange noise right then and there.

It was a good thing she’d bolted.

But just then.

“Elice, what are you doing?”

From around the corner, a calm voice sounded, and the white rabbit, Luna, appeared.

“Huh? Oh, no… my stomach just suddenly started to hurt….”

Elice forced a wry smile, quickly composing her usual carefree expression.

But Luna wasn’t fooled. Her red eyes narrowed with suspicion.

“You didn’t cause the Counselor any trouble, did you?” Luna interrogated her.

“Nope, not at all. Absolutely not.”

I was the one who got into trouble.

Elice shook her head.

Then, Luna’s gaze shifted to the half-eaten vanilla macaron clutched in Elice’s hand.

“That… did the Counselor give you that?”

“Yeah. It was delicious.”

At those words, the corners of Luna’s lips lifted ever so slightly. She gave a small nod and walked past Elice toward the counseling office.

And her footsteps had become light and cheerful.

‘So… it’s macarons today?’

Macarons were one of the many desserts Luna loved.

Luna’s mood brightened another notch.

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Translated By: Meher (RaidenTL)

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