Re:Hare

by Nanfrost

An alternate timeline where after the events of Arc 4, The Great Hare was sent back to the beginning of the story, where there it will get to meet a certain boy just as clueless as itself. Would it fall back into it's old ways? Or would its decisions bring about a ripple throughout this seemingly pre-determined story?

2. The Promise

The world was filled with noises, the sounds of carts being pulled away by ground dragons, carrying on them merchants who are looking for the chance to make a fortune, or simply to make enough to get by the day. Some came from the people walking around, exchanging greetings to each other, or simple gossips about their everyday lives and what they have been up to. But the most notable noises came from the people at the stalls, selling their products to passerby so they could make a living, some more successful than others. All in all, the streets were just as busy as ever, with not much of a noticeable difference between each day…until today.

Standing in the middle of this place swarming with people, overwhelmed by the sheer density and almost deafening sounds of a crowd it was not used to, stood alone a small looking girl, wearing nothing but an oversized coat with the color of snow white matching the color of her hair, still processing her surroundings, although determined to seek her purpose. [The Great Hare].

It could barely see anything, having been trapped in that place devoid of sunlight for so long, it forgot just how bright the sun could be. Taking a good few minutes to adjust its eyes, it slowly and carefully opened them back up...to find itself in a street. It didn't know how it got here, nor why out of all places, it was placed here, but right now, it did not care. For now, it's only thing that is on its mind, its drive, its purpose, is to find that black-haired boy with strange clothing and-

Tear him

Was the only thing occupying its mind, and so, it took off. It's legs, however, were unfamiliar to it, far different from how it once was, and so, a single step was nearly enough to make it fall to the ground. It needed to readjust itself, learn how to move properly in this new body that it had shaped for itself. How easy was it for it to return back to its formal form, the form that its mother gave it, or it should have been.

It felt something else, something akin to feeling like it was being held down by something, but it wasn't just physically, but mentally as well. The times it took to shape this new body was too taxing, too much work that it exhausted itself completely, now feeling like it could faint at any moment. It was a miracle that it was able to stay conscious enough to realize this, much less when it was still in that void. Should it had fainted then and there, it might have never set foot back into this world.

It sat down, leaning itself onto the wall behind it, it managed to just barely dragged itself towards one of the nearest houses that it could find, and sat motionless, trying to regain some semblance of strength to continue on. Exhaustion was something it had never felt before, or rather, due to its insatiable hunger, it might have never realized how fatigued it would become after facing a tough prey. All it thought about back then, was to feast, feast, feast, never satisfied, never enough.

While resting, it felt someone closing in on it, it tried to put up its limbs, almost as if trying to protect itself against something, until it heard a voice calling to it.

"Hey little girl, you alright there?"

Talking to it was a man, from what it could see, he looked rather slim, with grey beard and hair. He seems to be a pretty senile person, and it seems like this old man is worried about it. It could not respond to that man's question however, even if it could somewhat understand human speech from what little its mother was able to teach it, it did not know how or ever needed to know the way to speak that language. All it needed to know was eat.

"Hmm, too tired to even respond? That's not good, I'll see if I can get something for you, maybe that will help you out."

As the old man said that, he quickly took off, turning a corner, preventing it from seeing where that man could have gone. It was still too tired, this body although significantly smaller than that of an average person, or even a child to a certain degree, was still heavily demanding of its stamina, till the point of standing was a chore in of itself. So it continued to rest, not wanting to care about that man or the noises around it, even when it was still overwhelming its ears, it tried to rest.

A few minutes passed, and again it could hear the sound of footsteps again, although now it was too tired to even put up its hands, it instead waited, to see who was approaching it. That person knelt down to its almost surprised facial expression, was the same old man that left her just a while ago. Why did this man come back? It wondered, for it does not know.

The elderly man then spoke with a more breathy, worn-out voice than previously, as if he was frantically looking for something in a hurry.

"Sorry little girl, but I could only get you a small cup of water. My family is a bit too suspicious of any strangers, you see, but that's understandable. I just wished they were a little more...ah sorry, I didn't mean to babble about that, here you go."

The man held the cup close against its face, telling it to take a sip. It was weary, almost astonished at the fact that someone is giving it something, for not once in its life has it ever gotten anything through an act of sharing or giving, for it only knew how to destroy and consume its surroundings, it's only gift it ever received was the life mother gave it, and the hunger that was accompanied with its birth. However, right now in this moment, someone is willingly giving it something purely as an act of kindness, it couldn't understand, but knowing full well how desperate of a situation it is in right now, it can't afford to have much doubt.

It slowly tried to lift its now much more heavy and longer arms to grab the cup, but failed horribly due to just how tired it was. Seeing this, the old man shows visible signs of concern on his sweaty face.

"Oh dear, so you're really that tired?...You're a child, aren't you? Where are your parents? Are you lost?"

The man asked it many questions that it was too tired to answer, while at the same time placing the cup close to its mouth, inviting it to drink the water that was inside. With its body too weak to move currently, it accepted. As soon as the smoothing clear liquid hit its throat, it felt a sense of satisfaction, its throat having been devoid of any real taste of liquid other than the taste of its own blood, felt refreshed, having taken something that was drinkable. Strangely, its body felt lighter, despite not being as light as it was in its normal form, it was more comfortable and less straining to move its limbs, was it really that tired that a simple cup of water could help it recover so quickly? Or was it because drinking something so refreshing, something different from the countless crimson blood it had drunk from so many corpses, something so...normal that it felt better? It didn't dwell on that thought for long though, as now, having its body feeling slightly more refreshed, it is now ready to continue searching for its purpose.

It slowly stood up, still using the wall as a place to lean on in case its legs gave up on it again, but this time, it was able to stand properly. It tried to take a single small step, careful as to not let itself fall, and slowly moved both its feet continuously to create a forward moment, it was clumsy and it felt weird, but now understanding the physics and order to the movement, it can get used to it.

"Hey, are you sure you're alright? You still seem a little weak, I doubt having just a cup of water would be enough to help you, maybe I can help you ou-"

Before the elder man could finish his sentence however, it turned to look at him, staring at him. It didn't know how to speak, nor the proper etiquette to express to a person that helped it, as hard to believe as it sounds, the only thing I can do is to look at him. Perhaps trying to convey some form of gratitude towards him with just its eyes.

"...Ah, alright, alright, it seems you're ok now, I'm still worried that you might not be fully good to go out on your own again, but then again, I don't have the right to stop you. You're not actually a little girl either, are you? I'm sorry for my rudeness, miss, but I hope you can find what you're looking for."

As the man quickly understands its thoughts, it quickly leaves the man behind, now continuing down onto the streets. It doesn't know where it's supposed to go, but now, with nothing stopping it, it won't stop moving forward, until it finds that boy.

---

Continuing along the busy streets, passing through many different stalls, each selling their own unique products accompanied by the sounds of footsteps and people chatting, combined with the fact that it now has four ears, the noises were only amplified. It tried to block those increasingly overwhelming sounds entering its ears as it continued to walk down the road.

Trying to navigate around an unfamiliar place with a body that it's not used to yet was challenging to say the least, its eyes still not fully adjusted to the sunlight, making it hard for it to see straight without accidentally blinding it for a few seconds. Being encaged in a black as ink void for that long has certainly caused its eyes to deteriorate, that now, it can hardly open them big enough to see.

It has grown a bit better at using its new legs now, being able to somewhat walk normally without much trouble, though the act of balancing has become more bearable, it hadn't even thought about attempting to run in its condition. For now, the pace that it is going is the most that it can achieve. As it was reaching the end of the street, pondering to itself which turn it should take, it smelt something,a scent it could immediately recognise from just one sniff.

That smell

It was the miasma, the same smell as its mother. This smell, it can recognize it no matter where, as long as it was in remotely the same area as it, it will find it. However, as soon as it picked up this scent, a question arose from its mind.

Why so suddenly? The scent didn't feel like it came from somewhere far but not unreachable, nor was it always there, but rather, it felt like it just suddenly appeared, as if it didn't exist at all, until now. It did not have time nor bother to think more about this question however, for regardless of how it happened, the scent is now present, and if it is present, then that boy is here as well…

"I've been summoned across the universe to another world?!"

It heard a voice, or rather, a shout from what sounds like a boy, it turned its eyes to its left and it saw him. That boy, it thought to himself. It knew who this boy, no, it knew the scent that this boy has. It's mother's miasma, although thin, was still unmistakably hers, then that could only mean one thing. It looked at the boy from head to toe, scanning to see if his appearance matches what it can remember.

This is him

Those strange clothes, those mean looking eyes and his hair, were perfectly the same, it had found him. The person that it had been looking for, the person that it had made to become its entire drive, its reason and purpose to still be here, at this moment, all of that is in front of it, waiting for it to bite down, to tear out, limb from limb, to finally achieve what it had set out to do. He was right there, and it was only a few meters away from him. All it needs to do was to approach him, close enough so that it can attack him without him noticing, and-

Tear him apart.

It was easy, so easy to move its legs and approach him, but why can't it move? No...rather, why is it incapable of moving itself? Its prey, its victim, its target, its objective, its goal, its reason, its purpose, was standing just there, so why can't it bring itself to move? Just move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move.

Is it perhaps hesitant to move? By why would it be? Could it be that it's aware that this boy has the power to send it back to the dark emptiness realm that it managed to escape from causing it to be hesitant? No, even then it might still have just enough time to bring him with it, so that couldn't be a reason. Or maybe, deep in its conscious, another answer to that question, buried deep beneath its mind, making way for its simplistic and easy to understand desire, was something more logical, something that it could have only thought off due to its mind no longer being plague of hunger, to think rationally and without relying on its instincts. That answer, however, was also a rather simple one, but it was an answer that it didn't want to admit, it was simply... Could it be that it wanted to follow him?

A simple thought, yet a complete contrast to its other, more baser desire, one that under the influence of its never ending feeling of hunger, could never have been able to be made possible, and yet, here it is, with its mind clear from it all, it can finally think, but due to this, it can no longer be able to do everything on impulse nor instinct as it once did before, for it can now rationalize its actions and thoughts coherently, and now, facing this dilemma, it stood still, staring into the boy that is walking away from it. It thought it knew what it wanted to do, what it wanted to accomplish, what it desired, what its purpose was...But now, it's not so sure about anything anymore...still, with its legs finally loosening up, it followed him.

It carefully observed his actions, one where he put up his hands in the direction of a carriage that was about to hit a child, only for that child to be saved by a knight with him awkwardly walking away. Another where he was scolded off by an appa stall man, and another where he accidentally walked into the wrong room...It continued to watch him, making sure that he did not notice it. Until the boy decided to sit down on a small set of stairs, complaining about seemingly pointless things.

Now, after watching him for the past hour, it has yet to arrive at any concrete conclusion. For one, the boy seemed rather childish and naive, and it seemed like he knows nothing about where he is nor seems to care much about how he got there. Seeing his demeanor, his mannerisms and actions, it questioned itself, could this boy really be the one that trapped it inside that realm?

It wondered while still locking its eyes on him, now moving to another question that is currently troubling its mind. Why did it have that thought? The thought of wanting to follow him? Why should it follow someone that was the cause of its misery, being put into its own personal "world" where nothing but it exists? Could it be because of his scent? But simply resembling the scent of its mother truly the only reason for it? But other than that, what else could there be? The more it pondered, the less the answer became clear to it, until it heard a voice, or rather, voices.

"If you don't wanna get hurt, cough up whatever you've got!"

There were three men standing in front of the boy, one of them was significantly smaller than the other two, one slim, and one muscular. It seems like they're trying to threaten him, it thought to itself while thinking about the next move it should make. Should it intervene? But why would it? There's no reason to...no, there was a reason, that reason was what led it to follow him in the first place. Although it's mind was still clouded with questions and doubt, it still believes in its own reasoning and the desire that it had, those mens, or anyone and anything else, will not take away her purpose, not again.

"I dunno what you're talkin' about, but I'm really busy! Sorry, now live strong, okay?"

" Wait, what?! Where are you going?!"

While it was drowning in thought, someone else had come into contact with the boy, and just as quick as they had appeared, the girl immediately went away, leaving him behind. It seems like he was asking for help, but he was rejected, now left with the three men was just himself. It had already thought about its reason, deciding that nothing is allowed to hurt its prey but itself, it began to leave the corner that it was hiding in and began to walk towards him. That is until…

"You lumps of EXP!"

With a shout, the boy then proceeded to punch the man in front of him, sending him backwards, then he continued attacking the other two in quick succession. It had been foolish, perhaps an idiot for forgetting one thing about the boy, though he does not seem to act like one, that boy carries a power that was capable of trapping it, how could he have possibly been troubled by these men? Even though just a while ago, he had asked for help from that girl before, he had no problems handling this by himself. It halted its movements, realizing how close it could have gotten itself into an unwinnable situation if he had realized its presence , glad that it was able to stop just in time. Now it watches on as these poor men, daring to mess with that boy, about to regret their decisions….that is until the boy proceeded to bow to the ground in front of the man holding a pair of sharp looking objects.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! It was all my fault! Seriously! Forgive me! Please, spare me!"

"Woo-hoo! Play games with us, will you?! Die, scum! You like that?! Huh?!"

Sheer astonishment, was the expression it wore on its face, for it could not think of anything else to describe what it is seeing. The boy with enough power to defeat it, is now bowing down against some random mens, while getting brutally beaten by them. A pathetic scene almost, it could not bring itself to believe what it was seeing, is this boy truly the one that defeated it? With this question in mind, it stands there, observing the beat down of this boy. However, it quickly got back to its senses and immediately walked towards them, to intervene or more so, to stop them from attacking its prey.

"That's enough."

"Huh?"

Suddenly, a voice called at the end of that small hallway, it was a voice of a girl, tinge with an air of authority and calmness, yet also possessing a visible tone of urgency. However, that voice somehow sounded familiar to it, almost like it had heard it before...

"And just who in the hell are you?!"

"Stop now, and I'll forgive you. If you would be so kind as to give back what you stole."

"You can't be serious!"

"Please. It's very important to me, I'll turn the other cheek concerning the other belongings, but I can't let you have that. So hand it over."

"You mean you didn't come to save this kid?"

"What strange clothes he has... .If you're asking me if I have any connection to him, I'd have to say no."

"Well, then you've got no business with us, little girl! If someone stole from you, it was that brat who just ran by!"

"Yeah, what he said! That way! She ran that way!"

"Hmm...Those three don't appear to be lying, so I need to go after her!"

It watched as the events unfold in front of its eyes, wondering what would happen next, though from what it can see, it seems that the girl would also be leaving that boy, of course that would make the most sense, why would she save someone that she has no affiliation to them, much less if they look so strange with their clothing, and so, it decided to move once again, to attempt to stop th-

"But regardless of that...I can't overlook what's going on here."

"Magic?"

"Mess with us, will you?! I don't care if you can use magic, I'm gonna kill you!"

"You think you can win when it's two against one?! Do you?!"

As much as it doesn't particularly like these three mens, it can't help but reluctantly agree, why would she go out of her way to help a stranger when she has no reason to? It would have been easy to just walk away, so why didn't she? Stopped dead in its tracks once again by this sudden turn of events, it watched on.

"Indeed. Two against one may be unfair. All right, then. Two against two should even things up, Meow!"

"You can use the spiritual arts?!"

"Correct. Retreat now, and I won't chase you. Decide quickly. I'm in a hurry."

"You bitch! Next time I see you, I won't go easy on you!"

"Do anything to her, and I'll haunt you and your kin forever! Not that you'll have any kin if I take care of things now…"

As soon as those words left the spirits mouth, the three men then ran as fast as they could, leaving the boy alone with the girl. The boy after that, tiredly tried to get up, tho it seems that beating took more out of him than it looked.

"You really saved me, thank you."

"Don't move."

"Huh?"

"A-ha! You avert your eyes due to your guilty conscience! Looks like my judgment

was spot-on, as always."

"You sure? I think it was just an instinctive male reaction to avoid tension or rudeness. I didn't sense any malice at all."

"That's enough out of you, Puck. Now, listen, I want you to tell me who stole my insignia."

"Uh, yeah, really sorry about this, but I don't have the slightest clue to be honest with you."

"…Huh? Wait! Oh no, it couldn't be! Did I really make a wrong turn, or maybe come around the long way?!"

"Heh. If I were you, I'd hurry after her before she gets too far.I could help, if you…"

"Wait! Aww, you shouldn't have tried to get up. What should we do?"

The boy then suddenly fell to the ground facefirst, completely too tired to even stand up. Only now with the boy on the ground unconscious, did it snapped out of its trance, realizing that it had been standing outside of its original hiding place, completely out in the open, it tried to move back to its place to avoid being spotted.

"Well, anyways, you there. Where do you think you're going?"

It was too late, somehow the spirit had already realized its presence, or maybe because it was clearly standing just a few meters away from them?...Well, in any case, it has been caught, and it doubts with its current state it would have enough strength to really disobey the spirit, or even be a slight problem to it. So it obliged, and slowly turned back, reluctantly walking towards the girl.

"Hmm, I did feel an odd presence here, tho you look like just a normal girl, albeit quite short, how strange…"

"Hey Puck, who is that?"

The girl next to the spirit, which it now knows the name of, seems to be quite confused with the sudden entrance of someone, so only the spirit noticed her? It also noticed the spirit was whispering something, but it was too small for it to hear, nevertheless, It silently wondered as it looked at them, a feeling akin to weariness and tension present inside of it, waiting for their next move.

"...I noticed this girl was watching us from the back, no, maybe she has been watching this kid rather than us. In any case, I can't sense any malice from her, so she should be fine, Lia."

"Really? Well if you say so, I guess we could leave this boy to her care, right? If she's been following him, maybe she knows him?"

"Hmm, while it's true I can't sense any real malice she has on us, there seems to be some on the boy instead, plus with her following him around for who knows how long, it might not be too wise to leave him here."

"Is that so...well ok then, we'll just have to help him then, since we have no choice."

"Hoh...So you didn't want to help him in the first place, Lia? That's quite unlike you."

"What are you trying to say? If you didn't say anything, I would have definitely left him here for the girl to take care of him."

"Reaaally?"

"Yes, really…"

"I bet you would still have helped the boy even if she wasn't here."

"No, I will not!"

"Riiiight…"

"I wouldn't have helped him, understand?!"

As it continued to observe these two chattering, it wondered what it should do now. Should it try to run away? No, that wouldn't be possible considering its current condition, and it probably won't have the chance to outrun these two if it could. Should it try to find a way or an excuse to leave? But it doesn't know what to say, nor does it even know how to speak either…

"Alright, let's just get this over with! I also need to find my insignia as quick as possible before it's gone forever."

"Right right, let's start then. Oh and you as well, if you want to, you can help as well?"

Help? They're asking for its help? But doesn't that spirit just say it can sense malice from it? They don't see it as a threat? Or is it because they know they can win against it? As it continued asking itself numerous questions, the two proceeded to sit down onto the stairs, then suddenly, the spirit then enlarged itself, becoming higher than the girl herself, whole still keeping its appearance the same. For a brief moment, it wondered if it could do something similar to that.

"Hmm, this should do it. Hup you go!"

"I have rarely ever seen you turn big like this, it's kinda strange how you still look the same."

"That's quite rude of you to say that, Lia! No matter what size I am, I would always look adorable~"

"Hai hai, let's move on then, we don't have much time. Oh and you can sit if you want, it feels weird having someone standing while we're sitting, I mean, it would be beneficial for you to sit as well, yes, you see."

It followed what it was instructed, though it found the girl's way of asking it to sit rather weird, or somewhat contradictory, it wasn't planning to question it. Putting that aside, it also went to help the spirit pick up the boy from the ground, as it went closer, the miasma started to become a bit more apparent to it. Though not as strong as it remembered, it was still the same scent. As it held onto the boy's arm, it instinctively clutched his arm tighter than it needed to, to the point where the spirit noticed its behavior, but chose to remain quiet. It however, can't be bothered to care, as it was holding back its urges to plunge itself into him, tearing the boys apart, first, it needed to make sure they are alone, which means getting these two to leave. But how? How is it going to do that?

As it pondered, the question that it had before started to crawl back into its mind, was this boy really the one that defeated him? Right now, from just a simple beating from those three previous mens was enough to knock him out, was he really the one that managed to lure it into a trap and banish it? If so, why would he allow himself to be beat like that? But, the more it thought about it, another possibility began to arise in its head, a possibility that made it feel scared just thinking about it...Maybe, just maybe, could it be that it wasn't him that sent it to that realm?

As soon as that question entered its mind, it immediately shoved it away, not wanting to, no, refusing to believe that was the case. It didn't want to believe that its entire purpose, its new reason for its existence now, was simply just a bad hunch, that it was stupid to truly think that was the case. If it was that, then why did it come back? Why is it even here? What should it do if its "purpose" never existed in the first place? Should it even do anything? It didn't want to think of that, not now, not at this time when its already so close to its goal, don't think about it, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't don't don't don't don't don't don't don't don't don't don't do-

"Hey, are you alright?"

A sudden call snapping it back to reality. Its mind still scrambles, doing it's hardest to put that thought away, desperately trying to forget it, but no matter what it does, deep down it knows that eventually, it would have to confront this thought. For now, it can temporarily forget about it, focusing only on the present. It looked up from the ground and stared at the girl that asked it that question, her face seemed to express some sense of worry, did it do something to warrant such an expression? It continued to stare blankly at her, not even bothering to blink for one moment.

As for the girl, she seemed taken aback from its stare, almost blushing, as if no one has ever stared at her that intently. Still, she managed to somewhat hide that fact, and looked at her.

"Well...it seems you're ok, right? Then could you tell me what happened that caused that fight to happen? Also if you are ok with it, can you tell me why you were following him? I mean, these questions are all for my own self benefit of course! I won't ask you these questions if I didn't gain anything from it, and that benefit is knowing what led to this situation obviously! Yes, it's all for my own self-interest!"

As it listened to the girl's speech, it didn't feel like it was being questioned, but more like it was listening to her trying to justify what she's doing, as if to prove herself that she's not doing this without payment. How strange, was what it thought of her.

Thinking about it, it can still only look at her, only understand her but unable to speak what it thinks, but even then, it tried to open its mouth, trying to make some sort of sound. It has not used its mouth for something like this before, nor did it ever thought of talking with its mouth, because of this, it didn't bother to try to perfectly recreate a working mouth that can make sounds, for it thought it would never need it anyways. And so, it won't be able to properly talk even if it can, but at the very least, it should still be able to make a sound, even with a defected mouth.

"A- m-"

"Huh? AH! Yo-your throat!"

A strange sensation came into its mouth, or rather, a familiar taste, something that it has tasted many times throughout its life, something that it had always drank every feast it had. Blood, something it hasn't tasted since the last time it ate one of its own version of itself, when it was still in its normal form. Now that same liquid is overflowing in its mouth, almost choking it. It's mouth was defected, it was incomplete, it wasn't intended to be used to talk, mainly there for show, to keep it a human appearance. Now, by forcing itself to speak, it had unintentionally ripped its closed throat, that was only opened enough to breath, and now, with its throat filled with its own blood, preventing it to breath, it began to puke out the over excess of crimson liquid laying inside of it, trying desperately to breath again. It was useless however, as it tried to let it out, only more of its blood spilled out from it, still blocking its path of breathing, not showing any signs of slowing down.

It's mind started to fade due to the lack of oxygen entering its body, its body quickly losing strength, limping down to the ground as it still tried to clear its throat. It's eyes, now looking up from the ground, trying to see if there is anything it can do. All it saw however, was faces of surprise and horror.

"W-what?! Your throat is bleeding! Puck, what happened to her?!"

"I don't know, Lia! But we need to heal her as well! Quickly!"

It tried to reach up with its hands, trying to ask for help, to free it from this torture, a constant loop of breathing then choking on its blood over and over again. It's consciousness drifting away, its eyes becoming more blurry. Before it finally passed out, the last thing it saw was their faces. The girl's face, terrified on what she saw, frantically trying to pick her up, while the spirit had more of a surprised look to it, not as horrified as the girl, but still got up to help it, accidentally dropping the boy that was previously on its lap.

Then, darkness was once again all it could see. To think it would be thrown back into this murky world after just freshly escaping from it not too long ago, it felt some sense of irony in this, but it's mind had already long since past the point of consciousness…

---

It heard a sound, so distant yet so close to its ears. Or was it even a sound? Can it truly be certain that it's even hearing anything? Its consciousness fading in and out, its breathing hitched, grasping air into its lungs, it can't be sure to trust what its senses are telling it. For now, all it can do is get its breathing under control and try to regain itself. It doesn't know how long has passed since it had fallen, but one thing was certain; it was still alive.

As it began to puzzle itself on this fact, it came to the conclusion that it was most likely saved by that girl. A girl that itself deemed strange, someone who would help another person without knowing them, and yet tries to pretend that they did it for their own selfish desires. But because of that, because of her nature, it was still alive even after that. So, it felt a sense of gratitude to her, for keeping it alive, for not letting it die, simply because she didn't want to see another person hurt.

"I...tha..so? Bu..why wo..sh...low me?"

"W….e tho...u...ld….t...us….t…"

Voices, and this time, it was certain that this wasn't just its imagination. These voices are real, though it could not clearly hear what they are saying, just knowing that the girl most likely hasn't abandoned it yet reinforces its idea of her willingness to help anyone in need. As it slowly began to gain back more and more of its senses, it felt something under its head, it wasn't a feeling of the cold hard floor, but something else, it was soft and warm, it felt quite comfortable to rest its head on, it also eventually picked up on what they were saying.

"...Well, all in all, it seems you're alright now, correct?"

"Yeah I think so, you really saved me there, though I do wish I was the one who was sleeping on your lap…"

"And why would I do that? Isn't Puck's lap better?"

"But they're not the same thing!"

It heard two distinct voices, a girl and a boy's voice. From what it can hear, it seems like they are...bickering? It tried to move its eyelids, opening them up just enough to see what was going on.

"My, my, you're making me a bit sad hearing you suddenly insult my adorable self like that! Is my lap not as great as a woman's lap~?"

"It's not like that! Yours is comfortable I admit, but a girl's lap pillow is something very magical and precious. It makes you feel like you have someone to rely on, which is why having you as my first lap pillow ruins that image of mine completely!"

"Well, it seems you two are getting along, but I didn't just heal you and have Puck be a pillow for you for nothing, you know? I did it for my own self-benefit you see, so now that you owe me a favor now, I expect you to pay in full, alright?"

"You make it sound like such a big deal…huh? Hey! She's awake!"

As it tried to see what was happening and from what it could hear, it seemed that the boy had also been healed by her, not that it was surprised by this revelation. They also seem to notice it as well. Now with its mind slowly recovering, it wondered what it should do next.

"Despite such an awful injury, she managed to wake up from just resting? Not only that, her throat was clearly very disfigured as well...who is this girl?". The spirit whispering to itself, small enough for no one to hear.

"Are you alright? You shouldn't try to get up for now, so just keep laying on my lap for now. Also, you there, don't try to change the subject!"

"That's not it! I didn't mean to change it, just surprised to see her awake. Also, what were you going to ask me anyway? I'm pretty sure I told you exactly what happened?"

"I wanted to ask if you have any idea who was the person that stole my insignia. Or, can you tell me what that person looked like?"

"Oh, you mean those insignia that show your social status?"

"A rather crude description, but that's it, more or less. About this big with a jewel in the center."

"I'm sorry, but no matter how many times you ask, I still won't know."

"I see. I guess there's no helping that. But you've given me the information that you know nothing, and that answer was in exchange for healing you so I'm still somewhat satisfied with how things turned out."

"Okay?"

"Well other than that, what about you? Your throat was in a really bad shape just now so you don't have to speak, but I do want to know why you were following this boy? Of course, this is also for my own self interest, since I would gain information from you on why you followed him as well, plus this is to pay back the favor of healing you, so I'm just getting my due reward."

So strange, was what it once again thought about this girl. Why is she seemingly covering herself up like that? It's almost like she didn't want to admit something. As it stared at her confused, the boy, no, it's prey, standing next to her just as confused as it.

"Wait, wait, wait! What do you mean she was following me? Why would anyone bother following me in the first place?"

"Welllllll, first of all, you do look really weird with those clothes you're wearing, I have never seen anyone wear such strange clothing in my lifetime as a Great Spirit. Second of all, you look like someone who is easy to rob."

"R-really? Well I mean I guess I do look weird, but I looked easy to rob? I thought I had a pretty decent body build...anyways! So you're saying that she followed me cause she wanted to rob me?"

"I think the situation might be a bit more complicated than that. I don't think she wanted to steal anything from you, rather it seems more like she's following you rather than your possession."

"Eh?...wait, if that's the case….does that mean that this girl might be the one that summoned me?! That's the only explanation right? Surely that must be the case, I knew she wouldn't just leave me here! Although, I also wouldn't mind both of you summoning me as well…"

"What are you saying? I just met you by chance while chasing the thief that stole my insignia, there was absolutely no way I would have known about you, no way."

"That's pretty harsh you know…"

"Annnnnyways, why did you follow him, girl? You also seem to be wearing rather odd looking clothes, tho not as weird as that boy."

"...m"

"Hmm~?"

"Puck, I don't think she's in good condition to speak right now so I don't think we should force her. Plus, I don't think we need anything from her."

"But didn't you say that you wanted information, for your own self-interest, Lia~?"

"N-no that's not it! I mean, of course I would want information! Cause I don't want my efforts to be in vain, so in a way, because of her being ok means that my efforts has been worth it, which also means that I have already gotten my due reward, which is her well-being! So, in short, I no longer need anything from her, since she has already repaid her debt for me, yeah, that's it."

"Hmmm~, well, whatever you say Lia~ I won't question her any longer, so should we continue on finding that insignia then?"

"Yes, you're right, we should get going. Can I leave this girl to you then?"

"Ah, sure...tho I do feel like I was being sidelined for a sec there. But are you sure you don't need anyone's help with finding it?, cause I feel like I haven't done anythi-"

"No, you have already paid more than enough, your information is satisfactory to me. You don't need to help me any further."

"I-is that so?..."

"Yes, that is the case, I'm in quite a hurry, so I have to go. Your wounds should be better now, but I highly suggest that next time you don't do dangerous things like wander into deserted alleys alone. Same as you, don't follow people around so carelessly like that, you might end up getting yourself in danger! I'm not concerned. I'm just warning you. If anything like that happens to you again, I already know that saving you won't be of any benefit to me, so don't expect any help. Bye!"

"Sorry. She's so insincere sometimes. But don't think badly of her, okay? Take care of that girl for us as well, alright!"

As the girl and spirit quickly leave, it leaned its back onto the wall, being slightly relieved that it wasn't being pressured anymore by the spirit. Now left in an alleyway, alone with its prey, her goal, it should know what it wanted to do...yet at the same time it doesn't. Its mind still somewhat questioned itself whether its goal was truly justifiable or had any merit in the first place, and so it stood awkwardly next to the boy, waiting for his next action.

"Insincere, huh…I think this goes beyond that. She was in such a hurry to find what was stolen from her, yet she stopped to help me. She even came up with that lame excuse for a favor even though I'm a total stranger. Anyone who lives like that...is just gonna end up wasting their whole life!"

As it listened to what the boy said, though not wanting to admit it, it did agree to what he had to say. That girl was strange to it, very strange. She was willing to help two seemingly random people that she had never once seen before, getting rid of the mens that were beating the boy and healed him, while also doing the exact same for it, even though she had no obligation nor a reason to do so. Then after all that was said and done, she acted as if she did it for herself, that it was simply something that was beneficial for her even when it clearly wasn't, it couldn't understand it, why would she act like that?No, why did she even do any of that in the first place? She had no need to do it so why? What was the reason? What was the purpose of it?

Purpose...did she...not have a purpose for those things? A simple question, yet something that it itself can't understand or even comprehend. Acting without meaning, without reason, without a goal in mind, but simply doing it because she simply wanted to? Something that it struggled to understand, why do something that ultimately leads to nothing? If helping it and the boy wasn't the girl's real purpose or objective, why did she do it anyway? Why did she find that she needed to do that?

It's life, no, rather it's entire existence has been built on that simple fact, to live for its purpose, to do anything to reach its objective, its goal, not caring about anything else but its own desire to eat, to consume. That was all it was doing, following that thing that made it what it is. But now, having lost that, now struggling to find a new replacement, it had thought it had found what it wanted, a new goal to reach for. Yet that girl's action had almost completely derailed it from that, making it question itself once again. Is it really, truly possible to live without needing to just follow blindly to its purpose? To just...do what it felt like doing? To go against the very factor that made it what it was, what it had always been its entire life? Could it really change now, to do something else? Something that doesn't need to be justifiable to itself? Can it really live like that?...

"Hey, you alright?"

"...?!"

Suddenly, a voice called to it, snapping it out of its thoughts. It looked up and saw the boy's face, looking at it. Those scary looking eyes, it was no doubt the very same eyes that it remembers back then, those eyes fill with determination and strength. But for some reason, now looking at it this close once again, it didn't carry those same qualities, it was...darker, more muddier and almost cloudier? It was the same, yet at the same time it was not, why is that? Why does the boy's eyes seem so much more...lifeless? It wasn't the same as the eyes of a corpse that it had seen many times over, as it still belonged to a living person, but compared to what it looked like then, it can't help but wonder why.

"...I'm not sure what you staring at me like that implies but it does kinda hurt a little. Anyways, I'm going to go after her, but just before that, I want to know just one thing...did you...summon me here?"

Strange, it thought, what does he mean by that? In the first place, it only had a vague idea on what the word "summon" really means. It's mother had taught it the basics of human speech, so it can somewhat understand what it's hearing, but there are still many things that frankly, have never been taught to it or it does not quite understand it. This is one of them. And so it stared at him, its head a bit tilted to the side, hid in its eyes a slight confusion.

"...You're really not going to talk, huh? Do I look that unlikeable?...Well, from your eyes alone, I can make a guess that the answer is no? If that's the case then sorry for asking such a weird question then. Now I need to go catch up with her, you should go back to your home as well right? And maybe not follow random strangers next time?"

"..."

"Ah, ok, got it, you don't talk! Right, I need to go now! If we ever meet each other again, I'll talk to you then! So bye!"

As he left those words to it, the young boy then quickly ran off, most likely to find that girl. As for it? It was still leaning on the wall, motionless, its body not moving or wanting to, but in contrast, its mind was constantly turning. The boy that was here a moment ago, wasn't he what it had been wanting to find all this time? Didn't it want to find him so it could achieve its goal? It's new purpose in life? To tear him into pieces until it was satisfied?

So why? Why hadn't it done just that? Why did it hesitate? It had every chance to do that, yet not once did it attempt to. Did it even try? It thought that its reason was because it believed that this boy could very well send it back to the void, but now after witnessing how easily he was taken down by three random people, that reason no longer holds any merits. In fact, even if it did, why did it care? It had never once cared if it would get hurt nor if it would die, for all it had ever cared for the longest time was its hunger. Not it's mother who had created it, it's siblings that came before or came after it, it never cared about them, for its mind had only even been set on one thing. To consume, to feast, to devour, to be gluttonous.

Yet here it is now, that desire seemingly gone, its mind fully thinking straight, and it's new purpose has just left it, but worst of all, it let it all happen. It could have done anything yet it chose not to, it could have just risked it not knowing what would happen to it, even if it didn't achieve what it wanted, it would have at least tried, yet it didn't. Instead, it followed him, observing him, watching him, and then meeting that strange girl, a girl who does everything that it itself would never do nor ever had the mental capacity to do it, doing things that in the end, completely devoid of purpose. Something that it had not once considered to even be possible, no, perhaps it didn't want to acknowledge that it was possible. It might have already seen that very thing happening to it already, not from her, but from another.

It was the old man that it first encountered, a man that willingly offered his help even though there was no reason to. He could have simply just walked away, not paying it a heed of mind, and yet he didn't. He still took his time and effort to help it, despite not getting anything from it, it doubt that was his objective. So why did he do that? Why did these two decide to help another person that they don't know? Just why? Why did they choose to help others? What does helping others even bring them if not getting closer to their goals of their life? Why why why why why why why why why why why?

...Can I...do...that too?

Am I...allowed...to do that?...

It's legs were moving, quicker than usual, it felt almost like it was running, but not quite there. It's mind, still being plagued with these new questions, desperately trying to find any answers to them, but proving unsuccessful. Yet, despite all of that, it's legs were still moving, not just in any random directions, no, it was moving towards something, something that might give it an answer, or at the very least, help it understand those choices that were made. It was moving towards the boy that it chose to be its new purpose in life, to continuing to strive for and to keep moving until it reached its goal. And the girl, who had shown it that it didn't need to always follow that path, that it could deviate from it, even if it was just a little. It moved towards the two, for it held a small, tiny speck of hope, that deep down, it wanted to believe in. Can it…. be like them?

---

"Hey! Wait up!"

"Was there something else you needed? Just so you know, I can only spend a little more time with you, okay?"

"Ah, figured you were gonna shut me down... Anyway, you lost something important, right? Well, then let me help you find it!"

"You said you didn't know anything about my insignia?"

"But I do remember her face! If I see her again, I'll know!"

"You're so strange…hmm? Did you also bring the girl with you as well?"

"Huh? Wait...eh?!"

Luckily, the boy and girl hadn't gone too far, and so it was able to find them rather easily. Even so, it wasn't used to walking so fast, not when it only just got used to its legs in its current form. It's breathing was unstable, almost to the point of hyperventilating, it struggled to take in any air into its body, hoping to calm itself down. While it was doing this, it proceeded to look up at the pair, walking towards it.

"Hey! I thought you were going to go home or something?! Why are you still following me?!"

"Before you ask her that, how about we let her breathe a bit? Are you alright? You're breathing really heavily."

"Ha...hah…..hah…"

It can hear it's own breathing and even its own heartbeat, was this the side effects of its body not fully adjusted yet? Regardless, those sounds were very rhythmic, but in a strange way, calming. It can feel itself being alive, at this very moment. It's breath slowing down, as the body calmed itself down, it was still staring at them, trying to affirm to them that it was fine.

"..."

"...Um, are you alright?"

"I don't think she likes to talk since she was pretty much quite the entire when I was talking to her, though I would have thought that she would at least give a response to you…"

"You're correct about the fact that she doesn't talk, or rather, she couldn't talk before."

"What do you mean by that, Puck? Didn't we already heal her?"

"Mmm, that's right, Lia, we did heal her. But that injury she had was quite abnormal, her throat seemed to be almost closed off, allowing her to just be able to breath. Because she tried to speak with a throat that wasn't meant for that, did that little accident happen."

"Is that so? Well at least now, her throat should be fixed now right?"

"Yep~, it's me we are talking about, of course that includes you, Lia! Although, I'm not sure if she can still speak, since I don't know how long her throat has been in that condition."

"I don't quite understand everything you two are talking about, but in short, her throat was damaged and you fixed it right? Did you use magic to do that?"

"What else could I have possibly used? You're so strange."

As the three continued to talk, it only stood still, watching them, it's mind thinking about what it should do next. Though it did want to follow them, it had been caught up in the moment and didn't think about what it would do once it did, now, facing that consequence, it stood awkwardly between them. This situation was uncomfortable to it, and so in an attempt to get out of this predicament, it reached out it's hands towards the boy, slightly tugging at his strange clothes, trying to silently alert him of its presence.

"Hmm?Oh! Crap, I actually almost forgot you! So sorry for that! But why are you following me though in the first place and even now? Don't you have anything else to do?"

"That's a rather rude way to address a girl don't you think~?"

"S-sorry about that, I'm just not used to talking to someone of the opposite gender that's all…In fact, this is a first for me, being able to talk with two beautiful girls in front of me, I feel like I'm in a dream almost."

"You're making it sound so weird, I don't get it. Well anyhow, it seems she can't tell you her reasons for her attachment to you even if she wanted to, so for now I guess you'll just have to let her follow you around then."

"Are you sure? I mean, I don't mind having such a pretty girl following me, but it does feel weird when I don't know the reason for it...huh?"

It thought about what to do next, what would be the best course of action so that it won't be misunderstood? After staying silent for a bit, it figured out. If it can't speak to communicate, then the most it can do is to use its body to express what it wants them to know. From that, it tried to think of anything that would be sufficient enough to convey its want, that it wanted to follow them. And so, it decided to do a simple yet effective movement, a slight bow. It bowed towards him and towards her, hoping this would convince them to let it come too.

"Hohhh...it seems she wants to accompany us on her own will. What do you think Lia? Having more people to help us is beneficial, plus more shields between the ruffians, the better right?"

"...Well I won't tell you what to do, but just so you know, there aren't any rewards for helping me."

"Hey, listen, I don't need one. I'm here because I wanna, thank you. And to show how much I appreciate your help."

"I didn't do anything deserving of that. I told you, I've already received amicable compensation for healing your wounds."

"I-In that case…I guess I'm gonna help you for my own sake, too! Right, I should probably set

an objective so, uh...Oh yeah! One good deed per day!"

"Um..."

"I don't sense any malice here, so I think you can just accept his offer, Lia."

"Mmm..."

The girl quickly took a glance towards it, her eyes filled with a sense of uncertainty and worry. Once again, her behaviour was still strange to it, but because of that it wants to know why she could worry about others like that. And so, it looked at her with its eyes, one not covered in worry, rather, a look of conviction.

"...I meant what I said, though. I can't do anything to reward both of you."

"No problem at all! Just leave everything to me! That is, if you're also fine with that?"

"...mm…."

"I'll take that as a yes then!"

"Well then, should we introduce ourselves?"

"Oh right! Then I'll get the ball rolling first. I'm Natsuki Subaru! Not only am I totally clueless, I'm also broke beyond compare! Nice to meet ya!"

The boy then proceeded to do a weird pose, pointing his finger into the sky. It looked on in confusion and interest.

"When that's how you introduce yourself, you really do sound hopeless. And my name is Puck! It's nice to meet you!"

"It's very unusual to see someone who can touch a spirit so casually like that. Where are you from exactly?"

"Well, if things follow the usual pattern, it's a small island nation to the east."

"But Lugunica is the easternmost nation on our continental map. There are no more countries

in that direction?"

"No way, really? There's nothing east of here?"

"You have no idea where you are, you have no money, you can't read, and you seem to have no one around who can help you. You might be in an even more precarious position than I am...

Uh, Subaru, right?"

"Uh, yeah that's my name alright."

"Ok then what about yo-oh right! You can't speak...I'm sorry for asking you that…"

"It's alright, Lia! Look, the girl isn't offended by that, see? Though, how should we address her then? Calling someone "girl" all the time is kinda weird."

Name…..Does it even have one? It can't recall if it's mother had ever addressed it by anything remotely close to a name before, then again, did it ever need one in the first place? It never had the need to communicate with anything or anyone, even to its mother, as it was just following its own desires and purpose. It didn't have to bother with anything else, as it simply saw there was no reason for it, now though, it slightly regrets that.

It doesn't know what to do nor how to respond to the girl's question, well, not that it could anyways. As it stood nervously looking at the girl, trying its best to figure out what to do next, the young boy next to it seemed to have noticed something.

"...Huh? Wait….are those, ears on your head?"

"Oh?...Now that you mentioned it, she does have them, but they're quite small to be able to hide in her hair. So you're a demi-human?"

"...?!"

"Wow, this is my first time touching a demi-human's ears! They're so soft and cute!"

"H-hey! Don't just touch someone's ear like that! It's rude, you know!"

"Huh? Oh crap! So sorry about that, it's just I was so surprised that you had them that I wasn't thinking straight!"

"Hmm, you seem to act on impulses often huh, Subaru~"

"..."

The boy's action was so sudden that it could barely register what just happened, but once it did, it quickly moved it's hand up to its head to prevent the boy from touching it any longer. This was the first time it had ever felt any sense of embarrassment, an uncomfortable feeling that it can't quite describe what it was that made it unbearable. All it knew was that it didn't like having its ears being touched, it was too strange and unnatural to it. As it held onto its ears, it stared deep into the boy, this time with a hint of malice and anger towards him.

"I-I'm really sorry…I promise I won't do that again next time, I swear!"

"Hmm~, well as long as you're truly sorry for it, then I think you can let it slide, girl. Besides, I was also surprised to know you were a demi-human!"

"...m…."

"Phew…"

"Well with that, would you mind if we can look at your ears to see what breed you are exactly? Of course, if you're uncomfortable with it, we don't have to! This is just something that I'm curious about but since you have already repaid me, you have no reason to give me anything else so…"

"..."

It had somewhat gotten used to the girl's mannerisms more or less, so it wasn't surprising to hear what she said. The boy on the other hand, was a complete mystery to it, it had no idea how this boy acts at all. So, still somewhat cautious with the boy, it slowly lifts off its hands, showing them its ears. If this could solve the problem with its name, it will be worth it.

"Hmm...I'm...not quite sure what ears these are from...Puck, do you know?"

"Sorry Lia but this is a first for me as well. Never seen someone with these ears before."

"Huh...wait, they kinda look like rabbit ears? Are those rabbit ears?"

"...mm…"

"So you're a rabbit demi-human? I have never seen one before. Anyways, you have given me precious information about yourself even though you have already repaid me, so now I am in your debt, I will pay you back in full."

"You don't really have to know? It was just showing her ears...how about Shirogi?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"A name, since she can't really talk, I figure we can just give her this temporary name for now? You know, just to make things easier for everyone to address each other."

"And how did you come up with that?"

"Since she's a rabbit, I used the word that my hometown used to call rabbits, and since she has white hair, I also combined it with that word. Pretty smart huh?"

"Mmm...I see, that is very creative, but...what kind of language is that? And where even is your homeland?

"But I already did tell you?"

"But there is no such place like that. Lugunica is the easternmost nation on our map?"

"I know but...ahh! This is way harder to explain than I thought!"

"You don't seem to even know where you are even from...aren't you in a much more dire situation than me?"

"Don't worry about it! Just trust me on this! It will be hard to explain it to you now, but maybe next time I can!"

"Trust...well, I won't pressure you on this matter anymore. And as for the name, what do you think? Would you be fine with that?"

"..."

Shirogi...a name, an actual name to call itself. In a strange way, due to the miasma that the boy exudes from him, it's almost like it was its mother giving it the name. A weird feeling came flooding into it, yet it didn't feel uncomfortable, in contrast, it felt nice, or maybe….it felt happy. A strange boy that has its mother's scent, giving it something that not even her had given it, this person that was its motivation to keep living, is now standing here, next to it, giving it something that it never had. And to think it wanted to…

A faint smile flashed across its face. It was only a quick moment, quick enough that both the boy and girl couldn't notice it, though it was not sure if the spirit saw it. It felt relieved, relieved that its decision wasn't just a mistake, that it should have just followed through with its desires. I made the right choice, was what I thought. Silently, it nodded its head, albeit slightly lower than it needed to, its face felt warmer than usual, it felt blood flowing onto its face quicker than normal, so it tried to hide it by looking down, hoping that the boy didn't see it.

"Then I guess that's the name then! Nice to meet you, Shirogi! With that sorted, what about yours?"

"Me? I'm...Satella. Just Satella, no family name. So that's the way you may address me, all right?"

"I see. Satella it is. That's a nice name."

"...You have got terrible taste, Lia…Oh well, time to get back to askin' around!"

---

"That child over there, do you get the feeling she's lost?"

"Maybe, but what about our questions?"

"That's also important. But if she's lost, we have to do something."

"I'm in no place to talk after you saved me, but do you fully comprehend the position we're in?"

"I do. But there's a little girl who's crying! You can see that, right? You too right?"

"?!..."

The girl's question caught it off guard. They had been walking for a while now, asking around the place for answers but to no avail, it however didn't exactly help in any way, it was just following them around, observing them. Did it feel a bit guilty for not helping? It didn't think so, for it did not find any reason to feel guilty, it didn't know why it needed to help, it simply just wanted to be with them. But now with the girl's words, it's caught in a tough situation. On one hand, it had no real reason to help the little girl for it frankly, didn't care. But in contrast, this girl that it's interested in, seems to think the opposite. Despite trying to find something that is important to her, she's still willing to help someone else, even when she has no obligation, no real goal or purpose to do it. So so strange….But It didn't hate that about her.

"Mm…"

"See? It seems she also wants to help. While the insignia is equally important, helping the girl should come first."

"Alright, alright, I'll help as well. Besides, I like that part of you as well."

"Now just what are you saying? Come already!"

"Mm...mm…"

"Hey, there. It looks like something's the matter? Maybe I can help you, did you come here on your own, or with your mommy and daddy?"

"Huh?...mm...wahhh!"

"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to make you cry! I'm just here to help, not to do anything bad, I promise!"

The little girl proceeded to cry from just a simple look at her, why is that? It wondered as its mind started to remember something from long ago, no, someone, from long ago. There was someone else, someone that resembled this girl's face, but no matter how hard it tried, it couldn't fully recall just who that person was. Was it because of the familiar faces that led to it becoming interested in her? That question quickly leaves its mind as it came to a conclusion, and that was no, it didn't follow her just because of some face that it can't even recall, it was something else, something about her interests it, and it intends to find out just what that is.

While it was busy thinking, the boy beside her had already left and went towards the boy, holding something in his hand.

"What you see before you is a rarity around here. A jagged-edge ten-yen coin! Observe closely as I take this coin and clutch it tightly in my hand. Tight, tight, tight. Like that! Now, where'd it go?"

"...where?"

"Well, take a look at this!"

"Huh? Ah! Hahahaha!"

"I figured out where the coin was hiding. Here ya go, it's yours! Like I said, it's rare, so take good care of it!"

"T-thank you, sir!"

That was….It couldn't come up with what to say for its mind had yet to really catch up with what just happened. The boy was able to completely make that small item disappear and reappear almost at will, as if he controlled it. To say it was impressed is an understatement, it was almost horrified with what the boy had accomplished. How did he do that? That question occupied its mind as it leaned in, trying to get a better look. Until its face was so close to the boy that he could practically hear her breathing.

"Wha! W-why a-are you s-s-so close?!"

"Why are you stuttering? She just wanted to get closer to see?"

"I-is that so? That really caught me off guard there, maybe next time warn me when you approach, my shut-in self isn't used to another girl standing so close to me, especially from behind like that."

"You're so strange, and what exactly is a "shut-in"?"

"Just a dark past of mine that I'm not too proud of per say haha, you can ignore it."

He's eyes. For just a moment, it noticed the change in his eyes. It was subtle, almost unnoticeable, but no doubt that something about that "dark past" didn't bring any fond memories to him. Why is that? Just what was that past that caused him, even if it was just a split second, so much pain?...It didn't like that look of his.

"Haha! You're funny mister!"

"You think? Well that's relieving, now can you tell us where your parents are? Me and two of these lovely young ladies can help you!"

"Mmm, ok"

---

"I see. You got separated from your mom, huh? Yeah, that can be kinda scary."

"Well, don't worry. We'll help you! We'll find them in no time for ya! Wow, look at us. People who don't know us probably think they're looking at a young married couple and their kids, huh? Is that embarrassing or what?"

"At best I can't really see you as anything more than her older brother…"

"What makes you think I'm so young, huh?! I don't think I look like that much of a child, right Shirogi?!"

"..."

"Eh? Hold on! Why aren't you answering?"

"It seems she also agrees with my statement, shouldn't that be obvious?"

"Really?!"

It had no comment on his question for what the girl said was unfortunately, very true.

"Ah! Mommy! Mommy!"

"Huh, it looks like she finally found her at least."

"Yeah. I'm so relieved."

"Not for me though! I can't look that young can I?! Come on, Puck!"

"Mmm~, whatever Lia says is also mine so...sorry Subaru~"

"Don't say that! Ahhhhh dammit!"

He's quite loud, was what it thought of him. Is he that bothered from something that trivial? It's not like that's a bad thing is it? To look so young? So weird.

"Though I'm still not done with that, what now? In my opinion, that whole string

of events with the little girl was nothin' but a side-quest, but what benefit will you

insist that you got out of it? Go on, tell me!"

"That's easy. Now we can continue our search with our minds at ease knowing we did the right thing. Besides that, why'd you end up helping me with that? I thought you said you

were against the idea?"

"Could say I just wanted to show off my magic trick, but that'd be a lie. Like I told you before, finding your insignia will be my one good deed for the day!"

"I know that was the plan, but since you helped the little girl, isn't your one good deed over?"

"You are being super nitpicky! It doesn't hurt to do more than one nice thing in a day, does it? I just got tomorrow's out of the way. My plan is to get a week's worth of good deeds taken care of early!"

"If I were to guess, you're the type that basically wastes their whole life, right?"

"Seriously? You're the last person who should be saying that to anyone…"

"Anyways, I'm more surprised that you're also helping me? Is there a reason for that?"

"..."

This question. Unfortunately, it has no idea how to answer this, for its reasons for "helping" didn't even have the word "help" in mind. It can't exactly tell them that it just wanted to follow them, it feels that would just make the situation awkward. But how else is it going to answer her?...And so it decided to get close to her...

"Hmm, is there something you wha-wha! Wh-what are you doing?!"

And held onto her hand.

"Hoh~...now that's an interesting way to diverge the conversation there…"

"Wha?! Umm, Puck, wha-what should I do? Are you all-alright?"

"..."

Instead of answering, it just held onto her a little tighter. This was the "plan" that it could possibly come up with in such a short time. It didn't want to answer the question, so in order to avoid it, it would create a distraction that would cause her to forget what she asked. Though it did doubt if this could work, it didn't have any other choice...probably.

"O-o-ok! You don't have to answer it if you don't want to! We can move on from it!"

Ka-chink

"What?!"

"Sorry but this scene is just too cute, I just had to take as many pictures as I can so I can remember this moment for the rest of my life."

"W-what do you mean by "pictures"?! And what even is that?! Stop it!"

I succeed. A small smile formed on its face, knowing that it had won.

---

"I'm…..actually a half-elf…"

After that little incident, the girl proceeded to question why the young boy treated her like she was younger than him. And the reason for that is, apparently, because of this. There was an odd aura coming from her, something that it hadn't felt from her before. A slight sense of hostility was there, but it wasn't directed at anyone, it was directed at her, with the other feeling of rejection and sadness. Why is that? Why would one word cause her to feel this? As it stood there, slightly worried for the girl, it wondered how the boy would respond to that.

"Ah, no wonder. It makes sense now!"

"It...does?"

"From the moment I saw you….I thought you were cute! Elves are always beautiful, aren't they?"

"...Huh?"

"What is it?"

"No, it's just... didn't you hear what I just said? Listen, I'm trying to tell you that I'm a half-elf!"

"Yeah, I heard you?"

"Ummmmmm hhhhaaaaaaaaah!"

"What the heck did you do that for?"

"I just had to do something about this unbearable tingle I'm feeling!"

"That's the weirdest reason for punching somebody I've ever heard. Though I'll forgive you since it was squishy."

"I didn't hit you in the face out of anger or anything. In fact, it was quite the opposite."

"...Subaru, you are such a dunderhead!"

"Yeah, so who says "dunderhead" in this day and age? And why are you insulting me in the first place?"

"Ugh! Whatever! More importantly, we have to get back to the search, So let's go!"

Luckily, the boy's answer seemed to have been the right choice. Witnessing the scene that played out in front of it, it breathed out a small sign of relief.

"Hey, wait a minute! Just running around without a plan is never a good idea. There's a basic rule of searches!"

"What are you talking about?"

"One of those rules was this: revisiting the scene of the crime. Where exactly was your insignia stolen?"

---

"I thought I had a customer, but you're that same broke kid from earlier!"

"You really wanna take that attitude? Haven't you noticed I'm not who I was before?"

"Huh?"

"Just look who I brought with me! I bet it's someone who just might become a regular!"

This stall...This was the same stall that the boy was at last time. After trying to retrace the girl's path in hopes to find that insignia, it didn't expect to come back here. From what it remembered, the boy wasn't exactly welcomed here by that man, so how would this play out, it wondered?

"Uh, Subaru... I'm not exactly sure what you expected of me, but I actually don't have any money, either."

"Huh? S-Seriously? Then...do you perhaps have any on you?"

"..."

"I'll...take that as a yes then...crap…"

"So what did you wanna ask me about now that I'm stuck here with not one, but two broke customers, boy?!"

"Well, we're actually looking for someone, and we were hoping we could ask you a few questions, if you wouldn't mind…"

"That was a sarcastic way of saying I don't have time for broke losers! Now get outta here! Scram!"

"Hey, mister!"

"Huh?"

"Thanks for your help earlier mister and misses!"

"What brings you back this way, miss?"

"It's my husband's shop, so we just wanted to stop by."

"Your...husband?"

"Hey, there's my little girl! Now wait a second, how exactly do you know these two good-for-nothings?"

"She got lost, and these three found her, then helped bring her back to me."

"Thanks again, lady. Here, it's for the both of you!"

"She was hoping we'd find you all. Please accept that token as her way of showing gratitude for what you've done."

"Thank you very much."

"...mm…"

It was a small pin, shaped as a flower. Aside from that cup of water, it had never been given anything else before, much less something that it can use. Seeing the girl putting the pin onto her hair, it tried to emulate her...until it decided that it would pin it on its scarf. That change in action was just because it liked it there, not because it didn't want to be called out for copying her, definitely not, it justified itself. Now with the pin attached to its white fur scarf, it felt...strangely elated and...kind of glad to have helped. Was this the reason for helping someone? To feel something positive? It kept wondering.

"Hah...Sorry about all that before. You helped my daughter, and I wanna show my appreciation, so ask me anything."

"There, you see? A little bit of extra effort on our part came back around and worked in our favor!"

"You're not gonna tell me that you planned for that to happen, did you?"

"Of course! I knew that helping would have brought us luck!"

"Sure...let's just ask him, alright?"

---

"The air, the atmosphere, and, most likely, the attitudes of the people living here is awful."

They were now at a place called "slums", looking at its surroundings, it quickly came to realize why it was called that. Unlike the previous location that they were in, this place was much more run down, buildings are clearly in a deteriorating state, some of them even have holes in them. It can see a small stream near it, but the water is so muddy that it could barely see anything in it. Why was this place so...broken than the other? What caused this? It pondered as it walked alongside them.

"Maybe someone will tell us if we ask?"

"No one would sell out their own, Lia. Especially to a couple of strangers, so asking would be useless."

"Then maybe we should just come back later? We already know where she lives now right?"

"Maybe, but that's up to Lia. But whatever you're going to do, I suggest that you decide quickly. 'Cause I've just about run outta time here."

""Out of time"? What do you mean?"

"I'm able to take on this cute appearance, but I'm a spirit. It takes a lot of mana for me to appear in physical form. So when the day becomes night, I return to the crystal I was summoned from and prepare for the sun to emerge. On average, my ideal time to stay out is roughly nine to five."

"Nine to five? Sounds like you work in an office. Employment terms for spirits are pretty severe, huh?"

"We'll be fine without Puck. We need to keep moving forward on this, she might not have it if we leave it to tomorrow."

"If you say so, Lia. Plus, I'm already at my limit. Good luck, you three."

The spirit then suddenly deflates itself while moving in a weird motion, almost as if it was dying. It finds that scene rather unnerving. It then retracted itself into a crystal on the girls neck. So that's where it stores itself?

"It's almost like he's dying when he disappears."

"He likes to do that to scare people off. Sorry to have worked you so hard today, Puck. We'll handle things from here, so settle in and get some rest."

"Don't do anything reckless, all right? If it comes down to it, you can always use the Od to summon me again. I'm leaving things in your hands, Subaru, Shirogi! Good luck, and keep Lia safe for me!"

"Hey, wow, I don't think I've been in one of these "alone with a girl" situations since I was in grade school, and not only that, but this time it's two as well!"

"Don't get any pervy ideas, Subaru. I can use magic, you know?"

"I won't, okay?! Who do you think I am?! Even if there are two beautiful and cute girls right in front of me, I won't do anything!"

"Well, at least I know you won't. The more important issue at hand is how we find Felt now. Let me contact the lesser spirits."

"Lesser spirits?"

"Precisely. They're beings that haven't quite become full-fledged spirits yet. They grow little by little over time, and when they gain enough strength and self-awareness, they become full spirits, just like Puck."

The girl then walked onto a bridge near her, and after a few seconds, she then proceeded to put both of her palms together.

"Come out."

"Huh?"

Multiple of small, flickering lights began to appear. They were all dimly lit, but as a group, they managed to light up the surrounding area in a blue color. And in the middle of all those lesser spirits, the girl was standing still, her eyes focusing onto them.

"Wow…"

"..."

To say that the scene was beautiful was an unjust way of describing the scenery. It was mesmerizing, the spirits that lit up the area gave it an almost serene aura. Simply amazing, was all that it could think of.

After a few more minutes, the lesser spirits started to fade away, returning back to the darkness that was once enveloping this place. She then looked over and nodded her head.

"It's this way."

---

"It's getting more desolate and quiet. Hard to believe that she actually lives out here…"

"I know, but the lesser spirits specifically said they saw someone who looked like Felt headed in this direction. We just need to trust them."

"You're pretty trusting of spirits aren't you? Why is that?"

"Well, I do spend a lot of time talking to them, much more than I do with other people."

"Really? But how so? Do you not like talking to other people?"

"No, it's not that, it's just...it's quite complicated."

"...Well, that's fine to me! As long as I can get to talk with you, I don't really care."

"What do you mean by th-"

"Excuse me, mister! Do you know if a girl named Felt lives somewhere up this way?"

"Wait up! Hah...he's really eccentric, isn't he?"

"Mm…"

The boy is very energetic, almost too much sometimes. Although it liked him being that way, it can't help but shake off the feeling that some of that was a bit forced, though whenever it has that thought, its mind immediately asks it why? Why did it feel that way? Is it really because he was hiding something? Or was it just its own thinking…

"Besides him, what about you Shirogi? How's your throat now? Can you say anything?"

"?!...mm…"

Talk….At first, it never thought that it would ever have a need to use its mouth for anything other than to breath, but now, after everything that has happened, not being able to talk has become a detriment to it. Without it, it can't accurately express what it wanted, leaving it to use its body and actions to try to communicate. For the most part, it's working well, but it also isn't naive enough to not know that there are times where body language just isn't enough. It needs to be able to speak for those types of situations, but it doesn't know how.

"Hmm, it seems you can't quite speak just yet. Then how about this? Maybe you can try to make a sound of a letter like for example, S in Subaru. Go on, try it."

A letter...It begins to wonder upon this suggestion. Well...can't hurt to try, and even if something did happen, it was confident in itself that she won't let it be hurt. Comforted by this fact, it began to open its mouth a little wider and moved its throat, trying to replicate the sound of that letter.

"...ciiii...xxiiii….shhhh…."

"Mm, you're doing rather well. You're almost there!"

"Shhhh….sss...mm"

"Ah! Don't bite your tongue!"

Not a success, but it was a start. Even if it can't exactly pronounce it, it at least knows that its throat won't be damaged anymore if it did try to speak.

"You need to be a bit more careful! Well...all things considered, that wasn't too bad, we can go at it another if it's alright with you? Oh and I can also repay my debt to you as well! It works out, see?"

"...mm…"

So strange was what it still regarded her, but now it had grown rather fond with it.

"Alright! I'm back, did I miss anything?"

"Nope, nothing at all."

"Huh? Wait wait wait, you replying that fast makes me inclined to believe that you did do something, didn't you? Come one, tell me!"

"I told you, it was nothing. Don't ask such silly questions."

"Now I know there's definitely something up! Hey Shirogi, you did something with her right?"

"..."

"Why are you so silent?!"

"Subaru you dunderhead, just tell me what that person said."

"Fine...but you're gonna need to tell me that once we're done. Anyways, he said that this way leads to a house of someone named Old Man Rom. It's likely that she is there, he also said that we need to prepare for a bargain as well."

"What was he talking about? Why do I have to pay money to get back something stolen from me?"

"Don't worry about a thing. Just leave everything to me! I can handle the negotiations."

"All right, then. I'll just leave everything in your hands then. If you also let her accompany you"

"Now hold on! Are you trying to say that you don't trust me enough to even let me go by myself!"

"Not really, I just think that it would be safer if you two work together."

"But it definitely feels like that though…"

"Of course, to tell you the truth, I'd be lying if I said you haven't been holding me back a little bit. But even with that...I'm leaving this in your hands."

"Oh? Wait, so do you actually trust me or not? I'm confused…"

"If it actually goes well, I'll consider giving you a bonus."

"Now, ya know, if you said something more like, "Work hard for me, okay?" I'd probably feel a whole lot more motivated."

"Sorry, I can't force myself to say something like that. However, please do your best, both of you"

"Yeah, you got it! I'll go in first. You stay outside and keep watch. I won't be back too late, but you can have dinner without me if you get too hungry. You too, Shirogi, no need to follow me."

"...!"

"Hmm? Hey no! Just stay here!"

Something about this house bothers it, no, it can feel that something is wrong in this house. Its body starts to sweat, its senses are alarming it something that lurks inside here. It doesn't know why or what could possibly be in it, but no matter what, its body refuses to take such a risk. Yet this wasn't what it was worried about the most, it never really cared about its own safety, for it knows that it can always duplicate itself to survive, but this, this was different. This isn't about it, this was about him, the boy that is its purpose, its goal. It doesn't know what would happen to him if he opened that door, nor does it want to. But why does it feel like that? Why does it care about him? Its hands only tightens further. What is it about this boy that it cares so much? Why did it care if something happened to him? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?

It didn't know why, yet even so, its hands still hold onto the boy's clothes, desperately trying to keep him from walking through that door. It doesn't want him to go in, its reason for why isn't clear to it, but even then, it doesn't, doesn't, doesn't, doesn't, doesn't, doesn't, doesn't, doesn't, doesn't, doesn't, doesn't, doesn't want…

"Shirogi...is there something wrong? Your hands are shaking…"

"..."

Shaking?...ah, it is. Strange. Why is it shaking? In its entire life, it has never once felt this sensation before. This sense or weary, this sense of dread, this sense. What is this? What is it feeling? This feeling...could it be…? This, this... was fear.

Ah….so this is fear. But this fear wasn't for itself, it was for the people around it. This fear was for the boy, the girl, and even for the spirit that was with her. it had grown to be fond of them over these past few hours, it doesn't want it to be ripped away from it, for it never truly had anything in its life, it never knew what it felt like to lose something, something that was precious to it, something that it cherished, something that brought it joy. It doesn't want to know what that feels like, especially when it comes to these two, it didn't want to, it didn't want to, it didn't want to, it didn't want to, it didn't want to, it didn't want to, it didn't want to,it didn't want to, it didn't want to, it didn't want to, it didn't want to it didn't wan-

"Shirogi?!"

"...?!"

Suddenly the boy grabbed it by the shoulder and shook it, snapping it out of its trance. It looked up and saw the boy's face, he looked so worried, why does he look like that? Is it because of it? looked behind it and saw how equally worried the girl was for it. It didn't like this, it didn't want them to look so worried, so distraught. It hated it, but all it could do was hold onto his arm as hard as it could.

"Subaru...how about we all go in together? Shirogi seems to be really worried for you…"

"...Maybe you're right. Hey, Shirogi? Are you alright? Let's go together shall we? Come on, you can keep holding onto me, I won't let anything hurt you!"

"..."

Will that work? If they all went together, would that work? It honestly doesn't know, for its mind is still unstable from the sheer amount of dread coming from the house. But maybe, maybe if they all go together...would it work? Can it work? Did it even matter anyways? It doesn't know.

"Don't worry Shirogi. I'm also here you know? If anything happens, I'll protect both of you."

"Hold on! Why did you lump me in as well?! I know that I'm not strong or anything but it still hurts my pride as a man you know?"

"This doesn't seem like a good time to argue about that, Subaru. We need to stay on guard."

"Mmm...Alright, just this once. You ready, Shirogi?"

"..."

Would this work? Its anxiety rising every second, it can feel its hands shaking. It doesn't know what's going to happen, but maybe, just maybe, things can work out. It has to work out, it has to. So for now, even when its body is paralyzed and shaking, it slightly nodded its head, enough to be noticed by the two.

"Alright, let's go! Is anyone in here?!"

As soon as the door was opened, it could see nothing but darkness. There were no lights, nothing that could help it see if there is anything inside. But that was just its eyes, it can tell, something is here.

"Oh, dear, you wanted to meet someone here? Unfortunately, they are no longer in this world. Since you have arrived here,I have no choice, then. No choice at all…"

In just one moment, the smell of blood came flooding into its lungs. That smell, it knew this smell so well, the smell of the crimson liquid that it had drank from so many corpses. This was nothing new to it, yet it didn't care for what this smell was, what it cared was where this was coming from. The girl that was willing to save its life without knowing who it even is, a girl that was so strange to it, always trying to justify everything that she does, that it was all for her, yet just now, she was willing to go into this house without saying any of those words, proving to it that it was all just an act. The boy that it had chosen to be its new purpose and goal, its reason to keep going, its motivation to keep on living, its light. They were the ones that had given it a goal to strive for, and also showed it that it didn't always need to do everything to stick onto that path, for it can still do other things as long it still wants to stick to its path.

Both of them fell onto the ground, hitting the wooden floor with a loud thud. It was still holding on to the boy's hands, so only the girl's body completely fell, but it was still the same. It saw their lower body cut in half, slicing across their stomachs. Their insides were falling out, escaping from the place that they originally belonged to. This isn't right, this can't be right.

"Ara ara, such beautiful guts, so lovely. But...it seems you are still able to stand perfectly straight, why is that, or is it because your body hasn't fully registered it yet?"

"..."

The voice was right, its body hadn't fully registered what had happened, but there was another reason. For it wasn't human, it was a mabeast, one that has destroyed and consumed so many villages and people. It can feel the pain now, it was unbearable, unreal almost. How come it had never experienced this? Was it due to its unending hunger that prevented it from feeling it? That doesn't matter now, what does matter is that voice. That voice was the one that killed them, killed the only two people that it had ever cared about, even more than its mother. This was of course when it was born, that hunger had plagued it and so it never truly understood or cared for its mother properly. It won't let that happen again, not when it is no longer controlled by that urge, even if they are already dead, it will not let those deaths be in vain. It will take revenge, even if it kills it. It will kill it.

"Oh my, such strong hatred, you truly cared for those two didn't you?"

The voice that was once unidentifiable suddenly appeared a few meters before it. I-no, she wore a black, long cape, with a purple scarf around her neck. Her clothes were odd, enough to just barely cover her private parts but leaving most of her skin to be visible. She wore a wide smile on her face, almost as if mocking it. It hated it, it wanted to destroy that smile, that face.

"...MM!"

"Oh?"

It didn't care that it might trip over the intestines that were once inside it, for right now, all it wanted, the goal of its life right at this moment, is to kill her. And so, for the first time, it ran, or at least, it was the fastest it has even gone with these legs, aiming only at her. Just before it got close enough to her that it could even hear her breath, it heard a voice.

"s..shiro…"

"?!"

His voice, he's alive. It turned its head back, to look into the boys eyes, but all it can is sheer distress and panic in them. It didn't care that there was someone dangerous in front of it, all it cared was him.

"S..Suba-"

"Ara, you shouldn't look away like that~I"

In a flash, its vision was distorted, the boy and the girl bodies were no longer on the floor, no, they were still on it, but why did it look so strange? But then it realized, it couldn't feel its limbs anymore, nor did it feel any part of its body. Almost as if it was completely separated from all of it...ah, it was.

It's head, that should have been attached onto its body, was completely decapitated, falling to the ground. It can no longer breath, its vision already going blurry, it can only try to look at them one last time but even that was impossible now. Its mind was already drifting away...

The last thing it heard was the boy's voice. Even if it knew what was coming, it was still somewhat comforted by those words.

"No...Stay with me...Hang on. No matter what happens, I swear...I'm gonna...save….you all…"

EN: It's finally here! Ngl, that took way too long for me to finish this, I almost didn't want to write it lol. At first I planned to just end at the first meeting but then I though:"Wouldn't it be better if I ended it at here" And so I did, and now my hand and brain hurts...
Well, hopefully you enjoy this chapter! I try to make it stay true to the cannon while also factoring the rabbit as well, of course the next one is obviously not going to be the same. The story will change dramatically with this new inclusion, so I hope I could do it justice
Also for the name, I just use the word Shiro and Ousagi and combined it to create Shirogi if you're wondering where I got the name from. I also want to thanks all the guys in Reactionists Discord server for helping me with some ideas and beta reading this! Ight, Imma go now, really need some time to relax, hopefully the next one wouldn't take too long to make...