ITMBWFL 2

Still, weren’t its pitch-black, fluffy front paws and its perky ears cute?

And I felt like I’d heard somewhere that wild rabbits were originally like this anyway.

“It’s totally cute.”

“Yeah, right.”

“Isn’t it?”

“You have… very unique taste, sister.”

“You know, I’ll be saying that to you later, Bryce.”

“I’ll bet my sword that will never happen.”

Bryce, that’s exactly the kind of thing regretful male leads always say. It’s a cliché.

“You’re going to fall in love with this rabbit.”

I chuckled softly as I predicted the future. At my words, Bryce made a disgusted sound and tried to run away like he had chills.

I quickly tried to grab him, but with his recently grown longer legs, he had already dashed far down the hallway.

“I’ll leave this cradle in your room!”

“Then I just won’t go into my room.”

“Try it.”

Ignoring me, Bryce turned the corner and disappeared. He really seemed to hate the rabbit.

But relationships that start with dislike and turn into love are always the best, aren’t they?

Hmph, little brother. Resisting is useless.

I watched the end of the hallway where he disappeared, then entered Bryce’s room and placed the rabbit’s cradle on his bed.

“Just wait a little, little rabbit.”

When it wakes up, it’ll meet Bryce again.

Imagining the cute meeting between my adorable brother and the adorable rabbit heroine, I left Bryce’s room.

From now on, the two of them will slowly grow closer.

Thinking of the heart-fluttering moments between them in the original story, I couldn’t help but smile.

Now all that’s left for me is to sit back and watch this sweet romance unfold!

After finishing night training behind the annex, I returned to my room.

Even when I wasn’t at the knights’ headquarters, I had to train whenever I could.

Because there was someone in the order who would laugh mockingly the moment my skills dropped even a little.

Though I hadn’t seen him for the past few days.

“Whatever.”

We were going to have a bet in a few days to hunt down the monster Luxka’s lair, so I’d see him then whether I liked it or not.

I grabbed some clothes, went straight to the bathroom, took a quick shower, and returned to my room.

I was about to throw myself onto the bed when…

“…?”

My eyes met something black on top of it.

“Pii.”

The black object opened its mouth slightly and made a small sound, blinking its yellow forsythia-colored eyes.

“…!”

The rabbit!

The rabbit woke up!

“Pii.”

Even its cry was cute. Do rabbits here sound like this? Or is it because it’s the heroine?

But why is it in my room? Not Bryce’s?

Whatever—at least it’s awake!

“Rabbit!”

I rushed over and immediately picked it up.

The rabbit tried to escape with a hop, but I quickly turned my body and caught it.

In the end, it settled in my arms. Its soft, fluffy fur filled my embrace.

“You’re awake. Does it still hurt?”

Holding the rather heavy rabbit, I looked down at it worriedly.

Its beautiful golden eyes were wide like a rabbit’s.

When my red hair brushed against its soft black fur, its eyes grew even rounder.

Seeing those wide eyes made me smile without realizing.

‘Those eyes feel familiar somehow…’

The fluffy black rabbit curled up slightly, looking a bit stiff.

“You don’t have to be nervous.”

Well, thinking about it, how confusing must this be for it?

Waking up and suddenly being a rabbit? And some strange woman hugging you?

But I’m a kind big sister.

“…Pii.”

“Aww, there, there.”

Just looking at the cute rabbit felt like it was cleansing my soul.

“Hm? What’s this?”

It looked like something was attached under its tail…

“Pii?!”

The rabbit freaked out and pushed my arm away.

“Pyak!”

“…?!”

Its paws were soft like cotton, but the force was strong, so I couldn’t even get a proper look.

“Pii!”

While hitting my arm repeatedly, the rabbit suddenly winced.

It seemed the wound hadn’t fully healed yet.

In the original story, Liri got injured from falling off a cliff.

Ah… it must hurt so much. My expression naturally tightened.

“No, little rabbit, you need to rest.”

I carefully placed the rabbit back on the bed. It kept making “pii, pii” sounds as if it had something to say.

“What is it?”

“Pii.”

“Food?”

“Pik.”

It shook its head fiercely, as if that wasn’t it.

“Pii! Pi! Pii!”

I narrowed my eyes, trying to interpret it, when suddenly it hit me.

“Ah!”

“Pii?”

“The bathroom?”

“……”

Right. Of course rabbits need to use the bathroom too!

“Malon! Malon!”

I rang the bell and called Malon, the servant of the annex.

Malon had worked in the count’s household since my father was still the head of the family.

Originally one of the chief attendants of the main house, he had volunteered to take care of the old annex after Bryce and I moved here.

“What is it, Lady Lize?!”

Malon rushed in.

“Could you prepare a large basket with some grass in it?”

“…Pardon?”

A moment later, Malon brought a rabbit toilet.

It was even lined with fragrant herbs, making it clean and pleasant.

“Rabbit, this is yours.”

I called out brightly, hoping it would cheer up.

But the rabbit covered its head with its fluffy front paws, muttering “pi, pi” as if in despair.

“Rabbit!”

“Pii… wa, pii…”

Looking back and forth between me and the toilet, its eyes were filled with something like… shame.

No—beyond shame, it looked horrified.

After a long protest of “pii pii,” I moved the toilet somewhere I couldn’t see.

Right, even so, this rabbit is actually a person.

I should respect its privacy.

“Rabbit, look at this.”

“……”

I had been trying to play with the rabbit for hours now.

More precisely, I had been trying to play with it.

No matter how much I talked to it and tried to get its attention, it wouldn’t even come within one meter of me.

‘This rabbit has quite a prickly personality.’

In the original, it would at least get curious and react when Bryce brought out something interesting.

Watching that was one of the fun parts.

“Rabbit, want to look around the annex?”

“……”

But it seemed reality was different from the original.

Instead of a cute, lively, dumpling-like impression…

‘It feels more like a tiger trapped in a rabbit’s body…’

Well, even Liri in the original had a strong, determined side.

“What do you want to do?”

“……”

“Want me to brush your fur?”

“……”

“Want to go to the stream and look at stones? There are pretty ones.”

The rabbit sat on my sofa like it owned the place, only glancing at me occasionally.

Even when I suggested things Liri liked in the original, it remained indifferent.

Then…

“Do you want a bath?”

“Ppeik?!”

The rabbit jumped back in shock.

Oh? It reacted!

“You wanted a bath? Let’s wash you! I’ll clean you!”

“Pii?”

I brightened and rushed toward it.

But the moment I tried to pick it up…

‘Where did it go?’

The rabbit vanished from in front of my eyes.

Then I heard a sound above.

“…!”

The rabbit had jumped up—almost reaching the ceiling.

“….”

How can it jump that high?

That was at least twenty times its body height.

With ease, it avoided my hand and landed on the bed.

But the moment it landed—

Its wound reopened, and it collapsed!

“Pii….”

No, little rabbit!

In the end, I even failed to give the rabbit a bath.

Even with its wound reopened, it stubbornly refused to let me enter the bathroom.

The moment we got there, it jumped down and slammed the door shut with its tiny paws.

Now, after finishing on its own, it sat by the window, drying its fur in the night breeze.

I brought a chair and sat beside it, watching quietly.

It felt like I had been doing nothing but watching the rabbit all day.

I had never raised a pet in my previous life, but now I think I understood those people.

“I have to go home—my cat is waiting!”

The kind of people who would leave gatherings early saying that…

‘No, this isn’t the time. I need to get it closer to Bryce quickly!’

Only then would its ability awaken, and my illness be cured.

But as I stared at the fluffy rabbit, I kept forgetting all that.

“Rabbit.”

Come to think of it, I’ve just been calling it “rabbit.”

It would be nice to give it a name.

“What should I call you?”

I actually know your name.

Liri Selverdin.

But I can’t exactly say that I know who you are.

So I need a different name, right?

“Golden Rabbit?”

“Pii.”

“Silver Rabbit?”

“…Pii.”

“Stone Rabbit? Fist Rabbit?”

“…Pi.”

“Comb-pattern Rabbit?”

“……”

The rabbit bared its teeth.

Uh-oh, it’s angry.

Sorry, I’m trying to think of a pretty name, but nothing good comes to mind.

A pretty name, a pretty name…

Hmm…

“Is ‘Golden Rabbit’ still the best?”