The Symbiotic Relationship Between The Rabbit And The Black Panther [EN]: Chapter 22

Ahin and Ivelin stepped out of the carriage after their outing. Ahin stretched, the events of the previous night immediately flooding his mind.

He had deliberately brought the rabbit to the ball, a place teeming with watchful eyes, ensuring rumors would spread like wildfire.

Whether Valence had seen through his intentions or not, he had made a point of speaking highly of the rabbit, guaranteeing the rumors would be further embellished.

This would likely prompt Bibi’s family to approach him upon hearing the whispers, saving him the trouble of waiting for individual rabbit Suins [animal-human hybrids] to cross the border.

It would be a shame if Bibi’s family turned out to be a low-ranking or reclusive noble house, their ears closed off from the outside world, and remained ignorant of the rumors.

“Ahin, I feel like you’ve been keeping secrets from me lately, and it’s making me quite upset,” Ivelin said, having noticed the subtle curve of Ahin’s lips.

“Especially regarding the rabbit, you don’t tell me anything at all. It hurts my heart so much.”

Ahin was indeed reluctant to share even the smallest details about the rabbit. Even after learning she was an eighteen-year-old Suin who hadn’t yet undergone humanization, his attitude remained unchanged.

“Ivelin, does it really hurt that much?”

When Ahin turned, he saw Ivelin with a hand theatrically placed near his heart, feigning pain. With his perpetually composed face, he appeared the epitome of a loyal subordinate. In truth, many Grace family employees were fooled by that facade.

“Of course, it’s an exaggeration.”

“I thought so.”

Ahin, fighting the urge to silence him, rested his hand on his sword.

“Mouth.”

“Yes.”

Finally, the tension eased. Ahin raised an eyebrow at Ivelin before resuming his walk.

After about ten minutes, they spotted Meimei in the distance, her hands clasped respectfully.

It was likely her time with Bibi. Ahin’s gaze instinctively searched for the white fluffball on the ground.

“Meimei?”

“Greetings, Ahin.”

As Ahin approached and announced his presence, she bowed deeply. Looking around, they saw the pure white cotton ball moving busily in the middle of the training ground.

Ahin and Ivelin narrowed their eyes at Bibi, their expressions questioning.

“Meimei, I told you to refrain from going outside while the lion is in the mansion.”

“I’m sorry… She insisted on visiting the training ground.”

Why would a rabbit want to go to the training ground? The three Suins exchanged puzzled glances, their attention returning to Bibi. Her back was turned, her focus entirely consumed by something.

After watching for a while, Bibi, standing on her hind legs, swiped her front paws through the air with a “whoosh, whoosh.”

“What is she doing?”

At Ahin’s question, Meimei hesitated, opening and closing her mouth. She had been watching for over an hour but couldn’t decipher what Bibi was doing.

“I think I know. She’s definitely training.”

“Training?”

Ahin and Meimei responded blankly to Ivelin’s sudden assertion.

“I’ve been slapped by the rabbit, and her accuracy, speed, and angle were all precise.”

Recalling the previous evening, he touched his cheek.

“In fact, Manients [likely a type of Suin or creature] couldn’t speak when he was kissed either. It’s a movement that rebuked someone who had reached a considerable level with just one hind leg.”

She had certainly kicked Rune’s lips hard enough to make a popping sound. Though they knew it sounded absurd, Ahin and Meimei were subtly convinced and looked back at the training ground. Swish, whoosh, she was indeed practicing back kicks into the air as if she were training.

“Ivelin, then what is that gesture?”

“A somersault.”

Meimei, who had been watching suspiciously, suddenly lowered her gaze, sensing a presence below. A familiar black beast was sitting there.

“Ash?”

The most intelligent and well-behaved female black panther among those Ahin kept. Meimei’s expression shifted in bewilderment at Ash’s sudden appearance.

She was supposed to be raised in the forest bordering the rabbit territory, so why was she in the mansion? Noticing the unspoken question, Ahin bent down and stroked Ash’s head.

“It’s hard to catch Bibi if she’s determined to run away.”

He smirked, remembering the rabbit who had traversed the ballroom in an instant. Bibi’s unusually quick footwork made her difficult to chase in human form.

However, undoing humanization was quite troublesome for a Suin. That’s why he had brought Ash as a guard and escort.

“Ash.”

Hearing her name, the black panther purred, expressing her obedience. Ahin, stroking her neck, pointed to Bibi in the center of the training ground.

“From now on, that rabbit is your master.”

*Master.* Ash’s gaze, fully understanding the meaning, settled on Bibi, who was rolling on the ground with a solemn expression. The black tail wagged in the air, conveying goodwill.

“Never hurt her.”

Ahin gave the order in a slow voice, subtly releasing pheromones. Ash, inhaling his pheromones, rose in response. Tap, tap, Ash’s light footsteps carried her towards Bibi.

* * *

I, who had been conducting pheromone experiments in the training ground, caught my breath. The spreading, subtle energy washed over my body. It was clear the pheromones had become much stronger than when I first practiced with Valence.

‘Huh?’

While I was celebrating my progress, a large shadow suddenly loomed over me. A sense of foreboding washed over me as I turned my head, my blood running cold.

‘Why…?’

Why was there a black panther in the mansion? Vague questions swirled in my mind before I remembered this was the territory of black panthers. It shouldn’t be surprising that there were people who handled them.

The black panther, seeing me as easy prey, slightly opened its mouth without even lowering its body. The exposed fangs were terribly ferocious.

‘…I have to run away.’

My legs felt frozen, refusing to move. Moreover, my vision was blocked by the large beast, and I couldn’t see Meimei.

For a moment, I wondered if it was her Suin form, but it didn’t make sense for her to be in the mansion in such an uncomfortable form.

Trembling, I recalled the pheromones I had been practicing with until just now. I had heard that with repeated training, the pheromones could knock down several grown men at once.

‘G-Get out of the way.’

I stretched out my front paws and unleashed as much pheromone as I could. Then, the black panther collapsed to the ground as if it had lost its strength. My pupils widened at the unexpected reaction.

‘Could it really have worked?’

As if to prove it, the black panther’s head tilted towards the ground. Soon, a wet tongue licked across my cheek. Experiencing a dizzying sensation, I started running away like crazy.

‘Aaaah!’

It seemed it wasn’t affected by the pheromones at all, but was just planning to taste me. Looking back, the black panther was jumping and leaping as if playing tag.

‘Is it playing with its prey?’

The black panther must have had bad habits, whether it was a Suin or an animal. Perhaps driven by survival instincts, I was running even faster than usual.

In my sprinting vision, I finally saw Meimei with her hands neatly clasped.

‘Meimei, help me!’

Why was she just watching? I wanted her to take out the dagger hidden in her apron. Contrary to my desperate wishes, Meimei took no action.

‘…Is she telling me to survive on my own?’

My hopeful expression darkened. No matter what, surviving against a black panther was nearly impossible. As I ran towards her as if to hug her, Meimei finally bent down and reached out her arms.

‘Mei… Ugh!’

I, who had been gaining speed, screeched to a halt.

I was so focused on Meimei that I didn’t realize it, but right near her, Ahin and Ivelin were waiting with their arms outstretched.

Stopping in front of them, I quickly changed direction and clung to Meimei’s shoe. Fortunately, a somewhat rough hand lifted my body into the air.

“Rabbit, this is Ash, the black panther who will be guarding you from now on,” Meimei introduced, pointing to the black panther who had come closer in the meantime with her remaining hand. It was hard to believe, considering her statements that didn’t understand jokes.

‘What are you talking about!’

It felt like I was going to be eaten alive, guard or not. As if Meimei’s words were true, the approaching black panther rubbed its head against her leg.

My gaze, looking down at the terrible sight, reached Ahin and Ivelin. Clearly, the only ones who could do something like this were those two Suins.

“Is it Meimei again? Bibi never clings to me,” Ahin said, his expression hardening, blatant dissatisfaction lacing his tone. *Look at my actions so far.* I glared at him with fierce eyes.

“Thanks to the rabbit, this Ivelin has become lonely.”

‘What about you again?’

I glared at Ivelin with all my might, on the verge of losing my mind with anger. Then, Ahin, blocking my gaze, snatched me from Meimei.

“Bibi, I’m feeling a little down right now.”

His voice was quite cold. Could it be that he was blaming me for clinging to Meimei instead of him? It was an absurd hypothesis, but he was capable of it.

“Only send those eyes to me.”

Soon, a statement that defied normal understanding flowed out. Speechless, I faced him blankly while being held in the air.

‘What…? Hateful eyes?’

*What kind of pervert is this?* As I slightly opened my mouth, speechless, Ivelin nodded with his arms crossed. His neat black hair swayed with his nod.

“I had a feeling that would happen.”

…What did you have a feeling would happen? Too tired to be angry, I shifted my gaze to the black panther named Ash standing behind me.

The black tail swaying in the air looked quite docile. It’s terrifyingly scary, but I’d rather have it than those guys.

* * *

Rune, who had finished a meeting with Valence and Ahin, the top executives of the Grace family, strolled through the garden. No matter how he thought about it, the rabbit Suin he had encountered three days ago was suspiciously strange.

Her hair, which didn’t seem to have been styled at all, was long and flowed down to her knees, and she was wearing only a simple cloth in an empty room.

Rune, deciding to investigate further, returned to the back of the mansion and stood under the window where the study was located. The security around the rabbit was stricter than he had anticipated, so this was the only way to get in.

After checking for nearby presences, he climbed up to the third-floor window frame with a few light steps.

‘…Am I tired? I’m seeing things.’

Rune, sitting on the open window frame, rubbed his eyes. Nevertheless, his golden eyes widened as he faced the unchanging scenery.

‘What is that?’

One more strange thing had been added. First of all, Bibi, the suspicious rabbit Suin who claimed she wasn’t a rabbit Suin, was reading a book larger than her body in rabbit form.

To make matters worse, a fully grown black panther was sitting on a chair and looking down at the book with her.

‘Is this a dream?’

The only thing that seemed real here was that Meimei had noticed Rune’s presence and was fiddling under her apron.

However, with an unwelcome glint in her red eyes, she still seemed to regard him as a rabbit kidnapping attempted criminal.

The golden eyes that had been maintaining composure continued to tremble. Rune, staring blankly at the sight that was hard to believe even with his own eyes, turned his body back outside.

It seemed better to come back after adapting to this strange mansion.

* * *

Ahin, who was drying his damp hair with a towel, frowned.

“Bibi, why are your pheromones so strong?”

‘My pheromones?’

I, who had been avoiding the clinging Ash, froze stiffly. It seemed to be the aftermath of focusing on pheromone practice for the past few days.

I thought I had hidden it well, but I couldn’t escape Ahin’s nose after all. He caught me trying to run away and lifted me onto his palm.

“Stay still, I’ll hide you.”

‘No, I can’t!’

Terrified, I kicked Ahin’s face with my hind legs as he approached. He was definitely planning to bite my neck and apply his pheromones, just like last time.

‘Absolutely not!’

If I inhaled his pheromones, I might temporarily turn human again.

Not yet, not now. I think you’ve been applying the pheromone scent in other ways so far, so try that.

Whether my desperation was conveyed or not, Ahin wore a dangerous smile.

“I told you yesterday. Try not to let others know you’re a beastkin [a person with animal features and abilities].”

He didn’t seem to want others to know that I was a beastkin. I should be careful too, but I absolutely couldn’t let him bite my neck. As I continued to resist, Ahin’s smile darkened.

“Ash.”

No sooner had I felt uneasy than he rubbed his fingers together and called Ash. Then, the beast under the bed rose and strolled over.

“Bibi, choose. Will you go into Ash’s mouth, or will you be bitten by me?”

‘That ferocious beast!’

That’s not an option! The look in my eyes became fierce as I clung to his finger. Conversely, Ahin narrowed his red eyes with a satisfied look.

“It’s thrilling when you glare at me like that.”

‘Y-you…!’

Before I could utter harsh words, my vision blurred. Anticipating what would happen next, I quickly held my breath.

As if on cue, his fangs gently bit my neck, just like last time. Because of the close distance, the water dripping from his wet hair fell onto my body, drop by drop.

The feeling of his teeth nibbling at my neck was chilling enough to make me faint. As I desperately held my breath, the hellish time ended and Ahin’s lips parted.

‘Not… painful?’

Puzzled, I cautiously opened my tightly closed eyes. Seeing that I didn’t feel breathless or nauseous like before, it seemed that not inhaling the pheromones was the right answer.

My eyes sparkled as I solved one mystery.

* * *

I felt strangely suffocated. Not from within, but due to an external factor.

‘Ugh…’

A feeling as if something was tightly pressing down on my neck. Groaning in agony, I opened my eyes to find Ahin’s lips right in front of me.

I froze for a moment, then realized why I couldn’t breathe. His arm was so heavy. I brought my forepaw to the solid arm wrapped around my neck.

‘Wait, it’s not a forepaw?’

Five fingers rested on the silver gown that Ahin was wearing. Moreover, strands of white hair scattered on the bed came into view.

As soon as I recognized him, I stopped breathing and suppressed a shrill scream. I was sure I hadn’t inhaled the pheromones, so when did I turn human?

‘Could it be that I’m developing some kind of immunity?’

If I could transform just by being close to the pheromones… That would be truly terrible.

It meant there was a risk that I might turn human at any time.

Moreover, since I hadn’t gone through the beastkin fever that leads to humanization, I swallowed my disappointment as I arrived at the hypothesis that I might turn back into a rabbit.

‘I can’t breathe.’

Unable to even make a sound, I first concluded that I should get out of Ahin’s arm.

He always pulled the blanket up to his chin as if he was cold, and in his sleep, he must have sought warmth and wrapped his arms around my neck.

At this rate, I really felt like I would suffocate to death.

‘F-first…’

As I carefully moved my body, I suddenly stopped at a strange sensation. The feel of the gown against my bare skin and his firm body involuntarily caused tension. The tips of my ears were burning.

‘…How do I get out?’

The neat lips right in front of me were the problem. The distance was so close that I wondered if my eyelashes might touch Ahin if I blinked.

I closed my eyelids tightly to block my vision and recalled the prayer of the shrine. Oh, God of Water, punish me for constantly being drawn to his lips.

After finally calming my racing heart, I slowly began to move my body. Carefully, cautiously.

‘Yes, I did it!’

After a few minutes of struggle, I managed to turn my body to the other side. As I let out a sigh of relief, my eyes met Ash’s under the lamplight.

The beast’s eyes, met in the dim light, were quite gloomy. I instinctively froze, wondering if Ash was wary of the human I had become.

If I made a loud noise… Unable to avoid his gaze, I felt a strange sensation as time passed. Somehow, Ash’s eyes seemed to be unfocused.

“Ash…”

I called Ash in a tiny voice, but there was no particular movement. He seemed to be staggering as if he were intoxicated.

‘Is he perhaps sleeping?’

Do some beasts sit with their eyes open and take a nap? With a complicated heart, I stiffened as I felt a breath brush against my neck.

Just when I thought I had escaped the arm around my neck, I felt Ahin’s warm breath as he stirred behind me. I was on the verge of losing my mind, trying to watch Ash in front of me and focus on the movements behind me.

Then, thanks to Ahin rubbing his hair against my neck, I was horrified and a plausible suspicion arose.

‘Is he not sleeping?’

How many times have I been tricked so far? On the first day I came here, he suddenly opened his eyes and ordered me to cry, and the second time, he pretended to be asleep until I put my forepaw in his mouth.

Given Ahin’s skills, there was no way he wouldn’t have noticed this much movement.

Was he trying to tease me again? With a resentful heart, I tried to get up, but with a timid wriggle, I burrowed into the blanket. I wasn’t even wearing any clothes.

‘What should I do…’

As soon as I hypothesized that Ahin might be awake, my heart pounded violently.

Wasn’t he surprised that I had turned human? Or had he perhaps glimpsed my changed appearance at the ball?

Unable to come to any conclusion, I turned my back on Ash and turned around again. Soon, I saw Ahin’s beautiful face lying diagonally.

It was a face that had always filled my vision, but now that I was human, I could see his disheveled silver hair and the neckline leading down from his ear. Even though he was just sleeping, it gave off a somewhat lewd feeling.

Unlike the delicate herbivore beastkins, the carnivore beastkins had a unique, brilliant appearance. When I thought about it, Yverin was also a beauty as long as she didn’t open her mouth, and I heard Rune say that the employees here were beautiful.

I hesitated for a long time, moving my lips, and then spoke softly.

“…Ahin.”

I called Ahin’s name with my own mouth. I felt a new sense of embarrassment and my ears turned hot.

However, as if he was fast asleep, there was no response from him as he breathed evenly.

I frowned and examined him, then mustered a little more courage and parted my lips.

“Ahin?”

Not seconds, but minutes passed, and he remained silent.

At this point, it was really suspicious. With a suspicious look, I slowly reached out my hand.

A soft touch reached my palm as it cut through the air. It was such an unfamiliar feeling that I flinched and pulled my hand away from Ahin’s face, then bit my lip.

Then, I slapped his cheek lightly, but he showed no sign of waking up.

‘He’s not waking up even after this?’

Even though it was a weak force, if it were his usual personality, it was an action that would have made him get up immediately.

‘Is he really… sleeping?’

I stared blankly at Ahin, who was breathing heavily, and then looked back at Ash behind me. This time, he was sitting with his head spinning like a drunkard.

Something was definitely wrong. Puzzled, I suddenly felt the pheromones in my body moving actively. I didn’t know when it started, but I seemed to be scattering pheromones without realizing it.

‘…Could it be.’

Panicked, I hurriedly gathered myself and shrank my body. No way, no way. Could it be that my latent ability was popping out?

‘Your scent makes me feel good.’

‘I don’t feel like getting up when I’m with Bibi.’

My trembling pupils went back and forth between Ahin, who was buried in the bedding and trying to sleep, and Ash, who was dancing with his head. If my guess was correct, my pheromones were too lacking in coolness.

Sure enough, not long after I gathered my pheromones, Ash’s head stopped spinning.

It seemed that he had come to his senses quickly because he had smelled the faintly scattered scent, rather than drinking it directly from close range like Ahin.

Faced with the unbelievable sight, I opened and closed my mouth blankly. Perhaps my pheromones are….

‘…An ability to make people fall asleep?’

No way. It was an ability that had no coolness at all, one that I had never heard of before.

As I continued to think, my eyes drooped. Well, in the first place, I was a rabbit that no one had ever heard of, so it was no wonder that I had strange pheromones.

I bit my lip and shuddered. Ash, who had approached in the meantime, was looking at me with his chin resting on the edge of the bed.

‘Go away.’

Go! Still afraid of Ash, I reached out my forepaw, no, my hand, and waved it around.

No matter how much I waved my hand, Ash, who had his chin resting on the edge of the bed, showed no sign of backing down. It was as if he was waiting for food to come out.

With a queasy face, I had no choice but to crawl diligently on the large bed.

Finally, I reached the edge and carefully stretched out one leg. As I landed, I collapsed with a thud.

As I covered my mouth in surprise, Ash also widened his eyes. He was about to growl again, so I managed to calm him down by gesturing “Shh, shh!”

‘He’s not awake, is he?’

I was lying face down, so I slyly raised my head and peeked out with only my eyes at the edge of the bed. Fortunately, Ahin, who was wrapped in the blanket, was fast asleep.

‘Huh?’

A soft warmth suddenly touched my back as I watched with hawk eyes. It was the cloth that had been placed on Ash’s cushion.

Surprised, I turned around to see Ash, who had covered me with the cloth, lightly licking my cheek. I shuddered, but somehow my eyes welled up.

I was so scared that I was busy running away, but I was grateful to Ash for extending the same kindness no matter what I looked like. I felt like the wariness I had felt so far was collapsing helplessly.

“Ash-…”

It was the first time I had received this kind of consideration, so one side of my heart ached.

The moment I mustered a sliver of courage and placed my hand on Ash’s back, my vision gradually lowered. Once again, a familiar white forepaw flickered before my eyes.

* * *