Chapter 186: A Bunny Girl Should Be a Real Bunny (2)

I was just speaking my thoughts, but apparently, it was an embarrassing topic for her.

She stammered for a while, then, seeing me silently watching her—though in reality, I was just thinking about what to say—she took a deep breath, calmed herself, and finally spoke with a flushed yet more composed expression.

"Ah... uh... sorry for yelling, but this is kind of a bad memory for me..."

I wondered what was so bad about a bunny girl outfit, but to her, it must have been an embarrassing part of her past.

"Aren't we leaving yet?"

She was hesitating, yet her hand kept inching toward the bag. With Bella's easygoing personality, I felt like I could push her a little more and she might actually put it on. Unfortunately, Professor Pandel interrupted at the worst moment, leaving me no choice but to drop the conversation and get into the carriage.

"Soon, we'll reach the border checkpoint, so stay alert. There are a few knight-level soldiers stationed there, so don't tarnish the reputation of the Magi-Knights."

Since it's the border, the ones guarding it are the kingdom's frontline defenders, assigned strictly by strength.

Thinking back to Cassandra, who I fought on the eastern front—she had a strange personality, but her swordsmanship was incredible.

She strategized well enough, but our senior knight... Owen, always managed to catch her eye, distracting her.

"This border used to be overseen by Montberte, but that was thirty years ago. His successor must be in charge now."

The journey to the border post was uneventful, and we arrived safely. As per protocol, they checked the carriage for contraband or dangerous goods, while I presented the serial number of my Mana Saber and my knight's insignia to verify my identity.

Of course, I couldn't show my Guardian Dragon insignia, so Professor Pandel presented his orders, explaining that I was a trainee knight acting as his escort.

"Professor Pandel. I've heard many stories about you."

"Who are you?"

"Valian, from the Northern Black Panther Knights."

One of the three knight orders guarding the northern cities, the Black Panther Knights, had a senior stationed here. Normally, about three or four knights and several dozen soldiers were posted here, but today, I noticed over ten knight-level fighters. Moreover, soldiers were setting up additional tents, reinforcing their quarters, suggesting that over a hundred troops had been deployed.

"Do you absolutely have to cross the border?"

"Is something wrong?"

"Recently, people who crossed into the Elven Forest have been disappearing. They return to the border days later, looking exhausted, but we've lost all contact with the other side."

"What about the Elven Rangers?"

"You haven’t heard? The Elven Rangers haven’t been dispatched to the kingdom in twenty years."

"Not just in the capital, but even here at the border?"

"Yes."

Professor Pandel's expression turned serious. Meanwhile, I, not quite grasping the problem, casually chatted with Bella.

"Do bunny girls get paid well?"

"You interested, kid?"

"No way. Why would a guy wear that?"

"There are male bunny boys who entertain wealthy noblewomen."

Hmm... rich noblewomen... duchesses...

Thwack!

"Kyaa! Why did you suddenly hit your own head?!"

"Nothing, just a bad memory..."

Phew, I stopped myself just before remembering that damn duchess.

Personally, I found Baroness Melson quite attractive, but if I thought about her, I’d inevitably remember the duchess's... scandalous naked figure. So, I made it a rule to bury those memories deep.

'Time to cleanse my eyes with a different pair of breasts.'

I looked at Bella’s round, bunny-like chest, which was as plump as a ball, and finally felt at ease.

"......"

"So, what’s the situation?"

After paying the remaining fare to the coachman and sending him off, I turned to Professor Pandel, who returned with a grim expression.

"They're going to shut down the border."

"Why?"

"They can’t say for certain. The royal court has summoned the Mage Order, but it’ll take about a month for them to arrive."

"So we have to wait here for a month?"

"For now. Unless Valian agrees to let us cross..."

In other words, safety isn’t guaranteed.

"What will you do? Are you turning back?"

"We’ve come this far; there’s no turning back. We’ll stay the night here and check across the border in the morning."

"But... where are we going to sleep?"

The soldiers were already struggling to find shelter, pitching tents wherever they could. It felt wrong to ask for accommodations for ourselves.

"I'll be spending the night in the command tent reviewing reports, so you two figure it out."

With that cold remark, Professor Pandel disappeared into the command tent, leaving just Bella and me behind.

Our carriage, which usually doubled as our lodging, had already been sent back, leaving us stranded at the border outpost with nowhere to stay.

"Do you have a sleeping bag?"

"Huh? Yeah, it’s in my bag."

"Then we're good."

Avoiding the busy soldiers setting up tents, I found a flat clearing and laid out our sleeping bags. I placed Mollang and Shuru inside first before settling down myself.

"D-Do you always sleep with that slime?"

"Yes. Is there a problem?"

Now that I thought about it, Bella had seen me and Mollang... in an intimate act before. No wonder she looked uneasy.

"No, I didn't see anything! So, you can sleep peacefully, and I'll just step outside to cool off since I feel a bit hot!"

With a flushed face, Bella hurriedly excused herself, claiming she needed a short walk. Judging by her reaction, she must have assumed I was about to use Mollang.

"Well, she’s wrong... Ouch! Shuru! Don't bite, be gentle."

Right now, Mollang was on top, and Shuru was handling my lower half.

'Tonight, let’s just go easy with a single release before sleeping...'

Of course, that was assuming Shuru would be satisfied with just that.

My head felt foggy.

[Over here, over here~]

[You can hear us, right?]

A high-pitched giggle echoed joyfully.

As if playing blind man's bluff, I reached out through the damp, dark mist, blindly following the whispering voices around me.

Crunch.

The wet leaves beneath my bare feet felt cold, but for some reason, it didn’t bother me. Following the voices felt much more important.

[This way~]

[Good, good! Can you hear us?]

[Guess who we are?]

"Fr... iends..."

I had to follow the voices.

My head wasn’t fully functioning, and my body felt heavy and sluggish, but like a newborn animal instinctively searching for its mother’s milk, I moved toward the voices.

[Kyaahaha!]

[Here, here!]

A sparkling light brushed past my nose.

I reached out to catch it, but my fingers only swiped through empty air, leaving behind nothing but a trace of shimmering dust.

[We're right here, silly, silly!]

[Hurry up and come! Let’s play!]

"......"

Step by step, I followed the voice—my friend.

"Ouch."

Something tugged at my ear, climbed onto my head, pulled my hair in all directions, and even pinched my cheeks.

But whenever I reached out, my hands grasped only air, leaving behind a faint dust-like residue.

[Kyaahahaha!]

As the laughter grew louder, so did the irritation bubbling up inside me.

My sluggish body slowly activated its mana circuits, gradually sharpening my dulled reactions. I waited for my timing, then, as something playfully flicked my nose and tried to escape—I snatched it with my hand.

[Dumb... Huh? Your hand suddenly got faster—]

Snap!

Finally, I caught it.

The tiny being that had flown right in front of me was now trapped in my grasp, struggling in disbelief. It tried to break free, but its tiny limbs, thinner than my pinky finger, couldn’t loosen my grip; all I felt was a soft texture pressing against my fingers.

"How did you catch me? I clearly timed my Blink perfectly..."

"...Friend."

"Oh! Y-Yes! We’re friends! So, can you let me go now? I can’t breathe..."

I looked down at my "friend."

A pretty little female, squirming desperately in my palm.

"Friend... big, brutish ones... or small and cute ones..."

Rip.

"Eh...? Eh...??"

"Arousing friend..."

"F-Friends don’t do this to each other!"

The tiny creature desperately tried to reason with me, but even in my half-dazed state, I smirked and answered.

"Huh? But my friend Erin let me put it in."

"What kind of friends do you—Kyaaah! Don’t bring that near me!!"

She shrieked at the sight of my size, clearly much larger than her entire body. Her fearful reaction only added to my arousal.

"Don't worry. It won’t hurt."

"IT’S BIGGER THAN MY BODY?!"

"Well, it always works out somehow. Other girls said the same thing at first, but when I pushed it in... it fit."

Of course, this "friend" in my hand was the smallest of them all, but surely, if I tried, it would work out somehow...

'Come on, both Mollang and Shuru could take it. Surely this one can too—'

Wait.

Who were Mollang and Shuru again?

Crackle!

As confusion clouded my memories, my grip on mana wavered for an instant—just enough for the tiny friend in my hand to suddenly disappear.

"There."

Snap.

But the moment her distinct scent and glow appeared on my right side, I swiftly switched hands and snatched her again with my right hand.

"H-How did you grab me?!"

"Any decent knight can do this."

As I said those words, something about them felt oddly out of place.

"Wait... was I a knight?"

Bringing my tiny friend closer to my tip, I suddenly realized something was missing—

"...Where am I?"

Dark mist surrounded me.

I was wandering through the forest, alone with my tiny friend.

"...Who are you?"

Holding her tightly as she struggled to escape, I asked again.

"Who am I?"

"W-Well! You’re my friend! And friends don’t do weird things like this!"

I corrected her mistaken belief.

"No, this is an act of reaffirming our friendship. Hah... You poor thing, not knowing the wonders of sex."

"Wait—why is your vocabulary suddenly improving?!"

As my foggy mind cleared, I decided to help my friend by gently plucking apart her tiny leaf-made clothing with my fingers.

"W-What are you doing?!"

"Something good."

Then, I pressed my lips between her legs, where delicate flower petals barely covered her most sensitive spot, and began sucking gently.

'Mm... why does she taste like honey?’