Chapter 32: Bunny

Chapter 32: Bunny

Rong Mi glanced down at Ayin.

The wolf had clearly noticed the furry creature outside the door. Its body tensed slightly, but upon meeting Rong Mi's gaze, it turned its head away nonchalantly, as if it couldn't be bothered to acknowledge anyone.

The wolf still had some manners.

As long as the fluffy creature didn't approach Rong Mi like Sandel did, the wolf could pretend not to see it.

Rong Mi: "..."

Seems like they needed to be more cautious with their words.

This cabin was specifically designed as an observation chamber for treating battle pets, thus only soldiers accompanied by their battle pets would enter.

The one who pulled open the door was quite young, with short, slightly curly brown hair. In their arms was a pet rabbit with drooping ears.

Due to its near-zero combat capability, small herbivorous pets like this were quite uncommon within military legions.

Though labeled "small," the creature was almost as large as a young wolf, with pure white fur and faintly gray fur on its ears.

Compared to the gentle rabbit-type star beast, the Silver Wolves were a completely different breed. Round and fluffy, it had soft fur that begged to be stroked, and around its neck was a dainty black-and-white checkered bow tie with silver trim.

The bunny nestled in its owner's arms, two obsidian-like eyes gazing innocently at Rong Mi.

Upon seeing Rong Mi, the young man holding the rabbit's eyes lit up, exclaiming excitedly, "Wow! You're Rong Mi, right? I never expected to meet you here!'

He hurried over to sit beside Rong Mi, cradling the rabbit with one hand and extending his right hand towards Rong Mi. "I'm Chen Shu, a scout mecha pilot from the Third Legion! Ah, I should say former scout, as I'm currently preparing for a leave request to participate in the inter-legion assessment...'

Realizing he had veered off topic, Chen Shu quickly steered the conversation back on track.

"I saw your performance on that barren planet! It was incredible!! You and General Lu Yi restrained Aide when they opened the wormhole, didn't you? So cool! I love your psychic flame! I bet you can achieve a second awakening of your psychic powers! ——"

Chen Shu spoke rapidly. By the time Rong Mi finished shaking his hand, the scout had already launched into a non-stop barrage of words. Some of what he said was beyond Rong Mi's comprehension, but before he could ask any questions, Chen Shu was already forging ahead.

"This is my battle pet, Damon!" Chen Shu introduced his lop-eared rabbit, lifting the animal's right paw to wave at Rong Mi. "It's a rabbit-type star beast. Compared to many hunting-type beasts, it's a bit more timid and cautious in nature."

"However... I have this feeling that Damon's cautious nature might actually provide me with some unexpected clues during our investigation!"

"Haha! Maybe it's just my imagination! But if there's a spot that makes him so uncomfortable he bolts, then I'll definitely check it more thoroughly. Though sometimes, there isn't much to find..."

"On the contrary, if Damon is very relaxed..."

"Wow! Look at him now, nudging to get closer to you! That means you're definitely a great person!"

"You don't dislike bunnies, right? Anyone who likes bunnies is an incredibly kind-hearted person!"

Chen Shu, the investigator, was young and seemed fresh out of military academy, still quite innocent.

He was delighted by the rabbit's behavior and, noticing Rong Mi's hidden longing, happily "sold" Damon to her: "It's sniffing your finger! Would you like to pet it? Damon has the softest fur! I even use him as a hand warmer in winter!"

Rong Mi's expression was filled with excitement.

Small Star Beasts didn't go extinct during the interstellar nomadic era, and Rong Mi had seen rabbit-like Star Beasts before.

But something adorable like this... one couldn't resist wanting to touch it every time they saw it!

He glanced at the rabbit, sniffing the surroundings with its nose barely inches away, then at the silver wolf in his embrace who didn't even spare him a glance.

Rong Mi asked, "Does Bunny here fear the Ice Plain Silver Wolves?"

As he spoke, he kept an eye on Ayin's reaction.

Ellen had mentioned that ever since Lu Yi was injured again, Ayin became highly averse to others.

Rong Mi had initially worried that Ayin's response after this coma would be even more severe. But surprisingly, perhaps because Rong Mi was there accompanying him, the silver wolf regained stability in its emotions following the chaos in Lu Yi's mental domain. It didn't struggle much during the surgery on the main ship and didn't exhibit any excessive reaction now upon seeing the people and the rabbit nearby.

When the rabbit first entered, the wolf lifted its eyelids to take a look. After confirming that the creature posed no threat, it lost interest and turned its head away.

But as Chen Shu sat beside Rong Mi and the rabbit started to approach the latter... the uninjured front paw was extended stealthily, intercepting the rabbit and Rong Mi's fingers.

The rabbit leaned forward slightly, and the wolf extended its paw correspondingly.

However, the rabbit failed to recognize the fluffy paw belonging to what kind of stellar beast, so it continued to inch forward—

"Ao!" Ayin, who had initially held back due to the rabbit being a herbivorous stellar beast, finally had enough.

The Silver Wolf suddenly straightened up, slapped a paw in front of the rabbit, and gazed at it coldly.

"Screech!" The lop-eared rabbit jumped in fright, quickly retreating back into Chen Shu's embrace.

Rong Mi instinctively held out a hand, as if to restrain Ayin, fearing it might charge out in anger to pick a fight. But the wolf merely puffed up its chest and, from its towering vantage, fixed the rabbit with a prolonged gaze.

Rong Mi: Not much taller than a rabbit, though.

He caressed the wolf's neck with the back of his hand. Ayin gave him a sideways glance, as if sensing the soothing gesture, then stepped back and gradually laid down beside Rong Mi's hand.

Rabbit: "???"

Observing that the Silver Wolves showed no intention of acting against it, the creature cautiously poked its head out again. This time, it didn't seek Rong Mi but instead approached the Silver Wolves out of curiosity.

"Quite a bold hare, Damon, considering the circumstances," Chen Shu observed as he watched the fluffy pair interact. He placed the rabbit on the seat, allowing it free movement to poke its head and sniff at the Silver Wolves.

War pets never made casual, genuine attacks, so Damon wasn't worried about the Bunny's safety.

Observing the wolf, who remained still and unperturbed as long as the floppy-eared rabbit didn't approach, Rong Mi pondered for a moment.

Then, lifting the wolf's right paw, he extended it slowly, inching closer to the lop-eared rabbit.

Rabbit: "?"

Ayin: "??"

After a moment, seeing that the lop-eared rabbit didn't dodge, Rong Mi gently held the wolf's paw and stroked the rabbit's head.

Ayin: "??!"

The wolf had no idea what Rong Mi was doing.

It didn't like getting close to anyone other than Lu Yi and Rong Mi, nor did it enjoy interacting with other Star Beasts. Thus, it looked at Rong Mi unhappily and swiftly withdrew its paw.

Rong Mi then changed his approach and stretched out his own hand.

"How does a rabbit feel to touch?" He leaned down, asking the silver wolf seriously, "Ayin has already touched it! Should I give it a try too?"

Ayin: "....?!!"

The wolf gazed at Rong Mi with its ice-blue eyes, seemingly surprised that the young man could utter such words!

Its tail swished fiercely, at a loss on how to express its protest. Frustrated, it swiped at Rong Mi with its claws, albeit gently.

"Ayin doesn't agree?" Rong Mi looked down at the wolf.

He removed the wolf's paw from his lapel and pretended to be disappointed, lowering his gaze. He couldn't resist squeezing the paw softly as he did so.

"But Ayin already touched me... I'll be very sad!" Rong Mi exclaimed dramatically.

Rong Mi's performance was overly exaggerated, verging on being unreasonable.

He planned to prolong this act for a while longer. If the wolf didn't consent, he would secretly stroke the lop-eared rabbit when Ayin wasn't looking. However, the silver wolf let out a low howl.

Ayin: "Oooh!"

Seeing Rong Mi's disappointed look, the wolf reluctantly surrendered.

It nudged Rong Mi's arm and issued a low growl in the direction of the rabbit, urging him to hurry up and pet it!

Only one touch!

Rong Mi never expected the wolf to be so easily appeased!

"Woah! - Ayin is so well-behaved!"

Surprised and delighted, he bent down to give the wolf's round, furry head a fierce peck.

Wolf: "!"

The wolf tensed up, struggling slightly but failing to move, letting out a soft whine.

Rong Mi was now surrounded by affectionate creatures.

With his left hand, he gently patted the wolf's back, while with his right, he reached for the floppy-eared rabbit. He stroked the rabbit's head, then let his hand slide down to its fluffy paw...

Rong Mi's fingers softly glided beneath the rabbit's paw, sensing a hard, slightly cool sensation nestled within the soft fur of the rabbit's footpad.

It was a smooth, gem-like ball, naturally embedded at the bottom of the rabbit's paw.

As Rong Mi observed Damon pulling the rabbit to greet them just now, he vaguely noticed a faint, smoky gray glimmer amidst the rabbit's white fur. He was certain he hadn't been mistaken.

Rong Mi: "Your battle pet is a Gem Rabbit." He looked at Chen Shu. "This breed of star beast is quite rare."

The moment Rong Mi mentioned "Gem Rabbit," the wolf who had reluctantly allowed Rong Mi to touch the rabbit perked its ears and regarded Rong Mi warily. It remembered its owner asking if Rong Mi wanted such a rabbit!

"Your knowledge about rabbit-like star beasts is impressive!" Chen Shu exclaimed. "Most people... I mean, military personnel, don't pay much attention to bunnies. Many tease me for contracting such an unhelpful herbivore."

"The medical officer in our legion is also indifferent whenever Damon is due for a checkup. I told him that Damon hasn't been himself these past few months, and it's been difficult for him to sleep at night. There were times when he startled himself awake. It wasn't like this before."

"Our medic just said rabbits don't engage in direct combat with the insectoids, so they wouldn't get hurt. He claimed that droopy-eared rabbits are just easily startled..."

"I've heard that the First Legion's medical officers are more professional, so I'm applying for a transfer! I'll take my routine leave after this mission is over! Perfect timing to prepare for next month's major military assessment!"

Upon hearing this, Rong Mi, under Ayin's watchful gaze, gently squeezed the rabbit's paws a couple more times before retracting his hand unnoticeably.

Then, after some thought, he asked, "Before Damon started having trouble sleeping, did he encounter anyone?"

"Encountering a specific person?" Chen Shu was momentarily perplexed. "Damon isn't afraid of the Third Legion's people."

"Although the legionnaires always complain that Damon lacks combat abilities... when I told them he assists me in reconnaissance, they accused me of being overly sentimental, saying that he's just simply scared," Chen Shu said, curling his lips. "These people have never raised rabbits before; they discriminate with such conviction!"

"However, we've all become quite familiar now, and Damon was actually quite relaxed within the legion previously..."

Hugging the rabbit, he muttered to himself for a while, sensing an underlying hint in Rong Mi's tone.

He paused, looking at Rong Mi with confusion, seeking confirmation. "Ami... can I call you Ami? Addressing you by your full name feels too formal."

"Um... why are you asking this?"