Risk Level 6: Undine (1)
"Haha, so the reason you've been moping around since morning is..."
Nod.
I hung my head powerlessly, like someone who had lost everything, which served as my answer to the Team Leader's question. Even though she only ever sipped coffee through the straw she always carried around because of the mask, the fact that she'd followed me all the way to the employee cafeteria today meant I'd probably been broadcasting my gloom a little too obviously.
"Ung-ssi's cat ran away, right?"
"Haah..."
Yesterday I'd brought the Team Leaders home and caused a scene, and today my shift had run late for various reasons, so I'd bought a mountain of Churu treats on the way back. But Nero... Nero...
"You're so upset it's not even fun to tease you."
"...I don't even have the energy to react."
"Hmm. Has this happened before?"
Has this happened before? Nero hated going outside more than anything. For a kid like that to suddenly leave on her own... that was impossible.
"It hasn't. She hates going outside in the first place."
"Why is that?"
"Huh? Well... I've never actually asked."
Now that she mentioned it, I really hadn't. Why had Nero always refused to go out?
"Regardless of why she dislikes going out, the fact that she did something she never does and ran away means you're worried something might have happened to her, right?"
"Yeah..."
"What about the possibility that she simply left because she didn't like her owner anymore?"
"Ugh... Team Leader."
I couldn't completely deny that possibility, and the thought made me even more depressed. These past few days I hadn't played with her much or talked to her either. Only after Nero disappeared did all the things I hadn't done come rushing back, leaving me guilty and miserable.
"Very well. Then I'll at least check whether Ung-ssi's cat left the house on her own or if someone else interfered."
"You can do that?"
"Yes. No matter how much of a cat she is, she wouldn't have jumped from that height. If she went out, she would have walked straight through the front door."
As she spoke, the Team Leader turned the screen of the terminal she always carried toward me.
"...?"
A very familiar scene appeared on the display. Those shoes... and slippers.
"Don't tell me this is..."
"Yes. It's Ung-ssi's front door."
It was footage of my apartment's entrance. And it was indoors?
"I am a person with some sense of propriety. The camera is only at the front door, so don't worry. If a thief ever breaks in, I'll report it to the police immediately."
I wondered when she'd installed it, but thinking back to the dinner two days ago, it wasn't that strange. I'd known someone was directly monitoring Yerin, yet I'd still invited her over so carelessly. This was my fault for leaving the cat in charge of the fish.
"...That's reassuring."
"Hehe, you're welcome."
Still, it was ironic that her voyeuristic tendencies were helping me right now. The timestamp on the recording showed just past two in the afternoon, shortly after I'd left for work. A black-furred cat that was unmistakably Nero stood in front of the door for a moment before it slid open on its own. The gap was just wide enough for her to pass through, and once her tail cleared it, the door closed again.
"Who opened the door?"
"Hmm, the screen doesn't show what's outside. I recall there being a security camera in the hallway of your apartment building. If you ask the Response Team Leader, she should be able to check it for you."
"Umm..."
Even so, was it really okay to ask for a personal favor just to find my cat? The truth was, ever since that day, I'd been reluctant to treat Yerin privately, but that was beside the point. Still, searching on my own would be difficult...
"If it's the Response Team Leader, she could probably find Ung-ssi's cat in no time."
"...I guess I'll have to ask her after all."
"She might come back on her own, so try not to worry too much."
"Thank you...!"
I bowed my head in rare, completely serious gratitude to the Team Leader for listening without joking around, then stood up with my barely-touched plate, intending to go find Yerin right away. But for some reason she remained seated, still staring at the terminal screen. I wanted to ask if something was wrong, but lunch hour was almost over, so if I was going to make the request, I needed to hurry.
Knock knock.
Whenever I needed a favor, I ended up at Yerin's office. After a brief moment of hesitation, I knocked, but there was no answer from inside. Maybe she was out? It was lunchtime, so it wouldn't be strange if she'd stepped out for a bit...
Crash!
"...Yerin?!"
I had just turned my back, thinking I'd come back after she finished counseling, when a loud noise from beyond the door made me fling it open and step inside. The room was dark, lit only by floating monitor screens. An utterly surreal sight unfolded before my eyes.
"Ow ow ow..."
"..."
Roll... thump.
One high heel, tall enough to give her small frame a little extra height, squeaked across the dark floor before coming to a stop. Following the direction it had rolled from, I saw a wild bunny girl sprawled on the floor...
"...?"
A bunny girl...?
A rabbit-ear headband perched on her head, a skin-tight leotard that still looked a little empty around the chest, and stockings hugging her legs—legs that were elegantly extended as if to win on proportions alone despite her height. One stocking had a long run in it, probably from catching on something when she fell. Worrying whether she'd hurt herself should have come first, but why was she suddenly in a bunny suit...? For now, my eyes were drawn to the legs of the fallen bunny girl, tracing the smooth, beautiful line all the way up until even the fluffy bunny tail, adorably squished against the floor, came into view.
The neck choker with its cute ribbon and the cuffs on her wrists weren't really related to rabbits and weren't connected to the rest of the outfit either; they were separate accessories whose design wasn't particularly practical. Still, they added a certain charm that relieved the bareness of her upper body, excluding the stomach and chest areas.
Ah... a bunny girl. I'd seen Yerin in a bunny outfit once before. I remembered it was during an outing with Harpy, and back then the lack of a headband had left it feeling two percent incomplete. Now it was finally the complete package.
"U-Ung-ah?"
"...Should I come back later?"
She must have noticed me standing in the brightly lit doorway, silhouetted against the hallway lights, because her usually sharp eyes widened in surprise. Every time her flustered head moved, the bunny ears on top twitched along with it—an unexpected bonus.
"Huh?! No! I was just checking if the work uniform size fit...!"
'There was no overtime today, so I was going to wear this and surprise Ung at his apartment door...!'
No, walking around the apartment hallway in a bunny girl outfit would be problematic. And if she stood right in front of my door, I'd be in trouble too.
"..."
"...."
She'd blurted out an excuse first, but knowing my ability well, she didn't drag it out any longer.
"...You heard everything, didn't you?"
"No, I didn't."
If she was asking whether I'd heard everything, she meant her inner thoughts just now. I said no, but even I knew that answer didn't make sense. I'd only come looking for her, heard a loud noise inside, and opened the door out of worry. There was no other meaning behind it... so maybe I could afford to be a little confident here?
"But why the surprise for me...?"
"Ah, well, it's just... how do I put it..."
'This morning when I saw you for a moment, you looked so down... I thought this might cheer you up...'
"Aaaah, no...! Don't listen...! I told you not to listen?!"
'...Honestly, cheering you up was only half the reason... If it's comfort you need, my lower half needs it more right now...'
"..."
That night had been quite the incident in its own way, but after the conversation the very next morning—honest to the point of being too honest—I'd felt strangely reluctant to be alone with her like this. Yet here she was, coming to find me first, and not even two days later. And in a bunny suit, no less. I'd heard it was a field work uniform designed to make full use of her abilities. Even so, the outfit was far too provocative.
That said, the effect of drawing everyone's attention was certainly excellent. Once someone fell under her hypnosis, they'd forget everything about her, so the mysterious exhibitionist bunny girl's identity would remain safely protected.
"..."
Given the outfit, it might have been nicer if she were a little more voluptuous, but this had its own charm too.
"Huh?"
Thud!
Roll roll roll... thump.
While I stood there dazed, admiring her defenseless figure, the other high heel came flying at me. I barely dodged it by stepping back, and by the time I looked up, she had already gotten up and rushed to the door. Her face, flushed bright red with embarrassment under the bright hallway lights, was clearly visible.
"G-Get out! I'm changing!"
But somehow... it looked like she was smiling?