Enrollment (3)
The most important thing to me was following the main story. I believed it was the only way back to Earth. The next priority was seducing the heroines. More precisely, I had to get the heroines into the protagonist's harem. Why? Isn't that obvious? I'd seen what happens to heroines who don't end up with the protagonist. I couldn't just sit back and let the heroines I liked suffer that fate. The surest way to prevent it was pairing them with the protagonist. It would've been ideal if I were the protagonist and could do the seducing myself, but unfortunately, I'd left my little partner back on Earth. And I wasn't the protagonist either. So, as a last resort, I had to push them into Theo's harem.
From that perspective, Theo's ability being hypnosis was a huge plus. It meant I could force things if necessary and stuff them into the harem anyway.
"Hypnosis? You mean the kind I'm thinking of? The one where you can control people however you want. Theo, do you get it?"
"Not really."
But Theo himself didn't have a clear grasp of what his new ability actually felt like. I didn't fully understand my own Luck ability either, so it was probably a similar feeling.
"We should test it out. Luna, look at me for a second."
"Huh? …Aah!"
When he called my name, I reflexively looked at him. Our eyes met. For a moment I wondered what was about to happen, but…
"Uh. It didn't work?"
Nothing happened. Theo scratched his head and asked the goddess. Or rather, was he just using people as test subjects on a whim? I gave him a solid low kick.
- Thwack!
"Aagh!"
Theo staggered and dropped to the ground after taking the hit to his shin. I'd put real feeling into that kick, so it probably hurt.
"There is no all-powerful ability," the goddess said calmly, even as we caused a commotion. "Theo's growth, his familiarity with the ability, the target's resistance… many factors come into play. It won't be easy right now."
"I… see."
"Goddess, what about me? Is there anything special about Luck?"
"Hmm…"
The goddess, who had been speaking in her usual serene tone, hesitated for once.
"Luck is difficult even for me to explain. All I can say is that, as an ability, it will grow alongside your own growth, Luna."
"Ugh…"
I really didn't get it. This whole Luck thing.
- Dong… dong…
A bell rang outside the building. It was the clock tower in the center of the academy marking the time.
"It's already this late?"
Theo, who had recovered by now, looked startled. It didn't feel like we'd been here that long, but evening had already arrived.
"I'm heading back. What about you, Luna?"
"I should go too. What will you do, Goddess?"
"I'll stay here. The seal isn't fully broken, so I can't go far."
After a quick goodbye to the goddess, we left the building. Thankfully, Theo knew the way to the main gate, so we didn't end up as a pair of lost idiots calling for the guards.
"Theo."
"What?"
"I think hypnosis is a good ability. But don't use it on me."
"……"
"…You won't, right?"
"……"
Theo looked away and pretended not to hear. Seriously? I lifted my leg slightly, and only then did he nod frantically. What an unreliable guy. Still, I could understand. Now that he had hypnosis, it wasn't hard to imagine the colorful future he'd been dreaming about. I sighed and added,
"In exchange, I'll bring you other girls. You can use it on them as much as you want."
"You……"
Theo gave me a strange look.
"…You're a total scumbag, aren't you?"
"Huh?"
His sudden insult left me stunned. Had I misheard? No, my excellent rabbit ears were working fine. I replayed the conversation in my head. What exactly had I said? Then it hit me—there was a ridiculous misunderstanding.
"No, no no no, that's not it! I didn't mean it like that!"
I tried desperately to deny it, but his gaze stayed cold. My plan was to push the heroines into Theo's harem to avoid their bad endings, even if it meant using underhanded methods like hypnosis. Being hypnotized wouldn't be pleasant, but it was still far better than the bad endings I'd seen. I was fully willing to help with that. But Theo didn't know any of this. I hadn't told him. So to him, it must have sounded like, "I'll offer up other girls instead, so spare me."
Wow. That really did sound like something a scumbag would say.
I tried my best to explain, but without revealing that I knew the heroines' futures, there was no way to make him understand. Still, he seemed to accept that I had some kind of reason, because by the time we parted, his gaze had warmed up a little.
◆
After parting with Theo at the academy's main gate, I dragged my exhausted body back to the inn. I'd originally planned to browse the market on the way, but explaining the misunderstanding had worn me out. I just wanted to eat dinner and collapse…
The moment I stepped inside, I heard quick little footsteps approaching.
"Bunny big sis!"
"Whoa there."
A small figure ran straight into my arms. She was so tiny her head barely reached my chest. It was Leni, the innkeeper's daughter.
"You should be more careful."
I peeled her off and picked her up.
"Bunny big sis, where did you go?"
"I went to check out the academy."
"The academy!"
Leni threw both hands up in excitement. I had no idea why she was so happy about it, but if she was pleased, that was good enough.
"Luna, you're back? I prepared the usual for dinner."
"Ah. Thank you, ma'am."
I sat at the table and waited. Soon enough, the meal arrived: a medium-rare steak with roasted carrots on the side. It was a luxurious meal made possible by being in the same city as the academy. Getting food this good just for playing with a kid was something I could never be grateful enough for.
"Let's eat."
First, I speared a roasted carrot with my fork and popped it into my mouth.
"Mmm~"
A sigh of delight escaped me. I hadn't known roasted carrots could taste this good, with their sweetness drawn out so perfectly. Probably because I'd become a rabbit beastman. After swallowing the carrot, I picked up my knife and cut into the steak.
While I ate…
"Bunny~ bunny~"
Leni hummed some made-up song while petting my rabbit ears. She was too short, so she had to climb onto the table to reach, but nobody said anything about a little kid sitting on the table. Besides, she was the innkeeper's daughter. I let her touch my ears as much as she wanted, occasionally twitching them, which made her burst into giggles. She was a fun kid to play with.
"Bunny big sis! What are you doing after this?"
"Huh? I was thinking of washing up and going to bed."
"Eeeh~"
Leni pouted. Normally I played with her for another thirty minutes after dinner. But today I was mentally exhausted. I really wanted to sleep.
"Leni, don't be so clingy. Big sis has to prepare for the academy entrance too."
The innkeeper stepped in at the perfect moment to back me up. It wasn't actually because of entrance prep that I was tired, but I appreciated the help and didn't correct her. Leni looked sulky but nodded obediently. What a good kid.
"Leni, how about we bathe together today instead?"
"Really?!"
Leni's face lit up instantly. For some reason, she loved bathing with me. If this made her happy, then at least I'd earned my dinner…
……
- Whoosh…
When I turned the faucet, cool water poured from the showerhead. If there was one time I was grateful that the game I'd possessed into was an adult game, it was during bath time. Not many people liked filthy, smelly heroines. At least the hygiene standards in this world weren't too far behind the modern era. If this had been a history game obsessed with accuracy, the hygiene level would've been unbearable for a modern person.
"Alright, it's just the right temperature. Leni? Come here."
"Okay!"
When I called her name, Leni, who had been splashing around nearby, came running over and sat on the stool.
"I'm washing your hair first, so keep your eyes closed tight."
"Okay!"
Leni went beyond just closing her eyes—she covered them with both hands. I smiled at the cute sight and started washing her hair. It had been a little over ten days since I'd become a woman. I'd gotten used to my own body in the mirror, but I still wasn't comfortable with other women's bodies. If I went to a public bathhouse, I'd probably keep looking away out of guilt. But with a child like Leni, it was different. Even back when I was a man, she was young enough that I didn't see her as a woman, so there was no guilt in bathing together. Of course, if she'd been a boy, even a child, it would've been impossible.
After washing Leni first, it was my turn. Leni grabbed a soapy towel.
"I'll help!"
She started scrubbing my back. The way her hands kept hovering near my tail made her intentions obvious, but as long as she didn't grab it, a few pokes were fine. Eventually she seemed to get bored of the tail and came around to stare at me blankly. I was still washing my hair. One inconvenience of becoming a woman: washing your hair took forever. Mine was especially fluffy and long, which made it worse.
"Big sis, your boobies are super big!"
"Uh. Yeah. They… are?"
How was I supposed to respond to that? As someone with less than two weeks of experience as a woman, this was a difficult question.
"Will I get big like you someday?"
Leni asked while squishing her own chest. She'd need to be at least twice her current age before anything even started to develop. Still, I gave it some thought. Considering the innkeeper's genes… Ah. Uhh…
"S-Sure, when you're my age, they'll get big too."
"Really? I want to be pretty like you!"
I couldn't meet Leni's sparkling eyes directly. Sometimes there were things more important than the truth… right? I tried to console myself with that.
◆
The remaining days passed, and finally, the day of the entrance ceremony arrived.
"Kyaaah! A monster appeared!"
And so the promised event began.