Rabbits
Suptoto, who had briefly fainted, came to, and after seating the rabbits on the bed, I explained the situation.
The Suboma here...
No—Ha Nabi was a friend I'd met through gaming, who happened to live in the same studio apartment building as a neighbor, and I'd invited her over after becoming friends in real life as well.
For the record, I'd only just learned that Suboma's real name was Ha Nabi.
"Carrot..."
"Lotus root..."
The rabbits stared fixedly at Ha Nabi. Distrust was written plain in their eyes.
They questioned her in suspicious voices.
"Is it really a coincidence? You didn't just pretend it was chance to get close to Kang Hahwi?"
"You didn't approach him on purpose with some weird agenda! Lotus root!"
"I swear on the heavens it's truly a coincidence. What kind of guts do you think I have to deliberately approach a guy?"
"Hmm... That does make sense. Carrot."
"Are you certain? If you don't tell the truth, I'll shove a carrot in there! Lotus root!"
"It really is a coincidence. But Instructor Suptoto, why would you shove a carrot in there... That's disgusting..."
"Lotus root? What were you thinking? I meant I'd shove it in your mouth. Ha Nabi, your head is still full of nothing but dirty thoughts!"
"I'll believe you for now. Carrot."
Santoto dropped her suspicion. She seemed to know that as her former student, Nabi wasn't the type to do something like that.
Suptoto, though, kept needlessly doubting her.
"Oh for real! It is a coincidence, you crazy rabbits!"
"Calling your heavenly teachers crazy rabbits! How rude! Lotus root!"
"What, am I not supposed to swear right now? You're treating me like a sex offender to my face!"
"...I-I didn't treat you like a sex offender! I was just suspicious!"
"Haa. That is treating me like a sex offender."
"Is it...? Th-then I'm sorry... Lotus rooot..."
When Nabi got genuinely angry, Suptoto drooped her ears and admitted her mistake. She was the kind of rabbit who got timid when pushed hard.
More than that, Nabi sure could talk to the rabbits just fine. So she only turned into a total wreck around the opposite sex, just like me. If we met more often in real life and got a little closer, we'd probably be able to hold a normal conversation.
Anyway.
"I'm really sorry. Please don't be mad... I'll give you a nuzzle as an apology, lotus root..."
"Okay, okay, just don't cling to me. It's hot."
I was glad the weird misunderstanding that I'd been cheating had been cleared up so smoothly. We weren't even dating to begin with, so the whole idea of cheating was absurd... but they were crazy rabbits, so I decided to just let it go.
"After you dropped out and ghosted all of us completely, I thought we'd never meet again—never expected to run into you in a place like this. Carrot."
"That's right, that's right! Why did that Cha Seolyu bitch keep it a secret that you were living here! Lotus root!"
I'd been bothered by the word "dropout" for a while, so I asked, and Nabi turned out not to be a graduate but a dropout. She was a classmate of Jang Mugeon's older sister, one year above me in the 65th class.
According to the rabbits, Nabi had died in the Illusion Dungeon not long after enrolling and developed trauma from it. She'd forced herself to hang on for a few more months, but when she saw no sign of improvement, she hit her limit and fled by dropping out.
I'd known she was on continuous medication because of trauma, but this was the first I'd heard that it was dungeon trauma.
I glanced at Nabi with a look of pity, then asked Santoto.
"Ah... So that's how she became a shut-in loner?"
"No. That girl was always an outsider hikikomori. The gold-farming games were something she'd always done, too. Carrot."
So her locking herself away at home wasn't because of the trauma, then.
Anyway. Nabi's reaction was unexpected. I'd thought she'd get mad and demand to know why they were talking about that, but she just quietly listened to the story.
"Nabi, are you okay? You didn't want your past brought up."
"It's fine... I was planning to tell you eventually anyway... But it feels nice when you leave out my last name... Can I call you Hahwi too?"
Nabi asked with something of a perverted expression on her face. I found that gaze burdensome and turned my head away to answer.
"...Do as you like."
"Okay. Hehe."
"Don't smile like an idiot. Carrot."
"You look like a fool. Lotus root."
The rabbits approached the grinning Nabi and bonked her arms with carrots.
"Ow! Don't hit me...!"
"No. I'm hitting you because I'm pissed you ghosted us all this time. Carrot."
"Ultimate Carrot Punch!"
Nice to see. Looking at them horsing around like that, they must have been pretty close when she was still enrolled.
Nabi and the rabbits tussled for a while, then eventually spread out a low table on the floor and sat around it. I'd told them lunch was coming up, so they should stay and eat.
I cooked a simple meal in the kitchen while eavesdropping on their conversation.
"Whew. I'm still shaking..."
"Why are you shaking, carrot?"
"Are you cold, lotus root?"
"The truth is, this is my first time coming to a guy's place."
"Poor girl. Carrot."
"What a loser. Lotus root."
"Yeah. I'm a loser. But looking at it now, Hahwi's place is super clean—do all guys live this organized...?"
"We visit regularly and clean for him. Carrot."
"That's right. We bring side dishes and clean too. We're the devoted wife rabbits. Lotus root."
"Ah... Come to think of it, I heard the professor and instructor come to Hahwi's place often—don't tell me you like Hahwi?"
"What a thing to ask all of a sudden. Of course we like him. Carrot."
"We love him. Lotus root."
It was a shocking confession. I could understand Santoto saying she liked me, but hearing Suptoto say she loved me made my head spin. To think they harbored those kinds of feelings for me.
"That's weird. Didn't the professor and instructor say you don't like men? I'm pretty sure I remember that."
"You only remember one thing and forget the other two. It's not that we don't like men—we can only ever love one man in our entire lives. It's a racial trait. Carrot."
"The reason we never took an interest in men until now is because there was never a man who made the feeling of love bloom. Lotus root."
The rabbits spoke quietly so I wouldn't hear. Of course, I heard every word anyway. I finely chopped green onions, focusing my ears on their ongoing conversation.
"...Wait a second. So in the hundreds of years you've lived, you've never once found a man you liked—but looking at Hahwi made the feeling of love spring up?"
"That's right. Both of us were drawn to Kang Hahwi. Carrot."
"Love at first sight. Pervert angel is the best. Lotus root."
Unfortunately, I couldn't return those feelings. I liked animals, but I couldn't love them romantically. I didn't have any special preferences like that. I was strictly ordinary—sexually attracted to human women.
There were cases of people marrying monsters, but... except for a minority, most married monsters in human form. It was hard to feel sexual desire for a creature that looked completely different, after all. If the professor and instructor were human-form monsters it might be different, but as long as they were animal-type monsters, there was absolutely no chance of us ending up together.
"And this is just for you—the truth is, Kang Hahwi and we are dating. Carrot."
"It's a secret relationship. Whisper whisper lotus root."
"...What? You're dating Hahwi?"
"Hehe. Since we're teacher and student, we're dating in secret. Carrot."
"Once Kang Hahwi graduates, we plan to come clean and date officially. Lotus root."
I stopped cooking and turned around. What kind of nonsense were these rabbits suddenly spouting?
When Nabi's eyes met mine, her face was shocked, her lips trembling as she asked.
"H-Hahwi... is it true you're dating these rabbits?"
"Would it be true? Those rabbits have delusional disorder, so just ignore them."
I immediately denied it with a crumpled expression. I didn't want any weird misunderstandings. I almost got branded a furry just now. Nabi for believing the rabbits' pranks was pretty naive too.
"Hehe. Kang Hahwi must be embarrassed. Carrot."
"So shy. Lotus root."
It was a joke... right?
"Your cooking skills have improved, carrot!"
"Slurp chomp! Worth teaching you, lotus root!"
"It's delicious..."
Nabi and the rabbits inhaled the doenjang stew I'd made, heaping on the praise. I thought the seasoning was a bit off... Did all three of them just like salty food? Or maybe they were forcing themselves to say it was good to encourage me. Either way, I was grateful they ate the food I'd worked hard on without complaint and seemed to enjoy it.
As we sat clustered together continuing the meal—
"But, Hahwi..."
Nabi spoke up.
"Doesn't it feel burdensome every time the professor and instructor come visit like this...? They're still women..."
"Not at all? They're rabbits, so what."
Nabi tilted her head at my answer. Then she narrowed her brows, looking back and forth between the rabbits, before shifting her gaze back to me and saying,
"Hahwi. Just asking to be sure, but... do you know these rabbits' true forms are human?"