Salaryman

"D-Dad!?"

My internal system of self preservation goes into full motion as I watch Ange run over to the man that has joined us on the grass.

He looks to be about middle aged. His black hair is properly combed to match his business casual attire consisting of a dress shirt and khakis. He adjusts his glasses before opening his arms wide to accept a hug from the rabbit. She leaps up to account for their large height difference and the man's face melts into bliss when she grabs onto him.

After spinning Ange around, he places her back on her feet and crouches down to meet her gaze.

"Ah, my sweet Ange! Were you lonely without me?"

"No, I was actually pretty busy today."

His face cracks like glass at the girl's quick answer. Now that's the face I was anticipating from a guy who looks like he works at a desk all day. It wouldn't be normal if he didn't look like the world was going to end tomorrow.

His rabbit seems as oblivious as mine as she excitedly explains her day.

"Get this, I marched a small army of rabbits around the bank of the lake and invaded enemy territory!"

Either from her exaggerated motions, her constant bouncing up and down, or just her overall jolly spirit, the man's face repairs itself. He laughs and starts brushing off the dirt from her white clothes.

"Well done! I bet those guys never saw you coming!"

"Nope! We flew under their droopy ears until we got here!"

Ange has one hand on her hip and points towards Mira and me still on the ground.

"Then she got in the way of my conquest!"

"Looks like you had a lot of fun."

The man stands up and waves in our direction.

"Thanks for keeping Ange company. I hope she didn't cause you any trouble."

"N-No, it was no trouble at all!"

I hurry to my feet whilst making sure that the blouse and jacket don't fall from their spot hanging around my neck.

"I'm Mark and you've already met Ange."

The man places his hands on the young girl's shoulder and I reflexively do the same to the girl near me.

"I'm Noa and this is Mira."

Maybe it's because I'm talking to a guy considerably older than me, but I feel myself sweating on top of the streams already free on my skin. His eyes lay on Mira for a few moments before they widen.

"You're…like Ange, aren't you?"

"So Ange really is a rabbit as well?"

I respond as Mira ducks behind my back. The man smiles before patting the small girl in front of him.

"Don't let me interrupt your fun. You can go play while I have a nice chat with Noa here."

"We weren't playing! It was a serious battle!"

"Hahaha, I know I know!"

Despite her grumbling, Ange trots back to the pile of rabbits awaiting their next orders. I pat Mira's shoulder and she does the same.

"Have a seat."

"Ah, s-sure…"

Mark slowly lowers himself down onto the grass. I hear a quiet crack as he bends, prompting him to wince and hold his back during the entire descent. Eventually, we are comfortable on the green blanket of nature.

"You seemed to be having fun with my little girl weren't you, Noa?"

"I-I'm not sure what you mean!"

His voice has completely changed. The kind and cheery man has switched into a dangerous mode that only exists in parents, one that offers no mercy and takes no prisoners. I made my first mistake when I jumped in to stop their fighting. This mistake, while potentially fatal, didn't necessarily have to result in death. However, I made the second mistake of sitting within reach of the man that witnessed me having any amount of physical contact with his daughter. The only future left for me is one where I'm tortured to death in a dark alley before Mark goes to pick up Ange from the house.

Mark scoots closer and places an arm around my trembling shoulder. His mouth is smiling, but that's it. The glare in his glasses masks his eyes, but even the sun can't hide his murderous intent.

"Did you enjoy it, kid?"

"E-Enjoy it!? I did no such thing! Hahaha!"

"Is that so?"

The air in my lungs has begun to decrease as an arm proceeds to coil around my neck. To a passerby, we may look like a pair of friends enjoying a fun conversation between guys. They will soon be surprised when one of the figures in that wholesome image goes completely limp. I've already lost my opportunity to scream for help.

"I hope it felt nice. Her soft and warm body is the last nice thing you'll feel before you die."

"URK! Urk…rrr…"

I desperately tap at his arm as my vision becomes blurry. Darkness sets in and the voices of Mira and Ange become barely audible.. Nobody told me that I was going to die today, so I didn't make any preparations. What is Mira going to eat when I'm gone? I never even taught her how to use the microwave.

Just as I feel my consciousness fading away into nothingness, oxygen forces its way back into my body.

"GHAA!"

The man still has me in his grips, but the hold is no longer an immediate threat to my life.

"Fine, I'll let you live for another day. Consider it a one-time whim. However…"

From one of his pockets, a small lighter appears. With a single swift motion, the top flicks back and the small metal object releases a raging flame. The temperature at my cheek suddenly rises and Mark's face appears alongside the light. His stone cold mug tears holes into my skin with his eyes.

"If I see you within ten metres of my Ange again, I'll burn those eyes out."

"O-Okay!"

The flame is once again sealed away and Mark shifts back to his original position. His demeanour continues as if the previous exchange had never occurred.

"But I must say, I was surprised to see another animal child! Even more so when I saw such a young guy as her guardian. What are you in? High School?"

"Yeah…first year…"

"Must be rough for your parents!"

I'm still adjusting to the night and day difference, but my body begins to relax when I see him gazing at the rabbits a little ways away. That smile seems to hold every last bit of joy inside of him, all centred on one girl.

I can't hear them clearly, but the rabbits are definitely enjoying themselves. Mira and Ange sit at opposite ends of what appears to be a chess board while their smaller companions bunch around to watch the game. Things must not be going Mira's way as she grinds her teeth in frustration at Ange's previous move. We can see the two rabbits switching between confidence and annoyance as their game progresses. Meanwhile, Mark and I simply sit and watch.

"These girls are really something, huh?"

"You're telling me…It's like my life has completely turned upside down."

"Haha! I guess that's a fitting way of putting it."

Mark rotates the lighter around in his hands for a while before reaching his free hand into his pocket. His hand flinches at the opening of his trousers. Its fingers seem lost for a moment, but eventually return empty to rest on his leg.

"My life changed when I found Ange."

The clicking of his lighter opening and closing rings beside his words.

"I was hungover on a park bench after a long day at work. I didn't know how long I was out or when I even got there, but I woke up on the floor next to the bench. It was there that I saw her."

Mark reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small packet of cookies. They're of a common brand with no major features and more sugar than a person needs in a given snack. They have barely any flavour and can barely be expected to satiate any amount of hunger, but he holds them carefully like a fragile treasure.

"I had gotten one of these from the office and it must have fallen out of my pocket. There she was, chewing away at these cookies while I laid wasted on the ground. After she was done, she jumped off the bench right onto stomach. Let me tell you, I was surprised when I found ten times the weight of a rabbit suddenly on top of me!"

"Believe me, I know how that feels…"

His eyes have not left the orange rabbit a few paces away and his smile remains constant as he reminisces.

"It felt like an angel had come down to save me from myself. Well, if saving involves asking for more cookies! Hahaha!"

"An angel, huh…"

The supernatural events that have happened to the two of us would be along the same line as some divine intervention. From basically nowhere, somebody forces their way into our lives and every day is nothing like whatever we were living in the past.

He leans back and stares into the darkening sky.

"Since then, I've dedicated everything to making Ange happy. I may be a salaried grunt at work, but I get to be her father at home. That alone is all the happiness I need."

I have no idea what to say as we continue to watch the angel and miracle before us.