Chapter 19:
Reborn as the Child of an Abandoned Angel and a Forsaken Demon: From Apathetic Arbitrator to Passionate Peacemaker
On top of the caged girl's head was a pair of fluffy white ears that were shaking just as badly as the rest of her body. I took a step closer with my hand out, and she squeezed flatter against the bars in the back. I withdrew my reach and looked at the others for assistance.
Yuuna hurried right over to the bunny girl despite her obvious fright. "It's okay. We aren't here to hurt you." Yuuna slipped her last macaron she had been saving through the bars.
The bunny girl's nose twitched, and she hesitantly inched toward the snack. After another good sniff, she snatched the cookie and chomped on it like there was no tomorrow.
Yuuna smiled with soft eyes. "Are you hungry? We have some more food if you'd like."
The bunny glanced at Masato and me, and we tried to appear as friendly as possible, though awkwardly. She faced Yuuna again and nodded shyly. Not a moment later, a rumble rang from the rabbit.
I quickly joined Yuuna's side and inspected the cage. The door had a heavy lock securing thick chains that wrapped around the surrounding bars multiple times. "Do you see anything I can use to break the lock?"
"Here. I brought your sword." Jogging over from the other side, Masato removed the weapon hanging over his back and handed it to me. "I thought you might need it, but this isn't exactly what I imagined it would be used for."
"Actually, that's perfect." I raised the sword still in its sheath and hammered its hilt down against the lock until it finally busted. After removing the chains, I took a step back and let Yuuna do the handling.
Yuuna opened up the door of the cramped cage and opened her arms at the exit. "I'll lift you down. You can trust me."
The small person who could not have been more than eight years old crawled out. At least, that was my best guess with my limited knowledge of bunny girls and their maturity rates. Yuuna picked her up with a "Hup!" and set her on the ground.
Masato crept up beside me. "What brought you out this way, Little Girl? There aren't many of your kind around these parts."
The bunny held her fist in front of her waist and stared toward the ground. "I was visiting some relatives in a small village near the edge of our lands. Some strange men showed up in the middle of the night."
Masato looked up at me and back to the girl. "What happened to the village? Do you know of your family's whereabouts?"
"Most of the homes were burned down, and my..." Her ears flattened against her head. "My aunt was killed..." She peered upward. "Other than that, I'm not sure. I was caught and taken right after that." Pools formed in the little one's eyes. "My aunt was just trying to protect me!"
Yuuna went down on one knee and pulled the child in close. "That must have been hard, but you don't have to worry about those men anymore. You have us now. We'll protect you."
Masato reached out toward the embraced girls. "Hang on. I never agreed to--"
Yuuna shot her father a vicious glare.
"Well, um, uh..." Masato dropped his head and his arm. "All right, Dear. If that's what you want."
This man has such a soft spot for his daughter. She's practically got him wrapped around her finger.
The child popped her head out from Yuuna's shoulder. "Is that really okay?"
Yuuna created a small distance between herself and the girl. "Of course it is!" Yuuna placed her hand on her chest. "My name is Yuuna. What's your name?"
"Shiroka."
"Shiroka, is it?" Yuuna nodded with a grin. "How fitting!"
Yuuna opened her palm toward me. "This man's name is Aoi. He defeated all the bad guys that captured you."
"Really?!” Pumped by the news, Shiroka formed fists and pulled them down in front of her chest. “Thank you, Big Brother!"
"Big what?!" The volume of my voice startled the girl.
"Big Brother..." The bunny girl's ears drooped, and her eyes went teary. "Is it not okay for me to address you that way?"
"Awe! Aoi, you're making her cry." Yuuna brought her hands together with a pouty face. "Is it really so bad if Shiroka calls you Big Brother? Will you let her if I ask? Pretty please?"
I turned away to hide my embarrassment and rubbed the back of my head. "Fine... I guess it's okay."
"Yay!" Those long ears perked right up like a spring, and Shiroka bounced into me with a hug. "I always wished I had an older brother!"
"Okay, okay. Enough of that for now." I patted her head between her ears. "You're going to have to give me some time to get used to it."
"Okay!" Shiroka's ears did a little dance. Those ears are bound to become dead giveaways for her mood once I figure out how they move.
Masato took a look around in the moonlit night. "Now then, we shouldn't spend any longer lingering in front of this hideout. I parked our carriage at the intersection, but if those two men take your threat seriously and report themselves, the authorities may mistakenly seize our things under the assumption it is also contraband affiliated with these bandits."
"Good point." I fastened Hakuma's sword back on my hip where it belonged and squatted down in front of Shiroka. "Do you mind if I carry you on my shoulders so we can move more quickly?"
Shiroka stuck her arms up as high and straight as her ears stood. "Please do!" If her ears were in their usual positions, her smile would have stretched between them.
Before he made way, Masato peeked into the cart. "Buuut first, I think I'll help myself to this right here." I could not quite make out what it was in the darkness.
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