Hunting Debut

From Akira's Perspective:

After finishing my exams, I returned to Amina Village, where I had been welcomed into the ranks of the village hunters. In this village, gender roles are strictly defined, with men and women having distinctly separate duties. Men handle hunting, religious rituals, and politics, while women are responsible for agriculture, household chores, and child-rearing. From the perspective of the world I originally came from, this could be seen as a culture of gender discrimination.

As far as I could tell, the fixation on gender roles here was derived from magic. The magic that men and women could perform was distinctly different. There are two types of vocal magic: male voice magic, consisting of bass, baritone, and tenor, and female voice magic, composed of alto, mezzo-soprano, and soprano. Boys, before their voices changed, could blend in with the women and master female voice magic.

Male voice magic includes powerful combat spells, summoning spells, and spatial manipulation—high-status magics that flaunt social power. Female voice magic, on the other hand, consists of healing, support, and everyday magic, playing a supporting role to male magicians.

That's why roles like hunting, which benefit from offensive magic, are assigned to men. However, a woman proficient in healing magic always accompanies them in case of injuries.

That day, we set out to hunt a creature called a Byras, a member of the bovine family. We ventured into the grasslands and wandered around. Suddenly, one of our group gestured for attention.

"Is that a Byras?" I almost exclaimed, but I swallowed my words.

Approaching the spot my companion pointed to, I saw not a bovine, but a small animal hopping around. It would run a bit, then stop with its ears perked up, looking alert, before hopping again.

"It’s an animal I've never seen before…" murmured a hunting companion beside me.

"But it’s kind of cute," he added.

The animal they hadn’t seen before was one commonly kept as a pet in the world I came from.

"Isn't that a wild rabbit?" I wondered aloud.

As one of the hunters began to chant, he unleashed a slicing wind magic. The rabbit, sensing the attack, dodged it by running around.

To our surprise, the rabbit began to move its mouth—it was clearly casting a spell.

It threw a chunk of ice at us.

"This one... it can use magic," the men said, amazed yet struggling.

As we gradually cornered the rabbit, frustrated, one hunter prepared to deliver a final slicing wind.

"Wait!" the rabbit suddenly spoke.