An ordinary profession creates the world's strongest

Shia's nearly shouty pleas echoed throughout the canyon. It seemed her family was also in dire straits, which was why they were so desperate. Her earnest voice and expression caused Yue, who was trying to kick her away from Hajime, to pause involuntarily.

Looking at Shia, who pleaded with an overly earnest attitude, Hajime shrugged helplessly. Just as Shia thought her pleas had touched him, her face lit up, but Hajime… activated [Thunder Entanglement].

"Ah ...

The voltage and current, after his adjustments, weren't lethal, but they were powerful enough to temporarily immobilize her. Shia's rabbit ears stiffened from the shock, and her tangled fur stood on end. When Hajime released the "Thunderbolt," Shia slid off him in a convulsive trance.

"Well, how should I put it? If you're determined to die, maybe the problem will be solved. Go for it! Goodbye, Yue, let's go."

"Um……"

After giving him some perfunctory encouragement (?), Hajime calmly injected magic power into Hutiofer, preparing to move on. However...

"I, I won't let you escape!"

Shia crawled to her feet like a zombie, hugging Hajime's feet. Even Hajime was astonished by her perseverance and involuntarily stopped injecting magic power.

"...You're like a zombie. I've already used my power to immobilize you... Why are you still moving? I find it a bit scary..."

"...Hmm, creepy."

"Ugh, what are you talking about... You've been attacking me with elbows and kicks since just now, that's a bit too much! I strongly protest! Please save my family as an apology, please!"

Shia, fuming with rage, unexpectedly made a plea. Her current state was calmer than Hajime had anticipated. At this point, Hajime felt her entire strange state had reached a point where "strength" alone couldn't explain it. Furthermore, as she pleaded with Hajime, her tearful voice laced with a soft whisper: "If this gets wrong, the future will change!" This concerned him deeply.

Hajime had initially considered dragging her along, forcing her to let go. However, her extraordinary resilience, along with her actions and words that seemed to predict the future, piqued his interest, and he decided against it. However, just as he was about to do so, the bunny-eared girl, for some reason, became obsessed with him, radiating an aura of determination to cling to him no matter what he did. This would have led to a terrifying situation... He was dragging the bleeding bunny-eared girl along on his bike, refusing to let go.

Therefore, being at his wit's end, Shi decided to listen to what she had to say first.

"I can't stand it. What the hell is going on?! I'll listen to you, so just let go. And don't wipe your face with my coat like nothing happened!"

Shia smiled brightly upon hearing that he was willing to listen, and nonchalantly wiped her dirty face with Hajime's coat. She was truly reckless. Hajime, instantly furious, elbowed her again, causing her to let out a strange "Hayo-ah!" and crouch down.

"※You, you actually hit me twice... Not even my father has ever hit me, and you punched a beautiful girl like me again and again... Could it be that you're attracted to men... That's why you rejected my temptation just now? It must be this—" (Editor's note: In Gundam Episode 9, Amuro refused to launch the Gundam into battle, and Captain Blade slapped him in anger. Later, Amuro talked back to Captain Blade and was slapped again. Amuro said, "You actually hit me a second time! Not even my father has ever hit me!!")

Hearing her irritating words made Hajime's veins pop out, and he immediately raised his foot high and smashed his heel into her head.

"Who are you calling gay? Annoying Bunny! By the way, why did you know that joke? Yue and you both knew about it, where did it come from? Forget it, let's put that aside. I don't know if that's seduction or a joke. Anyway, I'm not interested in your seduction because there's a beautiful girl who's far superior to you next to me. You've already seen Yue and yet you're still trying to seduce me. I really don't understand how thick your nerves are."

As Hajime spoke, he glanced at Yue beside him. She pressed her hands on her cheeks, which had turned bright red due to Hajime's words, and twisted her body in embarrassment.

Her waist-length fluffy blonde hair sparkled in the sunlight, and her beautiful face, like a porcelain doll, was tinged with a shy blush, exuding an excellent charm that would captivate anyone who saw her.

Her current attire was no longer as baggy as when we first met. Instead, she wore a pure white dress shirt with ruffles on the front, paired with a ruffled black miniskirt, and a long white coat embroidered with blue thread. She wore ankle boots and knee-high socks. These were all exquisite items that Yue had personally modified using Oscar's clothes and monster materials. They were also highly durable armor.

Incidentally, Hajime was wearing a black coat with red lines, and his lower body was also composed of black and red. The shoulder joint of his left sleeve was made of monster leather with absorbent properties. This way, when Hajime needed to use his "treasure house" and reveal his prosthetic hand during battle, he could remove the left sleeve - this was also a work of great care completed by Yue.

Seeing the adorable Yue, Xia could only make a "hmm" sound, slightly weakening her momentum.

Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, after all, and Hajime seemed to have included a subjective opinion in their appearance. In other words, objectively speaking, Shia was a beautiful girl who was no less beautiful than Yue.

She has long, straight white hair with a hint of blue, and deep, sky-blue eyes. Her eyebrows and eyelashes are white, complementing her fair skin beautifully. Even when silent, she exudes a sense of mystery. Her limbs are long and slender, and when her bunny ears and chubby, fluffy tail flutter, she's incredibly adorable. Furry fans will undoubtedly be moved to tears by this sight.

Most importantly... she possesses something Yue lacks. Indeed, Shia possesses a magnificent pair of large breasts. When her clothing is reduced to tattered strips, the impressive attributes (the weapon) she's deliberately emphasized must be unencumbered by any clothing, right? Therefore, whenever she moves, she sways, fiercely asserting her presence. It's important to emphasize that her swaying has a certain weight to it.

Simply put, given these circumstances, it's easy to understand her confidence in her looks and figure. Rather, it's strange that Hajime could remain calm and unfazed by her. Before his sudden change of temperament, he might have shouted "Rabbit ears~!!!" and pounced on her...

So, with her pride hurt, Shia said something she absolutely couldn't say...

"B-but...when it comes to breasts, I win! That girl is a washboard, isn't she?!"

——It’s a washboard, isn’t it!

——It’s a washboard, isn’t it!

——It’s a washboard, isn’t it!

The rabbit-eared girl's reckless screams echoed throughout the entire canyon, causing Yue, who was originally shy and coy, to suddenly freeze. She let her bangs cover her expression and staggered down from the Xiu Tai Fu.

"Ah~" Hajime silently raised his head to the sky and clasped his hands. Rabbit ears, rest in peace...

By the way, Yue only looks thin in clothes, but in reality, she still has what she needs to have, and it is definitely not like the cliffs of the [Leysin Grand Canyon].

The moon's whispering voice was exceptionally clear beside the rabbit's ears, which were trembling like a small animal in a wolf's mouth.

—Have you finished praying?

——If I apologize, can you forgive me...

—I don’t want to die! I don’t want to die!

"—'Landi'."

"ah----!!"

A sudden tornado swept Shia up into the sky, carrying her in a spiral trajectory. Her screams echoed throughout the entire canyon. When the ten seconds were up, she crashed down in front of Hajime and Yue.

Shia, like the one from the Inugami family, was trembling with her head buried in the ground. Truly a sorry young woman whose mysterious beauty had been completely wasted. Her already tattered clothes (?) were further damaged, leaving her like nothing more than trash. Since she was stuck upside down, everything she shouldn't have been was clearly visible. This scene is what they call "even a century-long love can instantly cool down," isn't it?

Although Yue didn't break a sweat, he wiped it off as if to say "well done!", and jogged back to Shiji's side, looking up at Shiji who was still sitting on the bicycle.

"...You like big ones?"

What a troubling question. Hajime wanted to answer "yes," but if he did, he'd probably end up holding hands with the convulsing, sorry rabbit in front of him. He didn't want that.

"... Yue, size isn't the issue; who you're with is the most important thing."

"..."

Hajime neither admitted nor denied, opting for an ambiguous response. "What a coward!" Although Yue narrowed her eyes at the response, she seemed to accept it and silently took the back seat.

Hajime sweated inwardly, trying to think of a topic to break the uncomfortable silence, but nothing came to mind. His LIFE CARD wasn't working.

Just as Hajime's eyes wandered, he saw Shia, who was originally convulsing, supporting herself on the ground with her hands, her body trembling as she desperately tried to pull out her head. He quickly seized this opportunity and used this topic to divert attention.

"That thing's moving again... She really looks like a zombie. I feel like her body is beyond the word 'strong'..."

"………………Um."

After being silent for longer than usual, Yue finally answered, which made Shi Yi breathe a sigh of relief. Then, with a "pop" sound, Xia had pulled her muddy face out of her body.

"Wow~ I'm so miserable! I've never even seen such a tragic scene before..."

With tears in her eyes, she pulled up the rags that were about to fall off her body, said some incredible words, and crawled towards Hajime and Yue. She didn't look like she had suffered any serious injuries.

"Just how durable are you? It's truly extraordinary... Who are you?"

Hajime cast a suspicious glance at her, and Shia immediately sat upright in front of him, finally getting to the point. She gave the two people still sitting on the Hutifu a serious look, even though it was already too late from every angle...

"Let me introduce myself again. I am Shia Hauriya, daughter of the leader of the Hauriya tribe of the rabbit people. Actually..."

To put her story into simple terms:

Xia and the others, one of the rabbit-people tribes called the Hauriyas, live in seclusion in the Hartrina Sea of ​​Trees. The entire tribe consists of about a hundred people.

While the Bunnymen possess exceptional hearing and stealth, their physical abilities are inferior to those of other demihumans, and they possess no particular strengths. Consequently, even the demihumans themselves consider them an inferior race. Bunnymen are generally gentle and averse to conflict, forming deep bonds throughout their communities, treating each other like family. Furthermore, their naturally attractive appearance, unlike the characteristic beauty of elves, is often perceived as endearing. Consequently, when captured as slaves by the Empire and other nations, many people cherish them as pets.

One of the tribes of bunnymen with this characteristic, the Hauriya tribe, to which Shia belonged, was born one day. While bunnymen typically have dark blue hair, this child possessed translucent blue-white hair. She also possessed magical powers, something demi-humans typically lack. Not only could she manipulate magic directly, she could even cast a unique form of magic.

This naturally baffled the tribe. They hadn't expected a rabbit-man, or rather, a child born to any demihuman, to appear. Normally, the birth of a child possessing powers comparable to those of a monster would be met with persecution by the entire tribe. However, she was born to the rabbit-men, the demihumans who value family above all else, and whose members, over a hundred in number, considered each other family members. Therefore, the Hauriya tribe had no intention of abandoning this girl.

However, if the demihuman nation of Feyalbergen, deep within the forest, discovered this girl's existence, she would undoubtedly be brutally executed. Because they have an irreconcilable hatred for monsters, they are extremely wary of their presence.

The Hauriya tribe hid the girl and raised her quietly for sixteen years, but they were discovered a few days ago. Therefore, the entire Hauriya tribe moved out of the forest before she was arrested by Feiyaberugen.

With nowhere to return, they decided to head towards the northern mountain range, believing that they could survive in the bounty of the mountains and forests. Although it was an undeveloped area, it was better than being captured by the Empire or slave traders.

However, their adventure was thwarted by the Empire. As soon as they left the forest, they were unfortunately discovered by Imperial soldiers. It was not known whether they were out on patrol or in training, but the number of their number was as large as an entire squadron, forcing the Haolia tribe to flee south.

In order to allow the women and children to escape, the men stayed behind to block the pursuers, but the gap in strength between the kind and peace-loving Rabbit People and the trained Imperial soldiers who knew magic was like the difference between heaven and earth. By the time they realized what was happening, more than half of the tribe had been arrested.

Desperately fleeing to avoid annihilation, they arrived at the Rasen Grand Canyon, taking a gamble and escaping into it. They figured the Imperial soldiers wouldn't pursue them into the canyon, where magic wasn't permitted, so they decided to wait it out. This was a gamble on whether the monsters would attack first or the Imperial soldiers would leave.

Contrary to expectations, the Imperial soldiers showed no signs of retreat. On both sides of the [Lesin Grand Canyon], stairways were built directly into the cliffs, leading to the valley floor. Although most of the Imperial soldiers had already retreated, a small team was stationed at the entrance, waiting for the Bunnymen to escape from the monsters.

As a result of these circumstances, the monsters finally attacked. The Hauriya tribe, helpless, decided to surrender to the Empire. However, as they tried to escape the canyon, they were surrounded by monsters and forced to flee deeper into the canyon. They were chased throughout the canyon, with no idea where to go...

“…When I came to my senses, my family, which originally had over sixty members, is now down to around forty. If this continues, we’ll be wiped out, so please, save my family!”

Her initial apologetic look completely faded, and the bunny-eared girl pleaded with a sorrowful expression.

After hearing this story, Hajime let out an "Ah~" in agreement and nodded. It seemed Shia, like Yue and Hajime, was an outlier in this world. Her resilience was likely due to her unconsciously activated magic power, strengthening her body. Like Yue, she was experiencing a similar "atavism."

The doubts in his mind finally cleared up. Hajime looked straight back at Shia, who was staring at him intently, and responded to her plea with a clear answer:

"I refuse."

Time froze, and the scene was filled with a silence that made one doubt that the previous words were an illusion.

Shiya seemed to have no idea what Shi said, staring blankly at him with her mouth wide open. When Shi finished speaking and was about to mount the Huetiofer, she finally regained her composure and fiercely protested:

“Wait, wait, please wait a moment! Why? Judging from what just happened, you should have smiled brightly and said, ‘How pitiful! Don’t worry, I’ll find a way!’ Even I would be overwhelmed by this situation! Why would you suddenly give up on this encounter with a beautiful girl? Ah! Don’t ignore me and keep running away! I won’t let you go!”

Seeing that Hajime was about to continue walking despite her protests, Shia quickly rushed over and hugged his legs. Her serious and calm demeanor just now instantly disappeared, and she became the apologetic rabbit who didn't care about other people's eyes.

Looking at Shia, who didn't move away even when he moved his feet, Hajime sighed and glanced at her.

"What good will it be for me to help you?"

"B-Benefits?"

"You're being chased by the Imperial Army, and they've been following you all the way from the forest to here. And you're a real nuisance, seeing only harm from the beginning. Even if I do help you escape the canyon, what happens next? You'll still have to try to evade the Imperials, right? Will you ask me for help then? Do you want me to help you fight off the Imperials and get you to the North Mountain Range next time?"

"Hmm! T-That's... B-But!"

"We have places to go ourselves, and we don't have the energy to deal with such troublesome matters."

"How could this happen... But I knew you would protect us after seeing you!"

"...You said something like that just now. What exactly did you mean?...Is this related to your special magic?"

Shia, tearful, looked at the unyielding Hajime and shouted, "This future is too strange!" She had been mumbling strange words since a while ago. Furthermore, why would Shia act alone, separated from her companions? These were all huge questions.

Although this wasn't something she absolutely needed to know, since she had already revealed so much, Hajime had no choice but to ask. After hearing Hajime's question, Shia froze for a moment, but immediately saw this as a good opportunity, and gestured as best she could:

"Eh? Ah, yes, that's right! It's a magic called 'Future Vision', which allows you to see hypothetical futures. What would happen if you chose a certain option? It's something like that... Sometimes it manifests itself when danger is imminent. However, the future you see doesn't necessarily mean it will happen... but, but, it's still helpful to me! 'Future Vision' makes it easy to spot danger... and I saw it a while ago! I saw you coming to save us! In fact, I was saved because I tried so hard to find a future where I'd 'meet you'!"

According to Shia, this unique magic, called "Future Vision," can be activated automatically, revealing the future that would unfold if a specific option were chosen. However, this comes at a significant cost, with a single cast consuming nearly all of her magic power. Furthermore, "Future Vision" will automatically activate when Shia faces direct or indirect danger. While this still consumes a significant amount of magic power, it's not as significant as when it's activated automatically, costing only about a third at most.

Shia seemed to have activated her "Future Vision" and saw Hajime protecting herself and her family, so she ran out to find Hajime.

"Since you possess such powerful unique magic, why were you discovered? If you could foresee danger, you wouldn't have been discovered by Feyalbergen's people, right?"

Shia's accusation caused her to display a complex expression, a mixture of a wry smile, a show of strength, and, at the same time, extreme sadness. Not only was her expression strange, but her voice was also tinged with a hint of the uncanny:

"...Hard work can change the future. At least, that's what I believe. But my efforts weren't enough, so I couldn't change the future... I always think this way afterwards. When I can't change the future I sincerely want to change, I feel like I wish I had tried harder..."

"……you……"

What does it feel like to be able to see the future? If it's a hopeful future, wouldn't your heart leap with joy, counting the days until night falls and morning arrives? But what if it's tragedy? Seeing the danger approaching every second, wouldn't your heart be filled with grief?

Although it was difficult to discern this struggle from her obnoxiously high emotions, perhaps she was still wailing inwardly, having been surging from the beginning until now—perhaps this was the case with the bunny-eared girl standing before him.

Her entire tribe was indeed hunted all the way from the forest, and many family members were injured, fell to the ground, or were captured. So no matter how cruelly she was treated, she was not afraid of death and kept begging for mercy. She looked like she was really risking her life.

Shia Hauria gambles the fate of her entire clan, hoping to grasp the future called "Beginning".

Hajime's expression was indescribable as he faced Shia. He remembered the feeling of risking his life to survive, to reach the future he longed for. However, his most important goal was to find a way to return home. Shia's wish seemed even more elusive in the face of this, so Hajime once again hardened his heart.

He decided to head out immediately, pretending not to notice even if he was dragging Shia along with him. However... Shia's helper appeared in an unexpected place.

“…Hajime, let’s take her with us.”

"moon?"

"!? I thought you were a good person from the beginning! I actually called you a washboard just now, how rude of you to me!"

Hajime's face was filled with surprise at Yue's words, while Shia's eyes sparkled with excitement. She quickly joined in, blurting out any unnecessary words, only to be met with a brutal slap from Yue, sending her tumbling to the ground, clutching her face. What had happened to that sympathetic, serious aura just now? She had definitely not meant it. This tendency to quickly become irritatingly apologetic wasn't something she'd deliberately displayed; it was simply her nature.

Yue glanced at Shia, who was sobbing and holding her cheek, and slowly revealed her reason:

"...She'd be perfect as our guide in the sea of ​​trees."

"Oh, I see."

Indeed, the Hartrina Forest was shrouded in thick fog. It was said that non-demihumans could easily lose their sense of direction and get lost. Having a rabbit-man guide would be much more reassuring. He had considered ways to navigate the forest more smoothly, but the plans he'd come up with were all rather haphazard, leaving him unsure. He'd also considered the worst-case scenario of capturing a local demihuman and asking for directions. So, frankly, he felt fortunate to have a demihuman willing to lead the way.

However, the trouble behind Shia was too huge, making Shi hesitant.

Yue looked straight at Hajime, severing his confusion.

"...Don't worry, we are the strongest."

These were the words Shi had spoken just after leaving the Abyss. He had told Yue that there was no need to fear this world; as long as he and Yue protected each other, they would be the strongest in the world. Hearing Yue comfort him with his own words, Shi could do nothing but smile bitterly.

Having the help of the Bunnymen would indeed make exploring the forest much easier. He'd just said those words, and to dismiss this option out of fear of conflict with Imperial soldiers or demihumans was simply slapping himself in the face. Of course, he wasn't getting involved in such troublesome matters out of pleasure; it was simply because the best option was right before his eyes, and he couldn't avoid it because of a few obstacles. He had already decided: if an enemy stood in his way, he would "kill them without hesitation."

"Yes, you're right, Yue. I'll use whatever I can. I'll kill anyone who dares to stand in my way. It's that simple."