Chapter 31

In the vast Laisen Canyon, cries of sorrow and roars of anger echoed.

A figure with rabbit ears fled into the shadows of the rocks and huddled there desperately. From behind various rocks, only the rabbit ears could be seen, about twenty in number. Including those who were hidden, there were probably forty.

Hovering above the terrified rabbit people was a flying monster rarely seen even in the Nether. It resembled a pterodactyl, with a body length of three to five meters, sharp claws and teeth, and a long, comet-like tail that swelled and was covered in spikes at the tip.

"H-Haibelia..."

From behind her shoulder, Shya's trembling voice could be heard. The pterodactyl-like creature seemed to be called "Haibelia." There were six Haibelias in total, circling above the rabbit people as if evaluating their prey.

One of the Haibelias finally made its move. It dived swiftly toward the large rock and crevices where the rabbit people were hiding, then made a sharp turn in the air, using centrifugal force to strike the rock with its tail. With a loud boom, the rock shattered, and the rabbit people, screaming, crawled out.

The Haibelia, as if saying, "I've been waiting for you," opened its massive jaws to devour the helpless prey. Its targets were two rabbit people: a young child, paralyzed by the Haibelia's attack, and a male rabbit person who had covered the child to protect it.

The surrounding rabbit people watched in despair. Everyone imagined that in the next instant, the two family members would be nothing but bones, devoured by the Haibelia. But that was impossible.

Because, the monster that had emerged from the depths of the Nether, bound by a contract to protect them, was right here...

Do Pang!! Do Pang!!

Two dry cracking sounds echoed through the canyon, and two flashes of light raced through the air. One of them aimed at the Haibelia's forehead, which was about to eat the two rabbit people, and precisely penetrated its head. The headshot Haibelia slid to the side of the crouching rabbit people, stirring up a sandstorm and landing with a loud thud.

At the same time, a terrifying roar came from behind. The rabbit people, who had no time to be stunned, turned to see a Haibelia with its side wing torn and bleeding heavily, falling to the ground. Near it were the rabbit people who had been huddled together, unable to stand. It seemed that while they were watching the Haibelia in front, they had been attacked by the one behind. The second bullet had been fired to sever the wing of the Haibelia that had launched the surprise attack. The Haibelia, losing its balance, fell to the ground, writhing in pain.

"What... what..."

The male rabbit person who had been protecting the child muttered in a daze, alternating his gaze between the dead Haibelia in front and the one that had fallen behind.

At that moment, more gunshots were heard, and the struggling Haibelia was pierced by several flashes of light. The Haibelia, whose body was thoroughly shattered, let out a final, sharp roar and fell to the ground with a loud thud, never to move again.

The Haibelias in the sky roared in anger at the death of their companion. The rabbit people, whose ears stood on end, heard a strange sound they had never heard before. Kyyyyiiii, a sharp sound like steam being released. What was this? They turned their gaze in the direction of the sound and saw three figures riding an unfamiliar black vehicle, speeding toward them.

One of them was all too familiar. The girl who had suddenly disappeared that morning, whom the entire tribe had been searching for until just a moment ago. She felt responsible for the tribe's current predicament and was filled with pain, lacking her usual cheerfulness and looking deeply troubled. Just as everyone was worried that she might do something rash, she had vanished. The rabbit people, forgetting to be cautious during their search, had been spotted by the Haibelias. They had braced themselves for the entire tribe to be wiped out before they could find her, but...

There she was, standing up from behind the black vehicle, waving her arms vigorously. (4WT49F: Laughing, waving so hard it's making a whooshing sound) Her expression had returned to its usual cheerful self. The rabbit people stared at her in disbelief.

"Everyone~ I found some help~!"

Upon hearing her voice, the rabbit people, realizing it was real, shouted her name in unison.

"Shya!?"

Shya had been anxious and restless during the high-speed ride on the motorcycle driven by Aichi. After confirming her companions were safe, she stood up on the back seat, waving her arms vigorously. While Shya's antics were fine, she pressed her full weight against Aichi to keep from falling off the speeding motorcycle, and every time they hit a bump, her heavy chest (large breasts) would thump against Aichi's head, causing his aim to be off and failing to kill the second Haibelia with one shot.

Aichi, using his dragon claw hand, grabbed Shya's clothes. Her chest was still bouncing, interfering with Aichi. Noticing this, Shya looked at Aichi with a puzzled face. Although Aichi was facing forward and she couldn't see his expression, Shya sensed something dangerous and asked nervously.

"Um, Mr. Aichi? What's wrong? Why are you holding my clothes?"

"Interfering with the fight, need to give you something to do."

"Doing something... what exactly do you mean?"

"Nothing much, just a simple job of flying past a hungry monster."

"!? Wait, what are you saying, don't pick me up, don't swing your arms!"

Shya, looking anxious and struggling, was lifted up effortlessly by Aichi, whose strength exceeded ten thousand. Aichi, using one hand to control the motorcycle, performed a drift, using centrifugal force to throw Shya toward the Haibelias circling in the sky.

"Go! Regretful Rabbit!"

"Don't, don't, don't~!"

The rabbit-eared girl flew into the sky with astonishing momentum. Shya's screams echoed through the canyon. The rabbit people, shouting "Shya~!" with their eyes wide open, watched in shock as the Haibelias, surprised by the prey flying toward them while crying, just stared upward as Shya passed by.

Aichi, seizing the opportunity, fired four shots. The bullets, with pinpoint accuracy, shattered and penetrated the Haibelias' lower jaws, then their heads.

Without even a chance to let out a final scream, the Haibelias fell to the ground, powerless. The Haibelias, considered the most troublesome and dangerous monsters in the valley, were instantly killed without any resistance. The rabbit people, witnessing this impossible scene, were stunned.

Their ears then picked up a familiar sound from above, Shya's screams as she fell from the sky.

"Aaaaah~! Save me~! Mr. Aichi~!"

Aichi, leaving the panicked rabbit people behind, rushed to the exact spot where Shya would land and caught her perfectly, stopping the motorcycle in a drift. Then, he threw the Shya he was holding onto the ground with a thud.

"Ahh! Ugh~! You're treating me so badly. I demand better treatment~. I want to be cherished like Miss Tsuki~"

Shya, crying, protested. Shya had no romantic feelings for Aichi. She simply had an inexplicable sense of trust in Aichi, who had given her hope in the depths of despair. Despite her unforgivable personality, she never broke her promises. Moreover, Aichi had a similar constitution to Shya. The "similarity" made her feel a sense of closeness. And Aichi, despite the short time, had clearly noticed that he cherished Tsuki, who shared a "similarity" with him. Shya envied their relationship and wanted to be part of it.

Her already damaged clothes were now barely clinging to her body, and she was crying and whimpering from her injured feet, looking pitiful. Aichi, thinking he had gone too far, pulled out a spare coat from his treasure vault and threw it over Shya's head, annoyed. He did this only to stop her from crying, with no intention of apologizing.

However, even so, Shya seemed delighted. She was momentarily stunned by the object that suddenly covered her head, but when she realized it was a coat, she smiled and eagerly put it on. The coat was white with blue accents, matching the one Tsuki wore. It was a masterpiece created by Tsuki when she planned a couple's outfit for herself and Aichi.

"Really! Mr. Aichi, you're so unforthcoming~. Wearing the same thing as Miss Tsuki... does that mean I'm your woman? No way~! I'm not that kind of woman, you know. We have to take it one step at a time~"

Shya, blushing, giggled as she clutched the edge of the coat. Unable to contain himself, Aichi silently drew Dona and fired a shot at Shya's forehead.

"Ow!"

A non-lethal bullet with reduced gunpowder and a soft, rubber-like tip made from a monster's hide. Still, it had a certain amount of power, and Shya, hit by the impact, fell backward and rolled on the ground.

"My head~! My head~!" she cried. However, with her incredible durability, she quickly stood up and began to protest. As Aichi dealt with the barking Shya, the rabbit people gathered around her in a disorganized manner.

"Shya! Are you okay?"

"Father!"

The first to greet her was a middle-aged man with indigo short hair and rabbit ears. Simply put, he was a rabbit-eared uncle. Seeing this surreal scene, Aichi felt a strange, indescribable feeling. During this time, Shya's conversation with the man called "Father" ended, and they happily confirmed each other's safety. Then, the rabbit-eared uncle turned to Aichi.

"Is Aichi-sama alright? I am Kam. Shya's father and the chief of the Horia tribe. This time, not only Shya but also our entire tribe, who were in dire straits, received your help. I don't know how to express my gratitude. And you helped us escape... as a father and a chief, I offer you my deepest thanks."

Saying this, Kam, the chief of the Horia tribe, bowed deeply. The entire Horia tribe behind him also bowed deeply.

"Well, I already received the thanks in advance. But remember, it was in exchange for a guide through the forest. And it's quite easy to gain your trust. Generally, demi-humans don't have good feelings toward humans..."

Aichi, who had forgotten due to Shya, remembered that demi-humans were a discriminated race. In fact, they were forced into the canyon by human tribes. Despite this, they bowed in gratitude to Aichi, a human, and accepted his assistance. Even if they had no other choice, it seemed too easy. Aichi was puzzled by the lack of any animosity from the Horia tribe.

Kam smiled wryly in response.

"If Shya trusts someone, we trust them too. After all, we are family..."

Aichi was half impressed and half shocked by this statement. The fact that the entire tribe would move from their homeland for one girl showed the deep bond among the tribe members. To easily trust a human they had just met seemed to lack caution. There should be limits to being too trusting.

"Hehe, no problem, Father. Mr. Aichi, though he is ruthless to women, won't act without benefit, and can treat people like tools, is not the kind of person who would use a promise to crush others' hopes! He will protect us well!"

"Hahaha, is that so? So he's just shy. That's a relief."

Hearing Shya and Kam's conversation, the surrounding rabbit people looked at Aichi with gentle, understanding eyes and nodded.

Aichi's forehead twitched, and he was about to draw Dona when he was hit from an unexpected direction.

"...Yeah, Aichi (is shy in bed)"

"Tsuki!?"

Aichi, caught off guard by the comeback, decided to endure and urged everyone to move on. The group set off on foot, heading for the exit of the Laisen Canyon.