Chapter 17 - Start of Bug Rabbit

Shia's training finally ended and returned to the embrace of her family, a family that changed too much from what she remembered.

"Everyone, I'm back...?"

"Welcome back, Shia." Karm welcomed her back with warm smile, as he was playing with knives on both hands, one with angular blade for smooth cutting, and another with jagged blade to rip the flesh.

"Wow, you're back." Lana and co replied as they sat around fire, with meat cooking on top of it and surrounded by what seems to be bows and crossbowas

"Shia Onee-chan, you're back!" Par smiled brilliantly, as he was throwing darts that seemed to be coated with something.

"Shia, how were you doing?!" Haulia tribe members further away yelled, as they were dodging the exact darts that Par was throwing.

"Shia Onee-chan, welcome back!" And finally, Nea hugged her, seemingly nothing out of sort other than her baggy clothes covering most of her body unlike their traditional clothes, but Shia could feel numerous hard objects, possibly, and most likely, weapons, over the clothes.

And among the group of rabbit that seems to fit with armed rebels, Hajime sat nearby another fire, cooking very big meat, which was most likely demon beast.

"... Where did my family members go?" Shia asked blankly as her mind was grinding to halt.

"Haha, Shia, what are you saying? Where are you looking for your family? We are right here." Karm laughed as he replied.

Hearing his reply, she looked at what was going in front of her. Her dad, who used to show warm smile, is now showing same smile as he is playing with knives that seemed very dangerous and brutal. Her friend, Lana, who was a friendly with everybody, was having fun with others as they were surrounded by weapons. Parm, ever-cheerful and kind boy, was having same cheerful smile as he was throwing what was most likely poisonous darts at his own family. And the same family, who treated her the same despite being chased out because of her, was smiling brightly at her as they were avoiding the thrown darts. And Nea, who was very attached to her, hugged her the same, just with bunch of hidden weapons between them. She tried to understand what was going on.

She couldn't.

So she screamed at the most likely reason for this hellscape.

"Hajime-san, what did you turn my family into?!!"

"Top-grade assassins?"

"Why!?"

"I mean, I was thinking of soldiers, but somehow the training just progressed this way?"

"How could 'Somehow' progress into turning my family into assassins?!"

"Because I taught them well." Hajime replied with a refreshing smile and a thumbs-up.

"He's wasn't normal either!!" Shia copied 'The Scream'. Then, Yue also came behind her.

".... hnn, Hajime."

"Welcome back, Yue." He replied with a warm smile as he spread his arms. Then Yue hugged him and sniffed.

"... I missed you." Hajime smiled wryly at her words.

"You just saw me in the morning." Hearing him, Yue pouted.

"Even a minute is too long." Hearing her, Hajime just continued smiling while rest of Haulia reacted.

"Welcome back, Yue-san/Madam/Mistress/Sister Yue... oof." As Haulia welcomed her back, one of girls dodging the darts were hit by Yue's magic. Then upon being hit by the poisoned darts, she dropped to the ground and started foaming.

"Oops, sister Tia. You can't die from this. Here's the antidote. Hurry up and wake up. You would be ashamed of yourself even after death if you die from something like this." Par hurriedly went toward the one who was now starting to spasm. Quickly injecting the antidote, then feeding her the rest after she stopped foaming, others helped massaging her to get the antidote in her body faster.

".... This is nightmare." Still kneeling in the same place, Shia was denying reality. But reality decided this was not enough.

"So how did she do?" Hajime asked as he was gently rubbing her back, which Yue responded with a pout.

".... Ero rabbit."

"Yue-san!?" Hajime regretted asking.

"... Be careful of her. She might decide to push you down in the middle of the night." Yue continued despite the franticness behind her.

"... Her body is becoming stronger at fast rate, and her instincts are good. She has a lot of mana compared to normal people." Then she paused a little before she continued.

"... And she has 2 scary weapons at the front... Hajime, be careful." She said as she tightened her hold on his body.

Seeing that he was already tempted by the said weapons in his last life, he wisely chose not to say anything.

"... Hajime?" She looked up at him at his lack of response.

"Yes?" She stared.

"Yue?" She stareeed.

"... I love you." She stareeeeeeeeeeeed, then replied.

"... You're not going to sleep tonight." Hajime was sweating.

Meanwhile, in the background, Shia Haulia, the girl who could wield magic power, and was the reason for Haulia tribe's banishment, was very motivated.

"Yue-san, does that mean I can push him down?! I can push him down when I get stronger, right!?" She was very motivated for very wrong (right?) reason.

"Haha, Shia, congratulation! You can become boss's wife." Karm celebrated at Shia's opportunity (?).

"Why couldn't I be the one to use magic!?" Lana was shouting further away.

"Shia Onee-chan, can I join please?" Nea, child with a lot of hidden weapons, decided to train in stealth and assault.

This marked the start of one who would be called Bug Rabbit, Berserker, Head Splasher, and many other moniker.