She pulled the earbud out and slipped it into her pocket. She needed to focus and careful.
Rabbibi had bitten one of her comrades before. She knew exactly what those teeth could do. Her comrade had eventually lost an arm.
She approached the rabbit from the left side, moving carefully as she reached for the bowl without disturbing the flame. The giant rabbit barely reacted. Its attention remained fixed on the lighter.
Good.
Jasmine took a deep breath and stepped directly into its line of sight, blocking the flame from view.
The rabbit immediately growled.
Its body tensed, and the third eye on its forehead brightened to a deeper red.
"Whoa... calm down. I just want to help you. Here... taste it. You’ll like it."
Jasmine scooped up some puree with her fingers and slowly held it toward the rabbit’s mouth. A deep snarl vibrated from its throat, and its sharp teeth clicked together.
She wasn’t afraid. Her hand was trembling, though. Her core was weakening again.
I really need my S-Rank body back.
Jasmine forced her hand to stay steady as she moved closer. This was a risky move. If the rabbit sensed her hesitation, it might interpret it as fear—or worse, a threat.
"Hey... come on. You know I mean you no harm, right? Please lick my hand. Have a taste."
She kept her voice calm and confident, inching her fingers closer.
They were only inches from the rabbit’s two large front teeth when a flash of light suddenly swept across the room.
The beam hit both Jasmine and the rabbit.
Jasmine squinted against the glare.
The rabbit recoiled instantly before shooting upright, its ears flattening against its head. Its third eye burned bright red.
"Damn it!"
Jasmine barely had time to react before the giant rabbit roared directly into her face.
She could feel her hand inside the rabbit’s warm mouth. She was just about to pull it back when its jaws suddenly snapped shut, trapping her hand between its teeth.
The next thing she knew, her body was flying through the air.
She slammed into the wall.
"Aargh!"
A sharp sting spread through her entire body, but the blood dripping from her jacket caught her attention first.
Jasmine immediately looked at her right hand. Her fingers were still there. The sleeve around them was torn nearly through, but her hand was intact.
Good.
She forced herself up with what little strength she had left. The bowl of puree had overturned during the attack, its contents smeared across the front of her shirt from her chest to her stomach. She tried to stand, but her legs barely responded.
Across the room, the rabbit looked furious and confused by the sudden flash of light. The lighter had gone out, leaving the room dim again.
Jasmine gritted her teeth and started crawling toward the nearest cover before the rabbit could notice her.
She barely made it a few feet before someone appeared in front of her.
Oleander.
He crouched and gently gripped her shoulder. For a moment, they simply stared at each other.
"Just how much trouble do you plan on dragging yourself into?"
Jasmine’s breathing came shallow. "Just get me out of here."
Oleander’s frown deepened as his gaze dropped to her right hand. Blood covered her fingers, and the sleeve of her jacket hung in tatters. He looked toward the rabbit and spotted a piece of her jacket beneath its paw.
His jaw tightened.
If he hadn’t given her one of the highest-quality jackets available, she might have lost her hand.
Oleander stood.
"After I kill it."
"Wait... no. Oleander..."
Jasmine reached for him with her other hand, but he ignored her. His expression had already hardened as he stepped toward the giant rabbit.
The rabbit noticed him.
Oleander drew the dagger from his belt and rolled it once in his hand. A pale-gray aura curled around the blade, moving like wind around the metal. The faint hum immediately caught the rabbit’s attention.
The two faced each other.
The rabbit roared, baring its sharp teeth, while Oleander raised his dagger into a ready stance.
"Come here. Let me slit your throat and feed you your own blood."
His voice was so cold that the threat sounded less like anger and more like a promise.
The rabbit roared louder. It reared up, then charged at full speed.
"No, Oleander! Don’t kill him!"
Jasmine could only shout from the floor.
Oleander didn’t stop. He lowered his stance and charged too, neither of them showing any intention of moving aside. The distance between them disappeared in seconds.
When they were only a few feet apart, Oleander swung his dagger.
Jasmine squeezed her eyes shut, her heart pounding painfully against her ribs. She couldn’t watch Rabbibi die.
A gust of wind brushed across her skin.
She waited for the roar of pain.
Nothing came.
Jasmine slowly opened her eyes.
A small rabbit was flying toward her.
Its eyes were bright, its ears bouncing with every bit of momentum.
Then—
Thump!
The roughly fifteen-pound rabbit landed straight on her chest, knocking her onto her back.
Jasmine stared at it.
The monster from moments ago was gone. The third red eye turned black, no sharp fangs, and no enormous body that could crush her against a wall. In its place was a fluffy little rabbit with two adorable front teeth.
It immediately buried its nose into the puree smeared across Jasmine’s shirt and began licking it eagerly.
Jasmine let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. A relieved smile spread across her face as she closed her eyes and lay there, allowing Rabbibi to enjoy his meal. Her fingers moved gently through his fur.
Thank you. Thank you for being alive.
For the first time since waking up in this strange world, something from her old life was still alive.
Oleander stood frozen.
He had been ready to slit the throat of a monster nearly the size of a cow. Instead, he was staring at a fifteen-pound rabbit happily licking puree from Jasmine’s shirt.
His gaze shifted to her.
The relief on her face was unmistakable. She was smiling so widely that the expression almost made her look like a different person from the Jasmine he’d met earlier. She didn’t even seem to notice the injury on her hand anymore as she continued stroking the rabbit’s fur.
Oleander slowly exhaled and slid the dagger back into its sheath.
Whatever had happened to her memory, one thing was becoming difficult to dismiss. The things coming out of Jasmine’s mouth weren’t nonsense. Not anymore.
The lights in the room flickered back on, one after another, revealing the people still gathered behind the glass window. Some stared in stunned silence, while others frowned as they tried to make sense of what they had just witnessed. Then someone started clapping.
Applause quickly spread through the corridor outside as people watched the once-terrifying monster roll around happily with Jasmine, licking the last traces of puree from her clothes.
Oleander didn’t share their excitement.
His gaze had already shifted to the corner of the window—the place where the flashlight had come from.
His expression hardened.
There was only one person in Hesperia reckless enough to pull something like that.
And Oleander wasn’t going to let it slide.