Chapter 2: A Brand New Day

  “It’s… so good…!”

  “This is beyond good!”

  Soma and the two rabbits, Kiana and Diana, were now sat at the kitchen table after having finalized their new arrangements. With the chaos out of the way, the two had set their hats aside—large witch-style hats that strangely matched their weird bunny outfits—which gave him a clear view of their rabbit ears. When he had first met them, he had assumed that the ears were simply cosmetic. Yet, now that he had a closer look, it was hard to prove them as fake. He had to ignore the lack of human ears on the sides of their heads, though, lest his mind begin to wander.

  Could have fooled me… Soma thought as he watched the strange pair of rabbits devour last night’s takeout. As he lacked an appetite, and his mom was long gone by now, he decided to feed it to the pair so as to not let it go to waste. As he watched them eat, a thought occurred to him.

  Aren’t rabbits herbivores? Should I be feeding them burgers? At that moment, one of them nearly devoured a burger in three bites. Okay, maybe not… He shook his head. Rather than wonder, he decided to ask. “So… are you guys… allowed to eat meat…? I thought rabbits ate carrots and lettuce and stuff.” Both rabbits turned to look at him as if confused by his question. He looked between the two. “W-What?”

  “…We can't afford any of that,” said Kiana, the shorter of the two rabbit girls.

  “Yup! Waaay out of our price range~” said Diana, the taller of the pair. “Unlike you, we’re not that rich~”

  “…I—” Soma resisted the urge to gawk at them. “Right, I apologize for being economically insensitive to the rabbit population. I will make sure to feed them meat from now on.” And to note their economic recession, I guess...

  The reaction he received was far from expected.

  “T-Truly!? Master is so generous!” Kiana said.

  “A-Are you sure!?” Said Diana. “I know I made the lucky joke, but you don’t gotta go that far!”

  “I told you my intuition is unmatched,” Kiana replied. Diana nodded wordlessly as she looked at Soma in awe.

  “Uh… it’s… really not that big of a deal,” Soma replied. Maybe rabbits have it rough after all. He thought. “A-Anyways…” he cleared his throat. “I uh… as long as you enjoy it, I don’t mind.” The two gave him eager nods before returning to their food. They continued eating for a time before Diana broke the silence.

  “By the way, mister, why exactly do you wanna go to the moon?” She asked. Her ears twitched as she leaned forward, giving him a curious look. He replied with a shrug, eyeing her ears as he did.

  “Well… consider it a lifelong dream, or something,” He replied.

  “Aw c’mon, surely there’s more to it than that? Come on, come on, tell meeee~!”

  “Denied. Your… uh… bond points aren’t high enough for that.”

  “Eh? What does that mean?”

  “It means we need to raise his trust levels, Diana.”

  “That’s not helpful!”

  Soma smirked. While pop culture references weren’t typically his thing, they were helpful for dealing with Kiana. And if it gets Diana to stop nosing into my business, all the better. He decided to turn her question back on them. “So why did you come to Earth?”

  “We said, didn’t we?” Kiana replied. "To investigate Earth's culture."

  “Yeah, but what does that mean ?” Kiana flinched as he spoke. He narrowed his eyes as he looked her up and down. The nervous ear twitches, the shifty glances, the uncomfortable shifting… She’s definitely not telling me everything, he thought. Though I guess that was obvious. He considered pushing further, but a glance at Diana gave him pause. Well… I can’t in good faith nose into their business if I don’t want them in mine… I’ll leave it at that. Before he could move on, Diana answered in Kiana’s place.

  “Well, it means we wanna learn about you guys, duh,” Diana replied, taking over the conversation. “I mean, we’re basically neighbors, right~? Or are you the kinda person who doesn’t go and say hi to their neighbors…?”

  “I don’t have neighbors.”

  “Oh, so you’re a loner!” Diana nodded knowingly. “Yeah, that makes sense. You definitely seem like the cold and aloof type.”

  “You fool, Diana,” Kiana spoke. “Of course he lives apart, he wishes to live an ordinary life away from the spotlight. Oversocializing would jeopardize that life.”

  “Then doesn’t that mean we’re jeopardizing it by intruding?”

  “Grk—”

  Soma sighed and cut them off before they could run off with the narrative. “Let’s just say it’s a bit more complicated than just that.” He stood to his feet. “Regardless, you two can finish your food, I need to get dressed.” He turned and gave them an awkward wave as he made his way back up to his room, trusting the rabbits to figure it out from there.

  Once he arrived in his room,. he began to sort through his closet to pick out an outfit for the day. Although he and his mom lived an affluent life thanks to his father's wealth, they retained many of the habits of middle and lower-class life… A quirk of his mother’s upbringing, but one that he didn’t particularly mind.

  As a result, his closet was filled with the kind of casual clothes you could find at any average mall. However, today was not a day for casualness. He snagged a long-sleeved dress shirt, dress pants, and of course, dress shoes, topped off with a nice coat, all of which he laid out on his bed. With his outfit collected, he started stripping down.

  “You Earthlings really do dress weird.”

  Soma froze halfway through taking off his shirt. His neck creaked like a rusted hinge as he turned to face the intruder behind him. Diana, standing just behind him, nonchalantly leaned forward to look at the clothes laid out on his bed. When she noticed his look, she returned it with a casual smile. Soma stared at her blankly for a few seconds as the gears in his head worked to process her presence.

  “Why are you in my room?”

  “I was done eating, so I followed you.”

  “Okay, but I… I am changing. I am half-naked.”

  “This is half?”

  Soma blinked. Diana blinked back at him. She continued, saying, “Honestly, it's par for the course. Maybe like 10% naked. Earthlings really wear this all the time?” She tilted her head like a curious dog. “Doesn’t it get hot? Earth is kinda toasty compared to the Moon, after all.” When he didn’t respond, she shrugged and turned away to start exploring his room. She checked through cabinets, shelves, drawers, whatever she could get her hands on really at a pace faster than Soma could comprehend. Pulled from his stupor, he tried to stop her.

  “H-Hey, stop that, I didn’t give you permission to—!”

  “Oh, you have more, uh... what did Kiana say... Oh, spellbooks! Can I share them with Kiana? Oh, is this a card game? Can we try it? It looks fun! What are these? Little glass things? What are—”

  “T-Those are contacts! You know, for my eyes!?” Soma rushed over and pulled her away from his private belongings. This girl…! “You’re… damn nosy, you know that?”

  “Eh? What does that mean?” She paused. “And what’s wrong with your eyes?”

  “It means you like looking where you shouldn’t! And— You know what, don’t worry about it!”

  “Eh? But I wanna know!” Diana pouted as Soma dragged her to the door. “I wasn’t done looking!”

  “I don’t care! Get out!”

  “You’re so boring!” With more than a little effort, Soma successfully shoved Diana out of his room and locked the door behind her. With an exhausted sigh, he leaned into the door and turned his eyes toward the ceiling.

  “This… was a mistake…”

  He straightened himself out and made his way to the bathroom. There, he looked into the mirror, staring at his face on the other side. Her comment about his eyes had given him pause, and so now he found himself staring at his own. His lips slowly curled into a frown as he made certain connections in his mind.

  His eyes were red, but a darker shade of red than his new guests, while his hair was light pink. More notably, each of his pupils were colored white as opposed to the normal standard of pitch black, faintly glowing with a subtle light. Each pupil was encircled by a white ring that glowed just the same, a long-time annoyance he had dealt with ever since he was born.

  But what really bothered him was that the rabbits' eyes were similar to his own. Too similar.

  Why do their eyes look like mine?

  Dressed and ready for the day, Soma returned downstairs. Unsurprisingly, he found Diana continuing to nose around the place, looking at some photos and decorations scattered about the main lobby. The other rabbit, Kiana, was nowhere to be seen, however. He could only guess she remained in the kitchen. Having noticed his approach, Diana turned to look at him. Soma looked back at her.

  "What?" He asked as her eyes lingered on his new attire. She remained quiet for a few seconds longer.

  “…Yeah, still weird," she said with a shrug. "I don't get it, why wear so much?”

  “…Okay, I have to ask," Soma replied. "Do... all of you wear bunny suits?”

  “Yeah?"

  "So... What about the guys?" He grimaced at the thought. "I can't imagine that's comfortable..." A stray thought then occurred to him. "Er... There are guy rabbits, right?" It was Diana's turn to look at him strangely.

  "Well, duh," she replied. "Guys wear their own thing.”

  "Oh, good—"

  "But if you think this is loose clothing, then maybe you don't wanna know what they wear."

  “…That’s horrifying and I’m going to pretend I didn’t know that.”

  "What’s wrong with that?” Diana crossed her arms, her lips curling into a cheeky grin. “What, do you lack confidence in your body or something~? It's alright to be a twink, you know.” She playfully punched his shoulder as he shot a glare back at her.

  “How do you even— No, I don't wanna know. …In Earthling culture, it’s not just weird, it’s illegal.” He paused. “Speaking of which, we need to get you new clothes. Maybe mom has something…” As he spoke, his eyes drifted towards Diana’s chest. “…Or maybe not. No, it doesn’t matter…” Diana noticed his glance, following where his eyes led. Her grin somehow became even more smug.

  “Hehe. Not bad, right?” She said as she puffed up her chest, earning a flustered groan from Soma.

  “Why are you like this...” Soma’s face turned red as he facepalmed. “Ugh… Moving on… Where is, uh... Kiana?”

  “I’m right here." The two in the main hall turned to see Kiana entering from a hall to the right, the opposite side of the kitchen. Soma gave her a confused look, to which she responded with an annoyed twitch of her eyebrow. “This place is a maze. Such a massive house for living alone…" She shook her head as she took a deep breath. "But then again, it is the right of the mighty to a spacious living.”

  “…Er. Yeah. Something like that.” Soma shrugged. “Aaanyways… now that you're both here, we've gotta get going.” He glanced at Kiana this time. Although her outfit was certainly more modest than Diana’s, it… was still a bunny suit. She noticed his gaze, but he quickly looked away before she could speak. "But before that... We need to get you two some new clothes." The two shared a curious look.

  “Earthling clothes... very well," said Kiana. "I would love to try them."

  “Mmm… Yeah sure, why not~” Said Diana.

  Soma led the pair to his mother’s room, stopping in front of the closet. While he felt a bit guilty that he was giving away his mother's clothes to a pair of what were basically strangers, he also refused to be seen in public with the two dressed as they were.

  I can always buy them new clothes while we’re out. He decided. “Alright. Take your pick of whatever outfit you think fits best, and then meet me outside the door.”

  “Forgive me, Master, but... What is wrong with our outfits?” Kiana asked. Soma rolled his eyes.

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  “As I told your sister, indecent exposure is illegal." He paused, looking over the two’s suits. "And your outfits certainly are indecent…” Kiana furrowed her brows.

  “But do Earthlings not grow stronger when wearing less clothes?" She asked. "...My clothes are not indecent!"

  “What—" Soma did a double take, looking at her incredulously. "Where did you even learn that!?” He facepalmed. He could guess, but it made it no less baffling. “Even if that was how it worked, why would we need to do that…?”

  Kiana fell quiet. But what Soma took as disappointment on her face turned out to be… wonder. “…Incredible." Her eyes lit up in delight. "Master’s power is so great that he need not even strip…”

  “Oh~? That sounds pretty amazing,” Diana agreed, looking Soma up and down. She opened her mouth to speak, but Soma didn’t give her the chance.

  “ Okay, please stop calling me master in that get-up!” He exclaimed, throwing his arms in an x-shape. “In fact, just choose an outfit and get changed!” Before the two bunnies could object, Soma stepped out the door and slammed it shut behind him. He resisted the urge to sigh for the umpteenth time as he leaned on the banister railing, hanging his head over the side. After waiting a few moments, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. Guess I better call Mom…

  He pulled up her number in contacts and rang her phone, only to receive no answer. Yeah, figures. She’s probably driving… He shrugged. Guess I’ll try again later. He rested his cheek on his palm. It had certainly been a start to the day. He couldn’t imagine how Maya would react to… whatever these two were.

  Truthfully, he was surprised he had been persuaded by them so easily. Though perhaps persuaded wasn’t the right word… regardless, here he was with two eccentric complete strangers invading his home. Even the most welcoming of people would be left a little bewildered given his circumstances.

  I wonder what Dad would think… After a moment, he smirked. He’d love it, actually. Something something, two new party members or whatever… He shrugged and stood up. Well, guess there’s no reason to worry if Dad wouldn't have.

  The doorknob clicked behind him, prompting Soma to turn to face it. Truthfully, he expected the worst given the two’s previous behavior. However, he was pleasantly surprised to see that they had understood the assignment. Kiana had found a simple sweatshirt and pants to wear, while Diana had acquired a tracksuit. While not the most... ordinary of appearances for a day out, it would suffice.

  For the former, it was clear to see that Maya’s clothes were a size too large for her, while for the former… The tracksuit was perhaps a few sizes too small . Still, they seemed to have made it work. They held their witch hats in their hands, clearly out of place when paired with their new attire.

  “I thought this would be fun, but it's so tight…!” Diana whined, while Kiana simply shrugged. "Do I really gotta wear this...?"

  “If we are guests, Diana, then we have to follow what the Master tells us to do, no matter how obscene. After all, this is Earth… And when on Earth, do as Earthlings do. Life here is far different from the Moon.”

  Rome called, they're making a copyright claim... Soma thought to himself. “That would be a lot more reassuring if you weren’t still calling me master,” Soma said. “We’ll buy you two some better clothes while we’re out. This is only temporary, alright?”

  “Hmm… Fiiiine,” Diana replied, although her disappointment was clear. “So what are we even gonna go and do anyways~?”

  “About that…” Soma crossed his arms. “Before we go out, we need to establish some ground rules. Maybe it's the same on the Moon, too, but I doubt that. Got it?”

  “Boring…” Diana grumbled, only to be pinched by Kiana. “Ow!”

  “Continue, Master.”

  “First rule. Absolutely do not call me Master out in public. It’s to…” He paused. “…Maintain my ordinary side character disguise, after all.” Kiana’s eyes lit up.

  “Of course, Master!” Kiana replied as she gave an enthusiastic nod. But then she paused. “But… what should I call you instead?”

  “What do you mean?” Soma blinked.

  “…Your name?” Diana explained. "What do we call you~?"

  Soma froze in place.

  Have… Have I really been calling them dumb when I didn’t even tell them my name!? His hand smacked into his face fast and hard. Both bunnies were taken aback by his sudden act of self-harm, but before they could speak, Soma looked up at them.

  “Just… Soma. My full name is Soma Amaris…” He muttered. His cheeks turned red as he placed a hand on the side of his head. “Um… sorry. I should have said that way sooner…”

  “Whoa. He’s bashful… I didn’t think he had it in him…”

  “So even Master knows humility…”

  “Do we need the commentary every time…? Anyways… rule number two. You can’t tell anyone you’re from the Moon.”

  “Of course. We only told you out of necessity,” Kiana replied. “Do you believe us fools, master?”

  “…You won’t like the answer to that.”

  “Gak— Y-You weren’t supposed to answer honestly…” Kiana’s ears drooped, but Soma paid it no mind. Instead, he smiled.

  “Well… that’s good then. No explanation needed. Rule number three… we’re gonna have to hide your ears.”

  “Eh? Why?” Both Kiana and Diana tilted their heads in confusion. Soma’s brow twitched.

  “Because you’re pretending to be human. Humans don’t have bunny ears.”

  “…I suppose that's true.” Kiana shook her head. "How strange."

  “Right?" Diana agreed. "Really weird~”

  “What standards do you work by!?" Soma glared at them. "Did you not notice from your… spell books? Or my own lack of bunny ears…? Whatever… last rule. No… magic? Superpowers? Whatever it is you do.”

  “Ah, of course. Master’s ordinary identity. I understand.”

  “…Yeah, that’s why.” Soma decided to work with what he had. “Beyond that just use… common sense, please. Not that that means much to you…”

  “Okaaaay~ We’ll do our best.”

  “Mm. We won’t fail, Master.”

  Soma took one last deep breath. Today was certainly going to be something.

  “We don’t take paper applications anymore.”

  “What? But the site said—”

  “You went to the wrong link. Management never took down the outdated site. Sorry about that.”

  For a moment, he considered bashing his head into the gruff old man’s desk. Some time had passed since he and the bunny twins had left the manor behind for what would otherwise be an average day in Soma’s life: job searching.

  Words that any man or woman despised, especially those of Soma’s age. At the humble age of 20, the young man technically didn’t need the job—he could live well into retirement off of the inheritance from his father—but he also did not intend to waste his life living off of someone else’s hard work. The moment he had finished high school, he had begun applying for jobs of all kinds, and yet could never land a hit.

  ‘Sorry, you aren’t a good match for what we’re looking for,’ ‘Your qualifications are impressive, but we have decided to move forward with other candidates,’ and other false niceties that meant ‘we don’t want you’ were common responses to his fleet of applications. The ones he preferred most were when they were honest. ‘You give me the creeps,’ ‘your eyes are weird,’ ‘you’re too surly,’ that kind of thing.

  At this point, it was mostly just routine to find a new job, apply, and get denied. He had considered going somewhere to receive an education instead, but even that had been sidelined after recent events. Though in hindsight, perhaps that’d make the whole process easier.

  “Just try again another time kid, application should still be up through tonight,” the old man replied. Soma sighed and nodded as he stood to his feet. He left the room behind as he looked around for his companions. This particular position was a library job, and so he had allowed the two bunnies the chance to explore the library as he sorted through his business. Being a place of learning, he figured it’d be a good fit for their so-called investigations. Now, it was just a matter of collecting them so they could get a move on.

  He left and began his search. The library was a decent size, so it took him a bit to find the pair. To his surprise, however, they had split up, as seen when he came across Kiana alone.

  “Such a fount of forbidden knowledge…” the girl muttered wordlessly as she stared at a shelf filled with all sorts of fiction content. “All… conveniently available…!? Earthlings are terrifying…”

  “Oi.” Soma chopped the back of Kiana’s head in a surprise attack, earning a squeak of surprise from the rabbit. “No saying Earthling. Besides, it's not that impressive.”

  “E-Eh…? I see… Ma— S-Soma.” Kiana cleared her throat. “Is your business here finished? Did it go well?” Soma shook his head, as Kiana’s eyes widened. “My apologies, Ma— Soma.”

  “…Nah, no need for that. I’m used to it.” He turned his attention to the shelf. “See anything you like?”

  “Ah, um…” Kiana cleared her throat. “As much as I love Earthling culture, my exposure to their works is… only limited by what makes it to the Moon.”

  “…Meaning?”

  Kiana’s cheeks flushed red. “I… don’t know what to try…” Soma looked at her for a moment.

  “Pick the five that look most interesting and I’ll buy them all for you.”

  “Eh!?” Kiana looked shocked, but Soma only shrugged. “S-Surely such a fount of knowledge is not so easily purchased…!”

  “Well luckily for you you picked a rich person’s house to invade first.” Not that five is so overpriced...

  “Rich…" Kiana looked at him in awe. "Master’s power is unmatched…”

  “Oi.” Another chop, and another cry of pain from Kiana. “Remember the rule. Anyway, take your pick. On the topic of rules, where’d Diana get off to?”

  “Hm… she mentioned smelling something sweet and ran off. If I had to guess…” Kiana stepped away from the shelf and pointed down the way. “That way.” Soma nodded but did not depart. Kiana looked at him curiously.

  “So… How long do you two intend to stick around, anyways?”

  “Ah—” Kiana flinched, quickly turning back to the library shelf. “W-Well… until we’ve… t-thoroughly explored Earth—”

  “I meant with me. At my house?” Soma shrugged. “Around.”

  “Oh.” Kiana visibly relaxed, before raising a hand to her chin. “W-Well… as long as you may allow us, Ma— Soma.” She started selecting her choices of manga and novels alike from the shelf—curiously, focusing on romances—as she spoke. “If… that is acceptable…”

  “As long as you guys hold up your side of things, anyways.”

  “…Mm. Lunar Rabbits never break their promises. It may… take a while though.”

  “That’s fine. As long as I’m still alive by the time we get to go, anyways.” What is the lifespan of a moon rabbit, anyway?

  “Of course! It won’t take that long at all… probably… ”

  “Hm?”

  “Is this selection fine?” Kiana changed the topic, holding out her choices shyly. Soma looked them over—three romances, one action, and one drama—and nodded. Kiana smiled, holding the books near her chest. “Shall we go collect my sister, then?”

  “If you’re ready.” Kiana nodded, and the two headed to the cafe. Diana, as usual, was easy to spot, as she sat at the cafe counter chatting with the staff.

  “—the job is nice, but it’s pretty slow. People just don’t visit libraries that much nowadays," said the cashier as Soma and Kiana approached.

  “Aww, that’s unfortunate," Diana replied. "Have you ever considered trying something new~?”

  “Nah, this place is pretty special to me… Plus, even despite what I said, libraries are a bit busier than you think. More regulars than new faces, but that’s fine.”

  “Oh, so I guess that makes me pretty special huh~?” Diana flexed her brows with a cocky smile.

  She gets along well… Soma thought, watching the exchange. Diana noticed them at last and waved.

  “Hi hi~ Looks like my cue to leave~”

  “Ah…” the cashier’s brows furrowed, but Diana shot her a grin.

  “I’ll be in town for a while, so I’ll make sure to stop by again!” Diana exclaimed. The cashier smiled and waved them off as Diana walked over to Kiana and Soma. “How’d it all go, boss?”

  “Ehh…” Soma shrugged. Diana gave him an empathetic look.

  “Oh… sorry to hear~ Next time will work out though, for sure!”

  “…Well, you’ve got credit for being the first to tell me that in a while,” Soma replied with a dry grin. Diana grinned back, before reaching over and patting him on the head. “…What are you—”

  “Everyone deserves a little praise now and then, don’t they? Even a sour puss like you, boss~”

  “Don’t call me a sour puss! Or boss!”

  “Sure thing, boss~”

  “You…” Soma sighed, as Kiana and Diana both grinned at him. “Whatever. Let's move on, then.”

  “Of course.”

  “Where to~? Next job~?” He shook his head.

  “This place was the last app for today. Now, we’ll get you two clothes.”

  “Oh, finally! I’m pretty sure this suit is about to tear!”

  “…” Kiana silently looked at her sister, before looking back to her own clothes, threatening to slide off at any moment if she let her guard slip. Diana, of course, noticed her look and gave her shorter sister a smile.

  “Tiny~”

  “Shush, you dolt!”

  The three left the library behind, with the two rabbits following behind Soma as he led them to a nearby clothing store. It was only a short walk away, and not a particularly fancy or destitute establishment. In other words, a perfectly average store. As they entered the building, both Kiana and Diana let out gasps of shock at the impressive sight. Rows and rows of racks holding a wide selection of diverse outfits to choose from. Of course, when it came to his companions… anything could be made exceptional.

  “Earthling clothing…” Kiana muttered, her eyes spinning from the overwhelming abundance.

  “There's so much!” Exclaimed Diana who, contrary to her sister, was left excited by the diversity, rather than stunned. Before she had seemed only vaguely interested, but now her desire had been sparked.

  The two rabbits eagerly rushed into the store, not unlike two dogs being unleashed into the dog park. “Hey, wait—” He tried to call out, but they disappeared between the clothing racks almost immediately. They remained only visible thanks to their heads bobbing over the tops of the racks. The thought of their ears, hidden now due to some strange technique, bouncing over the top gave Soma no small amount of amusement. But before he could think too much about it, he noticed that the two were beginning to receive a variety of looks—good and bad alike. He rushed in after them to intervene.

  He found the two eagerly chattering about some of the clothes they had found. “Calm down you two!" He exclaimed, surprising them both. "You’re making a scene!”

  “What’s wrong with that~?” replied Diana, but a look from Kiana shut her up. “Fine, fine.” She shrugged, disappointed but not complaining. “Anyways… So we can pick whatever we want?”

  “As long as you can carry it home. We don’t have the car today, after all.” He then gestured to a set of changing rooms across the store. “Once you’ve got your pick, you try it on in there. If it doesn’t fit, put it back. Okay?”

  “Okay!” The twins said in sync. Soma took a step back and allowed them free reign once more. As they moved around the store gathering what clothes they may, he found it was strangely… endearing, watching them move. Hje didn’t know how to explain it. But then again, I guess I don’t need to.

  Eventually, they gathered their clothes and made their way to the changing room as commanded. Soma followed close behind, only stopping to wait outside. The boring part of clothes shopping… Waiting on others to finish their part.

  “Hey, Soma, this one feels kinda small… what do you think?”

  “Hm? Then try a— What are you d-doing!?”

  There, standing in the open, was none other than Diana herself… dressed in a clearly too-small pair of underwear. She tilted her head.

  “What?”

  “G-Go back inside!”

  “Eh? But you didn't give me an answer!”

  “Just go!” Although his face burned as red as a tomato, Soma rushed forward and quickly shoved Diana back into the changing closet. “Y-You can’t just walk out half-naked like that!”

  “It was only for a bit…” Diana shrugged. “Anyways, hurry up and tell me what you think!”

  “Wha…” That's when Soma realized she was, in fact, still dressed in only underwear. As short as he was, and as tall as she was, it made for a precarious situation. A glance up at her face revealed a grin as smug as only a rabbit’s could be. “Y-You… intended this, didn’t you…”

  “Ehh~? Definitely not. No way.”

  “…It’s too damn small.”

  “I thought so too~” She reached up to take off the strap, maintaining eye contact as she did.

  "You—" He grit his teeth and rushed out of the room as her giggles followed right behind him. Back outside, he covered his face in humiliation. Hook, line, and sinker. Idiot or not, I can’t underestimate that one… He thought to himself.

  “Ma— Soma, can I get your opinion?”

  “Kiana? What—” The moment he saw the shorter rabbit twin, he nearly slammed his head into the wall. Just the same as her sister, Kiana was dressed in only underwear standing before him—albeit, her pair actually fit. “Why— Do you two have no sense!?” Immediately, Soma took Kiana by the wrist and dragged her back into her changing closet.

  “Earthlings are too conservative…” Kiana muttered, giving Soma a strange look as the young man collapsed on the ground. “Regardless, Master, in your opinion… does the white or the pink look better on me?” As she spoke, Kiana held up two separate pairs of underwear, both more cute than anything.

  “C-Can’t you ask Diana for her opinion instead…?”

  “Of course not. Diana is a stranger to Earthling culture, and you are our guide. Why wouldn’t I ask you?” Kiana let out a sigh. "If you haven't noticed, we don't know how Earthlings should dress."

  Soma flinched. He despised that there was logic to her words. After a moment, he sighed. “I like the white…” Kiana smiled. She set down the pink, and much like her sister, began to change in front of Soma. “Wait ‘tilI’m out!” He cried, rushing out of the closet.

  A few minutes later, he found himself sitting on the bench, covering his face with his palms. Despite his insistence, the pair had continually left the changing room to ask for his opinions, both dressed and undressed. As a result, the young man found himself exhausted with the rabbit twin’s antics, and thus took a much-needed sit down. “Just as expected, I guess…”

  He pulled out his phone to pass the time as he waited for them to finish trying new clothes. But just as he did, a curious news alert popped up on his screen. He shrugged and tapped the notification.

  Alert: An unknown creature has appeared at Crest National Airport. Please avoid the area until the situation has been contained. All flights have been canceled. Please stay home and avoid the area around the airport.

  Soma’s eyes went wide. On the alert was a picture of… truthfully, he didn’t know how to describe it. More importantly, he didn’t care. The creature in the picture was wreaking havoc at the airport. His eyes glanced over to the time.

  12:00 P.M on the dot. The same time as Maya’s departure.