The excitement in the house hadn't faded yet.
Erika's father was still beaming, with an energy that hadn't been seen in him for years. He couldn't stop talking about how his daughter was now a hunter, puffing out his chest with pride as if he himself had defeated the goblin. He was the one who enthusiastically proposed a small celebration. Nothing too big—just something homemade, with good food and a few trusted neighbors. Any excuse was good enough to celebrate.
Roy, the younger brother, was especially electrified.
"Can I see it?! The goblin's gem? Please, please!" he asked, practically bouncing around Erika.
But their mother reacted quickly, before he could touch the core with his sweaty little hands.
"No, Roy! This is not a toy. And if you break it... no, no, no, leave it there," she said, putting herself between the boy and the table where Erika had placed the gem.
"Aah... that's so unfair..." Roy grumbled, puffing out his cheeks, but soon got distracted. "Was the goblin really ugly? Did it smell bad? Did it have teeth?"
Erika, delighted with the attention, smiled and began narrating the entire scene with enthusiasm, exaggerating some details with teenage dramatics while using her arms to mimic the rabbits' movements during the battle.
Roy listened with his mouth open, clinging to every word as if he were watching an action movie.
It wasn't long before the parents decided to go out to buy ingredients for dinner. They already had rice and some meat, but they wanted something special: cake, maybe ice cream, and some snacks for the invited neighbors.
"We'll be back later!" the mother called out as she closed the door.
But neither Erika nor Roy heard her. They were too busy recreating the battle scene, with Roy using a cushion as a shield and Erika wielding a spoon like an improvised spear.
From the top of the couch, Jack watched silently.
His expression was neutral, but his ears twitched slightly with every word, every noise. The family's euphoria was tiring. He decided he'd had enough of the chaos and that maybe it was a good time to explore the territory.
With a nimble leap, he jumped down from the back of the couch and began to explore the small apartment. The sound of his paws was barely noticeable on the floor. Within seconds, the two other rabbits stopped marking territory and followed him like faithful shadows, abandoning their domestic conquest rituals out of pure curiosity.
The bedroom doors were open, letting air circulate through the narrow space. The whole home had a warm, humble atmosphere: walls with fine cracks, old fans instead of air conditioning, reused but clean furniture.
The parents' room was the first he explored. It was larger, orderly, with a closet that took up almost an entire wall. Jack only peeked in before losing interest.
Next.
The second room left no doubt: white and pink, clean carpet, floral curtains, stuffed animals on the shelves… and a pair of dumbbells on the side. A peculiar mix of tenderness and discipline. Erika's.
The other room was a complete contrast. The floor was covered with toys, some still with tags, others broken. Posters of animated heroes, a desk full of crayons, and a headless robot. Roy's.
Jack showed no preference. To him, it was all simply information. New terrain. A reconnaissance routine.
The rabbits followed him attentively, without making a sound, as if they were his personal escort. Where he looked, they sniffed. Where he turned, they jumped ahead, as if trying to anticipate his movements.
In this world, it was the closest thing he had to a patrol of his own kind.
Jack calmly returned to the living room, moving with that silent elegance that now felt natural to him. His paws made barely any noise on the floor, but even so, Roy noticed him immediately.
The boy stared wide-eyed, holding the back of his neck thoughtfully. His mind spun like wild propellers. No matter how he tried, he couldn't understand how something so small—a simple pet, by appearance—had defeated a monster.
"That goblin…" he murmured. "It can wipe out an entire family if it catches them off guard. And you killed it?"
It wasn't a direct question, but Jack understood. He remained there, looking up at him from the floor, unmoved. He didn't deny it.
"Eri!" Roy exclaimed, whipping around to face his sister. "Don't you get tired of having them summoned all the time? I saw a video that said summons drain your magic power to stay in our world!"
Erika stopped petting one of the rabbits and blinked a couple of times.
"Eh… no, not really." She shrugged. "My magic regeneration is higher than what the three of them consume combined from my reserves."
She paused, bringing a hand to her chin while thinking aloud.
"Maybe later I'll buy a spellbook… I don't know how to use ranged weapons. Or maybe I'll get a rune-automated weapon… those are cheaper than a magic tome, I think."
She let out a soft laugh, imagining herself casting spells like a powerful comic book mage.
Roy, however, had a different vision.
"Learn support magic!" he said, practically jumping in place. "That way you can cover two roles! And if you learn healing magic—even better!"
Jack, from his corner, silently agreed.
He had to admit—the boy had a good point.
From a tactical perspective, a summoner already brings value through their creatures, but their role in a team doesn't increase much with offensive spells. Everyone wants big damage… until things go wrong. And at that moment, everyone begs for a support. A healer could mean the difference between a clean retreat or a massacre.
"I'm with you on that one, kid. You've got a good head," Jack thought, crossing his paws with a reflective air.
But Erika wasn't so convinced.
"I don't know… I want to shoot lightning from my fingers and summon hell upon my enemies!" she said, raising her hands like she was triggering an imaginary battlefield.
Roy laughed, accepting the answer with a resigned smile. He couldn't blame her. Everyone wanted to be flashy and explosive at first.
Jack, on his part, ended the exchange and began looking for a good place to lie down. It was now obvious he wouldn't be sent back to the forest—at least, not anytime soon.
After a calm inspection, he picked a corner near the window, where the air flowed and the floor was cool. He settled down with the precision of someone who valued rest as a strategic resource.
The other rabbits watched him from a distance, unsure whether to follow or give him space.
Jack simply closed his eyes, allowing himself a brief nap.
He had killed a goblin. Now he was the strongest rabbit in the house.
And he had the ventilated sofa corner to prove it.
The afternoon faded into loud laughter and voices. When Erika's parents returned with bags full of food, they didn't come alone: close friends followed, drawn by the news and the promise of a small celebration. There was no shortage of beer or homemade liquor, and soon the modest apartment was filled with the warm buzz of a shared victory.
Erika was the center of attention.
"Our hunter!" someone shouted, clumsily raising a glass.
The congratulations came with hugs, backslaps, and jokes about how they could now finally move to a bigger apartment. It was all joy, noise, and movement. Even Jack, from his usual corner, watched with mild fascination the chaotic energy of a home in celebration.
But as the night wore on and the drinks flowed, the mood shifted.
Laughter quieted. Words grew slower, slurred. And in the emotion-heavy air, the blessings began. One by one, the drunken voices offered Erika something between a wish and a plea:
"Always come home… please."
"May the monsters never get you, sweet girl."
"Just don't get sent into a black rift… please, not there."
Her mother, who had kept herself composed until then, broke down.
It only took a second of distraction—a lingering glance at the gray core Erika had yet to store—and the image of her daughter facing unspeakable horrors gripped her chest like a claw.
"I'm sorry… it's just…" Her tears fell silently. "I thought I'd be happy, but… but this is real… Erika…"
Her husband tried to comfort her, but he too was crying. Not from fear, but pride. Because his daughter had become a hunter. Because she wouldn't have to skip meals so Roy could eat seconds.
Because she had done it for them.
Roy was no longer present. He'd been sent to bed some time ago, grumbling with promises of waking up at midnight to rejoin the party. He had school in the morning, and Erika made sure he went to sleep with a smile on his face.
The night ended like a held breath. Some adults fell asleep on the couches, others left with slurred hugs and promises to meet again soon. Jack stayed awake a while longer, watchful, observing how the remnants of celebration were scattered across the living room like the aftermath of an emotional battle.
By dawn, Erika woke before anyone else.
She got dressed quietly, in clean, simple but functional clothes. She pocketed her new license, checked the time, and gave the messy living room one last look. Then she turned to Jack, who was already awake, eyes open from his usual spot.
"Today I'm meeting up with some friends," she said softly. "They said if I passed the exam, they'd let me join their team. We're all in the same guild. Rank E… the leader's Rank D."
She didn't expect a reply, but said it anyway. Maybe to make it feel more real.
Then, without disturbing anyone else, Erika left the house—accompanied by her summons.