The Golden Fleece, a colossal cruise ship owned by Odyssey Maritime Academy, loomed like a floating fortress against the twilight sea. Mash Burnedead, tasked with capturing the elusive "White Rabbit" – Koyuki Kurosaki – to save Millennium from financial ruin, had infiltrated the vessel alongside four members of C&C. Their mission: covert, precise, and absolutely not a frontal assault. Yet, as they huddled in a dimly lit corridor, Mash's suggestion cut through the tension like a blunt knife.
"So, I was thinking… wouldn't it be easier to just charge in head-on?" Mash said, his tone as earnest as ever.
"Rejected," came the immediate, unified response from the C&C team.
"Yeah, figured…" Mash muttered, scratching the back of his head.
"Listen, Sensei," Neru snapped, her voice sharp enough to slice through steel. "This is a stealth mission, not a bar brawl. Why would you even suggest storming in like that?"
"It just seemed… faster?" Mash offered, his usual confidence wavering under her glare.
"That's how you turn a simple job into a full-blown disaster," Neru retorted. "The White Rabbit would be the least of our problems then."
"Urk…" Mash flinched.
"I get that you're antsy because of Millennium's crisis," Neru sighed, softening slightly. "But cool it, alright?"
"…Sorry," Mash said, chastened.
The team regrouped, hashing out their strategy. Mash's straightforward approach was shot down, and he took a moment to steady himself, the weight of Millennium's predicament still pressing on him.
"Alright, meeting's over," Neru declared, her third-year authority finally kicking in.
"Wow, Leader's actually acting like a senior for once! So cool~!" Asuna chirped, her playful grin sparking mischief.
"What's so cool about it?!" Neru barked. "And for the record, I was against bringing Sensei along on this one."
"Ehh? Why not?" Asuna pouted.
"That accountant said it, didn't she? 'Sensei's here to keep an eye on C&C.' That's what's got me ticked off. So what if I broke a few things? Big deal!"
"Those 'few things' cost over five digits to fix," Karin interjected dryly. "I've seen Yuuka crying over the bills more times than I can count."
"Sh-Shut up! I had to, okay? The target would've gotten away otherwise!" Neru protested, her face reddening.
Mash blinked, a small smile tugging at his lips. "Huh. Sounds like you and I aren't so different, Neru-senpai."
"Don't you dare lump us together!" Neru shouted, pointing an accusatory finger. "And stop looking so relieved!"
C&C was Millennium's elite task force, professionals who handled any mission with surgical precision. But their penchant for collateral damage – Neru's reckless destruction and Akane's indiscriminate explosions – left a trail of astronomical repair bills, much to Yuuka's eternal dismay. That's why Mash, the muscle-bound observer, was assigned to rein them in. For Neru, who thrived on chaos, being babysat was nothing short of infuriating.
"Alright, Neru-san, calm down," Mash said, raising his hands placatingly. "Once this is over, I'll let you use my body however you want."
"…Your body?" Neru's eyebrow shot up, her tone suspicious.
"Yeah," Mash nodded, oblivious.
"You mean, like… 'Fight me to blow off steam' kinda deal, right? Right?" Neru pressed, her eyes narrowing.
"Is there… another way?" Mash asked, genuinely confused.
Neru groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Listen up, Sensei. Never, ever say stuff like 'I'll give you my body' or 'Use me however you want' to other students. And 'I'll do anything you ask' is off-limits too. Got it?"
"Oh, uh… I already said that last one," Mash admitted sheepishly.
"What?!" Neru's voice hit a new octave. "Don't you dare say it again! You hear me?!"
"Y-Yes, ma'am," Mash stammered.
"Let's move," Neru huffed, storming off down the corridor. Mash trailed behind, visibly deflated, muttering to himself, "Did I mess up somewhere…?"
The other C&C members stepped in, trying to smooth things over.
"Sensei, what Neru-senpai means is don't sell yourself short," Karin explained gently.
"Sell myself?" Mash tilted his head.
"She's saying to value your body," Akane clarified. "Treat it with care."
"Oh, like if you guys said, 'I'll lend my body to some adult!' or something?" Asuna chimed in, her tone teasing. "What would you do then, Sensei?"
"I'd tell you to respect yourselves," Mash said, nodding as the realization hit. "Got it."
"Exactly!" Asuna giggled. "You're so clueless about your own body sometimes~"
"Oi! Quit yapping and keep up!" Neru called from ahead.
"Yes, ma'am!" the team chorused.
Mash mulled it over. Clueless about my own body… Maybe they had a point. Lately, he'd been feeling oddly detached, like his own existence didn't matter as much. The reason? He wasn't sure.
"(I'll figure it out later)," Mash thought, shaking it off. "So, what's the plan from here?"
"First, we secure a base," Karin said. "We'll head to the guest deck, find an empty room, and set up a temporary hub."
"That way, we can talk freely without outsiders eavesdropping," Neru added.
"Makes sense," Mash nodded.
"After that, we hit the system room, disable their surveillance, and pinpoint the White Rabbit's location," Karin continued.
But before she could finish, a sharp voice cut through the air.
"Who's there?!"
"Oh no!" Asuna gasped.
"?!" Mash froze.
"Damn it," Karin muttered.
"Well, that's just great," Neru growled.
They braced for a fight, minds racing for a way out—until the source of the voice appeared. And then, all thoughts screeched to a halt.
"What are you doing here?!" demanded a girl in a black bunny costume, her confident stride clashing with her absurd outfit.
"…A bunny?" Mash blinked.
The team stared, dumbfounded, as a bunny girl stood before them, radiating authority despite her attire. Seconds ticked by before the group—minus Asuna—flushed red with embarrassment.
"What kind of outfit is that?!" Neru sputtered.
"…What?" the bunny girl replied, unfazed.
"It's… quite something…" Karin stammered, struggling for words.
"Eee! So cute~!" Asuna squealed, clapping her hands.
"Sensei, don't look!" Karin hissed, covering Mash's eyes with both hands. "This is probably one of those things you're not supposed to see!"
"Really?" Mash asked, unperturbed.
"It's… a guy shouldn't look at this!" Karin insisted, her face burning.
Karin's hands stayed clamped over Mash's eyes, though he remained oddly calm. The bunny girl, meanwhile, raised an eyebrow.
"How rude. And… maids? Why are you dressed like that? Aren't you embarrassed?"
"Don't you dare lecture us!" Neru snapped, her temper flaring.
"You're not even security…" the bunny girl mused, her eyes narrowing. "Suspicious. Oi, over here! Assemble!"
"Tch!" Neru clicked her tongue.
The bunny girl's call for backup sent a jolt through the team. Without thinking, Neru lunged, knocking her out with a single, precise strike.
"…Oops," Neru said, wincing.
"You really did it now," Karin sighed.
"Well, it's not a commotion yet—'Hey, what was that noise?!' 'Intruders?!' 'Over here, now!'" Akane's voice trailed off as shouts echoed down the corridor. "…Never mind."
"What now, Leader?" Karin asked.
"—We're screwed~♪" Asuna sang.
Footsteps thundered closer. Neru opened her mouth to order a retreat, but Mash had other plans.
"Sensei, what are you doing?!" Neru shouted as Mash stepped forward.
"I'll take them out before it becomes a scene," Mash said, cracking his knuckles.
"What?!"
"If I knock out every witness… it's basically stealth, right?" Mash said, a smug grin spreading across his face.
"Don't look so proud of that logic!" Neru yelled, but after a beat, she shrugged. "Eh, you've got a point."
"This is my specialty. Leave it to me!" Mash declared, launching forward with a whoosh.
C&C reached for their weapons, ready to back him up, but quickly realized their help wasn't needed. The corridor echoed with the dull thuds of Mash's fists meeting their marks. In mere minutes, he returned, dusting off his hands.
"All clear," Mash announced.
"Man, those guys had some bad luck," Neru said, almost pityingly.
"Sensei's as ridiculous as ever," Karin murmured. "Catching my rifle rounds was one thing, but this…"
"For now, no one's raising the alarm," Mash said. "What's next?"
"We need info," Neru said, hefting the unconscious bunny girl over her shoulder. "Let's take her with us."
"I've got rope," Mash offered.
"That's a chain, Sensei," Neru corrected, exasperated. "You'll kill someone with that!"
"Just thought it'd be easier…" Mash mumbled.
"She'd die of blood loss first!" Neru snapped.
Grumbling, Neru took charge, and the team stashed the unconscious crew in empty rooms and shadows before heading to the upper deck.
"…Something feels good over there!" Asuna suddenly declared, darting off on her own.
The team holed up in a luxurious guest room, munching on cream puffs Mash had somehow smuggled in. The familiar custard flavor was a small comfort amidst the chaos.
"This place is like a hotel," Mash remarked, chewing.
"Even Millennium doesn't have anything this fancy," Karin agreed, taking a bite.
"Feels too posh," Neru grumbled, mid-bite.
"…Can someone address the elephant in the room?" Akane said, glaring.
"What's that?" Mash asked, still chewing.
"These cream puffs! Where'd you get them?!" Neru demanded.
"Snuck 'em in," Mash said casually. "Don't worry, kept it under 300 yen."
"This isn't a field trip!" Neru roared.
"Want one?" Mash offered.
"…Fine, gimme," Neru muttered, snatching a puff.
As they ate, Mash glanced at the bunny girl, now tied up and seated on a chair. "This… doesn't look too bad, right? Visually?"
"It's normal for us," Neru shrugged. "Honestly, I went easy on her."
"Normally, Leader would've tied her limbs and tossed her into the sea," Akane said dryly.
"Shut it, Akane! Depends on the situation!" Neru shot back.
"You're not denying it," Akane noted.
Mash suddenly frowned. "Wait… where's Asuna?"
"It's fine. That's just Asuna being Asuna," Karin said.
"Classic Asuna," Neru agreed.
"Such weird trust…" Mash muttered. "Alright, I'll rescue her if she needs it. What's next?"
"We need to hit the system room," Karin said. "But first, we've got a problem."
"A problem?" Mash asked.
"Our clothes," Karin said, pulling out a stack of colorful bunny suits.
Akane explained: on this ship, bunny suits were the equivalent of uniforms. Their maid outfits screamed "outsider," so to blend in and catch Koyuki faster, they'd need to change.
"Let's get it over with," Akane said, handing out the suits.
"I'll step over there," Mash said, heading to a corner.
"Thanks, Sensei!" Asuna's voice called, though she was still AWOL.
"Seriously? We're doing this?" Neru groaned.
"It's for the mission," Karin said firmly.
"Tch…" Neru muttered.
"…It's a bit tight, but whatever," Karin sighed.
Mash sat facing the wall, trying to ignore the rustling behind him. Bunny suits were bold, but he'd seen similar outfits on friends before, so it wasn't that shocking.
A few minutes later, Akane called him back. "What do you think, Sensei?"
Neru, in a red bunny suit with a bomber jacket, tugged at the fabric. "This is stiff. Especially up top."
Karin, in a black bunny suit with fishnets, shifted uncomfortably. "This… feels a bit embarrassing."
Akane, in a white bunny suit with tights and a jacket, looked poised. "Well?"
High schoolers in such daring outfits were… a lot. Mash stared, silent.
"Say something!" Neru snapped. "Or what, you don't care? I heard you're oblivious to this stuff."
"Is that true?" Karin asked.
"Something about his past," Neru said vaguely.
"Interesting…" Akane mused.
Mash was indeed indifferent to such things. But at that moment, something stirred—a door in his soul creaked open.
Crack!
With a swift motion, Mash slammed an iron staff against his own head, startling the team.
"Ngh?!" they gasped.
"…Phew. Let's get back to the mission," Mash said, wiping blood from his forehead.
"Wait, what was that?!" Neru shrieked.
"You just… hit yourself with a staff!" Karin exclaimed.
"Yeah, uh… a bad door was about to open," Mash said. "One that'd change me in a weird way."
"A… bad door?" Karin echoed, bewildered.
Before they could press further, Mash smiled. "You three look cute."
"Urk!" Karin flushed.
"Oh… thanks," Akane said, caught off guard.
"Gah, you're throwing me off!" Neru yelled, her face red.
Satisfied with his honest compliment, Mash moved to continue—until Akane stopped him.
"Now it's your turn, Sensei."
"…Me?" Mash blinked.
"You're too recognizable in Kivotos," Akane explained. "You need a disguise."
"I've got my Shoo-kun mask," Mash protested.
"Nope, not enough," Neru said, grinning. "You know what's coming."
"It's only fair if we're all in these," Karin added.
"Bet you'd rock a bunny suit, Sensei," Neru teased.
"…I'm gonna run—" Mash started, but C&C's elite force was faster. In moments, he was restrained and forced into a tight black bunny suit, complete with stockings straining against his muscular thighs.
"—Pyon," Mash said flatly, striking a pose.
"Pfft!" Neru doubled over, laughing.
"This is…" Karin stammered, torn between awe and horror.
"Uh… sorry?" Akane offered weakly.
"Don't apologize… it makes it worse," Mash groaned.
"I got carried away," Akane admitted. "A guy in a bunny suit… I was curious."
"I'm gonna jump in the sea," Mash muttered.
"No, Sensei, we're sorry! Don't do anything drastic!" Karin pleaded.
"Hahaha!" Neru cackled.
"Leader, stop laughing!" Karin snapped.
"…I'll never get married now," Mash sighed.
Eventually, Mash swapped the bunny suit for a tuxedo, topping it with a rabbit-ear headband—a compromise. Unbeknownst to him, Akane had secretly snapped a photo of his bunny look, destined for Veritas's servers.
---------------------------------
✨ Want early access to the latest chapters and exclusive content? Support me on Patreon and unlock special perks!
👉 [patreon.com/Greyhounds]