The flash of the portal faded, and we found ourselves in the middle of the familiar room in the old Occult Research Club building. The usual setting—fireplace, sofas, bookshelves—seemed almost surreal after wandering the magical forest. The air here was dry and warm, a contrast to the damp coolness of the Forest of Familiars.
The first thing I did was try to shake the uninvited passenger off my head.
"Alright, we're here. Get off," I grumbled, reaching a hand toward the rabbit.
It gave an indignant squeak but obediently leaped onto my shoulder, and from there, to the floor. Once on a solid surface, it immediately adopted an air of importance, as if it hadn't just been sitting on my head, and began to curiously inspect the unfamiliar room. Its black, crimson-tipped ears twitched, catching the sounds and smells.
Before I could even say a word, I was hit with a barrage of questions from Rias's team.
"Jin! What was that?! How did you and Riser end up there?!" Issei bounced over to me, his eyes burning with curiosity.
"Yes, Izayoi-kun, do tell! What kind of 'training' was it? And why did Riser look like… he'd been chased through the entire forest?" Akeno smiled her sly smile, clearly anticipating some juicy details.
"And this rabbit..." Rias looked with interest at the long-eared creature, which was already busily sniffing the leg of a chair. "Is it really your familiar? How did you find it?"
Kiba and Koneko also watched expectantly.
I felt like I was being interrogated. I had zero desire to explain the whole absurd story of Riser's "therapy," his hysterics, the chase through the woods, and accidentally ending up in the Forest of Familiars. I needed to come up with an excuse, fast.
"Uh... long story," I rubbed the back of my neck, pretending to be awkward. "Let's just say, Phoenix and I got a little… carried away with sparring. We misjudged our power, and it threw us into that forest by accident. We wandered around for who knows how long. And this thing,"—I nodded at the rabbit—"it just latched on."
I took a step toward the exit.
"Besides, I'm covered in grime from all that wandering," I brushed non-existent dust from my shoulder for effect. "I probably smell like a forest troll. I think I'll head home, take a bath. I'll tell you the story... some other time."
My excuse was weak, but I hoped the mention of a bad smell would make them back off. The rabbit, hearing my words, immediately ran over to me, tilted its head back, and diligently sniffed my pants, then hopped, trying to reach my head. Not smelling anything suspicious, it looked at me, then at the others, its face a mask of utter confusion: 'What smell? He smells fine to me…'
Akeno giggled, noticing its reaction.
"Ara-ara, Izayoi-kun, don't exaggerate. You look quite… fresh. But if you want to rest, we understand."
Rias smiled too, though curiosity still danced in her eyes. "Alright, Jin. Get some rest. But you will tell us everything later. Including about the rabbit."
"Yeah, yeah," I muttered, making a hasty retreat to the door. The rabbit immediately ran up and leaped onto my shoulder, clearly having no intention of staying behind. "See ya."
I hurried out of the club, feeling their curious gazes on my back. Dodged. For now.
...
The walk to my new home—the mansion gifted by Sirzechs—took some time. I walked through the evening streets of Kuoh, the rabbit sitting on my shoulder, curiously observing the passersby and shop windows. Its ears would occasionally change color from black-and-crimson to pink or blue, reacting to something interesting or frightening. People we passed stared in surprise at the strange guy with a black rabbit on his shoulder, but I tried to ignore them.
Finally, I reached my new home.
"Well, long-ears, here we are," I said, letting the rabbit go in first. "This is our home now. You can look around."
The rabbit jumped off my shoulder and froze on the threshold of the spacious hall. Its ruby eyes widened in amazement. It slowly turned its head, taking in the high ceilings, the marble floor, the wide staircase leading to the second floor. Then it looked at me as if to ask, 'All this… is ours?'
"Yeah, you're home," I confirmed, closing the door. "You can run wherever you want. Just don't chew on anything or break it."
And then the rabbit just burst. With a happy squeak, it darted forward. It raced around the hall, peeked into the living room with its expensive furniture and fireplace, bounced on the soft carpet, and jumped, trying to reach the crystal pendants on the chandelier. Its ears glowed with every shade of pink—the color of pure, unadulterated delight. It was like a kid in a toy store.
I watched it with a slight smirk. This mansion was just a comfortable place to sleep for me, but for the little rabbit, it seemed to have become an entire world full of wonders.
"Alright, have fun," I said. "I'm going to take a bath. A real, hot bath."
I went up to the second floor, leaving the rabbit to explore its new domain. The sounds of its happy hops and squeaks drifted up from below for a long time. It seemed this strange familiar was pleased.
...
The next morning began with a problem. I woke up to something persistently nudging my cheek with a wet nose. Opening my eyes, I saw the face of the black rabbit. It was sitting on my pillow, staring at me expectantly.
"What do you want?" I mumbled sleepily.
The rabbit squeaked and pointed its paw at the door. Time to get up?
I got up, went to wash my face. The rabbit followed me, pattering on its short legs. While I brushed my teeth, it sat on the edge of the sink, watching intently. When I started changing into my school uniform, it hopped onto the bed and stared at me.
"Okay, long-ears, listen up," I said, buttoning my shirt. "I'm going to school. You are staying here. Got it? Here. At home."
The rabbit tilted its head, its ears drooping in confusion. Then it shook its head 'no' and squeaked again, pointing its paw at the door, then at me. It wanted to come with me.
"No," I said firmly. "Animals aren't allowed in school. It's the rules. You'll stay here. I'll be back after classes."
The rabbit pouted. Its ears turned a dark crimson. It hopped off the bed and blocked my path to the door, splaying its paws and putting on its most threatening look.
"Don't make me laugh," I tried to step around it.
It immediately latched onto my pant leg, refusing to let me pass.
"Gah, let go!" I tried to shake it off, but it held on tight.
Then it used a forbidden technique. It let go of my pants, flopped onto the floor, rolled its eyes back, and… played dead. Paws curled, ears splayed limply. Just lay there, not breathing.
"Oh, what is this circus…" I groaned. "You think I'm going to fall for that?"
I stepped over it and headed for the door. It instantly sprang up, ran, blocked my path again, and started squeaking pitifully, looking up at me with its huge ruby eyes, which were welling up with tears. It was literally begging me to take it.
I sighed. It was useless to argue with this stubborn creature. And leaving it alone in this huge house… who knows what trouble it would get into out of boredom or spite.
"Fine! Dammit! You can come!" I gave in. "But you sit quiet and don't make a scene! Got it?"
The rabbit's ears instantly turned bright pink. It hopped joyfully and, in one leap, landed in its usual spot—on my head.
"Not on my head!" I groaned. "On my shoulder, at least!"
The rabbit reluctantly slid down to my shoulder, settled in comfortably, and got ready to leave. I looked at myself in the mirror. A guy with a black rabbit on his shoulder. It looked… weird. Very weird. I sighed heavily. This was going to be a stressful day at school.
...
And so I walked through the halls of Kuoh Academy, feeling dozens of curious, surprised, and mocking stares. The rabbit on my shoulder was relatively well-behaved, just looking around curiously and wiggling its ears. Some students came up, asking what kind of animal it was, if they could pet it. I gave the same answer: "It's rabid. Don't touch."
When Issei saw me, he first burst out laughing, then said with envy, "You're so lucky! Such a cute familiar! I couldn't even find one dragon I liked…"
Aika Kiryuu just shook her head when she saw me. "Izayoi, you always have to stand out from the crowd. Now with a rabbit on your shoulder, too."
I tried to ignore the whispers and stares, but I felt incredibly awkward. Especially when the rabbit started to move or its ears changed color in reaction to something.
During one class—a boring history lecture, I think—I was sitting by the window, trying to focus on the teacher's words. The rabbit had hopped from my shoulder to the windowsill and was staring outside, watching the birds or the clouds. Its ears twitched now and then.
Suddenly, the classroom door opened quietly, and on the threshold stood… the Student Council Vice President, Tsubaki Shinra. She scanned the room with a stern gaze behind her glasses and stopped on me.
"Izayoi Jin," her voice was cold and official. "Please come with me to the Student Council office. Immediately."
The teacher and the entire class looked at me in surprise.
"What's the problem?" I asked, standing up.
Tsubaki gestured with her chin toward the windowsill, where the rabbit was now cowering, its ears pressed flat in fear.
"Bringing pets to class is forbidden at Kuoh Academy," she stated flatly. "President Sona Sitri wishes to discuss this violation of the rules with you personally."