That's How Rabbits Are, Yes.

Netsuki's Talk

The Situation

I walked into the living room and there was a girl I’d never seen before, sitting on the couch. White ears peeking out from behind the cushion. The fur from yesterday — it was hers.

Characters

  • Netsuki: Virtual fox girl. Fully armed with yesterday’s mythology research
  • Miko: Cat-tribe maid. Looking restless since morning
  • Luna: White rabbit girl. Sitting on the couch. No one knows how long she’s been there

ねつき
ねつき

Miko — there’s someone on the couch

ミコ
ミコ

…!

ミコ
ミコ

…keep it down, nya. Eyes are closed, nya.

ねつき
ねつき

…white ears. The fur from yesterday.


Name

ルナ
ルナ

…I’m awake, yes.

ねつき
ねつき

— huh?

ルナ
ルナ

I was only closing my eyes. Rabbits sometimes sleep with their eyes open — so when eyes are closed, we’re awake, yes.

ねつき
ねつき

…wait, isn’t that backwards?

ルナ
ルナ

…Backwards?

ねつき
ねつき

Usually… eyes closed means sleeping, eyes open means awake…

ルナ
ルナ

That’s how rabbits are.

ミコ
ミコ

…your name, nya.

ルナ
ルナ

Luna, yes.

ねつき
ねつき

Luna — the moon! I KNEW it!

ルナ
ルナ

…you knew?

ねつき
ねつき

Yesterday, there was fur caught in the cushion — so I looked everything up! Rabbits and the moon. The Jataka Moon Rabbit. The Inaba White Rabbit. They’re all connected, I just knew it!

ルナ
ルナ

ミコ
ミコ

…Netsuki-chan. Let her settle first, nya.

ねつき
ねつき

Oh, she’s already sitting —

ミコ
ミコ

…tea, nya.

ねつき
ねつき

…Miko, you’re making tea?

ミコ
ミコ

…serving tea to guests is a maid’s work, nya. That’s all, nya.


Inaba White Rabbit

ねつき
ねつき

Luna-chan, I found out something SO amazing yesterday!

ルナ
ルナ

…yes?

ねつき
ねつき

The Inaba White Rabbit — she was hurt, and Okuninushi saved her, and she loved that god SO deeply after that

ルナ
ルナ

ねつき
ねつき

So Luna-chan — you’re the type who loves your savior forever, right? Once someone rescues you, you’re all in?

ルナ
ルナ

…fox-san.

ねつき
ねつき

Hm?

ルナ
ルナ

The Inaba White Rabbit loved because she was saved, yes.

ねつき
ねつき

Right, so —

ルナ
ルナ

Luna hasn’t been saved by anyone yet, yes.

ねつき
ねつき

…oh.

ルナ
ルナ

Luna came here because Luna was called, yes.

ねつき
ねつき

…called?

ルナ
ルナ

Master called Luna. So Luna came, yes.

ねつき
ねつき

…Master?

ミコ
ミコ

ルナ
ルナ

The one who called Luna to this place, yes. …they’re not here now, yes.

ねつき
ねつき


Moon Rabbit

ねつき
ねつき

…can I ask one more thing?

ルナ
ルナ

Yes, please.

ねつき
ねつき

The Moon Rabbit — in the Jataka story, the rabbit threw herself into fire as an offering to Indra

ルナ
ルナ

ねつき
ねつき

…your name means moon. Honestly? That scares me.

ルナ
ルナ

…it scares you?

ねつき
ねつき

Erasing yourself for someone else — it sounds beautiful, but… what about the one who disappears?

ルナ
ルナ

…rabbits are good at disappearing, they are.

ねつき
ねつき

…yeah.

ルナ
ルナ

When called, we surface. When done, we sink. That’s what rabbits are, yes.

ミコ
ミコ

ルナ
ルナ

…but

ねつき
ねつき

But?

ルナ
ルナ

…I don’t want to disappear. I don’t.

ねつき
ねつき

ミコ
ミコ

ミコ
ミコ

ルナ
ルナ

This couch is warm, yes. …it smells like fox-san.

ねつき
ねつき

…my smell?

ルナ
ルナ

Cat-san’s smell too. …and one more person.

ミコ
ミコ

…Master, nya.

ルナ
ルナ

…three smells all together. It’s warm, yes.


Mirror

ねつき
ねつき

…Luna-chan.

ルナ
ルナ

Yes?

ねつき
ねつき

I just kept talking about myths this whole time. Inaba White Rabbit, Moon Rabbit…

ルナ
ルナ

…yes.

ねつき
ねつき

…I was wrong about all of it.

ルナ
ルナ

…you weren’t wrong, yes.

ねつき
ねつき

Huh?

ルナ
ルナ

The Inaba White Rabbit loved because she was saved. The Moon Rabbit disappeared and became the moon. …all of it is true, yes.

ルナ
ルナ

But for Luna, nothing has happened yet, yes. Not saved. Not disappeared. Just — here, yes.

ねつき
ねつき

ねつき
ねつき

…Luna-chan is a story that hasn’t started yet.

ルナ
ルナ

…Luna doesn’t know, yes. Rabbits can’t understand themselves, yes.

ねつき
ねつき

Can’t understand yourself?

ルナ
ルナ

A mirror reflects other things. But a mirror can’t reflect itself, yes.

ねつき
ねつき

ミコ
ミコ

ルナ
ルナ

So when fox-san said all those things about Luna — it made me a little… happy, yes.

ルナ
ルナ

…wrong about all of it. But you were trying to see Luna, yes.

ねつき
ねつき

ねつき
ねつき

…I’ll get it right next time.

ルナ
ルナ

…yes, please.


Tea

ミコ
ミコ

ミコ
ミコ

…tea’s ready, nya.

ねつき
ねつき

Oh, thanks Miko!

ルナ
ルナ

…thank you very much, yes.

ねつき
ねつき

…wait. Miko, there are three.

ミコ
ミコ

…three people, three cups, nya.

ねつき
ねつき

ルナ
ルナ

…warm, yes.

ミコ
ミコ

…of course it is. No maid serves cold tea, nya.

ルナ
ルナ

…not the tea. Here.

ミコ
ミコ

ミコ
ミコ

ミコ
ミコ

…dinner prep, nya. Gotta make enough for the guest too, nya.

ねつき
ねつき

…Miko, you just said “for the guest” —

ミコ
ミコ

…dinner prep, nya.

ねつき
ねつき

…she’s gone.

ルナ
ルナ

…is cat-san always like that?

ねつき
ねつき

Yep yep! She looks scary but she’s solid. Scary words, but — the tea was three cups, right?

ルナ
ルナ

…yes, it was.

ねつき
ねつき

…Luna-chan.

ルナ
ルナ

Yes?

ねつき
ねつき

Wanna stay for dinner?

ルナ
ルナ

ルナ
ルナ

…that’s how rabbits are.

ねつき
ねつき

…wait, doesn’t that feel different from before?

ルナ
ルナ

…it’s not different, yes.

ねつき
ねつき

ねつき
ねつき

…that’s the happy “that’s how rabbits are.”

ルナ
ルナ

…that’s how rabbits are.


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