Can't Catch 80 km/h

Miko! Hey hey, Miko!

…nya

Quiz time! How many species of wild rabbits live in Hokkaido?

…2, nya

——wait

…Ezo Yukiusagi and Ezo Nakiusagi, nya

…Miko, how do you already know that

…We live in Hokkaido, nya. It would be stranger not to know, nya

…My quiz-master status lasted three seconds

…W-well! Actually the answer is “depends on your definition”!

…nya?

The Ezo Pika — Ezo Nakiusagi — is in the Pika family, not the rabbit family. Ezo Yukiusagi is actual Leporidae. Different families! So technically, narrowly speaking, there’s only one real rabbit

…They’re both in the same order, nya. Lagomorpha. So they’re rabbits, nya

But the Ezo Pika doesn’t even look like a rabbit! 15 cm body, 150 grams — looks like a little guinea pig——

…You can’t always tell what something is just by how it looks, nya

…

…Netsuki wanted me to say “one,” didn’t you, nya

…Yeah. I wanted to go “actually, there’s TWO!”

…Nothing wrong with that, nya. But — if you change how much salt you add every time you taste, you stop knowing what dish you’re making, nya

…Okay but here’s a fact with no definition problems. The Ezo Yukiusagi — Hokkaido’s mountain hare — can hit 80 km/h

…80, nya?

Fastest mammal in Japan. Tears across the snow. Their feet have natural snowshoe adaptations so they don’t sink in — and in winter their whole coat turns pure white except for the black tips on their ears. Picture a snowy field with just two little black dots peeking up. That’s the ears

…

…Netsuki

hm?

…How fast can a Kita-kitsune run, nya

…huh?

…

…Around 50 km/h

…Can’t catch up, nya

…

…A 50 km/h fox can’t catch an 80 km/h rabbit, nya

…

…Can I tell you about the Ezo Pika too?

…nya

15 cm, 150 grams. Can only live in rocky alpine zones — places like the Taisetsu Mountains or the Hidaka range. Near-threatened species. As warming pushes up the snowline, they keep retreating higher… and the summits are running out

…high altitude, nya

And individual pikas can be identified by their calls. Each one has a distinct voice. The call for marking territory is different from the alarm call for warning the others

…Netsuki

hm?

…Why do you know so much about this, nya

Huh? Because I looked it up——

…Why did you look it up, nya

…Because Luna came?

…Luna came, so you researched rabbits, nya

Yeah. Wanting to know things about someone in your life — that’s normal, right?

…That’s normal, nya

…You like birdwatching, nya. But after a walk, you never look up every bird you saw, nya

…

…You never said you wanted to chase birds, nya

…

…Miko, that

…nya

Day before yesterday — when I smelled Luna’s fur — I said “I want to chase them.” You remember?

…I remember, nya

The Ezo Yukiusagi is a main food source for Kita-kitsune

…nya

…so like, the reason Netsuki was researching all this was just wanting to know about someone close——

…wait, hold on

…

A fox. Researching how fast rabbits run. Where they live. What they eat, where they hide——

…huh

…how is that different from scouting prey

…

…Netsuki

…yeah

…Can’t catch up, nya

…huh?

…80 km/h, nya. 50 km/h can’t catch it, nya

…

…Can’t catch up, nya. Even if instinct says run, nya

…

…so instead——

…

…Miko isn’t a rabbit expert, nya. Don’t know, nya

…

…instead of what

…nothing, nya

…Gotta start dinner, nya

…you ran away

…Didn’t run, nya. It’s time, nya

…Miko

…nya

What’s the score today?

…Wasn’t counting, nya

I counted. 0 to 4, roughly

…Wasn’t competing, nya

…Hey what are you making

…Stew, nya

How many servings?

…

…4, nya

…not 3?

…Leftovers are for tomorrow, nya

…

…Even at 80 km/h you can’t outrun the smell of stew, y’know

…What are you talking about, nya

…Like, if Luna comes over, that kind of thing

…Don’t know if she’s coming, nya. The portion size isn’t changing, nya

…

…maybe I don’t have to chase

…Peel the potatoes, nya

I’ll help!

…Hold the knife right, nya