Chapter 23: Affinity Between the Boss Rabbit and the Half-Naked Underling

"D... Boss! I've brought the human with the Vorpal Spirit mentioned earlier!"

"Oh, Emul. Ya did good."

Beyond the gate was not a Western-style throne... but something strangely Japanese: an audience chamber. There, acting as if to say, "This is what a harem is," sat a single rabbit surrounded by female rabbits. While he didn't exude as much power as Lycaon the Night Raider, he still possessed considerable strength.

Unlike the other rabbits, he was about the same size as a human. You would think his round eyes and the pure white fur covering his body wouldn't match his deep, gravelly baritone voice... but the scar crushed across one eye and the stiff, wire-like texture of his fur strangely balanced intimidation with charm.

However, the fact that he was chewing on a thin carrot as if it were a kiseru pipe... I could feel the passion of the person who designed this character.

"Name's Vysache. I'm the Boss who runs things here in Rabituza."

A Yakuza boss rabbit who seemed completely out of place in Shangri-la Frontier, a game rooted in medieval fantasy... Vysache grinned broadly. Oi, oi, for a herbivore, you've got a scarier face than some clumsy carnivores.

"I heard the news. You scraped with that mutt and got pissed on (marked), eh? You got some serious Vorpal Spirit, don'tcha?"

Is it okay to ask what "Vorpal Spirit" is?

"I never liked how you lot get strong so fast and lose your Vorpal Spirit. But seeing someone with as much promise as you... I thought it might be fun to train ya myself. So, how about it? Care to entrust your time to me?"

"Hmm..."

Basically, this is a training quest. I'm already looking forward to seeing what kind of benefits I'll get when I clear the scenario. But still, I can't shake this Yakuza image. If I'm going to ask the Kumicho (Boss) for teachings... then I should act the part.

"I have no reason to refuse. Pleased to be working with you, Aniki."

I bowed my head in a slightly joking manner, answering like a loyal underling. Vysache dropped the carrot he was chewing from his mouth in stunned silence. But after a moment, he burst into laughter loud enough to make the surrounding female rabbits recoil.

"Uhahahahahahahaha! That's a masterpiece! I see, I see! If you're asking for teachings, that puts me on top and you as the underling, eh!? Uhahahahahahahaha!!"

If you only looked at the text, it sounded like something I'd get punched for saying, but I didn't sense any insult or mockery in Vysache's laughter. Rather, it felt like the respect one gives to a highly skilled jester.

"I like it! I like it a lot! Call me Vash! I only let the ones I acknowledge call me that."

"O-Oh... Got it."

It seems I hit the jackpot on the affinity dialogue option. I only meant it as a little joke... well, I guess my experience constantly flattering NPCs in Fairia Chronicle Online paid off?

"Emul! You liked this guy, didn't ya? Show him around a bit."

"Eh! Ah, yes! I'll do my super best!"

Vysache... or rather, Vash, appointed Emul as my caretaker. Watching Emul bounce around happily, I indulged in some meta-thinking for a moment. While I have no intention of disclosing it, it's a gamer's nature to want to understand the conditions and progression of a quest. For now, the trigger condition is likely fighting an opponent stronger than yourself and clearing certain criteria. The fact that high-level players and players with low player skill have a lower probability of finding this Unique Scenario... I sense the developers' malice in that design.

"Sunraku-san, Sunraku-san! I'll show you the Rabbit Palace! I want you to follow me!"

"Hm? Ah, right."

"And so, this is the Rabbit Colosseum, where we train our Vorpal Power!"

"Whoa."

The sight of massive numbers of rabbits practicing critical hits on scarecrows with various weapons was quite terrifying. Most were using kitchen knives or daggers, but some Vorpal Bunnies were using sledgehammers to send scarecrow heads flying like a game of Daruma Otoshi.

(So those types of Vorpal Bunnies appear in later areas, huh...)

Not just sledgehammers. There were spiked maces that looked like nothing more than nail bats, and saws... The lineup of weapons, filled with murderous intent completely contrary to their cute appearance, sent a cold sweat running down my spine.

"Dad... the Boss always says he wants to do something about the perception that we bunnies are weak monsters. That's why we're working hard like this, with the goal of eventually taking down dragons!"

"For beginners, you guys are practically Reapers already though... Whoa, are those scissors...? Scary."

Those giant scissors look like they belong in a horror game. No matter how you look at it, that design is meant for anti-personnel combat... Eh, what? They separate!? Twin blades that turn into scissors!? I want those so bad!

"Sunraku-san has quite the curiosity, doesn't he? Those require considerable Dexterity to handle."

"Seriously? I'm becoming a Dexterity warrior then."

Luck? Who cares. Let me respec my points. I haven't gained the benefits of the Unique Scenario yet, but I am now convinced that a massive advantage lies dormant within this quest.

Author's Notes & Lore:

Affinity: NPC affinity is a rather important stat. If affinity is high, you might get "plus alpha" (bonuses) added to the information you receive, or NPCs might voluntarily gather information and tell it to the player.

In games, players who act as "Information Brokers" often originate from the Gal-game (Dating Sim) community.

Translator's Remarks:

• "Pissed on": Vash uses the phrase "shoben kakerareta" (urinated on/marked).
• Daruma Otoshi: A traditional Japanese game played with a stack of wooden pucks. The goal is to knock the bottom puck out with a hammer without toppling the stack.