Brute Rabbit's Handler 1 (Patreon)

Brute Rabbit's Handler - (Killing Bites, SI)

I have to admit to a few faults.

The first of many being my utter lack of capacity to read the fine lines of a contract. The second of many flaws is that I should have known better that so many zeroes for a ‘veterinary’ job in Japan was not what it advertised, especially when they offered to pay for my flight and ‘secure my citizenship’.

Then again, I was looking for good opportunities and this sounded like a good one before I got royally scammed by those people. Thus, I shouldn’t be surprised by much since it turned into a wild situation. The first thing I experienced as I landed in Japan was the ‘kidnapping experience’.

I reached the destination I was told to arrive once I arrived in the country, and I ended up being snatched away in some windowless vans by some masked guys. I admit that the sack in the head situation was indeed dreadful through the entire car ride, but the setting changed immediately as soon as I was brought before my ‘bosses’.

Husband and wife, the former looking like the classic balding manager in charge of various salarymen, the other being the purest representation of a feminine Japanese woman with her traditional hair buns and kimono that also retained a strong sense of control over the current meeting- the wife wore the pants.

“Bukharin-san, many apologies for the abrupt way our men came to retrieve you. My name is Son Seira,” The woman started to apologize, bowing her head and yet sounding barely true to her tone. “However, the situation you are in urges us to carry you to safety at once rather than leave you to wander the streets for too long- at least, not without protection.”

“...Why?” I asked quietly, still recoiling from the fact I got put in a possibly bad situation in the long-run.

“Our corporation, Ishida Zaibatsu, is quite the fruitious organization, but it is so due to some risky affairs we entertain once in a while,” The bald businessman reported. “My name is Son Seigi, your new employer.”

“Nice to meet you,” I bowed my head at the man while greeting back. “So… what’s my part here?”

“Your job is what your skills will allow you to do. You are quite emphatic around people, aren’t you?” Seira asked, and I nodded but- “Then this task shall be easy for you to achieve. You will be the handler of one of our assets. What my husband calls ‘risky affairs’ is actually a deadly competition which involves a special brand of modified humans that rely on animal-like traits.”

…

“Oh? And how does that… actually work?”

“You will be in charge of this asset with a monthly budget to uphold, you will enjoy a salary but you are expected to prepare this asset for the upcoming competition. If successful in qualifying within our bets, then you will be kept and your position fixed. If you mess up-”

“Then you will be perceived as a liability,” Seira interrupted her husband, smiling at this ominous threat/warning. “Of course, we have high expectations and hopes for your future here at Ishida Zaibatsu, Bukharin-san.”

I nodded, knowing I was pretty much leashed at this point. A Zaibatsu should be a big conglomerate with a lot of reach. If I fuck up, then my family would also be targeted and that I couldn’t afford to let it happen.

I was given more details such as where I would live from now on together with the ‘asset’ I was handling, the specifics regarding rules tied to the handler-asset’s agreement, and a few more pieces of information that further dug me in a hole as I could tell this was going to be the riskiest job I could have chosen.

The risks were now easily outweighing the rewards. But I no longer had a choice on the matter as I studied the files I was given. But before I could check those concerning my new responsibility, I was ‘invited’ to actually meet her in her current location.

And by ‘invited’, I mean being pushed by some guards to another room within the large Japanese manor.

The place I was led to looked to be a limited courtyard with several holes dug all over the place. There was hardly any patch of grass surviving what I could expect being the cause of some giant mole person.

What I got, instead, was something else. Especially when my ‘asset’ suddenly jumped out of one of the holes and face planted upon impact. An interesting sight, and one that was adorable as I got the chance to meet…

Ui Inaba, Brute Rabbit.

“Ugh, I jumped too far…”

“You sure did,” I mumbled, forgetting that the creature I was whispering about had a powerful hearing. Thus, she froze up and aimed her red eyes at me. “Uh?”

“W-Who are you?”

“Your… handler.”

She appeared confused. “Handler? I wasn’t told about having a handler?”

“Well congratulations, I wasn’t told I would end up with this job either.”

“Oh… Oh?” She repeated twice, first for ‘realization’ then for confusion. “I don’t get it.”

“I am the one that handles your budget while you’re working for this company. My task is to give you the chance to prepare for the competition that you will take part in.”

“Y-Yeah, about that. I am not a… fighter-”

“You’re a rabbit, and you can produce rabbit-like legs. You can fight,” I argued back, almost flatly and confusing the girl. “Rabbits’ legs are known to be quite powerful on the tiny critters, so when those are ‘human-sized’, then your legs’ strength is far greater than most of your potential foes.”

…

“I can only run, s-sir,” Inaba reasoned, sounding fearful. “I-I am not good in combat.”

“You can do some exercises-”

“I can also dig, and- and relocate without having to put myself in danger. See? I did all of this.”

I could sense a hint of desperation in her voice. Despite the fact I had been planning early on to find a way out of myself, I could tell Ishida Zaibatsu had more ‘reluctant’ people signing their papers.

I was one of them, but so was the ‘asset’ I was meant to burden the responsibilities for. Starting early with the training would do us well on a pragmatic level, but it was clear that there was a lack of interest and will to commit into training regarding combat.

No, I couldn’t push her despite having the means. I had to build a bridge with Inaba and then work on ways to get her to do this on her own. Step by step, slowly and, hopefully, at a fashionable time to be ready for the tournament.

“Inaba.”

She was looking away up to that point, trying to conjure new rebuttals to any pressure for training, with my voice drawing her to stare once more at me.

“Y-Yes, sir?”

“It’s John. And… What's your favorite ice cream flavor?”

The girl’s eyes went wide open, her tense shoulders remained stiff but… she allowed a smile at the implication of such a question.

After all, I needed to know what kind of asset I had on the matters of thoughts and morality beyond those of physical feats.

—-----d-d-d-d—-----

AN

Inaba has many things in common with Rabbits. Perfect hearing, excellent legwork, but also the kind of hyper-fertility that will leave her mothering a large family if she was to tie the knot.

Likewise John is about to experience the full responsibility of handling a bunny girl fighter, her many flaws, her need of training and maybe become emotional support to help her through some mental breakdowns.