So. The palm-top rabbits.
Fundamentally, these creatures neither steal nor make trouble.
Keep them supplied with carrots and they’ll bring back game, and they’ll even handle chores.
Which means I suddenly have free time.
The biggest thing is not having to worry about meat anymore.
I’d already been thinking the cave life had run its course, and that I should repair the rotted hut that the skeleton presumably used to live in.
The wheat and rice are already planted, but harvest is probably a month or two out.
The plan is: finish the harvests here, then get serious about exploring for a human settlement.
But if I’m spending months in this place either way, a dank, humid cave simply will not do.
So — cut lumber with the hoe, start assembling.
And, um. This hoe… is terrifying.
It has to be the Farm Tool Handling skill, but as an edged tool it’s straight-up broken. It slices clean through trees.
That said, tree-slicing is not its intended use, so shaping planks was a real struggle.
The lack of nails had me stuck — until the palm-top rabbits made me nails.
Apparently they refer to dead human adventurers as “mines,” and they salvage metal goods from the armor and weapons.
Rabbit teeth being hard and sharp, plus they know how to handle fire, so simple metalworking is apparently no problem at all.
They didn’t stop at nails, either — beyond the house-building they helped me carve out wooden plates and cups.
Their small bodies make them better at fine detail work than humans. Remarkably dexterous.
And for all that help, one carrot per rabbit had them overjoyed.
My honest, unfiltered impression—
—these guys are CONVENIENT.
And so, in exactly one day, a cabin and a storehouse were complete.
The cabin’s about the size of a studio apartment. Between washing and mending the dishes and pots the previous owner left behind, my cooking-and-dining situation is getting downright respectable.
Civilization advancing by leaps and bounds. It’s genuinely moving.
The storehouse, by the way, comes with security: one elite palm-top rabbit standing watch in rotating shifts, as an anti-rat, anti-thief measure.
…Yeah. These guys are so convenient.
Move-out from my longtime cave complete, that night I cooked a feast using the last of the solid curry roux.
Call it a housewarming party: special curry soup, loaded with boar meat and a mountain of carrots.
“It’s SO delicious~♪”
“Curry carrots are… actually insane, right~?”
“So goood~”
“Is the big person a god~?”
“He’s a god, right~?”
“Definitely a god~♪”
The curry vanished at a ferocious pace, and by the time I noticed, it had been completely eaten without me getting a single bite.
Appetites satisfied, the palm-top rabbits started falling asleep right where they sat, and one of them climbed up onto my lap.
She went limp, settling in to sleep on my knee.
The way they’ve taken to me is probably about the same as feeding stray cats and dogs.
So I treated her like a cat or dog too — massaging around her neck and back.
Around the neck, the ears, the tail… there are fluffy zones, and the touch quality is excellent.
Then, when I touched near the tip of her tail, the palm-top rabbit jolted.
“Nn…!”
“What’s wrong?”
Cheeks flushed scarlet, the palm-top rabbit looked up at me with melting eyes.
”…M-more.”
As requested, I touched near the tip of her tail again.
“Ah…”
With a damp little breath, the palm-top rabbit went limp and rubbed her cheek against my knee.
This was getting entertaining, so I gave the tail-tip a few more playful rubs.
The palm-top rabbit’s whole body shuddered again.
And then she—
“A-a-amazing… technique… it is…”
With those final words, she passed out on my lap like she’d run a marathon.
So, the next day—
Morning came, and the palm-top rabbits were nowhere to be found.
I checked the storehouse — even the rabbit on guard duty was gone.
What is going on…? I searched all around. Nothing.
Don’t tell me… I checked the carrot storage box and the field. Nothing stolen, either.
“Seriously, what is going on…”
Are they a nomadic tribe or something? Left without even a goodbye… is that what this is?
Well, no use searching for people who left, so I spent the day on fieldwork and butchering-and-smoking the boar.
Honestly? I was pretty lonely about it. But saying so wouldn’t change anything.
And that night—
“Thank you for taking such good care of my little ones~♪”
An absurdly beautiful girl showed up — leading a procession of thirty palm-top rabbits.
No… she looked like a palm-top rabbit scaled up to human size… in other words, a proper rabbit-person.
Appearance-wise, maybe fifteen or so. In Japanese terms, middle school or high school age.
Chest is small, but the shape seems promising.
It goes without saying, but: outrageously cute.
“And you are?”
“Ufufu. My name is Sonya. Believe it or not, I’m the queen of the lesser rabbitfolk. In each warren, only the monarch is… this size, you see.”
“So why… are you here today?”
“We’re relocating the burrow!”
“Relocating?”
“I heard someone discovered an incredible carrot production site — and that friendly relations with its resident seem very achievable~♪”
Ah. I see. That’s what this is.
These guys really, truly love carrots.
“Fine by me. As long as you keep the meat coming, carrots as payment works.”
At that, Sonya grinned.
“Also… I heard something from this little one?”
Sonya pointed at the palm-top rabbit who’d slept on my lap last night.
”…That you possess… an amazing technique?”
Licking her lips, Sonya dragged a sultry gaze up my body, from my feet to my head, like she was tasting me.
”…Eh?”
“I simply must… try it once myself.”
“Ah, no…”
“Hm? What’s the matter?”
“Sonya, you’re a bit… appearance-wise, that’s a problem…”
I mean, she looks like a middle schooler. High schooler, being generous.
There are many, many problems here. No question about it.
“Ufufu. Rabbitfolk are long-lived, you know. Which is to say — I’m twenty-two!”
“Eh? For real!?”
“For real! So… do you dislike me?”
“—I don’t dislike this at all.”
And so — that night, various things happened.
For the record: rabbits are apparently in heat year-round, with one of the animal kingdom’s top-class libidos.
And to give you just the conclusion—
—the rumors about rabbits were true. Inexhaustible.