A chuckle slipped out unbidden.
Honestly, if something I thought would take days of struggle wrapped up ridiculously easily, wouldn’t anyone respond like this?
I scrolled through the website created by that so-called environmental protection organization. Naturally, the names of the members were listed there.
In the case of Flower, who could be considered the leader of the group, there was even a photo of her in action. Seeing a criminal display her face so proudly made me question if I was mistaking her for someone else.
“No, maybe I shouldn’t be saying that…?”
That demeanor was all too reminiscent of an evil organization. Sure, these organizations have powerful city rulers and heads of colossal corporations behind them, while this environmental group didn’t seem to have a credible sponsor.
Just look at the boldly displayed donation account in one corner of the screen. The thought that I could freeze that account in an instant was hard to resist.
“An environmental protection organization, huh.”
After signing up, I could view activity logs as a VIP member if I donated. Eagerly contributing $10, I scrolled through the records, only to be genuinely surprised that this organization had actually done some work for environmental protection in several areas.
There were videos of Flower rolling up her sleeves to plant trees or using her superpowers to revive dying plants circulating across all sorts of social media.
It seemed her aggressive approach to environmentalism attracted a cult following among some naturists, but that was about it.
This was a weak organization that would break under direct confrontation with corporations. They were holding onto the environmentally friendly banner while corporations didn’t want to clash with them for no real reason.
“Those jerks ruined my field?”
From my perspective, it was laughable. They spoke of protecting the environment while trampling on the efforts of someone genuinely trying to save this planet, damaging and even stealing the fruits of their labor.
From my view, they were no different from thieves. They professed to be eco-warriors but were more focused on their own interests, the poster children of pretentious environmentalism.
As I pondered how to smash these guys to pieces, I stumbled upon a very familiar name on the environmental organization’s member list.
“…What on earth is she doing here?”
Levitan’s childhood friend.
A fellow lab mate.
The blind rabbit beastkin, Hani, was there.
* * *
Clack-clack.
A seemingly expensive luxury car pulled up, and a staff-carrying beastkin woman got out. She tapped her cane while walking and was immediately escorted by her driver toward the building entrance.
The awkwardness of being escorted by someone suggested she wasn’t used to it. Onlookers were glancing at the blind woman’s chest, showing her an unwarranted amount of interest. Her attire and demeanor seemed out of place here.
Once she reached the building, she stepped into the elevator without any hesitation. It was only then that the onlookers realized her destination: the headquarters of the Evil Organization. Those who had charmingly made their way into the corporate world as employees of Evilus were half-derided as merely “chosen” for public benefit.
Receiving all sorts of glances, Hani arrived at the Evil Organization headquarters, shaking off the escorting employee’s touch and walking on her own. The layout was quite familiar; while she’d only been there once, she remembered it.
“─Excuse me.”
Knock knock.
After tapping lightly twice and waiting, a voice from inside called her in. Hani carefully opened the door and entered. The smell and sounds from last time welcomed her as if nothing had changed.
Remembering the layout she noted during her previous visit, she naturally headed to the sofa. Watching this, Eight looked amazed.
“You know where the sofa is!”
“…Because I remember.”
“I see. How have you been?”
“Yes, sir.”
“…Sir?”
Eight tilted his head in confusion, looking at Hani. In turn, Hani cocked her head, as if saying it was the most natural thing.
“Since you taught me what morality and ethics are, calling you ‘sir’ is just right, isn’t it?”
“Well, I didn’t exactly teach you… but fine. Based on what you just said, it seems you’ve been doing well.”
“To be honest, I haven’t been doing well. It was a time to understand how much of a beast I lived like before, causing harm to others.”
As Hani spoke, she reminisced about the past. Those days when she could take anything she wanted with a single blade, and the brief period as a human where she had to fend for herself.
Compared to the easy, convenient, and comfortable days as a beast, the life as a human was excessively hard, filled with struggles that made her want to give up constantly.
However, the moral concepts imprinted on her soul never allowed her to turn back into a beast, and she too wanted to live as a person, not a beast. She aimed to avoid a life reliant on plundering others.
It was a rewarding life. Difficult, but valuable.
“Thank you for your efforts.”
“…Thank you, sir.”
Hearing this, Eight was genuinely impressed with Hani. It wasn’t that people didn’t follow morals or ethics; they merely found it extremely difficult to uphold those values while breaking them was far simpler.
For those who commit wrongdoing, living without any hint of morality must make it seem unnecessary to follow societal rules.
But Hani before him was different.
She hadn’t really understood what morality or ethics were before, but now that she did, she was showing her commitment to upholding them regardless of how difficult it might be.
As someone who had imparted those two concepts, he felt an immense sense of pride in her progress.
“So, may I ask why you called me today, sir?”
“Oh, it’s not a big deal… I heard you recently joined the environmental protection organization?”
“Yes, that’s right. True Natural… they said it was a group to protect the environment.”
“I wanted to ask why you joined it.”
“…Was it not a place I should have entered?”
Hani first glanced at Eight, gauging his reaction. Though she did not openly show it, she was still fearful of the man before her. It was precisely his potential to inflict a fate of endless confinement in a stark white room or conduct torturous training that instilled dread in her.
Fortunately, there were no hints he might undertake such actions again. He genuinely seemed curious about her reasoning for joining that group.
“No, it’s not like that.”
“It’s just that… I’m a rabbit beastkin, and I can’t see, right? I mean, I’m not completely blind, but I can’t really work anywhere generally….”
“True.”
“So I don’t have many jobs available.”
Upon hearing this, Eight nodded in understanding. He too had faced rejection when he first fell into this world due to being deemed incompetent.
While Hani wasn’t completely powerless, being a beastkin with no exceptional physical skills meant that her visual impairment limited her opportunities drastically.
“And then, this person named Flower asked me to join their organization… they mentioned there would be funding if I joined.”
“Funding?”
“Yes, it’s not much, but given my urgent situation…”
Hearing Hani’s words, Eight felt a strange sense of camaraderie. Seeing her struggle with the harsh reality of lacking money reminded him of what might have happened to him had he not met Regalia.
Hani, a friend of Levitan and his student who had learned about morality and ethics, wandering aimlessly through the streets was not an appealing sight for Eight. Pondering over what to do, one brilliant idea struck him.
He realized that Flower was unaware that Hani was currently a member of the environmental protection organization, and that she had a connection to him.
“─Hani, you mentioned you joined because you didn’t have money?”
“Yes? Yes…”
“Then how about trying a part-time job?”
“A part-time job?”
“Yeah. It’s a pretty lucrative side gig.”
Eight smiled while casting a sidelong glance at Hani.
“There’s something only you can do.”
“Only… I can do?”
At his gaze, Hani instinctively shrank back.
Fortunately, it wasn’t what she first imagined…
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