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"Zeal, look!"
Before Zeal's eyes stood you, white bunny ears perched atop your head. Your expression was full of confidence, like a kid whose prank had gone off without a hitch. Zeal, caught completely off guard, just blinked, eyes wide, frozen in place.
"...Huh? Kohebi-Chan? Isn't it a little early for next year's Easter?"
"Eh~? The White Rabbit's always in a hurry, you know~ ehehe."
"Then does that make me Alice? Hmm... no, I think I'd rather be the Hatter. After all, my Alice is standing right in front of me."
Whatever wariness had lingered on his face melted away. Zeal's eyes softened, and a gentle smile spread across his handsome features.
"Bunny-eared Kohebi-Chan is cute too. Kohebi-Chan... Kohebi-usagi?"
His profile, deep in thought, looked elegant — though what was going on underneath was anything but, all soft and fluffy despite the sharp features. If there was already a "Kohebi-nyan," surely there had to be an even cuter bunny version out there. His brain was working overtime. An image rose in his mind: an innocent rabbit bounding freely across a meadow, its light, springing leaps growing clearer and clearer.
"...Pyon? Kohebi-Pyon! Wahh~!"
A boy with a lightbulb practically glowing over his head stood right in front of you. His voice pitched a little higher than his usual low register — the kind of voice that seemed to have little upward arrows stuck to every word.
"Then does that make you Pyon-joka? Hmm, but Rabi-joka and Bunnyjoka are both hard to give up too..."
"Isn't it Bunnyjoka? I'm a nocturnal rabbit, after all."
Just as he shut one eye in a sharp, elegant wink, his gaze dropped — and he noticed the something black clutched in your hand.
"Kohebi-Pyon, don't tell me... you're making me a rabbit too?"
"Eh, you caught me?"
Nestled there, in contrast to the pure white pair on your own head, was a sleek black fabric bunny-ear accessory — complete with a clip built to fasten straight onto a hat ribbon.
Zeal took it without a moment's hesitation and clipped it right onto his hat. Even you couldn't hold back a laugh at how fast he moved, and at the unexpected choice to just stick it directly onto the hat itself.
"Tonight, Bunnyjoka's going to make a drink just for you, Kohebi-Chan."
With a hint of pride, he straightened the brim of his hat, then slipped back into his bartender's face, deftly sliding a round ice cube into a rocks glass. A cool, clear clink rang out through the quiet space. With practiced hands, he picked up the vodka and the Kahlúa, pouring them in with precise, steady motions. He gave the deep amber liquid a quick stir with the bar spoon, and once a faint chill began to fog the surface of the glass, his lips curved up, satisfied.
Then, quietly, he let soft whipped cream drift down onto the surface. The gentle white spreading over the black cocktail somehow called to mind the white rabbit standing right in front of him.
"Here you go. A White Russian — I picked something easy to drink."
"Hmm? Then is yours a different kind, without the cream?"
"That's right. A Black Russian. Yours is the arranged version, with the cream on top."
The two of you, more giddy than usual at the thought of matching drinks. When you raised your glasses, the deep scent of coffee bloomed softly in the air. A moment later, maybe, the sharp bite of vodka hiding underneath would come chasing after. When it touched your lips, the whipped cream wrapped the adult flavor in sweetness, melting on your tongue. The alcohol slipping down your throat reached your stomach, and warmth began to spread through your blood.
"Mm! It's easy to drink, and so good!"
"Fufu, I'm glad. But you know, this one's also the kind they call a 'lady killer.' Smooth, easy for girls to drink... but. Kohebi-Pyon, you're not allowed to drink this anywhere I'm not around, okay?"
A rabbit he may have called himself, but this was no ordinary rabbit — fierce, cunning, nothing tame about him at all. In the end, his true nature was that of a serpent. And surely it wasn't just your imagination that, for a moment, those purple eyes seemed to swirl.
"...Hey, Kohebi-Chan."
Across the counter, a long, slender finger reached out. What it touched were the bunny ears perched on your head.
There was no way something so fake could carry any real feeling. And yet, the instant his finger brushed against it, a ticklish sensation ran through you as if it were real, and a shiver traced down your spine.
"Did you happen to celebrate my birthday all over again?"
He asked, almost carelessly, as he brushed a bit of cream from the corner of your mouth.
He lingered a moment, watching what he'd wiped away with something like reluctance — but only for a moment. His gaze quickly returned to your eyes. Not noticing the cream had been there was embarrassing enough on its own. But right now, what mattered far more was Zeal's beautifully composed face closing in so close. Your heart had already begun to race.
"Last time, you decorated for my party, and you came to my concert too. That made me really happy."
"I was happy too. Because I got to see you looking so happy while you sang."
"Yeah... but there were a lot of friends around that time, and it was the same for your birthday too. We never really got a quiet moment, just the two of us, to celebrate properly."
Somehow able to read exactly where his thoughts were headed, your face went hot. Unable to bear the embarrassment, you looked away — but a finger reached out gently and came to rest against your cheek. It paused there, as if checking your warmth, then pressed in just slightly.
Hm~? he hummed, tilting his head, sounding faintly amused. Maybe it was the alcohol, but he was warm too, his cheeks tinted the faintest shade of pink.
"Honestly, right now, the time or the date doesn't really matter to me. What makes me happy is that you set up another surprise and came all this way to find me. Last time, I noticed first... but this time, you got one over on me."
The bunny ears on his hat, and the ends of his deep green hair, swayed gently. There was no force behind it, nothing that tried to turn your face. And yet the warmth of the palm cradling your cheek felt so good that, in the end, you couldn't look away from those purple eyes.
"Do you know what a White Russian symbolizes? Hey — my beloved white rabbit, Kohebi-Chan."