I knew I wasn’t exactly the smartest rabbitfolk in the town, but even I had come to an inescapable conclusion: being flicked in the ear was very annoying. And yet, I had to risk it to attain the ultimate prize: the last cinnamon bun from Allium’s trip, sitting on the table. Allium hadn’t been home in ages, and she was the only one in town who went far enough to actually get her hands on these things. And now there was only one left.

I grit my teeth and rubbed my sore ear. Just because the last 74 attempts (Allium gleefully told me the score after every flick) had failed, that didn’t mean this one would! And this plan was foolproof. The table was the only piece of furniture I could hide behind, so I would need to stick to the edges of the room to maximize sneakiness. I waited till Big Sis was distracted telling stories to Bellum and Milly, who were giggling adorably by the crumpled bed rolls.

Then, I slowly inched backwards away from them, towards the wall. I made a small thump against the shoddy wood, which creaked when I hit it. I froze and nervously looked over at Allium.

Phew, seems she didn’t notice. Now, time for phase two of my master plan.

I crept down low and did a somersault to get behind the table. I did a little fist pump at how cool I must have looked.

Nailed it.

I poked my head past the table and sighed in relief when I saw Allium still facing the opposite direction.

The coast is clear!

Pulling myself back behind the table, I slowly started to rise up, hand reaching desperately for the cookie above me. Just as I felt my hand graze across my prize, I felt the familiar pain of my ear being flicked.

Nooooo, my cinnamon bun…

I jolted up to see Allium with a smug grin on her face, holding Bellum in one arm while Milly climbed on her head and rubbed Allium’s ears.

“And that would be 75, my cute lil’ Cinnabun.”

I groaned in frustration. “How did you catch me?! I had a foolproof plan!”

“Well, let’s see. There were the very loud steps you took; you bumping into the wall; your very cool, but very loud roll; you shoving your head from behind the table to check if I noticed; and then finally the cute little ears poking above the table right next to the bun.” Allium counted off her fingers as she listed every flaw in my heist. “And maybe next time, you won’t tell me in advance that you plan on trying to steal it again.”

“But you asked if I was gonna steal it!” I protested.

Allium just laughed at me. “Never change, Cinnabun,” she said, rubbing my head. “Now, instead of trying another daring heist, wouldn’t it be better if you watched your cute siblings enjoy the last bun?”

I pouted as I thought about it.

Bellum and Milly probably would like another. They’d make that adorable little face they do when they taste something sweet…

Eventually, I folded, ears drooping in resignation. “I guess…I would’ve gotten it next time, though!” I said defiantly.

I tore the bun in half and handed one to each twin as they continued to climb all over Allium. They made adorable noises as they devoured it, leaving an absolute mess all over their faces and Allium’s fur.

Unphased by this, Allium continued to tease me. “Even if you did have your System unlocked, you’re still quite a few years away from being able to best your Big Sis.” Allium flexed one of her arms, Bellum still latched onto it and giggling. “After all, I just got promoted to A Rank! You’re looking at a big, strong adventurer here.”

I wasn’t even mad whenever Allium started gloating. My sister was the coolest person I knew. Probably the coolest person in the whole town. She towered over me at 1.8 meters tall, with an extra 15 centimeters if you counted the long ears Milly was using as handles. All rabbitfolk in the Wild Lands had the same auburn coats, but hers seemed to have much more sheen than mine. Her tight shirt didn’t fully cover her stomach, leaving her well-toned abs exposed. I knew that her physique was not a result of strong stats, but rigorous training. I also knew that her tight pants and leather boots were hiding powerful legs that could probably break the house down if she ever kicked it, even before stats and rabbit folk’s buffs to kicks.

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I couldn’t wait till my Tutorial System unlocked. Only 2 more years till I turned 10. “Do you think I can learn how to use a sword and that sparkly magic thing you do when my System unlocks?” I asked, bouncing in place at the mere thought of it.

“No telling what the System will offer you, but the magic may be a bit harder,” Allium explained. “Most people need this thing called a spellcasting focus to harness magic, like a wand or my magic sword. And those can be pretty hard to come by, especially in a small place like Laketown.”

My ears drooped, and Allium quickly changed tacts. “But I can teach you some stuff about swordplay. Should make it easier for you to learn the skill when your System unlocks. You won’t gain any levels, but you can still meet the requirements to unlock skills right now.”

Allie’s gonna teach me sword stuff? Wooo!

I forgot whatever it was I was disappointed about before and started bouncing again at the idea of hanging out with my cool big sister and learning how to swing a sword like her.

“Yes! Yes! Let’s do it, Sis! Thank you! You’re the bestest big sister ever!”

“Hold it, missy. We still gotta wait for Mom to get back from work. Can’t leave these adorable rugrats by themselves.”

“Fiiiiiiiine,” I begrudgingly agreed. “Oh! Can I invite Corby to join? He wants to be an adventurer, too!”

“Sure, sure.”

An excruciating amount of time later, our mom, Mia, came home. As soon as she was through the door, I bolted past her, yelling, “bye Mom, Sis is gonna teach me how to do cool sw—“ my words were rudely interrupted by my face meeting the ground.

I bolted back up and spit out the mud. “Cool sword stuff! Let’s go, Allium!” I continued on, undeterred from my mission.

The mud today tastes weird today. Wonder why?

Mom sighed. “What am I gonna do with that one? No one’s gonna want to marry such a wild creature.”

Mia’s concerned face highlighted the wrinkles that had been developing on her face. Her coat had started to gray, and at 1.5m tall, I was well on my way to passing her—only 50cm to go! Her hair was a faded green, having not been treated in some time. The only thing stopping Mia from looking 20 years older than she was were the bulging muscles she had under her plain, well-worn clothes, developed from decades of hard labor.

Mom and Allium were still talking, but I didn’t care. It was time to find Corby and learn cool stuff!

I ran up to the door of the next door neighbor, whose house doubled as their store. I opened the door, but suddenly froze in place, remembering being scolded the other day for getting mud everywhere after barging in. Instead, I opted to be much more polite and civilized. “COOOOOOORBY!!!!” I hollered.

The 30-something year-old beaverfolk at the counter looked up and grinned at me. “Hey, darling. He’ll be down in a minute.”

“Thanks, Mrs. Scully. How’s the store?”

“Oh thanks for asking! Things have been pretty good. Just got an order from Maro for some new windmill blades, so that should keep us busy for a while. Plus, Clea brought home some delicious crab today. I’ll send Corby over with some for you and your folks later; it was a good haul. Speaking of, how have you been liking the practice sword?”

Mmmmm, crabs…

“Thanks bunches, Mrs. Scully. And please thank Mrs. Clea for me, too. The practice sword has been great! I love it so much! I’m about to use it with Sis right now, and I wanted to invite Corby to join.”

“Ooh, sounds like fun. I’m sure he’ll be thrilled!”

Ms. Scully and I continued making small talk until a scrawny little otterfolk, not even 1.2 meters tall, trotted down the stairs into the store. He looked like a strong wind would blow through him and his course, dark-brown fur, but sometimes I wound up getting lost just staring at him.

Aww, look at his beautiful blue eyes, always shining with determination, and his silly smile that always lights up the room. And that cute tail that wagged whenever he was excited and—

“Hey, Nym. What’s up?”

Corby’s words broke me out of my daydreaming. “Allie says she’s gonna give us lessons to do cool sword stuff! Wanna join?”

Corby lit up. He looked over with pleading eyes toward his mom, who gave him an approving nod.

“But be back before it gets dark, okay, Corbin?”

He grinned. “Absolutely! Let me grab my axe!”

The young otter scurried back upstairs, practically on all fours, coming back with a wooden axe. He made his way out the door, only to get caught by surprise as I picked him up and gave him a giant hug, nuzzling my face into his.

“Ha, got you!” I triumphantly gloated.

“Nym, stooop.” Corbin protested, but I could see his tail wagging.

“Aww, don’t be embarrassed. Besides, It’s your fault for being wide open,” I said, looking incredibly smug.

“Alright, you two, let’s go; we’re losing daylight,” Allium said, suddenly appearing behind us.

“Yes, ma’am!” We said in unison.

I begrudgingly let him go and we started running behind my house to the old field.