Why Did the God of Love Choose Me!? VOL 1-3

Chapter 120

  "Catch me!" Nora giggled as she hopped through the thicket of the forest. She vanished behind some shrubs, and I chased after her.

  "Nora!" I barked as I hopped after her. "This wasn't part of the deal!" I struggled to keep sight of her from the head start she had gotten, and I immediately activated Flow.

  As I jumped and maneuvered through the forest effortlessly, swinging from tree to tree and kicking off the air with a ripple, she complained. "That's not fair!"

  "Life isn't fair," I remarked as I nearly caught up to her.

  "You always cheat!" She skidded to a stop before making a one-eighty. I flipped and kicked off the air, changing my direction of momentum and flying toward her. "You ch-EEEK!" I softly landed on top of her, and we rolled, our bodies meshed together until we came to a stop with me on top.

  "I'm not a cheater. I just use everything I have at my disposal." I got off her and rubbed my face with a paw. "You're just upset that you can never win."

  She smiled as she bumped into me softly. "I have won before, though. Remember?"

"Yeah. That one time where you cheated by using illusion magic to look like Nana." I grumbled.

  "I didn't cheat," she replied. "I just used everything I had at my disposal."

  "You can't steal my lines." I frowned.

  She pressed to my fur and rubbed her cheek against mine. "Yes, I can. Because you stole my heart."

  "Egh," I jokingly gagged. "That's cheesy." She tilted her head, confused by the saying. "Nothing. Never mind." I smiled as I lowered myself to the ground. She did the same, pressing her flank to mine. "What deal did you make with Nia?" I asked.

  "I won't tell." She chuckled.

  "Why not?" I complained. "You know I don't like surprises."

  "That's not true." She rested her head against my shoulder. "You love surprises as long as they please you."

  "So, will this one please me?"

  Her eyes locked with mine. "It will." I shivered.

  "Right." I laughed sheepishly.

  Nora stared at me momentarily, her eyes telling me she wanted to ask a question. Before I could tell her to ask, she already had. "Does it...really feel uncomfortable being in your natural form?"

  "Huh? That's an odd question." I replied.

  "I know it is. It's just...you were a rabbit for so long. Hundreds of years, but you say being in your Human form is more natural to you?"

  I stared at the ground as I replied. "That...was a lie," I muttered.

  It was strange. I felt more at peace in my rabbit form. Being in my Human form didn't feel like anything at first. I didn't feel uncomfortable or strange, but after transforming into my original form for the first time and reverting to Human form, I felt...strained. Almost as if I had to focus on keeping the form, less I revert back to a rabbit. To give a better example, it was like holding in a bad shit, as gross as that sounded.

  "I didn't want to revert because I knew I would miss being a rabbit. Things were a lot simpler back then." I finished.

  "Before your evolution?" Nora asked. I nodded in reply. "So then, why did you say no to running away with me." She scooted up, bringing her face closer to mine and pressing her nose to my cheek. "I know you're the Hero of Love and all, but...do you have to keep fighting? You've been doing it for so long, Bunny." Her ears flattened. "I'm worried for you."

  She was right. All my life, I had been fighting, seeking battles for the adrenaline—a true battle junkie. Nora always told me that if I kept it up, I would eventually die. In the end, she had been right. I had only gotten lucky and been given a second chance at life.

  Maybe it was a sign. Maybe the second chance wasn't just meant for me but Bunny as well. In my old world, I dreamed of living a life like the one I now had. Having a harem of women, being a powerful magic user, and an unparalleled fighter. But...Bunny- I had already lived that life before coming to this world. In other words, my desires had already been satisfied.

  Perhaps what I was genuinely seeking was a life of peace and acceptance. One of comfortability and nirvana. A life where I could live happily ever after with the ones I loved and held close, not one where I sought battles to fulfill some manic desire.

  But even still, I couldn't do that. Not after being chosen as the Hero of Love. Not after being selected as the vessel for the Demon King. Not after finding out that this world had secrets that I knew I had to unravel. I had to keep fighting and pushing on. I had to change this world and return it to how it was supposed to be. That was the feeling I had, though I had no idea where it came from.

  "You don't-"

  "Don't say that." Nora's body shook as her ears flattened and her eyes filled with tears. "Don't say I don't have to worry about you because I do, and I will. I've always worried for you, Bunny. You've had so much pressure on you since you were a kitten. The pressure your parents pressed on you after discovering you were one of the creatures of lore, and even more after discovering you had been gifted the Shifter class." She was crying now. "All those years you spent protecting Nana from your parents and others, all those years you felt guilty for Nana's weakness, blaming yourself for her lack of power because others claimed you had taken it for yourself. You've been burdened by so much since a young age, and now, you're carrying even more weight on your shoulders as one of the Heroes who's supposed to kill the Demon King when you, yourself, are him."

  "Nora..." My lip trembled, and my eyes stung as tears filled them.

  "You aren't okay, Bunny. So don't try and tell me you are. I know you're hurting; I know you feel like you have to do it all. But you don't! You can't! At the end of the day, you're still just Bunny. My Bunny."

  "Nora..." My voice cracked as the tears fell, and I buried my face in my paws and began sobbing.

  She was right. I had been burdening myself by carrying the guilt of Nana, the pressure of my parents, and the weight of the world all on my own. It was like I could never get a break.

  It was ironic how, at times, I felt it would have been better if I had stayed dead after regaining my memories. I never let those thoughts come to light, as I knew they weren't true, but the pain stung nonetheless. I wanted a break. I wanted to rest, to sleep, knowing I didn't have to wake up and do more. I always had to do more.

  Why had I been chosen as a creature of lore? Why did I have to absorb my sister's power? I made her life worse because of that. Why did Azrael choose me as his vessel when he knew the pain I already carried? Why did I have to become the Hero of Love?

  "It's okay, Bunny," Nora whispered as she rested her chin on my head. "I'm here for you, and I'm not going anywhere." I only continued to cry as she comforted me.