Arifureta Shokugyou de Sekai Saikyou (LN) - Volume 6 - Chapter SS3

The Red Flower of Fate 

“Oh? You still have this, Yue-san?” 
Hajime and the others were in the middle of packing their belongings, as they’d be leaving Ankaji soon. Yue stopped in the middle of her packing and turned to Shea, who was holding a pair of bunny ears in her hands. Tio and Kaori looked over as well, and almost dropped their luggage in shock. 
“What!? Sh-Shea, were your rabbit ears detachable?” 
“D-Do they regrow if you take them off?” 
“Of course not, guys. Quit turning my ears into something weird. These are fake rabbit ears Yue-san made a while back.” 
Shea flopped her bunny ears back and forth to emphasize the difference between the real and the fake ones as she handed the bunny ear headband to Kaori. Kaori turned it over in her hands and nodded in understanding. 
“Mmm, I made those when I got jealous of Hajime staring at Shea’s rabbit ears all the time... Well, not like I need them anymore. I’ve already discovered that cat ears are superior.” 
“I-I refuse to accept that, Yue-san! Hajime-san only liked them more that one time because you were wearing them. I’m sure if it came down to just a pair of rabbit ears or a pair of cat ears, rabbit ears would be superior!” 
Yue took out her cat ears and put them on, as if to say, “You wanna go!?” Yue-nyan was ready to battle. 
Shea made her rabbit ears shoot straight up, as if to say, “You wanna go!?” Regular Shea was ready to battle. 
Tio absently watched the two of them fight over animal ear superiority and mused to herself. 
“I see... So you were a connoisseur of animal ears, Master... Dragonmen have tails, but no special pairs of ears. Hmm, I suppose if I wish to appeal to you, I must throw away pride and don the ears of a cat... or rather, a dog. For that way you could insult me like the bitch I am... No wait, perhaps I should create a pair of pig ears if I truly wish to be belittled!” She turned toward Kaori, seeking a second opinion. Kaori didn’t hear, as she was too busy examining Yue’s fake rabbit ears. Though she seemed fascinated by them, she made no move to put them on. Instead, a wicked grin formed on her face as she continued staring at the ears. That expression scared Tio a little. 
Worried that Kaori might do something that would ruin the gentle and kind impression Tio had of her, she called out to Kaori. 
“Kaori, you must return to reality. Your expression is beginning to terrify me.” 
“Huh!?” Kaori blushed as she realized how she must have looked. Shea and Yue stopped grappling with each other and glared suspiciously at her. 
“Confess, you closeted pervert. What were you doing to my Hajime in your fantasies?” 
“I’m not a closet pervert! A-And I wasn’t fantasizing or anything!” 
“Oh? What do you think, Shea-san, Tio-san?” 

“She’s guilty!” 
“All I shall say is that trying to deny it will only make things worse for you in the end.” 
“Ugh...” Kaori’s shoulders slumped. Yue continued glaring at her, silently urging her to confess, while Kaori tried to look anywhere but at Yue. 
“I was thinking that the rabbit ears might look good on Hajime-kun…” 
The other girls all sat up straight, as if a jolt of electricity had just run through them. 
“A rabbit-eared Hajime?” 
“He’d be matching with me…” 
“Oh ho...” Yue closed her eyes and imagined what a rabbit-eared Hajime would look like. 
“Welcome home, Lady Yue. Here, give me your hand.” A butler Hajime with rabbit ears helped Yue out of her carriage. 
Shea closed her eyes and imagined what a rabbit-eared Hajime would look like. 
“We’ll be together forever, dear.” A rabbit-eared Hajime looked lovingly at his new wife, Shea, surrounded by the splendor of a grand wedding feast. 
Tio closed her eyes and imagined what a rabbit-eared Hajime would look like. 
“You perverted waste of space! Hurry up and give me my boxers back!” A rabbit-eared Hajime was acting the same as usual and stepping on Tio. 
Kaori closed her eyes and imagined what a rabbit-eared Hajime would look like. 
“I’m sorry I’m always causing you so much trouble, Kaori... I don’t know what I’d do without you.” A rabbit-eared spy, Hajime, looked lovingly up at Kaori, who was nursing him back to health. He’d been betrayed by his partner, Yue, and Kaori had found him slumped in the streets on a rainy day and brought him back to her house. 
For some reason, Kaori’s delusion was far more detailed than the others. Meanwhile, Tio’s didn’t even require Hajime to have rabbit ears at all. At any rate, a few minutes after everyone had sunk into the world of daydreams, bright-red showers of happiness began spurting from their noses. 
“Hey, you four, have you finished packing your things...? Whoa, what the heck!? What happened!? Why do you all have nosebleeds!?” 
Hajime hurried over to them, a mixture of confusion and worry on his face. However, despite the bloody spectacle, all four girls were smiling happily.