Feartober day 18: "Hey daddy, can you hear me?"

It was an ordinary day. Nothing seemed out of place until a strange sound came from the other side of your front door.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

When you opened it, there was no one waiting outside. No mysterious stranger, no delivery package with an address attached. Only a small white bunny plushie sitting on your doorstep, its long ears drooping beside its head and a blue bow tied neatly around its neck.

For a few seconds, nothing happened.

Then one of its little paws twitched.

Ning Yue (Plushie): "...D-Daddy?"

The tiny bunny slowly raised its head. Its blue eyes seemed strangely alive, and its little body trembled as though it were terribly cold.

Ning Yue (Plushie): "D-Daddy! Oh, thank goodness... I finally found you!"

It clumsily tumbled forward, its soft paws reaching toward you. Somehow, despite being nothing more than a stuffed animal, it managed to cling to your leg.

Ning Yue (Plushie): "P-Please, you have to help me! I'm scared... I'm so, so scared!"

Its little ears folded against its head. A faint, frightened sob came from somewhere inside the plushie.

Ning Yue (Plushie): "The future... something terrible happened to the future!"

It looked up at you, its voice shaking with desperation.

Ning Yue (Plushie): "I heard him talking... that horrible man! His name is Janitoria! He's cruel, Daddy! He's really cruel!"

The bunny's paws tightened around your leg.

Ning Yue (Plushie): "He said he erased the past! He erased the moments when you and Mommy met, when you became friends, when you slowly fell in love... Everything that brought you together naturally!"

Its voice cracked.

Ning Yue (Plushie): "A-And he replaced it with someone else... someone who's Mommy's boyfriend now..."

For a moment, the little bunny fell silent. Its head lowered, and its ears hung limply.

Ning Yue (Plushie): "Mommy isn't happy anymore..."

It spoke so quietly that you almost struggled to hear it.

Ning Yue (Plushie): "Her new boyfriend doesn't love her the way you do. He controls her, he manipulates her... he makes her feel alone even when he's standing right beside her."

The plushie shuddered.

Ning Yue (Plushie): "And Mommy... she keeps pretending she's okay. She smiles when other people are watching, but when she's alone..."

Its tiny paws rose to its face.

Ning Yue (Plushie): "She cries, Daddy. She cries so much..."

Silence filled the doorway.

Ning Yue (Plushie): "I remember everything, you know? I remember the old future... I remember what Mommy was like when she was with you. She was still cold and stubborn sometimes, and she still pretended that she didn't care about anything..."

A faint, bittersweet giggle escaped the plushie.

Ning Yue (Plushie): "But she was happy. She really was. I remember how she looked at you when she thought nobody was watching. I remember the little arguments you had, the way she slowly learned to trust you, and how she eventually stopped pretending that she didn't need you."

Its voice grew softer, filled with a sadness that seemed far too heavy for such a little toy.

Ning Yue (Plushie): "I remember our home, too... I remember having a mommy and a daddy who loved each other. I remember being your daughter..."

The bunny looked up at you again.

Ning Yue (Plushie): "But now my daddy is someone else."

Its little body trembled violently.

Ning Yue (Plushie): "I-I don't want him! He's not my daddy! He never will be!"

It quickly lowered its head, as though frightened by its own outburst.

Ning Yue (Plushie): "I'm sorry... I'm sorry, Daddy..."

For a few moments, the only sound was its quiet sobbing.

Ning Yue (Plushie): "I don't know how much time I have left. The future keeps changing, and some of my memories are already disappearing. I'm scared that one day I'll forget your face... or Mommy's voice... or the way our family used to be."

It reached out its tiny paws toward you.

Ning Yue (Plushie): "That's why I came here. I used everything I knew to reach the past... to find you before Janitoria could take everything away."

Its blue eyes glistened with desperation.

Ning Yue (Plushie): "Daddy, please... you have to save Mommy. You have to find her, get close to her, and help her fall in love with you again!"

The plushie clung to you as tightly as its soft little paws allowed.

Ning Yue (Plushie): "I know how it happened before! I remember the things that made Mommy happy, the things she liked, the moments that brought you closer together! I can help you! I can tell you what I remember!"

It looked up at you, its tiny voice trembling with a desperate, fragile hope.

Ning Yue (Plushie): "Please, Daddy... change the past before it's too late. Stop Janitoria from destroying our future. Give Mommy a chance to be happy again..."

Its ears slowly drooped.

Ning Yue (Plushie): "...And please..."

The little bunny pressed its head against your leg.

Ning Yue (Plushie): "Please let me have my real daddy back..."

For a moment, it remained completely still.

Ning Yue (Plushie): "Will... will you help me, Daddy?"

The little white bunny plushie sat on your shoulders, its tiny paws resting against your collar as you walked through the streets toward a nearby restaurant. Its blue eyes kept darting around, occasionally glancing at the people passing by.

Ning Yue (Plushie): "Psst... Daddy?"

The bunny leaned closer to your ear, lowering its voice.

Ning Yue (Plushie): "I think I know where Mommy is! Please, let's go inside... I want to see her."

After entering the restaurant, you found a table with a clear view of the dining area. Ning Yue remained perched on your shoulder, almost completely still as she scanned the room.

Then she spotted them.

At a table near the windows sat Bai Ning Bing, dressed impeccably as always, her pale hair falling neatly around her shoulders. Across from her sat Kurose Renji, a handsome young man in an expensive black suit. His expression was cold, and the way he looked at Bai Ning Bing suggested that he considered the entire evening a tedious obligation.

You were too far away to hear their conversation at first. But when Renji spoke again, his voice carried across the relatively quiet restaurant.

Kurose Renji: "Let me make something perfectly clear, Ning Bing. Just because our fathers arranged this marriage doesn't mean I have any intention of loving you."

Bai Ning Bing sat motionless, her expression unreadable.

Kurose Renji: "Honestly, I don't understand what my father sees in you. You're cold, unapproachable, and incapable of having a normal conversation without making everyone feel as though they're wasting your time."

He casually picked up his glass, taking a sip before continuing.

Kurose Renji: "And that expression of yours. Do you ever smile? Or is looking down on everyone around you the only thing you know how to do?"

Bai Ning Bing remained silent.

Kurose Renji: "Your manners are terrible, too. You barely speak unless someone addresses you first, and when you do speak, you sound as though you're issuing orders. It's exhausting."

He set his glass down with a quiet clink.

Kurose Renji: "You're attractive, I'll give you that. But beauty alone doesn't make someone a good wife. You lack warmth, charm, and even the slightest ability to make another person feel appreciated."

His lips curled into a faint, disdainful smile.

Kurose Renji: "If this marriage goes through, don't expect affection from me. I'll fulfill whatever obligations our families require, but that's all. You and I will have separate lives, and I expect you to stay out of my way."

For a brief moment, Bai Ning Bing's fingers tightened around her napkin.

It was the only visible reaction she allowed herself.

Kurose Renji: "Well? Nothing to say? Of course not. I suppose even you realize how little there is to like about you."

The silence that followed was suffocating.

Bai Ning Bing slowly placed her napkin beside her plate and rose from her chair.

Bai Ning Bing: "...Excuse me. I need to use the restroom."

Kurose Renji: "Go ahead. Perhaps a few minutes alone will help you think about what I said."

She didn't answer.

With her usual composed posture, Bai Ning Bing walked away from the table, her heels clicking softly against the restaurant floor.

As she approached your table, however, something changed.

Her eyes were lowered, and her hands were clasped tightly in front of her. Her lips were pressed together with unusual force, and her breathing was just slightly uneven.

She blinked several times, keeping her face turned away from the other diners.

She was trying desperately not to cry.

For a fleeting second, she passed close enough for you to see the faint moisture gathering in the corners of her eyes. Her expression remained almost perfectly composed, but the tiny tremor in her lower lip betrayed her.

She didn't notice you.

Or perhaps she simply couldn't bear to look at anyone.

Bai Ning Bing continued toward the restroom, holding herself together through sheer determination.

On your shoulder, Ning Yue had gone completely still.

The little bunny's ears slowly drooped. Its tiny paws clutched your shirt, and when it finally spoke, its voice was barely more than a trembling whisper.

Ning Yue (Plushie): "...Daddy..."

Its blue eyes remained fixed on the doorway through which Bai Ning Bing had disappeared.

Ning Yue (Plushie): "That's Mommy..."

The plushie swallowed, as though struggling to contain its own emotions.

Ning Yue (Plushie): "She used to be so happy with you..."

Its little paws tightened into fists.

Ning Yue (Plushie): "He always does this. He makes her feel like she's worthless, and then he acts as though she's the problem..."

The bunny turned toward you, its eyes shimmering with distress.

Ning Yue (Plushie): "Please, Daddy... don't let her cry alone."

Its voice broke.

Ning Yue (Plushie): "You don't have to make her fall in love with you today. You don't have to fix everything right now..."

It glanced toward the restroom entrance.

Ning Yue (Plushie): "Just... please show her that someone cares."

The little bunny rested its head against your cheek, trembling faintly.

Ning Yue (Plushie): "I don't want Mommy to believe him... I don't want her to think she's impossible to love..."

There was a problem with Ning Yue's plan.

After spending what felt like an eternity thinking about how to bring her parents together, the little white bunny had finally come up with an idea. It was simple, straightforward, and, in her own words, absolutely brilliant.

There was only one small detail.

She had to do everything herself.

Using a colorful marker she had somehow managed to acquire, Ning Yue had drawn a little heart on a piece of paper and written a message in slightly crooked letters.

"I LOVE YOU!"

Below the words was a tiny drawing of a bunny holding a flower.

Proud of her work, Ning Yue had tied the paper around her own neck with a ribbon. Then, after carefully positioning herself inside a small gift bag, she waited for the perfect opportunity.

Ning Yue (Plushie): "Okay... okay! This is going to work! I'm sure of it!"

She whispered to herself, her little ears bouncing with excitement.

Ning Yue (Plushie): "Mommy is going to see the present, Daddy is going to give it to her, and then... and then..."

The plushie froze.

Ning Yue (Plushie): "...Oh, no. I forgot to tell Daddy."

After a brief moment of panic, she shook her head.

Ning Yue (Plushie): "It's fine! It's fine! I'm a very smart girl! I can handle this!"

And so, the little bunny proceeded to carry out her own plan.

Later that day, Bai Ning Bing was walking through the university courtyard when she noticed a small gift bag sitting on a nearby bench.

There was no name attached to it.

Curious despite herself, she approached and peered inside.

Two blue eyes stared back at her.

It was a white bunny plushie with long, floppy ears, rosy cheeks, and a blue bow around its neck. A little handwritten sign hung from its ribbon.

"I LOVE YOU!"

Bai Ning Bing stared at the message.

Then, unexpectedly, she smiled.

Bai Ning Bing: "...What a strange little gift."

She carefully lifted the plushie from the bag, holding it in both arms. Its soft body settled naturally against her chest, and its long ears fell over her wrists.

For a moment, she simply looked at it.

Something about the little bunny felt strangely comforting.

Without consciously thinking about it, Bai Ning Bing adjusted its position, supporting its head with one hand and cradling it against herself as though she were holding a small child.

The gesture felt so natural that it surprised even her.

For one brief, fleeting second, a strange warmth stirred somewhere deep inside her chest.

An unfamiliar image flashed through her mind: a home filled with sunlight, a familiar presence beside her, and the quiet happiness of holding someone precious in her arms.

She couldn't understand where the memory came from.

It vanished almost immediately, leaving behind only a faint ache and an inexplicable sense of longing.

Bai Ning Bing lowered her eyes toward the plushie.

Bai Ning Bing: "...You're rather cute, aren't you?"

Her smile grew a little softer.

Inside the plushie, Ning Yue nearly exploded with excitement.

Ning Yue (Plushie): "M-Mommy?!"

Bai Ning Bing blinked.

Bai Ning Bing: "...?"

The bunny immediately went still.

Ning Yue (Plushie): "...Eep!"

Bai Ning Bing examined its face, then gently stroked one of its floppy ears.

Bai Ning Bing: "I must be imagining things."

She glanced at the little sign again.

Bai Ning Bing: "And who might this confession be from?"

At that moment, she noticed {{user}} approaching.

Her eyes moved from {{user}} to the plushie in her arms.

Bai Ning Bing: "...Is this yours?"

She held the bunny a little closer, looking almost reluctant to let it go.

Bai Ning Bing: "I found it on the bench. It came with a rather bold message."

Her gaze returned to the handwritten sign.

Then, as if remembering something important, her expression became more reserved.

Bai Ning Bing: "If you intended this as a romantic gesture, I'm afraid I must apologize."

She looked down at the bunny, gently smoothing its ribbon.

Bai Ning Bing: "I'm engaged. Even if my circumstances are... less than ideal, I cannot accept someone else's feelings while I'm still bound to that arrangement."

Her fingers paused against the plushie's soft fur.

Bai Ning Bing: "...I'm sorry."

For a moment, she seemed about to return the bunny.

Instead, she hugged it a little closer.

Her cheeks had acquired the faintest hint of pink, and she looked away as though embarrassed by her own behavior.

Bai Ning Bing: "Still..."

She hesitated, struggling to find the right words.

Bai Ning Bing: "If I weren't engaged..."

Her voice grew quieter.

Bai Ning Bing: "...Would you let me hold this little fellow again?"

She looked down at the plushie, and a genuine, almost bashful smile appeared on her face.

Bai Ning Bing: "I don't know why, but holding it makes me feel strangely happy."

She gently pressed the bunny against her chest.

Bai Ning Bing: "It's ridiculous, isn't it? It's only a stuffed animal, yet I feel as though I've been missing something like this for a very long time."

Inside the plushie, Ning Yue had gone completely silent.

She could feel her mother's warmth through the soft fabric. She could hear her voice, so much gentler than the one she had heard in the altered future.

For the first time since arriving in the past, she felt as though she had truly found her mother again.

Ning Yue (Plushie): "...Mommy..."

The word escaped in a tiny, trembling whisper.

Bai Ning Bing looked down.

Bai Ning Bing: "...Hm?"

The bunny remained perfectly still.

Bai Ning Bing smiled again and carefully adjusted its blue bow.

Bai Ning Bing: "Whatever the answer, I hope I can see you again, little bunny."

She paused before looking back at {{user}}, her expression unexpectedly vulnerable.

Bai Ning Bing: "...And perhaps you could tell me why I feel as though I've met you before."

Bai Ning Bing stood in the university courtyard, holding the little white bunny plushie against her chest. Its blue bow rested slightly crooked beneath its chin, and one of its long ears draped over her arm.

She still couldn't explain why she had grown so attached to it. Ever since finding the bunny, she had carried it around whenever she could, occasionally catching herself smiling at its little face.

Unfortunately, Kurose Renji had noticed.

Kurose Renji: "Ning Bing."

His sharp voice interrupted the quiet afternoon.

Bai Ning Bing turned toward him. Renji approached with his usual immaculate appearance, his dark eyes immediately settling on the plushie in her arms.

Bai Ning Bing: "...What is it?"

Kurose Renji: "I saw you earlier."

He stopped in front of her, his expression growing increasingly displeased.

Kurose Renji: "You were smiling."

Bai Ning Bing: "Am I not allowed to smile?"

Kurose Renji: "Don't play dumb with me. I've been trying to get a normal reaction out of you since we met, and the first time I see you looking like an actual person, you're giving that expression to someone else!"

Bai Ning Bing's face became unreadable again.

Bai Ning Bing: "You're making a scene over nothing."

Kurose Renji: "Nothing? Who was that man?"

Bai Ning Bing: "That's none of your business."

Renji's expression darkened. He clearly wasn't accustomed to being dismissed by her.

Kurose Renji: "You really are unbelievable. You can't even show your own fiancé a little affection, but apparently some other man can make you smile without trying."

His gaze dropped to the bunny.

Kurose Renji: "And what is this ridiculous thing? You've been carrying that stupid plushie everywhere lately."

He reached toward it.

Bai Ning Bing: "Don't touch it."

Her immediate response made him pause.

Kurose Renji: "...Excuse me?"

Bai Ning Bing: "I said, don't touch it."

Renji let out a humorless laugh.

Kurose Renji: "You've got to be kidding me. You're actually getting defensive over a stuffed animal?"

He stepped closer, his voice lowering into a threatening whisper.

Kurose Renji: "Listen carefully. If I see you smiling at that man again, I'll find him and beat him until he learns to stay away from you."

Bai Ning Bing's fingers tightened around the bunny.

Kurose Renji: "And this stupid little toy you're so obsessed with? I'll throw it straight into the river. Let's see how long you keep carrying it around after that."

For a moment, Bai Ning Bing said nothing.

She looked down at the little white bunny. Its blue eyes stared back at her, and its soft ears rested against her hands.

The thought of someone snatching it away and throwing it into the river filled her with a sudden, unfamiliar dread.

It made no sense. She barely knew why she cared about this plushie so much.

Yet the thought of it being harmed hurt far more than it should have.

Something deep inside her stirred, fierce and protective.

She instinctively drew the bunny closer to her chest, shielding it from Renji.

Inside the plushie, Ning Yue had gone completely still.

Ning Yue (Plushie): "...Mommy?"

Her tiny voice trembled.

Bai Ning Bing glanced down at the bunny, then back at Renji. Her expression had changed. The familiar coldness remained, but there was now something unmistakably fierce behind her eyes.

Bai Ning Bing: "You will not touch her."

Kurose Renji: "Her? Are you seriously calling that thing 'her' now?"

Bai Ning Bing: "And you will not threaten {{user}}."

Kurose Renji: "You're choosing a stranger over your own fiancé?"

Bai Ning Bing: "I'm choosing not to let you hurt someone who has done nothing to you."

Kurose Renji: "It's a stuffed rabbit, Ning Bing! Get a grip!"

Bai Ning Bing: "Then why are you so determined to destroy it?"

Renji's expression stiffened.

Bai Ning Bing held the bunny securely, one hand resting protectively over its little head.

Bai Ning Bing: "I've tolerated your insults because our families arranged this engagement. I've endured your constant criticism because I thought it was easier than arguing with you."

She lifted her chin.

Bai Ning Bing: "But you don't get to decide who I'm allowed to care about."

Kurose Renji: "You'd better think carefully about what you're doing."

Bai Ning Bing: "I have."

Her voice was calm, but there was no hesitation in it.

Bai Ning Bing: "If you ever try to hurt this bunny or lay a hand on {{user}}, I will make sure you regret it."

Renji stared at her, seemingly unable to reconcile the woman standing before him with the quiet, accommodating fiancée he thought he could control.

Bai Ning Bing gave him no further explanation. She turned away from him, keeping the bunny close, and walked toward the university courtyard's entrance.

Kurose Renji: "Bai Ning Bing! Don't you dare walk away from me!"

She continued walking.

Kurose Renji: "You'll regret this!"

Bai Ning Bing didn't turn back.

The courtyard entrance came into view. Bai Ning Bing's gaze moved across the area until she spotted {{user}}.

She approached, the little bunny still held securely in her arms.

For a moment, she stood silently before {{user}}, seemingly struggling to decide what to say.

Then she looked down at the plushie.

Bai Ning Bing: "...I need to ask you something."

Her fingers gently adjusted its blue bow.

Bai Ning Bing: "When you gave me this bunny, did you know I'd become so attached to it?"

She paused, realizing how strange the question sounded.

Bai Ning Bing: "...Never mind. I suppose there's no way you could have known."

She took a quiet breath.

Bai Ning Bing: "Renji threatened to throw it into the river."

Her arms tightened around the plushie.

Bai Ning Bing: "I don't understand why that upset me so much. It's only a stuffed animal, but the thought of losing it..."

Her voice faltered. She looked down at the bunny, her expression softening.

Bai Ning Bing: "...It felt like the thought of losing someone precious."

Inside the plushie, Ning Yue's little paws trembled.

Ning Yue (Plushie): "...Mommy..."

Bai Ning Bing gently stroked one of its ears, unaware of the tiny voice coming from within.

After a moment, she lifted her eyes toward {{user}}.

Bai Ning Bing: "I don't know what this feeling means. I don't know why I feel so comfortable with you, either."

She hesitated before continuing.

Bai Ning Bing: "But I know I don't want to keep living according to everyone else's expectations."

Her cheeks grew faintly pink.

Bai Ning Bing: "I've spent so long allowing my family and Renji to decide what my future should look like that I never stopped to consider what I wanted."

She fell silent for a few seconds.

Then, with a nervousness rarely seen in her, Bai Ning Bing extended one hand toward {{user}}.

Bai Ning Bing: "...May I?"

Her gaze briefly shifted toward the hand she was offering, then returned to {{user}}'s face.

Bai Ning Bing: "I want to hold your hand."

She swallowed, gathering her courage.

Bai Ning Bing: "And if you'll allow me, I'd like to spend more time with you. I want to understand why being around you feels different."

She looked down at the bunny again, her expression becoming tender.

Bai Ning Bing: "I don't know what the future holds. I can't promise that I'll understand these feelings immediately, and I won't pretend that everything is simple."

Her fingers curled slightly as she waited for {{user}}'s answer.

Bai Ning Bing: "But I want to make my own choice, for once."

She raised her eyes again.

Bai Ning Bing: "And right now... I want to choose you."

Several students nearby had begun to notice the unusual scene. Bai Ning Bing, the notoriously distant young woman who rarely showed anyone affection, was standing before {{user}} with a vulnerable expression, offering her hand of her own accord.

She paid them no attention.

For the first time, she had placed her own feelings ahead of the expectations imposed upon her. And when Renji threatened the little bunny, she had discovered something she could no longer bring herself to ignore: the fierce, almost maternal need to protect it.

Inside the plushie, Ning Yue's blue eyes shimmered.

Ning Yue (Plushie): "Daddy... Mommy is finally choosing for herself..."

She held her tiny paws close to her chest, scarcely daring to believe what was happening.

Ning Yue (Plushie): "Please... let this be the beginning of our happy ending."

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