Cultivating Anthro CEO RPG Hero Harem Reincarnation In Another World

Lulu's POV:

"What was that?"

I thought I heard something moving in the trees just now, followed by a loud CRUNCH, so I stopped and looked but didn't see anything.

Whatever it was, it sure did startle me!

One of the matron's Yako-nin grabbed me by the arm.

"Quit dawdling!" she gruffly ordered.

"Ow! That hurts...!" I squirmed in her grasp, but she was too strong. "Why are you being so rough all of a sudden? And why are you in such a hurry anyway?"

The other one grabbed me by my other arm, starting to drag me along against my will. "Don't ask so many questions, brat!" she snapped, in a cold voice. "You know the price of disobeying the matron's will: exile, or DEATH."

None of this felt right. I mean, how could I know if they were telling the truth?

Why was I so gullible…?!

"I don't like this—any of this!" I yelled at them. "I wanna go home.

"Going to make it difficult on us now, are you?' said the one with the cold voice, with a small cackle that made my skin crawl. "That would be fine by me, little one. 'Cuz we can play rough, too…"

As her fingers grazed my wrist, I saw the flesh turn blue-white and felt an icy chill like needles creeping up along my arm.

"N-no! Don't! I promise I'll stop…!"

"Hehe, there's a good girl," she said. "You wouldn't want to know what would happen if I allowed my [Tropical Freeze] to consume your entire body."

She squeezed my wrist harder, and I could feel the cold spreading even further.

"I said I'd stop!" I screamed.

Even still, she didn't show any signs of stopping. Until—

"That is ENOUGH, Silky!"

SMACK!

The fist of the other Yako-nin came forward, out of the corner of Lulu's eye, landing a direct hit with the cold-voiced one's face, in a powerful blow—sending them rolling, backward, across the dirt, until they collided with a tree.

Eh…?! What just happened?

The second Yako-nin saved me just now?

Wincing, I slowly turn my head and gasp, as I come face-to-face with her as her head is tilted down at me, with...to my surprise...what looked to be a sincere look of concern, reflected in her big brown eyes.

"I apologize for my partner's cruelty," she said to me in a mature, serious voice. "The pain in your arm should cease within a few minutes."

"Th-thanks," I answered quickly, nervously glancing down at my feet.

I could sense her frown. 

"Don't be scared, child. I won't hurt you."

Her words seemed genuine, though I was still unsure. After all, it is said that a person is only as good as the company they keep, and this one's friend had so far proven to be a total brute.

However, I did still have questions:

"Um...miss Yako-nin, am I in trouble with the matron? Am I going to be executed?" 

"No. I assure you, that is not so."

"Oh." I gave a sigh of relief.

"It is with regards to the outworlder your village has received recently."

"You mean…" I felt my whole body stiffen as I froze, while briefly contemplating her words; as though I had just been introduced to the full extent of her comrade's [Tropical Freeze] after all. "Hotaru-kun?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Hotaru...? The one we're seeking is named Noriko."

Uh-oh. 

Now, a sense of panic is coming over me.

Did I just say something wrong?

"How interesting!" The cold-voiced one chimed in, just as she was lurching back onto her feet with a slimy, wicked grin stretched across her face. "Either our target goes by multiple names, or there's already a SECOND outworlder currently active in Stone's Throw."

Damn it.

I only assumed they were looking for Hotaru, when actually…

They only wanted Noriko!

They didn't even KNOW about Hotaru, untilI went and blabbed my stupid mouth!

"Interesting, indeed," said the kinder of the two, stroking her chin in thought. "We shall report this new development, once we've returned to the fort."

The fort...? 

What's that?! I've never even heard of this 'fort' place before.

I'm scared of these people...

Is anybody coming to rescue me?

…

Ceres was being pushed to her absolute limit as a warrior.

As the sole defender of a small village, she'd never had to face such a fearsome threat as this Kitsuna with a giant shuriken, who seemed to be able to control it remotely with the force of her chi.

She leaped between trees, dodging the shuriken that carved straight through anything that stood in its path.

Ceres kept up the chase until, eventually, she found a high branch to rest on, catching her breath with her back pressed against the tree trunk, as she took a second to reassess the situation:

Such incredible speed, and power!

I'm going to lose the trail if this keeps up, but I mustn't take my opponent lightly.

Though, I wonder, how is she able to track my movements from a distance? If not through some strange power, then surely through line of sight. But that would mean…

Could it be...she's still be closeby?

Ceres nervously peeked out from behind the tree she was situated at, amid the empty silence, to see if she could find the robed Yako-nin among all the dense foliage of leaves and branches. Although, as is true with every Yako-nin, she must have been taught to blend in with her environment, using the jungle as camouflage. To strike unnoticed, and retreat undetected. To kill without a sign you were ever there.

This methodology, for as much as it was an ancient tradition among the Kitsuna, also served a clear practical purpose of protecting one's identity, in the case of being called to perform an execution.

That's because Yako-nin not only served as protectors of their villages, but in fact—as was scarcely known among the commonfolk, for good reason—they were also often called upon, by the matron, to perform hits on the residents of other Kitsuna villages on the island: acting interchangeably as local heroes and cold-blooded assassins alike, depending on what the situation calls for.

As such, Ceres had claimed many lives with her own two hands, to the point where it became like second nature; a depraved and moralless, inseparable element of her character—the likes of which she desires to keep concealed from Mina and everyone else in the village...

Even if she must be condemned to a life of lonely solitude.

Such was a message firmly ingrained into her, as a little fox girl: during the days when she would be forced by her mothers to train, for hours and hours on end, repeating the same drills against straw target dummies, in the barren courtyard of the Kotome family estate, until her muscles ached so much that she could barely walk or lift her arms.

On this particular day, she waa running the obstacle course that was set up...

"Ceres, you're still far too slow!" scolded her harsh-tongued instructor, dressed in a traditional pure black robe. "Start over from the top!"

"But mother, I'm trying as hard as I can...!"

"Idiot!" she spat. "Everyone who will be trying to kill you will also be doing the same. Which is why, YOUR 'best' needs to be superior to everyone else's, if you are to stand any chance of surviving in this harsh, unforgiving world."

"Why can't I just be a farmer, mommy? Isn't that much saf—"

SLAP. 

Ceres gawked, caught off guard by the sudden sharp blow across her face.

"No daughter of mine, born into the prestigious Kotome family of Yang assassins, shall ever be a magic bean farmer!"

"I don't wanna kill people, mommy!"

"It matters not what it is you want!" she spat. "Your destiny has already been decided, since long before you were even born!"

…

Ceres's POV:

What I was taught, and always led to believe, was that none can enjoy true peace without the existence of those who would sacrifice their own souls to allow it to be. We Yako-nin, the silent and elusive protectors, have embraced this truth, and come to steadfastly harden our resolve as a result.

With that all being said…

My opponent must have undergone the same soul-crushing process as I. Such that, wherever it is she may be watching me now through the densely packed, serene jungle that has become our arena, she must be hungry for my blood...just as I hunger for hers; two feral beasts judt.?

At long last, here was an opponent who would put all that hard training to use.

"I know you're looking for me, but good luck trying to see beyond my [Ultimate Stealth] ability, which allows me to meld perfectly into the shadows."

"Who are you..!? And why are you interested in Noriko-san?"

I heard her piercing laugh, sound like it was coming from everywhere, providung no hint to me as to where she is staying hidden.

"Real question is, why do you care?' she asked. "What do you gain from it?"

My humanity.