Chapter 5

Standing before her was a beautiful young man. He was wrapped in fine robes that were accentuated by his long golden hair on which a flower crown rested upon. His translucent skin contrasted with his sapphire blue eyes which gave him the appearance of a god. His elegantly thin hands now gently held the bunny who had hopped over to him. He was prettier than any woman she had ever seen, so much that she was even jealous of his beauty!

"Lucy Lee, aged 24 years old at the time of death. That's you right?" Spoke the mysterious man in a honeyed voice. She could fall in love with that voice alone!

"W-Who might you be?"

"Why, I'm the pet protector, the protector of all domestic animals. I was the one who summoned you here. You might be confused to as where you are, so please let me explain. This here is the animal equivalent to heaven."

"So it's animal heaven?" If this is animal heaven, then what was she doing here then!?

"All humans are animals in some regard." He replied, almost as if he could read her mind.

"W-WHAT!?"

"Fufufu, I'm kidding. He said with a smile "With all seriousness though, I have brought you here to offer you the chance to be reincarnated and live a happy life."

"But what's the catch?" She found herself asking. She knew from experience that those tv product ads were always too good to be true.

"In exchange, you'll become my pet from now on."

Huh? P-p-pet? What on earth does he mean!?

Seeing the troubled expression on her face, he continued further.

"Don't worry, being my pet won't be so bad! I promise to provide you will all of your needs to make your job as easy as possible ~" He said in a happy-go-lucky voice, shattering the image of sophistication and elegance she had of him 5 minutes prior.

Wait, job!? Since when did this become a job interview!?

"Since I need to be up here watching over my subjects all of the time, I need someone to act as my executor - the person responsible for carrying out my will on earth. As my executor, I will remain in close contact with you and guide you through any things that need to be done. In return, I will give you a second chance at life... with a few little perks."

"Go on..."

"If you choose to accept my offer, I'll make sure that you are reborn into a family that will be able to provide you with a comfortable life. I'll also gift you the ability to learn things faster as well as a greater memory capacity."

Hmm, that didn't sound like such a bad deal at all! Not having to worry about money and having the ability to learn things without having to do hours of practice beforehand sounded great!

"But why me out of everyone else? I'm just an ordinary girl."

He leant in closer and spoke behind her ear. "Well, I guess you can say that you caught my eye. Remember what you said that night before falling asleep?"

The memory of her pledging to dedicate her life to protecting animals while in a half-asleep trance, came back to her mind. Argh, he heard that!? So embarrassing! While she meant what she said, she didn't mean for anyone to hear it!

Seeing her face turn red, he thought about how cute she was as he patted her head.

"So, what do you say? Do you accept my offer?

Well, I don't really have a choice, do I? I either take up his offer or fade away into nothingness...

Not taking long to make up her mind, she replied with a firm "yes."

"That's great news. I'll organise a new family for you right away. The place that you'll be sent to is a country were veterinary practice is underdeveloped. I need you to use your modern knowledge to help progress it further. In this country, you'll come across various animals that you will have never seen before. While the country is technologically behind, they are advanced in other ways. One of their advances being the discovery of establishing partnerships with animals."

"Partnerships?"

"Yes. They have discovered that unique bonds can be created between humans and animals in which both will benefit. In exchange for love and care, the animal is able to provide its owner with assistance and protection. The animal will also grow and evolve alongside its owner."

Oooh, that actually sounded pretty cool, she thought to herself.

"The current issue in the country is that lately, invaders from the north have been coming into the country's sacred forests and hunting its rare animals for their meat and horns. Your first mission is to establish a sanctuary to protect these rare animals."

Did this mean she would finally be able to achieve her dream of opening up an animal sanctuary?

She eagerly nodded her head. "Understood."

"Excellent. Do you have any questions?"

"Do I have to wear a collar?"

"Not unless you want to..."