Easter Bunny Liu Mei Fan/Bond Story

*Mei Fan and this costume were selected for a special slot in this year's strengthening program. Everyone looks forward to the new possibilities of this lovely and unusual "Frau Rubin". From "Expressing a Rabbit through Etude."*

* Chapter 1
* Chapter 2
* Bond Level 15 Talk
* Bond Level 30 Talk

The Bunny Brainteaser

 **Mei Fan:**(A rabbit is a mammal with soft fur and two distinctive long ears.)

 **Mei Fan:**(Its eyes are big and round, and the way its nostrils open and close as its triangular nose twitches is loved by—)

 **Mei Fan:**What even IS a rabbit!?

 **Aruru:**That's easy! Rabbits are fluffy and precious and they make everyone smile!

 **Aruru:**C'mon, let's get our bunny hop on!☆

 **Mei Fan:**Bu... W-Wait, stop, Aruru-san!

 **Mei Fan:**I'm not looking for an abstract answer. I'm trying to figure out the purpose of this training program for future reference!

 **Aruru:**The purpose? I'm pretty sure they summed it up in the paper they gave us...

 **Mei Fan:**They did. "The organizers have assigned particularly well-received roles from programs performed thus far."

 **Mei Fan:**"The students representing their schools will be paired up with students experienced in their roles, performing one scene of their choice on the final day of the program."

 **Aruru:**Wow, that's, like, word-for-word! You're so cool, Mei Fan-chan!

 **Mei Fan:**Thank you!

 **Mei Fan:**W-Wait, that's not the point! I'm saying this doesn't help me understand what they were thinking...

 **Mei Fan:**...When they assigned me this "Easter Bunny" role, even though it doesn't have a program to go with it!

 **Aruru:**It doesn't...?

 **Aruru:**Whoa, you're right! And this costume is the one we made at Frontier!

 **Aruru:**We used it for Shizuha-chan's surprise event!

 **Mei Fan:**Y-Yes. I would've hoped I didn't have to spell all this out for you...

 **Mei Fan:**It may not have a program, but I've at least heard rumors about the costume. How it was from Frontier's Easter event, and how it was really well-made.

 **Aruru:**People talked about our Easter Bunny costume!?

 **Mei Fan:**Yes, Yachiyo told me. Though I never imagined I'd be wearing it myself...

 **Mei Fan:**Anyway, I was really confused when I went to get my assignment and they said, "You have no script, so portray the Easter Bunny in an etude."

 **Mei Fan:**Why did they give me this assignment...?

 **Aruru:**Ahaha, you don't have to think that hard. I kinda get it!

 **Mei Fan:**You mean you've already figured it out!?

 **Mei Fan:**I've been thinking for three days straight, and I still have no clue... Tell me, why are they doing this!?

 **Aruru:**That's easy! It's because you're cute!

 **Mei Fan:**Nwha!?

 **Mei Fan:**O-Oh, of course, you're joking... Thanks for lightening the mood, Aruru-san. I feel a little more relaxed now.

 **Mei Fan:**I still don't know what they want from me, but I'll just have to do my best to meet their expectations!

 **Aruru:**Huh? No, I really meant...

 **Aruru:**Hmm, how do I make her understand?

Cuteness 101

 **Mei Fan:**And tombé, and pas de bourrée, glissade, grand pas de chat...!

 **Aruru:**Wow, your jumps are so pretty... It's like you're a real rabbit!

 **Mei Fan:**Thank you. "Pas de chat" actually means "cat's step," but I thought it might be useful in portraying a rabbit in my assignment!

 **Aruru:**Yeah, you totally nailed its mystique!

 **Aruru:**I know! What if, after you jump, you turn and bring your hands up next to your head like bunny ears? It could even help you transition into your next move!

 **Mei Fan:**Ooh, I like it! And above all, it would really bring out the rabbit's cutene—

 **Mei Fan:**B-But, well, that might go against the spirit of the assignment.

 **Aruru:**What do you mean?

 **Mei Fan:**Oh, you know... W-Wouldn't it be a bit too cute...?

 **Aruru:**Hmm, you think so?

 **Mei Fan:**Yes. Besides, when you think of "cute," you think of Orihime, or Thumbelina, or the Little Match Girl...!

 **Mei Fan:**And on top of that, failure is not an option for me. I need to finish my assignment perfectly!

 **Aruru:**Mei Fan-chan, why are you...?

 **Mei Fan:**...

 **Mei Fan:**...Aruru-san, do you remember who organized this training program?

 **Aruru:**You bet! Let's see, there's Karen-chan, Tamao-chan, Shizuha-chan, Koharu-chan, and, uh—

 **Mei Fan:**Akira-san!

 **Aruru:**Whoa, personal space!

 **Mei Fan:**My assignment here is so far from what I expected that I thought they were messing with me.

 **Mei Fan:**No script, no program, just a costume. But Akira-san still ordered me to perform in expectation of something.

 **Mei Fan:**I want to make her proud...so failure is not an option!

 **Aruru:**Oh, and that's why you want to focus on a stable portrayal above all else? But you know, you could also go all-in on—

 **Aruru:**Wait a sec. What did you mean a second ago when you brought up Orihime and Thumbelina? Why use them as examples...?

 **Mei Fan:**Oh, that's because I rewatched Michiru-san and Shiori and Yachiyo's recordings when I was researching cuteness.

 **Mei Fan:**Heh heh, they were all so cute!

 **Aruru:**You did your homework...!

 **Mei Fan:**Yes. But that only hammered home just how hard it would be to pull off myself...

 **Aruru:**...Okay, question. You're counting Yachiyo-chan, too?

 **Aruru:**'Cause I see her as more "pretty" than "cute"!

 **Mei Fan:**Please. Her "cute" roles are to die for!

 **Mei Fan:**Though when I try to tell her so, she's always quick to change the subject...

 **Aruru:**Really? I've never seen her like that before!

 **Aruru:**The Yachiyo-chan you see must be adorable... I never knew♪

 **Mei Fan:**She is! You absolutely have to see—

 **Mei Fan:**...Oh.

 **Aruru:**...Exactly. I think Akira-chan wants to see a new you, too!

 **Aruru:**She gave you a special assignment, different from everyone else's... It can't be easy to put in a request for that.

 **Mei Fan:**But she still did it. She believed in a new possibility for me...

 **Mei Fan:**...B-Boing boing!

 **Aruru:**Ooh, you're adorable!

 **Mei Fan:**I must always persevere, rising to any challenge! I can't believe I forgot something so important...

 **Mei Fan:**Please, Aruru-san, impart upon me the cuteness of the fluffy bunny—cute enough to take everyone's breath away!

 **Aruru:**Ahaha, you got it!☆ I wanna see a whole new you!

 **Mei Fan:**Boing! Of course!

 **Mei Fan:**I've been assigned to "portray a rabbit in an etude"... It'll be difficult, but I'll give it everything I've got!

 **Mei Fan:**I need to deepen my knowledge of rabbits! I've scoured all sorts of literature about them, and this is what I've learned...

 **Mei Fan:**Rabbits are herbivores with distinctive ears. Also of note is that their front teeth continue to grow for their entire lives... And above all, they're cute!

 **Mei Fan:**Michiru-san and Yachiyo caught me agonizing over how to portray that cuteness and told me it's "cute how serious I am"... What's that supposed to mean!?