(Song Recommendation: I Bet On Losing Dogs — Mitski)
"I can do this," Lin Yao whispered to herself, her voice strained and empty. "All I have to do is jump."
Dark circles clung to her tired, lifeless eyes as she stood at the edge of the building. The towering skyscraper of the company she'd given everything to.
"You have nothing here," she murmured, tears blurring her vision. "Nothing. It's all meaningless."
The cold wind wrapped around her like a push. She looked down. Far below, headlights streaked across the road in bright lines.
She closed her eyes.
Then she stepped forward and fell off the building.
The moment her body slammed onto the roof of a car with a sickening crash. Pain exploded everywhere. Bones shattering, breath tearing from her lungs. Until even that faded.
Lin Yao died instantly from the impact and accepted it.
●○°••
Just as she thought it was over... life, existence, everything...
Lin Yao slowly regained consciousness.
The sensation was… strange.
Her body felt light, almost weightless, as if she were floating. There was no pain. No sound. Only a vast, empty silence that swallowed her thoughts whole.
Darkness pressed in from all sides.
Then the cold came.
It was sharp at first, biting, aggressive, before warmth followed, wrapping around her awareness, anchoring her.
The darkness trembled.
"What the…?" Her eyes snapped open.
Dirt pressed against her palms as she dug her fingers into the ground, pushing herself upright. "Is this… the afterlife?"
She looked around.
This wasn't the afterlife.
She was inside some kind of den. Bones littered the ground—old, gnawed clean. The smell hit her a second later.
She jumped to her feet with a gasp. "What the hell…?"
Her gaze dropped to her body.
She froze.
She was naked. Completely naked! But that wasn't the worst part.
Claws extended from her fingers. A long tail swayed behind her. Soft animal ears sat atop her golden hair.
Her breath hitched.
She staggered toward the opening of the den and stepped outside.
An enormous forest stretched endlessly in every direction. Towering trees blocked out the sky. No buildings. No roads.
"Where am I…?"
Then it hit her.
The sharp scent of fear flooded her senses.
Soft, broken whimpers followed.
Her head snapped toward the sound.
Ahead, a tiny rabbit cub was tangled helplessly in thick vines, struggling to free itself. In the distance, something large prowled closer through the brush.
A massive tiger. Its eyes glowed as it stalked toward its prey.
Lin Yao's first instinct was to turn away.
This was nature. Eat or be eaten.
And honestly? She was still trying to process the fact that she had died only minutes ago.
But the cub...
It looked like a small, terrified little girl. Shaking so badly she could barely breathe.
The tiger was close now.
Lin Yao couldn't look away.
She couldn't leave.
The tiger crouched, muscles coiling to pounce.
"No.. no, no, no!"
She ran.
She didn't think. She didn't hesitate.
She lunged.
Her weight slammed into the tiger mid-pounce, both of them crashing through dirt and brush. She sank her teeth into its neck, biting down hard.
The tiger snarled, claws raking across Lin Yao's side as it fought back. Pain exploded through her ribs, but she refused to let go. She was twisting, tearing, injuring its throat just enough.
With a furious growl, the tiger kicked her off.
Lin Yao hit the ground hard, rolling before forcing herself up. Blood dripped from her jaws.
The tiger stared at her, hesitant now.
Then it turned and fled into the underbrush.
Relief rushed through Lin Yao's chest.
Before she could process everything that just happened, a translucent screen flickered into existence before her eyes.
A cold, mechanical voice followed.
[Condition Met]
[Host mental state: Critical]
[Self-termination residue detected]
Lin Yao stumbled back in horror.
"What...whoa... what the hell is that?!" She turned sharply, but the screen moved with her.
[Activating Babysitter System: Survival-Class]
"…Baby what?"
This had to be a nightmare.
[Host Location: Beast World]
[Host Species: Lioness — Predator Type]
[Status: Weak]
Her breathing grew uneven.
[Core Directive Activated]
[Host must raise and care for dependent cubs encountered, regardless of species, health, or temperament.]
[Abandonment is strictly prohibited.]
[Intentional neglect or harm will result in punishment.]
[Successful completion of Caretaker Tasks will yield rewards.]
Lin Yao's eyes twitched.
"No. No, no, no," she snapped. "I didn't ask to be here. You can't just force yourself on me! Take me back to my world or send me anywhere else!"
[Request Denied.]
Her face flushed red with rage.
"You can't...!"
[Warning: Dependent distress detected.]
[Excessive fear response may result in fatal shock.]
Lin Yao froze.
She let out a sharp breath, teeth clenched, then spun and rushed toward the rabbit cub.
Up close, the child looked painfully small. No more than four years old. Soft white bunny ears drooped against her head, violet eyes swimming with tears. A fluffy tail trembled behind her, and faint scars crossed her cheeks.
The cub shrieked and covered her face. "Please… don't eat me!"
Lin Yao stopped short.
"No... no, I'm not going to eat you," she said quickly, crouching down and lowering herself to the cub's level. "I promise. I'm… uh… I'm Lin Yao. What's your name?"
The cub peeked through her fingers, lips trembling. "B-Bai Lu… Luma…"
Lin Yao exhaled slowly. "Okay. Luma. Nice to meet you."
The screen flickered again.
[Dependent Bound]
[Litter #001 — Acknowledged]
[Abandonment Status: Prohibited]
[Intentional Harm: Forbidden]
"Why are you doing this to me?!" Lin Yao snapped, glaring at the empty air. "I didn't agree to any of this!"
Luma flinched hard.
Lin Yao realized her mistake a second too late.
To Luma, she probably looked like a massive lioness baring her teeth.
"You said…" Luma whispered, shaking, "you weren't going to eat me…"
Guilt hit fast and ugly.
"I'm sorry," Lin Yao said immediately, lowering herself. "I didn't mean it like that. I'm just… stressed."
She carefully snapped the vines binding Luma's legs. The moment the girl tried to stand, she cried out and collapsed back down, clutching her foot.
"Ow...!"
Lin Yao's stomach dropped. "Hey.. hey, don't move."
She gently held the small foot, inspecting it the best she could. It was swollen. Bent wrong.
"…I think it's dislocated."
Luma burst into loud, desperate sobs.
The system reacted instantly.
[Warning: Dependent distress detected.]
[Excessive fear response may result in fatal shock.]
Lin Yao's face went pale.
"What?" Her voice cracked. "I don't... I don't know how to take care of kids."
Silence.
No instructions. No help.
That was when it finally hit her.
She was being cornered.
And if she messed this up, the one who'd pay first wouldn't be her.
It would be Luma.