Duran-kun and Kiyo-chan's Omake Theater!
(featuring the Kuga-Fujino family pets)
Natsuki always enjoyed a good run. The feeling of getting out and doing something physical, covering ground with her legs, the ache in her muscles from a good workout and the satisfaction of completing that work without getting too winded was always fun.
"Too bad Shizuru never joins us," Natsuki said. Duran, running along beside her, gave a yip in reply. "Every time I ask, she always suggests other forms of aerobic exercise for two." Which wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but she wanted to do that in addition to her normal exercise, not in place of it. "Ah, well, at least I've got you with me, boy."
No sooner had she said that than Duran took off at full speed, leaving Natsuki behind. He'd left the path and was sprinting across the grass, and Natsuki had a sinking feeling that she knew what was going on. She took off in hot pursuit and after three minutes of running at a dead sprint she finally caught up, if only because Duran had stopped, barking up towards the branches of a tree.
"Natsuki!"
Natsuki blushed at Akane Higurashi's angry tone.
"Sorry, Akane." She grabbed Duran's collar and yanked him back from the tree. "Hey, you, you're embarrassing yourself here! What do you think Shizuru will say when we get home?"
Duran gave a sort of hopeful whimper.
"Nice try. You know her. She always finds out. And Kiyohime will probably laugh at you."
Duran's ears drooped. Meanwhile, Akane was crooning up into the tree, her arms outstretched.
"Now, now, it's okay to come down; that nasty doggie won't hurt you."
The leaves shook, and a yellow-and-silver flash dropped from the branches to the ground. Hari nuzzled against Akane's leg.
"You know, this wouldn't happen if he wouldn't always run away like that," Natsuki pointed out. "Duran doesn't care about catching anything; he just likes to chase stuff."
"Hari's just a kitten! Of course he's scared when a big dog comes chasing him!"
"Akane, Hari weighs like a hundred pounds!"
"So? He's still just a kitten," the brunette protested.
"Hey, is this the dog, then, that's been creating the trouble?"
The girls and pets looked up at the uniformed police officer approaching.
"Trouble?" Natsuki asked. "He didn't knock anybody down or break anything, did he?"
"No, no, but when a dog goes running loose through the park barking, it causes quite a disturbance."
"He was chasing my friend's cat," Natsuki explained, pointing at Hari. The policeman looked back and forth between the metal dog with rifles growing on his back to the equally metallic puma-sized cat.
"Well, seeing as no one was hurt, I suppose I can let it go this time, but you should really consider keeping him on a leash, miss, for his own safety as well as other people's."
Duran whimpered, his ears drooping.
"It's your own fault," Natsuki told him unsympathetically.
"I presume that all of his licenses are up to date?" the officer added.
Natsuki nodded.
"Uh-huh." She turned Duran's collar around so the tags could be seen. "Here's his dog license, and his shots."
The officer examined the tags, then frowned.
"I don't see a—"
Natsuki sighed, cutting him off, then took out her wallet.
"They don't make a dog tag for that one, so I carry it with me." She fished out a card and handed it to the policeman. "See? His firearms license is up to date, too."