Author's note:Hello Lads and ladies
So I am making a very small adjustment to the post schedule by posting new chapters saturday instead of Sundays. Most of the messages or reviews you guys send are reaching me overnight, so when I wake up Monday I don't have the time to read them until the end of the day. So i'll publish saturday and all of you get a chapter quicker.
I also now have a backup editor in any case the waiting time stretches itself way too long. I once again ask for no one to be mad at foxy for this. Life is incredibly difficult every now and then, so you guys just hold tight and bear with us…
Well then fellows, don't let my worries get in the way of your enjoyment. Here is Chapter 15. It was a blast to write.
Editor: SuperAverageFoxyboy
(I will mention my secondary editor when they come in use. No worries there)
Enjoy!
Chapter 15: The Rulers fail with Resounding Grace
Louis looked at the club that had grown to his heart most of all. And he treasured it so much he felt something he hadn't come close to since starting his whole acting endeavor. Stage fright that made him want to give the pelican beside him center stage. But doing so would be abandoning the animals he's grown to care for so much in these three years as the leader of the club. And this fault he would have to take on his shoulders. Doing something himself to make sure no one else would fail. And so he was on the stage.
The many members were all spread out in the clubroom. Talking, laughing, and co-existing in blissful unawareness of the terrible news on the piece of paper that Sanu held in his feathery fingers. Louis grasped at his wrist in order to control the impulse to take a step back. The one thing he could honestly say he missed about the old persona was how unaffected he felt by all when inside. Now the outside world could reach out and touch him if it wished to. It was his choice to let it happen, but to what degree.
It hurt, of course, like so many things did when they mattered to you. It mostly hurt because he had no idea what to say to them. It was a moment of fear as he walked up to the front of the stage, Sanu following close behind. The first time he really wished to be nothing but a mere on-looker instead of the object of center stage.
Eyes turned to him, and the voices quieted down. He looked unsure of himself, and for the first time, his feelings seemed to be an open book to the members of the club. He watched as they too lost their own calm and started to become frightened of the situation. Standing in fear at the first time they saw emotion on the deer's face. There was no time left to think about it.
"Greetings, everyone." He started firmly again, controlling his voice and face while having his hand hooked behind his back. They were silent, awaiting greatness like everyone else.Because…. Suddenly it came to him. Because these people know me… and they cherish me.
"I know that things are hard… I know that things are seemingly growing worse… and I know that you must be…" No, not anymore. He made enough mistakes, and let me fix them for him… They deserve my honest opinion. "Ah, screw it."
Louis let his arms return to his side as he took on a more casual pose. The group in front looked at him with awe and wonder. Perhaps they were never used to seeing Louis like this. A smile laid on his face that was happy yet not happy at all. It was desperate and hopeless, and yet it persisted. It was the charming smile of accepting the situation for what it was.
"I believed in this school for so long. I believed in all the promises and the many great achievements that our companionship with each other had brought up. But even my patience has finally run out." He heard Sanu tense up, just behind him. The many faces watching him were shocked. Even two certain wolves and a tiger.
"I went to this school per the wishes of my father. And I went to this club following the same orders. But this club didn't grow dear to me just because of that." He looked rueful yet humble as he straightened his tie.
"I grew to love this club because it showed me a lot of things I'd never thought possible. How friends and acceptance can come from anywhere, at any day, at any moment." His eyes drifted to Legosi shortly, lingering for just a moment. He took a long pause, letting his words sink in not only for the crowd but, most importantly, for himself.
"Our school's administration was also always a sign of trust to me… This school has a long record of many great principals. And yet, even the best can still disappoint a lot. Like Principal Gon has begun to disappoint me."
"Louis, what are you doing?" He heard Sanu whisper beside him. He turned towards him, looking at the nervous bird that looked sick in all the stress. Louis answered in calm and quiet words.
"Gon has caused enough. We won't give up, but to give them hope, I need to let them know how I feel… Trust me, Sanu. I need you to stay level-headed for this. Without you, this club is only half as good." He held out his hand for the paper. Sanu looked at him unsure. The compliment still came to him, the bird smiling just a bit. He readjusted his glasses and handed them to him.
"Alright… I trust you." Louis nodded and turned back to the club. He held the piece of paper up.
"Principal Gon has decided to segregate floors for Herbivore and Carnivore students starting next week." The whole group broke out into an amalgamation of various bleats, cries, and bellows of fear. Sanu visibly suffered as he saw the club shrivel in fear and panic, but Louis remained quiet for a time. They stumbled around, herbivores hugged each other for dear life, and others were just sitting down in absolute shock. As Sanu could see, even Pina was in some form of disbelief. Sanu stepped forward to try to calm them, but Louis extended his arm in front of him.
"This is what they want!"
They were quiet again, anger on Louis's face and body stance. Tension streaming through his bloodstream like a drug.
"They are incompetent and stupid, they are ignorant and moronic, and they most certainly are desperate. But in all that I lived through with all of you, I am sick of them getting what they want. And I am sick of them doing a pathetic job at what they do. I am sick at all these politicians more so than teachers deciding how we live our life because they are too incompetent to handle a devouring." Hot breath left his nose as he breathed with tension-filled anger.
"I will not spend my last year as the head of this club doing nothing but filing paperwork to explain why all of the plays are canceled or rescheduled. And I will not live my life separated from our carnivore friends because one person decided to be nothing but a meat-hungry monster!" The club stared holes into him as they watched with wonder and horror how much emotion actually existed inside of him.
"We will put on a show for them! One that will show them that our bounds to each other prevail and hold tight even in tough times. Times caused by people such as them. We will fight for this club." Throughout his speech, his voice remained calm yet firm.
"I need your help more than ever. All of your help so that this club, the heart of this school, survives. Just bear with me a little while longer. Soon there will be an end to this."
A terrifying silence filled the room.
Calculating, thinking, processing. All the ways that people go through the motions of understanding something. And it all took its time, spreading through the room like mist on a frosty spring morning. Enough time for Louis to start worrying, to start doubting his own methods of operation in this matter. He wanted to do it better than Gon had done it. And it began to occur to him that the fear he had caused now was the very thing that Gon was trying to prevent from happening.
But they should still be cautious. They shouldn't live without having full control over something as precious as their life. Anything else would be an existence based on lies. The truth mangled by the men behind the desk, pushing pencils and writing rules to set the world into the rhythm that they decide it should move in. They should know. Shouldn't they?
"I'll follow you, Louis," Juno spoke out from her group, standing tall and ready of her decision. Louis felt an immense amount of pride swell in his heart as he heard her voice. He had taught them well, even from the fool's perspective.
"I-I-I do too!" Legosi stood behind her, his stutter being halfway more contained than his usual speech.
"We do as well." Dom, Kai, and Kibi stood up from their seated positions by the wall.
"All of us do." Others joined in, soon most of the club standing tall with a prideful stance of assurance in their actions.
Finally, Riz spoke as well, in his usual soft-spoken voice. "To the very end..."
"Let's show them what we're made of. The actions of one person won't stop the likes of us."
He listened to his club, not noticing the enraged and desperate tiger waiting off to the side, leaving the room in a rage-filled huff.
Bill walked along the halls, planning to go nowhere in particular. Rage and fear spread in him like the claws of the Shadow dipped into Tem with the ease of a hot knife into butter. He descended the stairs in an anger-filled sprint that only intensified when a crude and torturous thought filled his head. I wonder how long it will be until you aren't allowed down here anymore.
He swatted at the air, trying to beat the thought out of his head like you might swat a fly on the table. His eyes saw nothing but the never-ending stairs as he descended the many rows faster and faster. He felt angry and abandoned by all authority and sanity. He felt mocked and imperfect at the slew of absolute madness the leaders of this asylum had unleashed on them.SEGREGATE US? Are you KIDDING ME?
His thoughts seemed to scream, and his heart seemed to beat harder and faster than it had ever beaten before. But most of all he hated that awful knowledge that he knew it would make everything worse. Now the shadow would have an easier time picking them off one by one, the herbivores in a soft spot where they couldn't protect themselves.
Bill's thoughts came to a crashing halt as he rounded the last corner at the stairs and looked at the dark storage space that the end of the stairwell was. A few boxes and crates were placed in the back, hiding off the black corner under the stairs in a creepy manner. Bill would have in no way cared, but now the information that a hiding place such as this was out in the basement on the way to the Janitors office seemed like more information that pissed him off.
"FUCK YOU!" Bill charged forward and kicked the box pile. The impact on the ground left the sound of a rumbling shatter of a mixture of glass and metallic collision. It was in a weird way satisfying to his ears, but it didn't calm him down in any way. He rubbed his eyes and grabbed at his forehead, breathing in anger.
"They are all stupid morons that are gonna get us killed." He sounded frustrated. And he realized now more than ever that he needed to concentrate on his training. No one else was going to-
A soft rattling sounded out from behind him, and he turned in immediate response, holding his arms out in a defensive stance.
The hallway was long and dark, the rattle sounding repeatedly from the darkness. Light shone down from the staircase, inhibiting his eyes from getting used to the darkness. As the rattling sounded a third time, the sound of slithering soon followed. Bill clenched his fist tighter as he looked ahead in a hateful sneer.
"A snake?" He chuckled. "What a fitting species for a murderous traitor. Come out and fight you slithering piece of shit."
What first came into his vision from the darkness was confusing. Instead of a singular pair, the light shone onto three pairs of wide-open eyes that slowly slid into a row stacked atop each other. Bill didn't lower his fist, but the sense of curiosity shoved part of the anger away. His thoughts fell on an antique many-eyed demon from the long past mythology. History class didn't hold much value to him, but the pictures of the spirits that the animals of the past believed in stuck in his mind.
A fourth pair of eyes glided atop the others, this time a purple hue to them in stark contrast to the soulless gaping colorless eyes below them.
"I have watched you for quite a while, Beast." The wistful and deep voice reached him. It was impossible for him to tell whether it was male or female. And then something clicked in his mind. A relieved chuckle left his throat, but he didn't lower his fist. This snake wasn't of antique mythology but instead originated from the school's mythology.
The snake's tail rattled again as a click sounded from behind it, the light flickering on to reveal the enormous bronze rattlesnake that blocked the hallway. It was bundled up in a pile of its tail, the white eyes being part of its scale patterns.
"You're the supposed six-eyed guard of the school… more like the spirit of the school now." Bill relaxed his pose and stood tall, looking at the snake unimpressed. "Where have you been all this time? The school had to get new guards because you were nowhere to be found."
The snake hissed with a neutral expression in response, its rattling tail pulled down the black guard hat on his head. The golden badge on its front glistened in the light.
"I was focused on tracking the perpetrator of the crime. And I have been watching you…" Her tone was concentrated and wise. Something akin to reptiles, it seemed. Bill chuckled at it.
"How's that working out for you?" He lowered his fists and crossed his arms in front of his chest in arrogant carelessness. Something he deserved after the school's incompetence.
The snake hissed and narrowed its eyes.
"He indeed escaped me a few times, but I am still on the hunt." Bill chuckled a third time.
"That's what you call a hunt? Have you ever been to the murder scenes once? I never smelled or saw you there. Be honest, have you really been on a hunt, or are you running in circles because he's outsmarting you?" Irritation lit up on Rokume's face. She slithered forward, gliding towards the tiger, slowly unbinding the pile of her tail.
"I was at each one. I was there quicker than you, and I've chased them down when that Otter died. I never saw you on that chase, so where were you, Beast?" She raised her head off the floor, looking him straight in the eyes. Bill looked at her disapprovingly.
"Unlike me, It's your job to catch someone like that. So why didn't you?" Rokume looked at him with a narrow glance that seemed to be irritated, friendly, and wary all the same.
"Where is that arrogance coming from, mighty Beast?" Her scales reflected light into his eyes as she slithered in circles around him. He clenched his fist in a mirrored irritation.
"I lost friends in this matter. And It's looking like the school's inability to handle things will cost me more. Not only people dying, but also people thinking me to be a monster like that shadow." Bill took a quick step backward, escaping the snake's tail wrapping itself around his foot narrowly. It earned him a very wise reaction of restrained surprise. "I don't need you to interrogate me! Your scales stay on your side, and my claws stay on mine. If you got something to say, then say it without showing off your strength. I don't have any doubts about you, so don't you dare assume I'm an idiot."
The snake hissed and laughed herself. An intimidating rumble in her never-ending throat that surely made most people shiver when they heard it. Bill, on the other hand, was in no mood to be intimidated. He stared at the snake with an intense glare more so. This was the second night in a row that Bill felt gauged by a powerful creature.
"Oh, Beast, I have made mistakes in judging you too early. I was unaware of your ferocity. I must excuse my methods of conversation. I am not used to communicating such a creature." Her rattling tail curved upwards and grabbed her hat, tipping it in a gesture of respect.
"I am as you so acutely observed, Cherryton's guard, Rokume. And I have come to ask you for your help." Bill was sure he was in the wrong universe. First, the over-the-top speech from Barkley that sounded like it came directly out of a bible verse. Then the stern and serious Doctor of the black market painfully aware of all the stupid clichés that arose in the peculiar situation. And now the school's very own urban legend that asked him for help. This was more than just insanity. This was an absolute power trip of a fantasy. He chuckled to himself which slowly broke out into full-blown laughter that held on for a few seconds before he got a grip on himself.
He looked at the snake, and the snake looked at him. Perhaps with an expression of confusion that was too restrained to be properly seen.
"And what, oh you great Six-eyed Creature." He spoke in an overly dramatic tone. "What do you want from a humble student such as myself."
The snake hissed in response. A hiss that seemed to be most like the reptilian version of a sigh.
"There's no need to get ironic or sarcastic here. I have had my share of experiences with irony and the likes. It is a taxing duty I ask from you." She lowered her head until she was looking at him eye to eye.
"You know how effective we've been with the case of this perpetrator."
He crossed his arms and nodded. His face showed how annoyed he was to be reminded of that fact.
"I do… if that's good is something else entirely."
"And in a complicated matter, you get creative in your approaches." Her brows twitched slightly in a bizarre emotion that Bill could only ascertain was her trying to be relatable. To his cause, at least. She wasn't very successful. "A face on the inside, a student relaying information to us… that would be something the perpetrator wouldn't expect. And what he can't expect, he can't subvert. And as I've said, I've watched you. I know that you are more than willing to do this. More than capable, as well. I know how passionate you are, mighty Beast."
Her eyes flickered with memory. Bill thought that if he squinted hard enough, he would be able to watch her memories like a projector film.
"You helped that group… you helped to save that bunny. I ask that you do it again, saving more than just one life this time." Part of Bill was delighted to hear the snake subtly admit how helpless they were. And of course, the plan sounded perfectly logical… for this school maybe, where no sane rules applied. But it made sense for what it was. Sending a student on a mission to deal with a problem that the adults suffered with.
"So, mighty Beast. Help us stop the perpetrator and become a true hero." Bill heard a sentence in his mind that didn't really sound like it came from him. More like a disembodied voice speaking from the ether, telling him of what brought all these things along to him. The voice of fate.
It is time to rise to greatness. To surpass the darkness beset on your school. You know what you have to do.
"I'll accept under a single condition that is more than acceptable based on how ludicrous this all sounds." The snake looked at him with once again restrained emotion. But this curiosity sparkled behind her eyes.
"If I find him. I will take care of him myself. That's what you'll owe me. If I find him." He spoke every word slowly and clearly. "Then he's my game… no one else's."
Rokume's face phased through emotions in the blink of an eye. Incredibly small changes in her expression were nearly unnoticeable. But they still were incomprehensible to him. She dipped forward, and once again, Bill was delighted to see desperation behind her eyes. Incredibly faint, but the one thing he could decipher from the huge puzzle that the rattle-snake was.
"If it is what you wish, mighty Beast. The call is your to make…" The snake towered over him again, re-climbing her pile without ever losing eye contact. Bill felt the urge to speak and abode it.
"You're in a huge mess, huh? Asking a student to deal with a problem the size like that… makes you look desperate." Rokume's face returned to the enigma that it was many times before.
"They will be thankful. Your heroism will not go by unnoticed, mighty beast." Rokume turned around and slid down the corridor. Her head slid around the corner before the tip of her tail finally began to move as the last piece of the pile. The rattling tip flicked upward, clicking the lights off immediately.
Bill stared into the darkness. The thoughts in his head had made so many turns it was hard to know what even happened a little moment ago. Then Bill laughed. It was all too ridiculous to be taken seriously after all that had happened over the course of not even a week.
He laughed a good minute, letting it flow without any objection. He laughed like he hadn't laughed in a long time. It was a delightful feeling.
He looked back into the darkness and saw nothing. The snake had left as quickly as it had entered. He was surprised and yet found the whole situation to be as normal as a Tuesday morning.
"Bill?" A light female voice entered his ears. In contrast to the snake's voice, it sounded like it came directly from an angel. He turned around to see Els standing on the stairs, looking at the tiger with worried eyes.
"Els!… it's alright. It's just me." The tiger walked out of the darkness, smiling at the sheep now. She looked back with instinctual fear that only stayed for a second. Bill slowed down upon noticing.
"You ran away… I wanted to see if you're alright." Bill felt warmth in his chest as he heard her worry. It sounded cu- Bill, what the hell. Get a grip, god damn it. He blamed his adrenaline.
"No, I'm ok. I just-…" Bill looked down into the darkness. He felt watched as one would feel watched after discovering the school's main guard was an extremely long snake traversing the vent systems, proving years of myths and urban legends true. And just as the thought had come, he decided that he didn't give a damn.
"-I just needed to cool down. News like that could distress anybody." Els looked at the tiger that was breathing a bit faster, calming himself of stress.
"You know you can talk to us in case you feel bad. We care about you."
Bill smiled at the sheep, and to his delight, elicited a smile from her as well.
"I know you guys do. I care a lot too, that was why it hurt so much in the first place. But there's nothing to be worried about. I'm alright now." Els held her wrist and nodded. Bashful as a bit of redness traveled to her cheeks.
"Want to go back up now?" Bill asked. Els snapped out of her stupor and nodded again. The two traveled back up the stairs, and without any conscious effort, they both held hands for most of the walk.
"If it gets worse, call me right away. I'll make sure to get a space for you." He handed the Tasmanian Devil a small bag filled with herbs. A specialty from his homeland. He looked pleased and grateful.
"Thank you, Doctor Gouhin. You're a good soul." He shook his hand and laid the other above it, holding the larger hand with both of his.
"You too, Samuel. Please don't forget to call. Have a good night."
"You too, Doctor." The smaller carnivore left through the patient's entrance to the small stone court out front. The door clicked shut, and Gouhin was alone once more.
Gouhin opened the fridge and grabbed a few sandwiches he had made earlier. He plopped them on a plate and watched as the food slowly turned in the microwave.
When the microwave finally beeped, he set them down on the table, along with the newspaper and other documents as he sunk into his couch.
With a flick of a finger, a match lit, and another cigarette was between his lips. He was smoking too many of them, he knew, but today was especially stressful. Even he understood that the outsides world's current status caused horrible amounts of tension on everyone.
His phone had rung as often as it ever did, patients all over the city asking for sessions as they felt under pressure and watched. That had been the word. Watched. Watched and silently judged for crimes they didn't commit. Sometimes Gouhin thought that the many herbivores who thought themselves smart all suffered from the same problem. Being judgmental little gossips that shared news like sicknesses spread. A new open mouth was a new lie that infested upon their listeners.
And the documents for further shipment requests for instinct suppressants, tranquilizers, and other medication had also laid on his mind. The stock was running low, and the people were just rolling in more and more. It was a nightmare of an orchestra playing perfect harmony… to everyone else's chagrin.
As perfectly legal as his open carry and treatment was, his clinic was registered but not officially licensed. 'The woes of living in the back alley' was what every city official said about the matter, which really didn't help their already dreadfully unsympathetic personalities.
Pure blooded bureaucrats that had their thumb on every legal decision. And they didn't have much if any sympathy for anyone but the people that paid them money. And his business was privatized, paid for by a wealthy but still a singular personality. And Gouhin was already thankful enough for the even chance that he had to work on the betterment of meat addicted as was his dream for the years leading up to the actual work. So he never brought it up to Tokugawa and made due with the Black market's delivery system.
No license meant no large order shipments of medication. So he had to grasp upon the means of less legal endeavors to get what his patients needed. Plus his regular, "all he could legally get" shipment, he also ordered from third party suppliers that ordered from different accounts under different names to acquire medication in large bulk. But such businesses needed time and could face complications incredibly easily.
It bore on his mind just as the larger number of nightly delinquents. The stress of the city was pulling on everybody. He leaned back and exhaled smoke in a sigh. The paper section on the table seemed larger than possible.
The sound of a car distracted him as long beams of light crawled over the ceiling, stemming from the small top window in the therapy room. The back entrance of the clinic had a long driveway. For such things as the long-awaited delivery. The car door opened, and shoes hit the floor. Gouhin walked to the back door, passing his armchair as he pulled on the handle and opened the door to see what was, in no way, a delivery vehicle. A long white De-ville stood in the driveway, the two seater's driver standing beside the car's driver-side door. Gouhin quickly bowed.
"Mister Tokugawa. I didn't expect you this evening. Please, come in." Gouhin stood to the side, making a place for the large cougar that had to duck under the doorway, that only chuckled in response.
"No worries, Doctor. I'm only here to relay you some news." The cougar placed his luxurious fur coat on the coat hanger and took a seat. The fur coat was purely white except for the collar. A nice to the touch material of Persian origin that Tokugawa was secretive about in loads of ways. The fur on top was part of his own fur mixed with imitation. A top-of-the-line procedure to produce personalized coats for every owner. Costly, of course. But Tokugawa never gloated about it. If people didn't ask, he didn't even bring it up in the first place.
Gouhin ignited the flame on the stove, bringing water to boil in a little waiting time, and grabbed into the cupboard to produce a personally crafted oak box. It opened on a golden hinge, a few tea bags inside of the highest order. Tokugawa chuckled at him from behind.
"No need to bring out those fancy things, Doctor. I'm here on short notice. Pour me a drink and let it be over with."
With a swift hand movement, a cool to the touch clear glass bottle emerged from the fridge. He poured it into a glass for the cougar and then himself. A few seconds later and the stove was off, Gouhin sinking into his seat.
"What is the occasion for this visit, Mister Tokugawa? Not to impose that you aren't welcome, but a busy man such as yourself rarely has time for surprise visits." A deep guttural chuckle left the cougars throat. He leaned forward to grab for his glass.
"Oh, I thought you should at least know what kind of animal I am. You're a therapist, after all. I try to be friendly with those loyal to me." The glass went to his mouth, taking a small sip of mundane and ordinary Vodka. Oddly satisfying in how simple it was.
"Well, anyway." he placed the glass and sat upright, grabbing into the inside of his jacket pocket. A parcel came back out. "Even on such short notice, I do have things to tell you about. Mostly because things are so well busy. Anyone could tell."
He motioned to the newspapers.
"And in a turn of events, I have extra work for you to fill. But first I want to ask you something. What do you think I hired you for."
Tokugawa looked ahead with a charming smile that made it all look like an enigma to Gouhin. His conclusions jumped from anger to disappointment to maybe even just plain curiosity.
Gouhin paused for a brief second before answering. "I was sure for a long while that it was just you realizing that the Black market was in disarray for some time. And that the number of crimes on the street struck you as too high. But nowadays, I think it's a little more complicated."
"How much more complicated. Give me a plain and simplified answer." The smile was now accompanied by a concentrated fixation on the panda's eyes. The fewest of people managed to actually see the black eyes surrounded by equally black fur, making eye contact a hard task for most. But Tokugawa never struggled with it, locking onto Gouhin's gaze with no problem.
"The Gumis, for one. Their turf wars make people shiver in fear whenever they are on the wrong turf. Then the constant fights for dominance where people are gunned down on your street… You have incredible respect for this whole area. It's a family matter to you. So you wanted someone to take care of it. Keep it free of degeneracy."
The cougar pointed at him and waved his finger up and down.
"I couldn't have said it better myself, Doctor." He picked up the glass, took another sip, and placed it on the table.
"To answer your question of why I am here. The Gumis are no longer a problematic matter. I am so to say… ironing out all the faults." He slid the parcel over to Gouhin, who caught it with ease.
"I call it new management. They are now made perfectly aware who they work for." Gouhin looked over at the cougar, who immediately understood Gouhin's cryptic expression. He held up his hands clad in black leather gloves, his claws sticking out of specifically cut holes.
"No blood was spilled. I just gave them a good old-fashioned lecture." Gouhin's eyebrow raised half an inch. Tokugawa placed his hands in his lap.
"Not that kind either. I quite literally lectured them. No violence involved." Gouhin's few affected facial muscles relaxed. Tokugawa smiled at him and crossed his arm in overly exaggerated offense.
"My God, who do you think I am? Some kind of mob boss? I thought you knew me." Gouhin's face showed no reaction. Tokugawa chuckled to himself before straightening his back and leaning forward again.
"The one thing that did truly surprise me was that you didn't tell me about your license troubles. I had to ask around for that info."
Gouhin's reaction showed a slight bit of surprise that he couldn't hide. The cougar smirked.
"Oh, my monthly ledger doesn't miss anything. Even third-party salesmen report to my tough guys. And they go to my bookies, who in turn document everything."
Tokugawa leaned forward, his arms still crossed in front of his chest.
"You know how hard it is to keep cops off my back about the smallest offenses? These ledgers and the sales info are all I can give them to keep them quiet. These idiots want to make this place an official thing, not realizing that pushing meat consumption laws through the black bastard on the Beastar position is impossible."
The cougar leaned back once more.
"And now all of this trouble from the outside? I got to make sure these people in here are in order. If they come looking for trouble on my tarmac, then the authorities will want to know where and when, what happened, and why it happened. And then you have a whole chain of people drawing hasty conclusions because they are missing the point or are just so full of herbivore pride it sticks out their nose." Tokugawa finished his drink and placed the empty glass on the table.
"I lectured the Gumi's back to their senses. Which was really no hard feat after that old son of a bitch lion died. Which is another thing I got you to thank for." Now Gouhin took on a more open expression of surprise. Tokugawa didn't smile.
"Eyes and ears everywhere, Gouhin. That tyrant deserved to die, and I am thankful you killed as many idiots as you did that day. The Shishigumi really was riddled with idiots as far as I am concerned. But the rest of them are pretty alright. Untrained and guide-less, but there are some diamonds in the rough… But without that hurdle of a stubborn and heartless leader, I got the rest of the Gumis in order. Only Minamoto will take a little more polishing, but I'll do that once I get to it."
Gouhin couldn't muster any response to what Tokugawa had just laid out on the table. He hadn't realized how many things the cougar had known for a while and let happen, in the first place.
At this point, Tokugawa smiled again as he read the panda's almost nonexistent emotion with intense and sharp accuracy. He grabbed into his pocket and plucked a small box out of his breast pocket.
Gouhin knew immediately what it was.
Tokugawa plucked two cigars from the cigar box and rolled one over to him. He caught it on the table and ran his finger along with its texture. A feeling he had always loved.
"Stub that cheap smoke from your mouth. I believe in reward for good work, so enjoy yourself." Gouhin looked at the small seal in the middle. A red organic ink that didn't put any weird taste into the cigar. A quality seal from Cuba.
Laskova was a brand that Gouhin enjoyed only once every five years. It was a quality ware that showed up in the market of Edobutsu only once precisely every two and a half years. And Gouhin enjoyed the extreme rarity of these by expanding the waiting time further. Not only because of his own sophistication in wanting to enjoy something rare but also lead by the knowledge that it cost a hefty chunk of change that Gouhin couldn't spend every two years.
"Before I indulge In… something so gracious." He held up the Laskova Cigar in a cheering motion. "What is this so spontaneous occasion for now?"
A humble and charming smile beset the cougar's face that relieved the entire conversation of all pent-up tension that he had brought to it in the first place.
"First, I want to apologize for being so tense and charged. I have a list of idiots that all come running to me for the smallest of things, which amounts up with the extra outside stress andmy normal routine that it's really been getting to me." He produced a small silver lighter and lit the cigar in his mouth.
"And to the matter of the reason for my arrival-" He spoke with the cigar in his mouth. He took a drag and puffed smoke into the air. "-I came here to promote you."
He leaned forward, resting on his elbows, giving the conversation a serious undertone.
"I want to thank you," Gouhin observed the cougar with attention and care, looking out for any sign of non-sense or humor that the large breed cat liked to bring to his formal talk. He found none.
"In the long time I worked in father's place, God may rest his courageous soul… I've never had a better employee than you. Someone as dedicated and honest as you. And I think you worked harder than anyone of those Gumis have in their entire career than in just the last five years that you held up this clinic… and for that… I am very thankful." Gouhin still warily observed Tokugawa.
"And because of your admirable record, I am here to give you some very deserved help." He pointed for the parcel and took another draw, silently encouraging him to open it.
With a ripping noise of paper, a few documents emerged. A framed clinic license stamped and signed from the town hall. A large shipment order for all medications needed in the clinical storage. And lastly, an employee registry for the clinic.
"You send that to the accountant right here." A small white card slid over the table. "Once you filled it out, of course. Time you get yourself some staff in this place."
"I can't-"
"I don't give a damn about what you have to say in this." He broke him off. "It'll all sound like humble excuses anyway. So just accept it and be happy that you can have some free time finally."
Gouhin sat there and silently just looked at the cougar, who did nothing but smile at him for a little while. He sorted the documents together and placed them neatly in front of him. Tokugawa nodded in agreement and stood up.
"Thank you, Mister-"
"Thank you, Doctor Gouhin." A resounding pause followed. Gouhin still only watching the large cat stare back for a little while. It had never been harder to read someone in Gouhin's entire life.
He watched as Tokugawa grabbed his coat and put it on, pulling it into a fitting position. The cougar gave Gouhin's shoulder a firm pat.
"Why don't you just enjoy yourself. Live life for a change instead of losing yourself in your endless mountain of work… I believe in your business, but I need you to be in tip-top shape to run it..." The slightest feeling of intimidation flushed through Gouhin. Tokugawa smiled his charming and foreboding smile again. "But what do I know. You're the doctor."
With a wave, the cougar walked towards the door. Gouhin's eyes remained fixed to his large white form. He stopped and turned around once more.
"By the way, I like that tiger kid. He's so energetic and has a vigor you don't see in youth too often… And well, a protege is like an employee by today's standards. Wouldn't you say so, too?" The cougar left, the sound of the car's motor roaring down the road still in earshot of Gouhin as he properly registered what had just happened.
He looked at the table, dead set sure that he was once again stuck in a dream. Just like the last week had felt like nothing but a mere illusion of his mind trying to understand random impulses. Gouhin shook his head in almost denial of any events taking place if it weren't for the license in front of him.
Gouhin grabbed his forehead and sighed in deep confusion that overwhelmed even the clockwork of the mighty universe itself.
Once the initial shock wore off, he lit a match and smoked that quality cigar from Cuba. It was the best cigar of his entire life.