"Dai! Dai, wake up!" Emiko said.
"Today's Sunday. Let me sleep in a little." Daisuke said.
"I'm going to the morning market, so I want you to carry things. I'm leaving in ten minutes, so please get ready." Emiko said.
"You're heavy. Get off, Wiz." Daisuke said. "Morning."
"Here, take this. Let's go." Emiko said.
"What about breakfast?" Daisuke said.
"We'll have brunch when we return." Emiko said.
"But I'll be doing physical labor...You have to stay home, Wiz." Daisuke said. "Oh, all right. But you have to be quiet, okay?"
"Strawberries! I want some..." Daisuke said.
"Then, please give me some strawberries. And onions, potatoes, and carrots. Tomatoes, cucumbers, celeries, cabbages, leeks, pumpkins..." Emiko said.
"That much? It's heavy!" Daisuke said.
"Hang in there. We'll stop by one more store." Emiko said.
"My shoulders almost fell off!" Daisuke said.
"Good work! It's a big help when you're there to carry things!" Emiko said.
"Didn't you buy a little too much?" Daisuke said.
"But they're cheap and fresh." Emiko said.
"But still...Wiz! What do we do? Was he crushed under all the food?" Daisuke said.
"Oh, he's fine. That red came from the strawberries." Emiko said.
"Strawberries? You're right! Wiz, did you eat all the strawberries?" Daisuke said.
"Oh, man...You shouldn't have done that! You glutton!"
"Troublesome little guy! But he reminds me of someone..." Emiko said.
"Now that you mention it, didn't we know a child who did something similar once?" Daiki said.
"You mean..." Daisuke said.
"He ate all the strawberries that I bought and his mouth was all red." Emiko said.
"Wasn't it when he was two years old?" Daiki said.
"Daisuke's been a glutton ever since." Emiko said.
"Geez, you're hopeless." Daisuke said.
Xxx
"Ours is a miniature Dachshund. His name is Tomato. When I get home, he's waiting
right there for me at the front door and he licks me all over my face!" Girl said.
"Boy, that's why I don't like dogs. Cats are more aloof, and moreover, once they trust the owners, they're affectionate too. That's why they're cute. We have three. They're mixed breeds, but they're very elegant." Girl said.
"Must be nice to have cats! We can't have cats, because one of us has a cat allergy." Kuri said.
"Then you don't have any pets?" Daisuke said.
"We have a lot of tropical fish. Dad likes them." Kuri said. "But they're no fun because I can't play with them or anything. Reiko, you name them and stuff, right? She says they're cute when she feeds them since they gather around."
"Really? You can tell fish apart by their faces?" Daisuke said.
"No way, you can't tell them apart by their faces. Their patterns and stuff are a little different. They seem to have their own personalities." Reiko said.
"But I still like dogs." Girl said.
"Cats are more interesting, for sure." Girl said.
"Hey, do you have any pets, Niwa?" Kuri said.
"Me? Yeah, I have a rabbit." Daisuke said.
"A rabbit?" Kuri said.
"Wow, I can kind of see that." Reiko said.
"Really?" Daisuke said.
"You're not the type to keep reptiles. Eating carrots in the sun suits you better." Reiko said.
"What do you mean?" Daisuke said.
"Hey, what's his name?" Reiko said.
"Oh, it's Wiz." Daisuke said.
"Oh, then you got it from The Wizard of Wiz." Girl said.
"That's Oz." Girl said.
"Hey, what does he look like?" Reiko said.
"What does he look like? He has long ears and..." Daisuke said.
"Yeah, all rabbits have that!" Reiko said
"Oh, yeah. But his ears are lopping, like this." Daisuke said.
"Sounds like fun! I want to see him!" Rai said.
"Let us see him!" Kuri said.
"But he's old, so we should leave him alone." Daisuke said.
"How old is he?" Reiko said.
"I don't know." Daisuke said.
"It's lonely when your pet passes away, don't you think?" Girl said.
"You're right." Girl said.
"Yeah, I guess." Girl said.
"Shoot! I shouldn't have talked about Wiz. I've heard that he's been Dark's familiar,
generation after generation, but...I wonder if that means that he's really old? But he acts just like a kid." Daisuke said.
"What are you remembering with that big smile?!" Takeshi said. "You're thinking about her again, aren't you?! You stud!"
"Ouch! That's not true!" Daisuke said.
"Swimming pool season is coming soon. I'll take pictures of Kuri in her swimsuit. You wanna pre-order them? Well? Well?" Takeshi said.
"No thanks!" Daisuke said.
"Don't be shy, buddy! Should I buy it for him?" Takeshi said.
Xxx
"Wiz, I brought you a present. Strawberries. See? It's got strawberries on it. No, not yet. They have to turn red. Even if you ate them now, it wouldn't taste good. So wait until they turn red, okay?" Daisuke said.
"You shouldn't have come! Man, his wanting to go out lately is becoming a real problem.
You can't come out! You'd better stay inside there. You can look outside, but hide
if someone comes closer. Promise me, okay?" Daisuke said.
"You really are good, Niwa." Reiko said.
"Miss Hikawa!" Daisuke said.
"No need to act so surprised." Reiko said.
"Oh, sorry." Daisuke said.
"Do you always sketch like that?" Reiko said.
"Yeah..." Daisuke said.
"You don't have to hide it!" Reiko said.
"No, I was thinking of stopping anyway." Daisuke said.
"Thank goodness! It looks like she hasn't noticed Wiz." Daisuke thought.
"Hey, Niwa, do you have some time now?" Reiko said.
"Yeah." Daisuke said.
"Can you come with me for a bit? There, look. It's called a lop ear rabbit." Reiko said.
"That really looks like Wiz." Daisuke said.
"See, her ears are lopping. Isn't your rabbit this kind?" Reiko said.
"Yeah. Since we got him from someone, I don't know the details, but they look the same." Daisuke said.
"I thought so! Isn't she cute? But lining up pets in front of the store like this, like they were toys, bothers me a little. Even for pets, how you first meet is important, isn't it?
Just like humans." Reiko said.
"Pretty eyes...I didn't know Miss Hikawa's eyes were like that." Daisuke thought.
"Look at that pose!" Reiko said.
"Hey, just like Wiz!" Daisuke said.
"What? Is that Wiz?" Reiko said.
"Yeah, well..." Daisuke said.
"Wiz! How cute! Can I hold him?" Reiko said.
"No! He might bite you!" Daisuke said.
"I'll be fine. Wiz..." Reiko said.
"No!" Daisuke said.
"What are you doing? That's mean!" Reiko said.
"It's okay, he's used to it. Well, I have something to go do...Sorry! See you tomorrow!" Daisuke said.
Xxx
"Wiz, look, they're turning a little red now. You'll be able to eat them soon. What's the matter? You look down. You want to go outside again? Guess there's no helping it.
Okay, I'll take you out tomorrow." Daisuke said.
Xxx
"Wiz, wait up! Wiz! What, you wanted to come here? I guess he's interested in it
because it looks like him. What? Wiz? Wiz! Be quiet!" Daisuke said.
"Welcome. May I help you?" Salesgirl said.
"Does this rabbit bite or anything?" Daisuke said.
"This kind is gentle. Are you looking for a rabbit?" Salesgirl said.
"Well, sort of." Daisuke said. "I'll come again. Thank you."
"Thanks for coming." Salesgirl said.
"You can't go in the store on your own like that. If they see me catch you, they'll think I'm a thief! If you don't listen to me, I won't take you outside anymore, got it?" Daisuke said.
Xxx
"Wiz, it's dinner time. Are you still upset? Stop pouting and cheer up already, will you?See? They're red. You can eat them now. He seems to be going through a rebellious phase right now." Daisuke said.
"Rebellious phase? You mean Wiz? What on Earth happened?" Daiki said.
"He's been selfish lately. I buy strawberries for him, take him out for walks, and other stuff, but he doesn't listen to what I say at all. It's like I'm his servant and not his owner." Daisuke said.
"Wiz is first and foremost Dark's magical servant. He doesn't think of you as his owner." Daiki said.
"Then what am I?" Daisuke said.
"Like a friend or a brother, maybe?" Daiki said.
"Why don't you think of him as your cute little brother, and listen to his selfish requests?" Emiko said.
"But..." Daisuke said.
"If it still bothers you, you should ask Dark to talk to him on the next job." Emiko said.
"Thanks for dinner." Daisuke said.
Xxx
"Dark doesn't understand how Wiz feels. In fact, I think about Wiz a lot more." Daisuke said.
"Wiz? Wiz? I thought so! Wiz! I see. You wanted to give her the strawberry to eat? I understand, Wiz. But it's already closed today. Okay? I'll bring you here again another time. I really care for him, but... I think in the end he'd rather have a rabbit than a human as a friend. But it's kind of a lonely thought." Daisuke said.
"Niwa, that's not it! You're so naive! With is a boy, right?" Reiko said.
"Well, probably." Daisuke said.
"What a hopeless owner! What Wiz wants isn't just a friend." Reiko said.
"What do you mean?" Daisuke said.
"Are you stupid? He wants a girlfriend!" Reiko said.
"A girlfriend?" Daisuke said.
"Oh, poor Wiz! He finally met a cute rabbit, but...I can't leave it to you, Niwa. I will help Wiz achieve his love." Reiko said.
"I see, that's why." Daisuke said.
"Get your act together, then!" Reiko said. "Come on, let's go!"
"Where are we going?" Daisuke said.
"The pet shop, of course!" Reiko said.
"She was sold? Do you know who bought her?" Daisuke said.
"I don't know. From what they said, it sounded like they were from out of town." Salesgirl said.
"We were a little too late. Poor Wiz..." Reiko said.
"If it doesn't have to be a lop ear rabbit, there is another cute one." Salesgirl said.
"Oh, is that so? Then..." Daisuke said.
"No, it has to be that rabbit. Thank you very much." Reiko said. "What are you thinking? Wiz liked that rabbit! Would you want somebody if it wasn't Kuri?!"
"But..." Daisuke said. "Wiz was here!"
"What is it?" Reiko said.
"The strawberry that he wanted to give to that rabbit. Then Wiz already knows." Daisuke said.
"It must have been a shock to Wiz." Reiko said.
That's right, I have to change into Dark today. What do I do? Without Wiz... Daisuke thought.
"I wonder where he is?" Daisuke said.
"He must be looking all over for her. I heard that rabbits can die if they get too lonely." Reiko said.
"No way..." Daisuke said.
"In any case, let's look for him! He wouldn't have gone too far." Reiko said.
"Right." Daisuke said.
"Wiz! Wiz!" Reiko said.
"Wiz! Wiz!" Daisuke said.
"Wiz! Wiz!" Reiko said. "An evening shower!"
"What am I going to do? Wiz hates getting wet." Daisuke said.
"I'm sure he's taking shelter from the rain." Reiko said. "Hey, can't you think of any place he might have gone?"
"Wiz! Wiz!" Daisuke said.
"Wiz! Wiz!" Reiko said.
"Wiz!" Daisuke said.
"Niwa! Look at that!" Reiko said.
"What is it?" Daisuke said.
"On top of the windmill!" Reiko said.
"Wiz! What are you doing?!" Daisuke said.
"He probably thought of going to a high place to look for her." Reiko said.
"Wiz!" Daisuke said.
"Hey, isn't something wrong?" Reiko said.
"He's weak because he got wet. He can't move." Daisuke said.
"He's going to fall!" Reiko said.
"Wiz! Hang in there!" Daisuke said.
"We have to do something!" Reiko said.
"Wiz!" Daisuke said.
"Niwa! Look out!" Reiko said.
"Ouch..." Daisuke said.
"Sorry, Niwa! How's Wiz?!" Reiko said.
"Wiz?! Thank goodness!" Daisuke said.
"You're amazing, Niwa! I never knew you were so brave!" Reiko said. "What's the matter? Are you okay?"
"What time is it now?" Daisuke said.
"Ten till five." Reiko said.
"Oh, man!" Daisuke said.
"Niwa?" Reiko said.
"Sorry! I'll call you later!" Daisuke said.
"Okay." Reiko said.
"Well... Thanks." Daisuke said.
"Don't catch a cold, okay?" Reiko said.
Xxx
What are you panicking about?
Dark...
Did you forget that Wiz would fly to me right away, no matter where he is, if I call him?
That's right. I was so panicked and I completely...Why didn't you tell me?!
It was a lot of fun. It's a good combination indeed. You and Riku...
"Let's go, Wiz!" Dark said.
Xxx
Daisuke was on the phone with Reiko.
"Thanks for today, Miss Hikawa. You didn't catch a cold after getting wet in the rain, did you? Yes, he's doing well. It looks like With gets hungry when he has a broken heart. He's bingeing on strawberries." Daisuke said.
"Really? What a funny rabbit!" Reiko said.
"Yeah, he's a little different." Daisuke said.
"But I'd like to have a Wiz, 'cause he's cute." Reiko said.
"You think so?" Daisuke said. "Because he's really..."