The Cherryton Cooking Club

by Mr.Dr.Sadperson

Taking place one year before the events of the show, this story is a simple look at the (relatively) normal lives of average students attending Cherryton Highschool.

5. Chapter5

Chapter 5: Is a Fox a Doglike Cat? Or a Catlike Dog?

(Male Herbivore dorm, room 305)

BZZZZZZ BZZZZZ BZZZZ*

Shinrai yawned widely and reached a drowsy hand out for his phone. Once he had shut off his alarm he opened an app called "Becoming Your Best You: Small Herbivore Edition" and began perusing the contents for today through bleary eyes.

Let's see... physical improvement: at some point today try to do the following stretches for a total of twenty minutes. Stretching will help reduce back and joint pain as well as improve your flexibility. Sounds manageable, I'll do that before lunch today. Mental improvement: if you find yourself struggling to stay focused while studying, try forming a study group. Being surrounded by others who want to learn as much as you do has been proven to drastically improve grades if done correctly. Well I can check that one off, Yasui and I have already started doing that. Hmm... I wonder what he's up to right now? Is he an early riser too or does he sleep in late?

...

Whoops, got off task. How about... here it is! Communication improvement: "Today we have an extra special challenge for you. Only do it if you feel comfortable with it, as there is no pressure to set goals that seem unreachable. Today we challenge you to have some sort of friendly contact with a larger carnivore. Many medium and large breed carnivores are uncomfortable and nervous around small herbivores. They worry that they scare them and are self conscious about the possibility of accidentally hurting you." Oh! That's probably what freaked Yasui out yesterday! That whole thing when he accidentally bruised my arm when trying to help me. Oh... poor guy. I'll have to talk to him about it today. I know it wasn't on purpose, he was trying to help me after my chip bag accident. How did I not figure out that's what was bugging him?! Crap, sidetracked again! Where was I? Ah, "As such, it's a good idea to make the first move when talking to carnivores, especially those larger than you. If you can, find a way to include some sort of physical affirmation that you don't fear them or are uncomfortable around them. This can be anything from a friendly pat on the back to something as simple as a high-five. It goes a long way to breaking the ice."

Shinrai hummed thoughtfully and traced the words on his shirt. He looked down to see the slightly faded image of the original poster design for Galaxy Wars: Dawning Hope. One of his personal favorite foreign films. He snapped back to attention when he realized there was a footnote to the article.

Note: If you're looking for a good starting place, try this with a canine. Canines especially are very touch-centered in their relationships. Simply watch how a canine will act with a good friend, it's not uncommon for them to hug, shake hands, or throw an arm around their friend's shoulder. By you touching them, you wordlessly tell them that you feel safe around them. Try it out!*

Hmm... I actually might give it a try. Honestly, even three days ago I'd probably write it off as too scary. But after seeing how excited Yasui was for me to talk to him, I think I can do this.

He flung open the curtains that hung over his bed and began to scurry about, getting ready for another day of classes.

Hmm... today is territory day, right? I think I'll go to the squirrel room before the club meeting today. I should definitely remember to bring something to do though. Last time I forgot and had to do homework instead. I'm pretty sure it had the opposite effect than what it was supposed to be.

He finished gathering his things and headed towards the showers. Many other beasts decided to sleep instead of get up early enough to shower, but Shinrai felt that he wasn't really awake unless he did. He moved through his typical morning routine with habitual ease before joining the growing crowd of students making their way towards the cafeteria for breakfast. Without realizing it, he had go e through the line and was sitting at the same table as Kashikoi and Donovan. Kashikoi smiled.

"Good morning."

Shinrai immediately frowned, remembering yesterday's little exchange, and moved to leave the table. Before he could, Don caught his arm.

"Shinrai, wait. I just wanted to say... I'm sorry. I hurt your feelings yesterday, and I was a crap friend."

"...And?"

The rabbit sighed and rolled his eyes.

"And I'm a total jerk for calling you immature."

Shinrai kept his glowering expression for a few more moments before smiling and clapping his friend on the shoulder.

"Apology accepted. I kinda... overreacted a bit to be honest. That doesn't excuse you being such a jerk though."

"I know, I know. This whole heist thing has me all worked up. Sometimes I wonder if it's really worth it."

Kashi chose then to pipe up.

"Is it worth it? If we get caught we're going to be in some serious trouble."

Shinrai sat down and stabbed a strawberry with his fork, absentmindedly mumbling as he slowly rotated the red fruit.

"I don't really think it is. Can't we just ask our parents to get it for us or something?"

Don crossed his arms.

"Honestly, at this point it's more about the experience than the actual game. Not that the game isn't the end goal, but just think about it. We're all high school students now, but we've never done something like this before! We haven't snuck out with our girlfriends or smuggled in some booze or even watched a movie so violent the school would ban it outright. If we don't do this, we won't have one of those memories we can look back to later on in life."

Shinrai swallowed his strawberry and looked at Don apprehensively.

"I dunno, most of the time these sort of things become cautionary tales."

"C'mon, we have to live life to the fullest! Carpe diem! Isn't that what your little course thingy is all about?"

Kashi shrugged.

"I guess he has a point. We wouldn't have received the genuine high school experience without committing one act of rebellion."

Don gestured to the pristinely put together alpaca.

"See! Even every school's poster boy for good students agrees with me. We need to do this."

Shinrai rolled another strawberry around his plate for a moment before nodding.

"Alright, just let me know what you need me to do. I won't ask any questions about the actual plan."

Don grinned and lightly punched his shoulder.

"I knew we could count on you. We're the dream team after all. We'll talk about it tonight, don't be late, acorn brain."

Shinrai rolled his eyes and flicked a strawberry top at him.

"Alright, I'll be there... carrot head."

For the most part, Shinrai's day went the exact same as usual, classes, classes, and more classes. It was after lunch, during Shinrai's history class, that something happened to break the monotony. The lecture was going as it usually did, with the teacher discussing various dead people who did things years and years ago and how these things caused other things but different stuff happened in other places like—

Just then, the ringtone of the teacher's cell phone cut through the quiet of an attentive(ish) class. The teacher, a tall deer with a small goatee, paled and snatched the phone from his bag.

"Apologies, class, but I really need to take this. Please discuss what we just covered with those around you."

With that, he slipped out a side door and left the class to devolve into whispers and murmurs. Shinrai stared after him before glancing down at the hasty jumble of his notes. He really had tried to focus, but this class was his Achilles heel. It wasn't that the professor was boring, it was just that his voice was very... calm and smooth. This unfortunately made Shinrai (who was already drowsy after eating lunch) more than a little sleepy and he had to constantly jolt awake to write down something that was mentioned.

Sheesh, I think I conked out for a solid year of the early founding of... wait, what city were we talking about?

He looked to his left and absently stared at his immediate neighbor, a massive Doberman who was chewing on his pencil with a scowl on his face. Shinrai watched, enthralled, as the canine's sharp teeth shredded the blunt end of the pencil with complete ease. He was interrupted when the object of his study looked over and stiffened. He immediately hid his pencil and snapped his mouth shut with a quick "sorry!" Shinrai jumped at the sudden apology before smiling.

"No no, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to stare."

The Doberman clasped his hands together and averted his eyes.

"It's my fault, I wasn't being careful. It's not polite to show your fangs in public. Can you forgive me."

Shinrai rolled a few possible responses around in his head. Maybe he should just brush it off as no big deal and leave this guy alone? Or maybe he should talk about... what, chewing pencils? History? What he wanted to talk about was how sad he found it that apparently carnivores were always struggling to hide stuff they had no control over, but that was a bit too preachy... or maybe just too heavy.

Well... maybe I should try being a bit "heavy" for a change. Me, Don, and Kashi never talk about serious stuff, but me and Yasui did and it was really nice. Screw it, carpe diem!

"That... sounds really exhausting."

The Doberman's ears flicked and he tilted his head.

"Huh?"

"It's just... I can't imagine how frustrating it must be to have to hide your teeth and fingers and all. That would be like... me trying to never move my tail."

"Yeah... I guess it can be a bit of a pain, but I look scary enough without showing my teeth. I mean, I am a pretty big guy y'know, so I really don't like scaring anyone."

"Psh! You're not scary. It's this class that's scary! I don't think I got any of this stuff down right."

"I know! I mean, why couldn't these people have had less complicated lives! I mean, have some decency!"

Shinrai laughed and the Doberman soon joined in. With a swift movement, Shinrai was holding his hand out towards the massive dog.

Shake my hand, I want you to know I'm not afraid!

"I'm Shinrai."

The Doberman looked down at the tiny had that was being offered to him and carefully engulfed it in his own. Immediately his face split into a massive grin and his stubby tail started to wag.

"I'm Shiro! Nice ta meetcha!"

"Careful now, get him too excited and he'll start yelling. Not that his normal voice isn't already gratingly loud."

Both Shinrai and Shiro jumped as a lazy drawl interrupted them. Looking to the seats directly behind them, they saw a bored looking male toucan staring at them. Shiro grinned.

"Tenbe! My guy! I didn't know we were both in this class!"

The toucan sighed and rested his head on his wing.

"That's because you're about as observant as a houseplant, and half as smart."

Shiro laughed and offered the bird a fist bump, which he ignored. Upon seeing Shinrai's confused look, Shiro beamed and pointed to the interruption.

"This is my buddy from volleyball club, Tenbe. I'm a spiker and he's a setter, so we tend to make tons of plays together. He's super funny!"

Tenbe rolled his eyes.

"I literally never tell jokes. Everyone just assumes that my being an asshole is all an act. Truth is I'm filled with hate."

Shiro laughed as Shinrai gave the toucan an uneasy look.

"Ah, you. It's cause we're friends that I know you're joking, silly!"

"How are we friends? We literally never hang out, and I take ever opportunity to express my dislike for you in the clearest terms. You're just too stupid to understand that I think you're an obnoxious fat-head with fewer braincells than a jellyfish who is also way too loud literally all the time."

"You know you love me! That's why you gave me your handkerchief when I got that bloody nose last year."

"That wasn't my handkerchief, it was yours. Also, the reason you got a bloody nose is because Ishimura told you to try balancing a ball on your nose, and you decided to do it with one of my sets."

"You still helped me! That means you're stuck with me!"

Tenbe sighed,

"Don't remind me."

He then looked to Shinrai and said,

"Take my advice. Leave before he gets attached. If you don't you'll never have peace again. He can track your scent for miles you know."

Shinrai was taken aback and looked quizzically at Shiro.

"Seriously?"

"Haha, seriously! My nose is super good!"

Tenbe groaned and returned to his notes.

"If only your brain was too, you might do better in class."

Shiro sighed and grouchily flopped his head onto the desk.

"Don't remind me. I'm such crap at school, it's not even right. I mean, I don't even know where to start. It's like... I don't even know what I don't even know, or something."

Shinrai joined the Doberman in dejected slouching.

"I feel that. Only thing I'm counting on changing that is studying with my new friend."

"Hmm? Whachya mean?"

Shinrai turned his head to meet the larger boy's eyes.

"Well, I recently became friends with this guy. Yesterday he offered to help me on my homework and stuff, so I said yes. Turns out, he's really good at school and studying and whatever. I mean, it isn't that he's some sort of genius like my other friends are. It's that he knows all these little ways to study and learn stuff."

"Like, he's some sort of study wizard?"

"Exactly!"

Shiro sighed and dejectedly looked at his notes.

"Man, if only I had a study wizard. Does this wizard have a twin, or maybe a wizard friend that I could have?"

Shinrai thought for a moment before slowly raising back upright.

"Maybe... we should both study with him. I could ask if it was okay with him. Which would be good because he's really shy so it could help him make friends."

Shiro immediately bounced back to overexcited and boisterous.

"Hey! I'm totally not shy! So maybe I can, like, adopt him as my shy friend and drag him to parties or whatever. I've always wanted one of those!"

"Like in a movie!"

"Exactly!"

Behind them, Tenbe yawned loudly.

"If you guys are making a study group, I want in."

Shiro swiveled in his seat and looked excitedly up at him.

"I didn't know you were bad at school too!"

"I'm not. I just know that you and your tiny clone studying with an introverted nerd is something I can't miss. What will give first, your attention spans or this poor sod's will to live."

Shinrai scrunched his face up, mulling it over.

"I don't know. I feel like you'd really make Yasui even more gloomy than he already is."

Shiro did his best to make pleading puppy eyes at Shinrai.

"C'mon man! Let my boy Tenbe join! He's a really good dude once you get to know him!"

"I dunno... he seems kinda..."

Shinrai trailed off as both he and Shiro turned to stare at him. For his part, Tenbe just continued to blankly stare at them without comment. Shinrai shrugged.

"It's really not up to me. I have to ask my friend."

Shiro pumped his fist.

"Yes! The more the merrier, right Tenbe?"

Any further comments by the toucan were interrupted when the panther sitting next to Tenbe leaned over.

"Hey... uh, not trying to eavesdrop or anything, but are you guys making a study group? I heard the loud guy yelling about it and wanted to know if it was just kinda... open."

Shiro raised an eyebrow and scooted his chair over to him.

"I dunno... The question is, do you have what it takes to be in a study group? And who even are you?"

The panther leaned away from Shiro and scratched his chin.

"Uh... I don't really know what you mean by 'do I have what it takes,' but my name is Tao if that helps."

"It does, cool name."

Shiro rebounded back to Shinrai and leaned down to his level.

"So what do you say? Can the four of us plus this wizard friend of yours be a cool dude study group."

Shinrai shrugged.

"Like I said, I'll ask him."

Shiro grinned.

"All right! Study group for the win. Up top!"

He offered each of them a high-five, which they all accepted (or denied in Tenbe's case) with varying levels of intensity. Tao turned to Tenbe and asked,

"Uh, not to be rude or anything, but I don't even know any of you, so why is that guy acting like we're best friends?"

"Because he's an idiotic dog. Also, what the crap happened to our teacher?"

Apart from that, Shinrai's day continued like normal. The only change being, once classes were over he headed towards the "squirrel room" or as he like to call it, "the almost outside room."

Beyond the squirrel sized doors, a simulated forest full of tall trees with plenty of hollows to relax in waited for him. With typically squirrel-esc agility, he scampered up one of the trunks and flopped into his usual spot right between two large branches. Across from him was a female squirrel that was three years older than him and very similar looking. She continued to paint her nails as Shinrai hung his bag from a smaller bough and stretched his arms, working out any stiffness from a day of sitting in classes.

"Please tell me you brought something to entertain yourself today. Last time you drove me crazy with your nonstop talking."

Shinrai glowered at her as he pulled a handheld gaming console from his bag and powered it on.

"Was it really that terrible to have to talk to me?"

She rolled her eyes and moved onto her other hand.

"Oh please, it was less a conversation and more of a lecture about absolutely nothing."

"You're so mean, Hana!"

This squirrel was Hana, Shinrai's older sister. She laughed because at the very moment his stomach growled loudly. He grimaced.

"Uh, do you have any snacks I can have?"

She rolled her eyes and reached into her bag before pulling out an apple. She whistled and tossed it to him.

"Catch, dumb-dumb. Can't have you thinking I'm mean can I? Everyone knows that if you feed a boy, they'll immediately forgive you."

Shinrai halted his gory evisceration of the fruit long enough to grunt out a quick "Fanks, Sis" before continuing to cram more apple into his mouth. Hana shook her head in a maternal sort of way and went back to her nails.

"Anyway, how's being a high school student treating you? Still hanging out with... whatever their names were. That slightly rude rabbit and the overly polite alpaca."

"Don and Kashi."

"Yeah, them. Still hanging out with them?"

"Yeah. Not quite as much though. They're both busy with... their own stuff."

"Oh, that's too bad. I know those two are your only close friends here."

Shinrai gave her a smug look.

"What happened to me not talking your ears off?"

"I'm your older sister, it's my job to make sure you aren't ruining your own life. Anyway, back to your little friends. So they aren't spending as much time with you now? Have you found something to do without them at least?"

"Actually, I've started hanging out with this other first year. I don't know him really well yet, but he seems nice."

Hana smiled.

"That's good! You're learning to socialize. So, what's his name?"

"Yasui. He's from the mountains."

"Huh, must be a long way from home."

Shinrai wiped some juice from his chin.

"Yeah, he's a little homesick I think. But he seems to be doing okay. He's the president of a club at least."

"Wow, that is doing well. Is he... you know... like you and those other two?"

Shinrai narrowed his eyes.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Just, you know, is he a total dweeb? What do you talk about? Is he all about video games and movies and anime like you are?"

Shinrai thought for a moment before replying.

"Actually, we're really not all that common when it comes to our interests or even our personalities. He's kinda shy and a little gloomy, and he seems to really like books. Oh, also, he offered to help me study and whatever. Apparently he used to help his brother and sisters so he knows all these cool tricks and whatever to remember stuff."

Hana smiled as she slowly waved her hands to help the polish dry.

"That's good! I'll have to meet him sometime."

Shinrai laughed.

"You really should, I can see how it would go now. 'Oh, you're Shinrai's sister? Uh, it's really nice t-t-to meet you. Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to scare you! S-sorry! I didn't mean to apologize so loud! I'm sorry!'"

"You shouldn't make fun of your friend like that! From the way you make it sound he could have a bad family situation or something!"

Shinrai waved her off.

"Nah, he's just really self conscious about his face and his hands and literally everything."

"Well then you really shouldn't make fun of him!"

"I don't! I was just making a joke! Sheesh, you sound like Mom."

Hana carefully blew on her nails before adding.

"Speaking of Mom, she told me to tell you to call her more often this year. Try to do it at least once a week, okay?"

Shinrai sighed and went back to his game.

"Fine. I will."

As Shinrai was spending his two hours in the squirrel room, Yasui had finally managed to find the right place. As he stood outside of a medium-sized door with a vaguely vulpine face on it, he looked around for some sort of teacher or other school personal.

I guess I just... go in?

He opened the door and found himself in a hallway lined with sliding doors. Many were closed and the lights overhead of them were off, but one nearby was open and the light was on. He poked his head in and saw a small, dark room with a cushioned seat on the back wall. All in all, the little room was smaller than a changing room and had a far lower ceiling. If Yasui had been any taller he would have had to bend just to look in.

As he looked inside, he could already feel his skin prickle. Him and tight spaces did not mix. He backed out only to find an older student leaving his own little booth. He stretched and yawned before noticed Yasui standing hesitantly by the door.

"What's up? First time?"

"Y-yeah. What are we supposed to—"

"Don't worry, If you want I'll take care of the things you do to get started, since there isn't a teacher or whatever nearby."

Yasui frowned.

Things you do to get started? Is it like... an elevator or something? Given how fancy this school is it wouldn't surprise me.

"Uh... thanks."

The unknown student shrugged.

"No biggie. Go ahead and take a seat."

Hesitantly Yasui entered the small room and looked down at the seat. It definitely seemed comfortable, but why was it all so cramped?

"The booth's soundproof, so you can listen to music or whatever if you want. M'kay, I've started your timer, later."

"Wait, what does that—"

Yasui was interrupted by a click sound as the door shut, cutting off his source of light and leaving him sealed in the tiny room. If Yasui would have looked at the room he would have noticed that it had dim ambient lighting that could be adjusted from a control panel. This control panel also could be used to open the door again, however blind panic tends to, well, blind those panicking. Yasui threw himself at the door and scrabbled at it desperately.

"NO! LET ME OUT! LET ME OUT!"

He desperately slammed his body against the door multiple times only to bruise his shoulder. He fell to the floor panting desperately and began frantically clawing at everything in a feral attempt at escape. His eyes, wide with panic, blindly rolled around in a desperate search for escape. Was it just him, or were the walls getting closer? The ceiling was too! Everything was! This room was spinning! He was being crushed! He could feel the weight on his chest! On his head! In his lungs! Screams of help devolved into the savage wails and shrieks of a caged beast, devoid of thought and reason. Finally, after an unknown amount of time, Yasui simply went limp and lay crying on the floor. He squeezed his eyes shut and curled into a tight ball, bitting his hand to try to calm his hyperventilating.

(Two hours later)

Shinrai adjusted his bag as he left the squirrel room. Hana had left a few minutes before him, so he simply made a beeline for the room where the AV club met. Upon opening the door, he saw his two club mates already inside. The first was Ishia the rooster, a second year. The other was Akechi the red panda, a fellow first year.

"Sorry I'm a little late, guys. I was doing my two hours in the squirrel room. You got my text, right?"

The rooster nodded.

"Yeah, I got it. We weren't going to do much anyways. I mean, what do we usually do other than watch movies or talk about cameras and whatever."

The red panda sighed.

"Yeah, I wish we had more members. Three isn't exactly enough to try, I dunno, making our own film or something. Have any luck recruiting new members yet, Shinrai?"

Shinrai sighed and set his bag by the door. Dinner would be served before too much longer, so the club meeting was almost over.

"No, I haven't even really started. I just... don't know how to do that. I mean, should I just walk up to random people and say 'Hey! Join the AV club! If enough people join we might be able to do actual activities!' It's not exactly a selling point for our club."

The rooster ruffled the feathers on his head before slouching back in his chair. It was clear that this issue had been weighing on him recently.

"Man, screw all those flashy clubs. I can't stand clubs like the volleyball club, baseball club, and drama club. Everyone in them thinks they're hot stuff just because they happen to be in a big club."

Shinrai shrugged.

"They're not all bad. I met a guy from the volleyball club who was nice... and one who wasn't."

The red panda just frowned.

"Well, what exactly can any of us smaller clubs do. Everyone wants to be in the spotlight, so why join a tiny club that can't do anything cool."

The rooster banging his hand on the table.

"It's just not fair! And I always get especially bothered by it around this time of year."

Shinrai checked his internal calendar as he tried to think why specifically that was. He then found his answer.

"Oh yeah, the Festival of the Meteor. That's only a few weeks away now, isn't it?"

"Yeah! And everyone can only talk about the drama club with their dance thingy, and the volleyball clubs open tournament, and don't even get me started on the home run derby. Sheesh, if I hear one more person bring that thing up I swear I'll flip!"

The red panda sighed.

"Calm down. Maybe we could, I dunno, hold a screening? Maybe something that has to do with meteors?"

Shinrai smiled at him.

"That's a good idea!"

The rooster scoffed.

"Yeah, but with what money and where."

Both Shinrai and the red panda hung their heads.

"Oh yeah, that's a problem."

The rooster crossed his arms and paced around the rather bare club room.

"I just wish there was a way to easily recruit more members. The problem is that we don't have enough members to really do anything big, and because we never do anything big nobody wants to join our club!"

Shinrai rubbed his face and groaned.

"Yeah, it's a vicious cycle."

The rooster finally stopped pacing and moved towards the door. He picked up his bag and called,

"Whatever, I'm too ticked off to do this now. We'll meet again Friday."

Both Shinrai and his remaining club mate followed suit and exchanged goodbyes. As Shinrai made his way towards his room to drop his things off, he couldn't help but wonder about possible solutions to the club issue.

Maybe we could, like, make a photo booth? Except we don't really have any good cameras or anything. The real problem is that we need money to get good cameras and microphones and whatnot, but we need the cameras and stuff to make money at the festival. Dang, any way I think about it we're just kinda screwed.

As he entered his room he saw one of his roommates, a chipmunk, was sitting on the seat by the window. He looked up from his phone and waved.

"Hey, Shinrai. You're back from club early."

"Yeah, we were talking about doing something for the Meteor Festival, but we can't think of anything."

"That's tough. You're in... what's it called, AV club or whatever? Isn't that about movies?"

"Yeah, we had thought about maybe trying to do a screening of a movie about meteors, but we don't have the equipment or money for it."

"I hear that. Pretty much every club except the big flashy ones are too small and poor to do anything too interesting."

Shinrai smiled at him.

"You're not in a club or anything, right? Maybe you could join us and help out?"

"Pass, I like having free time too much to join a club. Sounds too much like work."

"Oh well, it was worth a shot."

"Hey, you just have to get creative. There has to be something you guys can do."

"Yeah, I hear you. Want to hang out before dinner? I was planning on doing some homework or studying, but I don't feel like it."

"Sure! We can go find my buddy in room 511. He's got loads of games and a huge tv. I'll bet we can borrow it for a bit."

As he stood Shinrai threw his bag onto his bed.

"Sounds good! Lead the way!"

Shinrai spent the remaining time before dinner playing games with his roommate and his friend, an zebra with a cheerful face and a nice tv. Once they realized it was meal time, the three herbivores hurried to the cafeteria before all the good seats were taken. As Shinrai worked his way through the queue for the evening meal, he scanned the building for any sign of anyone he knew.

Oh! There's that guy from history... uh... Shiiii, er, Shyyyy... dang it. I forgot his name.

Sure enough, the large Doberman was at a table with a collection of sporty looking creatures. Probably the volleyball club. He saw Shinrai and waved energetically, excitedly talking to those nearby as he pointed at him.

Oh jeez, what's he telling them? Should I go over there? I definitely need to wave back at least.

Shinrai raised his hand and waved back. Thankfully, the large canine returned to his meal leaving him in peace.

That's a relief. I don't think I'm ready to tackle a table full of large carnivores yet.

He made his way outside and towards the tree where for the last few days he'd eaten with Yasui. However, as he approached, he noticed something was off. He slowly made his way over to him and smiled.

"Hey, uh, fella?"

The fox slowly looked up at him and smiled weakly. For some reason he was shivering uncontrollably.

"Are you cold? You're shivering pretty hard."

"I-I am? I-I didn't realize. Why d-do you ask?"

"I just thought that was a little unusual. So, uh, you feeling alright?"

The fox tilted his head quizzically. Upon closer examination, his eyes were not exactly... right.

"W-what do y-you m-m-mean by that?"

"Just checking. You seem a little... off."

The fox grew even more confused.

"W-what? W-what do you m-mean?"

"I mean happened to you! You look really weird!"

Yasui continued rubbing his shoulder and made a sound that probably was supposed to be a chuckle, but just sounded a bit like a wheeze.

"O-oh, t-there was just a l-little... incident."

"Little incident! Y-your freaking shaking!"

"W-what about it?"

"What do you mean what about it! Have you not noticed!?"

"N-not really."

"And your face! You look like crap!"

Yasui opened and closed his mouth a few times before squeaking out,

"W-what?"

Shinrai pulled out his phone and opened the camera, rotating it so Yasui could see himself. The fox recoiled upon first glance before slowly moving closer, tentatively touching his cheek as if not believing what he was seeing. His eyes looked sunken and glassy, and his fur seemed paler.

"O-oh... ooooooooooooh."

"Are you okay? Do you need to see a doctor?"

"I-I already saw one. He said I-I should be back to n-n-normal in a few d-days. I th-thought he m-meant the... the..."

Yasui trailed off and seemed to shrink a bit. He almost looked like he was wilting as he curled his legs up under his chin and wrapped his arms around them. Shinrai sat next to him and quietly asked.

"What even happened?"

"I-I went to t-the room thingy like I was supposed to. B-but I didn't know what I was s-supposed to do. I d-didn't realize that it was a... a t-tiny room with a-a lock."

"Okay, so what happened."

Yasui rubbed at his nose before staring at his hands, as if for the first time.

"I-I already told you t-that I'm a little weird c-compared to most foxes, r-right?"

"I disagree but continue."

"W-well most foxes find e-enclosed spaces r-relaxing."

"That explains the tiny rooms."

"I-I'm claustrophobic."

Shinrai hesitated as it sank in. He winced.

"Let me guess, you got stuck in one? For how long?"

"A-almost three hours."

"Oh my gosh! Are you okay?"

Yasui shook his head.

"I... I was so scared. I p-panicked. I t-totally freaked out and just t-threw myself against the door. I... I can't, I mean, it's a-a bit of a blur, b-b-but at some point I passed out. T-they found me when s-someone realized t-that one of the b-booths had been in use over t-the time permitted."

"Sheesh man, that's rough. I mean, wow. That's just... I'm sorry. Is there anything I can do to help, or even just something to make you feel better? Like, maybe something you want to do while you're here or go see?"

Yasui spent a moment staring at his arms before he answered.

"D-Do you... have a phone?"

"Huh? Yeah, why do you ask?"

"Would you m-mind... letting me use it?"

"I guess? What for?"

"I-I want to call my family."

Shinrai was about to ask him why he didn't use his own phone, when it occurred to him that Yasui probably didn't have one.

"Yeah, sure. Umm... you might want to do something about the whole stammering thing first though. Just saying."

Yasui smiled a bit and laughed.

"Y-yeah, I-I've been trying. I j-just can't seem to relax."

"How about breathing exercises? My Mom used to have me do them whenever I got too worked up as a kid. I had asthma so she was worried I'd have an attack if I wasn't careful. I'll help you if you want."

"T-thanks."

"Alright, now, close your eyes. Take a deep breath through your mouth... hold it for a bit... now let it out."

He watched as his friend slowly began to calm himself. Suddenly, an idea occurred to him. If canines liked to touch their friends and whatever to show their bond, maybe they also needed it to calm down.

Although... he isn't a canine really. Well, foxes are doglike. Or was it that they're catlike? I guess a little of both? Screw it, we're trying it!

"Okay, now just keep breathing. Uh... I'm going to try something. I think I remember my Mom doing this."

Shinrai approached and slowly extended his hand towards the vulpine's head before hesitating.

I don't know, is this a little weird because we're both guys? I mean, I've seen girls do stuff like this when one of them was crying or something, so why can't guys? Crap, what if he gets all embarrassed or whatever. No, no second guesses. Just push through.

Slowly, his small hand came to rest on top of his friends head. Yasui flinched a bit but stayed still, waiting to see what would happen. Shinrai swallowed nervously, afraid he was making a big mistake, before slowly running his hand down towards Yasui's neck. As he did, he came to a shocking realization.

"Holy crap... you're really fluffy."

Looking down, he saw that his hand had vanished into the thick layer of fur on the back of Yasui's head. As if shocked by electricity, Yasui flung himself away.

"W-WHAT ARE YOU DOING!"

Shinrai jumped straight up and clung to a branch he was so suprised.

"W-what! I thought it might help!"

Yasui was flushed and nervously fidgeting with his claws.

"You can't just pet someone like that! It's not right!"

"What do you mean?"

"You know, it's not something you just... do!"

"I'm really confused, is this a fox thing?"

Yasui spluttered as he fumbled for the right words.

"What do you mean? Do squirrels not... you know... pet?"

"Uh... I don't know? What do you mean by 'pet'?"

"You know... petting! What you just did to me!"

"Why do I feel like we're not on the same page. Is petting some sort of bad thing among foxes?"

"No! It's just... very... you know..."

He leaned in close and whispered,

"Intimate."

"I... see? So it's like... a hug?"

"No! It's... it's... something only married couples do, or that a parent does to a baby! It's a sacred form of affection! You can't just pet people willy nilly!"

Shinrai pulled a face.

"You're joking."

"No!"

"What's so special about... this?"

Shinrai reached his hand up and pet his own head. Yasui immediately went wide eyed and grew a look of disgust.

"Oh gosh... please... stop that right now."

"I mean, I guess I get what the big deal is about. It does feel kinda nice. It's soothing, you know."

Yasui looked away and visibly gagged. This caused Shinrai to laugh.

"Yasui? What the heck was—"

"You stop that right now!"

Shinrai immediately froze, growing a little angry at this bizarre treatment.

"Sheesh! What's with you! I was only trying to help!"

"My word, you really don't know, do you?"

"Know what!?"

Yasui averted his eyes and sighed.

"What you just did... petting yourself. That's... it's the most disgusting and shameful thing you can do. At least, among foxes. Also dogs I think. No parent wants to discover that their child is... is..."

[An adult female Black Labrador, stereotypical in appearance, was walking towards her sons room. She opened the door.

"I was just about to go get some groceries do you... need... any—"

She trailed off as with a surprised yelp her son immediately jerked his hand away from his head.

"M-Mom! It's not what you think!"

She gave her son a look of horror and slowly backed away.

"Oh God... why... I-I didn't raise you to behave like this!"

"Mom! I swear! I-I was just... just!"

She averted her eyes in shame as her husband, another stereotypical looking Black Labrador walked up the stairs.

"Honey, what's all the commotion?"

She gave her husband a look of bleakest despair before tears began to gather in her eyes. He rushed forward.

"What is it! What happened?"

"I-I was coming to ask him if he needed anything from the store, but when I opened the door, he was... he was..."

She choked and covered her face, sobbing. Her husband looked from her to his son, confused. Finally, she pulled herself together enough to sob,

"He was petting himself!"

Immediately, horror bloomed across his face. He looked despairingly to his son.

"Son, please... tell me it's not true."

"Dad, I—"

"It's not true! Please! Tell me you weren't... you weren't..."

Slowly, the female slid to the floor, too distraught to stay on her feet. Ashamed, their son couldn't meet his father's gaze. His father closed his eyes with a look of dread.

"Oh sweet merciful... why? Why! Where... where did I go wrong?"

Overcome with grief, the father joined his wife, kneeling on the floor. Too overcome with shame to stand.]

Yasui gulped.

"A self-petter."

Shinrai continued to give Yasui an incredulous look throughout his explanation. Finally he spoke.

"You're pulling my leg, aren't you?"

"I'm being serious! Petting is a big deal!"

"Okay, then explain the nuances to me."

Yasui weighed his options and offered a weak excuse.

"Well... I don't know if it's okay to share this information with you."

"You already did."

"...Fine. Okay, so like, you don't just pet somebody without permission."

"M'kay, so you just ask them first. It's like a hug or something, you want to be sure they're cool with it."

"And you don't just pet anyone! Like I said, it's pretty intimate."

"So what, you only pet your siblings and parents?"

"No! Ew! It's like... a different form of kissing I guess. But less defined? So like, a Mom would be fine petting her child to help calm them down after a nightmare or something. But it would be weird for you to pet your brother, unless it's like a really certain circumstance. It's complicated! And has a lot to do with instincts!"

Shinrai rolled his eyes and went back to his food.

"Whatever man, I think you're full of crap."

"Whatever, believe what you want."

They sat in silence for a bit before Shinrai pointed out.

"You're not stammering anymore, that's good."

"Oh yeah, I hadn't even noticed."

"Still want to use my phone?"

Yasui nodded.

"If it's okay with you."

"No worries, on one condition."

Yasui looked at the squirrel skeptically, unsure of what to expect.

"Go on..."

"Can I pet you again?"

"What!?"

Shinrai squeezed his eyes shut and tried to look pathetic.

"You're just so fluffy! I wasn't expecting it!"

"No way! It's weird!"

"Can I at least touch your ears?"

"No!"

"How about your big, fuzzy tail?"

Yasui stared at his shoes in indecision before relenting.

"...Fine. Just no petting!"

Shinrai squealed and eagerly grabbed hold of the oversized appendage, resulting in a yelp from the fox.

"Careful! You can't just yank on it!"

"Sorry! Got overexcited!"

He eagerly sunk his small hand into the fluff and cackled like a maniac.

"It just keeps going! I've never touched a carnivore like this before! Are you all this fuzzy?"

Yasui sighed.

"No, I just keep forgetting to trim my fur. With the hottest days of summer just around the corner I really need to. It's why I borrowed those scissors."

Shinrai was practically giggling as he ran his fingers through the long fur of Yasui's tail.

"I just can't get over how fluffy you are! You're like a stuffed animal!"

"Please hurry up, this is really weird."

"Oh come on! Who says it's weird?"

"It just... I'm not comfortable with this."

Shinrai reluctantly let go of Yasui's tail and sighed.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

"No! I-It's fine! I just... you know... it's a little weird!"

"Oh please, if you hadn't noticed I'm a little weird. Anyway, a deal is a deal. Here you go."

He opened the phone app and handed his squirrel sized phone over to Yasui who then put in the number for his family's landline. As it rang he nervously picked at his food.

"I hope I'm not catching them at a bad time."

(Far away, Yasui's family home.)

"Mooom! Tell Mina to give me my brush back!"

Mina, the second youngest daughter, stuck her tongue out and dodged out of her sister's reach.

"Why? So you can look pretty for Yashima?"

"Shut up!"

Lily, the youngest, joined in.

"Kime has a boyfriend! Kime has a boyfriend!"

"He is not my boyfriend! He's just a friend!"

Yasui's mother rubbed the bridge of her snout and called out.

"Girls! Please try to get along!"

The three girls rushed out of the house as Mina made a break for it. Ino, Yasui's mother, sighed wearily before returning her attention to Yone, her oldest son.

"Now tell me again why you didn't do any of your homework?"

He squirmed awkwardly under her piercing gaze and mumbled.

"I... I forgot!"

"How! I tell you every day when you get home to do your homework!"

"Yeah! And then I take some time to relax after being busy and having to think hard all day until Yasui comes and tells me that he's going to start on his homework and that I can join him if I want his help. That's when I actually do it."

She groaned as he husband returned clutching a bag of groceries.

"Here, Dear. I got those things you needed."

She sighed as her daughters came rushing back in.

"Thank you for driving all the way back into town. We can't exactly have dinner with no food. Now, can somebody tell me why nobody wrote on the shopping list that we were completely out of eggs, milk, and rice?"

Kime stopped chasing her sister to reply.

"I dunno, I always thought you were the one who did that?"

"No, I'm not. Ibiki, who usually writes things on the list? I mean, if I finish something I'll write it down, but doesn't everyone?"

Ibiki, Yasui's father, shrugged.

"I do too."

Lily called out.

"I never remember to, so Yasui does it for me."

Ino sighed.

"And there we have it. I never imagined that everything would fall apart when he left. I mean, I didn't think he really even did all that much apart from homework and breakfast."

Ibiki rubbed his chin.

"I think it's more like... when a species of bug goes extinct or something, and the rest of the bugs go crazy because there's a gap in the food chain."

Yone sighed.

"Yeah, without Yasui here to nag us or for us to tease we've had to try to find a replacement. It's not going well."

Just then the phone rang. Ino sighed and picked up the receiver.

"Hello, this is Ino. Who am I speaking with?"

"Mom, it's me!"

She gasped and hurried covered the receiver.

"EVERYONE COME QUICK! IT'S YASUI!"

On the other end of the line, Yasui pulled the phone away as his eardrums practically burst. He'd had to put the phone on speaker because it was too small to reach from his ear to his mouth. After a brief pause his mother continued.

"Yasui! I'm so happy you called! I was so worried about you! I'm glad there's a phone you can use!"

Yasui smiled.

"Yeah, my friend is letting me use his."

Shinrai leaned over Yasui's shoulder and called,

"Hi, Yasui's family!"

There was a quick gasp from the phone.

"Oh... my... goodness. Yasui! You made a friend! I'm so proud of you!"

"Mom!"

"Oh this is a good sign! I knew sending you to that school would help you! Hello, whoever you are! I'm Ino, Yasui's mother. I want to thank you for being friends with my little boy."

Yasui groaned as Shinrai began to shake with mirth beside him.

"Mom, you're embarrassing me."

Shinrai leaned back in and added.

"I'm more than happy to, ma'am."

"That's good to hear! If you're ever in the area please stop by our house! Any friend of Yasui's is welcome with us."

There was a brief scuffling sound before Yone's voice came through.

"Hey, be careful with my little brother! He's a total spaz!"

Yasui sighed.

"Yone, can you not."

"What! It's true! You're a bit of a weirdo! I gotta warn this dude what he's in for."

Shinrai laughed.

"Oh, don't worry. I already know."

Yone continued.

"Nah, I don't think you really do. So heads up, Yasui is a total sissy. Like, he's always getting all emotional and crap like a girl and *THWACK* OW!"

Kime's voice rang out.

"You sexist jerk! I should beat the everliving crap out of you!"

"Hey! Back off, Kime! I'm his older brother, so I gotta— Hey! OWW!"

Faint sounds of fighting accompanied by Yasui's Mom trying to reestablish order could be heard echoing from the small phone. This continued for a solid minute and seemed to be nowhere near ending when suddenly Ibiki raised his voice.

"HEY! That's enough!"

This caused immediate silence. In all of Yasui's life, he could only think of two other times his father had ever raised his voice for any reason. It was enough of a shock to immediately straighten out the two combatants. Ino sighed.

"Thank you. Now then, Yasui, have things been going okay with your roommates? Are they treating you well?"

Yasui bit his lip as he tried to think of how to answer this.

Should I say yes? I mean... have they really been that bad?

[Yasui was sitting on his bed reading when two of his roommates entered the room. As they did, they glanced at his bunk, which was neat and clean. It was completely at odds with the hurricane of clothes and food wrappers strewn about the floor. They laughed as they rummaged through their things and one jeered,

"Do you have your skirts organized too, girlyboy?"

Yasui fumed as they launched a pair of dirty socks straight at him. The other laughed and called out.

"Hey, be sure not to make a mess when you polish your nails next."

This caused Yasui to flush with embarrassment. He'd made the mistake of filing his claws while his roommates were around and they made it clear they were never going to let him forget it.]

Yasui glanced around for inspiration as he tried to think of how he could spin what he said so he wouldn't be completely lying.

Well... they're very... quiet?

[Yasui was lying wide awake as the occupant of the bunk right above his snored like a freight train. As he rolled over a loud thump came from across the room as somebody smacked into something. This was followed by a stream of profanity strong enough to make a pirate feel inadequate.]

Err... well, they gave me a nickname I guess?

["Move it, Midge."

Yasui stumbled as one of his roommates pushed past him to get to the bathroom.]

["Watch it, Midge!"

Yasui apologized after bumps into one of his roommates on his way out the door.]

"Yasui? Are you still there?"

"Huh? Oh! Yeah! My roommates. They're... fine."

"That's good. So are your classes going well?"

Yasui shifted his weight and sighed.

"I guess. They're definitely harder than what I'm used to."

"Well then be sure to study! We're counting on you to do your best."

"Y-yeah... I will."

"And Yasui, please try to be more sociable. I know you're... sensitive, but you just need to work on it."

"Yeah, I will."

There was a loud crash followed by frantic voices before his Mom hurriedly said.

"Okay, well, I'll let you get back to whatever it is you're doing. Hold on, everyone wants to say hi. Say hi, Yasui!"

Yasui smiled as the voices of his family cried out hurried greetings.

"Hey, everyone. I miss you all."

"And we miss you. Just remember, you can call us whenever you want. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Alright, so call back soon. Bye now!"

"Bye, lov—."

There was a click as his Mom hung up the phone. Shinrai tilted his head.

"Well that ended suddenly."

"Yeah, we're not exactly great at phone calls. And something probably happened that they needed to take care of."

Shinrai smiled as he took his phone back.

"They all seem nice."

"Yeah. They're great."

They ate in relative silence until Shinrai picked up his tray and began getting ready to meet with his friends.

"Well, I gotta go. Catch ya later!"

"Okay, bye!"

As he left, Yasui looked out at the setting sun and hummed. Something his brother had said had bugged Yasui. Like he'd picked the scab from a cut.

Why do people always make fun of me for being a... what did he call me? Sissy? I don't get it, what is it about me that's so weird and funny to people.

He collected his things and moved towards the tray return.

I swear, I just don't get people. It's so hard to tell what anyone really thinks or how they expect you to act. Sheesh... being around other animals is exhausting.

Author's note*

Hello! Just wanted to say that I've been experimenting with my pacing. I don't exactly know how this website works, so if you have any ideas or advice, I appreciate you letting me know however you can. I hope you enjoyed!