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.

12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Out On the Town

That night, Yasui's sleep was uneasy and fitful. He was tormented with fragmented dreams, red and fearful. Over and over again he felt the same frenzied hunger take him and would taste and smell rabbit blood, some primal fraction of himself relishing in it, the other mortified at what it was doing to him. After one particularly stressful vision, he jolted awake, breathing heavily. Only a few hours ago the taste of blood had filled him with a dreadful energy and savage delight, now he felt ashamed and dirty, like some piece of his childhood innocence had been torn from him forever. Yasui sighed and pulled his blanket closer around him, still exhausted. His clock read 6:18. He'd only slept for a few hours. As he lay there, his mind was still whirling with confused thoughts. It wasn't his fault, right? It had only been an accident so he hadn't technically done anything wrong. But then, why did he feel so guilty? Was it because he had enjoyed it? Had he enjoyed it? Had he enjoyed drinking the blood of an herbivore, one of this world's cardinal sins? Yasui let out a weary sigh.

I need something to take my mind off this. And… I don't really want to have any more dreams about it.

He crawled out of bed and slipped into his school uniform. He had gotten his casual clothes all dirty and sweaty the night before and would need to wash them before he left for his interview. As he did, he noticed the small belt he had been made to use as a muzzle the night before lying on his bed. He must have forgotten to give it back to Shinrai. Yasui shook his head slowly, one thing at a time and first was his upcoming interview.

That's right, I'm supposed to meet that guy at his cafe today. I should probably think of what I should say to him. But I'm not sure what he'll ask.

As quietly as he could, Yasui slipped down to the common room and closed the door behind him. He had the whole place to himself, as was expected this early on a Saturday morning. Everyone in their right mind and possessing a clean conscience was still sleeping. Yasui curled up on the couch and turned on the tv. He didn't bother changing the channel, he really only wanted to hear something other than his own thoughts.

"This is Channel Four News, bringing you all the local events and happenings. And now, here's Yoshikawa and Mitsuha with your morning news."

It cut to the desk where the same wolf and antelope were sitting with cups of coffee. The male wolf smiled.

"Good morning everyone, and what a beautiful morning it is. The sun is shining and it's finally the weekend, which is good news for everyone who doesn't have to work today."

The antelope laughed rather unenthusiastically and held up her mug.

"Which doesn't include us."

Yoshikawa, the wolf, barely skipped a beat, a picture of crowded city streets from the previous night appearing behind him.

"In today's news, many of you probably noticed how unusually busy many streets were last night, with reports circulating that some ten-thousand animals were out in full force for the midnight launch of the latest game in the popular Fantasy Quest series. Fortunately, thanks to our city's fine police force, there were only a few instances of public disturbances or violence."

Mitsuha adjusted her papers as a visual of a crime scene appeared.

"While on the main streets the most severe incident seen was a simple bit of fighting by two medium carnivores, there was a serious incident down the alleyway off Eight Street. According to police reports, at around two a.m. a murder was committed. The victim was a thirty-one year old African lion named Gozu. We go now to a police interview regarding the incident."

The screen cut to a uniformed police officer standing behind a podium with a large crowd of reporters in front of him. He was an older looking bloodhound with deep brown fur and serious eyes. One reporter asked.

"Is this, as well as the previous two murders in question, the work of the killer referred to as Red Smile?"

The officer solemnly shook his head and spoke.

"We have no evidence that this is the work of the urban legend known as the Red Smile. We still believe this is gang related."

Another reporter asked.

"What about the unique, almost calling card-esc, crime scene placement?"

The officer sighed and hesitated for a moment before answering.

"Once again we believe that this is gang related and this calling card as you put it is their mark."

Another question.

"Are the victims of this so-called gang related in any way?"

The officer shook his head.

"So far no connection has been found between the victims. We so far have no known motive for any of these murders. Mr. Gozu was by all accounts a loving husband, a caring father, and an upstanding member of society. Our hearts go out to his widow and two sons in these terrible circumstances."

Another reporter raised their mic.

"Do you have any ideas as to what the gang these murders are being committed by could be?"

The bloodhound clasped his hands and nodded.

"Evidence suggests they have some sort of ties to black market surgery or medicine."

This was met with massive uproar and a babble of questions. The officer held up a hand for silence and continued.

"The killings each have a few things in common. First, is the removal of all claws and teeth. Second, each victim had their mouth disfigured and a drawing made in their own blood above their head in the shape of a set of fangs. This is what has led to the urban legend of the Red Smile."

Another hand was raised.

"What was the cause of death for the victims?"

"The M.E. has ruled the cause of death to be blood loss. However, apart from the wounds left by the removal of the fangs and claws, they found no signs of struggle. We believe that the killers are incapacitating their victims before striking, so be on guard when eating at restaurants or getting drinks. We also advise individuals to avoid secluded areas and to travel in groups of two or more. Rest assured we are closing in on the perpetrators as we speak, and they will be brought to justice. Thank you."

The officer bowed and left the stand as the reporters continued to shout questions. The feed cut back to the newsroom as Yoshikawa had a solemn look on his face.

"Well that is certainly disheartening and troubling news, however, I have every confidence that the killers will be found and justice will be served."

Mitsuha took a sip of her coffee.

"For those of you who are not up to date on this issue, there have been two prior deaths in similar circumstances. First was twenty-eight year old male spotted hyena Nokom, and then forty-one year old female Nile crocodile Mijua. These horrific crimes were committed over the course of a month at various locations throughout the city. In other news, it appears these murders have exacerbated tensions among some groups, with some radical herbivore organizations calling this a case of carnivores getting a taste of their own medicine and attributing the deaths to a supposed vigilante of sorts known as Red Smile."

Yoshikawa shook his head.

"Troubling times indeed, I can only hope that certain herbivores in this very office don't hold such vindictive views."

Mitsuha steepled her fingers, smiling at the camera.

"Trust me, if I was the Red Smile you'd have been the first to go. And now, here's Bo with the weather."

The panda weather reporter was now back on screen. This time his button down looked like a sandy beach with a tie covered in smiling suns wearing sunglasses. He gestured to the wall behind him, a map of the city was displayed.

"Expect mostly clear skies today with a few spotty clouds and a fair sea breeze to keep things cool. However, a high pressure system will make landfall Sunday night so expect some much needed rain Monday morning. Other than that it's a perfect time to get outside and have some fun. Now here's Jin with the sports."

Yasui sighed and flipped the channel to the weather station. He really didn't want to hear more about the disturbing murder that happened last night. He sat and mindlessly watched the weather, not really paying attention. He was content to just sit and be numb for a bit, let his brain rest.

I don't know why but I've been feeling pretty terrible recently. Maybe it's the weather or something?

As he thought about his interview, he remembered that Miss Diana was also going to meet him so they could talk about what he should do for the upcoming festival. The only problem was that with how rough he was feeling currently, Yasui really didn't feel like going and meeting anyone. He just wanted to stay on the couch and be sad. As he watched the weather report with glazed eyes, Yasui's vision slowly began to fade until he had drifted off. As he slept, he dreamed he was sitting under the tree he and Shinrai tended to eat dinner at. His friend was sitting in his usual spot above him and was trying to get his attention.

"Yasui, earth to Yasui!"

"Huh? Oh, sorry. Must have zoned out."

Shinrai crossed his arms and huffed.

"Am I really that boring?"

Yasui sighed and picked up his carton of milk.

"No, I just have a lot on my— MMMPH!"

Yasui spluttered and spewed the beverage from his mouth. Deep crimson liquid splashed onto the grass. Yasui looked in shock at his drink as a metallic taste coated his tongue, one that was both revolting and enticing. It was blood. Rabbit blood. Suddenly Shinrai was right in front of him.

"Maybe you just care more about me as a meal than you do as a friend?"

Yasui shook his head, ears flattening.

"No! That's wrong! I-I'm not like that!"

Shinrai leaned closer and lifted Yasui's hands to wrap around his throat. It was like Yasui was trapped behind his own eyes as a sibilant whispered wormed inside his head.

Do it.

"No! I would never!"

It's only natural. He's weak. You're not. He's prey. You're a predator.

"He's my friend! I don't want to hurt him! I don't want to hurt anyone!"

But aren't you tired? Tired of strangling your instincts, of choking back your feelings, of trying to be a good little dog? Deep down don't you want to go feral?

"I-I… I."

What? What do you really feel?

Yasui watched helplessly as he began to squeeze his friend's neck, the smaller boy weakly struggled in his grip. Slowly he loomed over his prey and opened his mouth wide, ready to eat. He was inches away, ready to sink his fangs into flesh. As he—

"Could you move."

With a jolt Yasui woke back up. There was a dark figure standing in front of him, and Yasui immediately recoiled in surprise. Again the mysterious beast spoke.

"Could you move. You are taking up the whole couch."

Yasui rubbed his eyes and recognized the same odd cat that had done the fortune telling for him. Yasui stared at him for a moment longer before croaking out.

"W-what?"

The cat responded with the same monotonous voice and lidless gaze as before.

"Please move. I want to watch the tv."

Yasui was so taken aback by this he simply nodded and moved to a sitting position on one side of the couch. The black cat walked past him and sat in the dead center of the couch before changing the channel. Yasui began to recollect his thoughts and swallowed, his mouth dry.

"It's… uh… Yar… Yin… uh, sorry. I forgot your name."

"Yijima."

"Right, Yijima."

Yijima selected his channel and sat perfectly still, eyes glued unblinking to the television. Yasui checked the clock, it was only eight thirty.

"Uh… what are you—"

"Please do not talk."

"Huh?"

Yijima nodded towards the tv where the intro to an anime was playing.

"I like watching this show on Saturdays. Please do not talk."

"Ooookay."

Yasui curled his knees up under his chin and wrapped his arms around his legs. His dream had been so vivid and disturbing. He'd never had anything close to it. The implications of it frightened Yasui.

What does this mean? Did my accidentally tasting herbivore blood trigger some reaction in my body? Did I accidentally awaken some… latent carnivore instincts or something like that?! Ugh, I think I'm going to be sick.

Yasui rested his head on his knees and let out a long exhale. He figured he should probably go eat breakfast, but after that dream he didn't think he could keep it down. Yasui sighed and slouched to his feet, apathetically waving to Yijima as he left.

"Okay, bye Yijima."

There was no response as he left the common room and headed for the front door. He wearily nudged them open and trudged aimlessly towards the main school building. He stopped when he saw the cafeteria. His stomach protested the very thought of food so he detoured to the library. Even if he wasn't planning on doing any real reading, just being in a library always made him feel a bit better. He used to spend most free moments after school at the library annoying the poor librarians with endless questions and requests for books. It wasn't like there had been much else to do really.

As he slowly meandered his way through the rows of shelves, he replayed the events of last night over and over again, thinking of all the ways he could have not made a dumb decision like tasting blood. If he had been more forceful helping Don up rather than letting him do whatever he wanted, if he had climbed up first and pulled Don up. If, if, if, the scenarios swirled around his head like autumn leaves, all just as dry and lifeless as could be. His reverie was interrupted by a deep masculine voice from in front of him.

"Can I help you with something?"

Looking up, Yasui saw an adult grey wolf wearing a deep brown blazer over a green shirt and tan pants. He had rectangular glasses and a relaxed, jovial expression about him. Despite all this, the large size difference and sudden interjection caught Yasui by surprise. As he jumped and stepped back, the wolf laughed and held his hands up in a disarming gesture.

"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you. I'm Doctor Nishinoya, I'm a teacher here. I don't believe we've met before."

Yasui recovered from his shock and realized he was neglecting his manners in front of a teacher.

"Sorry, sir. My name is Yasui, I'm a high school first year."

His brows raised and he chuckled.

"No need to be so formal, and it's a pleasure to meet you. Although, I will admit, you do have me a little at a disadvantage. I could have sworn you were younger than… ah, never mind. So, what are you looking for? Any particular book?"

"Oh, no sir. I'm just… waiting."

"I guess that makes sense. The only reason why anyone would wake up early on the weekend is if they had something they needed to do. I mean, the only reason I'm here is because I have a faculty meeting to attend in a little while. I just decided to bite the bullet and show up early so I could work on some papers I needed to grade. So what about you? Off to visit some friends or something?"

Yasui shook his head.

"No, I have an interview for a part time job later. It's for a cafe."

"Well well, how mature of you! It's good to see students taking on responsibility. And at a cafe, now that should be fun. Speaking of cafes, I was about to go get breakfast. Would you like to join me? I would love to talk more, might help me not fall asleep and miss my meeting."

Yasui nervously fidgeted with his sleeve.

"I, uh, didn't know teachers and students ate together? Isn't that a little… I dunno, not usual?"

Nishinoya smiled and closed his eyes with an abashed look.

"I've always been one to flaunt the norms. So I tend to eat with my students pretty often. Especially if they have questions."

"Huh, what do you teach?"

"Modern and ancient literature, as well as a few writing classes. Mainly all about teaching students how to write in a way that doesn't look like you never made it past elementary school. You'd be surprised how many young people reach adulthood without learning how to coherently write out their thoughts."

Yasui nodded and joined the wolf as he walked towards the cafeteria.

"I always liked literature classes. There wasn't much else for me to do growing up but read so I became a bit of a bookworm."

Nishinoya beamed and adjusted his glasses.

"Aha! A fellow bibliophile! Always nice to meet another appreciator of the written arts."

They quickly got their food and went to a table in the mostly deserted cafeteria. Breakfast was fried eggs with toast and sliced fruit. Yasui was glad it was lighter than usual. His stomach was still in knots and he could only pick at his food. Doctor Nishinoya on the other hand had no problem devouring his meal. However he obviously was pacing himself so as to not finish well before Yasui. He took periodic pauses to ask Yasui questions, typically just about classes or how his roommates were. When he had almost finished his meal he asked,

"So, if you don't mind me asking, what was your favorite genre of books as a kid?"

"Well… I really like fantasy novels. You know, swords and magic and all that stuff... I guess. Yeah, fantasy stuff has always been interesting to me."

Nishinoya tapped his snout with a knowing look.

"I understand that. Personally I'm more of a sci-fi guy myself. I just love reading about what different beasts envision the future as being. If you want to really have some fun you should read some old sci-fi from before the Herbi-Carni War. Many authors saw a future where everything was steam powered and we flew about in balloon cities. Now it's all spaceships and time travel. Makes you wonder what parts of that future generations are going to laugh at for being outdated or strange."

Yasui nodded.

"That is… pretty interesting."

Nishinoya picked up an orange slice and turned it about in his fingers.

"That's why I got my doctorate in Ancient Literature and why I teach literature classes. So few people realize that books are more than just words or even ideas. They're the souls of their authors preserved through time, and when you learn to look at them through the author's eyes you learn so much about the world before you were born…. Whoops, sorry, got a bit lectury there. Being a teacher never goes away."

"Oh, it's okay. Actually, now I'm sorta looking forward to taking a class from you."

"Well, I'm glad to hear it."

He paused to check his watch and shook his head sadly.

"However, I really must be getting to my meeting. It was nice to talk to you. Feel free to come see me anytime, we can talk books or even about any classes you need help with. Although, try to keep it about books. I don't teach math or science for a reason."

And with that Nishinoya stood, collected his tray, and left. Yasui slumped back over his barely eaten food. He had only eaten a few bites. Whenever he went to bite into any of it, the horrid dream he had would push its way into his mind. It made him feel sick. Finally he'd had enough torture and pushed the tray away. He sighed and rubbed his eyes, still exhausted.

"Guuuuuh. Fine, I'll just head to that cafe early for my interview… after I look up how to find it."

(Later that morning, herbivore dorm)

Shinrai grunted as sunlight pierced his curtains and jabbed him in the eye. He rolled over and buried his face into his pillow. Wearily he checked the clock. It was already ten. Shinrai let out a muffled cry of distress and, through force of self loathing, crawled his way out of bed. He sat on the floor in the athletic shorts and tank top he wore to bed and tried to piece together a coherent thought. He grabbed his phone and looked at his text messages. There was one from Kashikoi that was only a few minutes old.

[Kashi: You alive, Shin?]

Shinrai scratched his ear and typed out a response.

[Shin: Yeah just tired

Kashi: Okay. Don and I are heading to the cafeteria for breakfast. Wanna come with?

Shin: k omw]

Shin huffed and slowly got to his feet. One or two of his roommates were still sleeping, so he was as stealthy as possible while getting dressed. As he put his pants on, he realized his belt was missing. And then he remembered why.

Whoops! Yasui must still have it. I'll have to get it back later.

Shinrai left the room and made his way towards the small animal stairs. As he descended, he cringed internally as he thought about the belt situation.

I can't believe they made him wear a muzzle. I'm so embarrassed! Gaaaah! Why are they such, such… buttheads? I feel like this needs something a bit stronger than just "butthead."

He made his way through the line and sat down with his friends. Breakfast for the herbivores today was a fruit and yogurt parfait with nut bread. Shinrai immediately devoured the bread. Kashi was his usual pristine, smiling self, but Don had massive bags under his bloodshot eyes and was still in the same clothes as last night. A grubby bandage was wrapped around his left hand. Shinrai pointed at the rabbit with his spoon.

"Holy crap, dude. What did you do?!?"

Don yawned and weakly picked at his food.

"All-nighter. Wanted to play the game."

Shinrai scowled and stuck his tongue out.

"Must be nice to have a private room. Lucky piece of…."

Shinrai grumbled and trailed off as Kashikoi laughed and gestured to the bandage.

"Lucky?! But what about his deadly flesh wound! He could have died!"

Don let his eyes drift closed and mumbled a soft "shut up." Kashi chuckled.

"But last night you made it seem like you had lost your whole hand. Are you sure that you'll recover?"

"Shut uuuuuuup."

Kashikoi held a hand to his cheek and fluttered his eyelashes.

"Kashi help me! It hurts so bad! I need you to take care of it, please!"

Don huffed and threw his napkin at the alpaca.

"You're a terrible friend. I ask you for help, and you laugh at me. I'm hurt."

Shinrai crossed his arms and glared at his two other friends.

"Speaking of bad friends, what the heck was the deal with you two last night!"

Don arched an eyebrow and Kashikoi blinked in confusion before asking.

"Could you… elaborate on that?"

"You treated my friend like crap! You made him wear a muzzle!"

Don yawned.

"Hey, he agreed to it. We didn't force him to."

"You practically did! You refused to let him lead us unless he wore a muzzle. I mean, he sneaks out to help us get a game he doesn't even want all because I asked him for help, and you treated him like a crazed monster!"

Kashikoi gave him a sympathetic look.

"Sorry, Shin. We were just being cautious. You can't be too careful around carnivores."

Don waggled a finger.

"Yeah, Shin. Remember what you were telling us about your brother a few months ago? About how he wound up in the hospital after his coworker bit him! They were friends and used to go out for drinks after work until boom! The guy snaps and mauls him. Your words not mine."

Shinrai flapped his mouth a few times as his voice failed him. Finally he shook his head.

"That was different! Yasui is a really nice dude. He had plenty of opportunities to hurt me loads of times but he never did."

Kashi fixed him with the sort of patronizing smile parents give a toddler who says something ridiculous.

"Shinrai, it only takes one time. You have to learn to separate the friend you have from their predatory instincts. All carnivores have those instincts and they never go away. That's why you have to be cautious around them and keep your distance. You learn to keep a safe distance while still being friendly. It's just how us herbivores survive in this world."

Shinrai huffed.

"I'm not scared of him! And I'm not scared of carnivores! There's no need to keep my distance if they're my friends."

Right? I'm not scared… am I?

Don grimaced.

"You seemed pretty scared when he yelled at you last night. You were crawling away on your butt. Admit it, there's always going to be a gap between herbivores and carnivores. It's just nature. Like the seasons and junk."

Shinrai frowned and stabbed at his food.

"You two are just paranoid."

Kashikoi sighed and set his spoon down.

"No, Shinrai, you're naive. You don't understand what this world is really like. And if you don't learn to survive in our society, I'm afraid I'll end up hearing your name in the news. Please, Shin, be careful. I don't want to lose a friend."

Shinrai let out a sigh and returned to his meal in silence. He hadn't expected this response.

Maybe they're right. I have always lived sorta… sheltered from all that. Heck, Yasui was the first carnivore I ever actually talked to apart from basic hellos and whatever. And they both have had to go to fancy high society junk with their parents. Is this really just how the real world works?!

Don glanced around before leaning in conspiratorially.

"Did you hear about last night?"

Shinrai shook his head and Kashikoi frowned.

"You don't mean that murder, do you?"

Don nodded.

"Yeah, this African lion got killed. And word around the internet is that Red Smile did it. And get this, apparently he's a herbivore!"

Shinrai gasped.

"Seriously!? An herbivore killed a carnivore? Was it like self defense or something?"

Don shook his head.

"No, he's some sort of serial killer or whatever. You have heard about him, right?"

Shinrai gulped. He had heard about this murderer and he'd even been unfortunate enough to read some disturbing theories about him.

"Yeah. I remember reading about him. Have the police confirmed the rumors yet?"

"About it all being the Red Smile? No, they apparently held a press conference today and said it was the work of a black market gang."

Kashikoi sighed.

"Probably smart. Tensions between herbivores and carnivores have been getting worse every year. Predation is on the rise and lots of people are calling for segregation. Revealing a vigilante serial killer with the manifesto 'kill all monsters' who targets carnivores would only add fuel to the fire."

Don rolled his eyes.

"Oh please. So the carnivores are finally the ones being attacked. It's not like there isn't a little poetic irony in that."

Kashikoi gave Don a stern look.

"Don, don't say things like that. This Red Smile person is as evil as can be. I mean, for crying out loud the first victim was an electrician who was fixing damaged fuse boxes and the second was a stay at home mom!"

"Hey! Don't think I support this guy! I'm just saying I'm not losing any sleep over the carnivores having something to worry about other than which of us they want for dinner."

Shinrai sighed and stood up. He wasn't sure why, but the way other herbivores talked about carnivores made him feel really uncomfortable, but mainly because he felt like he should be agreeing with all that was being said. As he was leaving, Kashi was still lecturing Don.

"You should really try to learn how to be friendly with carnivores. One of my roommates has loads of carnivore friends, and nothing bad has ever happened to him. You just have to strike a balance."

"What, that drama club dude?"

"His name is Tem."

"Well mark my words, one of these days one of the carnivores he's chummy with is going to go feral and put him in the hospital, or worse!"

"You're awful. You know that, right?"

"I'm just saying I've heard about way too many predations to get close with a carnivore. Why take the risk?"

"Unbelievable. Forgot Shin, how are you ever going to survive in the real world?!"

Shinrai pursed his lips as he moved out of the way of a pair of dogs that were walking to a table. While not tiny like a chipmunk or rat, he was still a small herbivore, so even medium sized dogs towered over him. Even someone as stunted as Yasui was almost twice his height.

Will I really grow up to just think it's normal to be terrified of carnivores that are bigger or stronger than me? Because that's a lot of people to be scared of. I wish I was born a carnivore, maybe a shiba inu or retriever or something. Life must be so much simpler if you're big and strong.

A little bit away from school, Yasui was having his own contemplative moment. He breathed deeply and let out a quiet sigh as he sat waiting on a bench. He had managed to get directions to the cafe he was supposed to meet the owner of, but it was locked up with a closed sign in the window. He figured he would wait until at least noon before giving up. As he did, he saw a family of ducks walking down the sidewalk, happily chatting about this and that and where they wanted to go today. Yasui wrung his hands as his stomach turned, guilt welling up inside of him.

What about them, will my instincts make me want to eat them too? Is this just something you have to deal with whenever it happens? Or am I just cursed for licking up herbivore blood.

He watched them pass and rubbed his arm, still feeling exhausted and weak from his poor night's sleep. He had tried to make himself as presentable as possible, but his eyes were still red and bloodshot with dark bags underneath. Even with the weather being warm and sunny with a cooling sea breeze to keep the temperature mild and temperate, Yasui felt hot and irritable. He scratched his shoulder and groaned. He was feeling antsy and wanted to get the interview over with already. He idly reached into his pocket and pulled out his lucky coin. For as long as he'd had it, he'd been fond of playing with it whenever he was anxious. As he looked at its weathered surface he remembered all the tricks its previous owner had shown him.

[Mishiranu, twelve years ago]

There was a rustle in the grass as four year old Yasui flounced after a bright yellow butterfly. He chased it around and around only stopping when it landed on a branch of a tree just out of reach. He stood below it panting when a kindly voice rang out.

"Well well well, if it isn't one of the dastardly duo. Where's your brother, Yasui?"

Yasui turned and saw his neighbor, Old Bolboi, leaning over his porch railing watching him. Yasui wiped his nose and replied.

"It's bafff day, so Moma's gibbing him a baff."

The old goat chuckled.

"Still the same as ever. You out here to hide so you don't have to take a bath?"

Yasui shook his head and pointed at the butterfly. Bolboi nodded.

"Aah, I see. Chasing butterflies. What would you do if you caught it?"

"I dunno, proberbly juss look app ich."

Yasui rubbed at his lips and idly walked over to the house. He sat on the porch across from his neighbor and asked.

"Do you hab… habbb… h-ah-v any coin magic for me?"

Bolboi laughed.

"I knew you had ulterior motives. You just wanted to see a magic trick. Well…."

He snapped his fingers and seemingly pulled his lucky coin from out of thin air.

"I might have a few in me. But magic makes me tired so I can only show you some if you go get me some tea from my wife."

Yasui scrambled to his feet and raced into the house. This home was smaller than Yasui's as it only served to house Bolboi and his wife Mifune. Mifune was seated by the window of the main room reading a magazine she had gotten in town when Yasui came skidding to a halt in the doorway. She looked up and smiled.

"Hello, Yasui. Dropping in for a visit?"

Yasui nodded.

"Well aren't you forgetting something?"

She held out her arms and Yasui hopped over and gave her a hug.

"Hi, Mrs Miffffune. Can you ge-ge… can I hab some… t-eeea for Bulby."

Mifune grinned and shook her head in amusement.

"He has you running errands again?"

She leaned her head out the window and hollered.

"You're a lazy old goat, you know!"

"Meh, I'm paying him so it's fine."

She sighed, smiling the whole time.

"Well then, let's get that tea. I also have some apple juice if you want some.

"Yes pwease… pw… pa-leer-ease!"

As she poured out a cup of iced tea and juice, she glanced over and asked.

"Still trying to deal with that lisp of yours?"

Yasui nodded, scratching his ear at the same time. Mifune leaned down and held the two cups for him. Yasui had to clutch them to his chest to avoid dropping them. As he was getting his grip set, Mifune patted him on the head.

"You'll get the hang of it. I know you will."

Yasui beamed and trotted towards the door, spilling a bit of his drinks on the way.

"Fank you!"

He returned to Bolboi and deposited the tea at his side before sitting back down with his own drink. As Bolboi picked the cup up for a drink, Yasui asked.

"Why's your name so fffuny?"

"Hm, you shouldn't call people's names funny. It's rude."

"Sowwy."

"But mine is pretty weird. I got it the same way you get male pattern baldness and bad knees. It was passed down to me by my parents. My name is sort of a family curse you see. Every first born male gets named 'Bolboi' because it was my great-great-great-great-whatever-grandpa's name. Or something like that."

Yasui mouthed a silent "wow" before Bolboi reached down and pulled the coin out of Yasui's ear. He flipped it, caught it, then opened his hand to reveal it was gone. Just then, he began winding up for a sneeze.

"Ha-ha-HA-CHOOO!"

He sneezed into his hands only to reveal the coin had somehow come out of his nose. Yasui howled with laughter as Bolboi put the old coin back into his pocket. He watched the young fox for a moment before asking.

"Say, Yasui. Could you come over here for a second?"

Yasui gave him a puzzled look as the elderly goat beckoned him closer. Once he was standing right beside him, Bolboi asked.

"Mind opening up your mouth for a sec? Real wide!"

Yasui slowly opened his mouth and went "aaaaah" for him. Bolboi pursed his lips and peered into the small mouth. He frowned and held his thumb beside one of Yasui's teeth before muttering. As Yasui closed his mouth and licked his lips, his mother Ino came walking over with a still damp Yone at her heels. She sighed.

"How did I know you'd be tormenting poor Mister Bolboi again."

Yasui waved and went back to his juice. Yone joined him as the two boys' mother stood next to Bolboi. The old goat hummed and said.

"I have a theory as to what's making your son lisp."

"Oh? What is it?"

"I think his dang teeth are too big for his mouth. And honestly, that's not all that's… peculiar."

Especially now that there was his brother right beside him, Yasui's abnormalities were painfully obvious. He was short and scrawny with elongated limbs and a long muzzle full of oversized snaggle teeth. His mother sighed.

"I know. The other children make fun of him for it. And the other parents… well… my own sister doesn't let him play with her children. Only Great-Grandpa and Great-Grandma treat him like normal. I'm worried about him. What if he never grows out of it?"

Bolboi shrugged and took another drink.

"Then he'll be a bit more interesting than the average fox. Nothing wrong with that."

Yasui's mother sighed and wiped her hands on her pants.

"I hope that's all it turns out to be. Thanks for keeping an eye on him. I just made some steamed bread with berries in it if you and Mifune want a piece."

Bolboi chuckled and took a sip of tea.

"Do you even have to ask? I'll never turn down your cooking, Ino. Nobody bakes quite like you do."

From inside the house Mifune huffed and yelled back.

"I heard that! You'll be eating cold beans with water for dinner now!"

As Bolboi muttered into his tea, Yone had begun an impromptu game of tag with his little brother. In a matter of moments the two boys were rolling around on the ground as it quickly morphed into a full blown wrestling match. Their exasperated mother sighed and rubbed her eyebrows.

"Are you kidding me?! I just got Yone clean and now he's even dirtier than before!"

She cupped her hands in front of her mouth and yelled to her children.

"You two cut that out right now. You realize now I have to give you both a bath. Which means you're getting a second one, Yone!"

Yone glanced up at his mother, down at his muddy body, and then to his brother. Immediately he dashed away, leaving Yasui to do his best to catch up. Ino huffed and ran after then, yelling as loud as she could.

"You two get back here now or you're going to regret it!"

Bolboi howled with laughter and called out to her.

"I'll be over for that bread later. Good luck!"

[present day]

As he waited he saw another group pass, this time it was a small cluster of three deer walking along the opposite sidewalk.

I wish I would have been born a deer. I bet they have an easier time than foxes do. Nobody thinks badly about deer. And deer don't have carnivore instincts. It's probably nice to know you're always in control.

Yasui turned his head as the sound of shuffling footsteps caught his attention. Looking down the street, he saw an old rabbit slowly shuffling down the opposite sidewalk. He reached a crosswalk almost directly opposite him and waited for an opening. Once there was a gap he made his way painfully slowly across the street. However just then a car turned the corner and stopped to wait for him to pass. The old rabbit was still practically crawling as the driver waited impatiently. Soon a car came from the other direction and had to stop and wait so as not to accidentally clip the poor rabbit.

One driver lowered his window and yelled,

"Pick up the pace, old man! I'm late!"

The rabbit turned his head and seemed to notice the car for the first time. He attempted to speed up only to catch his foot and stumble. Yasui jumped up and ran over.

"Hey, uh, sir? Do you want me to…?"

The rabbit nodded, breathing heavily and held out a wrinkled hand. Yasui gingerly pulled him to his feet and held onto the offered arm while supporting the senior citizen with his other. With the added support, the old rabbit was able to cross the street at a much faster rate. Upon reaching the other side Yasui steered the still wheezing lagomorph to the same bench he had been sitting on.

"Here, you should catch your breath. Is there anything you need me to do to help you?"

The stranger puffed and huffed a few more times before wearily shaking his head. Up close Yasui could see he had white fur with a few brown splotches along his ears and arms. His eyes were wrinkly and surrounded by crow's feet and laugh lines with a slightly droopy, saggy look to his thin frame. His floppy ears swivelled as he spoke in a quiet, wheezy voice.

"No, no, that's very kind of you. I just need to rest a bit. Ever since my knee started going I haven't been exactly the most mobile of beasts, but it's so nice out today I felt like getting some fresh air and sunshine on my way."

"Oh, uh, do you… need help getting… wherever you're going?"

"Hehe, already there, sonny. Now I just need to wait."

"Oh… that's good."

"Hm, yeah. You hear me, sonny, don't you go getting old too fast. It's not fun, believe me. Oh, where are my manners! Thanks for the help, Mister…."

"Oh, Yasui. I'm Yasui."

The aged animal rubbed his chin and muttered.

"Yasui, Yasui… why is that so familiar sounding? Oh! It's you! You're the high school boy who wants to work for me! Yeah my good friend, uh, oh dear. I've forgotten her name. Bah, what's it matter? That crazy old cat with the yarn shop told me all about you. She said, 'There's this high school kid at Cherryton what needs a job. He's this real scrawny runner bean of a thing who's dirt poor.' So I figured what the heck, might as well give ya a chance. So, let me get a good look at you."

He leaned in closer and squinted hard. Yasui was beginning to wonder if he was practically blind with how close he got.

"Huh, didn't realize you were a fox. Used to play shogi with a fox down at the senior center. Well, until he died. Heart attack, dang shame that was. Anywho, mind letting me see those paws?"

Yasui cautiously held his hands out for him. The rabbit reached out and gripped Yasui's right hand with his own and carefully ran his thumb along the portion opposite his knuckles. He nodded and smiled.

"Aaaah, not scared of a little hard work, huh. Those are some impressive calluses you got. What did you get 'em from?"

"Well, I grew up on a farm so mainly from hoeing or rooting up radishes."

"You don't say. I knew a fellow that moved out to the country near a farming village. After about a year he got sick of it and came back. Now he's a waiter at a restaurant. Oh! I completely forgot to introduce myself! I happen to be Nabuyo, owner of that cafe right there, Cafe Lapin."

He gestured widely towards the building. It was situated on the ground floor of a four level building made of red brick. It had a cream colored awning over the front with some tables and chairs in a small fenced area. The words "Cafe Lapin" were stencilled in fancy gold letters on the front door. The inside was dark but Yasui could see various tables and decorations that made it seem like a picture from a travel brochure all about France. There was even a picture of the Eiffel Tower on one wall. Nabuyo beamed with pride.

"This was my wife's baby right here. When I first retired we decided to go on a trip like we had always talked about. We saw London, Paris, Rome, Venice, the whole shabang. But my wife fell in love with all the cute little cafes they have in Paris, so when I got tired of being retired, I rented this place from an old pal of mine and Cafe Lapin was born."

"Wow, that's really cool."

"Well, let's not wait, come in! Come in! We aren't open on weekends, on account of my weekly shogi tournaments, but I figure you should see the inside."

Nabuyo carefully got to his feet and hobbled to the door. He withdrew a key ring from his pocket and fit one into the lock.

"I'll warn you up front, uh, uuuuh…. What was your name again?"

"Yasui."

"Yasui! That was it. Yeah. But, uh, I'll warn you now. I am a talker. Talk talk talk. So just be patient if I start to go down a rabbit trail."

Once the door was unlocked they stepped inside. Yasui let out a quiet "wow" as he looked around. It looked exactly like pictures of French buildings he had seen in travel books and magazines. There were even lavender plants in window boxes that filled the whole place with a soothing fragrance. It was pretty small, only five small tables with a maximum of four chairs at them, but it definitely had style. Yasui watched as Nabuyo gazed proudly around.

"Yup, she's a beauty."

Yasui's eye caught a picture on the far wall. Walking over he saw a slightly younger looking Nabuyo smiling with his arm around the waist of an elderly female rabbit with playful eyes and a wide smile. Nabuyo joined him and put a hand against the picture frame.

"Yup, that's my Yui. Always smiling about something."

"She seems really nice. She reminds me of my great grandmother. Great grammy was always happy, and would give me and my brother treats whenever we visited her. I wish I remembered her better, but I was really young when she… passed."

"Hmmm… Yui was like that too. Used to make these little almond cookies and we'd have tea with them. I miss her more than anything."

Yasui frowned and his ears drooped a bit.

"Oh… I'm sorry."

"Oh it's alright. With how I'm getting with forgetting stuff and all I like to talk about her, even if I do miss her. Better that than to forget her. Besides, it's been four years now. Time… well it helps ease the pain a bit. Ah, look at me getting all sad and gloomy on a nice day like this. So, what do you think? Want to come work here as one of my part timers?"

Yasui frowned.

"Uh… is it that simple? Don't you need to interview me or give me a test or something?"

"For crying out loud, kid, this is a cafe not a hospital. So long as you can learn how to make coffee, tea, and snacks and are at least mildly pleasant to talk with you'll do fine. So what do you say? We can talk scheduling later, after I take a look at where I could use more help after the typical school day is done. So… how about you come here Tuesday after classes and I'll start training you and get you settled. Sound good?"

"I… uh, okay. That sounds good."

"Great! You're hired."

Nabuyo reached out and shook Yasui's hand before beginning to shuffle towards the door.

"Well, that's that. Time to go."

"Uh… okay?"

Yasui hesitated, confused at the sudden hurry. Nabuyo waved him forward.

"While I'm still alive now, I have shogi today after all."

As they walked out the door, Nabuyo fumbled in his pocket for his keys before laughing.

"Well now, that explains a lot."

"Huh?"

"I forgot I wasn't wearing my glasses! I was wondering why everything was so blurry!"

Yasui grimaced.

Is this guy okay? Should he be walking around by himself?

Nabuyo pulled a massive pair of thick glasses from out of his pocket and put them on. They made his eyes bug out and look way too big for his head.

"Aaaah! There you are! Much better! I can see you now.Hmmm… are you… sick? You look like death."

Yasui shifted awkwardly and clasped his right arm in self-reassurance.

"I-I just didn't sleep well last night. I was too… nervous."

The old rabbit cackled and shuffled off.

"Heh, to think that a fox would be scared of a geriatric old animal like me. I can barely scratch my privates without throwing my back out. Kids today."

Once outside the elderly rabbit began to shuffle off at the same creeping pace as before. This had definitely been… unusual.

Are all interviews like that? Or just that one?

Yasui sat back down and wearily slumped over. Today seemed like an eternity, and he was still so tired. He raised his head and squinted at the sky, blocking the sun with his hand. Almost directly overhead. It was practically noon, the time he was supposed to meet Miss Diana to talk about how to do one of those booth things for the Festival of the Meteor.

Why did I have to make that for today! I just want to go curl up somewhere and die. I should just go back to my room and lie in bed the rest of the day.

Before he could make good on that idea, a familiar black car pulled up. The window rolled down and a familiar leopard leaned out the window.

"Well there goes that idea. I was thinking about just having lunch here today, but it's closed. Oh well. Hello, Yasui! How did the interview go?"

Yasui rubbed his temples and stood up, approaching the car.

"Honestly… very strangely. I'm a little confused as to how… fast it went."

Diana frowned.

"Well, what did he say? Was he not hiring or…."

"No actually. He asked to see my hands, showed me the cafe, and then hired me. I am so confused."

Diana pursed her lips and smoothed some of her fur around her neck. Yasui noticed her makeup was unnaturally perfect as usual.

"Well, it's not the absolute strangest interview I've ever heard of, but it sure is up there. There must be some method to the madness though. And hey! It turned out well in the end! Congratulations on landing the job, Yasui. Look at you, already turning into a proper little business man. First you land a job and now you're headed to a business lunch."

She tittered and gave him a teasing smile.

"And wearing your uniform on the weekend? My, how professional."

Yasui sighed, his limbs and ears sagging.

"I ran out of clean clothes. I need to do laundry today."

"Oh it's no problem. In fact you lack good in that uniform. Very preppy."

Yasui glanced down. He had elected to wear just the button down shirt with suspenders today, and with the warm weather he had rolled the sleeves up to his elbows. He sighed.

"Well that's good. I was worried I'd look ridiculous."

Diana shook her head.

"Far from it. Now, shall we get down to business? We have a lot to discuss regarding your plans for a club booth."

Yasui nodded and walked around the car and to the other side. He was still a little uncomfortable about just getting into people's cars, but so far nothing bad had happened.

Yeah, Yasui. Great way to make that decision. I guess it's fine to go around licking random mushrooms! I haven't died yet! Idiot.

Nevertheless, he entered the car and sat down in the back row. As had happened before, the mountain of a gorilla was driving. Yasui was pretty sure his name was Charles. Diana smiled at him and addressed the driver.

"Let's be on our way. I'll decide where we eat once we reach the city center."

The gorilla nodded, eyes hidden behind reflective sunglasses.

"As you wish."

Yasui sat in silence and stared at his hands. He still felt terrible, and he really didn't feel like talking about the club booth idea.

Especially because it's a stupid idea. I already know what's going to happen.

[The festival was going well. Beasts were laughing and running around from booth to booth enjoying the festivities. Every booth was happily trading goods for money as fast as they could, except for one situated in a lonely corner.

Yasui was standing in his ramshackle excuse for a booth with a few sorry excuses for food displayed on the counter. So far not even the flies had been interested. To make matters worse, upon discovering just how pathetic the "club" he ran was, the only other member had bailed, leaving him to do everything by himself. He sighed and watched the fun everyone was having. He should have known better.

"Why does everything I touched turn into trash?"]

"—ui. Yasui? Hello? Earth to Yasui?"

Yausi jolted and looked over at his host.

"Huh? Sorry, did you need something?"

"Well, I was wondering if you were feeling okay. You seem a bit… off today. Mind you, I don't have terribly much experience with you personally but you seem… distressed. And I would rather not make a comment about your physical appearance if I can help it. Do you feel sick? I can have Charles get you some medicine if you need it."

At this the gorilla reached down and pulled out a massive bag with a red cross on it. He began to rummage around.

"I have medicine for fever, gastronomic discomfort, allergies, colds, muscle pain, joint pain, headache, sinus pressure, itchy throat, sore throat, stomachache, nausea, dizziness—"

Diana cleared her throat.

"Um, Charles, we get the picture."

"— eyedrops, eardrops, and…. Sorry."

Yasui shook his head and huffed.

"No, I'm not sick. I'm just… a little tired is all."

Diana crossed her arms and looked Yasui up and down.

"Yes… I didn't want to bring it up, but you do look like a nervous wreck right now. Stressed out about school?"

Yasui thought for a moment before sighing.

"A little, I guess."

"Doesn't Cherryton have territory rooms for you to decompress in?"

"Well… I can't actually use them. I'm claustrophobic and the fox room...well…."

Diana closed her eyes and slowly nodded.

"I see. So rather than a nice relaxing experience you have a full blown panic attack?"

Yasui scratched his cheek and looked out the window as they began to approach the edge of the city where the buildings began to morph from three to four story buildings into skyscrapers.

"Yeah. Not exactly a great way to deal with stress."

Diana tutted and inspected her claws in an offhand way.

"Now that just won't do. Charles, I've decided. We'll have lunch at the Prime Meridian. That should help our little entrepreneur here not have ulcers."

The massive gorilla inclined his head and altered their course.

"Excellent choice, ma'am. I'll call ahead so they can get everything set for you. I'm assuming you want your usual accommodations?"

"Hmm, yes. But be sure there are amenities for us."

"Of course. Excuse me for a moment."

He rolled the privacy screen up so he wouldn't disturb them while he talked on the phone, leaving the two passengers in silence. Yasui was idly watching the buildings go by, their immense size still filled him with wonder as to how exactly they could build something that tall. Probably with a really long crane or else some sort of huge pulley system. His reverie was interrupted when Diana leaned over a bit to look out his window as well.

"So, Yasui, have you had a chance to explore the town at all?"

"Well, a little. Like once or twice."

"And? What are your thoughts?"

Yasui shrugged.

"It's okay. A little too loud… and bright… and smelly for me. And I miss all the trees back home."

Diana politely laughed.

"Yes, the city can be all of those things. As well as dangerous and scary. But it also has electricity to it. A pulse of life that you won't find anywhere else. All it's shops and restaurants and apartments, they can be dirty and rough, but so very full of life. It really is a wonderful place to live."

Yasui hummed and stared down at the busy streets. Animals of all shapes and sizes were going about their business, getting lunch and meeting friends. Some working, others having fun. There was a long silence before Diana inspected him again.

"Are you certain you're all right? You seem a lot… quieter than usual. Is something bothering you? I don't mean to pry but if I can help I'd be more than happy to."

"I just… feel a little off."

Diana backed off at this. However, as they neared their destination she slyly added.

"I think I get it now. Girl trouble?"

Yasui blinked rapidly and turned to face her.

"Wait… what?"

Diana smirked.

"Well clearly you're in some sort of internal turmoil, and I bet it's because you've already gone out with too many girls at once. Having six girlfriends at the same time is too much for anyone!"

"Wha…? I, no! I haven't been messing around with loads of girls! I'm not good looking enough to do something like that! And besides, I'm not that kind of guy!"

"Relax, Yasui. I was teasing you. You're just so tense right now I figured I should try to get you to come out of your head for a bit."

Yasui grumbled and averted his eyes, cheeks flushed with embarrassment. All of the sudden the sun was blocked out as they entered a parking garage. Charles pulled the car up to an elevator and stopped.

"Here you are, ma'am. I'll meet up with you shortly."

Diana smiled.

"Thank you, Charles."

With that, Yasui followed her out of the car, very confused as to where exactly he was. Diana was looking intently at him and beaming.

"Ooooh, I can't wait to see the look on your face. You must think I'm such a strange beast, but I'm just excited to finally bring someone here."

They walked over to a door and Diana pushed it open. Walking inside Yasui saw the most amazing sight he had seen yet in the city. Beyond the door was a massive room many, many stories high that was an indoors tropical forest. Palm trees and bright flowers lined the pathways that wound through the simulated jungle to the various services the building offered. Looking around, Yasui saw a store, a cafe, and signs for a spa, pool, exercise room, bar, and so much more. He turned around, his mouth gaping.

"What is this place?"

"This, my dear, is the Prime Meridian. One of the premier resorts and conference centers my company owns."

Yasui returned his gaze to her and asked incredulously.

"You own this place?!"

"Technically, yes. But this isn't even the best part. Follow me."

Still wide eyed, Yasui trailed behind her as she led him to a section of the far wall covered in windows. She opened the glass doors and ushered him outside. Waiting for them beyond the doors was an expanse of pristine sand dotted periodically with chairs and cabanas. Beyond that, the sea was gently lapping against the shore. There was an ornate patio outside the doors with a counter that served drinks and snacks, and as Yasui walked out onto the patio, a well dressed member of the hotel staff, a male horse, approached him.

"Young man, are you a guest here?"

Yasui was still dumbstruck by the view and could only manage to slowly shake his head. The staff member scowled.

"Well then I will need to ask you to leave before I call security."

Suddenly Diana called out.

"Is there a problem here?"

The employee's eyes went wide and he bowed deeply.

"M-Miss Diana! I apologize if I disturbed you. I was simply telling this child that he cannot trespass here. I will have him removed at once."

Diana crossed her arms and gave him a cool look.

"Is there any particular reason why you would throw my guest out on his tail?"

The horse gulped, beads of sweat beginning to form on his face.

"I-I… I was not aware that he was your guest."

"He was walking almost directly beside me."

"I… I… apologies, Miss Diana. I should have been more observant."

Diana simply walked past him and headed towards a simple wooden walkway that lead down the beach.

"I accept your apology. I am assuming my accommodations are prepared accordingly?"

He bowed even lower.

"Yes, Miss Diana. Shall I fetch you anything to eat or drink?"

She paused and considered that for a moment.

"Hmmm… yes, actually. Three Sunset Margaritas, one of them virgin. We'll be ordering lunch later, we have business to discuss first."

"Certainly, Miss Diana."

As he left, Yasui hurried to match pace with the leopard.

"Holy crap, he was terrified of you!"

Diana smirked.

"Well I am his boss's boss's boss's boss and the head of the company that owns this establishment. It's only natural to be scared when you try to evict my special guest from my own resort."

Yasui followed her to a larger cabana away from the others marked "VIP" in gold characters. It was open air with plush lounge chairs facing the water and all the luxurious accommodations you could desire at the beach. A large fan was slowly rotating above them, there were tables and towels and a cooler stocked with water and even a changing room. Yasui froze at the entrance and proceeded to gawk. Diana snickered.

"Well do sit down. These chairs are comfortable you know."

"This is the fanciest place I've ever seen. Is… is that—"

Yasui weakly gestured to one of the fluted glasses waiting by the minibar. Around the top was a band of glittering—

"Gold? Yes, it is. This isn't the VIP accommodations for nothing."

Yasui cautiously moved over to the cups and slowly reached for it.

"Woah. C-can I touch it?"

Diana laughed.

"Well how else are you going to drink it?"

Yasui delicately lifted the cup and ran a finger across the shining metal.

"I've never seen gold before. It's so shiny and bright."

Diana rolled her eyes and opened a lunch menu as Yasui continued to ogle his surroundings. Soon Charles joined them and took a seat in the back of the cabana. As he did, Yasui pointed to the cup.

"This is gold. Like, 'gold' gold!"

Charles's gaze was inscrutable behind his sunglasses, but Yasui thought he caught his mouth twitching a little around the corners. The horse server returned and set a tray of drinks down before respectfully bowing and leaving. The drinks were in tall glasses and were unlike anything Yasui had ever seen. They were each composed of different layers of color, ranging from bright yellow to deep reddish purple. Yasui slowly moved over to examine them.

"What's in these?!"

Diana gave one drink to Charles before handing another one to Yasui. He noticed that the one she handed him was in a different style of cup than theirs.

"Let's see, it should be pineapple, mango, orange, passion fruit, and dragon fruit. Of course mine and Charles's have some alcohol in it, but yours is just juice, so don't worry."

Yasui looked back at the drink and whistled.

"I haven't even heard of most of those fruits."

Diana smiled.

"Well I hope you enjoy it. It's a personal favorite of mine. It tastes like the whole beach experience in a glass to me."

Yasui slowly took a drink, trying to savor the clearly fancy beverage. It was very sweet and fruity, with a mixture of unfamiliar flavors and smells. It definitely tasted tropical, like something you'd drink on an island. Like a drink from Hawaii or the Caribbean. Yasui thought for a moment and smiled.

"Yeah, it's good. It tastes like I'm on some island somewhere, if you know what I mean."

Diana leaned back and took a pull from her own cup before sighing.

"I understand completely. That was the goal for this property. To bring the mood and atmosphere of the tropics to Japan. The kitchen here is well stocked with tropical fruits and vegetables from across the globe. Speaking of, here's a menu. We can peruse our options as we talk."

She handed Yasui a fine little booklet with gold trim. Inside was a menu with everything from salads and sandwiches to shrimp skewers and ceviche. Almost nothing listed as an ingredient was familiar to Yasui. Diana sipped her drink and spoke without looking up from her menu.

"I chose this spot for two reasons. One, as an aspiring chef it's good to broaden your culinary horizons a bit. And two, you looked like you needed some fresh air and sunshine."

Yasui looked back out over the beach.

"It is really nice. Thanks for this by the way. All of it."

She smiled and dismissively shook her head.

"Oh no, thank you! This is the most fun I've had in years. Being an adult is just so boring sometimes."

There was a pause before Diana asked.

"So, this stall for your school festival. What do you have in mind?"

Yasui set the menu down and scratched his neck.

"Well… I'm not sure actually. Haven't really thought too much about what I could manage."

"No no, not what you think you can do. What you imagine yourself doing. Do you see it as more of a stand for selling sweets? Maybe crepes or baked goods? Or are you thinking more like a grill or barbecue stand?"

Yasui closed his eyes and mulled it over.

"Maybe… some of both? Like, a couple different things? Some options for everyone. But not too many because that would be way too hard."

She crossed her arms and leaned towards him a little, sizing him up.

"Interesting… that's a very realistic idea. You've got a good head on your shoulders."

Yasui blushed and averted his eyes.

"Haha, yeah. My mom said that all the times I tripped as a kid must have knocked some sense into me."

Diana held a hand over her mouth and laughed quietly and politely. Yasui noticed that her claws were trimmed and polished to perfection, with a classy silver bracelet on her wrist. She was also immaculately dressed as usual with a light greenish-blue sleeveless v-neck and and white pants tailored to her legs.

How long does it take for her to get her whole body so perfect? Her clothes, her fur, her claws, her teeth, all perfect! Even her jewelry is always tasteful and not too showy!

Yasui looked at her necklace, which was a simple silver chain with a cut emerald hanging from it, and then glanced down a little. His blush deepened and he looked away again. Before taking another peek.

What is wrong with me?!? Ogling girls, sneaking out at night, I'm becoming a total delinquent!

Diana finished her bout of polite laughter and sighed.

"Your mother sounds like a very witty animal. I do hope I can meet her someday. All of your relatives actually. With all you say about them they must be a very pleasant bunch to have around."

"Yeah they're the best."

Yasui looked back down at the menu and pretended to read it. He still didn't exactly feel hungry, but he didn't want to be rude and refuse to eat. Diana seemed to make up her mind and closed her menu.

"Well, have you made up your mind as to what you want to eat?"

Yasui rapidly scanned the page and read one out at random.

"Uh… the Hawaii trio, I guess."

"Ooh, good choice. I think I'll go with the Polynesian salad. How about you, Charles? Made up your mind?"

The massive gorilla nodded and stood from his seat in the back corner.

"Yes, I have. No need to flag down a waiter though, I'll take care of it."

Diana smiled and gave him a conspiratorial look.

"Thank you, Charles. You never fail to go above and beyond."

He nodded and left Yasui alone with his rather mysterious benefactor. Diana rolled her eyes and smoothed a wrinkle from her clothes.

"I suppose he thinks he's terribly clever."

"Huh?"

"Leaving like that. He obviously wants me to have a heart to heart about what's bugging you. I apologize on his behalf, he's becoming such a busybody in his old age."

Yasui stared blankly until she continued.

"I mean, it's pretty obvious what's bugging you. You look like you aren't sleeping well, you have no appetite, and you have been avoiding looking at a particular type of animal."

Yasui frowned.

"Wait, huh?! I don't—"

"Sorry, old habits die hard. Learning to read people is vital in the business world. But, as I was saying, it's pretty clear what's eating you. I understand how you feel."

Yasui held his tongue and narrowed his eyes slightly. Was she being serious right now? Diana huffed.

"Like I said, I have no intention of pressuring you into talking about something so… sensitive, regardless of what that oaf thinks. But… I do feel that I need to… well… I will say, you're not alone in how you're feeling. We all react the same way when we have our first brush with our… less than pleasant instincts. Goodness, I practically barricaded myself in my room when I had my first urge because I felt so guilty. I was a mess for weeks after that and, well ..."

Diana massaged the sides of her head and sighed.

"I am definitely not the right woman to be having this talk with you, but somebody needs to. So I'll just… I will say it does get better. So long as you stay strong and don't give in eventually you can conquer those instincts. Now then, I'll leave it at that and move onto more pleasant conversation."

There's honestly something to what she's saying. I guess I thought about her so much as this super perfect and well put together business woman that I didn't think of her as a fellow carnivore. And I've never heard her speak without confidence like that. Also, what is going on with me!? What's with this weird... infatuation I have with her! Is it because she's the only girl not related to me that has ever really been nice to me?

Yasui fidgeted a bit and quietly asked,

"So… you do feel better? Eventually?"

Diana kept looking down at her menu before slowly nodding.

"With time. Like any desire, it is itself a beast of sorts. The way you kill it is to starve it. If you deny your cravings and remain in control of yourself, you can eventually conquer your instincts. But conquering your feelings and desires isn't the same as repressing them, as I failed to learn early on in life. Don't force yourself to not feel that part of yourself, simply decide that you are in control. To quote a favorite poem of mine, 'I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.'"

Yasui flicked his ear and asked.

"What poem is that from?"

"It's from Invictus by Henley. He was British, I believe. Something about that poem just resonated with me when I was around your age."

She gave him a mischievous smile and whispered.

"I even got the name of it tattooed on myself. But don't tell anyone, it's a secret."

Yasui's eyes widened and he leaned in and whispered as well.

"You have a secret tattoo!?"

She nodded, smiling the way a naughty child does when they manage to sneak a sweet from the candy bowl. Yasui paused before continuing.

"Where?"

"I can't show you."

"Why?"

"Because it's in a rather private area."

Yasui clamped his hands over his mouth and flushed beet red. Diana laughed.

"Yasui! Your face! You look so scandalized!"

Yasui grimaced and looked away.

"Oh geez, it's just… like… how… private? OhgoshI'msorryyoudon'thavetoanswer."

Diana laughed.

"I promise it's nowhere weird! It's just on my chest, a little below my sternum. But I can't really just go flashing everyone here. And trust me, that is not something you want to see. Your poor eyeballs would probably shrivel up and die from the horror of it."

Yasui did his best to not grin outright at this comment, not wanting to seem like he was laughing at her. Diana, however, took this as a queue to keep going.

"Believe me, Yasui, when you get old like me it all goes downhill. I don't want the first time you see something like that to be a traumatic experience."

Just then, Charles came walking back in with the food. He paused and asked,

"What's traumatic?"

Diana turned to address him.

"Oh nothing. I was just saying how flashing him would probably burn his eyes out."

"You... flashed him?"

"What? No! He was asking me—"

Charles grew even more bewildered.

"He asked you to flash him?"

"No! We were talking about something and it came up! Nobody is getting flashed!"

By this point Yasui was laughing at the sheer ridiculousness of it all. Here he was in some fancy hotel with a high class woman and her driver while they acted like one of the comedy skits some of the villagers would do for festivals. Diana huffed and accepted her food.

"Whatever, mission accomplished anyway."

Charles nodded.

"Glad to be of service."

"You know, Charles, you were quite convincing. Maybe you should have been an actor."

"Hmm… I always did think I could play a convincing Romeo. My aura just screams 'tragic romance.' It's the eyes mainly."

Yasui finally composed himself and queried Diana.

"Wait, what mission?"

"To get you to cheer up of course. You were so sad and mopey looking I figured I should make you feel better. Charles also very subtly played along by just leaving."

Charles sniffed in indignation.

"I am quite confident in your ability to handle interpersonal communication skillfully and effectively. Being a cheerleader is not my forte."

The hulking gorilla set Yasui's plate before him and walked back to his corner. Looking down, Yasui saw a collection of three small wraps of varying colors and components. One was a bundle of lettuce leaves, the other was some sort of flatbread stuffed with vegetables and drizzled with a bright sauce, and finally was a seaweed wrap. Yasui hovered his paw over the three pieces of food, unsure which to eat first. Eventually he settled the question with logic and reasoning.

Eenie meenie miney mo, catch the tiger by the toe, if he hollers let him go, out goes Y-O-U.

He picked up the lettuce wrap and bit into it. Inside was chopped up bean steak and some sort of spicy but sweet sauce with a colorful array of chopped veggies. He then moved to the next one, the bread one. He gave the sauce an experimental lick, unsure what it was. It had a subtle, sweet flavor with a hint of… nuttyness? Almost like a peanut sauce he had tried before, only much more… tropical. The veggies were also very fresh tasting and pleasantly crispy to bite. Finally was the seaweed wrap. As he bit into it, a thick and creamy paste covered his tongue. It was some sort of savory bean paste with some flavorful bitterness and a peppery aftertaste. It was all unlike anything he had ever tasted before.

"Well, Yasui? What do you think?"

Yasui jerked back to awareness and realized had been so preoccupied with eating he had effectively ignored Diana. Yasui covered his mouth so as to not show off his half-chewed food and said,

"Sorry! I didn't mean to ignore you. It's just… this food is so different from anything I've had before. It's all got so much, like, different flavors all packed into one thing that I didn't even…. It's like, how do you figure out that all these things work together?!"

"WellI can't speak to understanding the creative process behind cooking too well, as I've personally never done it, but good food does have that effect on people. Charles, anything to add?"

The gorilla clasped his hands and considered for a moment.

"Hmmmm… it's hard to describe it exactly. It's just sort of something you learn over time. As you cook more and figure out what tastes like what and which tastes mix well together it becomes almost reflexive. For instance, I could taste a bland onion soup and immediately say to myself, 'what this needs is a little garlic and a dash of black pepper.' It just comes with time."

As they all finished their lunch with a smattering of polite conversation about nothing of consequence, Diana dabbed at her mouth with a napkin and used a small pocket mirror to reapply her lipstick. Once she was satisfied, she fixed Yasui with an attentive gaze.

"Well then, now that we've eaten and are in high spirits, let's get down to brass tacks. For your idea of having a stall to sell food for the Festival of the Meteor, you'll need to go to your headmaster and get permission. I asked around a bit and apparently he takes care of getting the necessary arrangements with the mayor's office for Cherryton students. Now, because I doubt you'll have any trouble getting that taken care of, what are you thinking of selling at your stall?"

Yasui fidgeted a bit as he struggled to think of what to say.

"Well… uh… I'm not entirely sure yet. I don't really know much about cooking yet so I don't know what I could learn in time. The festival is only, like, a month away or something like that. How fast can I learn how to cook?"

Diana smiled and gestured to Charles.

"Fortunately I thought of that, and Charles has agreed to give you cooking lessons."

The gorilla nodded impassively.

"I don't claim to be a professional chef, but I do know my way around the kitchen. I can at least teach you the basics."

Diana beamed and laid a hand on the gorilla's arm.

"He's just being modest. Charles is an absolute wiz in the kitchen. He makes such lovely meals that taste just like they came from a fine restaurant as opposed to a home kitchen. So, I was thinking that, if you're fine with it of course, you can come by my home on Sundays for lessons around eleven or so. That way you won't have classes and hopefully should have no conflicts of scheduling. Does that sound okay? I understand if you're not comfortable with it, we don't exactly know each other very well yet."

Yasui mulled it over and shrugged.

"Well… I guess that could work. Thanks, I really appreciate the help."

She waved her hand dismissively and laughed.

"Oh, heavens no! Thank you! This is the most fun I've had in months! It feels good to plan things again. Back to the nitty gritty of planning small deals like this. I've missed it. Now then, as for the rest of the necessary arrangements. I have some old business associates who I could persuade to let me use their materials for a booth and a cooktop. You and Charles can iron out the details of the menu with time as your culinary repertoire expands. Does that sound like an agreeable plan to you?"

Yasui was wide eyed at how rapidly she had managed to sort all this out.

"I-I, well, yeah! I hadn't even thought of any of that! You're amazing!"

"Oh please, it's just that I have experience with this sort of thing. Oh! Before I forget, this is for you."

She reached into her purse and pulled out a small black rectangle which she passed to Yasui. As Yasui looked it over, he asked,

"What is this?"

"Well, I realized that I had no way to contact you for any necessary details about this little venture, so I'm giving you this. You're very own phone!"

Yasui looked from the phone and back to her in shock.

"Wait, you got me a phone! N-no way, I can't accept this! This had to be way expensive!"

"Actually, it wasn't. That's my old phone. I recently upgraded, see?"

She showed him her phone, a bright red rectangle with more shiny bits and baubles to it. Diana shrugged.

"I was thinking about just selling that one, but thought better of it. And, if it helps, you can just consider it your work phone."

"My… work phone?"

"Yes. You see, here in the city, most employers will provide you with a phone so they can talk to you about work and send you information you need. Plus, this way you can call your parents more often. You can just think of that as your way of repaying me for it."

She smiled sweetly at him.

"And don't worry, I remember what you said. I'm not just giving you everything. All the applicable business expenses will be tallied up and deducted from your proceeds to cover costs. Sound fair?"

"Uh… yeah, okay. Thanks, for… just… everything. I mean, uh, should I? Can I just? Uh…."

Yasui's head was spinning at this point. This had been an actual information overload. He weakly gestured to her hand and offered his hand to her. She smiled and grasped his hand firmly, yet not too tightly. Yasui gave her hand a sincere shake and added another bout of "thank you"s and "I appreciate it"s for good measure. She laughed.

"Oh please, it's quite alright! I enjoy doing this kind of work. It's what I'm good at. It's just very nice to be needed again."

Yasui gave her a confused look.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well, I've stepped down from my previous, more active role, in my company. Now I'm more of a figurehead than anything."

"Oh, why'd you do that?"

"Some minor health reasons, nothing serious. Just a precaution mainly. But because of that I've been gripped by such a terrible inui lately. I'm just glad you've humoured me by accompanying me and talking with me. You're a kind boy, Yasui."

Yasui blushed and his ears pulled back.

"Thanks. I'm glad you think that."

She clasped her hands and fixed him with a keen look.

"So, now that the serious matters are all sorted out, let's get down to why I really chose this location for lunch."

Yasui frowned.

"Which is?"

"Why, so you can have a day at the beach! I'd be remiss if I didn't facilitate at least one beach day while you were here. Based on what you've told me you're the sort of animal who would just hole up in their room and read despite this beautiful weather we're having. I mean, you have to at least stick your feet in the water once while you're staying here!"

Yasui winced.

Sheesh, she hit the nail on the head. She's good.

From a nearby cubby, Diana drew a small bundle out and handed them to Yasui. Upon unwrapping it, he saw a pair of deep blue swim trunks, some flip flops, and a pair of sunglasses. Diana grinned.

"Compliments of the Prime Meridian. Changing room is right back there."

She pointed to a door in the back. Yasui stood and entered the small partitioned off room. There was a shelf for him to store his clothes while he was in his new beachwear, and a mirror to make sure he looked ready to hit the beach. Looking at himself over, Yasui was actually surprised at how… good he looked. The shorts were the perfect shade of blue for his fur color and just the right size for him. Miss Diana clearly had an eye for detail. Upon leaving the room. Diana clapped and said,

"You look marvelous! That color really suits you!"

"Thanks! You chose really well! You're super good at this."

She made a wry face and held her hands up in defeat.

"You've got me. In another life I would have been a fashionista. But, that's neither here nor there."

Yasui looked her up and down before asking,

"Uh, are you going to come too?"

"Hmmm… you know, I think I will. It's been… well, it must have been years since I last actually visited a beach and actually went down to the shore. I believe I'm overdue."

She stood and walked to the changing room where Charles had placed a bundle for her too. As the door closed Charles gave Yasui an approving nod. They sat there in silence for a moment before Yasui asked,

"So, uh, you can cook?"

Charles nodded politely.

"I dabble."

"Oh. So… how long have you been… dabbling."

"A few years now."

"Cool. Cool cool. What, uh, made you start?"

"Miss Diana of course."

"Oh, she asked you to."

Charles scratched his head and shifted uncomfortably back and forth.

"Well, no. I chose to because she was skipping meals and starving herself."

"Wait, really?"

"Yes. She's always been a workaholic, but a few years back she was getting worse about it. She started skipping most meals all together, and ate almost exclusively protein bars and coffee. She was wasting away and making herself sick, so I started cooking so she'd have no excuse to skip meals or eat trash anymore."

"Wow. That's… you're really thoughtful, Mr. Charles."

Charles clasped his hands in front of him and looked away, seemingly embarrassed by the sudden praise.

"Well, Thank you for that. And also, I'm glad you asked her to go down to the water with you. She could really use a bit more fun in her life."

Yasui moved to the counter at the back of the bungalow and sat in one of the stools situated there.

"I have to ask, why did she stop working if she liked it so much?"

Charles passed a hand over his forehead and sighed.

"I'm not going to say too much about that as it's really not for me to tell, but I will say this much. About a year ago, Miss Diana had a personal crisis of sorts. She was, as I said, already a workaholic and never took proper care of herself because of it. And eventually the stress got to her and she had to step down on her doctor's recommendation."

The solemn ape rolled his jaw a bit before lowering his voice a bit.

"I'm telling you this in confidence, but Miss Diana has really never been a social woman. That is, until now. She spent her whole life working and working, day in and day out with almost no time off. Because of that she was always alone. But now, well, at least she has you to talk to whenever you meet her for lunch."

"What about her family? Does she have any brothers or sisters or anything?"

"Her family life is… complicated. I'll leave it at that."

Yasui was silent after that. Was he really Miss Diana's only friend? But he was so much younger than her, and they had only met a little over a week or so ago. Well, maybe two at this point. Yasui pulled out the phone she had given him and turned it over in his hands.

"She… she must be lonely."

"Unfortunately she learned something too late."

"What was it?"

"That money can't love you, no matter how much you have."

They were silent until Yasui spoke up.

"Uh, could you teach me how to use this thing? I've never had a phone before."

"Oh, uh, of course. So, that at the top is the power button—"

Over the course of the next five minutes, Charles showed Yasui how to operate the phone. Yasui was in shock at the sheer amount of things it could do. It was a phone, but it could also send mail, and be an alarm clock, and a calendar, and a notebook, and book, and a flashlight, and a map, and any other thing he could think of. Yasui was blown away at the sheer incomprehensible power this little rectangle had.

"Holy crap! This is incredible! Our house phone back home only makes calls. Man, my family would get a kick out of this! And, wait, it has a camera!?"

Yasui tapped the icon and the screen shifted to show whatehe was pointing it at. He swept it around in awe before pointing it at Charles.

"How do I make it take the picture?"

"The button on the bottom of the screen, that big white one."

"Okay, say 'cheese!'"

Charles gave him an exasperated look before grinning in an unconvincing way. As he was looking at the picture, the door to the changing room swung open and out walked Diana.

"Well, sorry for the delay. I couldn't quite get this to fit comfortably. I forget how skinny I used to be."

Yasui looked up and saw something he'd never seen before. Standing before him, Diana was clad in a bright white one piece that left nothing to the imagination. Her legs were completely bare and ever part of her torso was squeezed into skintight fabric.

I-Is this what ladies swim in around here!? My sisters always just wore shorts and a shirt! Oh geez! I'm staring!

She rested her hands on her hips and frowned.

"Hmm… what do you think? Too plain? I felt that it would be tacky to wear something elaborate at my age. I'd feel like some desperate housewife trying to hunt for younger men by the pool."

Yasui gulped and gave her a thumbs up.

"You look good! It's nice!"

Diana smiled.

"Why thank you, Yasui. Charles could learn a thing or two from you about being more vocal with his support."

Yasui was pretty sure Charles rolled his eyes behind his sunglasses. Diana pinched some of the fabric that was over her stomach and inspected it.

"Of course, younger me would have detested this. Two pieces are definitely more comfortable, but I didn't want to scar anyone for life. Those days are long behind me."

Diana then fixed Charles with an expectant look.

"Well, Charles. What are you waiting for?"

"Pardon? I don't understand?"

"Aren't you going to change?"

He smiled and leaned back against the wall.

"No, I think I'll stay here. I'd rather not get sand in my loafers."

"But what if I need your help? I could suddenly become incapacitated and drown! And with you all the way up here…."

Charles let out a drawn out sigh and pinched the bridge of his snout before removing his suit coat and rolling his sleeves up to his elbows. Without the coat, Yasui could see that Charles had been hiding something unusual. He was completely and totally ripped. Yasui whistled.

"Holy crap! You're huge!"

Charles crossed his arms.

"Well, it is part of my job to keep Miss Diana safe. I need to be strong enough to do that, and it helps me be more of a deterrence to unsavory types."

"Wow. How much do you work out?"

"Up to two or three hours a day six days a week."

That's incredible! He looks like he could pick up a car and throw it like a toy!

Diana smirked and patted the hulking ape on his elbow.

"Charles takes his job very seriously. But he should probably consider taking the exercises a bit more slowly as he is pushing sixty years old."

Once she had pointed it out, Yasui did notice that Charles's fur was beginning to grey around the neck and eyes, as well as on top of his head. The gorilla snorted derisively.

"I assure you, I can still run circles around beasts half my age. Now then, shall we get this over with?"

The trio made their way down to the edge of the water. Yasui paused right at the water's edge to look out over the horizon, where the sea stretched as far as he could see.

"It's so huge, and… and…."

Diana moved to join him.

"Awe inspiring? Grand?"

"Pretty."

She laughed.

"Well, yes, that too."

From behind them, Charles whistled and pointed at Yasui.

"Hand me your phone, and I'll take a picture for you. You can keep it as a memento."

Yasui did as asked and Charles began directing him where to stand.

"A bit to your left, just a bit more. There. Now, smile."

Yasui grinned and waited until Charles gave him a thumbs up. Over the course of the photoshoot, Diana had moved behind Charles to get out of frame. She peeked over her driver's shoulders and gave Yasui another thumbs up.

"That's a good shot. You should make it your wallpaper."

Without pausing to mull it over awkwardly in his head and overthink it, Yasui beckoned the leopard over.

"You should get in this next one, Miss Diana! You are the one who brought me here."

She looked surprised at that, but then shrugged and walked over.

"Well, all right. Why not! You'll have to send me this one, though."

The two stood a bit apart as Charles repositioned. He shook his head and began to bark orders again.

"No no, you're towering over him, Miss Diana. Kneel down or something so you're closer to his level. And Yasui, move a bit closer, you look awkward standing that far apart."

They followed his orders and moved closer together with Diana stooping down a bit as gracefully as possible so as to not look like a giant compared to the short fox. Eventually Charles sighed in frustration.

"Come on, could you please act like you at least want to be here? Put your arm around her or something, Yasui! You look like you're about to get your teeth pulled rather than spend a day at the beach!"

Yasui looked to Diana for her approval. She nodded and rested her hand on his shoulder as Yasui did the same, sharing some sort of side hug like you'd give an aunt that you liked but weren't exactly very close with. Charles seemed satisfied with that.

"Good, it's better. Now, smile and say 'wasabi!'"

The two did so and vaguely confused sounding calls of "wasabi" rang out as Charles took the picture. Satisfied, he approached to show them the picture. As the checked it, Diana exclaimed,

"Oh, that's really nice! Could you send it to me, please?"

It took a bit, but with a little assistance Yasui managed to get the hang of texting to people saved in his contacts. With that out of the way, Charles offered to hold the phone while they went out into the water. Yasui stood still for a moment at the water's edge, looking down as the waves lapped in and out just centimeters away from his feet.

Here we go. First time I've ever been in the ocean. Wait, or is it the first time anybody in my family has ever been in the ocean?

"Are you coming, Yasui?"

He looked up to see that Diana was already standing a little ways out, shading her eyes as she looked at him. With a little breath, Yasui stepped out. The first thing that struck him was how warm the water was. Compared to the little streams and creeks he had played in as a kid, all of which came from icy mountain springs, this was practically like a warm bath. He grinned and splashed out to meet his companion, the water coming up to his knees.

"It's so warm! I thought it would be cold, like the creeks back home."

"Well, the ocean here typically is pretty warm, but that isn't the case everywhere. So, is it all that you imagined?"

Yasui thought for a moment.

"One sec."

Without warning he leaned down and took a mouthful of the water. Immediately he spat it out and began desperately scrubbing his tongue against his arm to cleanse it of the offending liquid.

"GaaaH! Ics weeelly salty!"

Diana burst out in genuine, spontaneous laughter. Not her usual polite, rehearsed laugh, but her much deeper laugh more akin to a cackle. She crossed her arms over her midsection and asked,

"Why on earth did you drink it!?"

"I knew that the sea was salty, I just wanted to find out how salty."

"Oh my, whatever will I do with you? From now on, try not to drink the sea water, it'll make you sick."

Yasui nodded, face still contorted from the unpleasant experience. Diana began wading out a bit more until the water was up to her chest, with the rising and falling of the small waves lifting her up and reaching up to her neck. Yasui stopped when he reached waist height so the waves only hit his chest. It was a very strange experience, the waves would hit him and push him towards the shore before suddenly he would be pulled back out to sea. As Yasui watched, Diana leaned back and sighed, submerging herself a bit more fully.

"I can admit that I really missed this, it's so relaxing. Unlike most felidae, jaguars don't actually dislike getting wet. What about you? Aren't you going to get in all the way?"

Yasui gulped and looked down at the brilliant turquoise water warily.

"No, I'm fine."

"Not a big fan of the water?"

"No it's not that, it's just that… well… I can't swim."

"You can't?"

Yasui shook his head.

"No, there wasn't really a place to swim back home. All the creeks and streams were pretty shallow, so we all mainly just splashed each other and stuff like that."

"Oh, well that's fine. Do you want me to give you some help? If you want to go out a bit further I'll help you stay above water."

Yasui looked down at the surf and hesitated. Slowly he edged a bit further down before thinking better of it. He never really had faced this issue before, but now that he was up to his waist in water with it slowly getting higher he began feeling a little panicky. What a way to find out that he was scared of deep water. He immediately backed up until he felt a bit more secure and called out,

"No! I'm good."

"Okay. Suit yourself."

It was then Yasui noticed something dark in the water almost parallel to the right of them, only a short ways away from Diana. It was getting closer at a leisurely pace.

"Uuuh, Diana?"

"Hm? What is it? Change your mind?"

"What's that heading right towards you?"

Yasui inched forward to try to get a better look, pointing towards the spot. Diana turned and followed his finger.

"Huh, I don't know? Some kind of fish? It's quite large though. Do you know any Seaspeak?"

"Not really, I'm pretty awful at it."

They were so distracted by the mysterious creature that they failed to notice the massive wave bearing down on them from the left. With a crash it broke right on them, driving them both beneath the surface. Being a strong swimmer with plenty of experience, Diana immediately got her bearings and rose to the surface, wiping the stinging water from her eyes. Yasui however, was sent tumbling along the bottom, floundering and panicking like a crazed animal. Almost immediately the undertow snatched him and pulled him out into deeper waters.

Back on the surface, Diana shook her head and laughed.

"Goodness! That was quite the shock! Did that get some water up your snout, Yasui?"

She glanced about, expecting to see him nearby. Upon not seeing the smaller male, she grew worried.

"Yasui? Yasui?! YASUI!"

Below the waves, Yasui couldn't tell which way was up. His head was spinning after being thrown about like a rag doll and he was desperately flailing, eyes wide as he looked for the surface. He only barely had the presence of mind to keep holding his breath, but already his lungs were crying out for air. The water felt like it was scorching his eyes and he could only see flashes of color and shadow. His mind was filled with only one thought, one primal and all consuming urge. He didn't want to drown. He was so panicked it wasn't even in the form of words, just pure fear. There was no moment of clarity as his life flashed before his eyes, or sense of time slowing down as he thought about his desire for rescue. He just didn't want to drown.

If there had been a bird flying above the young fox, they would have been hard pressed to see the miniscule dark speck that was his drowning form, pulled beyond the leopard frantically looking for him. It would have been even harder still to see the shape the two had spotted before suddenly change direction and speed towards the fox like a bullet. Yasui was aware of something suddenly colliding with him and wrapping tightly around him, pinning his arms to his side. He let out a scream, a stream of bubbles leaving his mouth and water rushing in to replace it. At what seemed to him to be the velocity of a rocket ship leaving the atmosphere, Yasui was pulled towards the surface and sweet air surrounded his head. He sputtered and coughed as the mysterious thing that had him in its clutches adjusted him so that his chest was against her shoulder. A strong limb began to beat against his back, helping him force the water out. A strange, almost musical voice called out.

"Easy now, little land creature. Breath."

He gasped lungfuls of sweet, sweet oxygen and clung tightly to his mysterious savior. It shifted him to hold him out away from the main mass of its body, probably to get a better look at him. Finally, he was able to open his eyes and look at his rescuer. Beaming at him was a strange mammal with greyish fur speckled with black patches. It looked vaguely female from what he could tell, and had one of the broadest cheshire grins he had ever seen with her eyes squinted with mirth.

"Haha! You live! That is good! But I am thinking you should not go in the water if you sink so easily, yes? Bahahaha!"

Yasui just stayed as he was and kept drawing in ragged breaths. The creature's smile waned and she gave Yasui a concerned look.

"You are okay, yes? Still have the sea in lungs?"

Yasui began to calm down and gather himself. Slowly he shook his head and wheezed.

"No… I'm okay now. Th-thank you. I… thank ..."

She laughed again. It was such a strange laugh, almost like music as it rose and fell with strange, lilting tones.

"Hahahah! You are okay! And welcomed! That is word, yes? Bah, it is not problem. Hold tightly now, I will swim to land."

Wearily, Yasui wrapped his arms around the unusual beast's neck and pressed his face into her neck, the adrenaline flushing from his body leaving him exhausted and shaking like a leaf. His savior cut smoothly and gently through the waves, ferrying him as carefully as possible to the shore. With practiced steps, she stepped out of the surf and up the beach. Gently, she lowered him to the sand and sat him on the warm beach. As he sat there, shivering all over and breathing heavily, Diana came running towards him, Charles in tow. She stopped with her hands on her knees, breathing heavily.

"Oh thank God! Yasui! Are you okay?!"

Yasui wearily nodded and sluggishly looked at her. She knelt down beside him and clasped his shoulders, looking him over with concern. There was a loud burst of mirthful laughter from his rescuer and Yasui turned to her. Now that he was a bit more calm and she wasn't obstructed by the water, Yasui could get a good look at her. She was the same grey and black speckled color all over as on her head. However, her limbs were much stubbier than any other animal Yasui had seen and they each ended in a broad flat flipper. She was also one of the few animals that Yasui had seen that was best described as "chubby" with a full stomach that bounced when she laughed… as well as everything else. This all was incredibly obvious as she was unabashedly butt naked. Yasui's eyes widened and he choked a bit as he saw this. The naked sea creature beamed at them and propped her arm flippers on her wide, very naked hips.

"Wait for some seconds! I am knowing that voice! Miss Diana! Is that you?"

Diana looked up at her and gave the strange creature a look of surprise.

"Oh my! Zilnav! Whatever were you doing out there?"

The creature whose name apparently was Zilnav (pronounced zeal-naw-v) rushed forward with a strange, fluid gait and wrapped Diana in a hug, rubbing her cheek against the felid's neck.

"It is Diana! Haha! This coincidence is being many unexpected! I have not been seeing of you in such time! And at the ocean?! Ha! Is first! But I am questioning, are you with small drowning child?"

Diana pulled away and laughed with relief.

"Yes, yes! Oh, I can't thank you enough for rescuing him! You are a miracle!"

Zilnav'a wide smile grew even broader as she turned to Yasui.

"Wait! I am seeing now! You have baby!!! This is much happiness!"

She then rushed to Yasui and wrapped him in a tight hug, making happy squealing noises as she squeezed Yasui against her soft and still extremely naked body. Yasui's face grew as red as it could possibly be as heat suffused his entire body in flustered and confusing ways. He also was uncomfortably aware of the effect this was having on his adolescence boy physiology.

"Daaaaaaw, sweet baby! I am such happy Diana finally have family! Now I am very double happy I was rescuing you."

Yasui just made high pitched squeaking sounds as his eyes practically bugged out of his head.

Oh my gosh! Mom would kill me! I am touching a naked lady! She is naked! Why is she naked! I just saw a naked lady for the first time! Should I look away! I am so confused!

Diana seemed to notice all this and yelped,

"Zilnav! You're naked! In public too!"

"Huh? Oh! I was forgetting that land creatures have hang ups. Do you have towel or shirt for me?"

Charles silently handed her a beach towel which she then wrapped around her more explicit bits. It didn't do much to cover her, but it was something. She scratched her head and chuckled.

"Heh, you would not be happening to know where we are? I lost my glasses in rouge current."

Diana gave Yasui a withering look when she saw he was still staring wide eyed at Zilnav. He looked away, ashamed, before she started answering.

"Well, you're actually at the Prime Meridian, so hopefully—"

The sea creature's smile vanished and a look of horror covered her face.

"Aaah! I am being naked at work! Please do not be mad with me!"

Diana shook her head.

"Trust me, I couldn't be mad at you right now. But I must ask what you're doing here? In the water naked I mean."

Zilnav smiled bashfully.

"Hehe, well I am being on vacation. I visit family back in sea for Dad's birthday. Big surprise party! We eat much food! But, as I said, I lose glasses while there. So I follow coast to try to find big yellow pier. That is where my land car is being, as well as my clothes and spare glasses."

Diana smiled.

"A birthday party! How wonderful. Were your parents excited to see you? It has been a few years since you moved to the land."

Zilnav clapped her flippers together excitedly. Her towel dropped and Diana immediately covered Yasui's eyes with a hand. This mistake was quickly noticed and she hiked her towel back up bashfully.

"Whoops, sorry. Yes, he was very much happy! Mom and I had planned party much in advance."

Yasui was looking back and forth between the two in confusion. How did these two know each other? Diana noticed his confusion and began to clarify.

"Oh, you must be so confused. Yasui, I would like to introduce you to Zilnav the harp seal, head manager of the Prime Meridian. Zilnav, this is Yasui."

The seal smiled and used one flipper to pat Yasui on the head.

"Hehe, I am such happiness to meet Diana's baby! I can not see you but I know you are cute!"

Diana finally seemed to realize what Zilnav had been saying and hurriedly corrected her.

"No no! Yasui isn't my child!"

Zilnav frowned and pressed her face right up to Yasui's while squinting.

"Oh! You are not being cute little kitty like Diana! You are small fluffy foxy! Ah, I am seeing mistake! He is not Diana baby! Is Diana adopted son!"

"No! He's just a friend of mine!"

Zilnav stood back to her full height and scratched her head.

"Wait, I am confused? Why Diana is friend with small boy? You are big business lady not school lady?"

Diana sighed and rubbed her eyes.

"It's a long story and we're getting off track. Yasui, how are you feeling?"

Yasui sighed and checked himself for any big injuries. When he didn't see any he shook his head.

"Tired. Very tired. And pretty… shaky?"

Zilnav tightened her towel and grinned at Yasui.

"I know what will fix you! We need ice cream! Ice cream makes everything feel better. Come! I will get some clothes, then we will have ice cream! After I can give small fox friend big big tour of hotel!"

Diana let out a tired sigh that morphed into a wry chuckle.

"No complaints here. We'll be in the VIP Cabana. I think we've had enough of the ocean for today."

Yasui shivered at the mention of the ocean.

"Yeah. I feel the same. I just want to sit down for a while."

Zilnav bobbed her head.

"That is sounding like a plan! I will be back in small flash!"

With that she flounced up towards the hotel proper. Yasui and Diana slowly made their way back to the cabana. As they went, Yasui noticed that Charles was still soaking wet.

"Charles, did you have to jump in after me?"

"Of course I went in after you. Any friend of Diana is a friend of mine."

"Sorry. You got your nice clothes all wet because of me."

"I don't mind. Although I'll need to go retrieve my shoes and our phones. I trust you'll be alright for a moment?"

Diana nodded.

"Yes, we'll be fine. Just tired is all."

With relief, the two wearily lowered themselves into their chairs. They sat there for a while without moving until Diana sighed and held her face in her hands.

"I'm so sorry. This is all my fault."

"No, I should've been more careful. I knew I couldn't swim."

She slouched back and rubbed her forehead, wincing in pain.

"Well… I think we can agree that this was a pretty terrible day at the beach."

"The food was good at least."

She kept her eyes closed and smiled faintly.

"Hmm… silver linings I guess."

Yasui looked at her and grew concerned.

"Are you feeling okay?"

"Just a tad lightheaded. I had quite a scare back there. Honestly, I think that ice cream in the shade was the right idea."

It didn't take too long before Charles returned, shortly followed by Zilnav. Now she was clothed in short jean shorts and a sleeveless orange blouse. On her short snout sat a large pair of round framed glasses that made her squinty eyes look bigger. She happily flopped into one of the chairs around the table and folded her flippers behind her head.

"Aah, finally I can have a load off my flippers. It was only for one week, but I was getting used to swimming again and not walking. And I had such long swimming earlier today coming back home. So, now we are eating the ice cream, yes?"

Diana yawned and smacked her lips.

"Hm, that sounds wonderful. A perfect pick-me-up after a stressful afternoon. Wouldn't you agree, Yasui?"

Yasui nodded, his ears droopy after his near death experience.

"Yes please. That sounds nice."

"Alright, what flavor would you like?"

Yasui shrugged.

"Just get me the same thing you're getting. I haven't had much ice cream before so I don't know which types I like or don't like."

She nodded and told Charles what she wanted. Yasui closed his eyes and relaxed into his chair. He suddenly felt so tired. All he really wanted to do was sit and do nothing for a bit. In no time at all Charles returned with four large cones of ice cream. Yasui opened his eyes to a heaping cone of strawberries and cream with fancy vanilla wafers sticking out of it. The sweet treat soon revived him and left him in much better spirits than he had been in all day. As he looked out to the sea, he took a long lick of his ice cream.

I guess this is how you deal with those unpleasant feelings from before. Food and almost drowning. All I know is that, well, I think I was just being over dramatic this morning. It'll all work out, I can feel it.

(Later that day, back at school.)

Shinrai's eyes were stinging and his back was tight. He was leaning forward towards his roommate's tv as he played his new game on the console he and his roommates had worked together to buy. He had been playing almost nonstop since this morning. Eventually he checked his phone and groaned.

"Aw geez, it's already time for dinner. That's it, no more games for today. Ugh, my eyes hurt."

He saved and exited before slouching out of the room. He shuffled like a zombie to the cafeteria and collected a plate of roasted veggies and potatoes. He trecked to his usual dinner time spot, however this time he sat down at the base of the tree, where Yasui usually sat.

Huh, speaking of Yasui. I haven't seen or heard from him all day.

He glanced around for his vulpine friend and frowned when he didn't see him.

That's weird. Where is he? He's usually here by now.

He ate his meal in silence, looking to the source of any noise he heard expecting it to be his friend. When he had finished his meal with no sign of him, Shinrai sighed.

"I'll have to be sure to track him down tomorrow. I feel like junk's a bit weird after last night, and he left in such a hurry. I hope he's feeling okay."

His phone buzzed as he received a text. He saw that it was from Kashikoi.

[Kashi: Hey, Shin. Meet us at the usual spot? I dragged Don out of his room for some air.

Shin: Mkay dude b there in a sec.]

Shinrai yawned and stretched leisurely before heading off to meet his friends.