Chapter 25: Fox In Need of Disguise
Friday dawned with much apprehension. This was the day of testing. Breakfast was a subdued affair where students huddled around notes and nervously munched on their food. Even the students who had barely cracked open a textbook all year were breaking down and skimming some borrowed notes. As the beginning of the school day approached, Yasui situated himself in the room he had been assigned to. The test was split into two parts and would cover all the subjects he had. In total it would last until three, with a break for lunch at noon. As he got his pencils out and glanced over his notes again, Yasui nervously fiddled with his glasses.
(This is it. The first big test. I need to do well. Focus. You're good at tests. Always have been.)
The bell rang and the teacher stood at the front of the class. Yasui's proctor was actually a teacher he didn't have yet. Standing at the front of the room was Mr. Nishinoya, the somewhat forgetful gray wolf who taught the more advanced literature classes. He smiled cheerfully at them all as he picked up the stack of papers.
"Alright! Let's get these passed out. You know the drill, no phones allowed. Turn it off and put it away. If you need to leave at any time, come see me and bring your test. I will hold it for you until you return. Any questions?"
He waited for a bit before nodding.
"Good. Once everyone has their test I will instruct you to start. Do not start early."
Yasui nervously fiddled with his pencil as the last of the tests were handed out. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Mr. Nishinoya started a timer and said,
"Begin."
Yasui opened his test and began to skim over the questions. He had always been good at test taking, because he had learned the way he did them best. He would quickly skim over each question and answer all the ones he immediately knew. Any he did not know right off the bat or that needed you to work on them, like equations or molecular diagrams, he would mark with a star and move past. Once all the easy stuff was out of the way, Yasui could dedicate the remaining time he had to working out the harder questions. Slowly yet surely, Yasui plugged away at his test. He breathed a sigh of relief when he got to the last question he had yet to answer. However, Mr. Nishinoya raised his voice.
"Ten minutes left."
Yasui gulped and focused on the last question. It was a longer equation dealing with logarithmic functions. Yasui had always hated these. They just took so long.
(Okay, so because it's… wait, that means it's the natural log of five. So LN five equals—)
"Five minutes."
Yasui felt a bit of sweat bead on his forehead.
(Focus! So… move that to that side, divide by this, do the same to the other side, cancel, and…. Done! I hope that's right!)
"Time's up. Put down your pencils."
There were groans and sighs from the class as everyone rubbed cramped wrists and squinted tired eyes. They all passed their tests in and shuffled out to the cafeteria to eat lunch and prepare for the second part of the test.
Yasui made his way through the line and got his helping of egg fried rice with mixed vegetables and tofu. As he took his place by his usual tree, he took a deep breath of the cool autumn air. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the sunlight on his face for a bit until a familiar voice came from behind him, approaching slowly.
"Geez, it's a little chilly."
Yasui cracked an eye open to look at Shinrai.
"Really? I didn't think so."
"Well duh. You're from the mountains. It's probably loads colder there than here."
"That's true. And the leaves are prettier."
Shinrai nodded.
"I can only imagine. What I wouldn't give to snap some pictures of that."
"Oh yeah, sometimes I forget you like photography."
"Yup. It's a hobby."
The squirrel slumped down against the trunk of the tree and sighed.
"I'm too worn out to climb this thing. Taking tests is exhausting."
"Yeah. How do you feel about the first part? Think you did okay?"
"Well, I remembered more than I expected. Probably thanks to all those study sessions we had. But I didn't get to finish, which sucks."
"Mhm. That's why I always skim over the test and mark all the answers I know first. Then I deal with the rest."
Shinrai huffed.
"You're so freaking smart. Must be nice."
"I have average intelligence. I'm just good at school. I'm dumb when it comes to loads of things you're good at."
"Yeah, but none of those areas are useful like your areas of smartness are."
Yasui yawned and began to eat. As he did, he asked,
"So what are you doing after the test?"
"Well me and Hikaru are going to play some video games at her place. It's pretty close to my home. I figured you'd have your club so I didn't plan on doing something with you, and I'm going home for dinner anyway. It's my brother's birthday."
"Tell him I said happy birthday."
"Mhm, will do."
"Hikaru… that's that fennec fox, right?"
"Mhm. We have lots in common when it comes to games and movies. So we've started hanging out when we can."
"That's nice. I'm surprised you're not doing something with Don and Kashi."
Shinrai sighed.
"They're more friends with each other than with me. Especially nowadays. We just don't really spend time together much anymore. Hence why I'm glad I have other friends now. Besides, they both hate fighting games. Hikaru shares my love of Alley Brawler, and we're somewhat close in skill level."
Yasui laughed.
"Yeah, I'm not exactly sure how to play those yet. But I'm getting okay at those racing ones!"
"Compared to how you were when you started, absolutely."
Yasui looked at the test schedule he had written down and showed it to Shinrai.
"I have the Seaspeak, History, and Japanese Grammar and Literature sections left. You?"
"I have History, Math, and Seaspeak. They stagger the test subjects among the classes."
"Want to borrow my notes on Math?"
"Please."
They idly looked over the notes as they ate. Shinrai rubbed his arm and sighed.
"Soon it'll be too cold to eat out here. Where are we going to eat then?"
"Maybe just the cafeteria."
"Okay."
All too soon the bell rang and the two friends said goodbye as they went to their separate tests. Yasui definitely wasn't looking forward to the Seaspeak portion of the test. Of all his classes it was the one he struggled with the most. As he was translating phrases of Seaspeak and writing down responses as best as could be done with Seaspeak, a language that had no official spellings or written form, he chewed his thumb as he focused. He didn't seem to be the only one struggling. Most of the other students looked either confused or focused, or a bit of both.
(Fortunately I'm good at the other two subjects, so I can have bonus time to work on this.)
The History and Japanese sections seemed easy compared to the torture that was Seaspeak. He spent almost double the time on the Seaspeak as he had the other subjects by the time the proctor called for them to stop. Sounds of despair and groans of relief erupted across the room as everyone gladly stretched aching limbs and rubbed weary eyes. Yasui collected his things once the test had been turned in and made his way to the Cooking Club room. Meanwhile, in a different classroom, Shinrai was having a similar experience. As everyone rushed to leave, he saw Shiro from his study group idly walking down the hall.
"Yo, Shiro! How'd your test go?"
"Hm? Ah! It's you! Not too bad, I guess. Probably going to get a low score, but what's new."
"You never know."
Shiro shrugged and kept walking.
"See ya later, little dude."
"Okay, bye Shiro!"
Shinrai hurried back to his dorm so he could change into his normal city clothes before walking to Hikaru's home. He chose a pair of jeans and a gray shirt with a character from a game he liked on it before putting a green sweatshirt over it. As he walked towards the door, it opened and one of his roommates walked it. This boy was a chipmunk, and as he saw Shinrai he jerked his chin upwards.
"Heading home?"
"Yuppers, big bro's b-day tonight. Big family dinner."
"Eat lots of cake for me."
"Will do. Catch ya later."
Shinrai trotted down the stairs and began his walk to the train station. It had grown overcast as it progressed towards evening, with ominously gray clouds looming out over the sea. Shinrai shivered as a cold breeze swept over him.
"Geez the temperature dropped quick! Must be a storm coming!"
He hurried down the hill and boarded the subway. The stop for Hikaru's apartment was one before his usual stop, so it wasn't too much of a break in routine for him. As he climbed up the stairs that led back above ground, he typed her address into Zoozle Maps and began following the directions displayed on his phone.
He found himself in front of a nice building that stood four stories tall with well manicured trees and shrubs around it and a small park adjacent. He whistled.
"Dang… I didn't know Hikaru's parents were swanky."
He saw a board with various buttons and names on it and pressed the one for Hikaru's apartment. There was a brief pause before a mature female voice spoke.
"Hello, who is it?"
"Uh, Shinrai. I'm a friend of Hikaru."
"Ah, you're the friend she's having over. I'll buzz you in."
Sure enough there was a buzzing sound and the door unlocked. Shinrai stepped inside and into a clean and ornate lobby. He felt a little out of place in his basic clothes. While it wasn't anything too rich, it was definitely nicer than his parent's apartment complex.
He boarded the elevator and pressed the button for the second floor. He looked around as the elevator carried him upwards and took in the pleasant surroundings. There was a dinging sound and the door opened. Shinrai exited the elevator and began to walk past the doors towards apartment number three.
The door to number three was black with a shiny brass three on it and a welcome mat in front. It was a small door, clearly designed for small animals. Shinrai raised his hand and gently rapped on the door with his knuckles. There was a pause before the door opened and he saw Hikaru standing in front of him. She had her usual circular glasses on her snout and was wearing a baggy hoodie with anime characters on it. She had a pair of jeans with holes in them on and fuzzy slippers. She raised a hand in greeting.
"Sup' nerd. Ready to get spanked in Alley Brawler?"
"As if."
She beckoned him in.
"C'mon, I'll give you the grand tour."
Shinrai was led into a pristine entryway where framed photos were displayed. As they moved into the living room, Shinrai saw an adult female fennec fox sitting on a couch reading a magazine. She looked up at the two of them as they entered. The female, who Shinrai assumed was Hikaru's mother, gave him a somewhat surprised expression.
"Oh! I didn't know your friend was a squirrel. For a moment when you said you were having a friend who was a guy over I got a little worried."
Hikaru crossed her arms.
"Yeah, Mom. I'm going to invite a guy here to vigorously make out before getting it on with him. Y'know, right next to my mother. Instead of on school grounds where there is little chance of getting caught."
The fennec huffed.
"You know how I feel about sarcasm."
"Ugh, fine. Shinrai, Mom. Mom, Shinrai. We'll be in my room if you need us."
Shinrai felt a little nervous at the mention of her room. The only girl's bedroom he had ever been in was his sister's, and even that had been years ago before she hit middle school and banned him from entering. However, as soon as she opened the door, all his expectations were shattered. Shinrai was aware that Hikaru was a bit of a tomboy, but this just reinforced it.
The room was much larger than his, and very full. Rather than anything even somewhat girly like a mirror or vanity, the walls were lined with shelves upon shelves. He saw anime figurines, gundams, manga, replica weapons, and all manner of memorabilia. Any available wallspace had prints or posters on it, save for one directly across from her bed that held a large television, and directly below which stood a cabinet holding multiple consoles. Her bed was unmade and covered in a hodgepodge of manga and clothes with a whole army of stuffed animals added for good measure. And then there was the far wall.
On the far wall was a floor to ceiling shelf dedicated to video games, he saw games for at least six consoles on there. And beside the bed was a computer desk complete with a nice desktop computer. As he took it all in, she grinned.
"Pretty sweet, huh?"
"Oh… my… gosh. You are such a freaking otaku!"
"You're just jelly!"
Shinrai squatted down to look at the various consoles and gasped.
"No way! Is this an actual Super Windendo!"
"Yup. I also have a Gamestation one through four, Xcube and Xcube 720, Playbox, Yuu, MeYuu, and a Swap."
Shinrai felt a pang of jealousy. He had always wanted many of these consoles, but he had only recently had enough money saved up to buy his Gamestation four. He sighed.
"Lucky. I wish I had even a third of these."
"Yeah, perks of being an only child. Rexmas is fire."
"I bet. And your family has a really nice apartment. What does your dad do?"
"Lawyer."
"Ah, makes sense."
Shinrai was scanning the shelf of games when he noticed one title that immediately floored him.
"No way. Is that… Alley Brawler?! Like, the original!?"
"The Super Windendo Entertainment Console port. Gotta love those classic SWEC graphics. The pixel art was, well, art."
Shinrai looked at her expectantly.
"Hikaru… we have to play that one. I've always wanted to play the original."
"Sure. I'm game."
"Hikaru. You… are so awesome."
She grinned and stretched out lazily.
"I know, it's completely unfair."
Hikaru directed Shinrai from her seat on her bed as he plugged the retro console in and got the two controllers set up. Once the game cartridge had loaded, old fashioned 8-bit music began playing as a modulated voice announced "Alley Brawler." They selected their characters and began to play, the sounds of punches and kicks being thrown resounded from the tv in robotic tones. Shinrai sighed.
"They don't make them like this anymore. Back before it was all about graphics and frame rate."
"Truuuuue. Now it's all just online multiplayer. Don't get me wrong, I love a good MMO, but sometimes I want to just play through a fun game solo."
"I get that. Ever play any of the Fantasy Quest Strategy spinoff series?"
"You bet I have. All of them, from the Gamestation originals to the two for mobile."
"I've only played the GamePup and TwinScreen ones."
"They're all solid. I love the jobs in the TS one. Fave job?"
"So I like to make a Paravir with dual wield and have his secondary job be Seer. Magic Frenzy hits hard like that."
"Nice. Red Mage plus Spellblade is always fun. Or the classic Arcanist Sage combo."
"Eh, Arcanist is overrated. Alchemist was my choice to combo with Sage."
As they played a few more rounds of Alley Brawler, Shinrai began to get fidgety as sweat formed along his body. It was pretty stuffy in the apartment, and he was getting uncomfortable. He was shocked to see that Hikaru was still wearing her hoodie and slippers, and was even more surprised when she idly draped a blanket across her lap. Shinrai shook his head in disbelief.
"How are you not melting in all those layers! It's so hot in here!"
She gave him a confused look before grimacing.
"Whoops, my b. I kinda forgot."
"You forgot it was hot?!"
"No, I forgot that most animals consider this hot. I don't because I'm a fennec fox."
Shinrai just gave her a confused look. She rolled her eyes and pointed up.
"It's the ears. They shed tons of body heat. Fennec foxes are adapted to desert climates, so I'm always cold."
Shinrai fanned himself.
"I didn't know that. So I guess you don't like winter?"
"Hate it."
"Alright…. Well, I need some fresh air. I'm starting to get really dang sweaty."
"I can open a window or something."
Shinrai waved her off.
"Nah, I just need to cool down. Don't make yourself cold on my account. Be back in a sec."
Shinrai set down his controller and walked back towards the front door. Hikaru's mother had turned on the tv and was sitting under a blanket on the couch. She looked up as he entered the room.
"Need something?"
"Just some fresh air. Getting a little overheated."
"Oh! I can turn down the heat a bit."
"No need. I just need some fresh air. I'd rather step outside for a minute or two than for you two to be cold in your own home."
"That's very considerate of you."
As Shinrai left through the front door to stand out in the cool air, he snickered.
"Me, considerate? Maybe Yasui is rubbing off on me. That still sounds so wrong!"
Yasui stayed a while longer before saying his goodbyes and heading for his own home. That night as his family all gathered around the dinner table for the oldest son's birthday party, Shinrai's mother asked him,
"So, you said you stopped by a friend's house before coming home?"
"Mhm. Played some games."
"Which one was it? The alpaca or the rabbit?"
"Neither."
"Oh, I thought Yasui was from far away. Does he have family here?"
"Nah, you haven't met this friend. We only recently started hanging out. We both like lots of the same games and stuff. Her name is Hikaru."
His mother whirled around and got right up in his face.
"You went to a girl's house!? By yourself!?!"
"C-chill! One, her mom was there. Two, not that type of relationship, just friends."
Hana, who was sitting nearby, looked more inquisitively at him.
"What species is Hikaru?"
"Fennec fox."
Shinrai's father narrowed his eyes a bit.
"What is with you and foxes?"
Shinrai threw his hands up.
"Hey, it's not like I planned it! I first met both Yasui and Hikaru by accident!"
His mother seemed to have lost some interest due to what he had said, but she still carried on the conversation.
"So how did you and Hikaru meet?"
"Ah… well remember a while ago when there was a predation where a fox ate somebody? So lots of people started treating all the foxes at school pretty bad. Well… worse than usual. Honestly being friends with Yasui made me realize that foxes face a lot of discrimination and harmful stereotypes. It's pretty messed up honestly."
Hana snapped her fingers and rolled her eyes.
"Focus, Shinrai. Stay on topic."
"Right, sorry. So anyway, I was walking down the stairs when some girl came running past crying. She dropped her book, and I ran after her to give it back. I found her, and noticed she was a fennec. Apparently some girls had dumped a bucket of water on her for fun. Super mean. So I talked to her a bit… well… not really actually. I stammered a lot and was freaking out—"
Tobi, his older brother, grinned.
"Geez, that's shocking. You? Awkward around girls? Never."
"Shut up. Anyway, apparently I made her feel better because I bumped into her later and we talked for a bit. We found out we like lots of the same stuff, and that's about it."
His mother smiled.
"Daw, that's sweet. I'm proud of you."
Shinrai smiled but also felt a little surprised.
"Really? Why?"
"Well… for the longest time you were a little… oblivious, remember?"
"Gee, how could I forget. I needed a literal counselor to help me learn how to be normal."
"But now you're being so considerate and grown up! And with Tobi turning twenty three today, my babies are all growing up so fast!"
Tobi grinned.
"Imagine how you'll feel once you have a grandkid."
Hana snorted.
"She'll be waiting for a while. The longest you've had a girlfriend is three weeks before she dumps you."
Tobi huffed.
"Oh yeah? Well you don't seem to be having much luck either! And at least I'm not scared of girls like Shinrai is!"
Shinrai speared another carrot and put it on his plate.
"Leave me out of this."
Hana crossed her arms and gave Shinrai what he called "the look" before snarking,
"You're up to your pretty little neck in this already Shinrai! You got Mom on the 'when are you getting married' kick."
Their father sighed.
"I'll go get the cake."
That Saturday saw Yasui returning to the mall with Miss Diana. As they walked, Yasui asked,
"So… is the place where we're going so I can get my fur trimmed that spa place from before?"
"No, I've heard good things about a salon here. I figured I could use some care too. It is the time of the year where I'm shedding like crazy."
Yasui chuckled and ran his fingers through his fur, removing a clump of fur as he did so.
"Yeah, our winter coats are growing in."
"Indeed. And apparently they do a special treatment to help remove the shedding fur all at once so you don't leave piles of fuzz everywhere. It's getting annoying having to clean my shower drain so frequently."
As they walked, Yasui saw a store that was advertising costumes for the Mask Festival. He tapped Diana's arm.
"Wait! Can we stop in there first? My friend was telling me about this thing. So I should see what the deal is with the costumes."
Diana tilted her head.
"The Mask Festival…. I've never actually taken part."
"You haven't?"
"No. My parents didn't approve of it so I never went as a child. And then I was too busy for it."
"Well if you want you could join my friend and I! I'm sure he wouldn't mind!"
"Well, ask him first. I don't want to intrude."
Yasui quickly took out his phone and texted Shinrai.
Y: Hello! Do you mind if my friend Miss Diana does the Mask Festival with us? She has never done it either.
There was a minute or so long pause before Shinrai replied.
S: whateves
S: so long as she doesn't spoil the fun
Y: She's nice. She wouldn't.
Yasui smiled.
"He said sure, but only if you don't spoil it. He's probably worried you'd make us behave or something. He claims I'm too responsible and boring on my own."
Diana narrowed her eyes and grew a mischievous grin.
"Tell you what. Offer him a wager. I'll plan the evening and if it's not fun enough, I'll buy him enough sweets to make him burst. If it's amazing, he has to say that I'm the single most fun animal in the world. And… he has to… hmm…. And he has to clean my gutters!"
Yasui conveyed the information to Shinrai. Almost immediately he received a request for a phone call from Shinrai. Yasui accepted and spoke.
"Hello?"
"Yo, is she there?"
"Yeah."
"Put it on speaker. I wanna talk to her."
"How?"
Miss Diana took the phone from him and pressed something.
"Like that. You're speaking to 'her' as you said."
"You'll really buy me as much junk as I can stomach if you lose?"
"Promise."
"Lady you are on!"
Diana grinned. Yasui was a little frightened by the look in her eye. It was the same one she had when they had played poker before. Like a hunter chasing down helpless prey.
"So be it. I'll have Yasui convey instructions to you."
"Mhm, bring it on!"
Shinrai hung up and Diana handed Yasui back his phone. That malicious, focused gleam was still in her eyes as she spoke to Yasui again.
"Now then, I guess we had better hurry to the salon for our fur treatment. And after that, we're going costume shopping."
Yasui gulped.
"Miss Diana, that look on your face is making me a bit nervous."
She grinned maliciously.
"Why, this is simply the expression one makes when they're about to make a teenager eat their words. Come! To the salon!"
(What have I done?)
The salon was a pleasant looking storefront decorated with a sign that had a pair of scissors on it. There were comfortable looking chairs in front of sinks with mirrors and tables holding all types of scissors, combs, brushes, and other tools Yasui didn't recognize. There were a few other animals already in the process of having their fur trimmed and styled, and all of them were female. Yasui leaned towards Miss Diana a bit and whispered,
"Do they do guy's fur? I only see ladies."
"I don't see why not, it's not like there's a real difference between the fur of male and female animals."
"I guess…."
She approached the female camel sitting behind the receptionist desk and addressed her.
"Reservation for two under the name Diana."
The camel looked at her computer before nodding.
"Please take a seat. A stylist will be with you soon."
Yasui sat next to Diana and watched as she picked up one of the magazines lying on the table that stood in front of the chairs and began to flip through it. They were all about fashion or other such things and had names like "Ladies Secret" or "The Female Digest" with pictures of female animals on them. Yasui felt like he stood out like a sore thumb. After a while, which Yasui spent on his phone idly looking up recipes, a female lion approached them.
"Diana? Party of two?"
"That would be us."
"Great. So… is he the other reservation?"
Diana nodded.
"That is correct."
"Ah, it's so sweet that you brought your…."
"…Nephew."
"Nephew! It's so sweet you brought your nephew with you today."
Diana smiled politely.
"It is that time of the year."
The lion gave an exasperated look and sighed.
"I know! My fur is so uneven and the shedding is unreal this time every year! It's the worst!"
She escorted the two of them to some swivel chairs in front of mirrors and sinks. She smiled at Yasui as she gestured for someone to come over.
"Okay, little guy, my friend Su will be taking care of you today. You're in good hands."
Yasui smiled awkwardly.
(Exactly how young does she think I am?)
The approaching stylist was a female hippopotamus wearing bright red glasses that looked vaguely winglike in shape. They were decorated with rhinestones which matched the shiny, sequined shirt and shimmery pencil skirt she was wearing. She leaned over a bit and smiled.
"Hello! I'm Su! Are you all ready for your trim?"
Yasui nodded, too embarrassed to speak. He hated situations like this. He knew he should probably correct people when they treated him like a little kid, but he didn't want to make them uncomfortable. Or himself for that matter. As such, he just tried to avoid eye contact as she laid out several scissors, trimmers, brushes, and combs. She began by picking up a brush and carefully removing any tangles or knots that had accumulated in his fur. As she worked, she spoke in a somewhat patronizing voice clearly designed to put children at ease.
"You have such a handsome fur color. It's such a beautiful dark red."
"T-thanks."
"But you really need to brush yourself more often. When's the last time you did?"
"Uh… I don't think… ever."
She clicked her tongue and patted his back.
"That's okay. Just try to remember to brush yourself every few days. And especially during the Fall and Spring. During those times you should brush your fur every night to control shedding."
"O-okay."
From the chair next to his, Yasui heard the lioness say to Diana,
"Daw, your nephew is so cute! He's going to be a real heartbreaker one day."
"That's what I've told him. It doesn't help that he is such a little flirt. Telling me how I look nice in this outfit or he likes my new purse or things like that."
"Uh-oh, if he's still single in a few years I might have to snatch that little sweetheart up for myself!"
Both women laughed and Yasui felt his face grow hot. Su the hippo seemed to misunderstand this and rested a hand on his shoulder before whispering conspiratorially.
"They're just teasing. No need to worry."
"I-I know."
(I am such a loser.)
Gently, she removed his glasses before continuing with her brushing. Once the fur on his head was free of tangles, she moved on to his tail. She tutted at him again.
"With how big and fluffy your tail is, you need to brush it more often. It's absolutely full of knots and tangles."
"I will."
Once his fur was tangle free, she got one of her trimmers and put an adjustable guard on it before beginning to trim some of his unruly fur. She paid special attention to the massive amount of fuzz he had around the back of his neck and his sideburns. As she worked, she smiled.
"You're doing such a good job sitting still. Can you tilt your head up for me? Just a little?"
Yasui did so and she chuckled.
"What a good boy! You should be proud of yourself for how well you're doing!"
Yasui was embarrassed… however he also really liked that she'd called him a good boy. In the seat next to him Miss Diana looked like she was going to have a stroke from holding in her laughter.
Once the fur on his head and tail had been trimmed and detailed with some scissors, his stylist turned his chair around and moved to retrieve a privacy curtain from across the room. Once he was hidden from view, she helped him out of his shirt and began trimming and deshedding the fur on his torso. Yasui was glad that this didn't take as long as tending to his head and tail. He always felt embarrassed to be shirtless given his runty body. Su wasn't working as in depth here as she had been with his head and tail, and was mainly just deshedding him.
With all his fur trimmed and groomed, she took a blow dryer and turned it on high before combing through the fur across his body. Yasui watched as clouds of trimmed and shed fur came flying off and landed on the floor. Once she was satisfied, she leaned him back so his head rested in the sink and rinsed and shampooed him. By the time he was done, he felt very clean and soft.
As he got dressed again, she left and returned with a lollipop. She handed it to him.
"Here's a little something for being such a good boy. And remember to brush your fur."
"I will… thank you."
"You're very welcome. Have a nice day!"
Yasui joined Diana and the two left the salon. Once they were out of earshot Diana began laughing.
"Yasui! Why on earth didn't you tell her you were sixteen?!"
"I-I just couldn't! It would have been so awkward! And she would have been embarrassed about talking like that to me!"
"Oh, Yasui! You're such a pushover!"
"I-I'm just used to it is all."
"No no, you're not getting out of this that easy! That's one of your biggest flaws. You need to grow some conviction! Stick to your guns! Be assertive!"
Yasui shook his head.
"But… but I don't want to be mean…."
"You can be assertive without being mean. Just have a line you won't cross and politely tell people what that is! For example… we're not going to go costume shopping."
Yasui felt a little crestfallen.
"Oh… okay."
Diana spun around to face him and stopped him in his tracks.
"Yasui. Be assertive."
"How?!"
"Just tell me what you think! Just say why you have a problem with what I did."
"But what if it bothers you? I don't want to hurt your feelings."
"While you can be sure you're being nice about it, also realize that I'm a big girl and I can take it. So go on, tell me."
Yasui gulped.
"Miss Diana… uh… you said we'd go costume shopping."
"And?"
"And?"
"What else? Why should that bother me?"
"Because… uh… because you… would be going back on your word really makes me sad. And I was really looking forward to going costume shopping with you…. Like that? Was that good?"
She placed her hand on his shoulder and drew him against her side, smiling broadly.
"See! You can do it! And you weren't mean at all. I'm very proud of you."
"Aw, thanks. But I'll still probably be a pushover. Old habits die hard."
"Oh come on, Yasui. I believe in you. You can even practice more now. You know, 'Miss Diana, it drives me nuts when you baby me and smother me like some sort of little kid. I'm a teenager and want to be treated like one!' Or whatever."
Yasui frowned.
"But I like it when you hug me and pat my shoulders and stuff like that. It's nice. Very aunt-like, Miss 'World's Best Aunt.'"
Diana snorted with laughter.
"Oh Yasui… you are too much."
They rejoined Charles at his position across from the salon and together the three of them made their way to the costume shop they had seen earlier. Once inside, Yasui was met with rows and rows of costumes of all shapes and sizes. There were massive costumes for elephants, and mouse costumes so small they would fit Yasui's finger. The store was divided in half down the middle with one half being male and the other female, and the back wall held all the unisex costumes. Charles stood by the front door with his back to the interior as Diana and Yasui entered.
Yasui stopped at the section that seemed to fit his body size the best and began to browse.
(There's… a knight, a gunslinger, a viking, a police officer, a construction worker, a sailor, and… is that a Native chieftain costume? Hmm… lots of choices.)
Miss Diana called out to him.
"Oh! I found an interesting one! I'll go try it on so you can tell me what you think."
Yasui replied without looking.
"Okay!"
(I guess there are rooms for you to try on the costumes. Oh, a professor costume… that might work. Or is that too boring?)
He was still browsing when Diana returned.
"Hmm… I'm not sure. What do you think, Yasui?"
Yasui turned and saw the costume she had chosen. It was a female pirate captain outfit that had a red sash, tight pants, high boots, a flamboyant hat, and a shirt made of some sort of tight linen that had buttons for you to adjust the neckline. Diana looked into a mirror and began adjusting the costume as best as she could.
"I like this one, but I'm not sure. It's a little, hnf, tight. But the larger size was too long and the boots didn't fit. Especially this, gah, shirt! It's very constricting on my chest."
Yasui tried not to stare as she adjusted her "chest" to alleviate the discomfort. He especially tried not to look as one of the buttons came loose and he saw a healthy amount of leopard cleavage as she tried to fix it. Emphasis on tried.
Finally, she huffed in disappointment and turned back towards the fitting room and stormed off.
"Drat, and I liked the design of this one too."
Fortunately, she hadn't seemed to have noticed Yasui's enraptured expression during this. Once she had gone, he shook himself and turned back towards the costumes.
(Calm down! She's your sort of aunt! No ogling!)
He glanced down and blushed, adjusting the way he was standing.
(Behave down there, you!)
He was holding up a bank robber outfit when he heard Miss Diana again.
"Hmm… I'm not sure about this one. What do you think?"
Yasui turned and saw her new costume. It was a black dress decorated with several silvery buckles and buttons with some lacy parts on the sleeves and back. A pair of simple black boots and a large, pointed hat completed the ensemble. She rested her hands on her hips as she continued to look at herself.
"I don't know…. Do you think I make a decent witch?"
She finally looked up at Yasui. He nodded frantically.
"It looks good on you!"
"I'm worried that it's a bit boring. I mean, without the hat I'm just wearing a dress I might wear to a funeral."
She demonstrated by removing said pointy hat and gesturing towards herself. Yasui pursed his lips.
"Hmm… I guess you're right. The pirate one was definitely more interesting."
"I know, it's a shame that it didn't fit."
She looked back at the costumes available and selected a new one before returning to the fitting room. This next costume was a deep purple jumpsuit decorated with multiple patches coupled with a motorcycle helmet that Miss Diana was carrying under her arm. She turned away from Yasui to look in the large floor to ceiling mirror.
"I swear, all these costumes are so form fitting! I don't think I've put on any extra weight either. Are they supposed to be tight? I thought this was a holiday primarily for children."
As she stood with her back to him, Yasui realized something. He had always been an admirer of her upper chest region, and had never noticed how pleasant Miss Diana's hindquarters were. She had full hips and a round rear. He now understood the question that had been raised in the study group all those weeks ago. There was merritt to both aspects of the female anatomy.
(…I'm disgusting.)
Yasui tore his eyes away and returned to looking at costumes. He heard an exclamation of interest from Miss Diana and turned to see her walking energetically towards the changing room. After a while she exited in the most unusual costume up until then. It was a pair of dark pants with a white double breasted lab coat of some sort complete with a belt that had little vials across it. There were long, elbow length gloves and knee length boots to go with it, as well as a bandolier with more vials on it. She grinned.
"Ta-da! How about 'Mad Scientist' for my costume?"
Yasui clapped.
"It looks great! Super cool!"
She looked past him and her expression brightened.
"Oh?! There's a male version too! We could match! Well… if you want to, that is."
Yasui grinned excitedly.
"We could both be mad scientists! And Charles could be our monster that we made!"
Diana leaned towards the front door a bit and raised her voice.
"Hear that, Charles? Want to be a monster for the Mask Festival?"
There was a deep sigh.
"If I must."
Diana nodded.
"That settles it. Go try it on so we can be sure it fits."
Yasui did as asked and returned with the costume on. Diana looked him over before adjusting it somewhat. Once satisfied, she gave him a thumbs up.
"Looking scientific already."
"Great! Let's get them."
"Alright, just hand it out to me while you change and I'll take care of it."
"Oh, I'll pay for mine. It was my idea to get costumes."
"No, I insist you let me. I can afford it easier than you can."
Yasui shook his head.
"No. I already take advantage of your generosity too much. I'm putting my foot down."
Diana huffed.
"Oh sure, now you're assertive! Yasui… can you even afford that costume?"
Yasui was about to reply when he realized he had not checked the price. He looked at the price tag and choked.
(Six-thousand and three-hundred yen!? That's a lot!)
Yasui gulped.
"Maybe I'll wait to get a costume."
"Yasui! Don't be ridiculous! Please just let me get you the costume."
"B-but… I don't want to always have you buy me stuff. I feel guilty, like that's the only reason I do stuff with you."
She smiled and rubbed his head.
"Yasui, I like buying you things! And you never ask me to buy you anything. You'll ask if I want to go do something or if I know anything about whatever, and then I can't help myself but spend money. It's my love language, after all."
Yasui tilted his head.
"Love… language?"
"Why yes, are you unfamiliar with the concept?"
Yasui nodded. Diana leaned against the wall and tapped her elbow as she crossed one arm in front of the other.
"Well, your love language is how you show others that you care about them. Some do it verbally, others through physical affection, some by doing things for people, and some people express their affection by giving. I just love how excited you get when I buy you something."
Yasui sighed.
"I don't like it… but I guess… I can let you buy the costume."
"Excellent! Now get changed so I can—"
"But only if I can buy us lunch!"
Diana thought about that for a moment before nodding and extending her hand.
"Deal."
Yasui shook it and nodded.
"Deal. Just… let's not get anything too expensive."
Diana grinned.
"I saw a ramen stand in the food court that sells bowls of ramen beginning at four-hundred yen."
"Great! I love soup! Ramen it is!"
At the same time, a few miles away from the mall, Shinrai's mother was sitting down in one of her neighbor's living rooms as several other housewives chatted and poured themselves glasses of cheap wine. One of the ladies tapped her glass with a claw.
"Okay, gals! Let's get this book club underway!"
There were laughs from several of the housewives, especially the ones who had been helping themselves to the wine. The club had started a few months ago after several of the other female residents were talking about books they liked. Specifically books of the more mature variety. The initial speaker, a hen, gave the six other ladies present a conspiratorial smile.
"So… what did you all think of 'Ravenous Love'?"
One of the older members of the group, a hedgehog, fanned her face.
"That deer was such a stud! What I wouldn't give to have him in handcuffs like in the book!"
There were several giggles to that and another member, an aardvark, looked down at her copy of the book embarrassedly.
"I was a bit put off by the interspecies relationship at first, especially a carnivore-herbivore one. But honestly… the taboo relationship just made it more exciting!"
The hen grinned.
"Forbidden fruits are all the sweeter!"
The oldest member, a shrew, laughed.
"Oh, I get that! Whenever I see a movie with that Remado fella in it, I just want to lie down and have him ravish me!"
This was met with raucous laughter. Shinrai's mother grinned at that. She was familiar with the actor. He was a very handsome black panther with a very muscular body. She did tend to enjoy the action movies he was in because while her son and husband were looking at him shooting aliens or terrorists, she could watch his gorgeous six-pack as his shirt always became unbuttoned.
One of the quietest members of the group, a badger, gulped and began to speak.
"You know… my husband and I have actually… tried some of the stuff in the book."
This immediately hushed the club. The hedgehog wiggled her eyebrows.
"Oh, do tell!"
The badger shifted awkwardly.
"Well… things weren't going well with my husband. He had been working long hours and was getting really distant. And I saw somewhere that a strong bedroom life helps make a strong marriage. So… I proposed that we spice it up a bit in the bedroom."
The hen leaned forward excitedly.
"And?!"
The badger smiled.
"Well… our marriage has never been stronger. He's so much more affectionate now. He looks forward to coming home from work again, and to seeing me."
Shinrai's mother couldn't help herself.
"So… what have you done so far?"
The badger began to count on her fingers.
"Well… we started with some simple stuff with handcuffs. Then we tried it with… uh… gags. Then the thing with the candles. That one was a bit of a miss, so we didn't try it again. Surprisingly the thing my husband liked the most was… oh I shouldn't say…."
The club erupted with groans and prompts for her to continue. Finally she steeled her nerves and blurted out,
"He's gotten into being spanked! He says that it makes it so exciting!"
The group exploded into conversation and chatted excitedly for the rest of the meeting. As Shinrai's mother returned to her apartment, she had a lot on her mind.
While she and her husband's marriage wasn't in trouble, she had to admit that the romance had died years ago. The last time she remembered them even getting… intimate was when they had Shinrai. Once he came along they just sort of tapered off. As such, when her husband returned home from his usual weekend errands, she was waiting for him in the living room. He saw her and grunted.
"What time are we eating?"
"In a bit. Uh… can we talk for a bit?"
He grew warry.
"About what?"
"Well… about our marriage."
"What about it?"
She gestured towards the couch and he sat. She took a deep breath.
"I was wondering. Do you… want to make things more interesting in the, er, bedroom?"