Author Note: I'm not dead yet! Keep trying 2020!
Chapter 6: A Friday of Firsts.
There was tension in the air. Every student in every class was anxiously shifting in their seats. Pens were clicked, notes flipped, and claws chewed. Watching the eyes of students bounce from teacher to clock to teacher to notes was a dizzying display of impatience. What could cause the atmosphere to change like this? Simple. It was Friday. However, it was an extra special sort of Friday. This was the first Friday since all the students had gone up a grade. Suddenly, workloads had increased, romantic drama had skyrocketed, and thoughts were beginning to creep forward into the future that had seemed so far away for so long. One year closer... one year closer to graduation, one year closer to college, one year closer to becoming an adult.
These were thoughts that tended to bounce around the minds of everyone this time of year. However, now there was only one collective thought burning into the minds of the students at Cherryton.
WILL THE WEEKEND NEVER GET HERE?!
Time seemed slow. Classes dragged on at a snails pace. Hurried text messages shot from classroom to classroom as friends discussed plans to escape the school grounds for the freedom of the city. The shops, the parks, the restaurants, the theaters: all so far out of reach yet tantalizingly close. Only one more hour...
Thirty more minutes...
Ten more minutes...
Five...
Three...
Two...
One...
Ding-dong Ding dong... dong-ding ding dong!*
Hundreds of chairs flew backwards, propelled by the anxious legs of carnivores and herbivores alike. All throughout the school, students began breaking off into groups to enjoy their brief reprieve from academia. A cluster of second-year girls waved to each other as they planned their foray to a cafe they'd hear about from a friend. A tiger teasingly smacked a wolf's back as they headed off towards their club room. And a diminutive fox raced towards his dorm, a mental list already created and double check.
Okay, so, first I need to change and wash my uniforms because I'm out of clean clothes. Once they're drying I'll trim my fur and sell it to that shop Jack told me about. After that I'll return the scissors and ask Jack if we can do... something. I don't know! Does he like sports? Video games? Books? Sleeping? Do friends just like sleep together? Oh crud, I don't know what I'm doing!
Yasui took a calming breath and slowed his hurried pace.
"Calm down. I'll just... ask him if I can... buy him a soda? As thanks! For the scissors! Yeah, that'll work. I'll buy him a soda with my fur money and we'll hang out like cool friends. Nice, got it."
He took the stairs two at a time (an impressive feat for one so small) and rapidly stripped his only remaining uniform off, pulled the sheets off his bed, and grabbed his bag of dirty clothes. He'd be wearing his homemade garments ever weekend unless he managed to buy something else.
Not that there's anything wrong with the clothes Mom makes, it's just... they aren't exactly what people here wear.
As bad and ungrateful as it made him feel, Yasui was pretty embarrassed about wearing the worn, basic clothing his mother made. However, it was better than nothing. He made a mental note to look into getting some more... normal clothes.
He made his way to the laundry room with his meager collection and started the wash cycle. Because he had so little, it only took a few minutes before he was hanging them up to dry.
Alright, by the time I get back these should be dry. Next up is my fur.
He quickly made his way up to his room and grabbed his scissors. He wasn't entirely sure why he was rushing as much as he was, but he was strangely excited for the weekend. That excitement was also slightly overshadowed by a growing anxiety about the thing tonight. Yasui groaned.
Jeez, why did I let Shin talk me into going to a study group! I don't know how to lead a group! What if they all get bad grades because of me? Or what if they think I'm arrogant because I'm trying to teach them stuff or whatever?! Oh crap, I really don't want to think about it!
He snagged the borrowed scissors and made his way to the bathroom. He figured that was the best place to do this, because there was no carpet or rug or anything. He squared off with his reflection and raised his scissors, ready to make the first cut.
Slow down. I need to be careful I don't give myself a bald patch. Just nice and slow so I can gather it up and sell it. Wait... what am I going to gather it into?
Yasui realized a slight flaw in his plan. He had nothing to put his trimmed fur into unless he wanted to sacrifice a blanket to being itchy and prickly until he washed it again. He lowered the scissors and huffed.
Well now what? Maybe I could use a... a... crap. Wait, if this shop specializes in fur yarn, they might have a place for me to trim my coat. Well, here's hoping.
Yasui stowed the scissors in his pocket and headed for the front gate. He only now realized it, but this would be his first time going into the city on foot. He'd taken a bus from the train station so he wouldn't get lost, so he didn't actually walk the streets.
Sheesh, I hope I can find this place. It would suck if I get lost. Jack said I couldn't miss it, so hopefully I can find it easily.
Once he reached the gates, he saw an adult keeping watch over the students leaving the school grounds for the afternoon. He was an iguana who Yasui hadn't seen before, so he must have been some sort of security guard or something. Yasui joined the small line and waited for his turn. He noticed that all the students were signing a clipboard, but he wasn't sure what exactly. Soon it was his turn.
"Heading out for the afternoon?"
The guard had a kind voice and a relaxed demeanor. Yasui like him.
"Uh, yes sir."
Th guard laughed.
"I'm not a cop, kid. No need to be all formal or nothing. Where ya headed?"
Yasui took the logbook and scanned what everyone else had written. It seemed he needed to write his name, the time he left, and where he was going. He fumbled a bit before replying.
"Well, I'm not entirely sure."
"Just wandering the city?"
"No, I'm going to try to find this store I was told about. Apparently they buy trimmed fur."
The iguana scratched his chin then snapped his fingers.
"I bet it's Misuki's you're looking for. It's going to be at the bottom of the hill. Once you hit the road, turn left onto Bayview Street. It's not far, and the sign is bright red."
"Oh! Thanks!"
"You seem new to this. Transfer student?"
"Y-yeah. This is my first week here."
"You know you need to get a pass from the office to leave school grounds, right? It's pretty easy so no worries if you didn't already."
Yasui was afraid he was going to need to detour to the office when he remembered something the crazy duck at the student help desk had given him. He pulled out his wallet which had only two things. His student ID, and a small card that read "Recurring Pass."
"Will this work?"
The iguana looked it over and nodded.
"Yup, you're good. Take care!"
Yasui smiled and took his first step off school grounds. He was looking down at the road when all of the sudden, he saw something out of the corner of his eye. He quickly ran to the short wall along the path and leaned over the railing. There, stretched out before him was the sea. A massive expanse of blue-green water capped with white, foamy waves. The city sprawled across the edge of it, piers and bridges connecting to the other.
"Wow... so this is the sea. How did I not notice it before?"
He thrust his head forward as the breeze picked up and took a deep breath. Sure enough, there was a slightly salty edge to the air when it was blowing from over the water.
"I can't believe it's true! It even smells salty! Shoot, next weekend I have to get down there. I wish my family was here!"
That sudden thought dampened his high spirits slightly as a wave of homesickness ebbed over him.
"Oh... I guess I'll just have to tell them about it. I'd read about the ocean but it's hard to imagine this much water just... sitting here! Hey, maybe I can get Shinrai to take a picture for me to bring to them! Yeah, that's what I'll do! And I'll bring a bottle of the water home to them so they can all put their fingers in it or something, and some sand! And shells! And seaweed!"
Yasui shook himself out of his reverie as he realized he had gotten off track.
Don't get ahead of yourself! Still lots to do before tomorrow.
Yasui grinned as he set off down the hill.
Tomorrow I'm going to see an actual movie with Shin! I wonder what it will be about? Eh, he'll pick a good one. Should I bring some snacks or something? Actually, where do you even get snacks here? The school shop or vending machines? Oh who cares! I'm going to watch a movie! with my friend! Which I have now!
Once he hit the street at the bottom of the hill, he turned left and began looking for a building with a red sign that read "Misuki's" or something similar. It took a little bit of searching, but he soon arrived at a small store that matched the description. A bell jingled as he opened the door.
"Welcome! Please come right in!"
Lining the walls and shelves of the store were baskets of yarn and spools of fabric in every possible color and size. From fine white yarn as thin as thread to thick red yarn perfect for hats and mittens. Standing behind the counter was a tiny old lady, a tabby cat in a simple dress. The cat smiled and tottered over to him.
"What can I help you with young man?"
"Uh, are you the person who buys fur?"
Yasui winced at how blunt and impolite that came out. Before he could say anything else the cat cackled and grabbed his wrist with a grip like an iron vice.
"I was hoping you would say that! Please come with me!"
Suddenly the seemingly frail old lady was steering him into the backroom of the store. With a whirl of scissors and tarps she had him sitting on a short stool looking at a tall standing mirror.
"Alright, kiddo. You going for a whole body trim or just the head?"
Yasui blinked in bewilderment as he processed the rapid change.
"Uh... What..."
"Full body or just the top?"
"I-I guess all of it?"
"Ah, a summer trim. And you're selling the trimmed fur to me?"
"Yes ma'am."
"Eheehee! I'm so excited! It's not very often I get fox fur in stock. Let alone such a unique hue. Now, take off your clothes."
"Wait, hold on! Why do I—"
She cackled again as she honed a pair of scissors.
"Don't worry, you can keep your boxers on."
Yasui sighed before relenting, feeling more than a bit embarrassed.
Well what did I expect when I decided to get all my fur cut. Of course I can't wear clothes during it.
"Now, how short do you want it?"
Before Yasui could reply a faint chiming came from the front door as it opened. A distinctively feminine voice rang out,
"Yoohoo, anybody home?"
The crazy cat lady leaned towards the doorway and yelled.
"I'm in here! That you Diana?"
The sound of approaching footsteps accompanied the voice this time.
"I do hope I'm not interrupting anything, Misuki."
"Naaaaw, just about to trim this kid here. Feel free to have some tea or something while I do. I have a feeling that you might be interested in this one."
"Is that so?"
Suddenly, Yasui saw the reflection of the mystery woman in the mirror and his jaw almost dropped. Standing in the doorway was a female leopard dressed in the same sort of outfit a model on a poster would wear, complete with gem-encrusted jewelry and perfect makeup. In fact, everything about her seemed unnaturally perfect. It was like she was a character from a book cover that fell into the real world. The leopard gasped and sauntered over.
"Oh my, what a lovely shade of red!"
She stopped behind his chair and politely gestured towards him.
"Do you mind?"
Yasui's tongue decided that it would rather be on the roof of his mouth rather than in its usual spot, so he found it hard to speak. He managed to shake his head before realizing that he was practically naked. He blushed and covered his lower half with his tail.
Wow, for once it's convenient to have an oversized tail.
He flinched as her fingers touched the back of his neck.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I get you with my claws?"
Yasui squeaked.
"N-no!"
The woman laughed and waved her hand dismissively, her bracelet jangling pleasantly. Up close he could smell her perfume. The only word that described it was "fancy."
"I apologize if I embarrassed you, I just want to see how fine your pelt is. I won't do anything you aren't comfortable with. Now then, is it okay if I touch you? Just on the neck?"
Yasui gulped and nodded. He was suddenly painful aware that this was the closest he had ever gotten to a girl that wasn't related to him... and the first time he was ever touched by one.
Oh gosh! Don't freak out! Even if she is really pretty! Gah! That sounded so dorky!
He steeled himself as she carefully pinched a clump of his fur between her thumb and forefinger and rubbed it gently.
"What an interesting texture! It's a bit thicker than most fox fur is, and definitely softer."
The old lady wheezed.
"Yup, kinda weird this one. Should make some good yarn."
The mysterious lady laughed and patted Yasui's shoulder. When she touched him it felt like static energy was jumping up his spine.
"I'll say! I bet you would make such a handsome scarf. And the color would go wonderfully with my favorite autumn ensemble."
Yasui could feel his face heating up even more. This was so terrifying. He'd never felt this feeling before! And nobody had ever called anything to do with him handsome other than his Mom, and even then it always felt a little bit like a lie.
The cat lady then got to work, her scissors a whirl of flashing metal and falling fur. As she worked she hollered,
"I just made some tea, help yourself if you wanna stay and chat."
Diana smiled.
"That sounds wonderful, but I really just came to make sure my order would be ready for Sunday. Although, I do want to know where this fellow has been hiding. I would have loved to have material this shade last winter. Deep red was very trendy as an accent color."
She poured herself a cup of tea and gracefully sat in an aged chair off to his left. She took a dainty sip before turning her attention back to Yasui.
"Now then, what say you we get properly acquainted. My name is Diana, I'm a businesswoman who happens to dabble in knitting as well as a few other hobbies."
Yasui was so entranced by her that he just stared like a moron. He'd seen girls before, but none that were even close to this Diana lady.
No, she's not a girl, she's a woman! Oh gosh that was terrible! What's happening to me!
Everything about her just oozed maturity and refinement. From the way she immediately was comfortable talking to him to how she was setting him at ease just showed that this was a lady who knew what she was doing. As he stared she smiled and arranged herself to sit more comfortably.
"What's the matter, young man, cat got your tongue?"
Yasui flinched which earned him a scolding from Misuki.
"Hold still!"
"S-sorry!"
Yasui licked his lips and barely managed to squeak out.
"I-I'm m-m-my name is Y-Yasui~"
His voice cracked on the last part of his name and he immediately choked up and turned even darker red.
"Well then, Yasui, I'm willing to bet your house is nearby. I just can't imagine that your parents let somebody as young as you wander around without them otherwise."
Yasui was about to shake his head but his impromptu barber clamped a hand on top of his scalp and swiveled his head to the side.
"Hold still, youngin'. I want to get this nice and even."
Yasui gulped and replied to the leopard's question.
"Well, n-not exactly. I do go to school near here so I guess I kinda live close."
"Oh! What school?"
"Cherryton."
Diana paused and gave him an appraising look.
"Oh dear, I do apologize. I thought you were still in grade school. So, how do you like middle school? Making lots of friends?"
Yasui nervously looked away.
Should I correct her? But, it would be so embarrassing because she thought I was a little kid!
Before he could say anything the old lady cackled.
"You aren't embarrassed about being a high school student who looks like a little kid, are ya?"
"Huh?! How did you know?!"
"Saw yer ID when you dropped your pants. Wallet fell out."
She pointed to the ground and sure enough, his wallet was lying a little ways away from his pants. She then immediately positioned his head back where she wanted it and continued trimming. For her part Diana was stunned at the sudden development. She rubbed her cheek a few times before giving a wry chuckle.
"Well now... that's... unexpected. I do apologize if my tone before was a little... condescending. I truly thought you were a child."
Yasui didn't think it was possible for his face to flush this bad, but here he was.
"N-no need to apologize. I know that I'm... small."
She must have sensed his discomfort because she immediately grew her pleasant smile again and laughed.
"No need to be so embarrassed, there's nothing wrong with looking young for your age. In fact I like to think I look young."
Yasui was so desperate to seem competent he laughed and said,
"Y-yeah! You look way younger than, like, twenty five!"
Diana gasped and Yasui immediately began screaming on the inside.
WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME WHY DID I SAY THAT I WISH I WAS DEAD I WISH THE GROUND WOULD JUST SWALLOW ME UP AND END MY MISERY PLEASE GOD JUST LET ME—
"Why you shameless little flirt! Be careful or else you'll give me a swelled ego."
Yasui froze as with relief he realized that he had done a good thing, not a bad. Diana smirked and crossed one leg over the other. Yasui desperately hoped he wasn't staring.
"That smooth mouth of yours will be a hit with the ladies when you're older. Women love to be complemented."
"T-they do?"
"Of course! Everyone liked being complemented! Isn't that right?"
Yasui felt like he was on fire. He was sure a cloud of steam was rising from his ears. He didn't know if he was terrified by this woman or excited. He was feeling feelings he had never felt before! Was this real? Was he dreaming? Is this what most people felt when they talked to the opposite gender? The burning heat? The prickling panic? The desire to hear their voice? The fascination with the way they almost purred their "r"s and the smooth way they moved? He wasn't sure if it was in his head or not, but he thought she was laughing.
"I'm teasing you, Yasui! No need to get so flustered! Oh, this is the most fun I've had in ages!"
Misuki, the crazy old lady, grumbled.
"Give the poor boy a break, Diana. You're gonna make him pop a gasket."
The leopard wiped a tear from her eye and reached into her purse for a small mirror.
"I'm sorry, Yasui, I'm afraid I've always been a bit of a troublemaker. Now then, you said you were attending Cherryton, was that it?"
Yasui numbly nodded.
"That is an excellent school. Many powerful and successful beasts have graduated from there. How do you like it so far?"
Yasui nodded again.
"Issss... good."
Diana smiled and tilted her head.
"I apologize if I'm prying a bit, but you wouldn't happen to be from the country, would you? I just think I detect a bit of an accent from you."
Yasui had gone from floundering panic to some sort of warm bubbly feeling he did not like at all. His brain felt like it was wobbling like jello.
"Yeah... I'm from the mountains."
"Oh I love mountains. The view from the summit is always gorgeous, and the sunsets!"
She sighed and propped her head up on one fist.
"Why they are just to ~die~ for."
Please talk more pretty lady. You make my brain feel good.
"So is this your first foray into a big city, Yasui?"
He nodded, entranced.
"This must all be terribly exciting for you. I do apologize if my babbling is keeping you from experiencing the sights."
Yasui immediately grew panicked, terrified that this mysterious hottie would leave.
What is wrong with me! Mysterious hottie! I sound like a total pervert!
"No! Not at all! I haven't gone anywhere but school yet!"
She shook her head and made a light *tsk tsk* noise.
"Your first time in a big city and you've been cooped up at school the whole time? Why, that just won't do! I'll have to give you a list of places to visit. There are so many wonderful buildings and museums here. And the restaurants! If you want to try food from all across the globe then you are in the right place."
Yasui slavishly nodded his head.
"Yeah, I'd like that."
Yasui's feline barber halted her attack on his tail fur long enough to croak.
"Now Diana, can't you tell this boy ain't got no money. He's wearing handmade clothes and selling me his fur after all. Don't you go getting his hopes up only to have them crushed by the price-tags attached to the places yer always knocking about."
Diana looked taken aback before glancing between Yasui's clothes and back to him. She rubbed her temple and sighed.
"I do apologize, Yasui. I can be a bit daft at times. Of course a high school student from the country wouldn't be able to afford most restaurants. I really didn't mean to be insensitive, I guess I'm just used to having money is all."
She winced and looked to the elderly feline apologetically.
"That... came out wrong."
Misuki sighed and continued trimming.
"You're a real piece of work, Diana."
The glamorous leopard brightened and leaned closer to Yasui.
"How about this! If you're interested, I'll treat you to lunch somewhere this weekend! Maybe... Sunday? Before your say anything, there's no need to decide now. I do realize you don't know me after all, but if you want to I'm more than happy to show you some of the culinary giants that make this city their home."
She removed a business card from her purse and set it on top of Yasui's shirt.
"My number is on there as well as my name and address. That way you can be sure to let your school know who you'll be with. You know, just to be sure that I won't pull anything."
She winked and sauntered towards the door, waving to the shopkeeper as she did.
"Well anyway, I really must be going. I'll drop by here Sunday around eleven or so to pick up my order. Meet me here if you want to join me for lunch, Yasui. Tata now!"
The bell over the door chimed as she made her exit. This whole bizarre ordeal left Yasui feeling like he'd been struck by lightning. As she walked out the door he was slack jawed and trying to make sense of it all. The elderly cat grumbled.
"That Diana sure is a strange one. But, she's harmless. Between you and me, I think she's just lonely. Lonely and bored."
"Y-yeah... maybe."
Soon Yasui was sporting a new look with much, much shorter fur.
Sheesh, I feel almost bald. She really got it short.
On the plus side, he definitely felt less uncomfortable in the heat than he had before. The cat handed him a wad of bills and sent him on his way, inviting him back the next time he needed a fur cut. As he made his way back to the school, he thumbed through the cash and began counting.
Let's see, one, two, three, four, five! Five thousand yen! That's... that's insane! She must have given me too much! I mean, I don't know if our family truck even cost this much!
[Author's note: five thousand yen is equivalent to around fifty US dollars. And Yasui is bad at understanding money.]
He turned and ran back into the store. He dashed in and was immediately chided by the elderly feline.
"Slow down there, youngin'. Yer gonna knock all the spools off the walls."
"S-sorry! It's just... I think you miscounted the money. You accidentally gave me five thousand yen!"
She squinted at the paper held in his hand and huffed.
"So I did, good catch."
She opened the cash register and pulled out a few more.
"Here you are! Another thousand!"
Yasui tried to push the money back into her hands, much to here confusion.
"What the hecks yer problem? Do ya not want money?"
"I do! But you clearly gave me way too much! There is no way my fur was worth six thousand yen!"
She smacked her lips and gave him a withering glare.
"Where'd you say you were from?"
Yasui fell silent as he thought of how best to answer her.
I doubt she'll recognize the name of my actual home, but she might know about the town.
"I'm from around the town of Aka-Shukusha."
"I ain't never heard of no Aka-Shukusha. Means yer probably from way, way out in the sticks."
Yasui nodded, although he took some offense to his home being referred to as "the sticks."
"Well, youngin', things here in the city cost a whole lot more 'n stuff out in the country. Heck, I can barely go grocery shopping each week for less than a thousand yen, and I live alone!"
Yasui was left in awe. A thousand yen was typically what his family spent in a month on everything from food to clothing. And here it would barely buy a weeks worth of groceries. Yasui gulped and looked at the money in his hands. If he wanted to actually cook anything in his new club, get some clothes, and buy a pair of shoes that weren't trashed, he'd need a lot of money.
"Umm... Miss Misuki?"
"Just Misuki will be fine. Although I also answer to "Crazy Cat Lady.""
"Okay, Misuki, do... do you know where I might be able to get more money? Maybe a job for students or something?"
"Like a part time gig? Maybe just on weekends or whatnot?"
Yasui nodded.
"Weeeeell, I might have an idea. Old friend of mine from back in the day owns a coffee joint a few blocks away. I can ask him on Wednesday if he needs any part timers. Wednesday is when we all get together to play Mahjong at the senior center. Well, me, him, my friend Kiko, and his girlfriend anyway. I can send up a letter with his answer if ya tell me yer room number and name. If you boys still got mailboxes up at that school."
"Oh! Yeah, I've seen those! You can address anything to Yasui, room 704."
She scribbled something on a scrap of paper and yawned.
"Welp, it's been nice doin business with ya. But if you'd be so kind as to leave, I'm fixin to go grab me a snack and a couple winks of sleep. Don't you go getting old now, it's terrible. All I do is eat, sleep, and feel like death himself has me by the ankles."
With that pleasant thought in mind Yasui bade the... unusual feline farewell and set out for school once more.
Sheesh, if that lady thinks Diana is weird, how crazy can she be. Well, apart from crazy hot. Gah! Why do I keep thinking weird things like that! What's happened to me!
He reached up to scratch his neck and experienced the disconcerting sensation of not feeling fur where there used to be fur. What used to be a thick mane of uneven fur along his neck and head was now neatly trimmed and short.
Great, now what am I supposed to fidget with.
The rest of his afternoon was spent retrieving his dried laundry, washing fur trimmings off, and beginning to read a book he recently checked out of the school's library. It was a relatively small one entitled Cooking With International Flair: A Beginner's Guide Into the Culinary Arts. He had just finished the preface and was looking through the table of contents when there was a disturbance from down the hall.
Wham!*
Crash*
BONK!*
Yasui closed his book and peaked out into the hallway. He heard yelling coming from the open door of Jack's room. He cautiously crept closer until he could peak into the room. On the floor, the coyote and hyena he'd seen with Jack before were grappling each other and yelling.
"YOU KNOW THE RULES!"
"SAME TO YOU!"
"WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN YOU DIRTY DOUBLECROSSER!"
"ME THE DOUBLECROSSER! HAVE YOU LOOKED IN A MIRROR LATELY!"
Standing helplessly on the window seat, Jack was trying to get them to stop fighting.
"Durham! Miguno! Come on guys! There's no need to fight! Please, stop!"
The hyena shoved the coyote's face into the floor and said.
"THERE IS NO FORGIVENESS FOR THIS! ONLY DEATH!"
This was answered by an elbow to the stomach and the coyote rolling him onto the floor and getting him into a chokehold.
"THEN I'LL KILL YOU! YOU'RE A HOMEWRECKER!"
Jack saw Yasui looking in and frantically shouted.
"Hey, you! Can you please go get Collot! He should be on the third floor, room 309! He's a sheepdog, always has his fur covering his eyes! He'll know what to do!"
Yasui nodded and ran as fast as he could towards the stairs. He practically flew down them and started hurrying towards room 309. He opened the door and found a large sheepdog playing cards with a panther, a bulldog, and a crocodile. The panther gave Yasui a dirty look and asked,
"Do you mind?"
"Sorry! Collot! Jack said to come get you!"
The sheepdog tilted his head and asked.
"Huh, why? Is something the matter?"
"That hyena and coyote are going crazy!"
Collot sighed and set his cards down.
"Fine. I guess it's up to me to fix this. I'll be back in a bit."
The others nodded as Collot and Yasui made their way towards room 701. Yasui made sure to steer clear of the large canine who had his hands in his pockets as he leisurely strolled towards the stairs. Up close, his large size was more than a little intimidated to the small fox.
"So, Frisbee, were you and Jack hanging out or something?"
"No, I was just in my room and heard the noise. Wait, Frisbee?"
Collot shrugged.
"None of us actually know your name, so we call you that. You know, after you knocked yourself out getting a frisbee."
"Oh man, I was hoping you guys forgot about that."
Collot laughed.
"Nah, it was way too funny to forget."
Yasui's ears flattened and he slumped a bit.
"I guess."
"C'mon, don't be that way. It's good to laugh at yourself sometimes. Heck, I do all sorts of stupid things that we all laugh at. It doesn't mean that my friends are being mean to me. It's just how guys interact and all."
Yasui perked up a bit.
"Really? Guys just... make fun of each other?"
"Most of the time, yeah. But it's not always the same for everyone. Anyway, time to get to work."
Yasui hadn't even noticed, but they had already reached Jack's room. Collot strode in and immediately sprung into action. With his left hand he grabbed the hyena by the scruff of his neck, and with his right the coyote. As they dangled from his grip, still flailing wildly, Collot growled.
"Knock it off! Do you want to make Jack cry?!"
The two immediately froze and looked to the panicked Labrador. Noticing the sudden shift in attention, Jack waved them off.
"You know I don't like it when you two fight! And I am not going to cry! Sheesh, Collot!"
The two seemed to calm down a bit, but only slightly. Collot shook them.
"Alright, what happened?"
The hyena snarled.
"Durham totally tried to poach my girl!"
"Your girl? Se doesn't even know you exited!"
"I told you that I have a crush on her! And you totally stabbed me in the back!"
"Pretty much every male canine in the school has a crush on her! Get over yourself!"
Collot shook them both.
"Shut up! Who exactly are we talking about?"
Jack rolled his eyes and flopped onto his bed, a manga clutched in his hands.
"They're fighting over Viv. That German Shepherd who usually sits at the table across from us at breakfast."
Collot raise his eyebrow (not that anybody could see it.)
"You mean that German Shepherd with the really light fur?"
They both nodded.
"Tsukishima's girlfriend?"
Both Durham and Miguno froze before giving wails of despair.
"She has a boyfriend!?!"
"She has a boyfriend!?!"
Collot nodded.
"Yeah, they've been dating for like a month. How did neither of you know? Have you even talked to her?"
They both shook their heads and Collot set them back down. This development completely took the fight out of them as they almost deflated before Yasui's eyes. The coyote sighed and looked to his friend.
"So we're both screwed?"
"Uhuh."
"I guess we're in the same boat then."
"Yeah."
They both sighed.
"Any ideas?"
"Drown our misery in junk food?"
They both shrugged before sulking off to go lick their wounds. Collot shook his head.
"Those two are definitely something else. At each other's throats one minute, best friends again the next."
Jack groaned and sprawled across his bed.
"I know, it's so exhausting trying to control them! I'll take Legosi's moodiness any day."
Collot stretched and yawned.
"Speaking of Legosi, why can't you get him to break up their fights? He's more intimidating than I am."
"Are you kidding me? Like he'd ever do that. He's even worse about fights than I am!"
Collot sighed.
"We have got some weird roommates, don't we?"
"Yeah."
A voice suddenly appeared above them all, causing them to jump.
"I hope that I'm not included in that statement."
Jack held a hand against his heart and breathed deeply.
"What the heck, Voss! Don't sneak up on people like that!"
Peering over the edge of his bunk, a truly tiny Fennec fox gave Jack a sour look.
"What do you mean don't sneak up on you! I've been here the whole time!"
As Jack appeared to rethink his life for a moment, Collot addressed the small roommate.
"Hey, Voss. I was playing some cards before I got called in to sort those two knuckleheads out. You wanna join? We have room for one more."
"Sure, beats sitting in here waiting for something to do."
He lept from his bunk and landed on the sheepdog's shoulder. As the two left, Collot waved goodbye.
"Later, Jack. Oh, and you too Frisbee."
Jack flinched.
"Huh, Frisbe—YEOW!"
He jumped off his bed and smacked his nose into the ladder that enabled people to get to the top bunk. He rubbed his sore nose and winced.
"Yeesh, are all foxes so good at being invisible, or am I just not observant?"
Yasui shrugged before remembering the scissors he borrowed.
"Oh! Uh, here. I didn't actually end up using them, but thanks for letting me borrow these."
"Huh? Oh! I completely forgot I lent those to you. Thanks!"
As he took them back he gave Yasui an appraising look and laughed.
"Let me guess. You let Old Lady Misuki cut your fur?"
"How'd you guess?"
"Not to be insensitive, but you're practically bald now."
Yasui winced.
"Is it really that bad?"
Jack gave him a sympathetic look.
"I mean, it's not really really bad, you just... kinda look like you have a heart disease or something."
Yasui looked around for a mirror. Finally, he noticed one and looked at his reflection.
"Oh... oooooh."
His fur wasn't just very short, it was practically gone all together. Yasui sucked in his breath and stifled a quiet scream. Jack winced and patted his shoulder consolingly.
"Yeah... she goes a bit overkill. But at least you'll be nice and cool! It's supposed to be crazy hot this weekend. Let me tell you, all I intend to do is grab some lemonade, a watermelon, and go chill at the pool. What about you?"
Yasui kept scrutinizing his reflection as he replied.
"I'm going to a movie with my friend. Oh!"
He whirled around and bowed.
"My name is Yasui by the way. Sorry I kept forgetting to tell you."
Jack laughed.
"Yeah, not that I can blame you though. Somehow every time we saw each other something would make one of us have to run off somewhere. Talk about weird luck, huh."
"Haha, yeah. Like the universe was trying to be a jerk or something."
Jack shook his head and flipped open the manga he was reading again.
"I'm just glad it's the weekend. Man, being in high school suuuuuucks. I thought it would be way better than middle school, but it's practically the same but with more homework and double the papers to write."
Yasui sighed.
"I know. I was expecting, like, parties or cool adult stuff. Not studying and stress headaches."
"Totally. So, you just hanging around here until dinner? I don't mind if you do. Although, I understand if you don't. Our room does kind of have a bit of a funky smell."
Yasui grimaced.
"I was wondering what that was."
"Yeah, it's probably one part Collot to two parts Legosi BO. If you didn't know, wolves are kinda... musty? It's hard to think of a word for it."
"Honestly, it's not that bad compared to my room."
"Oh?"
"It smells like mushrooms and old gym shorts. Also, I'm pretty sure one of my roommates secretly smokes by the window, because the window seat smells like smoke and there are burn marks on it."
Jack gave him an understanding smile.
"Roommate troubles?"
"They... don't like me very much. They only talk to me to make fun of how small I am. Also, I think the one that has the bunk below mine was doing something gross last night. I heard sounds that I do not want to hear ever again."
Yasui shuddered as he remembered it. Jack smiled and rolled over on his bed.
"Sheesh, now you're making me feel bad for complaining about Durham and Miguno. I guess I have it lucky, all my roommates are great."
Yasui shrugged.
"I don't spend much time in my room anyway."
Yasui looked at the clock hanging from the wall and groaned. It was already five, which meant he needed to get to the library for Shinrai's study group. Jack tilted his head.
"Something up?"
"Yeah, I need to go. I told my friend I'd meet him for a study group or something before dinner."
"Cool! Well, go be studious then."
"I will."
As Yasui strode towards the door he paused and looked back at the Labrador.
"Hey, Jack?"
"Yeah?"
"Can we be friends?"
The canine laughed at that and gave him a thumbs up.
"Sure. I don't see why not. Who knows, you and Legosi might get along too."
Yasui felt beads of sweat form on his neck as he thought of a monster wolf using him as a punching bag.
"I'll keep that in mind."
"Sweet! Later!"
"Yeah, later, Jack."
Yasui swung by his room to grab his backpack, avoiding looking at one of his roommates who was in the middle of a makeout session with some girl Yasui didn't recognize on his bed.
Man, what is wrong with these foxes. And how'd he even sneak her up here?!
Bag now in hand, Yasui made a beeline for the library. Inside, he searched around for any trace of Shinrai. Eventually, he caught his scent and tracked it to one of the stud rooms that students could sign out. Inside, Shinrai was sitting idly in front of his notebook.
"Ah! Yasui! Right on time!"
"Hey, Shin! Been waiting long?"
"Nope, just got here. I was texting them all a second ago, and I realized that you never gave me your number."
Yasui rubbed his right arm and looked away.
"Oh... uh... that's because I don't... have a phone."
Shinrai frowned and smacked himself on the forehead.
"Duh, you asked me to borrow mine. How did I not realize that! Especially after you told me about the whole being poor thing. I'm sorry."
"It's fine!"
Just then the door opened and in walked a black panther. He saw both of them and nodded in greeting.
"Sup' guys. This the study group or whatever?"
Shinrai gave him an enthusiastic double thumbs up and cried,
"It is! Grab a seat! The other two should be along soon!"
There was a loud thud as somebody opened the door a bit too vigorously. In stepped a large Doberman followed by a toucan. He gave a goofy smile and shouted,
"Alright! I feel smarter already!"
The toucan sighed.
"Stop yelling. We're in a library you dumbass."
"Oops! My bad!"
"You're still yelling."
Shinrai looked around and said,
"Alright, looks like everyone is here. So, uh, maybe we should introduce ourselves or something?"
He shrugged, clearly he hadn't expected to be the one leading this thing. Immediately the Doberman threw his hand into the air.
"Oh! I'll start! I'm Shiro! I'm a Doberman! I play volleyball!"
He looked around expectantly before the toucan lazily responded.
"He forgot to mention stupid and loud, although those are obvious. I'm Tenbe. I'm usually stuck babysitting this moron because we're in the same club."
Next the panther shifted awkwardly.
"Uh, hi, I'm Tao. Are we supposed to, like, say what club we're in or something? Both of them did so—"
Shinrai shrugged.
"Might as well."
"Okay, so, I'm in the drama club. But I don't really get any important roles or anything."
Shiro's ears perked up.
"The drama club! Man, that's like the biggest club here! Lucky!"
Tao looked a bit uncomfortable as everyone looked at him with varying degrees of apathy, jealousy, or distaste.
"Look, I know some members of the drama club can be a bit nasty about being in it, but I swear I'm not like them."
Tenbe yawned and began preening one of the feathers on his wings.
"You mean like that second year, Louis? The self appointed 'God's gift to herbivores' or whatever he thinks he is."
Tao grimaced.
"Uh... yeah. I'm really not like Louis. When it comes to acting skills or—"
Tenbe smirked.
"When it comes to being a huge bitch?"
Shiro gasped.
"Tenbe! Watch your mouth!"
The toucan shrugged.
"What, that guy rubs me the wrong way. I'm surprised you and Tao are sticking up for him. I'm pretty sure he hates carnivores or something."
Tao stayed silent and looked down uncomfortably while Shiro just looked at him blankly.
"Uh... I really don't know him so..."
The toucan then rounded on Yasui.
"What about you? You're a fox, do you think Louis is a bit of a tool too, or am I just weird."
Yasui rubbed his shoulder and looked away, accidentally making eye contact with Tao while he did.
"Uh... we're kinda getting off topic. So, m-my name is Yasui. I'm in the cooking club. It's just me, so nobody really knows about it."
Shinrai followed the momentum and made his introduction.
"And I'm Shinrai. I'm in the AV club. I really like movies so that's why I joined. So! Now that we all know each other's names, let's study... or something."
Shiro threw his hand back into the air. Everyone just looked confused as Tenbe shook his head.
"We're not in class. You don't have to raise your hand to answer a question."
"Are you sure?"
Tenbe groaned and gave everyone a despairing look.
"In case you hadn't noticed, Shiro here is impossible. He thought chocolate milk came from brown cows until three months ago."
The Doberman beamed.
"How was I supposed to know that somebody actually put the chocolate in it?"
Tao gave the canine a befuddled look.
"Wait, I thought chocolate made dogs sick?"
Tenbe rolled his eyes.
"It does. He just drinks it anyway."
Shiro crossed his arms.
"It's worth it! So what it makes me puke! It's too tasty to stay away from!"
Everything began to devolve further and further as Shinrai scooted closer to Yasui.
"So... this isn't going as planned."
Yasui shook his head.
"This was a mistake. I knew that I shouldn't have done this."
Finally, Shiro stood and yelled,
"BE QUIET!"
This immediately brought dead silence to the room. He huffed and turned to Shinrai.
"You said we were going to learn how to not suck at classes. Is this fox guy the study wizard?"
Yasui raised his eyebrow.
Study wizard?
Shinrai nodded.
"Yeah, uh, this is Yasui. Oh, he already introduced himself, right. Uh... right! So, uh... Yasui. You told me, I mean, he told me that he used to help his siblings with their homework and stuff. And, like, he helped me with mine earlier this week. And I actually did a little better than usual so, uh, I thought maybe if we all work together we can... do... well?"
He gave Yasui a pleading look, begging him to take over. All eyes snapped to Yasui. As he looked around he could feel his heart practically drop kicking his ribcage. Four pairs of eyes were burning holes through his skull. Shinrai's hopeful and shiny eyes, Tenbe's heavy lidded expression of boredom, Shiro's expectant ones, and Tao's keen gaze.
This is so scary! Why are they all looking at me!
"Uhh... I don't know what I'm supposed to say."
Shiro raised his hands and shrugged.
"I don't either. If you can help me not suck at school I'll do whatever you say."
Yasui bashfully picked at his cheek.
"Gee... uh... I wouldn't hold out too much for anything dramatic. But I guess I'll try to help you guys the same way I used to help my family."
Tao took out his notebook and got out his textbook.
"Hey, that sounds good to me. We all have that assignment due for History on Monday, right?"
They all nodded and Shinrai read out the assignment.
"Describe the relationship between the early carnivores and herbivores in the pre-societal era. Make sure you include what their names for each other were and why."
Shiro groaned.
"Man, how am I supposed to know who was kissing who! They're all dead!"
He gave everyone a quizzical look.
"They are all dead, right?"
Everyone just looked at him in astonishment. All except Tenbe who just blankly looked at his phone.
"Don't worry, his questions will only get stupider. I feel my brain cells dying whenever he opens his mouth."
Yasui just winced a bit before clicking his pen.
"Right, so... Shiro? Shiro, it's not about their dating relationships, it's about their societal relationships."
Shiro widened his eyes and nodded slowly.
"Riiiight, I gottcha. But just to make sure we're on the same page, societal relationships, which I totally know about, means..."
Yasui blinked a few times.
"Uh... we're going to be writing about who was friends with who. Also, why they were friends."
Shiro grinned and nodded again.
"Gotcha, so like, one of them was friends with the other because the carnivores could open pickle jars in seconds by crushing them against their skulls, and the herbivores knew what to do when you accidentally lit your roommate on fire."
Tao snapped his fingers.
"Oh! So like the teacher was talking about how the carnivores would protect the herbivores! Wait, you open pickle jars by smashing them against your head?"
Tenbe gave Shiro a weary look.
"Was that where you got that cut three months ago? You said it was a bike accident."
Shiro made a finger gun and smiled.
"It was. I tried to open the pickle jar with my bike by running over it. Except I missed and fell off. But my head broke the jar so it worked."
Shinrai frowned.
"And the part about setting a roommate on fire?"
Yasui cleared his throat.
"Uh, guys? The paper."
Everyone looked around the table before Shinrai gave Yasui a sheepish grin.
"Sorry, rabbit trail. Please continue."
"Huh? No! I was going to ask Tao to keep going. He was on the right track."
Tao looked surprised.
"Really? Wow, I guess I understood this more than I thought."
Part of Yasui's brain was accustomed to doing this with his siblings, that he began to go into autopilot.
"Exactly. My little sister has the same problem. She thinks she doesn't understand it, because she only looks at history as a list of names and dates. Think of it like a story set long, long ago."
Tao's eyes grew wide as comprehension dawned on him.
"Like a play!"
Shiro grinned.
"Like Galaxy Wars. Brrrr Brrr Bup Bup Bup Buuuuup Buup."
Yasui wasn't exactly sure what that was but if it worked it was good enough for him.
"Yeah, exactly like that. So, the carnivores—"
Tenbe yawned and interjected.
"Life animals."
Yasui looked at him in confusion.
"Huh?"
"The carnivores used to be called Life animals because they ate life. And the herbivores were called like plant animals or earth animals or whatever."
Shiro whistled.
"Dang, Tenbe! How'd you know that!"
"I looked it up... on my phone."
Yasui shrugged.
"That works! So the Life animals would protect the—"
"Got it, Nature animals."
Yasui nodded and erased part of his paper.
"Okay, nature animals. So the Life animals protected the Nature animals."
Shinrai frowned.
"Wait, from who?"
Tao scrunched his face up in concentration.
"Yeah, who were they protecting them from if the carnivores and herbivores were friends?"
Yasui scratched his head for an answer and remembered a book he had read before. It was historical fiction about two rival cities, which meant—
"I think it was from other groups. Like, different nations or tribes and such."
Shiro narrowed his eyes and smiled.
"Like the Space Crusaders. Defending the Lorgons from the Torvariens."
Shinrai furiously began to write.
"And probably for the same reasons too! Maybe one group had access to a space port, I mean, harbor. So the other group would want to take it!"
This continued for around thirty minutes at which point they were all satisfied with their papers. Tao grinned.
"Nice! I've never done a paper this fast before! You guys rock!"
Shiro leaned over the table to be in reach of Shinrai and the two did a bizarre handshake.
"I didn't know you were a fan of Galaxy Wars! We should do a marathon sometime."
"Dude, totally! And we can bring Yasui! He's never seen them."
Shiro gave Yasui an appalled look.
"No! He hasn't?"
Shinrai patted the large dog on the arm.
"Yup, he grew up without a tv."
"No tv! You poor boy!"
Yasui closed his eyes and rubbed the back of his head.
"Well, I'm from a farm, so we wouldn't have had time anyway."
Tao looked around and asked,
"Hey, can we do this again sometime? This really helped."
Shinrai smiled.
"I'm down! Are you, Shiro?"
"Totes! And Tenbe is too, he never passes up an excuse to slack off in class. You in, Yasi?"
Yasui tilted his head.
"Uhh... Yasi?"
"It's your new nickname. Too bad if you don't like it, because you're stuck with it."
Yasui smiled. He'd never had a nickname before. Well, not a nice one.
"Yeah, let's do this again."
Later that night, Yasui was lying in bed and thinking about the day.
I really thought that I wouldn't like that study group, but, that was actually pretty fun. I guess I just like helping people with their homework. Being needed feels nice. And tomorrow, I'm going to go see my first movie.
He smiled and ran his fingers along the brutally short fur on his chest.
At least I won't be hot tomorrow.
Thinking about his fur cut brought back to mind that woman from before. Diana. Somehow, he had immediately memorized her name, her face, and even her scent. Yasui whimpered a bit.
I don't know why I feel so weird about her. She's even a larger carnivore, bit I didn't find her intimidating. Well, not in the usual way. She just made me feel so... weird! Like, I really wanted her to like me for some reason. And my mouth felt dry and I felt tingly whenever she touched me. What the heck is this?
As he tossed and turned one word came to mind. One word that made it all make sense.
Oh no... I have a crush on a woman who's not even the same age or species as I am.
He clasped his face in his hands and sighed.
Of course, my first crush is completely and totally unreasonable. Why am I such a weirdo! Can't I just be normal for once.
He pouted to himself even as he found himself blushing from his memory of their meeting.
Control yourself! She totally doesn't see me that way! And we just met! Although... she did invite me to lunch... Gaaaah! What should I do!