Chapter 13: Working Class Fox
It was late Tuesday morning, and Yasui was doing his best to follow along in his math class. The main problem he had though was that his teacher talked so fast he couldn't easily take notes about what he got wrong or right. So far it had turned out that he only managed to make corrections to every third problem before he got left behind.
I really wish he'd give us a handout with the solutions on it so we could check more easily. Just listening to them is hard.
It also didn't help that he was pretty far in the back so it was a little hard to hear at times, especially because his math teacher was a mole with a high, reedy voice.
Okay, so he said we were supposed to divide by eighty? Or was it eighteen? He really should get a microphone or something.
This exercise in frustration continued until the bell rang. Yasui let out a sigh of relief and began to pack his notebook back into his backpack. Finally it was lunch. His stomach had felt like it was digesting itself for the last half hour.
I hope it's something good for lunch today, like those rice and tofu bowls they sometimes do. Or maybe steamed buns.
Yasui licked his lips in anticipation and followed the crowd down to the cafeteria. As he left the building where classes took place and began to walk along the sidewalk, he squinted in the bright sunlight and shaded his eyes.
Geez, it's pretty hot today. It was so much cooler back home. Well, I guess it's almost the beginning of "true" summer. We do swap to summer uniforms on Friday.
The line was already starting to get long so Yasui hurried to join the queue. He got his veggie and protein substitute bun, mixed veggies, and rice and found a small table away from the center of the room. It was way too hot to eat outside. He was just getting started on his meal when a familiar voice called out.
"There you are! I've been looking for you for ages!"
Yasui jerked his head up to see Shinrai standing next to his table with a pouting expression. The squirrel set his tray down at the table and placed his backpack on the seat to boost him up a little. Once settled, he glowered at Yasui.
"You've been avoiding me! Not cool!"
Yasui grimaced and looked away. He had been so caught up in how bad he felt he hadn't even considered saying something to Shinrai to let him know everything was okay. Yasui was opening his mouth to respond when Shinrai placed his hands on the table and leaned closer.
"Are you okay? Did something bad happen to you?"
"Wha… what?"
Shinrai sat back a bit and tapped his tray with his index fingers. His small, dark little eyes darted back and forth from his hands to Yasui's eyes.
"Like, y'know, on Friday night?"
"I… guess not really."
"Oh, that's good. I was worried when I didn't see you for a while."
Yasui frowned.
"You're not mad at me?"
"Hmm… well… Now that I know you're okay? Yes, I am mad at you. Why have you been avoiding me?! Was it something Don or Kashi said? Did they call you something really bad? Or was it just about the whole… belt thing. Also… can I have my belt back? I kinda need it."
"I-I…. Well to start, I've just been feeling a bit… off. I needed some time to get my head on straight. And no they didn't say anything too bad to me. Also, I forgot about your belt. It's in my room."
Shinrai huffed and noisily sipped his drink. Yasui was about to resume eating when he remembered what he had wanted to tell Shinrai.
"Oh! Before I forget! I got a phone!"
"Seriously?! Awesome, dude! What's your number?"
"I already wrote it down for you. Here!"
Yasui reached into his backpack and took out a scrap of paper. Shinrai accepted it and typed the digits into his phone. He typed out a message and Yasui heard his phone make a ding sound. He saw that Shinrai had sent him a colon and a close parentheses.
"Oh, what does this mean?"
"It's a smile you dingus! See? Those are the eyes, and then the mouth."
"Oooooh! I get it now!"
"Sheesh, it's so weird talking to somebody my age who just doesn't get technology. You're like my granny."
Yasui frowned.
"I'm not that bad, right? I mean, at least I'm trying. Although… Do you have any pointers?"
"Well for starters, nobody keeps their phone off silent mode."
"Oh, uh, how do I—"
"Little switch on the side."
Yasui turned his phone around and pushed the small switch until it moved. His phone vibrated and a message appeared to tell him it was on silent mode.
"Right," Yasui said. "Anything else?"
"Do you know how to change your wallpaper?"
Yasui was silent.
"I'll take that as a no."
"I'm assuming you mean on my phone?"
"Yeah, it's the picture in the background. Watch."
He moved to sit beside Yasui and took his phone out of his hands. He opened his photo app and looked at the two pictures he had. One of the ocean, and the one of him and Miss Diana at the beach.
"Huh, who is that?"
"Oh, uh, my friend."
Shinrai smirked and raised an eyebrow.
"How exactly are you two friends? I thought you didn't know anyone here."
"Well... I met her when I first got here. While I was selling my fur for money."
"Uhuh… how old is she?"
"Not sure."
"Hmm…. Is she maybe your… secret girlfriend?"
Shinrai grinned and waggled his eyebrows. Yasui felt his neck get hot and he shifted uncomfortably.
"N-no!"
"Oooooh! You're getting all flustered! Do you have a thing for her? Like a secret 'I'd totally go out with her' girl?"
Yasui looked away.
"Not… really. Besides, wouldn't it be weird if I did?"
Shinrai gave him a confused look.
"Huh? How do you figure?"
"You know, she's not the same age as me, or species."
"Dude, my first crush was on my second grade teacher and she was a rabbit. It's just a having the hots for someone. It's not like you plan on marrying her."
"Oh… so it's okay then?"
Shinrai grinned.
"Why are you so concerned?"
"I just… Can we drop this?"
Shinrai rolled his eyes.
"Fine, Cassanova. Back to wallpapers. Which one do you want on your lock screen and which one for the home screen?"
"Uh…."
"I'll pick for you. So you just select the picture like this, and click this here that says 'set as wallpaper' and viola! All set!"
Yasui took his phone back and looked at the screen. Sire enough his picture of the ocean appeared when he pressed the button to unlock it. And once unlocked it changed to the one of him and Diana.
"Oh! Thanks! You got both of them."
"Yeah, I'm kinda a computer expert, no need to be impressed."
"I wish I understood this stuff. I kinda hate computers and phones because they make me feel stupid."
Shinrai patted his shoulder.
"Hey, the same thing would happen to me if I tried doing whatever it is you did back home. Like farming and… stuff."
"Yeah, I guess."
"So, wanna hang out after classes? We could go play some video games or something."
Yasui shook his head and resumed eating.
"No, sorry. I have my first day of work today."
"Hold up! You never told me about getting a job!"
Yasui swallowed his bite and frowned.
"I didn't?"
"Well, I don't think so at least. Where at?"
"This cafe that's a short walk from the school grounds. The owner said he tries to keep the schedule flexible for students and wouldn't need me to be there every day."
"Oooh, a cafe! Fancy! Gonna be making all those lattes and cappuccinos and, uh, the other ones."
Yasui gave him a blank look. Shinrai returned it.
"Uh, Yasui? Something on your mind?"
"Yeah…. Uh, what exactly is a 'lat-tay' or 'cappla' whatever that was."
Shinrai rolled a grape between his thumb and forefinger before making a face and putting it on the edge of his plate.
"Ew, squishy one. But those are like fancy coffees that girls like. They're all pretty and whatever."
"Oh, I'm sure that I'll figure it out eventually."
"Ugh, but I wanna hang out! It's been too long! I'm not a solitary creature like you!"
Yasui hummed.
"Well, why not just 'hang out' tomorrow? I still don't know what my other club member's schedule is so I can't really have a club meeting yet. I'll have to find a way to give her my number."
Shinrai smiled.
"Sounds good! Let's meet up around three thirty in front of the dorms."
Yasui nodded.
"Sounds like a plan."
Once classes were done, Yasui went back to his room to store his backpack and change out of his uniform. However, while he was in the middle of getting dressed, two of his roommates walked in.
"—So anyway, she totally said yes to going out with me."
"Freakin' score! That chick has a killer bod, you lucky bastard. And I heard she's pretty easy."
"Yeah, probably by date number two we'll be sneaking back here."
One of the pair, the red fox that had been rude to Yasui on his first day, noticed him staring and pushed him out of the way as they walked past.
"What are you staring at, shrimp?"
The other boy snickered in an ill tempered way.
"Probably has a thing for this chick too, like all the male foxes on campus."
The red fox laughed and jabbed his thumb back towards Yasui.
"As if that freak show is ever going to get any action besides his left paw."
As they continued talking Yasui pulled a disgusted face.
Gross, they're always so nasty, and they're mean to me. I'm just glad I can typically avoid them.
As he left and began to walk down the stairs, he thought about Jack and his roommates.
I wish those guys were my roommates. They all get along well and hang out. My roommates all hate me and make a huge mess everywhere.
He used his pass to leave campus grounds after signing the paper they had at the front gates. For his reason for leaving he put down "work" and his expected return time was nine pm.
I figure that's a pretty safe bet. Although I really need to find out what times I'll be working from now on.
Meanwhile, across the city in one of the many high end districts, Miss Diana's butler slash driver Charles was having an unusual day. He was wandering the halls of the lavish mansion his employer lived in searching for her.
This is strange, she actually woke herself up today. She made her own breakfast and performed her exercises without my having to remind her. And now she's nowhere to be found. She usually spends her afternoons either by the pool or in her study, but she isn't in either. Where the devil is she?!
There was a muffled thump from behind him and down towards the end of the hall. He spun around, reaching his hand into his coat and onto an item hidden below his arm. He cautiously crept down towards the final door on the left, the master bathroom. With surprising stealth for a gorilla of his size, he positioned himself to breach and peaked through the slight gap left by the partially ajar door. Inside was his employer, but what he saw was something so unexpected he froze in his tracks. There, clothed in her bathrobe, was Diana. Except, she was swaying her hips back and forth and mumbling to herself. He strained his ears.
"Bah, ba-ba, badada! Hit me with your best shot! C'mon and hit me with your best shot! Hit me with your best shot! Fire awaaaaay!"
My God she's singing.
His hand relaxed it's grip and he recomposed himself. Gently, he knocked on the door. The unusually energetic voice of his ward rang out.
"Come in!"
Charles pulled the door the rest of the way open and stepped inside.
"Pardon me, ma'am. I was just wondering where you had gone. I haven't really seen you much all day."
"Well, I was just getting ready. I wanted to go out today."
Charles was taken aback.
"I— If you don't mind me asking, what is the reason and destination for this excursion? If you need something from a store I can pick it up for you."
"Oh that's quite alright, I just wanted to do something. I was planning on dropping by that cafe from Saturday. Yasui did say he started work there today and I wanted to be his first customer."
Charles folded his hands behind his back and kept his face passive.
"Might I speak freely?"
"Of course."
"You've gone from showing simple curiosity in the boy, to what borders on blatant obsession. Should I be worried? You're not looking for an heir or something strange like that?"
Diana gave him a patronizing look and began applying her makeup.
"Oh Charles, it's nothing strange. I simply like spending time with him."
"Yes, but you can understand my confusion as to why you suddenly are spending so much time with a high school student from the countryside?"
"You can rest easy, Charles. My interest in him is purely platonic. It's just… I've never been around anyone who looks at me the same way he does. His whole face lights up when he sees me, like he's just happy that I'm around. And it's actually genuine! There's no flattering me to get me to give him money, or trying to use me for my social standing. I just… I want more of that. To be seen and wanted as just Diana the leopard. I want to be appreciated for more than just my money. You understand, don't you?"
Charles smiled a bit.
"You know, I think that's the longest I've ever heard you actually talk about your feelings."
Diana smirked and leaned into her mirror to apply her lipstick.
"Who knows, Charles. I must be getting sentimental in my old age."
"Well, either way I'm glad you've finally made a friend. What time should I have the car ready for?"
Diana thought for a moment.
"Hmm… four sounds like a good time. That's around the end of the school day."
"Very good, ma'am."
After a short walk, Yasui was standing outside the door of Cafe Lapin. There were a few scattered animals around sipping on coffees and talking, but it was remarkably quiet and peaceful.
Okay, this doesn't seem too bad. Not super busy. Nothing to be worried about.
He pushed the door open to find the elderly rabbit from before talking to one of the customers sitting inside. Behind the counter was a teenage female rabbit, one of the larger species with longer fur. What was unusual was the style of her fur on her head. Half of it was longer than the other so that it hung over her eye and was dyed with purple highlights.
As Yasui entered, a bell rang and the owner turned to face him.
"Welcome in, can I— ah! I was wondering when you'd get here, uh, Yooo… Yama…."
"Uh, Yasui, sir."
"That's it! Was on the tip of my tongue. So, ready to get started?"
"Yes sir."
He turned to the other employee and asked,
"Mimi? Could you manage by yourself for a bit so I can get the newbie settled?"
She looked up from whatever it was she was doing behind the counter and huffed.
"Yeah, no prob. Just don't expect me to train him."
As Yasui followed the older male into the back of the cafe, he looked over at Yasui and began to talk.
"Alright, so that's Mimi. She's a bit of a character and acts a lot scarier than she is. She works most Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. And back here is where the storage and employee break room is."
He led Yasui to a spacious back room divided unevenly with shelves filling the larger section and a couple couches and cubbies in the other.
"So those cubbies are for employees to use. If you need to bring anything with you like a change of clothes or something you can put them there. And, uh, speaking of clothes. If you're planning on working here long term you'll need to get some work clothes. I'll provide you with an apron and one vest, but I ask male employees to wear a button down and nice pants. Your shoes are fine, but whenever you can you'll need to get some different clothes. You can feel free to use your own vest of any color you want, so long as everyone looks somewhat professional."
Yasui nodded.
"Sorry, sir. Should I just wear my school uniform?"
"Nah, nothing that formal. And also, no need to call me 'sir' or anything like that. Just call me Mr. Nabuyo."
"Okay, Mr. Nabuyo."
The old rabbit clasped his hands and shuffled towards a closet in the back corner.
"Right, so first order of business. Let's get you all kitted out."
He opened the closet door and rummaged around before withdrawing a small stack of fabric. He handed them to Yasui who unfolded them to reveal a brown apron and black vest. Nabuyo nodded approvingly.
"Good, I thought those looked like your size. They're a little dusty but nothing a quick wash won't fix. Now, let's show you around."
With Yasui in tow, the rabbit began to walk around the back room. He showed Yasui where the espresso beans were, where the regular coffee beans were, where the decaf beans were, where the mops and brooms were, where they stored dairy and other condiments, and so many other things. By the end, Yasui's head was starting to spin. They returned to where they had begun, in the break section.
"Alright, Yasui, this is the last thing back here for now. This," he gestured to a binder sitting on a small table in the back, "is the logbook. It's where you clock in and out. I'll show you how it's done."
He opened the book and flipped the pages until he reached today's date. He pointed to the empty line below where Mimi had written her name and a time.
"Okay, so it's your name, when you clocked in, when you left for your lunch break, when you got back, and then when you left."
Yasui nodded and accepted the pen Nabuyo handed him. Carefully, so as not to make a mistake, Yasui wrote his name and when he had first arrived. The elderly rabbit crossed his arms.
"You got it. Now, I know that it's been a lot to take in, so do you have any questions?"
Yasui rolled his jaw a bit as he tried to think of anything.
"Uh… not really? It's just, I'm not sure I'm going to remember all of this."
"Well duh, you're still a newbie. I'll be training you for at least the next two weeks. I don't expect you to get it all perfect right off the bat."
"Oh good, I was a little worried."
Nabuyo tied his apron back on and clapped Yasui by the shoulder.
"Now, ready to give actually making the coffee a spin?"
"I'll do my best."
"Good, that's all I expected. But first, wash your paws. Anytime you leave the back you gotta wash up."
He directed Yasui to the hand wash sink. Once clean, Yasui followed him back out. As Mimi continued to watch the front counter, Yasui began to learn what each piece of equipment did as well as what was on the menu. There was a lot more coffee here than he even knew existed, and all with some really weird names. Cappuccino, macchiato, latte, house blend, you name it. Yasui scratched his head.
"Wow, there's a lot more types of coffee than I knew about."
Nabuyo shrugged.
"Well, it's mainly just how you prepare it. Cappuccino is espresso shots with a little steamed milk and a lot of foam, macchiato is half foam and half milk, latte is lots of milk and a little foam."
"Soo… it all has milk?"
"Just the ones that aren't the basic drinks. The basics are espresso shots and brewed coffee. But you can add cream if you want."
Yasui puffed a bit as he looked over the many options on the menu.
"I've never even tried regular coffee with cream in it, let alone a, uh, espresso latte thingamajig."
"Aah, a purist! I like your style."
Just then, Mimi walked over to them.
"Yo, Mr. N, can I get your help for a second?"
Nabuyo sighed.
"Yeah, I'm coming. Give me a second, Yasui."
Mimi blew some of her fur out of her eyes.
"Uh, it's kinda about him."
Yasui looked at her in confusion as Nabuyo began talking to whoever was at the register.
"Yes, is there something I can help you with?"
"Why yes, I'd like to know if it were possible for that handsome young fox to wait on me."
Yasui frowned and looked over towards the voice. There, giving him a smug look, was Miss Diana. Yasui blinked in surprise.
"M-Miss Diana?! What are you doing here?"
She donned a look of innocence and held a hand over her heart.
"Why, I'm simply here for a coffee. I simply was in the neighborhood and got a craving for a drink."
Nabuyo grinned.
"Aah, friend of yours, newbie?"
Yasui nodded.
"Yes, this is Miss Diana. Diana, this is my boss, Nabuyo."
Diana smiled and nodded towards the male rabbit.
"It's nice to meet you. I hope you don't mind my interruption of Yasui's training."
Nabuyo folded his arms and chuckled.
"Not at all, hands on experience is the best teacher. And besides, I always enjoy having attractive women in my cafe. It makes it seem as pretty as they are."
Diana raised an eyebrow and gave him a rueful smile.
"Oh my, you're absolutely incorrigible. I don't know which is worse now, your's or Yasui's flattery."
"Being able to sweet talk women without getting slapped is one of the few benefits of getting old."
Diana shook her head.
"Oh dear, I can already tell you'll be a bad influence. Anyway, are you ready for my order?"
Nabuyo moved aside and beckoned for Yasui. Slowly, Yasui moved to stand behind the register. The elderly male gestured to Diana and said,
"Well, give it a try. Pretend like she just came in."
Yasui nodded and looked at her.
"Hello, what can I get for you?"
Diana pursed her lips and waved her hand dismissively.
"Oh come now, you can do better than that! You want to welcome the customer in with a bit more gusto than that. And maybe include the name of the cafe too. Try again."
Yasui gulped.
"Right, uh, here goes. Hello! Welcome to Cafe… uh… L-Lapin!"
Diana smiled.
"Better."
There was silence before Diana raised an eyebrow.
"Are you going to ask me what I would like to order, young man?"
"Sorry! I-I forgot!"
Oh geez, this is really nerve racking! And this is somebody I already know!
Diana gave him an understanding look.
"It's okay, Yasui. Calm down. Nothing to be nervous about. Just start again."
Yasui nodded and took a deep breath.
"Okay, Hello! Welcome to Cafe Lapin. May I take your order?"
Diana looked up at the menu.
"Hmm, I believe I'll have a cappuccino. Medium size please. And with just a bit of honey in it."
Yasui glanced over to Nabuyo for guidance. Nabuyo prompted him,
"Now ask her if it is for here or to go."
"Right, is that for here or to go?"
"For here."
Now the rabbit directed him to the register where a panel with different buttons with words on them was.
"Now you just type in the customer's order. You'd press the corresponding item code for the drink, which is written on the guide right here."
He pointed to a piece of paper with items and their numbers beside them. Yasui nodded and typed in the code for a cappuccino. Nabuyo nodded.
"Now you press the size button, the button for here, and then you add their mix in. In this case, honey. You'd just press the add button and then the code for honey."
Yasui carefully did as instructed. At Nabuyo's instruction, he then pressed the enter button and a number appeared.
Yasui recognized that as the price and told Diana.
"That will be two hundred and ten yen… please."
Diana opened her purse and removed a plastic rectangle. Yasui once again looked to Nabuyo for directions.
"Now you press the option for how she's paying. Cash, credit, or debit."
"Sorry, I don't know what those other two are."
"Well, just take her card."
Yasui accepted the plastic rectangle and looked down at it. There, in silver characters on it was the word "credit.'
"Oh, gotcha! Guess it was kinda obvious."
Yasui pressed the credit button and the screen prompted him to swipe… whatever that meant. Nabuyo reached out and tapped a small groove in the side of the machine. Yasui nodded and stuck the card in it. Nothing happened.
"Heavens above, kid, you never use a credit card before?" Asked Nabuyo.
Yasui's ears flattened as he gave him an embarrassed smile.
"Uh, no. I've never even really… bought stuff before. I only just started needing to. And that was all with money, not whatever this is. Sorry."
Nabuyo clicked his tongue and rested his hands on his waist.
"Dang, you been living under a rock this whole time?"
Diana held a finger up.
"On top of a mountain actually. Could you believe he didn't even have a phone until I let him have my old one?"
Nabuyo chuckled.
"A teenager without a cellphone. Well I never thought I'd run into this problem. Usually I'm getting grief because of how old all my stuff is. Well, nothing to it but to learn how to use it. Here, watch me."
The rabbit then took the card and swiped it properly through the reader, making sure to show Yasui that it needed to have the special strip on the back facing the right direction. Once done, Nabuyo pointed to the screen where it was asking "receipt?" in bold letters.
"And now, Yasui, you just ask her if she wants her receipt."
"Okay."
He looked back at Diana who seemed amused by the whole situation and asked,
"Would you like a receipt?"
"No thank you, good sir."
Yasui looked at Nabuyo and pointed to the button with the word "no" on it. Nabuyo nodded and gave him a thumbs up. Once pressed the register returned to its default screen.
"Uh, is that it?" Yasui asked.
Nabuyo clapped him on the back.
"Yup! Now you just ask her to take a seat and tell her you'll have her drink out shortly."
Yasui nodded and looked back at Diana.
"Okay, uh, please have a seat. I'll bring you your drink in just a bit."
"Sounds fabulous. Thank you so much."
She gave Yasui an encouraging smile and winked. Yasui walked over to where Nabuyo was standing and stood beside him. The rabbit waved his hand at a small printer sitting on the far end of the counter.
"And here is where the drink order comes out. See."
Yasui looked and saw a slip of paper hanging out of the machine. He took it and read.
"One medium capp, add honey."
"So, ready to make your first coffee?"
"What? But I don't know how to make a… uh… capp?"
"Relax, I'll walk you through it. First you get your cup from there. And the medium one, remember."
"Got it, medium cup."
On a rack in front of him were rows of white mugs ranging in size from tiny little rodent sized ones to ones that seemed as deep as Yasui's hand. Yasui took one from the row designated as medium. He held it and asked Nabuyo,
"Okay, now what."
"You go to the espresso machine, which is right there."
Yasui did as told.
"Then you set the cup down on the circle there, and press the button for how many shots of espresso the drink gets, in this case, two."
Yasui hovered his finger over the buttons before clicking one with two droplets in a cup printed on it.
"Now, while the shots are pulling, you get the steamed milk going. Take that metal pitcher right there and fill it with milk from the fridge right by your knees to the line second from the bottom."
Yasui opened the refrigerator and withdrew the carton of milk. Once he carefully measured it out he put it back and waited for his next step.
"Now, you steam the milk. See that long, thin part on the right side? With the lever beside it? You put that in the milk and pull the lever. It's going to make a loud hissing noise, just a heads up. Once you have it going, slowly move the cup down and away from it until it makes a sound like ripping paper. That's where you want to hold it for at least five seconds."
Yasui took a breath, prayed he wouldn't screw it up, and began. He put the steamer part in the milk and pulled the lever with a loud hiss. He then moved it down until a loud ripping sound happened.
"There! Hold it right there, Yasui. Five seconds."
Yasui licked his lips and counted.
One… two… three… four… five.
"Okay, now you move the pitcher back up until the steam wand reaches the bottom of the pitcher."
Yasui did as told. Now he was standing with a cup of hot milk in his hand as it hissed away.
"You want to keep it like that until the milk reaches the line five up from the bottom. So it needs to go up by three."
Up by three, got it. Just three, no more no less.
Once the desired milk level had been reached, Nabuyo moved to Yasui's left.
"Okay, set that down on the counter. Now we add the honey."
Yasui set the pitcher down and followed Nabuyo. He guided Yasui to a space to the left of the espresso maker and pointed to a collection of bottles and jars.
"Take a spoon from that holder there and grab the honey. Then, you pour some honey into the spoon and stir it into the espresso. Espresso mind you, not the milk. Don't stir the milk."
"Okay, sir. Don't stir the milk."
He poured out a spoonful of honey and gently mixed it into the dark liquid in the mug. Once the honey had dissolved he set the spoon in a little bucket with a label on it for dirty spoons.
"Nice going. Now you pour the milk into the espresso."
Carefully Yasui tipped the pitcher and poured the frothy liquid into the cup. It mixed with the coffee and made a brown liquid with a white foam top. Yasui whistled.
"Wow, it looks so…."
"Pretty?"
"I guess that's the right word."
Nabuyo tapped the pitcher and added,
"Some people are so good they can use the foam to draw pictures and such."
"Cool. Maybe I'll get that good some day."
"Maybe. If you practice."
Yasui admired his handiwork for a moment before asking,
"Alright, what now? Anything else?"
"Nope, just bring it to her table. And, while it will definitely be easy this time because you already know the customer, it's encouraged to try to talk to the customer a little bit. Especially if they're alone and don't seem to be in a hurry. It's sort of a judgment call, but it is important. That personal touch is why we have as many regulars as we do. They like the atmosphere, so they come back. Well, enough yapping. Go deliver the drink before it gets cold."
Yasui nodded and carefully picked up the mug. As smoothly as he could, to avoid sloshing the beverage, Yasui walked over to the table where Diana was sitting.
"Alrighty, Miss Diana. Here's your capp… achinoi?"
She snickered and corrected him.
"Cappuccino, dear. And thank you. It looks lovely. You made it?"
"Yeah, with Nabuyo's instructions though."
"Well, let's give it a try."
She lifted it to her lips and took a sip. She paused for a moment before setting it down and beaming at him.
"It's perfect. You should be proud."
Yasui's cheeks flushed and he averted his gaze in embarrassment.
"Geez, Miss Diana, it wasn't anything too special. No need to go giving me a swollen head."
"Oh please, good work always deserves praise. Just accept the compliment as it is, completely sincere."
"Well, I appreciate it. Also, where's Charles?"
Diana gestured towards the door.
"Oh, off to park the car somewhere. There weren't any spots big enough around here so he went looking somewhere else and dropped me off. He wasn't very happy about it though, he doesn't like to let me out of his sight while we're out and about. He'll be here shortly."
Yasui smiled.
"Well I'll be happy to serve him my second drink."
"Sounds like a plan. Although, I must ask, are you planning on working in… those clothes? They're just a little casual for work."
Yasui sighed and his ears lowered a bit.
"Yeah, Mister Nabuyo already talked to me about it. It's fine for now, but before too long I'll need something a bit more dressy. He said stuff like button down shirts and jeans and things like that. I'll need to try to find somewhere to buy cheap clothes."
Diana looked with sudden intent on him.
"Really?! How about I help you? I love shopping for clothes, and there's going to be a big sale at some of the stores in the mall this Saturday. I guarantee you I'll find you the best bargains possible."
She does know more about what city animals wear, and she knows about some sales or whatever. Probably best to get her to help so I don't end up looking like a moron.
Yasui nodded.
"That'd be perfect. When should I plan on meeting you and where?"
Diana waved her hand and took another sip of coffee.
"Oh, we'll work it out. We can decide the details over text later."
There was the quiet sound of the bell over the door ringing as Charles walked in. He made a beeline for Diana and folded his hands behind his back.
"Apologies for the delay. It took longer than expected to find a spot to park."
She smiled and shook her head.
"Nothing to worry about, I was just chatting up the barista."
Charles then looked at Yasui and quickly looked him over from head to foot. Once satisfied, he nodded.
"Looking smart, Yasui. Although that shirt and those pants are definitely an… interesting choice."
Yasui winced.
"Yeeeah, not exactly what I wanted to wear, but it's all I had."
Diana chimed in.
"So we decided to go clothes shopping at the mall on Saturday. We haven't decided on a time yet, though."
Charles inclined his head.
"Certainly, I await your instructions. Now then, I believe I'll place my order."
It didn't take long to sort Charles's order of a small black coffee out, and for him to finish talking to them at their table. Before long, they both said their goodbyes, however, as they were going, Diana stopped by the counter and asked,
"Do you accept tips here? And how do you go about allocating them?"
Mimi, the female rabbit, replied in a less than enthusiastic voice.
"We do accept tips, and you can specify who gets them. Or you can just give it to them directly, we don't really have a problem with it."
Diana nodded.
"Thank you."
She then moved over to where Yasui was wiping up a bit of coffee he had spilled in the process of making Charles's drink and held out a paper bill.
"Here's a tip, Yasui. For holding you hostage for a solid half hour when you were supposed to be getting trained."
Yasui accepted it gratefully and bowed.
"Thank you, Miss Diana. I'm glad you were my first customer."
She beamed at him and turned towards the door.
"Well then, I have to get going. Have fun now! See you Saturday!"
Yasui waved to her as she left and wished her goodbye as well. Once she left, Mimi walked over to him.
"So, what exactly was the deal with all that?"
For the first time since getting here, Yasui fully looked at the rabbit called Mimi. Immediately, he was a little put off by her strange appearance. She was dressed all in black: black shirt, black vest, black apron, black jeans, black boots, and even a black studded bracelet. She also was wearing jet black lipstick and eyeshadow, with a silver skull earring in her right ear. She also appeared to speak exclusively in monotone, like she was bored all the time. Yasui gulped.
"O-oh! T-That was my friend! Miss D-Diana. A-and I'm Yasui! Nice to meet you."
He held out his hand which she ignored.
"I'm Mimi. You better do your job well, because I'm not going to be your babysitter."
Yasui nodded, very intimidated by the strange female.
"I-I'll try."
She languidly picked up a cup of dark liquid nearby and took a long pull before asking,
"So like, how old even are you. You look too young to have a job."
"I-I'm sixteen. B-But only by like a few months. M-My birthday is in January."
"Oh, you look like a twelve year old kid."
"I-I get that a lot."
She took out her phone and began swiping around on it. She noticed Yasui staring and rolled her eyes.
"Go practice making drinks or something. Mr. N will be back in a bit."
"B-But I don't really know how to make drinks. At least, nothing more than a cappuccino or a cup of regular coffee."
Mimi sighed and reached under the register for a notebook that was tucked there. She handed it to Yasui.
"There. Go make yourself whatever drink you want to try."
"O-Okay, thanks."
Yasui flipped through the book before stopping at the tea section. He hadn't realized that there was tea at this cafe. He saw one that looked interesting and began to read.
Let's see… chai tea. This Indian beverage is made by steeping black tea in milk with cloves, cardamom, and other fragrant spices. Take one bag of chai tea and place it in steamed milk (at least seventy-one degrees celsius). Allow to steep for four to six minutes, unless you want stronger tea. Don't over steep or it will become astringent.
Yasui looked around before finding where the tea was stored in a cupboard off to one side. He grabbed one of the bags from the container labeled "chai" and began to steam milk like Nabuyo had taught him. Once it was hot enough, Yasui placed the tea in the milk and looked at the clock on his phone so he could keep time.
Well, I've got some time. Guess I should figure out where stuff is around here.
He proceeded to methodically and carefully look in every cabinet, drawer, and container positioned around the workspace. With that done he went back to the recipe book and flipped to the beginning. As he was reading about the proper temperature at which to brew coffee, he remembered his tea. Once he had removed the tea bag and had set it aside, he swirled the brown liquid around before taking a sip.
Mmm, that's good! It's all warm and… spicy. I could get used to this!
Yasui licked his lips and took another drink. In a few more minutes, Mr. Nabuyo returned and approached Yasui with an apologetic smile.
"Sorry about that. Got a call from my daughter. You understand."
Yasui nodded vigorously. Nabuyo looked at what Yasui was reading and tucked his hands in his pockets.
"Ah, doing some independent research? That shows initiative. I like it."
"Oh, thank you sir. Mimi showed me where it was and said I should learn about the menu."
"Did she now? I'm assuming she also scared you half to death with her… peculiar style."
Yasui paused before dropping his voice.
"She is a little scary."
Nabuyo chuckled and clasped Yasui's shoulder.
"Ah, don't be too intimidated. She's a sweet girl, if you can get past the doom and gloom exterior and ceaseless apathy."
"I'll… take your word for it. So, what now?"
Nabuyo shrugged and dusted off his apron.
"Well, I was figuring you could just follow me around so you can learn the ropes. Maybe have you take a few more orders, make some drinks, and talk to some customers. Sound good?"
Yasui nodded.
"I'll do my best."
As it turned out, Yasui's best was a little rough in some instances. He ended up mixing up a few people's orders and making some mistakes while preparing the drinks. By the time they closed, Yasui was feeling more than a little discouraged. He had just finished helping Nabuyo and Mimi with the last of the cleaning up they needed to do before they could leave and both he and Mimi were sitting at a table waiting for Nabuyo to finish doing whatever he did with the money in the register. Yasui sighed and checked the time. It was already eight. He looked over at Mimi and said,
"Sorry I messed up so much. I really screwed up tons today."
She shrugged, not looking him in the eyes.
"Eh, you're brand new. And you're not the worst noobie I've had to deal with."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Some didn't seem to be able to find their ass with both hands."
Yasui flinched a bit at her coarse language but smiled nonetheless.
"Thanks, Mimi. That makes me feel a bit better."
She rolled her eyes.
"Try to hug me and I'll throat punch you."
There was silence before Yasui asked,
"Uh, was I supposed to do anything with the tip I got? Or just keep it?"
Mimi didn't look up.
"Keep it. What was it anyway?"
Yasui frowned and unfolded the bill to read the amount. Immediately he gasped.
"Uh-oh! I think she made a mistake!"
"Hmm?"
Yasui flipped the paper around to reveal the amount.
"She accidentally gave me a thousand yen!"
Mimi swore loudly and looked at the bill for confirmation. She shook her head.
"You lucky son of a bitch! How hard did you flirt with that chick!"
Yasui winced.
"I wasn't flirting, I think. Do you think it was a mistake?"
"No way, it's not the first tip of that size I've seen, but they aren't common. Enjoy it while it lasts."
Finally, Nabuyo finished up and walked back out to them.
"Alright, we're all good. Thanks, you two."
Mimi nodded and walked towards the door. Yasui hesitated before following suit with Nabuyo in the rear. As the elderly rabbit locked the door, he addressed Yasui.
"So, Yasui. Would you like to come on Thursday for more training? Same time?"
"That sounds good to me. Is there anything else I need to do?"
Nabuyo chuckled.
"Other than finding some work clothes, no. Well, I'm hungry. I think I'll grab some ramen on my way home."
"Yeah, me too. I'll have to see if the cafeteria is still open."
"Well, good luck! See you Thursday."
Yasui nodded and waved goodbye.
"Goodnight! See you then."
With the very last of the sunset to light his walk, Yasui began to trek back to Cherryton. It had gotten fully dark by the time he returned and finished checking back in. Immediately, he made a beeline for the cafeteria to see if there was any food to be found. However, when he got there, he saw that it was all dark and empty.
Well crap. What am I supposed to eat now?
With a heavy heart and an empty stomach, Yasui began to walk back to his dorm. Once he had passed through the front doors and was making his way towards the stairs, he saw something he hadn't paid particularly close attention to before. There was a small kitchen in the dorm. With renewed hope, Yasui opened the refrigerator on the far wall and perused it's contents.
Let's see… milk, a tomato, some pickles, cream cheese, and a little bit of some food in a container with somebody else's name on it.
Yasui then checked the pantry.
And in here is… some bread and salt and pepper. Welp, sandwich it is.
Yasui used his meager options to make a basic sandwich of tomatoes and pickles with some cream cheese, salt, and pepper. He cringed when he saw his experiment sitting before him.
"Well… let's hope it's edible."
Yasui gingerly lifted it to his lips and took a bite. Slowly he chewed and swallowed.
"Huh… that's actually not bad! Kinda good actually!"
He finished his sandwich and continued up to his room. Once he had slipped past his roommates, Yasui sat on his bed and pulled out his math homework.
It feels… later than it is. Working really makes your day feel strange. Oh well, I'm pretty tired anyway. I'll finish this up and then go to sleep early tonight.
Wednesday started normally and was going smoothly until it was time for PE. The sport this time was baseball, and Yasui wasn't exactly sure what was going on. They had all split up and now he was standing at the back of a field with two other beasts pretty far away from him and everyone else at the other side. He was on the far right, with some giraffe he didn't know on the far left and Legoshi in the middle. Yasui hadn't even realized they had the same PE class. But then he realized this was one of the few games they hadn't split the class for based on size. So far he had just been standing around squinting in the bright sunlight.
Well this is fine by me. No running around and getting tired and sweaty, no problem! Even if it is a bit boring.
Yasui looked over to see that Legoshi and the giraffe seemed similarly bored. The giraffe had her phone out and Legoshi was holding his hand up before his snout as a butterfly fluttered around before landing on his finger.
Aw, lucky! I hope that it flies over here next!
Across the field, a large male tiger stepped up to bat. He took a few practice swings before grinning at the pitcher.
"Alright! Get ready for a home run!"
The pitcher wound up, and threw a blazing speedball right over home. Swing, and miss. One of the tiger's teammates snickered.
"Hey, Bill. That didn't seem like a homer."
Bill growled.
"Shut the hell up! I'm not done yet."
The next pitch was a wide curveball that Bill just barely caught with the end of the bat, resulting in a foul. With two strikes, Bill was sweating a little. He tightened his grip, and waited for the windup. There it was, the same motion as the first time. Bill grit his fangs and swung as hard as he could, connecting with the ball with a thunderous crack. The ball went rocketing straight towards the outfield resulting in a loud pack sound as it connected with the skull of the outfielder. Panic ensued as the short fox dropped like a sack of potatoes. Immediately Legoshi was by his side, followed by the PE teacher, the pitcher, and Bill.
Legoshi carefully tapped Yasui's shoulder as he lay still on the grass.
"Hey! Are you okay!? Can you hear me?"
There was a low moan from Yasui but nothing else. Legoshi winced as he saw dark blood starting to drip from where the ball had hit. It had smacked Yasui right above his left eyebrow and caused a large split from the middle of his brow to halfway up his forehead. He could already tell that it was going to leave a bruise. The teacher looked down at Legoshi and asked,
"Is he alright?"
Legoshi frowned as Yasui shifted slightly.
"Well… he's out cold, I think."
Bill gestured towards Yasui in a flippant way.
"Relax! He's fine! Just a bump on the noggin."
Legoshi gave him a dour look as he pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and folded it over the cut.
"He's bleeding."
Bill winced and tucked his hands in his pockets before attempting a weak smile.
"Well, what can I say. Can't help having such massive guns, huh?"
The teacher, the same unenthusiastic panther as during the dodgeball incident, glared at the tiger.
"You, shut up. You," he pointed at Legoshi, "scrape him off the dirt and take him to the nurse."
Legoshi raised an eyebrow.
"Why me?"
"You're big enough that you should be able to carry him, you were the first one to reach him, you're closest, and I don't trust this guy to not drop him."
He jammed his thumb at Bill with the last one. Bill gave him a dirty look but held his tongue. Legoshi nodded to the teacher and awkwardly scooped the far smaller boy off the ground. As he walked towards the nurse's office, he remained indecisive about how to carry the small fox.
Should I carry him like this? Kinda cradling him like a baby? It feels a little weird. How about….
Legoshi shifted the fox so that Yasui's back was against his arm and Yasui's feet were dangling by his stomach. Immediately Yasui's head flopped backwards resulting in a small dribble of blood to escape from the handkerchief.
Oops! Definitely not that. Uhh….
This time Legoshi simply grasped the smaller boy under both armpits and walked with him like that. This time it felt even more awkward.
No, he's not a sack of potatoes. Maybe….
This time he held him chest to chest with Yasui's head on his shoulder and his arms around Legoshi's neck. Satisfied, Legoshi quickened his pace.
"That's better. Let's hope nothing's broken…. Geez, if I had a hundred yen for each time I picked you up off the grass after a head injury, I'd have two hundred yen by now. Which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it's happened twice now."
Contrary to Legoshi's initial assessment, Yasui wasn't completely unconscious. While he had definitely gone out for a bit after the initial hit, he was now more dazed than anything. He was vaguely aware that he was being carried somewhere, and that his face was pressed against somebody warm. In his stupor, his mind jumped to one of the few individuals who had ever carried him like this.
"Mmmmmoooom?"
Legoshi's ears twitched as a low murmur of some imperceptible word escaped Yasui's lips. He breathed a sigh of relief at that.
Well he's waking up now. So that's good.
Legoshi frowned a bit as he felt the fox nuzzle his neck a bit and mutter something else. Yasui's arms squeezed a little harder and Legoshi felt a little awkward as he was effectively being snuggled by another guy.
I think I won't tell anyone about this... ever. I hope he doesn't remember any of this when he wakes up.
Finally, Legoshi reached the nurse's office and opened the door with Yasui still in his grasp.
"Uh, hello? I need some help!"
Footsteps came from part of the room obscured by curtains as a young, male cheetah strode out to meet him. The cheetah was wearing a doctor's lab coat, red pants, a black button down, and a red tie. On his snout was a pair of trendy rectangular glasses which made him seem more intelligent looking to Legoshi. The cheetah raised a hand in greeting.
"Hey, I'm Mishima. I'm the assistant nurse. Now, what's the pro— ooh! Okay, bring him over here."
He directed Legoshi to one of the beds and instructed him how to set Yasui down without disturbing his neck or spine. Once Yasui was situated he began to look him over from head to foot while asking Legoshi.
"So, what happened?"
Legoshi tapped his chin as he tried to keep all the facts straight.
"Let's see, we were playing baseball for PE and he got hit in the head by a ball. It was hit by a Bengal tiger named Bill, so it was going pretty fast."
Mishima nodded.
"Okay, has he been awake at all or no?"
"He started mumbling something a little bit ago. But nothing else."
"Do you know if he has any allergies or medical conditions?"
Legoshi shook his head.
"No, sorry. I don't know him very well."
Mishima nodded and pulled a small light from out of his pocket.
"Okay, thanks. You can stick around if you want, but you don't have to. Oh! Actually, a quick question. Are you two friends? I know you said you don't know him very well, but you seem to know him somewhat from my perspective."
Legoshi shrugged.
"I mean, we're… acquainted, I guess. He's mainly friends with my roommates."
"Okay, good enough. If you don't mind, could you stick around until he comes to? Having a familiar face around can help when he's as confused as he invariably will be."
Legoshi picked at his claws and looked away.
"Oh, uh, if you think it'll help. I probably will just scare him more than anything. He's a little intimidated by me."
Mishima waved that remark off.
"I'm sure you won't scare him. Now, just take a seat on the other side of him if you're staying."
Legoshi obliged and watched as Mishima carefully turned his light on and lifted one of Yasui's eyelids before shining the light into his eye. Yasui's pupil contracted and Mishima moved onto the next one.
"Good, good, eyes are responding normally. Let's check those vitals…. Dang it, I should have done that first."
He put on his stethoscope and lifted Yasui's shirt revealing his chest. Legoshi was interested to find that Yasui had an impressive amount of scars across his body. There was a long, skinny one shaped like a crescent moon below his ribs on his right side, a small burn scar near his left pectoral muscle, and a couple oher smaller ones that appeared here and there across the fox's torso. Legoshi mentioned his observations to the nurse assistant.
"I never realized how many scars he has."
"Yeah, it's worrying. I'll need to ask him about them when he regains full consciousness. Speaking of, let's see where he's at."
Mishima carefully placed a hand on Yasui's cheek to keep his head steady and gently tapped his shoulder.
"Hello? Can you hear me? Hello?"
Yasui's eyes squeezed tightly closed before lazily opening just a crack.
"Mmmmm… wh-whaaa."
Mishima smiled and withdrew his hands.
"Hey, buddy. How's it going?"
Yasui grunted and croaked,
"Wha… who?"
"My name is Mishima, I'm the assistant nurse. And I have Legoshi here too."
Mishima gestured for Legoshi who slowly moved into Yasui's field of vision.
"Uh… hi."
Yasui reached one of his hands towards his head before Legoshi stopped him.
"Uh, I wouldn't do that. Mr. Mishima hasn't done anything to it yet."
With a wince, Yasui changed trajectory to instead rub at his eye.
"He hasn't done anything to what? W-what happened? Where am I?"
Legoshi looked to Mishima who gestured for him to continue before moving to a supply cabinet. Legoshi rubbed his neck and looked away.
"Uh, well, do you remember what happened? Before this?"
"Hmmm… we were playing baseball. You were playing with that butterfly, and then… I was moving and somebody was carrying me. Somebody big, and…."
Yasui trailed off and began blinking his eyes rapidly like he was trying to get them to adjust to the light. Legoshi continued.
"Well, you got hit by a ball. Like, really hard. It gave you this big cut on your head. So, uh, I carried you to the nurse's office."
"You did?"
"Mhm. So… uh… does your head… hurt?"
Yasui winced.
"Yeah, a bit. But, uh, thanks. For getting me here."
Yasui reached his hand out towards Legoshi and fumbled about for his shoulder. Finally, he reached it, and patted it weakly before grimacing at Legoshi.
"Sorry, my eyes are all… weird right now. There's, like, two of you right now. Just wanted to find the real one."
Mishima returned with a bag of supplies and began to pull things out.
"So, Yasui. It is Yasui, right? I'm Mishima, wait I already said that. Whatever, I'm gonna take care of that bump on your noggin."
He took a bottle and rinsed out the cut before carefully smearing some strong smelling antiseptic on the injury. Once he was satisfied, he took a fresh bandage and placed it over the area.
"There. Nothing looked too out of place, so just keep it clean and covered if you can. Whenever you need a new bandage swing by here and I'll hook you up. Now, as for the swelling, here you go."
He gave Yasui a small bag of ice and helped him get it situated comfortably. With the part that was bleeding through Legoshi's handkerchief sorted out, Mishima held up the now soiled piece of fabric and looked over at the wolf.
"Hey, uh, do you want me to wash the blood out of this for you? We have stuff specifically for that, so you could just come back later and pick it up."
Legoshi nodded.
"That sounds great, thank you."
Mishima shrugged.
"No prob. Now, let's see if there's any worrying signs with our vulpine friend here."
Yasui shifted his attention to the cheetah as he moved directly beside him. The nurse assistant pulled out a clipboard and began asking questions.
"Okay, for starters, what's your name and how old are you?"
"Yasui, and I'm sixteen."
"Okay, how many fingers am I holding up."
Yasui squinted before saying,
"I think… It's three. But I'm kinda seeing double right now."
"Okay, is it getting better? The double vision?"
"Yeah, slowly."
Mishima nodded and wrote something down before asking one final question.
"Okay, which direction is north?"
Yasui slowly looked around before pointing to the right side corner of the room.
"It's either that or that's south and the opposite one is north."
Mishima nodded.
"Good, nothing got messed up when you got hit in the head. At least, not anything obvious."
Legoshi broke his silence to ask,
"What was the deal with the last one?"
Mishima didn't even look up as he replied.
"Oh, yeah, lots of animals don't seem to know this, but foxes actually have some form of geomagnetic sense like some species of birds do. I was checking to see if it was still working."
Legoshi seemed to withdraw into himself as Mishima continued his examination. Once satisfied, Mishima leaned back and slipped his pen back into his pocket.
"Alrighty! Nothing seems too out of the ordinary for getting cold-clocked upside the head. So, here's what we'll do. I don't think you need to get your head examined at a hospital, so I'll let you go once you're feeling more steady on your feet. If you begin feeling off, like having a constant headache, or persistent dizziness, or anything like that, you come right back here so I can get you to a hospital. Sound good, Yasui?"
Yasui nodded and winced, immediately regretting his choice.
"Yeah, sounds good. So I just stay here for a bit?"
Mishima nodded.
"Yerp, so long as you don't mind hanging out with me for a sec. Also, I would heavily advise against sleeping for the next few hours just in case you do have a mild concussion. So I'll help you stay awake while you're here."
Yasui nodded and Legoshi got to his feet.
"Well, if you're doing okay, I should get back to class and let our teacher know everything is fine."
Yasui carefully touched his bandage before sighing.
"Yeah, that's probably a good idea."
Legoshi scratched his cheek before awkwardly stammering out.
"Uh… maybe swing by my room later. I'm sure Jack and the guys would want to know you're okay."
Yasui smiled.
"Maybe I will. Thanks again for getting me here, Legoshi."
The wolf nodded and the corners of his mouth raised a little.
"It wasn't a problem, you're pretty light. See you later!"
He waved as he exited the room, with Yasui waving in return. Once it was just Yausi and the nurse assistant, Yasui sighed deeply and touched his bandage again. He grumbled to himself,
"Just my luck. I'm as accident prone as usual."
Mishima raised an eyebrow.
"Accident prone?"
Yasui smiled sheepishly.
"Yeah, I'm always accidentally hurting myself. I just seem to have really bad luck or something."
"Is that where you got all those scars from?"
Yasui frowned.
"Which ones?"
"The ones on your torso, like that crescent one below your ribs."
Yasui gave a quiet "aah" of realization before lifting his shirt.
"That's from when I was trying to help my Dad get his tools ready and accidentally dropped a sickle on myself when I was six. He told me not to, but I didn't listen."
"And that burn scar?"
Yasui grinned.
"My brother, Yone, and I decided to make my parents breakfast in bed for their anniversary when I was eight and he was nine. I was trying to make coffee and splashed some of the boiling water on myself."
Mishima whistled.
"Dang, you were right, you must be accident prone. So, where are you from? You mentioned your Dad had a sickle so I'm betting you're from a farming town."
"Yeah, but a village in the mountains, not a town. The town is almost an hour away."
Mishima nodded.
"That's pretty cool. Probably lots of nice scenery around."
"Yeah, but what about you? Are you a doctor here in the city?"
Mishima huffed.
"Well, hopefully someday I will be. At the moment I'm trying to get into medical school. I already did my undergraduate pre med course, but now I need to get into actual medical school. After that, I'll have to get a residency at a hospital until I become a fully fledged surgeon. But, until I get accepted into med school, I'm working here as the nurse's assistant. Dr. Tamura retired from working in a hospital and does this to have something to do, so I'm hoping she can give me a good recommendation that'll give me an edge the next time I register."
Yasui grunted.
"That sounds like a long process. Is it expensive? Becoming a doctor?"
Mishima laughed.
"Ooooh yeah it is. Super expensive. Hence why I'm working until I get in."
Yasui cracked a smile.
"Well, I think you look like a doctor already."
Mishima grinned and stood up.
"Really? I do try to look professional. But, quick question, what are your thoughts on the tie? Too much of one color?"
Yasui frowned and thought about it.
"Maybe. You could try grey or white?"
Mishima let a slow breath hiss from between his teeth before nodding.
"Yeah, probably grey would work better."
Yasui looked down at his hands as he thought about something he had wanted to ask a doctor for a while.
"Uh, Mr. Mishima?"
"Eh, just call me Mishima. I'm only twenty two after all."
"Okay, Mishima. I was wondering. I know you're not, like, a full doctor yet and all, but could you maybe… check to see if there's something wrong with me? Like, for something that's making me so… short."
Mishima pursed his lips.
"Yeah, I was a little surprised to see that you were sixteen when I pulled up your student profile to check your medical info. I mean, I'm no expert, but I can definitely give you a quick once-over to see if I notice anything you might want to have a real doctor, like Dr. Tamura, take a look at."
Yasui relaxed a bit.
"Thanks. I've been worried about this for a few years now. My parents say I'm just a late bloomer, but I'm getting anxious."
Mishima wheeled the curtains over so that Yasui's bed was partitioned off from the rest of the room. He helped Yausi sit up and told him to take off his shirt and pants while he put on his gloves. Once Yasui was sitting mildly uncomfortable in his underwear, Mishima wheeled his chair over again.
"Alright, tilt your head back just a bit. I'm checking your neck to see if I feel anything funky with your thyroid.
Gently, Mishima ran his fingers along the area below Yasui's chin where his head and throat connected. After a few minutes he frowned and gently massaged two points evenly spaced apart and stopped.
"How does that feel?"
"Uh… weird but also kinda nice?"
"Hmm… your thyroids are a little bit large, but they don't seem tender and there's no discomfort. Mind opening wide for me?"
Yasui opened his jaws and Mishima shone a flashlight inside. He pressed down on Yasui's tongue with a flat wooden stick and brought his eyes level with Yasui's maw.
"Hmm… no swelling in the throat at all and no signs of infection or irritation. Woah, weird."
"Guuh?"
"Your teeth are very large and have unusual development. And you have a wider jaw than most foxes I've seen."
He then moved his hands down to check a few more areas around his stomach and sides. Finally he leaned back and sighed.
"I dunno, kid. Last place I can check is ..."
He frowned and gestured vaguely towards Yasui's lower region.
"If it's alright with you, I guess, would you like me to check your… pelvic region?"
Immediately Yasui crossed his legs and covered himself with his tail.
"Uh, why?"
Mishima pursed his lips and vacantly began looking at Yasui's stomach.
"It's just… I'm not feeling anything too odd with your glands and other such things that are the usual culprits when it comes to developmental delay, so the, well, only other thing I could check is to see if there's an issue with your… genitourinary system. An abnormality of the… testes could cause you to not produce enough testosterone. That could be why you haven't fully begun puberty yet. And if it's not that, then I've got nothing. You might just be a late bloomer. A really late one mind you."
Yasui shifted uncomfortably before nodding and slowly sliding off his underwear. He refused to look anywhere near the nurse and instead looked at the ceiling. Fortunately, Mishima appeared to have been training well, and was able to finish his inspection without too much discomfort on Yasui's part, either physical or emotional. Finally, he finished and removed his gloves as Yasui put his clothes back on.
"I don't know what to tell you, Yasui. I can't find anything wrong with you. You seem to be in perfect health."
Yasui huffed.
"There has to be something wrong! I mean, it's not normal to look like a twelve year old forever!"
Mishima patted Yasui's head.
"Chin up, it could be worse."
"How."
Mishima rolled his eyes and walked over to the main desk.
"You could be dead. Think fast!"
Yasui flinched as something hit his stomach. He looked down and saw a lollipop sitting in his lap.
"Try not to get hurt again. And try not to be so upset about your body. So what if you're short? Nothing wrong with that."
Yasui smiled and unwrapped the candy.
"Thanks, Mishima. I'll see you around."
"Hopefully not, because that would mean you had gotten hurt again."
Yasui laughed a bit at that as he left the office. Looking at a clock hanging on the wall, he saw that classes were done for the day.
Ah! I should do that thing I've been meaning to do!
Yasui began to walk towards the middle school where he had met his fellow club mate earlier. He grabbed a paper and pen from the office ladies and wrote a quick note. He began looking around for the same snake as last time. However, he did feel bad that he didn't remember her name.
I remember it was very odd. Like… chewy or something. Oh! It's her!
Ahead he saw the wolf girl from that day as well. She was getting something out of her locker when Yasui approached her. Her fur was still just as brown and kinda curly as he remembered. He waved.
"Hey, uh… June? Was it?"
The wolf turned when he spoke and tilted her head slightly.
"Oh, it's you. That fox from the cooking club. And it's Juno, but you were close. Wait, what happened to your head?"
Yasui glanced up towards where the bandage was and carefully tapped it with his claw.
"This? I got hit by a baseball during PE. The nurse fixed me up though."
"Oh, well I hope it doesn't hurt too much. But, was there anything you needed me for?"
"Yeah, I've been looking for that snake, the one from before. Brown and tan, about this long, kind of an odd name?"
Juno frowned.
"I'm sorry, I don't know who you're talking about. I don't remember talking to a snake anytime, well, at this school at all. I didn't even know one attended here."
Yasui sighed.
"So I'm guessing you don't know where her locker is? I have a note for her."
Juno gave him a sympathetic smile.
"Sorry, I can't help you. Good luck finding her."
"Yeah, thanks."
Yasui groaned and sat down on one of the benches nearby. Some of the passing middle school students gave him odd looks but his childlike appearance seemed to keep them from asking too many questions. He winced as his head throbbed a bit and he gently rubbed the area around it.
Why do I have the sneaking suspicion this cut is going to make my life miserable for a while.
"That looks like it hurts."
Yasui jumped as a quiet voice came from behind and above him. Looking up, he saw that the snake he was looking for was wrapped around one of the pipes along the ceiling. She carefully lowered herself to the ground and gave him her wide eyed gaze.
"Sssorry, I didn't mean to ssstartle you."
"That's okay. I've actually been looking for you."
She grew more interested and leaned her long body towards Yasui a little.
"Oh? Isss it about the club?"
Yasui pulled his note out and offered it to her.
"Yeah, I wrote down my phone number and the schedule, if it works for you that is. I was thinking we could start by meeting Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays after class for a bit until we get a bit more situated."
The snake carefully looped the end of her tail around the paper and slid it into her uniform. Yasui realized just how strange it must be to wear a uniform as a snake, especially because you had to move around on your stomach. She flicked her tongue.
"Thank you. Those timesss do work for me. I'm looking forward to our first official club meeting. Will it be today?"
Yasui shrugged.
"I don't see why not. Wanna head to the club room together?"
The snake nodded.
"Okay. Just let me get my thingsss out of my locker."
She slithered away, careful to keep the clothes section of her body off the ground. Yasui followed suit and watched as she expertly used the tip of her tail to maneuver her lockers open and hook her bag out. It was clearly designed for a snake, it was a long rectangle with two straps wide enough to fit her whole body through. The straps were oriented in such a way that once on it would keep the bag parallel to her body so it wouldn't mess with her balance too much. Even still, adding extra weight to her top section probably was annoying.
"Hey, uh…."
"Chaussette. My name is Chaussette.
"Right, sorry for forgetting. Anyway, I was wondering if I could carry your bag for you?"
She fixed him with a slightly hurt look.
"Sorry if this is rude, but I don't like being pitied. I'm just a snake, not helpless."
"I know, it just seems like a real pain to try to balance with that thing on you. And as your club president and upperclassman, it's my duty to help you out however I can. Also, my Dad told me that if a girl was ever carrying something heavy, that I should offer to carry it for her so I could be a gentleman."
She flicked her tongue again and her expression relaxed.
"Fine, you can carry my bag. Just because you're trying to be a good president. I don't like it when other people pity me because I'm a sssnake."
Yasui nodded.
"I can understand that. I used to be even more small and frail than I am now so people looked down on me too."
Yasui accepted the bag and slung it across his shoulders. It was a little too wide for him, but it was manageable. As they traveled to the club room, Chaussette asked,
"Ssso, how did you hurt your head?"
"Baseball accident. From PE."
"Doesss it hurt?"
"…Yeah."
"Maybe we need to get ice for it?"
Yasui shrugged.
"I already did at the nurse's office but it all melted."
This awkward smalltalk continued until they reached the club room. Yasui unlocked the door and flipped the lights on. Everything was the way they had left it, the layer of dust included. Yasui frowned.
"I guess the first club activity we'll do is trying to get this place back into some sort of useability."
Chaussette nodded.
"Okay, I'll go get a broom."
Together they managed to get the room clean and neat faster than expected. Within the hour they were done and looking out over their work. Yasui wiped his forehead and hummed in satisfaction.
"Wow, this place is looking nice! Good work, Chaussette."
The snake looked down at the floor and would have blushed if her scales would have allowed it.
"Oh, I really didn't do that much. It wasss mainly you."
"We'll just have to settle on it being a group effort. Now then, on to the matter of actually cooking. Hopefully I can get some groceries and find some easy recipes by Friday, that way we can start functioning like a club should. Any particular food you want to make?"
Chaussette held the tip of her tail up to her chin as she tightened the coil of her long body a bit.
"Well, anything that'ssss not too hard to chew. My jaw isss not made for chewing, ssso I prefer sssoft foodsss."
Yasui nodded.
"That makes sense. We'll have to bake a cake sometime, that's nice and soft."
Chaussette beamed.
"Oh! I love cake! It'sss my favorite! Essspecially Rexmasss Cake."
Yasui laughed.
"Noted. Rexmas Cake it is."
They spent a few more minutes chatting before deciding to call it quits for the day and heading their separate directions. Chaussette made her way back to her dorm room, staying out of sight and off the main floor as often as possible, mainly to avoid getting stepped on by larger animals like elephants or rhinos. Once in her room, she relaxed as she saw two of her roommates lounging around various locations. Unlike most other rooms, the room for snakes had all the female snakes currently in attendance rooming together, regardless of age. This was mainly due to the fact that there were four of them in total.
Light steam hung in the air as a humidifier ran in one corner. As Chaussette slid her bag off her body, the oldest of the girls who was a second year in high school glanced over at her.
"Hi, Chaussette. How wasss your club?"
Chaussette smiled and began unpacking her bag.
"Really good, honessstly. It'sss a sssmall club, but I don't get treated like a cripple becaussse of my sssspeciesss which isss nice."
Her other roommate sighed and flipped the page of her textbook with her tail.
"Mussst be. Hopefully they don't ssstare at you becaussse of your body. I hate when that happensss."
Chaussette grew a little embarrassed and avoided looking at her roommates.
"Well, that'sss the thing… my other club mate… the first time we met, he sssaid he thought my ssscalesss were… pretty."
Her older roommate gave her a devious look.
"Well well well, sssomebody sssure knowsss how to find the right club. I don't think I've ever had sssomebody else who wasn't a sssnake tell me something like that. Isss he nice?"
Chaussette thought for a moment before pulling the note Yasui had given her out and reading.
Dear Cooking Club Member,
Sorry that it's taken me so long to get back to you after you joined, but I finally have a phone! (Yay!) Now you can text me whenever you want, whether it's about club stuff or even if you need someone with skinny arms to get stuff for you out of small places. (That was supposed to be a joke, but now I realize it was pretty bad.) Anyway, I hope you enjoy being in this club. I look forward to being friends with you. Your buddy and president, Yasui.
(PS. Sorry about the weird letter, my head is a bit fuzzy right now.)
Chaussette laughed a bit.
"Yesss, I think he's very nice."