Chapter 14: The First Step.
Yasui had just finished his second day of work at Cafe Lapin. He was beginning to feel like he was getting the hang of it, but he still felt like a screw up after messing some things up. Today he worked with a male parrot named Marco as well as Mr. Nabuyo. Marco was pretty much the polar opposite of Mimi when it came to his appearance and voice. He was bright red with colorful accent feathers and his voice was chipper and bubbly. However, he also said some of the most unhinged things to Yasui with that happy voice of his, causing Yasui to feel like each word out of that beak had the potential to be a verbal sucker punch. Only an hour into his shift, Yasui had dropped a cup and Marco's response was to simply say "oh, you killed it! Poor little guy."
Now it was closing time, and Yasui was sitting with Marco as Mr. Nabuyo finished with the money. Yasui rubbed his eyes and sighed, causing Marco to ask,
"Ya-ya-Yasui, how ya feeling? Long shift?"
"Yeah, I'm pretty tired right now."
Marco smiled sweetly and slapped Yasui's shoulders the way his brother Yone used to.
"Well soon you'll feel tired and sad all the time! Just like me!"
Yasui whimpered slightly at that. Nabuyo came walking out from the back room rubbing his back and grunting in discomfort.
"Sorry about the delay fellas, little problem with the count is all. But I figured out the issue. Did you take all the trash out?"
Marco pointed his thumb at himself and laughed,
"No, I'm still here sir."
Nabuyo just shook his head and smirked a little.
"Marco, Yasui's gonna think you're crazy if you don't tone that talk down a bit."
Marco elbowed Yasui's arm and grinned.
"Aw, don't worry, I'm at least mostly stable. The voices haven't told me to hurt anyone in weeks!"
Yasui faked a smile.
"Yeah… ha ha… haaa."
Nabuyo grunted as he locked the door after they all walked outside.
"Well, I'm off. You boys got any plans?"
Marco checked his watch.
"Hmmm, it's only eight thirty. I'll probably grab some food on my way back home. That way I'll still be able to wallow in self loathing before staring into the abyss as I slip further into madness. Welp, g'night you party animals! Don't have too much fun!"
Nabuyo sighed and shook his head before waving to Yasui.
"Goodnight, Yasui. I'll text you sometime soon to see about getting you on the permanent schedule."
"Okay, thanks Mr. Nabuyo!"
Yasui had a quiet, uneventful walk back to Cherryton in the early twilight of the city. As he reached the top of the hill he looked out over the bay and stopped to let the breeze flow across his face.
It is pretty here, once you get away from all the buildings and such. The ocean is beautiful.
Yasui shuddered as he remembered his near death experience in the ocean just a few days ago.
"Yeah, beautiful… and dangerous."
And with that, he turned and marched back into school. Once he had checked back in with the dorm mother, Yasui went to the cafeteria where he hoped his request from earlier today had been honored.
(The same day, just after lunch.)
Yasui walked around to the back of the cafeteria and looked to see if any of the cafeteria workers were around. Sure enough, one was busy throwing bags of garbage into the dumpster. The worker, a slender beagle of medium build, had his back to Yasui as he approached.
"Uh, excuse me?"
The beagle paused and turned to face Yasui.
"Can I help you?"
"Yes, uh, I was wondering if there was a way that you could save me something to eat for dinner tonight? I have work until after eight, so I can't easily get anything. If you can't, that's fine, I understand."
The beagle scratched his chin and frowned.
"I'll see what I can do. Check the box by this back door here, we use it to store lost items and whatever."
Yasui smiled and bowed to the worker.
"Thank you very much, I appreciate it greatly."
(Present moment.)
Yasui opened the box and saw a paper bag with a crude drawing of a fox on it. He was willing to bet it was for him. Yasui took the bag and sat down at one of the benches nearby so he could enjoy the pleasant evening air. Inside the bag was a container that, when opened, revealed a neat little bento box with rice, veggies, and bean dumplings.
"Nice! I'll have to write that guy a thank you card."
Yasui ate his food slowly, enjoying the opportunity to sit down after his work all afternoon. Once finished, Yasui returned the bag and it's now empty contents to the box by the door before returning to his room. As he was getting changed out of his work clothes, Yasui saw that two of his roommates were hanging around in different corners. One was a grey fox who tended to hang around with the one roommates whose name Yausi still didn't know but who was the most blatant in his bullying. The other was the largest of the roommates, a tall and muscular red fox who had never spoken to Yasui at all. The grey fox was on his phone sitting on his bed, but the big one was sitting on the floor with a textbook open in front of him and a notebook on his lap. As Yasui watched, the red fox looked from textbook to notebook and muttered a stream of vulgarity before erasing something. Yasui recognized the text as the same chemistry book he had on his shelf. Yasui gulped and bit his lip.
Should I talk to him? Maybe I can offer to help out? But he might not like that. He might think I was showing off! Ooooooh….
[Yasui approached the larger fox and nervously offered to help.
"H-hey! Want some help?"
The boy didn't even look up and simply sucker punched him where the sun didn't shine.]
Yasui shivered and reflexively closed his legs a bit.
I thought I told myself I wasn't going to imagine scenarios that just hurt my feelings anymore. But, I should be sure to play it cool.
Yasui finished smoothing out his shirt and shuffled closer to the red fox.
"H-hey. Chemistry, huh?"
The larger boy flicked his gaze up to him but other than that ignored him. Yasui stayed silent before coughing.
"Yeah, it's a bit of a pain. Are you doing those molecular diagrams too?"
The other boy nodded and continued to work in silence. Yasui moved to his side so he could look at the problem he was stuck on. They had to show the process of one molecule changing into another, and diagram the steps. This problem was a particularly long diagram, and apparently he couldn't get the final answer he was getting to match the described one in the book. Yasui looked over the work a few times and couldn't figure out why it wasn't working.
"That's… weird."
The other boy shot him a look but kept ignoring him. Yasui continued, he was in the zone now.
"It should be correct. You did it right, it's just… oh! That's it!"
Yasui pointed to a small smudge on the paper and taped it.
"You just didn't get that erased well enough, so you're misreading what it actually is."
The other boy looked at it and slowly read back down the page. He blinked and muttered,
"Huh, you're right."
He erased the smudge and quickly corrected the error it had caused. He checked his answer and nodded.
"Nice. Thanks."
Yasui nodded and walked back to his bed.
"Don't mention it. I'm Yasui, by the way."
The large fox hesitated a moment before replying.
"Juzo."
The grey fox snickered and gave Yasui a sly look.
"Hey pipsqueak, don't you have someone else to bother? Your girly ass voice is annoying me."
Yasui frowned and pulled the curtains across his bed as the grey fox chuckled at his joke.
Is it just me or are they getting worse.
Friday came and went the same as most Fridays, very slowly because everyone was looking forward to the weekend. Surprisingly enough, Shinrai once again joined Yasui at his table in the corner. As he sat down, Yasui gave him a confused look.
"Hmph? *gulp* Shinrai?"
The squirrel set his tray down and pulled a napkin out of his pocket.
"Yo, Yasui. Heh, that kinda sounds funny. Yo-yo-Yasui, that could be your rapper name."
"What are you doing here?"
Shinrai raised an eyebrow.
"Uh… eating lunch with my friend."
"I get that, but you usually sit with your other friends during lunch, that rabbit and alpaca."
Shinrai huffed.
"They got back into this card game they like and I can't really play with them. So they're busy playing it during the whole lunch break and I honestly just don't like it, not really my jam you know?"
"Oh… what game is it?"
Shinrai made a face.
"Yugomons, I never got into it myself, but they're crazy for it. Also, the card packs can be pretty pricey. It's not a problem for them because their parents give them a lot of cash, but I don't exactly get money except for on birthdays or holidays. And sometimes my parents will give me a little money to go see a movie or whatever."
Yasui nodded.
"I understand. My dad and brother used to play poker with some other guys in the village, and I never enjoyed it. Mainly because I suck at lying."
Shinrai used his fork to remove something he found unappealing from his food before replying.
"Same, but I just always forgot all the possible card combo things. Like flushes and runners or whatever."
"Yeah, that too."
Shinrai took out his phone and asked,
"So, are we moving the study group tonight? Tao said he has some club things he has to do today."
Yasui gasped.
"Oh crud! I completely forgot about that! I have a club meeting too."
Shinrai shrugged.
"Eh, we'll reschedule I guess. Oh wait, I need to add you to the group chat. Let's see if after dinner works for everyone."
They each took a bite of food before Shinrai spoke through a mouthful.
"Hey Yasui, if you could choose to become any animal, what would you want to become?"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"Like, if you got the chance to be a different species, which would you choose?"
Yasui thought for a moment.
"Well… maybe some sort of bird. That way I could fly."
"Solid choice. For me, I'd want to become something big and strong. Like a tiger! Or a wolf!"
Yasui grimaced.
"Yeah, I wouldn't mind being bigger and stronger too. Being the runt gets old fast. But what made you ask me that? Trying to make a magic potion or something?"
Shinrai rolled his eyes.
"No, you big goof. I just started watching this new anime and it made me think about it."
Yasui could tell Shinrai wanted to talk about it, so he took the bait.
"Really? What's the show?"
Shinrai's eyes gleamed with excitement and he leaned closer to Yasui.
"It's called How I Got Reincarnated As A Tiger. It's about this mouse who gets hit by a car and ends up getting sent to a fantasy world, except now he's a tiger! So he still acts like a mouse and all, but he's this huge, powerful hero with awesome magic powers and stuff."
"That's an interesting plot for a story. I bet it'd be really weird to suddenly be a different species."
"Yeah! He sees this female tiger who's all like 'dang he's hot for real!' But he's all like 'aaah! Big scary carnivore! Run away!' The funniest part is he goes to a bathroom and you just hear him yell 'Holy crap! It's as big as my whole body used to be!'"
Shinrai fell into a laughing fit at that and Yasui politely joined in. Shinrai recollected himself and shook his head.
"It's pretty funny, we should watch it sometime."
"I'd like that, I still haven't ever really watched any anime."
Shinrai gasped.
"I completely forgot about that! Then we should start with a good beginner show, like Totalsteel Chemist or Dragon's Claw B. Those are both classics."
Yasui grinned.
"I'd like that. Maybe we can start one of those this Sunday afternoon?"
Shinrai gave him a double thumbs up.
"I'll let you know what my schedule will be!"
The end of lunch chime sounded, warning everyone that classes resumed in a few minutes. The two went their separate ways as every student of Cherryton pushed through the final few classes they had and came out the other side to the start of the weekend. Friends met up to go to the mall or to grab a snack, clubs scrambled to begin their various activities, and the boys of room 701 were no different. Currently, Miguno and Durham were discussing a rock concert they had tickets for this Saturday while Collot and Voss played a game. Jack was changing out of his uniform as Legoshi walked in. The boys greeted him as he walked over to his bunk and started putting his things away. Jack bumped his shoulder.
"Hey-hey Legoshi! I thought you had a drama club meeting today?"
Legoshi stifled a yawn and nodded.
"Yeah, but it's just about our plans for the Festival of the Meteor. So we're starting just a bit later because the different department heads have a meeting beforehand. Figured I'd drop my bag off and see if there were any plans for later."
Jack folded his arms and thought.
"Well, it is starting to get really warm out, so maybe we could go to the pool before dinner? It's been ages since we last did that."
Collot grinned.
"That sounds like fun! I'll borrow my friend's beach ball and we can play some keepaway or something."
Durham snickered and jostled Miguno's shoulder.
"Maybe we could invite some other people so poor Miguno here isn't permanently the one having the ball kept away from him."
Miguno gave a play growl and scowled.
"It's not my fault I'm a weak swimmer! My parents never took me to the pool as a kid!"
Durham laughed before snapping his fingers as an idea entered his head.
"I know! Legoshi can invite his little buddy!"
Everybody looked at Legoshi who just gave the smaller boy a blank look.
"Uh… who?"
"You know, Frisbee. Your little friend. That fox who looks like a little kid."
Legoshi pursed his lips.
"Oh, you mean Yasui? I'm pretty sure he's more Jack's friend than mine, and I don't really know if he'd want to. But what made you think of him?"
Durham grinned.
"Because he could be your Voss."
At the mention of his name, the fennec fox gave Durham a skeptical look.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Miguno interjected.
"You know, a little friend to hang out on your shoulder. I wish I had a Voss."
Collot scratched his head.
"Uh… you could probably just ask Voss to hang out with you. He doesn't always have to ride on my shoulder, I don't mind."
Voss crossed his arms and leaned over a bit.
"Oh no! I am never getting a ride from Miguno ever again!"
The hyena winced.
"I said I was sorry."
Jack held a hand up.
"Okay, time out. What happened?"
Voss shot Miguno a dirty look to which Miguno replied.
"Well… you remember that biology project we had to do last year? Where we had to go to a botanical garden and sketch some exotic flowers?"
Jack nodded.
"Uh-huh."
"Well, me and Voss decided to work on ours together. So we caught a bus out to one on the edge of the city, and we did the project together. But, uh, we forgot to keep track of the time and I realized we were going to miss our bus. So I told him we needed to hurry and dead sprinted for the bus. And… I kinda… forgot Voss."
Voss glowered.
"With how short my legs are, I missed the bus. The last bus of the day in case you were wondering."
Jack sucked in a breath and gave Voss a sympathetic look.
"Oh no. What did you do?"
The fennec fox pouted as Miguno averted his eyes.
"The only thing I could do. I walked to the next bus station that had later buses. It took me over an hour to get there and another half hour to get back to school."
Miguno was thoroughly embarrassed now, and Collot reached up to gently pat the tiny vulpine's back.
"Don't worry, bud. I'll never forget you anywhere."
Legoshi shook his head and headed towards the door.
"Alright, well, I'm going to my club meeting now. See you all in a bit."
As Legoshi was walking down the hall, he passed by a room where the door was ajar. Looking at the number, he saw that it was Yasui's room, Room 704. Legoshi frowned.
Well, maybe I should invite him. Just to be polite.
He poked his head into the room and saw the bunk labeled "Yasui" was the top one right next to the door. However, a grey fox Legoshi assumed was one of Yasui's roommates was up the ladder rooting around for something with his back to him. The fox grumbled.
"Come on, that little freak has to have some cash stored somewhere. Where is it?"
The fox leaned back out onto the ladder holding a wallet.
"Haha! Jackpot! Let's see what we have."
Legoshi scowled and awkwardly interjected.
"H-Hey! What are you doing!"
The fox jumped and fell off the ladder. He swore and spun around to face Legoshi. He immediately shrank back a bit at the imposing size of the wolf but snarled nonetheless.
"What the hell! Why are you barging into my room without permission!"
Legoshi pointed at the wallet.
"That… that's not yours. You should put it back."
The grey fox tilted his chin up and sneered.
"It is mine, you idiot. Now get lost."
Legoshi shifted uncomfortably.
Oh man… I was hoping he would just put it back if he got caught. What should I do? I really don't want to start a fight or anything, but I can't just let him steal. At least, I think he's stealing. Somebody please help me!
Just then, like an angel sent to answer his prayer, Jack came trotting up to him.
"Hey Legoshi! You forgot your phone! I, uh, hold up. What's going on?"
Legoshi turned to look the Labrador and pointed at the grey fox.
"I-I was walking past and the door was open. I saw this guy in Yasui's bunk and... he stole his wallet!"
The fox growled, showing his fangs.
"I already told you it's mine! Now screw off!"
Jack's eyes went wide.
"No it isn't, I've seen that wallet before. Yasui was showing me his family photo he keeps in there! Put that back!"
The fox's excuse was cut short as the combined shouts of Legoshi and Jack drew more boys to poke their heads in. As word spread, accusatory looks and remarks of "thief" began spreading like wildfire. Soon animals started to call for someone to get the dorm mother before the grey fox growled in anger before throwing the wallet at Legoshi. Legoshi flinched but still managed to catch the wallet as it bounced off his chest.
"Fine! Take the stupid wallet! I was just borrowing it anyway! I didn't even actually take anything!"
Legoshi looked down at the small item in his hands and blinked a few times.
It's so small in my hands, like a toy. It feels weird to have this.
He flipped it open and sure enough there was a picture of Yasui with his family in the front of it. Soon the dorm mother was summoned and Legoshi joined Jack as they walked away. Jack smiled and pat Legoshi on the elbow.
"Nice job catching him, Legoshi. I'm sure Yasui will be grateful."
Legoshi nodded.
"Yeah, I can't believe his own roommate was trying to take stuff from him. That's terrible."
Jack sighed.
"Well, unfortunately that fox in there seems to live up to the stereotypes. I bet Yasui will be surprised to hear about this."
Legoshi frowned.
"Well… he might not be. He told me that he got bullied a lot, so he might have been talking about his roommates."
Jack's ears drooped and a sad look came over his normally cheerful face.
"Oh… poor guy."
"Yeah, he said it's because he's so small and weak. Apparently it's why he never really had any friends back home. Just his family."
Legoshi looked back at the picture and tilted it so Jack could see.
"Hey, look at them all. They all look really… I dunno… cute maybe?"
Jack grinned.
"Well, with that many siblings around he definitely never got lonely. You used to talk about how much you wanted a big family when we were kids."
"I did? Huh, I don't remember that."
Jack slapped his friend's back and laughed.
"That's my Lego-boy. You always have your head in the clouds!"
Legoshi shrugged.
"Anyway, we should give this to Yasui in person. He'll probably want to hear about what happened."
Jack pulled out his phone and opened his contacts.
"Yeah, I'll shoot him a text real quick. Gimme a sec."
Meanwhile, Yasui was walking towards the room where the Cooking Club met. He slowed his pace as his phone buzzed. Looking down he saw a message appear.
J: Hiya Yasui! This is Jack
Yasui swiped on the phone screen to open it and typed his reply.
Y: Hello. Did you want to tell me something?
Crap, that sounded awkward. I really need to get used to this whole texting thing.
J: actually yes
J: we have your wallet (long story) and want to know how to give it back to you
Y: Just leave it with you guys. I'll drop by your room later and pick it up. But why exactly do you have it?
J: well one of your roommates was trying to steal it but Legoshi stopped them
Yasui reread that sentence a few more times. He then typed and deleted several replies before deciding on one he liked.
Y: What happened to the thief?
J: dunno
J: last i saw the dorm mother was getting involved so he definitely is in hot water
Y: Yikes. Well tell Legoshi I said thanks. I'm heading to my club now so I can't do it immediately.
J: haha no worries
J: Legoshi has club too
There was a delay before a new text came through
J: btw do you want to come to the pool with us later
J: like right after your club is done
Yasui sighed. He did want to go hang out with Jack and the other guys, but he had agreed to have the study group after his club meeting. Shinrai had texted him to confirm it only an hour before.
Y: I really wish I could, but I have this study group that meets on Fridays. I already promised I'd be there.
J: hey no prob i was just checking to see
J: well have fun at your club
Yasui frowned as he considered what had been said. He wondered which roommate it was that had tried to steal from him.
Whatever, I'll deal with that later. For now, I need to think about cooking.
As Yasui approached the club room. He saw a familiar male gorilla standing by the door wearing a visitor's pass. Yasui waved. It had completely slipped his mind that Charles had said he was going to drop off some stuff to help Yasui get some more cooking practice.
"Oh, hi Mr. Charles. I forgot you were dropping off a few things today."
The gorilla nodded, as stern and serious as ever.
"Yes, and I'll be inspecting everything I can to be sure it all functions correctly."
"Well, come on in. I hope I didn't leave you waiting too long."
Charles shook his head as Yausi unlocked the door.
"No, I was only waiting a few minutes. Also, Miss Diana sends her regards and is very excited to be going shopping with you tomorrow. She's already started looking into fashion trends for teenage boys this season."
Yasui smiled bashfully.
"Wow, she really likes clothes, huh?"
"Indeed. In another life she might have been a designer."
"Yeah, she said something like that once. Well, uh, welcome to the club room. We just cleaned it Wednesday so it's nice and not dusty anymore."
Charles slowly strode around with his arms clasped behind his back. He walked past the main counter and traced a finger across it before inspecting to see if he had gathered any dirt. He then opened the oven and looked inside. Finally, he examined the stovetop, turning both burners on and holding his hand above them to measure the heat. Satisfied, he nodded.
"Good. It might not be fancy, but it's functional. That's all that matters. Wait here a moment."
Charles left and returned shortly with a basket. Inside were some basic ingredients as well as a binder. Charles handed Yasui the binder before starting to put the ingredients in their proper storage area. Yasui opened the binder to see that it was filled with detailed recipes, all of which were divided into three main sections labeled beginner, intermediate, and advanced. Each section then was divided into categories for soups, sandwiches, desserts, and so on.
"Wow, this is amazing. How long did it take you to make this?"
"Not terribly long. I just copied some of my original recipe book into that one."
As Yasui was flipping through it, the door opened and in slithered Chaussette. She flicked her tongue and greeted Yasui.
"Good afternoon, Yasssui. I apologize for being late."
Yasui smiled at her.
"Hi, Chaussette. No worries, you're really not late. I only just got here myself."
She looked past him towards Charles and asked.
"Oh? Who isss that?"
"Ah, my bad. Chaussette, this is Mr. Charles. Mr. Charles, this is Chaussette."
Charles stepped forward and offered her his hand, placing it where she could easily reach it with her tail.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Chaussette. You know, you remind me of a Burmese python I met who made the best aloo patar I've ever eaten."
Chaussette nodded and looped her tail around his massive hand and shook it.
"The pleasssure isss all mine, sir. Are you helping out with the club?"
He shook his head.
"Not in any official capacity. I'm just dropping off a few things to help you get started."
Yasui gave Chaussette a double thumbs up.
"He's going to make sure we don't kill ourselves or anyone else with our cooking!"
Charles winced.
"I sincerely hope I accomplish that. Now then, how about you pick something easy out of that book to make and I'll observe and give directions as needed."
Yasui and Chaussette voiced their agreement before gathering around the binder. There was a brief bit of deliberation before they decided on one and showed it to Charles. The burly great ape nodded sagely.
"Excellent choice. I created that variation of the dish myself and am very proud of it. Now, show me what you can do."
As they awkwardly set about preparing the food, Charles gave them pointers on such things as how to hold the knives properly, the best way to hold what they were cutting (especially in the case of Chaussette who had to get creative with her tail sometimes), and how to not stumble over each other in the kitchen. It took a little bit for them to hit their stride, but eventually they were getting comfortable cooking together. Once they finished preparing the food, they presented it to Charles who tried a bite and gave them an approving thumbs up.
"Very well done, especially for a first attempt. You can store these in the fridge and do whatever you want to with them once we're done. For now, I have a few more tips and tricks to share."
As they followed Charles to the pantry, Chaussette asked Yasui.
"What are you going to do with your sssshare of the food?"
Yasui thought for a moment.
"Well… I have an idea."
(Later that day)
Jack, Legoshi, and the other boys of Room 701 were making their way back to their dorm, with wet towels around themselves leaving small puddles of water with each step. They continued to joke and laugh as they reached their room and began to finish drying off and changing out of their swimwear. As they did, Jack noticed something and went to investigate. Legoshi saw his best friend suddenly lean over his bed and stand back up holding a plate covered with a layer of tinfoil.
"Hey, Legoshi. What's this?"
Legoshi walked over and frowned.
"Uh… I'm not sure. It wasn't there when we left."
Jack looked back and noticed a folded up piece of paper with a crude drawing of a fox on it. Upon unfolding it, he saw it was a note.
"Let's see… 'Dear,' wait, no that's crossed out. 'Greetings, Legoshi. Thanks for getting my wallet back. I really appreciate you helping me like that. You're a good friend. As thanks, I want you to have these. I made them myself, so I really hope they're good. I might be the president of the cooking club, but I'm not all that good at cooking yet. Hope you enjoy them! Your friend, Yasui.' Aw, that was nice of him."
Durham grinned.
"I told you he's your little buddy! You have a Voss too!"
Voss gave him a glare as Collot clasped Legoshi by the shoulder.
"Well, don't leave us waiting. What is it?"
Legoshi unwrapped the plate and gasped.
"No way!"
Everyone looked at the plate before laughing as Legoshi immediately began devouring the food. Jack elbowed Legoshi.
"Egg salad sandwiches. What are the odds?"
Miguno howled in laughter.
"Maybe he's stalking you? How else would you explain it?"
Voss piped up.
"Are they good?"
Legoshi nodded with his mouth packed full.
"Oh yeah, *gulp* definitely top three. What did he add to give them that little kick? Maybe some type of special pepper or something."
Jack snickered.
"Hey, Legoshi. Any chance you could let me have one?"
Legoshi looked sheepishly down at the platter that had been mounded with sandwiches just moments before. He had already made a sizable dent in it. Slowly he lowered it towards Jack. Meanwhile Yasui was about to pull his fur out across campus as his study group had accomplished practically nothing the entire time. As soon as they had all sat down, Shiro the doberman had asked.
"So, I gotta know. Anybody gonna ask somebody to go to the Festival of the Meteor with them?"
He looked at both Yasui and Shinrai who both shook their heads. Tenbe ignored him, and Tao looked down at his claws before grinning a bit.
"Well… there is a girl I kinda want to ask, but I probably won't."
Shiro leaned in close.
"Really? Why not? Who is she?"
"Well… she's in the same club as me and she's a year older. But she's a total ten, you know? Like, holy crap. She has it all."
"Yeaaaaaaaah dude! Why don't you ask her?"
Tao leaned back in his seat.
"Oh, you know, trying to play it cool. She said she likes more serious types. At least, that's what I heard. You know, the strong, silent type."
Shinrai joined in.
"So… girls like more serious, quiet guys?"
Shiro nodded.
"I've heard that too. The type that just sit there… brooding."
From there it all devolved even further. By the end of it, they had only barely gotten any actual work done. As they went their separate ways, Yasui crossed his arms and huffed.
What a waste of time! Why did I even bother!
"Uh-oh. Somebody's in a bad mood."
Yasui flinched and looked down to see Shinrai had joined him.
"Oh, hi Shinrai."
"Mhm, hi yourself. Gonna tell me what's wrong?"
Yasui shrugged.
"Nothing really. Just a little… peeved."
"Aboooooout?"
Yasui huffed.
"We didn't really do anything! You all just messed around the whole time. It was a complete waste of time."
Shinrai looked a little crestfallen at that.
"Oh, I thought we were all having fun."
Yasui sighed and rubbed his shoulder.
"Not really. I don't like when guys all talk about… girls, and stuff like that. I just feel… awkward and kinda uncomfortable."
"Why didn't you say anything? If I'd have known you were feeling uncomfortable I'd have brought up a different topic."
"I don't like confrontation."
Shinrai frowned a bit before patting his friend on the back.
"I get it. Sorry you were uncomfortable. Honestly, I should have been able to tell. You do have some pretty obvious tells."
Yasui gave him a confused look.
"I have… tells?"
"Well, yeah. It's just some stuff I've noticed. Like, whenever you're nervous or scared you tend to bite your thumb. When you're feeling all awkward you always rub your right shoulder and only your right shoulder. And when you're excited you wag your tail. Pretty basic stuff."
"Wow, you're observant!"
Shinrai bashfully looked at his shoes.
"Well… I try to be. Mainly just because I used to be the exact opposite. I was so massively oblivious to social cues and all that stuff that my teachers had me go to a counselor to learn how to pick that stuff up. Super embarrassing."
Yasui frowned.
"Well now I feel bad because I don't really know if you have any tells."
Shinrai puffed his chest out.
"That's because I'm a squirrel of mystery."
Upon returning to his dorm, Yasui was informed about the roommate situation by the dorm mother. Apparently the offending vulpine was found to have a large stash of stolen goods hidden in his possessions, and as such had been summarily expelled. Every room was all abuzz with speculation and rumors about the whole mess that was discovered as stolen items were slowly being returned to their owners. Once Yasui retrieved his wallet from Legoshi and his roommates, he did his best to avoid being noticed by either his roommates or any nosey boys who were snooping around to see if they could hear any juicy details. He was glad he had plans to be off campus tomorrow.
Saturday morning, he texted Miss Diana as soon as he could get ready and was waiting for her by the school gates around ten. The now somewhat familiar black car pulled up and the pristinely groomed leopard waved to him from the back seat. Yasui got in and Diana immediately smiled.
"I can't tell you how excited I am. The last time I actually went out to shop for clothes was… well… I can't actually remember."
Yasui cocked his head at her as he buckled his seatbelt.
"Really? Then where do you get your clothes from?"
She crossed one leg over the other and sipped from a small glass of something situated beside her.
"My tailor makes house calls."
"Oh. That explains why your clothes always look perfect for you."
Diana covered her mouth and laughed a little.
"Why thank you! I must admit, a part of me likes keeping you around just because I love how you compliment me all the time."
Yasui blushed a little and adjusted his collar.
"I meant more that your clothes are the right size and all that. I've always just worn my brother's hand-me-downs. That's why they're so baggy."
Diana steepled her fingers and looked him up and down.
"Yes, I can see that. Is he much larger than you?"
Yasui laughed a bit at that and rubbed his neck.
"Honestly, everyone but my youngest sister is. And I bet by the time I go back home she'll be taller than me. They try not to say it to my face, but I'm a runt."
Diana gave him a soft smile.
"Don't put yourself down like that. I can guarantee you see yourself as weaker and smaller than you actually are. I mean, you're a farm boy, right?"
Yasui nodded and she continued.
"Well I know for a fact I couldn't do that. All that mud and dirt and… well I guarantee I wouldn't last a day doing that."
She paused before leaning forward a bit.
"My word! What did you do to your face?"
Yasui was at a loss for words for a moment before realizing what she was talking about.
"Oh! You mean my bruise?"
She nodded.
"Yeah, I got hit by a baseball during PE. Fortunately the school nurse gave me some ice to put on it so it didn't swell up too bad."
"Still, it looks painful. And it's quite large."
Yasui laughed.
"I know, right! It's pretty impressive!"
Diana shook her head and gave him a similar look to the one his mother would give him whenever he accidentally got his clean clothes dirty while watching his youngest sisters. She let it lie though, and changed topics.
"So Charles tells me your first foray into cooking went well."
"Yeah, he's a good teacher!"
Out of the corner of his eye, Yasui could have sworn he saw the faintest trace of a proud smile touch the stern ape's mouth. Diana clasped her hands together.
"Wonderful! I'm glad it's all going well. The big day is only a little less than two weeks away."
Yasui gulped.
"Yeah, I kinda wish I had more time."
Yasui took the time to look more directly at his… friend. It still felt weird to call an adult his friend. Like it was a little disrespectful or something. But as he looked, he noticed just how differently she was dressed today. He pointed to her clothes.
"Wow, you look… different."
She beamed at him.
"I know, I'm trying to not draw attention to myself. What do you think? Too casual? Dated?"
She was wearing a black shirt with some words in English Yasui didn't understand with dark blue jeans. Over it all was a thin olive green jacket she kept unzipped to show off the shirt's design. Yasui nodded.
"Cool! You look cool! What's the shirt say? I don't recognize the words."
She looked down.
"Oh this? It's just an old band I used to listen to in college. I got this at one of their concerts."
"Was it in America?"
"Yes, I attended college in America."
Yasui mouthed the word "wow" and began to interrogate her.
"What's it like there?"
"Very different from here, but also somewhat similar. Of all the places I've traveled in my life, America is one of the few I would consider living in."
"What's the strangest thing about America?"
She pursed her lips.
"Hmm… that's tricky. But probably just how big it is. If you wanted to drive from one side to the other, it would take you days and days to do so."
The idea of a place that huge didn't even compute in Yasui's brain. He thought the trip from his home to Cherryton had been long, but to drive for days and days! Yasui asked one final question.
"How was the food?"
"Oh, quite good actually! I had expected to be disgusted by the food there, that it was all just cheap fast food or whatever, but there were a lot of really interesting dishes to try. I was pleasantly surprised."
Yasui was staring at her in awe.
"That is so cool. I wish I could go to America some day. I read about how some people go there on vacation and visit all the different places there called the "National Parks" and the "Monuments." Did you see those?"
"Some of them. I visited the Grand Canyon, Redwood National Park, Yellowstone, Jellystone, and a few others. And yes, I did visit the monuments. They were interesting in their own way."
She looked at him again before leaning closer.
"Oh, Yasui. You have a bit of a… hmm… I think there's some fur sticking up by your ear."
Yasui reached up and felt around before realizing what she was talking about.
"Oh that? That's my sprout. It just does that."
"Your what?"
"That's what my Mom called it. It's just this weird bit of my fur that pokes up like that."
She hesitated before gesturing towards it.
"May I?"
"Good luck. Nothing can tame it."
She carefully took a small brush from a kit that was hidden in the back seat and tried to smooth the rebellious fuzz down. As soon as she did, it popped right back up again. She applied a little more force this time but to no avail. After a few minutes of fighting with it she huffed.
"Well… I surrender. It's just… oh it's going to bother me all day."
Yasui touched it again.
"Yeah, it's always just this one spot. I don't know why but it is."
"It wouldn't be so bad if there was more than just one. That's what makes it noticeable."
She seemed to realize how that sounded and added.
"Not that it looks bad or anything."
She cleared her throat and continued.
"So, did you bring your money? I know you said you wouldn't let me just buy you everything."
"Yeah, I got it right here. Mr. Nabuyo sent me my pay in the mail on Friday. Apparently we get paid every other week, and I just started on the pay week."
"What's the pay rate?"
"Right now it's around eight-hundred and twenty yen an hour, but Mr. Nabuyo said that's just the starting salary. Apparently I can get a raise pretty soon if I stick with it. So since I worked for eight hours I made six-thousand five hundred and sixty yen."
Yasui grinned and held up the envelope.
"This is more money than I've ever held in my life! I don't think my family will see this much money in a couple months! Let alone eight hours!"
Diana smiled ruefully.
"Well, everything is more expensive here. So jobs have to pay more. So how much did you bring with you?"
Yasui opened the envelope and handed her the check inside.
"All of it."
"Uh, Yasui. You know you have to cash this, right?"
Yasui gave her a confused look. She elaborated.
"You have to take this to a bank and cash it there. This is just a way for your boss to give the bank permission to give you this much money out of his account."
"So… how exactly do I do that?"
Diana raised her voice a bit.
"Charles, stop by the bank, will you? United Bank of Japan, please."
Charles nodded.
"Right away."
Diana returned her attention to Yasui.
"Don't worry, I'll show you how it's done. We'll set you up an account and get you a debit card of your own."
"Thanks. Sorry I didn't take care of this before. I just didn't know."
Diana laughed.
"It's perfectly alright! That's why I'm here after all. Makes me feel useful."
The bank was a large building made of dark glass and steel. As they entered the front door, Yasui shamelessly gawked at the fancy interior. There was marble flooring and a large crystal chandelier above the main lobby, and everything was polished to a mirror finish. Yasui followed along doggedly at Diana's side as she approached the front desk. A female gazelle in an expensive looking suit was sitting behind the glass at the counter and looked up with a professional smile.
"Hello. Is there anything I can assist you with?"
Diana flashed an equally business-like smile.
"Yes, my friend here would like to open an account."
The gazelle turned to her computer and typed away before looking at Yasui. She saw the check he was clutching in his hands and gestured towards the open slot in the glass partition.
"Please place your check on the counter."
Much to Yasui's slight embarrassment, he had to stand on his tiptoes to make it to the counter. He slid the slip of paper towards her and she brought it through the glass. She read it and gave him a practiced smile of consolation.
"I'm sorry, but we need a minimum of one hundred thousand yen to open an account. It's company policy."
Yasui frowned as she slid the check back towards him.
"Oh, okay. Sorry about that."
Diana placed her finger on the check and looked back up at the clerk.
"I have a question, would it be possible to open an account joined to mine with this amount?"
The clerk looked a little confused.
"Well… it would be. But I would need to verify a few things. For starters, both parties would need to consent to the arrangement."
Yasui was not following any of this. Diana turned to him and smiled.
"Well, I certainly consent. Does that sound fine to you?"
"I'm just a little confused. What exactly does that mean? A… joined account?"
Diana nodded.
"It basically means I act as a sort of pledge for you, and I cover any overdrafts or other charges if you default on anything."
"Oh, like you give them money if I lose all mine and some of theirs?"
"Exactly! Except I doubt it will be a problem. And if it is, I'll simply deal with you personally."
She flashed him a strange little smirk which made him shudder. Immediately she laughed.
"I'm just teasing you. I would never do anything to you… that was permanent."
Yasui smiled nervously and turned to the clerk.
"Uh, yeah. I guess I… consent."
The clerk pointed between the two of them.
"I'm sorry, I just have to ask for the account information. Is there any relation between you two? Cousins? Or…."
Diana waved her hand.
"No no, just friends. Well, 'business partners' is more accurate, but still friends."
"Alright… I'll need to see some ID as well as your bank card."
Yasui took out his student ID and slid it to her. She looked it over and raised her eyebrow.
"You are… sixteen?"
"Yeah, I know I look younger. Happens all the time."
She continued to stare at him before using her computer to scan it. After a few more moments she appeared satisfied if not a little confused. She then took Diana's bank card and ID. She looked at it briefly before doing a double take. She scanned it to verify before addressing the leopard, her professionalism shattered.
"M-Miss Diana! I didn't recognize you!"
Diana smiled sweetly.
"I'm trying to go unnoticed today."
"O-of course! So, is there anything else I can help you with?"
Diana tilted her head.
"No, just so long as there are no further issues setting up an account for my friend."
"Of course! Would you also like me to have a bank card made for him? Expedited of course."
"That would be wonderful. I take it we can wait in the VIP lounge?"
The gazelle was practically tripping over herself as she gestured towards a side door.
"Of course, Miss. I'll get this all finished right away. If you would please give me the check, I'll deposit it for you as soon as I finish setting up your account. Did you want to make it a checking account or savings?"
Diana tapped her chin as she thought about it.
"Savings for the time being. We can deal with creating a checking account later."
The clerk bowed her head.
"Of course. I will bring your bank card and the relevant documentation as soon as they are ready. It should only be a couple minutes."
Diana nodded at the clerk and swept towards the door that she had pointed out. Yasui began to follow before hesitating. He looked at the clerk.
"Um, thanks for all the help. I appreciate it."
The gazelle smiled cheerfully.
"The pleasure is all mine."
Yasui followed Diana into a room where there were a number of comfortable looking chairs situated with televisions on the walls that displayed a steady stream of stock prices and news. At one end of the room was a minibar stocked with an espresso maker, a drip coffee maker, and a mini fridge packed with all manner of foods. Yasui whistled.
"Wow, they really seem to want you to be happy."
Diana laughed.
"Well I do have a great deal of money saved with them. So naturally they want to stay on my good side."
This comment reinforced something that kept nagging at the back of Yasui's mind. He really didn't know all that much about Miss Diana. He knew she was apparently rich, but not exactly how rich. He knew she was older than him by an uncertain amount, and he still didn't exactly understand her interest in him apart from him providing her with some form of entertainment. He took a seat across from her and gulped.
"Uh… Miss Diana?"
She smiled.
"Just call me Diana, please. Adding the 'Miss' in front of it makes me feel ancient."
"Sorry… Diana. Uh, I just… I was wondering if you could answer a few questions I have?"
She clasped her hands together.
"Well, ask away."
"Well… they're about you personally. Because I just… well… you've never really talked too much about yourself. And I just don't know some stuff that I'd like to."
"Ah, I understand. Well, you'll have to forgive me if I keep some things to myself if I decide to. A lady has to have some secrets after all."
Yasui nodded. He was trying to think of what to ask first when he realized how dry his tongue had gotten. He coughed a bit and pointed to the minibar.
"Well, uh, do you… want some coffee?"
She raised an eyebrow.
"Not exactly the question I was expecting, but sure. I'd love some coffee."
"Okay, uh, what type?"
"Just make me whatever you make for yourself."
Yasui nodded and scurried over to the minibar. He carefully made two lattes just as he had been taught. At least, he hoped he did it right. He gave one to Diana and sat back down. She accepted the cup and inclined her head.
"Thank you. Now, what is your first burning question?"
Yasui swirled his drink around as he thought about how best to phrase his questions.
"Well… first of all… uh…."
Maybe I should start by getting to know some easy stuff about her before asking anything that could be awkward.
Yasui set his jaw and asked,
"So, uh, do you… have a family?"
Diana sighed.
"Ah, right off the bat with a question I'm not too keen on answering."
"Sorry. You don't have to—"
She held up a hand, cutting him off.
"It's quite alright, it's just a bit… complicated. For starters, both my parents are dead. My mother had a heart attack a few years back, and my father… also passed a little bit later. I have a brother, but I haven't spoken to him in years. And let's leave it at that for my direct family."
Yasui nodded.
"Okay. And… you're not married?"
"No… not anymore. I was at one time, but we got divorced very soon after the marriage. So now, it's just me all alone in the world."
Yasui gestured towards the door.
"And Charles, wherever he is now."
She shrugged.
"I asked him to wait with the car after he parked. There isn't much parking in the city, so it takes some time. I'll text him to pick us up when it's time."
Yasui nodded and Diana took a sip of her coffee.
"Mm, this is delicious! Good work, Yasui."
Yasui blushed.
"Thanks. I tried really hard not to screw it up."
"I'd almost forgotten how much I love coffee. I hadn't really drank it in almost a year."
"Why not?"
She winced.
"Well, not to put someone down while they aren't here to defend themself, but Charles isn't exactly the best at making coffee. He always makes it like he's back in the military. It's terribly strong and as thick as motor oil."
"I didn't know he was in the military."
Diana nodded.
"Yes, he was. You'll have to ask him about it sometime. He has loads of stories to tell about it."
Suddenly, the door opened and the same clerk from before walked in holding an envelope. She bowed and held the package out towards Yasui. Yasui accepted it and said,
"Wow, that was really fast! You guys are good."
The clerk smiled politely.
"Thank you. I'm glad to hear it. All the pertinent information is in there, as well as a QR code to scan to download our mobile app so you can access your account on your phone. All that's left is for us to set up your username and pin. Please follow me."
Yasui did as asked and was soon standing in front of the counter again. The clerk typed a few things before asking,
"Now then, what do you want your username to be?"
Yasui blinked a few times before wincing.
"Uh… is… Yasui okay?"
The clerk hesitated before replying.
"Well, it needs to have at least one number and a symbol."
"So… Yasui with a one and a… yen symbol?"
She typed away before continuing.
"Alright, and now what do you want to set your pin as. It needs to be four numbers long."
Yasui thought about it before coming to a decision.
"How about… two two one one."
"Very good."
She then wrote the same information on a card and handed it to him. She smiled.
"Is there anything else I can help you with?"
"No, you've been awesome. Thanks a bunch."
"It was my pleasure. Have a wonderful day."
Yasui followed Miss Diana to the front doors and into the waiting car beyond. He set the packet of bank documents beside him and said,
"Seriously, I can't thank you enough for your help. It means a lot."
Diana was inspecting one of her claws as she responded.
"It's no problem at all. I just like feeling useful again."
Yasui fidgeted a bit before asking,
"Can I ask you what you mean when you say stuff like that? A couple times you've said that you like feeling useful again so… what happened to before? I mean, when you felt useful, but now you don't."
Diana sighed.
"Well it's a long and particularly boring story, but the short and sweet of it is that due to various personal reasons I had to retire from my active role in my company. I'm still the head of the company, but now I'm more… figurative than anything. I used to work all day closing deals and brokering contracts, people were always trying to get me to weigh in on their matters. But now, well, I feel a bit useless is all. It's nice to be needed, I guess."
Yasui smiled.
"Well that I understand. I used to help my sister Kime all the time when she was a little kid. I'd play with her and show her how to do stuff like make grass whistles and skip stones. Until she started to get too old to need me to babysit her anymore. I was pretty sad that she didn't need me anymore. But at least my two youngest sisters still do. Well… they did at least."
Diana held up her cup of coffee. Yasui realized he had never set his cup down either. Diana tilted her chin.
"A toast then, to being needed."
"To being needed."
They both drank before Yasui asked,
"Uh, were we supposed to take these?"
"I really don't think it matters too much. But while we're talking about your family, I bet your parents can't wait to have you home. They probably realize now just how much they do need you around."
(Back in Yasui's home.)
Yasui's mother, Ino, was sitting down reading the newspaper in the living room as her husband Ibiki walked in. She smiled at him as he walked over and kissed her cheek.
"Afternoon, honey."
She squeezed his hand.
"Same to you, Ibi."
Ibiki raised his eyebrows.
"Ibi, now that's something I haven't heard in years."
"I know, and guess what else you haven't heard in years?"
"What?"
"Listen."
Ibiki was silent and waited to hear whatever he was expected to hear. He shook his head.
"I don't hear anything."
Ino beamed.
"I know! I think this is the first time we've had the house to ourselves in over seventeen years!"
"Really? Where is everyone?"
"Yone and Kime are staying with friends, and Mina and Lily are staying with my sister tonight. And Yasui is, well…."
Ibiki nodded.
"That's a weird thought. No kids for a whole day."
He was silent before a strange light grew in his eyes. He calmly stood and began to close the curtains around the house. Ino looked at him curiously.
"Ibiki, what are you doing?"
He turned to her with a dangerous smile.
"We have the house to ourselves."
"And?"
He strode over and wrapped his arms around her waist, grinning like a much younger fox.
"And I'm left unsupervised with the sexiest vixen in the world."
She flushed and gasped as he moved his hands a bit lower.
"I-Ibiki! It's the middle of the afternoon!"
"And?"
She bit her lip before giggling girlishly.
"And I guess that means we'll have plenty of time for once."
"My thoughts exactly."
And with that, he hoisted her into his arms and swept her into their room.
(Back in the car.)
Yasui sighed.
"Yeah. I hope they don't miss me too much."
Author's Note:
Hi everyone! Sorry this chapter took so long. I caught the flu and my brain has been pudding for almost three weeks. But I'm healthy now! So yay! Happy reading!