Meow~!

The boy stared in annoyance as the cat he definitely did not welcome into his household circled around his legs. It purred and meowed heavily as it rubbed up against him. He was definitely against this as a staunch dog person! It didn't matter if this was a cat that his sister brought home, he definitely wouldn't be spending any of his time with it.

Despite what he said to himself, he didn't say a word as the cat followed him into his room. Even as he turned on the computer and went to a fansub site to watch anime, he ignored the cat when it clambered up onto his lap and settled there. Katekyo Hitman Reborn began playing.

He was absolutely enraptured, watching with awe and glee as Tsunayoshi Sawada, the protagonist, started a pitched fight against the BBEG of the arc. They screamed dramatically as they clashed on the screen over and over, shooting flames all over the place. His ring lit up and entered a box, revealing the box weapon animal, Natsu. The cat in the boy's lap suddenly sat up and stared at the screen with rapt attention as well. Its eyes tracked Natsu, as it was a lion cub that bore a resemblance to cats, if you discounted the flames pouring out of its body.

"Natsu! Cambio Forma!" The protagonist gestured at his companion and shouted. With a cute 'gao!' the lion cub transformed into a pair of gauntlets that formed over his hands. He held out his arms dramatically, like someone was watching him. "Mitena di Vongola Primo, Modo Attaco!"

The BBEG charged at the protagonist with a yell, using some form of attack. In response, Tsunayoshi gave a straight punch that shot out a gigantic fireball, blasting back the BBEG. "Big Bang Axel!"

The boy cheered as he watched the cool fight scene between the anime characters. The cat's eyes, reflecting the scene it was watching, glittered with amusement as well. After pausing for a moment, the cat looked at the boy before jumping on his arm, clinging to it with its claws. The boy flinched at the sudden attack, screaming and flailing in agony.

"What the fuck are you doing?! Stop! You can't turn into gauntlets!"

A truck pulled up in front of my store. It was filled to the brim with tiny presences, though some were clearly bigger than the others. Strange, they were a mix of ferocity, fear and depression. Why was Rachel bringing over a bunch of dogs that seemed like they were abused heavily? She opened the door and entered with her three usual dogs before plopping herself down on the seat. Instead of speaking to me, she seemed to frown heavily and stare into space.

Instead of adopting my customer service persona, I decided to slide into the chair next to hers. "Bad day?" I asked softly.

She grunted. I think she would have continued to stay silent if not for Angelica, Brutus and Judas nipping at her feet, whining away at their owner. Rachel stared at them in contemplation for a few seconds before turning to me. Her expression, usually oscillating between neutral and fierce, was strangely depressed. I felt my heart palpitate angrily at the sight. This look didn't suit her. "Found one of Hookwolf's fighting rings." Her hands tightened around the counter, causing it to creak. I made no mention of it. "So many dogs. All mistreated. Injuries. Fear. Reminded me of Rollo. Hookwolf needs to die."

I reached out and held her by the hand. Though she didn't reciprocate, she didn't shake me off either. "And how did that make you feel?"

Rachel growled, "I felt angry. I wanted to kill everyone there."

"Why didn't you?" I asked softly, trying to ease her into things.

She shook her head. "Couldn't. Needed to save the dogs first. More important."

My thumb traced along her palm soothingly. "It's nice to know that you understand your priorities. What else did you feel after that?"

"I thought about them on the way over. The way those dogs were treated. How they must feel. I hate it. It feels like there's a hole in my chest and I don't understand why." There was a hitch in her voice as she spoke. Though she tried to maintain a straight face, it felt like her expression was twitching in agony.

I reached out with my other arm and placed it on her back, stroking it to coax her feelings out of her. "Were you sad?"

"No I wasn't!" She snapped, turning to me with a rapidly reddening face. "I was angry and frustrated! How can anyone treat dogs this way!?" Despite her words, her eyes were starting to glisten. "What did the dogs even do to deserve this? They're innocent! Humans are the real monsters!" The first tear slid down her cheek. My hand reached out to brush it off, but she snatched it up instead.

"Tell me why! Why do people act like this? Is there a point?! It doesn't feed them or shelter them. Hookwolf barely makes any money from this. Lisa told me!" Her grip on my hand tightened painfully. Despite that, I made no move to remove it. Instead, with her already holding on to my hand, I pulled her into my chest. The hand on her back moved up to cup her head, pushing it against my shoulder.

I said nothing as my shirt slowly became drenched. Even as she wailed, I simply stroked her head softly, allowing her to let out her feelings. Before long, her arms came circling around my back. She gripped onto the back of my shirt tightly, causing a tear to form. But that was okay. Some things were less important. After a moment of grief, she seemed to realize what she was doing and pushed me on the chest to get me off. Rachel wiped her face using her sleeve and looked away. Was she embarrassed? Whatever the case, that aching void in my chest was an obvious sign that I didn't enjoy her being like this. Not that I was blaming her, that'd be a stupid thing to do. This was obviously Hookwolf's fault. I think I'm going to add him to my shitlist. Rachel's image in my mind was that of a stoic and gruff alpha chad doggo. For him to hurt her to this extent without even meaning to… Some people were just bigger villains than others.

Instead of calling her out for her embarrassment, I decided to try a different tactic. "Would you like something to drink? Maybe it'll cheer you up."

She nodded mutely in reply, still not looking me in the eyes. I got up and returned to my place behind the counter. Rachel needs something simple to drink. And it definitely has to help alleviate her mood. I think peppermint is the way to go. I pulled out a bundle of fresh peppermint leaves and put them in a bowl. Using a spoon, I gently grinded the leaves, taking care to only coax out the aromatic flavors instead of destroying the leaves. "I think I'll skip the history explanation this time." I set the water in a glass kettle to boil. "All you have to know is that peppermint tea can reduce inflammation and help you sleep better."

When it finished boiling, I left it to sit for a minute or two. Herbal teas are best brewed with hot water instead of boiling water. I poured the hot water into a cup with leaves already in it. This would need to steep for a bit. After covering the cup with a lid, I continued to explain to her in a softer tone than I would normally take. "I chose this tea because it can help with cortisol levels and relax you. You know what high cortisol levels mean for dogs. It's unhealthy for their long term well being." Breaking my tea shop master act, I reached down and held her hand again. "And that goes double for humans. Holding on to long term stress isn't good for us. And worrying about what could have happened isn't going to help you."

She didn't answer, choosing to just nod in reply. At least she looked more relaxed now. But I needed her attention for this. Gently, I reached out and cupped her face, making sure that she was looking me straight in the eye. "Do you know something my mother once told me?" I received a shake off the head, though she frowned slightly, probably remembering her foster mother. "She told me that worrying about something we can't do anything about is pointless. Instead, we should focus on what we can do." My thumb rubbed her cheek lightly. "What I can do is take care of my sister and my shop. Rachel, I need you to tell me what you think you can do about the dogs now."

"I-I can take care of them until they recover. Find them a place to stay. Lisa can help. She knows things." She stumbled at the start but got more confident as she spoke. "Need the right medicine. Need supplies for dogs as well. But those need money." Rachel froze at the realization. Whatever Coil was paying them certainly wasn't enough to care for this many dogs.

This was where I came in. "Money isn't a problem." I took out a bundle of cash from the register and placed it next to her. "I don't know anything about taking care of dogs, but I can give you all the money you need to make sure they're okay."

Her hands held onto the bundle tightly, but her eyes were vacant, like she couldn't comprehend what she was holding. "Why?" Her voice was raspy and hoarse. "I don't understand."

"What's there to understand? We're friends, aren't we?" I kept my tone light and cheery, hopeful that she would understand what I was trying to convey.

"Friends…" Her eyes shifted upwards as she cradled her face, deep in thought. "You're my friend, just like Lisa. And Alec. And Brian."

"Of course." I gave her the brightest smile I could. Then I opened the lid on her cup and slid it over. As she drank the tea and hummed at the flavor, I clenched my hand beneath the counter, deep enough to draw blood. I loved dogs and cats, both in my previous life and this one. My life this time around was a bit too hectic to own a pet, but part of the reason I favored Rachel initially was purely because she would bring her dogs everywhere she went. Hookwolf was a real fucking bastard for the things he did. Why didn't I do something about it? I… clearly cared about animals. Did I just forget about the dog fighting rings? They were such a minor detail in canon. It's been twenty one years since I was reborn into Worm. Most of the major things were still there in my mind, but smaller details like this…

Then I shook my head to get the thoughts out. No, this wasn't my cause to be angry about. Not everything was about me. I had to support Rachel instead of focusing on myself. She was the one who had the right to get angry with Hookwolf. I leaned against the counter. "Like it?"

She finished her drink and gently placed it back on the counter. This was a result of me thwacking her over the head when she slammed her cup the first few times. "Not bad. Not my favorite. But it's nice. Can dogs drink this?"

"I'm afraid not." I gestured apologetically. "It'll make them vomit and have diarrhea." Instead of staying here and watching her disappointed face, I went to the back and prepared a bowl of water for her dogs to drink.

While I was watching her dogs happily lap at the water, she pulled me by the sleeve. "Can you help with something else?"

"What's up?"

She stared at the door of my store, as if she was looking through it. "Need somewhere to keep them for a day. Will ask Lisa to help find a place with your money later." Rachel turned to me with glistening eyes. "Can you please help, friend?"

Oh no. This wasn't a fucking anime world. Why was the doggo giving me puppy dog eyes, and was she turning around the friend thing on me? Fuck, I can't let a bunch of dogs run around in my super high class luxurious tea store! I closed my eyes and held my hand over them.

"Yeah, alright."