It couldn't be said that Legoshi took his friend's request to substitute for him lightly. He prepared psychologically, reread "Pygmalion" once again, even managed to muster the confidence to take on the simple director's chair for a while.
However, it couldn't be said that it helped him much.
At first, the rehearsal went smoothly — the animals in the club felt much more confident without the script than at the beginning of the month, rarely stumbling, and Legoshi rarely had to intervene. Several times he mistakenly took the actors' improvisation for a lack of knowledge of the text, but fortunately, he kept silent because the scene was going smoothly. Oris also handled the lighting perfectly on his own.
However, the accumulated confidence still somehow dissipated.
The wolf didn't like being in the spotlight for too long. And when he felt the eyes on him, his natural shyness immediately began to bite him in the neck, causing him to hunch over. Finally, after the scene was played out, Pina clapped his hands loudly:
"Let's take a little break, guys!"
Sincerely intending to help Legoshi relax a bit. However, his noble gesture didn't save his comrade by the secret order. On the contrary, the attention of the few girls from both groups, the dance and acting groups, except for Fumiko and Yuki, was fully concentrated on him. Nora, the shy Tia, Eri, and Ratih gathered around, showering the wolf with compliments. Although from the slyly squinted eyes of Eri, it was evident that she knew well how the wolf would react.
But the others seemed to be doing it quite sincerely.
"Why don't you dress like this all the time, Legoshi-san?" Ratih asked as if reproachfully, scratching her horn. He sighed. And why did he have to wear a shirt for the responsible task — one of the two that existed in his wardrobe — and simple summer pants?
"Yes, it really suits you, Legoshi-san," Eri confirmed with a barely noticeable smirk. And although she was clearly teasing the acting director, the serval couldn't help but acknowledge that the wolf looked very good in slightly more formal attire. Especially a minute ago, when he sat with his back straight and glanced through the text.
"Thank you," Legoshi replied shortly, embarrassedly wagging his tail. He wanted to hide somewhere again. Someone's hand rested on his shoulder, Nora's voice enthusiastically suggested:
"Legoshi-san! If Juno suddenly dropped out, maybe we could go to B-Strike together? You, me, and Kobayashi?"
"I… used to go there. But only with my roommates."
"You probably haven't been there in a while," the labrador continued to insist, circling him from the side and wagging her tail.
And why do labradors gravitate to me so much?
Legoshi didn't suspect that the reasons that attracted Nora and Jack to him were slightly different. Before the girl now was a brutally looking male with a torn ear and scars from claws, but in decent clothes… and this image was starkly different from the Legoshi they were used to seeing.
Fortunately, a ringing and cheerful voice came from the door:
"Hands off my wolf!"
The animals turned sharply — standing in the doorway with a menacing look was Haru, subtly smiling. Most saw her for the first time, but from the tossed phrase and the gray tail, which immediately caused a stir in the slit of the chair, they all instantly understood and stood in stunned amazement. Nora actually backed away from Legoshi, casting a helpless glance at Fumiko, who shrugged: well, I told you so.
Creating the impression that she was coming home, Haru approached the company, waving her hands with an obvious meaning of "get out of here," tiptoed and smooched Legoshi on the cheek. He blushed, but still hugged her in a way that left no doubt even for those who saw it for the first time.
"Wow," Bryce uttered a strange verbal construction, forcefully lifting his jaw from the floor. Tsu, standing next to him, just smiled:
"Didn't know?"
"Nope. May Rex forgive me, but this is… they are…"
"Chiro would write an article about it right away, wouldn't he?"
"You bet," the buffalo shook his head incredulously, watching as the wolf's fingers gently stroked her back. It seemed that with the appearance of Haru, Legoshi's shyness hid somewhere in horror.
"You all should find such a pair," Pina said instructively. It was unusual to hear such things from the Dall's ram, but he continued:
"You see… she makes him stronger."
"What are you mumbling about there, Pina?" the rabbit boldly asked, enjoying the effect of the exploded bomb. He replied, raising the corners of his lips and clasping his hands a few times:
"Just paying tribute to the ability to appear at the right time, Haru-chan. A very… dramatic entrance."
"How did you get past security? It's great that you're here so early, but I thought you'd call," Legoshi warmly said. She triumphantly shook the card she pulled out of her small bag:
"The old student ID opens any doors! And you hid Louis in the closet and finally took his throne?"
"Something like that," Legoshi laughed, showing with his eyes to the animals surrounding him to return to rehearsal. Haru looked around animatedly, noting the variety of animals, then asked:
"Can I be the play director's assistant?"
"Louis would hardly allow it… so you're lucky today," the wolf nodded. "Just don't distract the guys, please."
"Yes, yes, I'm already a responsible grown-up girl," she made a face, and the thespians chuckled.
Ratih, heading back to the dance floor, clasped her fists together and murmured softly:
"She's so sweeeet…"
"I didn't believe it," Nora looked past her with an empty gaze.
"But how did they…"
"Ask Ryu!"
"Let's not get distracted," Kobayashi gently but firmly requested. He led the ballroom part, with Eri only helping to set the movements, but she had much less experience.
Nevertheless, the animals were distracted. Because even Pina, who had gathered himself after some time, interrupted the scene with a delighted smile when he saw the rabbit sitting on Legoshi's lap, and the wolf's thoughts were clearly far from what was happening.
"No, this won't do."
"Why?" Legoshi weakly protested, lazily wagging his tail.
"Because you, Legoshi-kun, are in the clouds," the ram pointed at him. "Tsu has missed his lines three times already. Either pull yourself together or release everyone to their dorms."
Legoshi gently pushed Haru off his lap, to which she pouted in offense, and stood up to his full height, setting aside the thin book. Unexpectedly, he spoke with a confident voice:
"Let's call it a day! Thank you all, but before we leave, we have another important task ahead of us. We need to choose a vice president of the club for the time being while Juno is absent."
"Can't we just gather without that?" Goro inquired.
"We can, but someone needs to take care of the club documents and go to the director if he suddenly wants to gather all the club leaders."
"Emergency positions are the worst kind of punishment," Pina said, apparently not completely out of character yet. Tao chuckled:
"I was just about to suggest you."
"No way, burnt-out leopard. I'm not cut out for administrative procedures."
"Hey!"
"Maybe Kibi," Yuki suggested hesitantly, shaking her mane. Tao snorted:
"Kibi shouldn't be given so much power. He's the Dark Lord, just miniature. When Juno returns, the drama club will be in chaos."
"Eri, Tsu, don't you want to?" Legoshi asked, and they both almost simultaneously shook their heads. Tsu said:
"We… both aren't very responsible. If we're going to choose someone, it should be an animal who's not afraid to take on a leadership role."
After that, the heads of some club members turned to Bryson. He recoiled:
"What? Me?"
"Don't evade, Colonel," the flying fox teased him. "Bryson-kun, you always behave decent and organized. I've seen it at the picnic, in the club, even at the 'Jam'."
The buffalo shook his head in bewilderment — some nodded, agreeing with Tsutomu's words.
"But I… I've never led anything."
"If they think you have potential, then try," Haru intervened. Bryson looked at her, puzzled by how his candidacy suddenly came up, almost instantly, then grasped at the seemingly lifesaving straw:
"Can't Legoshi-san be the club president?"
Haru angrily threw up her hands:
"No, of course not! He's not a student!"
"Haru was the president and the only member of the gardening club for almost two years," Legoshi respectfully said, squatting next to her. "I would listen to her advice."
The rabbit pressed her back against him, continuing to demandingly look at the African buffalo, as if he owed her a large sum of money. Bryson sighed loudly:
"Well, only if it's temporary…"
"Don't get too flattered," Pina, as usual, poured a spoonful of tar, spreading his hands. "With a high probability, the vice president of the drama club will become its new leader. Let's not forget that in two months Juno graduates."
"Phew…"
It all happened so suddenly. Placing his hand on Bryson's shoulder, Tao nodded:
"You're a good fit, Bryson-kun. Besides, Juno-senpai will have time to teach you everything. We'll help too as much as we can."
"What am I going to do with you guys," he sighed mournfully. "You've convinced me, you brats. Do I at least get a badge?"
"Only a very proud gait," the black cat snickered.
"Like Goro walks usually?"
"Multiply by three."
"Why do I still have the proudest pace then?" Goro frowned. "The champion here is Pina-kun, undoubtedly."
Fumiko shook her head and flicked her fluffy tail in disagreement:
"No! Pina walks as if he's baiting sweet boys…"
"Gaiting you wanna say." snorted the panther.
"Excuse me, what?" the Dall's ram asked with a barely noticeable hint of indignation. The animals laughed, Legoshi quietly said to Bryson:
"This teasing will last a long time. Come on, I'll show you the office. It's not necessary to sit there during off-hours like Juno, but when you're not involved in scenes, you can be there. We just need to submit a statement to Director Malchasin."
"Does Louis-san know about all this?"
"I think he's just a bit overloaded on all fronts."
The buffalo nodded:
"Yes, lately he's been off. It's not a good sign…"
"Don't worry, Bryson-kun. Of all the animals I know, Louis is one of the strongest. Besides, he's well protected."
When they returned, Haru was already engaged in casual conversation with the girls from the dance group. Thinking about how she suffered from her "friends" during her studies, the wolf smiled, watching this scene. He handed a sheet of paper to the buffalo with instructions:
"You'll either give it to the student council or to the director's secretary… if he already has one. Can I count on you, Bryson-kun?"
"Of course! The whole club can!" the buffalo assured him enthusiastically.
"No matter how much weight you put on his shoulders, Bryson won't let you down," Pina, joining them with Haru, sarcastically remarked. "Ouch!"
The source of the sound, or rather its cause, was a little rabbit who fiercely kicked his leg. Rubbing the bruised spot, the ram sighed:
"Honestly, I'm just glad it's not me. After all, I still have a year of studying here…"
"And I'm just glad that today's rehearsal is over," the wolf said wearily, watching Bryson walk towards the dressing room. It's like they pulled out his internal core, Legoshi slouched and started tapping his claws on the windowsill, something he had never done before. Haru gently stroked the back of his hand:
"Stop it."
"Sorry."
"Is everything okay?"
"Everything is terrible," the wolf whined. "I could barely focus on the script, it felt like the letters wanted to escape. It was calmer with you nearby, but I… I couldn't handle it."
"Easy, big guy," the ram waved his hands in the air, mimicking an oar. "It could have been worse."
"Pina, don't be such a… Pina," the rabbit said angrily.
"I'm just hinting that the evening isn't over yet."
Which, unfortunately, fully corresponded to reality. Legoshi promised to sneak Sisu outside, and no one except the wolf knew how he planned to do it.
Actually, he also had a very vague idea of where their thorny path of today's adventures would lead them. However, with all his stubbornness, the wolf did not doubt that there was a path. Legoshi's thought wandered far into the past — to where a huge snake somehow managed to move stealthily across the entire school grounds. Even though there were no cameras and security back then, Rokume literally existed within the walls of Cherryton, which meant that the walls themselves were very thick. Moreover, the buildings were clearly connected — possibly by sewage, but not necessarily. Legoshi would make a poor detective, but he had always had an excellent nose. And tonight, the wolf literally planned to sniff out the road to freedom.
When the club emptied, their little order gathered in the attic. This time, relaxation gave way to something else, although Haru quite comfortably and shamelessly settled in Sisu's arms, but all five of them — Pina, Sisu, Haru, Tsu, and Eri — avidly listened to Legoshi. At least, they paid attention to his silence, as the predator, broken by the leading role, collected his thoughts. Finally, Legoshi raised his finger:
"I've been thinking for a long time about where to start… but you should know the reason for my confidence. First — the Six-Eyed Ghost of Cherryton — is not a myth."
"After the magic dragon, I won't be surprised by anything," Pina grinned, hugging Sisu around the neck and subtly trying to bend Haru's arm, who slapped his hand. The wolf spread his hands apologetically:
"That's no ghost either. I was acquainted with Rokume — she was the only security guard of the Academy. Or rather, she used to be the only security guard."
"And who is Rokume?"
"A huge snake. She is even longer than Sisu, be sure. I think if she wanted to, she could have swallowed me whole, but instead, Rokume entrusted me with investigating Tem's murder. That led us to the chain of events with Riz…"
"So, she couldn't handle her job and decided to involve a school kid?" Eri asked, surprised. "That's… low."
Pina clarified:
"Well, by that time, the school kid had already snatched a certain well-known rabbit from the hands of an entire gangster clan, so… still not surprised."
"I wasn't alone. But right now, let's focus on something else. So, she probably somewhere slumbered when she wasn't crawling around the whole school, but the question is — where? And here the events lead us to where it all started — to the drama club's attic," Legoshi sighed, awkwardly twitching his whole ear. "I should have suspected back then that Sisu couldn't have just changed herself with one of the boxes."
"Wait a moment…" Tsutomu frowned.
He and Eri knew for sure that Sisu was a water dragon. But Pina had been beating around the bush so much about how she ended up on the attic that the question of "changing herself" that the troubled fox's mind couldn't just be brushed aside. His girlfriend nodded:
"Yes, something doesn't add up here. What do you mean — change herself with?"
"I'm sorry," the culprit of their misunderstanding lowered his horned head. "'Magic dragon' is not a metaphor, it's a direct description of who Sisu really is."
"I ended up here from a world called Kumandra. Although I'm not sure if it's a world or just a country, we dragons never delineated territories until we met humans," Sisu unabashedly announced.
"Kumandra?"
"Humans?"
They turned all four eyes to the ram who turned his head away and exclaimed in unison:
"Pina!"
"…you piece of sheep, how many more secrets do we have to pry out of you?" Eri protested indignantly. He chuckled:
"There are secrets that don't belong to me. Besides, it's Louis who decided it should be this way. I think if everything goes well, Sisu will also be presented to the club simply as a water dragon."
"Damn, the end of the order," the serval said disappointedly. Sisu pulled her with her tail closer and hugged her:
"Why the end? Remember how many wonderful things you taught me? And the music you introduced me to? Besides, Louis said it might not work out…"
"It might," Legoshi nodded. "But Louis always succeeds."
"…except for winning your heart," the rabbit giggled. Pina warned:
"Stop shipping them. Otherwise, you'll corrupt the naive wolf, and he'll dive into the depths of the dirtiest rainbowy homosexual stuff imaginable."
"Yeah, enough," Legoshi said helplessly, looking at the shocked Eri and Tsu. Sometimes he felt that Pina's help was, to say the least, teasing.
"I still don't understand a word…"
"…and you don't need to, believe me…"
"But maybe we'll get back to the plan outside?" Sisu impatiently asked. Nodding eagerly, the wolf continued:
"Anyway, I assume that instead of Sisu, Rokume ended up in Kumandra, she was resting on the drama club's attic at the time. Snakes hardly emit their scents, but they smell, figuratively speaking, places where they've been. She had her own scent, remnants of which I felt when I ended up on the attic. Although it was very dusty there. But she somehow got into the club, which means there must be a secret passage. I think one of Rokume's tunnels leads outside, beyond the school grounds. Possibly to the sea, she should be able to swim too. It's natural for snakes."
"Sounds… logical," Tsu said. "But until we find it, I really want to hear in detail about everything you suddenly forgot to tell us. Or didn't tell us for safety reasons."
Haru pursed her lips and stood up, speaking somewhere into the void:
"If I were you, I wouldn't demand to reveal all secrets. Take the ones concerning Sisu. It's a good deal…"
Eri shivered. There was something… sinister and scary behind Haru's words. As if her abduction was just the beginning of dark news, but to the cat's surprise, this time Pina and Legoshi synchronously nodded, agreeing with the little herbivore.
"Ignorance is bliss," Pina sighed. He himself didn't know everything, but such a situation suited the ram more than anything.
"So, where do we start the search?" Eri asked enthusiastically, immediately forgetting about the numerous secrets of the strange company. Legoshi shrugged:
"I know for sure one of the places where her tunnels start — it's the laundry room. I think we could sneak in there, considering Rokume's body size. But Sisu can't fit there, so we need to look for a hidden passage or a disguised hatch."
Haru rubbed her chin with her fingers, then asked:
"Maybe the bathrooms?"
"The bathrooms and showers were under repair. We didn't find anything similar there, otherwise, we would know."
"Well, the attic, of course, is out of the question."
"Who knows… she appeared in the laundry room right from the ceiling," Legoshi said thoughtfully. The ram grimaced:
"Then we'll need ladders to reach the top."
"Why?" Sisu nudged him.
The flying fox confirmed:
"Yes, Sisu can easily reach the ceiling or roof. And can carry us there. But we need to split up."
"We're going to the changing rooms," Haru said immediately. Tsu snorted, Pina burst into laughter, because of the cat said the same thing simultaneously. They looked at each other in puzzlement amidst the laughter, even Legoshi smiled.
"Are you… ha-ha-ha… sure you want to search there?" the ram barely managed to speak between laughs.
Tsutomu spread his hands:
"It's important. We can't get distracted, so Legoshi and Pina will go to the changing rooms, Eri and Haru will search behind the scenes, and Sisu and I will inspect the attic."
"But I've already inspected it a thousand times," the dragoness disagreed, frowning. "There are no more exits there."
"What do you suggest?"
"Look for some moving elements or hidden levers."
"Oh come on, that only happens in movies," the rabbit dismissed the suggestion. She didn't like that Tsu divided everyone like this — and who gave him the right to command suddenly — but somewhere deep down, Haru understood that the task of getting Sisu out was a top priority. The dragoness had been marinating here since that trip with Pina, and it had been over two weeks already.
"Then let's do as Tsu said. But if you happen to find a lever — pull it. Except for those behind the scenes, they lower the curtain and often get stuck!" Legoshi added hurriedly, widening his eyes in horror at the thought of having to deal with the club's not-so-complex, but on-tenterhooks system again.
With the obligatory playful farewells, they split up. The wolf glanced at Pina, silently — this is real magic! — walking next to him. The ram dressed practically — at least, as he understood the word "practical." A black turtleneck with a very stretchy neck, moderately dark pants. His usual bright appearance now seemed to be camouflaged, Legoshi thought, that if he saw Pina in this outfit somewhere on the street, he wouldn't recognize him right away. Perhaps only the nose would figure it out sooner.
"What if there are many passages?"
"Huh?"
"I'm asking — what if there are many passages and branches? How will you know which ones this Rokume used?" Pina asked, turning his head. The wolf touched his nose, hesitated, and replied:
"I'll feel it. The scent, if the air is still, can last up to a month and a half. Or I'll see a trail, she moves… distinctly."
"Oh, these dog noses of yours…"
"Admiring?"
"And envying. What does Sisu smell like to you?"
Legoshi pondered, then uncertainly said, pushing open the door to the men's changing room:
"It can't be described as one scent. Rather, dozens or even hundreds that are tied into a single tone of herbaceous freshness, stream water, and a spring fruit garden."
Pina smiled:
"I see."
"I'm not very good at descriptions."
"Don't be modest. Legoshi-kun, I have a personal question for you."
"E-uh… about what?"
"About Haru. When did you realize you love her?"
Legoshi looked at the ram. He seemed to be very serious, even a little confused. He scratched his temple:
"Let me think… probably during the Meteor Festival preparations last year. We were acquainted before that, I visited the gardening club a few times, but…"
"No-no," a light but sad chuckle. "Too literal, I apologize. How did you realize you love her? Was there a sign or a specific inner feeling?"
"I… don't know," the wolf averted his gaze. "Rather, it was a realization that I want to always be there and make her happy, protect and cherish her."
Biting her lower lip with flat teeth, Pina said ruefully:
"Mm. It won't work on me. But thanks for the answer, Legoshi-kun. Don't you see a hatch?"
"Nope," Legoshi shook his head. "Besides, the ceiling sections here are the same as in the laundry room, just smaller. Rokume wouldn't fit through."
"Maybe you can boost me up, and I'll take a look?"
"Good idea."
Despite his tall stature for an herbivore, Dalla turned out to be quite light — Legoshi lifted him without much effort. He asked:
"Why should something work on you, Pina-kun?"
"I'm searching…" Pina hesitated with his answer. "I'm searching for a certain boundary that will help me understand myself."
Legoshi looked up:
"Is it because of Sisu?"
"You can bet on it," Pina said with suppressed bitterness, then playfully tapped his fingertips on Legoshi's forehead. "I won't talk about it while sitting on your neck! Close your eyes, I'll try to lift the nearby panel… there must be a pile of stuff accumulated over the years while nobody checked."
Closing his eyes obediently, Legoshi indeed felt a sprinkle of small debris falling on his head. Not much, but dangerous for the eyes. Spitting it out, the ram pushed aside the light pressed panel and cursed.
"What's there?"
"Too dark. But… nobody crawled here, for sure, distance between the false ceiling and the real one is about ten inches."
"Understood," the wolf sighed, trying to shake himself off carefully and not tear his pants with his rider.
"Let's go check the women's, then we can return."
"W-women's?!"
"What? Oh yeah, it's you," Pina chuckled. "Legoshi-kun, I swear we won't be rummaging through cabinets or doing any other dishonorable deeds. However, we need to check the ceiling there too. Let me down."
It's unclear what Legoshi would have said; both were too busy shaking off their clothes, but Tsutomu burst into the changing room — not literally, of course — and exclaimed, pointing towards the hall:
"There's actually a hatch there!"
Once reunited, they crowded around the inconspicuous hatch in the side niche behind the stage. Legoshi had never really noticed this area before, but now, upon closer inspection, it was clear — there was some secret passage here. And quite a big one, judging by the size of the door covering it.
"I'll go first," said Legoshi, lifting the lid and sniffing. The passage didn't smell like anything at all.
"What about those who can't see in the dark?" Haru asked. Pina nodded towards the ladder leading to the attic and adjusted a backpack that appeared out of nowhere, hanging from his shoulder:
"We have a portable battery-powered lamp. I used it when the lights went out."
"Was that when you and Sisu went out to play?" the bat clarified. The dragoness excitedly jumped in place:
"Yes! It was so much fun!.."
"I'll be right back."
After their fellow knight brought the simple device and checked its functionality, the animals began to descend. The passage was quite high, so after Legoshi jumped down and reported that it was about four meters, if not more, he asked Sisu for help, and she, using the length of her own body, gently assisted the animals down.
And after they closed the passage behind them, Pina raised the lamp higher.
The room looked unassuming — a simple concrete space with one slightly ajar door.
"Looks like a utility room."
"Yeah, with a shaft leading to the drama club."
"And without a ladder," Legoshi remarked thoughtfully. "It seems like this passage was made specifically for Rokume or even by her."
"Or the drama club used to be something else altogether…" Eri added animatedly, approaching the door. When Sisu descended, the small room became cramped, so the serval hurried to scout further.
The metallic door creaked open fully, revealing a corridor with paint marks on the walls. Venturing forward, the wolf looked pensively into the depths where the corridor turned left:
"What an interesting place…"
"More like eerie," Pina remarked, as Sisu nudged him with her nose on the shoulder.
"I'm not scared. It's just that the place itself brings up strange thoughts."
The group moved forward — Legoshi, with the small flashlight, led the strange procession, pricking up his ears and sniffing, Tsu walked beside him, whose vision was better than the wolf's, Haru didn't want to stray far from the wolf, so she grabbed onto his tail just in case, the serval looked around, examining the amusing dancing shadows, and Pina walked behind, feeling the dragon's breath on his back.
Turn, another one. Along the way, they encountered several more doors, all open — apparently, the passage used to be frequently used. One of the entrances led to another room with several metal shelves, empty and covered in a thick layer of dust.
"Storage…" Pina guessed, peering inside with curiosity.
"Seems like it," Eri agreed. "I wonder what was here before?"
"The great dramatic underground," Sisu chimed in. The bat spoke conspiratorially:
"Then I'll use 'Treasure Hunt', maximum level."
The wolf asked bewilderedly, handing the flashlight back to Pina — he had enough light anyway:
"What?"
"It's a game, Gosi. 'Dungeons and Dragons,'" Haru snorted. "I had a… an acquaintance who was all ears about tabletop games, especially this one."
"He was that much…" Tsu whistled, evaluating the size of the ears. The dragoness tilted her head with curiosity:
"Sounds interesting. What's the game about?"
"Well… It's not easy to explain. It's supposed to be set in a world where Sisu usually lives," the rabbit chuckled, momentarily releasing her tail to have the freedom to gesticulate. "Magic, adventures, saving kingdoms and worlds. Well, all what Sisu usually does."
"That's not true!" came a protest from behind. Pina soothingly said:
"But it's mostly true."
"But not entirely," she grumbled, flicking her long tail against the wall. "Saving Kumandra wasn't my doing."
Haru clarified:
"But you participated in it, didn't you? Exactly. Each player creates their character and roleplays it according to their backstory and worldview. There are many different classes and quite complex rules."
"So, what's the point of the game? Do you have to capture something or defend it?" Sisu asked. The rabbit shrugged:
"Anything. There's a special participant who comes up with adventures. Or takes ready-made ones."
"So, players sort of play against this guy?" Legoshi asked, stopping at a fork. Both doors were open, but the corridor bifurcated. One tunnel led left, the other curved right and then went straight again.
"More or less. Which way now?"
"Let's see," Pina said, squatting down, the wolf began to carefully inspect the floor. Disappointedly, he said:
"There are traces of movement here and there. Perhaps the passages just lead to different buildings."
"Let's check…," the ram started drawing on the dusty floor with the toe of his shoe, illuminating it with the portable lamp, "This is the club. Here we found the hatch, and relative to it, the passage went straight here."
Sisu squeezed her head between them, trying to make out the rough plan.
"Then the road straight should lead further underground, to the dormitories. That's where we need to go. Legoshi-kun, does your nose tell us anything useful?"
"No," Legoshi lowered his head guiltily. "Just our scents, no one has been here for a long time."
"So, let's go straight," Pina decided. Tsu suggested:
"Let's vote."
"I'm with Pina."
"And that's it, I have the majority," he said cheekily, while gently stroking the dragoness's mane.
"But not by numbers!"
"In any case, we can always come back."
"If this drags on all night, we'll be dead tired in class tomorrow," Eri said worriedly. Haru couldn't hold back and nudged the cat forward:
"Let's go already! We're deciding more than we're walking. We haven't even reached a fifty yards mark yet…"
Tsutomu chuckled:
"Besides, I'll have more like-minded people, all sleeping through the first lessons. But I still vote not to drag this out all night."
And the group moved on. The number of passages only increased — some corridors led to dead ends, ending in rooms with old remains of electrical equipment, while others unexpectedly turned to the side. However, Pina, keeping a rough map in his mind, persuaded the group to return each time.
Following Rokume's traces, they reached a metal spiral staircase leading down. Legoshi, taking all precautions, went to scout.
"What's there?" Pina shouted.
"Another corridor, but wide!" came the reply.
"It would be nice to have the master of all these undergrounds as our guide," Haru said, jumping up the somewhat high steps.
"A huge snake?"
"Are you scared?"
"Well… let's say I'm cautious," the fox shivered. "Even considering that Legoshi knows her, I'm not sure about our edibility."
"That's discrimination against snakes," Eri lightly slapped him on the back of his head. Haru added, remembering Gosha's warm and welcoming smile:
"And reptiles in general."
"But snakes in particular! Just imagine how difficult it is for them in everyday life!"
"Rokume once told me she envies us, mammals. And any bipedal creatures," the wolf said with a slight sadness, waiting for them at the bottom. Finally, coiling down the stairs, Sisu descended. She nudged Tsu gently:
"Search for treasure."
"I'm just kidding!"
"Still, keep searching. Who knows what your ancient ancestors might have hidden here…"
Pina chuckled, "It would be nice to find a treasure worth a couple of billion yen, but we're not here for that. Lead the way, brave wolf."
"The lamp won't go out at the most critical moment, will it?"
"No, Haru-chan. I brought a couple of extra batteries. And even if they suddenly run out, we have two carnivores, one nocturnal animal, and one magical dragon."
"Speaking of magic," Tsutomu returned the conversation to its previous course, unable to resist. "Sisu, could we see some? Not that I don't believe, just…"
"I would gladly show you, Tsu. But Pina says I accumulate energy very slowly," the dragoness sighed sadly. The sheep added, "That's why magic is only for emergencies."
"Russell's magic," Haru chuckled.
"What's that?"
"Well… we have a guy at work, a loader, who loves to throw around all sorts of fancy words and names. Occam's Razor, Clarke's Law… and Russell's teapot — it's a fictional teapot whose existence cannot be proven. At least, from what I understood in his convoluted explanations."
"I've seen magic myself," Legoshi defended Sisu. Pina just nodded, "Me too."
"Besides, in our world, there are many strange techniques that remotely resemble magic."
"Like what?" Sisu asked, surprised. The wolf seemed to hesitate for a couple of seconds, then said, "Creating a chimera. A combat form that distracts the enemy."
"And do you know how to summon it?"
"Something like that."
"I'll die of curiosity if you don't show us!"
"Wait until you… erm, at least until we get out of here. Preferably outside, not in the principal's office."
"Definitely not there, we've been going in the opposite direction the whole time."
"Further to the left, judging by the tracks. These doors… although they're not even doors."
The partitions Legoshi was looking at were much more massive than all the previous ones. They resembled submarine hatches, and they too had massive wheels of hermetic locks, which had completely rusted over the years. Approaching, the flying fox scratched the rust with its claws uncertainly. He said, "It doesn't look like school basements, does it?"
"I think it's not worth breaking in there," said Legoshi. "They're blocked tight."
A strange hissing sound was heard, they flinched, but it ended only with a deafening sneeze from the blue and slightly dusty dragon.
"Sorry," Sisu said, looking away, rubbing her nose with her fingers. Haru sighed angrily, "Don't scare us like that anymore!"
"I tried to hold back, but I couldn't…"
Pina reassuringly nudged her shoulder — it seemed he too had adopted some gestures from Sisu:
"It's okay. Just warn us next time."
"Okay," she smiled.
Legoshi also sneezed, then the sneezing baton was picked up by Elly. The predators with their sensitive noses fell victim to the dust raised by the first and most powerful sneeze.
"Let's go ahead," said Legoshi, rubbing his itchy nose with the back of his hand.
"Just be careful not to trip — there's some strange wooden flooring and a pile of garbage here."
The boards creaked softly underfoot as the animals crossed the wide space. Its purpose was not immediately apparent — something like a rectangular atrium, but without windows and furniture. Only a lonely fire ax stood against the wall, forgotten by someone, with a crack in the handle, and half-rotted cardboard boxes with incomprehensible contents were scattered here and there.
"Strange floor," Pina raised his improvised lantern higher to look around. The wolf asked without turning around, "What do you mean by 'strange'?"
"In that everything else is poured with concrete, and here it's somehow carelessly covered with wooden flooring. As if underneath…"
"Scre-ee-ee," the boards said respectfully.
Legoshi froze. With some sixth sense, he felt that the group was almost literally walking on thin ice and said, "Careful, better step back be…"
Sisu stepped forward, and the old, decrepit tree creaked under the weight of the dragon from another world. Instantly, it sagged, cracking in several places, and then with a deafening sound, it collapsed.
Eri and Haru squealed in fear, but their flight was short-lived — just a couple of meters, after which the animals found themselves among the debris of the flooring on the lower, previously hidden level.
Darkness fell upon them.
They found themselves in rather strange positions. Pina held Haru, who had somehow fallen directly onto him — she managed to react at the last moment, but then for some reason jumped back. Legoshi lay on his stomach with a piece of wooden plank in his teeth, Tsu was on top of him in a torn polo, with a wing protruding from a tear on his side, and Eri found herself in the dragon's mouth. However, in very gentle jaws — she wasn't even scratched.
"Phew," the serval exhaled. "Thank you, Sisu. That was really scary."
"Youw wewcome," Sisu politely replied.
"Can you let me go?"
"Is everyone okay?" Tsu asked, raising his head and shaking himself. Eri snorted as she jumped to the ground, "Except for your shirt."
"Damn it… I reflexively tried to flap my wings but didn't make it in time. Legoshi, are you alright? Sorry, I fell right on you…"
"Yuck… yeah. Haru?"
"I'm okay, thanks to Pina."
The sheep grumbled as he got to his feet, "And did anyone bother to ask if Pina is okay?"
"He'll let us know if something's wrong," Eri smirked.
"Ouch… my poor butt."
Feeling around first on his thigh, then moving his fingers back, Pina found a fairly large splinter embedded mercilessly in the soft tissues. He pulled it out, yelping once again, but couldn't see it in the pitch darkness. Then he remembered he was carrying a lamp instead of a rabbit. Bending down and feeling the ground, he said, "Careful… I think the lamp broke. Don't step on the glass."
"There was a plastic cover on it."
"There was. But the bulbs are still glass."
Legoshi squinted and said, "Careful, it's behind and to your left, in the pile of boards."
"Retrieve it?" Sisu offered.
"No-no, be careful."
"I'll illuminate it now."
With these words, Eri took out her phone and turned on the flashlight mode. The rabbit slapped her own forehead, "Eri, you're a genius."
"Louis says the same…" Legoshi remarked with a smirk, waiting for everyone to recover. The cat was slightly embarrassed by the praise, "Oh, come on…"
"They say that so they don't look like idiots in comparison to you," Pina said, almost sincerely.
"Look like? Five animals… well, five from this world, and no one thought that phones have a built-in flashlight?"
"Then I would have smashed the phone…"
"Who are you mad at?" Legoshi lifted Haru onto his arms and, when no one was looking, brushed his lips against her cheek. The rabbit spoke softer now, thawing, "More at myself. Let me go. Just let me go, I'll get used to it and even refuse to walk on my own feet further."
"I don't see anything wrong with that…"
Eri illuminated the spot where the lamp fell and involuntarily chuckled at the sight of Sisu — the rear part of the long guest from another world was still standing, or rather, sitting on top, leaning on the more reliable concrete.
"It's not that high for you, huh, Sisu-chan?"
"Yeah," she nodded with a smile. "If you want, I can lift you back up."
"And is it… comfortable for you to stand like that?"
"Yes. Why do you ask?"
"Sisu can probably tie herself in a double knot."
Ignoring whether it was praise or envy towards the dragon, Pina brought the splinter to the phone — the end of the wooden needle was stained with blood for several millimeters. He rubbed his butt once again, "Had to land so unluckily…"
"Louis once said you're a thorn in his ass. Did he mean this?" Sisu asked straightforwardly, looking over his shoulder at the splinter. The animals laughed — except for the sheep, but he managed a smile through the pain, "Not exactly, but pretty close. Where are we anyway?"
Tsu noticed, "In a place where it's good to tell scary stories."
"Not when they joke about butthorns," Haru rightly pointed out, finally freeing herself from the wolf's arms.
Legoshi sniffed, then coughed. He said, "The air is very stale… and it's been standing for many months. There clearly wasn't any ventilation here, or it got blocked. Shall we try to move on?"
The pit, judging by the staircase on the side, had been actively used before. In fact, it wasn't a pit but a lower sublevel, from which another passage opened up through an archway. The company agreed to continue moving forward, but if they encountered a closed door, they would simply turn back. Rokume definitely hadn't crawled through here.
Next, they discovered an old meeting hall with a dilapidated table and even a small podium in the corner. Three branches led from the hall, along with a small room, which upon inspection turned out to be a toilet.
"It looks fairly modern," Pina remarked, kicking a shard of a broken toilet.
"Do you think this isn't too old for an underground dungeon?" Eri asked.
"I don't know. But the materials and those heavy doors suggest the previous century at most. Not earlier. The academy is relatively new, but there was something here before it."
"But what exactly?"
No one, as it turned out, was interested enough in the city's history to conduct a tour.
"You know what this reminds me of?" Tsu said, peering into the corridor. Flashlights were now turned on for everyone, even those who could see fairly well in the dark. Pina nodded approvingly, "Enlighten us."
"An old abandoned bunker. I don't know how it ended up under the school, but I've seen a documentary about such things on Zootube."
Eri punched him in the side, "Now it's really getting creepy."
He just smirked self-satisfactorily. Tsu was practically immune to fears — height and darkness were the best friends of a flying fox, and he had no innate fear of predators, being an omnivorous animal. Moreover, from childhood, he adored horror movies. So, his next suggestion could sound sincere… for those who didn't know Tsu. The flying fox suggested enticingly, "Maybe we should split up and check the corridors?"
"Not the best idea…" Legoshi objected. The cat grumbled, "He's teasing us."
"Is he?" Tsu innocently asked.
"Nevertheless, we can form two groups. One will go with me and Eri, and the other with Sisu."
"Fine, it'll be faster that way," Pina agreed. "I'll go with Sisu."
"Who would have doubted that," Haru smirked, without further ado standing next to Legoshi.
"Then I'll go with them to even out the numbers," sighed Tsu, seeing the inevitability of another separation of the pair and the trampling of all horror movie rules. Although in the underground bunker, they were unlikely to be threatened by anything, but the rules of reasonable exploration of scary places had been repeatedly violated.
Legoshi's group entered the right corridor and found numerous identical doors behind which were small rooms with beds… and nothing more.
"It looks like cells," Eri said. The wolf remained silent — this row reminded him of a clinic, and not by chance. The doors of the cells were also quite powerful, designed to withstand an assault by a large animal, and even for him, given the randomness of their discovery, the whole strange complex evoked unpleasant forebodings. The rabbit said slowly, "But… empty. Who were they keeping here?"
"Maybe patients…"
"Yeah. An underground hospital bunker," the cat said with poorly hidden irony.
"Legoshi!" Tsu's cry was heard unexpectedly trembling. Eri shook her head, "He's trying to build up the atmosphere again. Let's go, but be prepared for anything."
They found the second group in literal shock. Considering what they found, their state was more than justified — even Sisu looked oppressed as she sniffed the air, although due to the age of what happened, hardly any smell could remain in the room.
Pina cursed. No one paid attention.
Legoshi approached and touched the mummified corpse on one of the tables. It was quite obvious that it was the corpse of a carnivore, a large cat, whose flesh had partially peeled off the bones over time. On another table, there was the body of someone smaller — a mongoose, it seemed.
The desiccated wrists and ankles of both were wrapped in iron shackles.
Moreover, in the room, which was unexpectedly acquiring more and more signs of either a torture chamber or an illegal operating theater, there was another body — dressed in a white coat, he lay on his side, and the hole in the grinning skull left no room for doubt. The doctor was shot.
"Let's get out of here," Haru said quietly.
"Wait. There are journals here," the wolf said quietly. "Pina, shine the light, please."
"You can see well in the dark."
"Not well enough to read."
The sheep reluctantly brought the phone to the yellowed paper, and Legoshi read aloud:
"Day three hundred fifteen. Sample 67 shows no signs of stable reproduction, upon entering the bloodstream it demonstrates sufficient survivability, however, in 40% of cases (in 2 experiments out of 5), it was noted that only the limbs with the introduced substance are affected. Respiratory application is ineffective, transition to sample 82 is recommended."
"What… what is this anyway?" Sisu narrowed her eyes. It was strange and frightening to feel her… anger?
Lowering his head, Pina said, "These are the ugly aspects of our history. The ones people prefer to keep quiet about."
"I think we better leave," said Legoshi, stepping back and returning the lab journal to a small metal shelf. "These samples meant to demonstrate reproduction… could they possibly be viruses?"
"Let's go," the flying fox nodded. "Don't touch anything, just leave and go back upstairs."
Without waiting for the command, Sisu rushed outside. Anticipating the whole company running after her, Legoshi picked up Haru in his arms to leave the eerie place faster. The dragoness said, "We don't even get sick… but who knows what they could have come up with in your world."
It seemed her words were tinged with bitter resignation.
Sisu had been shown the news, told about the criminal world, but perhaps it was here that she had received her first strong blow. Hearing her tone, Pina almost cried.
And the body of the doctor in the laboratory there, he had familiar twisted horns. While it couldn't be said he had been a Dall's ram in life, but he certainly had been a ram.
Guiding them upstairs, she continued to speak, "What? What could have happened for some animals to treat others like this?"
"It's a well-known and yet dark page of history," Legoshi replied hoarsely. "There was a war. A war between carnivores and herbivores. On the carnivores' side — strength, on the herbivores' side — technology."
"This is also… technology?" Sisu asked sadly, turning to look into his eyes. "Yes, I may not understand everything, but there… there's something horrible."
"It's fortunate if we haven't been infected," Tsu said emotionlessly from above. There was a soft sound of a slap. Eri hissed, "Spit it out."
The wolf, with almost perfect self-control, said, "If the virus was developed for military use against carnivores of our world, then you're safe. Sisu, most likely, too, because of her non-native origin. Only I… and Eri are at risk."
As if to confirm his words, the serval sneezed. She raised her hand, stopping the frightened looks of those who managed to get up, "Calm down. It's because of the dust."
"Do you feel any sickness, weakness, or pain in your arms or legs?" Tsu approached and hugged her with his wing, thankfully, the torn T-shirt now allowed such a trick.
"No. I'm fine. Let's keep going."
In almost sepulchral silence, the group of involuntary explorers followed in Rokume's footsteps, flashing their flashlights around. The unreliable planks ended, concrete resumed. They crossed several stairs, descended even lower, crossed a large round hall with a "cave-like" ceiling of uneven stone, and entered another corridor.
"I wonder what else we'll come across…" came the tired voice from behind. Pina turned instantly — the dragoness's tone sounded strange. He shined the light, but she turned away.
"Sisu…"
"Don't mind me. For some reason, I thought that unlike Kumandra, you would be able to peacefully coexist… yes, with problems, with your fears, but… to overcome the differences somehow."
The ram stepped aside and saw something that had once caused his stone heart to constrict in a painful impulse. Tears flowed from her huge violet eyes, uncontrollable, frequent; she tried to turn away, but Pina hugged her head and began to stroke it, saying quietly, "I don't want to talk about it. But the war is long gone… society exists now. Not perfect, with cruelty and violence, but without the bloody chaos that made them create… this. I am herbivore myself, and somehow I feel responsible for what's left up there. I've been unfair to the carnivores, still arrogant and not always honest with them. Even this murdered doctor could have been my ancestor. Or someone else's ancestor. So… forgive us."
"You're not to blame," she closed her eyes. And, picking up her hind legs, she hugged Pina in such a way that he buried himself in her lush and slightly dusty mane. "I just… as usual, came up with something ideal."
"The war is over," Legoshi said grimly. Haru added, "And I hope it stays that way. We're different."
"We have plenty of flaws. Ninety percent of the big business is owned by herbivores, as Louis said. It's quite possible that Horns or some fucking Green Cross started from such bunkers," Pina snapped, still embracing the huge creature.
"And it doesn't matter!" Legoshi raised his voice, squinting. "It's not about what their ancestors did, but what they're doing now!"
"You'll start fighting here," Tsu said, leaving ahead. Sisu gently stroked the sheep's back with her fingers:
"Let's go. I'm okay…"
"You sure?" he raised his head, trying to distinguish something in the darkness — the phone was pressed against his body.
"I swear by the Order of the Dragon," she smiled through tears. And, letting go, she pushed him forward so hard that Pina almost fell. He grumbled dissatisfiedly, of course understanding that Sisu didn't mean to.
After twenty minutes without any significant adventures, they reached a dried-up sewer from which the path led downhill. The wolf perked up his ears, and Eri turned her head towards him:
"Do you hear it too?"
"Your hearing is better… but I smell salty water, iodine."
"The smell of the sea."
The fox sniffed but couldn't make out anything. Each of them excelled in something; Sisu surely had her own unique abilities, which they hadn't been shown, but he trusted Legoshi.
"Lead us, oh brave leader," Haru said mockingly, her gray tail flicking a couple of times.
"Let's not tell anyone what we found."
"I just forgot!" Pina got annoyed.
"It's strange to support Pina, but sometimes he says reasonable things," the rabbit nodded affirmatively. "Let's forget about it ourselves. All of that happened many years ago and has nothing to do with us."
"They need to be buried…"
"Then you do it!"
The wolf fell silent. He firmly decided that the bodies needed to be properly laid to rest… but how to do it without the risk of contamination? Maybe respirators like the ones Dokugumi had and polyethylene film? For now, he decided to leave the idea aside — especially since the group was trying to erase the frightening episode from their memory.
Confidently leading everyone down the slope, where water or filth used to flow, Legoshi turned several times, led by his own nose, and still managed to bring the animals to a small wide cave, where, judging by the size, an entire pack of dragons could live. The water, which was actively splashing in the semicircular pool, and the evening's dim light on the stones ahead, turning the complete darkness into a light dusk, indicated that the first part of the plan had been successfully implemented.
"Yes!" Eri triumphantly raised her hands, by that time already returning to a good mood. Without saying a word, Haru just smiled proudly — like, that's my wolf, what else did you expect? — the others also perked up. Even the somewhat pale-looking Pina smiled:
"We've made it to the sea. But how are we going to return?"
"By our own scent," Legoshi said.
"It'll be hell to walk there. And in the end, we have to somehow climb into that hatch under the club."
"Maybe I'll carry you all on my back? It's getting dark," Sisu suggested. "Hardly anyone will notice."
"And where will we all fit in here?"
"We will. There's a passage over there," her tail pointed towards the emerging light. "I can feel the moving water almost as well as birds feel air currents."
"Is it related to magic?" Tsu asked curiously. Nod.
"Yes, most likely."
"And you promised to show us something…" Eri began to pester, but Sisu smiled:
"It's easier here. Watch."
That strange word that Legoshi had heard back then in the attic. A thin water tendril shot up from the water and, following the dragoness's playful mood, touched the noses of first the cat and then the fox. Tsu pinched his nose:
"Wet!"
"And somehow solid… harder than water should be."
"That's how magic tastes," the dragoness chuckled. And she unceremoniously jumped into the water, immediately making several sharp movements, diving, swirling in place. The watery tendril collapsed down, losing all its magical power at once. Luckily, she had successfully forgotten about the chimera she had promised Legoshi, allowing the wolf to breathe a sigh of relief.
"Wow… and Pina wasn't lying…"
"Pina never lies," the ram said arrogantly, to which Haru just snorted:
"He just doesn't tell the whole truth, plays with words, and applies other tricks that can't be directly called lies."
Legoshi placed his fingers on her shoulder:
"Why are you like that with him?"
"Let him not get too conceited…"
"He saved your little fluffy butt, sacrificing his own," Eri frowned. "Literally!"
"Yeah, kneel, here comes Pina, the Great Buttsaviour!" Tsutomu snorted, receiving a non-gentle push from his own girlfriend.
Pina smirked ironically:
"I've gotten used to Haru-chan's cruelty, even though we've only known each other for a little while. After all, it wasn't destined for me to be the choice of her heart, so let Legoshi do all the hard work. Sisu, how are you doing?"
"Splendid!" the dragoness exclaimed, poking her head out with soaked fur. "You should try it too! The water washes away all the sadness, like… well, like water."
"Hmm…" Tsutomu said thoughtfully. "I don't particularly want to swim, but walking back… no-o-o. Definitely not. I remember there's a rocky shoal along the shore to the left, from where we can reach the residential area. If Sisu can take us there, then we can consider the operation successfully completed."
Looking around, Legoshi didn't find any transportation. Indeed, if there ever was a secret dock with a boat here, it had long since rotted away. The choice between two options seemed obvious to him, so he sighed and started taking off his boots.
"It's better to roll up your pants," Pina chimed in with command, who was already familiar with this mode of transportation. "And even then, be prepared to get a little wet in the most unexpected place, because this is the sea, and Sisu swims very fast."
"I'll try to be careful!" she retorted, to which the ram just snorted:
"It won't work."
"We'll tie our shoes by the laces and hang them around our necks so we don't lose them," Legoshi added his contribution. The rabbit, frowning, poked him in the side:
"Can I climb on your neck, Gosi?"
"Of course," he smiled. Haru weighed very little, but her scent…
After the strange procession boarded their unusual transportation, Sisu wiggled her whole body and, trying not to dislodge the passengers, rushed towards the exit. Eri exclaimed something in admiration — one moment and they left the cave, finding themselves in the open sea. Above, the rocky cliff of the plateau on which Cherryton Academy stood was visible. Sisu turned her head and looked questioningly at the flying fox, Tsu nodded silently, raised his hand, and pointed in the direction where, in his opinion, the shoal should have been.
"The city looks so beautiful from here," Sisu remarked, lifting her head. Cherryton, surrounded by greenery, had already lit its lights, now, in the nighttime setting, it looked truly magnificent. The cold water and splashes made the animals tuck their legs, but overall, as promised, the dragoness was extremely careful. The waves hardly splashed over her body, but the salty sprays still thoroughly soaked the animals. Haru remained almost untouched thanks to her clever strategy and wolf-like tower. After just a few minutes, they landed on the nighttime shore — despite the abundance of light a little further along the road, there was no one here.
"Well, that's it," the soaked ram muttered with a miserable look.
"Don't talk like it's the end of the world. If the commission rejects me, we agreed on a meeting, right?" Sisu smiled. He sighed:
"I hope everything goes well…"
"And I hope so too! I want to meet the club, see the rehearsals, get a glimpse of your world with at least one eye! But… I don't want to break the laws. And you guys have, to put it mildly, crazy mountains of them."
"In the worst-case scenario, we'll take you on a double-decker bus with noise and a police chase," Pina grinned crookedly. "Like a tourist one, with the top open. Alright… swim, magical creature."
"We'll see each other again," Sisu promised, licking him on the nose. Or rather, "on the nose" being the whole face instead…
Even the already soaked Eri decided to cuddle up to the dragon for the last time, and not just her — all the animals hugged Sisu as if they wouldn't see each other for a long time. Each member of the "order" had already gotten used to the cheerful, lively, curious, and, it must be confessed, huge stranger — to the extent that she literally became one of them in their little circle. Even Haru sacrificed her dryness for a moment to cuddle up to the big body smelling of the sea.
"What will you do now?"
"Explore the shore," Sisu winked. "There must be plenty of interesting things along it. Maybe visit neighboring towns…"
"Will you meet the marine inhabitants?" Tsutomu asked curiously.
"How do you talk to them? I don't know the sea language…"
"Some speak on land, too," Legoshi clarified. "But not the fish, no."
"And then I'll meet with Louis and all those important guys from the migration control. Or whatever it's called correctly."
"It will all be resolved tomorrow…" Pina shook his head. She jokingly asked:
"If they don't let me onto land officially, then what? Will you become a hermit? Set up a tent on the beach?"
"I don't know," he sighed again and sat down on a large rock.
"Then don't suffer, don't worry about me like that. Everything will be fine."
"See you," Pina looked at her with subdued sadness. Sisu waved her paw to him and to all her friends at once:
"See you tomorrow!"
And she dove into the water, swiftly cutting through the waves.
Watching her go, the ram shook his head:
"So sure of a positive outcome…"
"Full of optimism, as always," Eri smiled, showing small fangs. "I wonder what animal Sisu would be if she were born in our world?"
"A ferret."
"A weasel!"
"Well, no. That's too obvious, because of the length and flexibility. The first visual association."
"I think she'd be some kind of dog," Pina said after a pause. "She has a very optimistic and forgiving nature. Can't stay sad for long, almost instantly recovers from any failure. Rex, she died once!"
"That part seems to me… strange, if not downright made up," Haru shook her head. "But seeing everything else…"
"Let's go," Pina decisively stood up, shaking off the shackles of sadness and trying to imitate the temporarily departed mythical creature. "It's time to go home, to the dorms, wherever everyone's headed."
"You go ahead…" unexpectedly said Legoshi. "Haru and I will catch up."
"Hm? Alright."
The three gradually moved away from the rocky shore, heading towards the staircase worn down by years and weather with rusty railings.
"Legoshi?" she raised her eyes to him, surprised by the unexpected turn.
"I'll walk you to the bus. But… that's not what I wanted to say."
"Is everything okay?"
"I hope so."
He squatted down and took her hands, gently stroking the back of her fingers and feeling the soft white fur. Clearing his throat slightly, he said:
"Regardless of how Sisu's case goes — and I want to believe it goes well… you have Sunday off, right? I don't think I'm mistaken about the work schedule."
"Yeah," the rabbit nodded affirmatively. She shivered. "Darn, rubbing against the wet dragon was a bad idea. It's chilly here."
Taking it as a cue to act, Legoshi hugged her, slightly leaning forward. He continued, looking embarrassedly aside:
"Maybe… on Saturday after work, you could come to my condo? I'm inviting you."
She slightly opened her mouth, then said uncertainly:
"Uh… yeah, sure. Wait, when we were at Gosha's, you mentioned something about "soon"…"
"Yes." Legoshi took a slow breath and exhaled. "I want you to stay for the night."
"Is that the night?" Haru asked quietly. Squinting, the wolf repeated:
"Yes."
"Come here."
She pressed her lips to his in an unexpectedly hot kiss, but Pina's dissatisfied shout stopped the storm that had erupted:
"Hey lovebirds! You gonna take forever?!"
"Ignore him!" Eri called out with laughter. "He's pathetic!"
Tsu added:
"And patronizing!"
"And presumptious!"
"And a pain in the ass, yeah," scoffed the wet ram, looking away. "I know that game, let's go already."
With Haru in his arms, as if with a trophy for a top-level sports competition, Legoshi caught up with them. And with a careful look at the rabbit clinging to the male, you could notice her blissful smile.