Will you try on yourself the little you've seen in others? Whether it's good or bad, nameless and modest or loud and permeated with falsehood… is it the only path of defining yourself as a person?

There were no ideas. Bryson walked down the corridor, trying to look down and avoid accidentally stepping on one of the smaller creatures, feeling anger with a slight touch of envy and a philosophical mood because he wasn't accepted into another sports club. In the volleyball team, he was always kept on the bench because of his bulkiness and inability to jump high, so a huge black African buffalo submitted a request for his own departure to the club president, and he signed the document after some lazy argument. What the young athlete did not expect was the clear reluctance of the others to take him in. The basketball team was packed, and Bryson himself knew he had nothing to do there, but the judo and boxing teams unanimously rejected his applications without explaining the reasons.

To be honest, the young male suspected it was related to the autumn incident when he accidentally hit one of the team members with a long horn while receiving a ball, but there was no guilt on his part… mostly.

"Why so glum, big guy?" echoed near his ear. Bryson flinched, then slowly turned to the right and exhaled, feeling shivers down his spine.

"Chiro…"

"That's right, the one and only," the oxpecker bowed. Although flying was forbidden for birds without a license, the school administration turned a blind eye to the short flutters of small feathered creatures, so Chiro slightly… modified the school uniform, and the sleeves of his blue polo shirt revealed a wide zipper slit to the midriff.

"We definitely don't need another one," Bryson said, maintaining a minor tone contrary to the joking remark. His companion and closest friend, examining his own colorful feathers, nodded approvingly.

"True. I wouldn't tolerate that kind of competition. What happened, Bryson?"

"Oh, just this and that," he waved his hand. "The boxers said 'no'."

"Did you even see them? There's not a single guy in your weight class, you'll knock them out with one punch. Who goes to the boxing club? That pimply Diligem, right?"

"None from my classes, I know that. Rocco, a third-year pony from room 602 next to ours, is there, and I've already met the president. Tepira, a lynx, you know her."

"Well… her hands are very powerful," Chiro reluctantly admitted, trying to show off a bicep demonstration. "But no one there can stand against you."

"Uh-huh," grunted the buffalo.

"Is Takeshi-san still nagging about the club?"

"Yeah. I don't want to join the manga club, sports are out… so it's either joining your newspaper club or going to the roof of Building A and messing with plants. Or trying to blend in with the crowd and hope that damn Takeshi won't notice."

The bird thoughtfully extended, "Well… what's so bad about plants? Instead of flowers, you can have a little garden, grow lettuce, asparagus, vegetables…"

"I'm not a gardener, Chiro," sighed the buffalo, turning the corner and avoiding a group of whispering, seemingly ferret-like, low-profile females. "Never tried it in my life, and I have no idea what to do with plants. Well, aside from eating. And the gardening club always lacked people; no one will bother with a newcomer who arrived three months before the end of the school year. Besides, with my hands, I can only plant trees."

He moved his powerful fingers, indicating both his awkwardness and strength simultaneously.

"Yeah. Centennial ones, with roots right away. And you know what I heard?"

"What?"

"Gon-san reopened the theater club. They say one of the former students is in charge."

"The president? But you can only elect current students to the position of club president… and an experienced one, like a… director?"

"More like a playwright. Or a play director, yeah," the feathered friend helped. Bryson frowned.

"But what do I do there? Scrub the floors, like in the volleyball team?"

Chiro frantically waved his hands, creating a miniature breeze.

"No! The editor showed me old issues – there was a powerful community in a club! Several structural units, a dance team, costume designers, technicians for lighting and decorations… well, and the actors themselves. There are plenty of activities; you just need to choose!"

The massive herbivore grabbed his head, filled with information. First, the board's counselor, now his best friend… Bryson had only seen himself in sports so far, and after another rejection, he tried to understand what made him different from others.

"You can be a star not only in sports, champ," a sly whisper sounded right by his ear. The buffalo irritably flicked his ear to shoo away the annoying bird.

"Why doesn't Cherryton have proper rugby or American football teams…" he grumbled, turning into the corridor that led to the central hall. There must be a bulletin board there with the information about the club, its requirements, and recruitment deadlines.

"Because all the local chipmunks would sign up for them, and in the first match, you'd be arrested for unintentional mayhem," sarcastically explained Chiro, theatrically waving his wing. "I'd call that article 'Red Rose.'"

"Very funny."

"You just don't get black humor."

They found the announcement on the board almost immediately – a few lines vaguely depicting the club building and the inscription: "Cherryton Academy Dramatics Club invites all talented animals to participate in the dance and acting auditions on March 20 from 14:00 to 15:30. Students with skills in technical and sewing are also needed, contact during opening hours (14:00 – 19:00). If you have an undiscovered talent, we'll help!"

"What do you think?" Chiro patted the buffalo's shoulder, finishing reading the brief announcement. He scratched his chin in thought.

"Trying to figure out what today's date is."

"The seventeenth. It's in two days, on Friday."

"I'm also trying to understand what talents I have besides a loud voice and a massive figure."

"Dude! That's the whole point; they're forced to cast roles for knights, warriors, or monsters for skinny dorks or guys like me. Even without any special talent, you'll fit in, I guarantee. But if you want, I can give you a couple of tips." Bryson skeptically glanced at the oxpecker.

"You?"

"I'm a journalist! Of course, who else but me? We know everything and can't do anything!" Chiro laughed, not particularly respecting his school resume. The nervous teenager with a sturdy and massive build nervously flicked his tail with a brush at the top, indicating his discomfort. Finally, he squeezed out:

"Chiro… practice with me, please. I don't want to embarrass myself here too."

A high-pitched voice rushed almost into his ear:

"Don't worry, buddy! I may not turn you into Othello the Jealous, but you'll become a Knight of the Sad Figure in a couple of days, I promise!"

Room 211 in the women's dormitory was literally turned upside down. Two mattresses lay on the floor, a young lioness in a provocatively red bra and shorts sat on another double bed, wiping away tears, and a long spotted tail protruded from under the third bed, actively wriggling as its owner searched for something, cursing aloud. The under-bed space was cluttered with all sorts of unnecessary junk and showed no signs of surrender.

"Get your memory in shape!" a muffled roar echoed. The lioness burst into tears again, smearing them across her crumpled short fur.

"I d-don't kno-o-ow! It was there and now it's not…"

"What fucking kind of a war happened here?" the third occupant, a spotted lynx, asked, staying stunned at the doorway.

Usually, the administration placed large cats together, but truth be told, the characters among these five were maximally dissimilar. The active yet extremely carefree leopardess Mrisa, the fighter in character (and by hobbies) Tepira, the dry and pragmatic business lady Umeko, the straightforward and slightly alienated music lover Eri, and Sengo, trying to look impressive but always nervous and self-flagellating. The last one was currently crying on the bed, helplessly dropping her hands.

"What have you done here, you damn cats?" Tepira angrily asked, flicking her short tail. "What freaking urgency made you turn the whole room upside down?! Do you want me to clean up after you?"

"S-sorry," sobbed the lioness. Mrisa, writhing, crawled out from under the bed, dust fringes hung from her hands, and a clump of something gray dangled right above her left eyebrow. Her clothes were also dirty. The leopardess, catching her breath, declared:

"We're looking for a dress! Black, about two sizes smaller than needed for her bushy tail! And this idiot can't remember where she put it…"

Sengo cringed in a tearful grimace:

"I don't remember… I remember drinking a little, but where the dress went…"

"And who took it off," the lynx added harshly. This diva irritated her, but Tepira never resorted to rude direct action. Among the roommates, she ranked second in height… from the end, but the larger females were still weaker.

"I was alone," the girl mumbled, burying her nose in the pillow she had taken from the bed. Mrisa nodded:

"This idiot, Sengo, never saw you off. Good thing you guys split up!"

The lioness started sobbing again. Tepira shrugged and effortlessly jumped onto her top bunk – what leopards and snow leopards did best was conquering any height. Staring at the ceiling, she angrily asked:

"Never thought of sewing GPS beacons into all your fashionable clothes? Then you could just check the navigator or call the dress"

"It's funny for you, but I'm here – suffering," irritably said Mrisa. Her roommate gave an astonished look to the right.

"So don't suffer. Let her go on her date naked. Or at least, Sengo, get off your ass and help her search instead of howling like a fire siren."

Sengo helplessly surveyed the furniture, window, walls in a tender apricot shade and barely audible replied, "I've already searched everything…"

The door opened again, and a slender, flexible serval girl in regular school attire slipped inside. Her big ears were covered with a bit unmatching triangular headphones, and her hands and torso swayed to the rhythm of the melody. She squinted, still unaware of how wrecked the room was. The emerald-green eyes widened slightly in surprise, and one earphone ended up in her hands.

"Hey! What's going on?"

"That's what I said, minus the swearing," Tepira hissed from above, flipping through her notes pulled out of the bag. She didn't want to study, but there was a sociology test tomorrow, and the mess wasn't helping.

"We're looking for a dress…" the lioness explained once again in despair.

"Really don't remember?" Eri skeptically smirked. The other three looked at her in confusion. The cat shrugged, "Your dress is in the common bathroom, drying. I took it to the school laundry… probably should have blackmailed you to get some money, but it's Umeko who certainly would have done that."

"I… I'll give you some, I swear!" exclaimed Sengo and rushed out of the room. Then she came back, red to the tips of her rounded ears, and pulled a thin blouse over her bra, leaving Room 211 again.

"Screw the money, one wish from you!" Eri called after her, well aware that such words usually fell on deaf ears. Tepira leaned her head from her bunk:

"What happened? And why are you still in such a good mood if you had to clean up after her then?"

"Oh, nothing," Eri waved her hands, taking off the second earphone. "She went overboard with the wine, acted like a proud lion, and ruined the dress. As for me… just in a good mood."

"Spill!" Mrisa exclaimed, rushing to her. Eri moved back slightly, but in the room's space, there was no such thing as "enough room." Especially now, with the dusty large female pressed almost close. "I've been messing around in the dust enough, and now it turns out you forgot to mention your help and don't want to talk about something obviously good! Are we friends or what?"

"For Rex's sake, friends, of course. Just move away," the cat pushed her with her palm slightly, "or we'll both end up in the dust."

"Spill," supported the muscular lynx. "Otherwise, I might bite your heel at night."

"Grrr… you're so noisy," she said with displeasure.

"Well, Eri-chan…"

"That's it! Mrisa, remember I told you I transferred here because I heard about the choreography courses in the local drama club?"

"Well, yes. You also complained that they closed it, I think," the spotted one uncertainly said. The serval smiled widely:

"Imagine, they're reopening it! Auditions on the twentieth, just in two days! I'll be dancing!" With these words, she twirled around the room with closed eyes, predictably stumbled over the corner of a mattress thrown on the floor and fell onto the second one, which stood at an angle – only her legs and tail flashed in the air.

"MRISA!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming," she giggled and went to help. "Sorry. We really need to do a little cleaning."

"A lot," Eri said in feigned annoyance, but her eyes still smiled.

"Hey, Kibs."

The coal-black panther plopped down on a bench in the corner of the cafeteria without the slightest trace of feline grace, maintaining a conspiratorial expression. Students of various shapes and sizes bustled around with food and empty trays in their hands, but the busy cat didn't care about the surrounding crowd.

"We haven't seen each other for ages, since the computer class this morning," the anteater grinned with his small mouth, putting the remnants of an insect cocktail on a tray. "Any news? You have a suspicious look on your face."

"Louis-senpai is back! And Legoshi!" Tao blurted out, biting into a tofu and tomato sandwich.

"What? Did you get a sunstroke?" Kibi asked in surprise. "Where are they returning to? Spring has just begun; exams are coming soon. Who resumes studies at the end of the school year? And… uh… wasn't Legoshi facing criminal charges?"

"No, they say they won't be studying. Louis is here to reopen the theater, or rather, the club. Lego, apparently, tagged along with him like a dog…"

The anteater spoke thoughtfully, "Tao, he IS a dog. At least, from the canids, and they tend to form strong attachments to friends."

"You know," Tao grunted, shrugging his shoulders, "I would have never thought they were friends at all. From the outside, it looked like some kind of abuse."

"Unless our wolf doesn't like dominant males," Kibi snickered, nearly making Tao choke. Tao laughed, wiping away the tears that came during the laughter.

"Fool… he had that rabbit before."

"But now she's graduated and won't see her mate courting his deer butt," the anteater winked, making Tao burst into another fit of hysterical laughter. He had long suspected that his little friend was not as pure and innocent as it might seem at first glance, especially when he caught him reading some spicy manga during one of their visits to the hospital last year.

"That… Kibs, I wanted to ask… maybe, let's go back?"

"Where? To drama club?" Kibi was surprised, taking another sip of his cocktail. "But why?"

Tao shrugged:

"I don't know… it seems to me that if they manage to put on at least one play without us by summer, I'll feel like our school graduation is incomplete."

Kibi grabbed his head, saying desperately:

"Friend, are you out of your mind? You have college ahead, summer will be spent preparing for entrance exams, plus you need to improve your grades… how are you doing in maths, chems?"

"Poorly," Tao admitted, meditatively stroking the fluffy tip of his tail with his fingers. "But to have the opportunity to return to the drama club and not return… Kibi, it will be even worse for me. Almost as bad as last year when they closed it."

The anteater wasn't too enthusiastic about returning – he usually worked as a tailor for a small part of the supporting actors, while the main job was done by Dom. However, his panther friend looked so pathetic last year that, remembering that, Kibi just nodded his head:

"Let's give it a try. If they accept us at all. What if there's a line of talented youth waiting for their turn?"

"Then we'll fight for the right to membership!" Tao assumed a menacing pose. Kibi had an unpleasant thought about another event from last year, and his shoulder immediately ached, but he bravely kept silent. Friendship was more valuable than fleeting coincidences… especially if they could be fixed.

"Let's better avoid unnecessary battles," Kibi said gently. His interlocutor nodded seriously:

"Okay."

They spent a day and a half cleaning the attic space, which occupied only a small part of the Underroofia borders – the rest was allocated for metal trusses and cheap soffits. Legoshi, and later Kai, used this utility room as a storage space for wires, extensions, and switches, but after the club closed, they cleared out almost all of the club's junk. Moreover, it seemed that several trucks of dust were poured here – otherwise, where did so much of it come from? The wolf worked in rough shifts, Louis, taking Juno as his assistant, dealt with recruiting and distributing inviting lists, but after classes, both went to the club and helped as much as they could. Both carnivores watched over the deer, well aware that he couldn't walk for long, and Louis, in turn, was upset seeing this care. He didn't like to appear helpless.

However, the cleaning would have taken much longer if not for the main reason for this event – a twenty ft alien lifeform they planned to somehow settle in her new world. Sisu moved around here and there, dragging trash bags to the exit, sweeping the dust with bound brooms as best as she could. She even offered to help paint the corridor wall, but since she used her teeth instead of hands when holding a brush, she quickly got covered in paint, overrespirated it's odore and lay down to rest while Juno wiped her forehead with a rag.

Louis, sincerely offering to transport her back to Oguma's former mansion, received a resolute refusal – Sisu, not very pleased with house arrest, flatly disagreed to part with her new friends. However, all three insisted on not letting the dragoness out under any circumstances, especially since video surveillance had been installed at the Academy since last year, at the insistence of the board of trustees. Brimming with audacity (or courage), the deer redirected a thin stream of funds from the Horns conglomerate for targeted use, patching up both the club's budget holes and literal holes in the coverage, safety, showers, which never worked properly during their studies in Cherryton.

Operational efficiency required additional funds, but Louis had no regrets. He just wanted to put the school bureaucracy back on track, and for such a task, it wouldn't hurt to go an extra mile… where necessary. Such life lessons were very helpful in managing a gang of fierce lions from the black market. Unexpectedly for the red deer, they, albeit in a milder form, came in handy here too.

Of course, for the duration of the work, Sisu was hidden in the attic. Legoshi brought an old laptop left on the club's balance from the sound team and showed her some amusing things. Once she learned to distinguish the image, Legoshi thought and explained that her vision might not have been accustomed to digital devices. He showed her what they actually wanted to do. The wolf, in a dark bodysuit and shorts, sitting with crossed legs, found an amateur recording of "Adler," shot here in the school theater, made sure it was not the version where he and Bill caused a riot, and started playing it.

The joy of the large creature knew no bounds. Like a child, she bombarded the quiet and modest wolf with questions – what's happening, how, where, where does the light come from, does she love him or just pretends? – to which he tried to give detailed answers. Then unexpectedly came a question to which Legoshi really didn't want to answer:

"Have you ever played on stage?"

"No," he shook his head. "Or rather, yes, but not for long. I substituted for one of those guys, bandits, while Louis was in the hospital. He was always our lead actor."

"I understand…" Sisu nodded, squinting and not really understanding anything. They brought upstairs some sofa pillows so that the dragoness could stretch out to her full length without curling up every time she wanted to sleep.

"He has a… gift. And confidence."

"Which I've always envied."

"And me."

"You?" Legoshi looked at her in surprise. Then he hunched over, looking somewhere at the floor. "Although… I probably understand. Louis once admitted that he envies my strength, my pre-… carnivore strength. So I, probably, look at you with admiration, and somewhere deep down, you also have the right to worry and feel insecure."

In the end, she found herself in a foreign world by accident and sits here, as if in prison. Yet Sisu is still a very beautiful creature.

"Ha! Legoshi, with you, I feel much more confident," she smiled. Then she sighed again, "There… in my homeland, they see me as something special. Although I'm probably the most… useless one from the entire brood. I can't help but cause trouble where it's possible. Like now, I ended up with you. And back there, some box with… what did you call it?"

"With props?" Legoshi guessed.

"Yeah, with that. I know how to speak confidently, inspire and recklessly perform various dangerous tricks, but when it comes to action… I can't always protect my friends."

The wolf emitted a quiet laughter. After a short pause, he spoke, looking at the partially cleared window under the roof through which the evening twilight was slowly creeping in:

"You're talking as if you were talking about me."

"Oh really?" she craned her neck, looking at him upside down.

"I… won't spill everything on you," he shook his head. "But I can tell you something. I fought with a gang of lions for the life of a little rabbit. And I would have died there if it weren't for the help of a certain doctor."

"He healed you?"

"He killed almost half of them," Legoshi sadly smiled, scratching his neck. "And then he patched me up."

Sisu said in surprise, "But why did they need her?"

"They… wanted to eat her."

"What?!"

Legoshi grimly uttered, "It's our curse, the burden of carnivorous animals. Each one chooses whether to succumb to instincts or not, and in the shadow of the black market, there are many beasts who chose 'yes'. Our world… is not very peaceful."

"It's horrifying. The people of Kumandra never ate each other. They fought – yes, but eating… maybe only in ancient times," she muttered softly.

"Perhaps because they are of the same species," the wolf shrugged.

"I remember that you started talking the day before yesterday. Something about how not only fish but also…"

"Yes," she gloomily nodded. "They walk on all fours, eat other species, and constantly fight. For food, for territory."

"Feral?"

"I don't think they had a chance to go feral," Sisu shook her head. "You showed me pictures from your textbook – about evolution, I think that's what it's called. So, our animals look like an intermediate link from there."

She decided to keep silent about the fact that people also hunted and ate them. Not all the peculiarities of her world needed to be revealed to even the best beings unfamiliar with it.

Legoshi chuckled lightly, "How amazing worlds can be."

"Aren't you upset? Sorry if I offended you…"

"Me? No, Sisu-chan, I'm not offended. Rather, surprised. Tell me more about humans."

Without any reservations, the dragoness declared, "They're funny! Of the local species here, they most resemble monkeys, but tailless and smooth-skinned. Sometimes clumsy, sometimes very agile, wear strange clothes, each tribe has its own, cultivate the land, and raise… oh."

"Uh-huh?"

"They raise… horned cattle. Herbivores," blushing with shame, Sisu finished, covering her snout with her tail. Deciding that there was nothing more to lose, she added, "And also tame dogs and large riding cats, like the people of Claw."

Contrary to expectations, the wolf sat without the slightest hint of indignation – he seemed to be listening to her story as if it were an entertaining fairy tale. But people really did that… nevertheless, Legoshi usually amazed her with his following questions. It happened again now.

"You mentioned the people of Claw? And before that, Fang? Why are they named like that?"

"Ha, that's actually a funny story. The river that runs through all of Kumandra filled the gap formed after the disaster. And for some reason, it looked a lot like a dragon, and the tribes living along the banks began to be named after parts of the body – the tribes of Fang, Claw, Ridge, Tail, and Heart. But there were no dragons anymore. They perceived us as a long-dead myth," she cheekily smiled, despite the harsh narrative. "But I was alive! Just lying unconscious… for a few centuries."

"Centuries?" asked the wolf in amazement. She shrugged:

"Magic. I can't explain it any better. So now, in my brood, I am the oldest… and at the same time, one of the the youngest."

"Do dragons always live long?"

"Hundreds of years. Unfortunately, humans don't live very long."

"Like us," a voice came from the side. They turned their heads and saw the silhouette of a deer in the hatch, illuminated by lights from the hall. "So let's not waste time and go scrape the fairy dragon off completely ordinary household dirt," Louis finished with a slight smirk.

"Oh, they probably fixed the showers by this moment," Legoshi rejoiced and jumped up. "I would like to wash too."

"Later. First, our guest. I would have taken Sisudatu to hot springs in general if I found a way to do it unnoticed by the public," Louis waved his hands with annoyance and began to descend the stairs slowly.

He maintained his balance well even on the prosthesis, although recently the amputated limb, bitten by teeth, still ached. It wasn't worth recruiting on his own; he should have looked for someone from the former members and delegated all the work to them… but, if not lying to himself, the deer wanted to show up at school. Even if he wasn't destined to take the stage anymore, the pride of a teenager who had matured in more than one life adversity still demanded admiration for himself from others. Louis was still impeccably dressed and toned (of course, for cleaning, he put on a seemingly never washed hoodie and lightweight sports pants), and the slowed pace of walking helped hide the limp. And some high school girls whispering by the wall made him feel that he was still attractive to the opposite sex, regaining his former confidence.

A dragon behind him, speaking with a female, albeit not very gentle voice, said: "I still don't like hot water, Louis-san."

"It's amazing that you're warm-blooded at all," he smiled, cursing the screw staircase to himself, on which nothing was visible. Including the steps. "All our tales describe dragons as cold-blooded and, to be honest, cruel reptiles. And then you appear – airy, light, gently blue, and start hugging right away. How can one be afraid?"

"But you were scared," she giggled, bending her long body in the shape of a ladder. "Right, Louis-san?"

"I was more afraid of the unknown. And anyway!" he turned his head back, finally reaching the safe floor. "Who taught you this nastiness? That official tone of respect, 'Louis-san'… Legoshi? I'll bite off your tail, you fence-jumping dog!"

"Louis… you used to be so refined," the wolf said with barely noticeable sarcasm. Sisu stood up for him: "Both Legoshi and Juno really respect you. I probably learned it from them. I apologize."

"No problem," the deer waved his hand, looking somewhere to the side. "It's just… probably the first time in my life when I realized that I need not so much respect as real friends."

In the same second, he almost fell to the ground, engulfed in powerful gray hands. The wolf, wagging his tail, didn't know what to say, so he squeezed him tightly until Louis decided that whole bones were much more pleasant than such strong friendship and gently scratched Legoshi between the ears: "Enough already. Let go. Yes, I love you too. As a friend. But I still need air to live."

"Sorry," he stupidly smiled, releasing the deer. His friend thoughtfully scratched his chin: "What are you sometimes…"

"Wonderful?"

"Yes, Sisudatu. That's exactly what I wanted to say."

She smiled, letting irony pass by, and didn't miss the opportunity to mention that she missed the water: "Shower!"

"Let's go," with a theatrical gesture, Louis invited them to go further, discreetly rubbing his sore side. "Was there any guide on the Internet 'how to wash your dragon,' by any chance, Legoshi?"

"I'm not sure that with this request, you'll get exactly what you mean," a female voice from the showers was heard. Juno, smiling, looked at the deer. She also changed for cleaning – the girl was wearing a sports black tank top, baring her shoulders and emphasizing her figure, and almost the same pants as the deer. In general, after a working day, you had to take off your clothes and take it to the laundry, but they still had a swim in the shower ahead, considering Sisu's size.

"How fascinating," she said, entering the small room. The routine of such a visit didn't bother Sisu; everything was unusual for her, from the walls clad in glistening tiles to the shower itself, divided into niches. Fortunately, the distant showers were equipped for larger life forms; even an elephant could fit comfortably here. However, the trio faced an even bigger task, so Juno pulled out a long hose, turned the pressure to the maximum, and checked the water temperature.

"If it gets too hot, let me know," Louis advised.

"Guys, go ahead. We'll handle it ourselves," the she-wolf grinned.

"Well, it's not like we're terribly embarrassed… it's Sisu, after all," the deer shrugged.

Legoshi nodded, almost mimicking the gesture after his friend. "Even when sea creatures come ashore, they still don't like clothes. In Hidden Condo, there's Sagwan, a seal, and he has… shocked me more than once. But I got used to it. So we can help."

"Friends, I appreciate and respect your help, but I'm not a horse to be washed by three of you!" Sisu exclaimed, laughing and raising to demonstrate her front limbs. "See? Hands, fingers."

Louis asked in puzzlement, "What's wrong with horses?"

She became embarrassed, "Uh, well…"

"Let's go," Legoshi said, gently pushing the horned and bewildered creature toward the exit. "I'll explain it there. And we could use a wash too, sweaty as if after a sports match."

After they left the shower, Juno burst into cheerful laughter, heading towards a small canvas bag in the corner. She pulled out a large bottle with flowers on the label and showed it to the dragon:

"Here! Shampoo for delicate fur, universal. Do you like violets?"

"I do," Sisu admitted, sniffing the air.

Her nose wasn't as keen as a dog's, but nothing smelled. Probably because the vessel was tightly closed and sealed. Juno decisively pulled the plug along with the dispenser on the narrow spout, and a gentle floral scent with a slight soapy hint spread in the air.

"Let's start; if you need a break, just tilt your head," she proudly raised the bottle above her head. Sisu obediently followed the instructions, first putting her head and neck under the shower, which the wolf held in her outstretched hand, and then under the bottle, feeling something viscous spreading along her spine.

"Is this soap?"

"Better," Juno declared. "It's shampoo. Do you like it?"

"I can't tell yet."

"Then wash your mane, and I'll take care of the sides. You're as long as an overgrown noodle."

"Like I had chose that," Sisu said offendedly, poking her with her nose, which was just soaped, and continued rubbing her mane.

The sensation was quite pleasant, although she usually just dashed through rivers and lakes at a hurricane speed, and there was no need for such care. But Raya had smeared her fur a few times with aromatic oils, and Sisu liked the idea that she would smell like violets for a while.

"Ouch! Hey, I'm still dressed! Wait a minute." Sisu chuckled and poked her again, then, recalling what Juno was doing, used her teeth to take another shower from the stand and turned on the water.

"No… don't even think about it, you horned noodle!" Juno waved her hands, quickly putting the bottle on the floor and hiding behind the curve of her body. "If you wet my tank top, I'll bite you!"

"But you're already all wet from the splashes," Sisu retorted, spitting out the shower. "What's the difference?"

Juno sniffed her armpits and wrinkled her nose. Of course, a touch of scent added charm to women, but when those touches were a thousand… Although Sisu seemed not to change her scent as she got tired. At least it remained alien, quite specific, but rather pleasant than not. Having made a decision, she started undressing — pulled off the truly wet tank top over her head, quickly took off the pants in the corner, first the wet ones, then the underwear, and headed towards the central niche. She tossed over her shoulder:

"We've soaped up well, entirely, then rinse off."

"I'd better stay under the water a little longer," a spirited voice replied. "Let it be not much."

"Ha!" Juno responded. "In a couple of months, in May, we often have rains. If there's a heavy rain at night, I'm sure we can persuade the guys to let you out. At least on the roof."

"That would be great, Juno. Do you need help?"

"No, thanks," the smaller female smiled, rearranging a couple of disheveled strands in her fluffy tail. "You have a lot more work."

A brief silence settled in – each occupied with their own thoughts. Finally, Juno, shaking off water and pressing her ears to avoid getting them wet, stepped out, drying herself with a fluffy towel. In the corner lay a stack of towels for Sisu, who had already rinsed off all the shampoo and now luxuriated under a small shower. A involuntary chuckle escaped the wolf. Sisu turned around, and for some reason, Juno seemed a bit embarrassed – so much warmth was evident in the eyes of the "horned noodle."

"You're beautiful," declared Sisu, shaking her wet mane. She truly viewed the world from the perspective of beauty, interest, and amusement, and even now, the wet wolf looked very beautiful to her. The reddish-brown fur, now sleek with water, mixed with a creamy shade on the muzzle, neck, chest, and belly, a lively tail starting to wag at the slightest signs of joy… everything looked very harmonious and pleasant. Sisu also noticed that the body contours of the animals here were roughly human, confirming her hunch – despite the differences in physique inherent to different species, they resembled both her and the inhabitants of Kumandra.

"Oh, and you…"

"What?" the alien female looked at her playfully.

"Not bad yourself! Let's go, we'll dry and groom you. Louis did a good job, even got fur dryers. Something we never had, had to use towels," Juno explained, quickly shifting away from the topic of beauty. She felt awkward being naked in Sisu's presence – which was strange since no one had particularly noticed or paid attention to the constant nudity of her new friend among the three.

"I don't know why, but I can't shake off the feeling of curiosity," admitted Sisu, following her and flinching when the dryer howled. She had to raise her voice a bit. "I want to watch one of your plays now. Or better yet, not just one."

"Ask Legoshi to put on a movie for you," Juno suggested, using her claws and fluffing the drying fur along her body.

"I liked the theater more," said the dragon thoughtfully, leaning into the artificial wind. "A film is a ready-made story, but in 'Adler,' you imagine a lot yourself…"

"Oh, you watched 'Death Harvester'? Is he really that good?" Her tail betrayed her with a treacherous wag at this phrase. Sisu nodded, shaking her unfolding mane.

"Yes! An excellent story about love, a bit of spirit magic, and death just adds emotions! And how good is that guy with the skull…"

"Oh," Juno giggled. "You don't know?"

"What?" Sisu asked bewilderedly, exposing her back to the pleasant stream of air and bending.

"That's Louis."

"Horns! There were horns… Heavens, I'm so silly… And Legoshi said he was your lead actor… only I didn't understand what 'being the lead actor' means."

"Playing the main roles," Juno explained with a hint of envy in her voice. "I was preparing to play the lead role myself, but the club closed. The old play director, Sanu, moved somewhere near Sapporo, a couple of our clubmates also transferred. A few more graduated and went to college… so for me, it looks like a phoenix's rebirth. Just shortly before graduation exams."

She dreamily smiled, picked up the dirty clothes, and headed for the door, wrapped in a towel. Sisu shook herself, trying to smooth the long fur on her neck, and hurried after her.

"So, what?"

"What 'what'?" the deer looked around, undressing. Herbivores usually had separate showers, but here, the division was much simpler – into male and female.

"Is it nice to return to your alma mater?"

Louis shrugged. He didn't know how to answer that question, as he always thought that Cherryton Academy remained behind as a completed stage of life. And now, he suddenly wanted to go back… not to freeze as a money bag in the business world, collecting financial flows, but to forget a bit about the past months. Although after the black market, Louis could devour any businessman with bones and entrails, although contacts of financial advisors, personal accountants, a turtle named Toby, the entire board of directors, and a couple of familiar brokers hung in his phone around the clock, he finally felt some tranquility, brushing off the dust with dirt from the corners of the utility room.

"I don't know," he finally replied, gathering his thoughts. A light chuckle sounded from behind, then the shower door opened and closed again, almost immediately followed by the sound of running water. Louis detached the prosthetic and unrolled a special silicone sheath around the metal joint, then clipped the leg back into place. He headed towards the door, taking with him a dark blue bottle of gel and a small towel. The tall and lean wolf, covered in scars, looked in his direction, and for a moment, his gaze lingered on the absent limb. Ears instantly flattened against his head, his claws in a clearly visible gesture attempted to scratch his own chest.

"Stop it," Louis commanded in a dry tone, squinting his eyes and approaching the adjacent cubicle. "Will you fall into despair your whole life?"

"Louis… it's tormenting."

"Tormenting may be Rex tearing your ass, and he will despite me not even being a prayer. Every time, you start whining about the weight of guilt, about how you'll never be able to repay me, and other nonsense. Legoshi," Louis placed his hand on the wet shoulder, pulling him towards himself, making the wolf finally look at him. "It was my decision. Want me to eat yours? I can eat meat, you've seen it."

"It would only be fair," grumbled Legoshi, soaping up behind his ears.

"Legoshi, no. Ew! How idiotic you are. By the way, do you know what Gouhin told me, mentioning idiocy?"

"The old panda? Gouhin-san? Where did you meet him?"

"Doesn't matter. So… he told me a funny story about false fangs."

"Oh no," whined Legoshi, completely turning away and hiding his face in his hands. Water lazily beat against his neck, drenching the darkened gray fur and revealing the prominent muscles.

"Oh yes! Now should I call you Toothless?" Louis grinned.

"Good thing you don't know all the details. Especially with Haru."

"Oh come on… wait, don't tell me… your instincts failed, you wanted to bite her, but your teeth fell out, and you just sucked her?"

Now even the embarrassed wolf couldn't hold back and laughed along with him. Slowly he spoke, soaping up and washing away the white streams:

"I was VERY lucky that I'm Gosha's grandson. It turns out I can regrow teeth even after their complete loss. Although I wouldn't say I'd willingly repeat it anytime soon. Gums itch so much, you want to howl."

"Lucky dog," Louis said with envy and slight admiration. "If it's not a secret, what did you exchange your old fangs for? Gouhin didn't tell me anything."

"For one hit," Legoshi turned around, and, leaving the shower, demonstrated what Louis observed so rarely and what he truly admired in carnivores – a smile with all the fangs. "But it was a very good hit."

Louis had no doubt about that. With one blow, his friend could probably kill. However, since he was smiling like this, no one died, and Legoshi achieved some victory known only to him. A warm feeling in Louis's heart again warmed the rest of his body. And here they are, back at the starting point, where this dark and tangled story began. With Riz, with Shishigumi and Haru, with the Third and the Ninth, with Yafuya, Melon, and the black market gangs…

After the suddenly bashful wolf dressed in fresh clothes, Louis spoke again, untangling either horns from the shirt or the shirt from the horns:

"Actually, I think we should stage not only 'Adler.'"

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I mean, why not run scenes from 'Adler' for a trial performance in front of a small audience, since we'll have many newcomers, and instead, by summer, put on something completely different?"

Legoshi thoughtfully scratched his head and twitched his ear:

"And what exactly? I'm not familiar… with everything else."

"We won't be participating," the deer shrugged. "All the burden will fall on Juno, Tao, and those who will join among the young ones."

"Tao in the role of Adler…"

"Yeah. Unlikely. I thought we should rewrite the role for Juno and reshape the script, but usually, the baboon… what was his name?"

"Daichi? If I'm not mistaken…"

Louis nodded:

"Exactly. But he was a close friend of Sanu and hardly anyone has his contacts by now. I'll think about it."

Legoshi respectfully considered how many tasks his friend would have to solve simultaneously and offered:

"Maybe I can help with something?"

"I don't know, buddy…" the tail wagged actively after the short word "buddy," "our entire dance team is gone – Shiira, Elsa, Ellen, and all the sound engineers, from Riz to Fudge. Maybe someone will show up, but during the day, no one has appeared yet. I doubt you understand much about dances, but perhaps you could find a couple of guys familiar with the sound equipment and computers? One, at least?"

"I'll do that," Legoshi nodded with such a responsible expression that Louis was already mentally scolding himself. He'll complain, but he'll do it. Given the wolf's antisocial nature, though, it might take until summer. Nevertheless, Legoshi became a bit less timid. Apparently, he finally believed that his wolf nature also could bring good.

"So, if not Adler?.."

"I have a few thoughts," Louis slowly said and stood up, leaning on the locker. "However, let's see what cards we'll have to play in this game."

"Guessing, you already have your trump card, right?"

"Shush."

But, unlike the red deer's usual tone back at the school days, this 'shush' was much warmer and covered with a well-hidden smile.