User_38567 added to chat.
User_38567 is now Legoshi.
Haru: Yes! I did it!
Legoshi: Hello.
Pina: order of the dragon fully assembled :)) but legoshi will curse us 4 sure
Haru: haha yeah
Haru: He'll ask Sisu to teach him ancient dragon magic and curse us!
Haru: he's already giving me disapproving looks…
Louis: Knowing Legoshi — probably, pitiful looks.
Legoshi: I'm not looking at anyone, I'm reading the chat.
Juno: wolfy sup!) want me to send you emojis with gray faces?
Legoshi: Thanks, Juno, not necessary.
Louis: Legoshi.
Legoshi: Louis?
Louis: Chill.
Louis:
Louis: *image removed*
Eri: ?
Pina: oh rex… now ive seen everything
Eri: seen what? ): What did Louis-senpai send? I didn't get to see
Tsutomu: This isn't…
Tsutomu: :)
Juno: No, it's NOT
Eri: Juno, do you have it?
Juno: NO
Pina: and dem always accuse us of thinkin the same things XDDD
Louis: I just wanted to lighten up the formality a bit. :P
Pina: louis the peacemaker
Pina: even puts emojis after periods
Louis: Oh, Pina, are we really going to discuss punctuation now?
Pina: yeah my textin s crap but it's quicker
Juno: Not surprising when you're dealing with half the school :) gotta fend off constant messages somehow
Tsutomu: Pina-kun, is that true? :)
Pina: slander i can't remember a single name
Legoshi: Pina, if I recall correctly, when we were in school together, you also had trouble remembering them.
Haru: r-r-round. Pina, what should we reply?
Juno: Haru.
Haru: what?
Juno: Out of all the animals, you're the one teasing Pina?)
Eri: WHAT WAS IN THE PITURE?
Eri: PICTURE
Juno: Should we tell her?
Pina: no
Louis: No.
Eri: I'll bite you all!
Tsutomu: she can
Tsutomu: :)
Haru: you can't bite me, rabbits are sacred animals!
Louis: If Legoshi built you a temple, it doesn't mean anything yet.
Pina: tsu demandin' details about the biting
Tsutomu: :)
Pina: in pm?
Tsutomu: :P
Eri: !
Eri: ..!.
Juno: Eri, rude.
Eri: Well, why… did someone save the picture? ):
Juno: Louis doesn't want to compromise himself in front of the young actors :)
Louis: "Compromise" — that's too harsh. I'm also an animal with emotions, I can laugh, even goof around.
Pina: haha
Pina: hahaha XDDD
Pina: wait i dropped my phone
Louis: Then how are you typing?
Haru snorted:
"Louis was right. It's a madhouse in here. And the chat's creator isn't even here yet. Sisu's gonna lose it."
"And me too," Legoshi sighed plaintively. "Did you save the photo?"
"Barely had time, Louis deleted it almost immediately. Look, isn't he adorable."
The deer was captured in an uncharacteristic pose — holding the phone aloft, he took a selfie, simultaneously pulling down one eyelid with his finger and sticking out his narrow tongue directly at the camera. For a moment, Haru thought — what if she sent this photo to all the chat participants and asked them to set it as their wallpaper. But she dismissed the mischievous idea in favor of preserving the reputation of a young director and businessman.
"You certainly won't see this in the newspaper," the wolf said, grinning from ear to ear. Haru took the chance and swiftly switched to camera mode, snapping another picture of him. Legoshi pressed his ears:
"Just not in the chat, please."
"Oh, come on… imagine the discussions if I posted this photo with the caption 'Legoshi when he sees a photo of Louis'."
"Haru-u-u… stop it!"
"You don't smile at me like that," she accused, poking him with her finger. Nodding, the wolf replied:
"I try not to show my fangs unnecessarily. It's rude, after all."
"But I need your teeth, need, need, need your teeth!" she pouted, emphasizing almost every word with a stomp of her foot. "Tail, ears, all of you…"
They stood at the bus stop, waiting for transport. Besides them, there were several other animals, all doing their best to ignore the strange inter-species couple.
"Besides, passersby might take this as a sign of aggression…"
"You have nothing to fear anymore. You're already in too deep," Haru giggled, then sighed. "And so am I."
"When did you first realize you felt something for me?" Legoshi softly asked, holding her hand — extremely cautiously, always barely touching and gently squeezing the miniature fingers of the bunny.
"I don't know. Maybe, if we're talking serious-serious, then back in May, when I saw you with Juno. It felt like something inside me clenched, like I lost something very important."
"But you didn't lose anything," he smiled. Haru nodded importantly:
"Nope. And I'm not planning to let go anymore."
The sixteenth bus arrived, green and silver, the usual colors for public transport. Haru questioned by tugging on the wolf's hand:
"Ours?"
"Yes. Maybe we should wait for a less crowded one?"
"No way. Wait again? Besides, it's not as packed as it seems from the outside, see, most of them are gathered near the door."
"I'll trust your intuition…"
And indeed — large and small animals spilled out of the bus, dressed in spring attire — light women's coats, men's shirts with vests, sportswear. The bus emptied out almost a third, the remaining animals leisurely taking their seats. Legoshi hopped inside, looked around — one average-sized single seat was unoccupied — and led Haru there. However, she didn't agree with such tactics — she twitched her ears, patting the seat:
"You take it, Legoshi. It'll be too spacious for me here."
The wolf hesitated a bit and sat down, carefully placing his tail to one side. Slyly smiling, Haru immediately jumped onto his lap and whispered:
"This is just right here."
With tenderness, the wolf embraced her, the bus started, immediately turning after the stop and picking up speed. Trying to wag his tail pressed against him, he held the bunny close to his chest, and she, melting, ran her fingers through the gray fur on his head. From behind came something disapproving, but neither Haru nor Legoshi paid any attention to the grumbling — he was too engrossed in his thoughts about her, and she generally perceived any public disapproval as a challenge.
Moreover, his fingers instilled in her body such a poignant, warm feeling that any irritability towards other passengers dissolved in bliss.
Rising slightly, she whispered softly into the wolf's ear:
"I… love you. Don't be mad that I sometimes bother or tease you… I'm a very naughty animal."
Legoshi simply closed his eyes with a happy smile. He rarely heard those words from her, but when he did, they partially melted his mind into a jumbled mix of admiration. What followed after them, the wolf didn't quite discern, and he only absentmindedly nodded, finding the strength to softly say:
"I love you very much too, Haru."
They rode on in silence, gazing out the window as the streets passed by slowly yet quickly, without a trace in memory. As they approached their stop, Legoshi noticed that almost all the passengers had left the bus – only an elderly bear sitting behind them and some raccoon couple, judging by their excited cries, were engrossed in a card game on the long bench.
"Gosha-san lives so far away…"
"He likes quiet places. If it weren't for work, Grandpa would live entirely outside the city."
"Рe's still working?" Haru was surprised. The wolf nodded:
"Yes. Komodo's aren't as agile with age, but they live longer than us."
"At what age do they retire…"
"I don't know. Grandpa hasn't planned it yet."
"And what does he do for work?"
"He's a construction worker. He also cleans up here in the yard, but I don't think they pay him for that," Legoshi smiled.
They got off the bus and headed towards the residential buildings a bit further away. Each of the houses was painted in a calm, yet slightly different bluish hue – from delicate lilac-blue to turquoise. Moreover, the alley formed by the plantings around the path consisted mainly of fruit trees – apple trees, apricots, cherries, almonds. The latter had already unfolded its large flowers in full force, as if waiting for the calendar start of April, and Legoshi had a pleased thought. The stroll itself here justified the trip. He hoped that Haru would like Grandpa, and he would like her, but these crimson flowers reminded him of the pre-prepared gift, and Legoshi decided that there would be no better moment. Unnoticed, he took out a chain from his pocket and glanced at his companion – she was looking admiringly at the alley, shaking her head. He cleared his throat and gently touched her shoulder.
"It's so beautiful here," Haru said. Then she raised her head. "What?"
"You know, I have a friend, a pig, Eugene, he's a carver…" the wolf began, but the herbivore raised an eyebrow and smirked:
"Sounds scary. But knowing you, this is a prelude to something cute."
Legoshi nodded and continued:
"He makes beautiful little souvenirs in memory of the animals he… works with. I thought that it's not quite what I have in mind, but… Eugene offered me an interesting thing."
Taking out from behind his back a thin chain, he unfolded it in front of Haru. A small translucent cut amethyst of purple color with a dark core on silver links slowly swayed in the air, hypnotizing the gaze. Haru looked slightly higher – into his eyes filled with love and hope.
"What is this, Legoshi?"
"It's amethyst, and a few drops of my blood are sealed inside. It won't clot, Eugene adds some… forgot, well, some substance. I think it's only fair to give you a bit of my blood after you forgave me yours."
"Legoshi… in the Shishigumi mansion, you shed quite a bit of blood."
"That's different," he stubbornly repeated. Haru smiled and took the thin chain with her fingers, wrapping it around her neck. The clasp was convenient; she almost instantly fastened the small rings even for her.
"Thank you… it's very beautiful."
And, stepping just a single step that separated them, she touched his lips, and Legoshi closed his eyes, wagging his tail in relief.
So, the whole idea with the gift wasn't in vain. And she likes the alley. And, perhaps, Grandpa will like her too… I hope my room isn't as bad as it was when I moved into the dorm for a long time…
"Lift me up, please," she asked, barely breaking the kiss. Legoshi carefully lifted her up, and the bunny reached for the almond flower, plucking it and tucking it behind her ear. Then, hesitatingly, she picked another one and delicately wove it into the gray fur. Smiling, Legoshi rubbed against her hand, for which he was immediately rewarded with kisses all over, from lips and nose to eyes. Haru didn't miss a single inch of his contented face. Then, pulling back slightly, she patted the wolf's cheek:
"Let's go. Your grandpa must be waiting by now."
Legoshi nodded and reluctantly placed the light and pleasant burden back on the decorative tile of the walkway. The animals turned towards the house on the left, sky-blue, climbed the stairs, and found the right floor. The wolf hesitantly raised a finger and pressed the bright yellow doorbell button. Inside, behind the door, a melodious chime rang, after which the unfortunate door was brutally flung open — by the way it creaked, it seemed that the barrier between the apartment and the outside world was about to fly inside. In contrast to the force displayed, they were greeted by the cordial and smiling face of the elderly lizard. With a heart pounding, Haru noted that he was as tall and strong as Legoshi… and venomous too… then she easily let her fears dissipate.
If you could win over strangers with just one facial expression, the friendly smile of this Komodo dragon would definitely take one of the top places.
"Hello, Legoshi! Hi, Haru!" he greeted them warmly, enveloped his grandson in a strong hug, and then turned to the bunny.
"Haru, I'm happy to meet you, but… did Legoshi warn you about the safety rules in this house?"
"U-uh… you mean, behavior?"
"No," Gosha raised a clawed finger, "safety. As you know, I am a venomous creature, and I don't want anything but prosperity and well-being for my few guests. So, rule number one: after touching anything in the common areas, it's better to wash your hands. It's also better not to touch me, traces of venom can be anywhere, and I worry a lot… and when I worry, the venom usually become stronger."
"But… your venom is only in your mouth, right?" Haru frowned. Gosha nodded:
"Yes, but some invisible residues can be on furniture or kitchen utensils. I've disinfected the kitchen as best I could, the tableware on the table is treated with a special compound, they can be touched without fear, and I cooked with maximum safety precautions. Legoshi's room is sterile, well, all of them are. I'm very glad you decided to stay overnight."
"Thank you, Gosha-san," she bowed politely. "Just one rule and that's it?"
"The second rule — there are disinfectant bottles everywhere. If you accidentally touch me, it's better to use it."
"Grandpa exaggerates," Legoshi muttered embarrassedly, placing his hand on Haru's shoulder.
"I'm dangerous, and you know it," the lizard shrugged. "I won't forgive myself if I accidentally harm… my grandson's girlfriend."
"You're very… thoughtful, Gosha-san," said Haru, though internally she felt puzzled by such a lengthy introduction.
"Well, let's go to the kitchen."
For Gosha, the couple looked very unusual even in photographs, but he understood that it was not for him to judge. Haru, despite her politeness, seemed quite a spirited female, and the monitor lizard smirked, thinking about how his usually shy grandson managed to find his way into her heart.
"You've started dressing more brightly, Legoshi."
"Oh… it's a gift from Haru. Well, she picked it out, I can buy clothes for myself, don't worry."
"You have excellent taste, Haru," Gosha bowed, ushering them into the kitchen. In the spacious room with a convenient, wide stove and the ever-present bottle of disinfectant. She sniffed:
"It smells delicious. Is it that legendary bento cake?"
"Legendary, huh?" the apartment's owner chuckled. She nodded:
"Legoshi kept telling me how wonderful of a cook you are, Gosha-san! And the smell seems to match…"
"I smell something sweet," Legoshi noted, sniffing. "Sugar pancakes with… apples?"
Gosha playfully wagged a finger at him:
"Your nose is not afraid of any surprises."
"His nose has saved us. Many times," Haru pressed against Legoshi's hand.
"And caused excessive concern for his gramps, believe me," the lizard sighed and winked at her after a second. "But that's usually said about a completely different part of the body, the tail that seeks adventures?"
Haru giggled. She was charmed by the big, kind, albeit overly meticulous about guest safety, Gosha-san. Smiling, he gestured towards a low table covered with a dense beige tablecloth:
"Please! Haru, would you like to sit on a cushion?"
"Yes, of course, Gosha-san… or I could sit on Legoshi's lap if need be!" she replied cheerfully. Grandpa scratched the back of his head with a claw:
"Young, hot-blooded…"
"Legoshi is always very restrained and dignified," Haru objected against the backdrop of the wolf's descent. "Unfortunately, I'm a wild and cheeky individual, so I don't know how we found each other…"
"And now Haru is exaggerating about herself," Legoshi gently corrected her, sitting down at the table. "But she's right about one thing — it really was a miracle."
"You both are… like flowers," Gosha couldn't help but laugh. They looked amusing together, with identical flowers on their heads. By a strange coincidence, he himself wore a shirt with a floral pattern today, dark red with pink cherry blossoms, paired with strict black pants. Both guests, however, were dressed more casually, his grandson in a light, cream-colored sweatshirt, and Haru in a light green sweater with a fluffy collar and a dark, loose dance skirt.
"You have a very beautiful alley by the house," Haru admitted, trying to find something on the empty table to confirm the scent she had been feeling for the last two minutes. Fortunately, Gosha didn't make them wait long — he took a tray from the kitchen table, filled with food, and placed it in front of them.
"Wow… this is amazing," she exclaimed, admiring the neatly arranged miniature rice, vegetable, and cheese cakes, topped with breadcrumbs. "Just like in a restaurant."
"The appearance of the dish is not the main thing," Gosha wisely stated. "Let me serve you. One or two?"
"Just one for now… but only for now! It smells too delicious," Haru replied.
Legoshi respectfully said, "The bento does indeed look and smell very good, Grandpa. By the way, Haru, Grandpa will probably never tell you, but he planted this alley about fifteen years ago."
"Really?"
"With a few other friends and neighbors," the lizard sadly smiled. "We wanted to beautify the place where we live, even if not for ourselves."
Haru noticed a change in his mood and silently took the plate, inhaling the delicious scent and starting to eat. The wolf took the floor, sensing the almost palpable silence in the air:
"How have you been, Grandpa?"
"How can I be… I'm living my life, working, hanging out with old friends. I'm not poking my nose into trouble, unlike some," Gosha remarked stingily, also carefully nibbling on his food.
"Is your health alright?"
"Still as strong and mighty as three horses," the lizard proudly lifted his head. Haru was curious:
"Is it true that you and Yafya…"
"That was a long time ago. Both for him and for me, it's irrelevant now. Did Legoshi spill everything?"
"Grandpa, I just…"
"Wanted to brag about your grandpa?" Gosha grinned, licking his lips. "Tell me instead, how are you two? How do you spend time together, where do you relax and work?"
"We… sometimes relax at the old theater club of Cherryton Academy," the bunny cautiously chose her words. "Recently, Legoshi took me to a restaurant. I work at the SunCus supermarket, he's a technician at the club."
"Do you have enough money to live? If you want, I can chip in…"
"Grandpa… we don't live together yet. Although I'm renting an apartment."
"Still in that scary place in the Beast's Apartments, Hidden Condo?"
"We, along with the residents, have cleaned it up," Legoshi smiled, licking his lips — rice stuck to his muzzle. "Now it's a very cute place. The whole building, I mean."
"Your… scars. Do they bother you?" Gosha asked more seriously, swaying his long muscular tail.
"Are there any that I don't know about?" Haru glanced at Legoshi. The wolf helplessly exchanged glances with his grandfather, then reluctantly said:
"There's one… that I didn't mention. I didn't want to worry you unnecessarily."
"Well, you should have waited for lunch at your grandpa's for me to choke on the delicious dinner to death," she said indignantly, chewing and swallowing the treat. "Spill it. What don't I know?"
"Haru…"
"Yes, yes, you're uncomfortable and worried about me at the same time. What happened. Were you stabbed? Shot?"
"A scar… from a year ago, it's covered with fur and almost invisible," Legoshi swallowed, speaking reluctantly.
"He was shot at," Gosha sighed. "It required a blood transfusion… a very specific one, considering Legoshi's lineage."
Haru closed her eyes, inhaling slowly. Then she exhaled just as slowly.
"Is this the same incident with the hospital when Louis visited you?"
"Yes."
"And neither he nor you thought it necessary to tell me?"
"We… I thought you wouldn't worry so much. Especially since everything turned out fine," Legoshi muttered hoarsely. Haru snorted indignantly:
"And I don't refrain from making scenes just because I don't want to make your grandpa worry, Legoshi."
"Oh, if only this young animal had such a developed sense of concern for relatives," the lizard sighed again, this time somewhat theatrically. The wolf glanced at him:
"Grandpa, you yourself… and not only in your youth."
"I left the vigilante job for the sake of family. And if you ever want to take it up someday, I think my advice will come in handy."
"Thank you. I'll remember," Legoshi nodded gloomily. Haru thoughtfully shifted her gaze to the food — after all, the impulsiveness of the traditionally calm wolf was well known to her, but the bento… after a moment of thought, she carefully separated half of the cake and moved it to her plate. Without looking up, she said:
"Legoshi… if by any chance in your old age you have health problems due to your overly turbulent youth, I reserve the right to bite you very painfully."
Gosha shook his head:
"What a fierce young lady."
"She's like that, yes," Legoshi said with some pride.
"But she just gave you a hu-uge sack of hope, didn't she?" Gosha chuckled.
"What?"
The monitor lizard laughed. Haru couldn't help but smirk, and only her wolf remained sitting with a piece of bento in his chopsticks, wondering what had gotten into them.
"Any additions, Haru?"
"Thank you, Gosha-san, but if I eat even one more piece and then can't resist trying the pancakes, I'll explode."
"Well, I'll have another one. Grandpa, you've outdone yourself, honestly."
"Thank you. It's nice to hear that and especially nice to watch you eat," Gosha kindly said, turning back to the stove and pulling out a smaller plate from a high cupboard, on which rolled-up pancake "envelopes" with apple filling, sprinkled with powdered sugar, were displayed. Surveying this splendor, Haru sighed loudly and asked:
"Gosha-san, do you have a special scoop for rabbits who burst from greed?"
"Not sure if I can find such a thing here, Haru. But next time, hopefully, it will happen, I'll try to make them even smaller."
"Yeah, then I'll eat more of them and still burst."
This time even Legoshi laughed, stroking his beloved on the back. She, forgetting about her offended feelings, leaned against him, and his gray tail immediately thumped on the floor several times.
"Are you not angry anymore?"
"Will you show the scar later?" Haru asked quietly. The wolf nodded:
"Okay… but, well, it's really hard to see it. Usually, fur doesn't grow well on the sites of injuries, but mine heal."
"Battle scars look good in movies," the elderly representative of the deadly reptiles said, nodding to the rhythm of some internal thoughts. "When the hero comes home, covered in them, and there are no consequences for health, no pain, and no loved ones worrying about you. So Haru is wise beyond her years, Legoshi. I would advise you to stick with her, but you're doing pretty well with that already. Although once, I confess honestly, you really surprised me."
"How so?" Haru asked with curiosity.
"By you, young lady. Or rather, by the fact that he's dating a rabbit. No, I'm not saying it's bad, I should probably keep quiet cause of… reasons," Gosha raised his hands in a conciliatory gesture. "But at that moment, all I could do was sit and think, 'Wait, is this inherited?'"
Haru snorted. Then she spoke up in defense of Legoshi:
"He… is a guardian. You know, in that ancient sense, Legoshi believes it's necessary to protect all herbivores, not just me. Although I never asked for protection… but sometimes I needed it. He saved my life."
"You're beautiful. As life forms. And you – especially," the wolf touched her cheek with his lips. Gosha said with a fond grimace:
"You also performed a feat, Haru, bringing Legoshi out of his shell. I'm happy for my grandson and happy to see you together. And… if you ever need my blessing, I'll gladly give it."
The rabbit pressed even closer to the wolf. She considered herself somewhat more modern, with some wariness towards traditional rituals like weddings, but… if she thought deeper than usual, didn't she feel, being near Legoshi, a sense of calm, tranquility, safety… and love for this big, restrained, outwardly dangerous and essentially overly impulsive, but beautiful and kind creature?
And didn't she want to feel that… her whole life? A warm feeling slowly spread in her chest, as it did every time until this charming, furry fool said something extremely strange and completely in his own style. However, today Legoshi decided to make an exception, silently embracing her and listening to Gosha – while the young animals engaged with each other and food, after asking about Haru's family, the lizard decided to tell thew how he met Toki, Legoshi's grandmother.
"…Yafya was monstrously angry. Honestly, I've never seen him so angry, like when I told him that my decision to retire and end the fight against crime was final. I don't know how much effort it took him then not to remind me of my past, but he restrained himself," Gosha said with a clear note of guilt in his voice. "I couldn't choose both him and my family – one of them had to be left behind."
"And when was he called the 'Black Demon'?"
"They called him that around that time. He became… harsher, less discerning in his methods. He also got himself a woman, but there was no lavish wedding. Or maybe Yafuya didn't think it was necessary to invite me."
Legoshi scratched his temple with a free hand:
"So… a week ago, when I called. You were having tea?"
"Yes. Funny, but after he retired, we reconnected," chuckled the scaly retired crime fighter, neatly picking up an apple envelope with his claws and sending it into his mouth. "Although I wouldn't say my old friend Yafya has become softer. But I no longer feel guilty towards him. Perhaps that was the turning point."
"Did you… apologize, Gosha-san?"
"I think any apologies by that time were already overdue. No. He did something reckless. Actually…" Gosha sighed. "I don't want to spread rumors, but there's some partial blame on the Beastar for Legoshi being injured."
"And do you know who became the Beastar after Yafya?" the wolf asked with interest. The monitor lizard just shrugged:
"I wasn't… that interested in our local superheroes."
"And what is the great Yafya doing in retirement?" Haru asked ironically.
"He's growing carrots."
"A very respectable occupation."
"There's some very demanding variety there. And delicious," added Legoshi after a pause. Haru playfully nudged him in the side with her elbow:
"Legoshi, I hope I won't accidentally find out that the new guy in his position is you? Because if so, I'd prefer to hear it from you rather than from some Juno."
Legoshi frowned slightly:
"You and Juno don't get along?"
"Why? We get along fine. We just live different lives and hardly ever intersect. If I have something in common with you and Louis, I have almost nothing in common with Juno."
"And with Pina and his… girlfriend?" the wolf preferred not to mention Sisu.
Haru snorted:
"The status of 'girlfriend' still needs to be earned. What do I have in common with Pina… I don't even know. School reputation?"
"Haru…"
"What? As if you don't know what rumors were circulating about me. And that it wasn't exactly a rumor." she said with a sad smile. "And Sisu… she's just very sweet."
Seeing that the plates were gradually emptying, Gosha rose, bowing respectfully towards the couple.
"Thank you for your appetite. As the host, I'm very pleased. Would you like to watch a TV quiz show together? I usually watch it alone, and as for board games, I don't have anything to offer… there are no cards, go, or mahjong at home."
They exchanged glances. Legoshi shrugged, while Haru said thoughtfully, "Sorry, Gosha-san. I've never been particularly fond of quizzes, and the last time I watched TV was, if we don't count work where it's just hanging in the cafeteria entrance, about three months ago."
"I hope I wasn't too intrusive," he said with a slight chuckle. "Old folks can be unbearable with their stories."
"Grandpa, everything's fine," Legoshi assured him, wagging his tail.
"And the food was delicious, Gosha-san. Your adventures with the Black Demon are interesting," Haru assured him. "I'm just still amazed that you're Legoshi's grandfather… although I see a lot of similarities between you two. You both have very big and kind hearts."
Gosha wagged a finger at her. "No need to flatter me, young lady. And be sure to wash your hands thoroughly."
"Okay… but it's the truth!" Haru retorted.
"Well… at least I'm glad that Legoshi managed to grow… into himself. Just the way he is now," Gosha remarked warmly.
Haru lowered her eyes slightly and hugged the wolf around the torso, murmuring, "Me too."
Legoshi awkwardly and foolishly smiled, his tail still wagging from side to side.
"Well, then, I'll be in my favorite armchair in the living room. The rest of the apartment is at your disposal," Gosha announced, unloading the plates into the dishwasher.
"Grandpa, I think we'll take my old bed. If I remember correctly, it was big enough," Legoshi suggested.
"Oh, really?" The lizard's voice sounded slightly flustered. "I made your bed in the old Leano's room… But if you want, you can go to your own. I don't mind. Just think it might be too cramped for you there."
"Let's go have a look," Haru encouraged them both, slightly tilting her head and twitching her ears. "Thank you for dinner, Gosha-san. It was very delicious."
"Yeah… thanks, Grandpa," Legoshi added.
Gosha stepped forward, placing his hand on his grandson's shoulder, looking into his eyes attentively. "Still… feeling burdened, huh?"
"Yeah," Legoshi nodded, looking away.
"Okay. There are clean sheets on your bed too, but I'm afraid you're underestimating your own size," the warm smile returned to the lizard, wagging his tail. He couldn't wag it like a grandchild, but he had learned this gesture from generations of the wolf family.
"Let's go have a look," the herbivore tugged at his fingers. "And I'm really curious to see what your room looks like."
The room, however, turned out to be simple, clean, with minimal furniture – a wardrobe, a bookshelf, a small child's writing desk, and in the far corner, by the window, stood the bed. And unfortunately for Legoshi, he was wrong, and Gosha was absolutely right – the wolf underestimated his own size. His legs would stick out of the bed by about half the rabbit's height, and even she would fit there with difficulty.
"Oh, is this one of the old terrariums? Or how do they called? Insectariums?" Haru poked a finger at the wall of the glass container.
Legoshi smiled, "Yes, likewise… I think it's my first one. There lived a Madagascar cockroach… unfortunately, I didn't know all the intricacies of their care back then, so it died after about six months."
"Oh… my condolences."
"Nothing. I was given another one. And it was in my early childhood, I don't even think I remember his name. I was about three years old then."
"But still, it's a cozy room. Wow…" she exclaimed, admiringly looking up at the ceiling. "Did Gosha-san do this?"
"Mom," Legoshi sighed. The ceiling was a rich dark blue color, painted with tail-shaped stars, though not skillfully. "If the sky outside the window was gray in the evening, I would be capricious and refuse to go to sleep. So she came up with it…"
"So that the stars would wish little Legoshi a good night's sleep?" Haru asked with affection, clasping her hands together. The wolf smiled shyly. "Yes."
She clicked her tongue in concern. "But the bed… it's even too small for just you. If you want, we can ask your grandpa for a futon to roll out here."
Legoshi flattened his ears. He didn't really want to sleep in his old mom's room, but there was no other option. And it seemed like his grandpa didn't have a futon either. He sighed and said firmly, as he hoped, "It's okay. Let's go to that room."
His mother's room was starkly different from Legoshi's room. The first thing Haru noticed when entering was the color of the walls — a saturated peach color with creamy swirling "columns" of drawn rocks near the wide window. There was also a wardrobe almost covering one wall, an old-fashioned colored TV on a stand, a cute bedside table with a lamp on a tall curved leg. The bed also differed in size — although the bedding on it looked simple, cream-white without patterns, it appeared irresistibly soft.
Haru immediately confirmed this by jumping on top. "Wow! Legoshi… I would never agree to sleep on the floor after this!"
To her disappointment, the wolf seemed more puzzled than pleased. Even his scent somehow changed, though Haru couldn't perceive the world in scent shades as distinctly as her companion. He approached, tentatively touching the mattress, and nodded. "Yes… it's soft."
"Get in…" Haru patted the space next to her. Legoshi carefully sat on the edge and said, "Maybe we should turn on the TV?"
"Of course. What do you want? Discovery Bugs?" she chuckled, searching for the remote.
"More like some movie."
By blindly switching channels, they eventually found something vaguely resembling a romantic comedy, but Haru didn't even try to watch it. She could see — the wolf's thoughts were far from the movie; he looked more into the wardrobe than at the screen. Coming closer, she gently stroked his hand, simultaneously muting the movie with the remote.
"Gosi… everything's okay?"
"Huh?… Yeah, I'm glad we went out for dinner. And that you and grandpa finally saw each other face to face," he said absentmindedly. Haru lowered her gaze, saying quietly, "But still… something's not right with you."
The wolf, blinking, reluctantly nodded. "Yeah. It's my mom's room… I haven't been here since I was ten."
"Why? Sorry if I'm touching on a sore topic…"
"Two years before she… well, you know… mom started locking herself in. She didn't want anyone to see how her body was changing. And she kept checking on me, constantly. But… I don't know," he said sadly. "If I looked even more like a hybrid, a mix of wolf and reptile, maybe life would have been even harder."
"Don't you dare," Haru slapped his hand. "Don't you dare think like that. Wouldn't you have rushed to help me just as recklessly?"
Legoshi shook his head, staring into space. "But then animals would have been repulsed by my appearance. We might have never met, hadn't I ended up in Cherryton."
"Legoshi… I fell in love with you not because of your stunning appearance, though it certainly has its moments," Haru smiled, stroking the place she had slapped a moment ago. "And if you were doing exactly the same thing you're doing now, we would still be sitting here talking. Although as an animal and carnivore, you're still good, I must admit…"
"Do you think our fates are somehow intertwined?" he turned his head to her, finally embracing Haru by the shoulders. She leaned into him contentedly.
"No, I'm not superstitious. If you wanted to have a superstitious girlfriend, you'd have to save some cat or so. We weave our own destinies."
"I don't know… sometimes I feel like I'm just a splinter in a raging stream."
Haru smiled softly. "Collect enough splinters — and you can dam any stream. And you underestimate your size in the stream just like your bed, hehe."
"Does that mean I'm a log?"
"I haven't checked yet!"
"Haru…" the wolf blushed slightly. It was hard to notice due to his gray fur, but the inner side of his ears — one whole and half-torn from a fight — always lit up with color in such moments. Unfortunately, being a hybrid wolf, he couldn't grow back his ear.
"So what, 'Haru'…" she said, frowning. "Alright, at least show me the scar. You promised!"
Nodding, he silently released her and lifted the T-shirt he had dinner in. Haru admired his toned torso, noticing the old scars with internal excitement… and was surprised when the wolf's clipped claw pointed to a very inconspicuous spot on his side:
"Here. The bullet went through smoothly, as the doctors explained to me. It didn't hit anything vital, just damaged the intestines a bit — but without serious consequences. Grandpa worries for nothing."
Her white hand reached out to his torso covered with gray and cream fur, her thin fingers gently traced his body… indeed, under her touch, she could feel an old round scar. Haru exhaled:
"For Rex's sake… you could have died."
"I know. But if I hadn't tried to stop him, many good animals would have died," Legoshi let go of his T-shirt, guiltily lowering his head. She shook her head negatively:
"No, no, no. This goes on the floor. And the pants, by the way, too. Didn't you want to sleep with me in pajamas?"
"On the floor?" he asked, freezing.
"Well, if you're having a fit of neatness, then on a chair or a shelf."
"O-okay."
Despite the quick nod, the wolf was noticeably nervous — as always in such moments. Yes, Haru knew what his strength could do to her, his big claws and teeth, but sometimes his attitude towards her, as if she were a porcelain figurine, simply irritated her.
She giggled and asked:
"So how were you planning to sleep?"
"Uh… I don't know. I didn't plan at all…"
"To sleep?"
"No," he slumped, "some specific… sleeping attire…"
"Mm-m-m," she smirked. "I can suggest one option, but I don't want your grandpa to freak out. Gosha-san is too cute to be put in such a position."
Finally, Legoshi stripped off and neatly placed his clothes on a chair, remaining shyly standing in just his underwear. She looked away. It took a lot of determination not to pounce on him right now, obeying the accumulated desires. Unbeknownst to himself, the wolf — her wolf! — through all his troubles and deprivations, had acquired a magnificent carnivore's body in return. Before, as far as Haru could remember, he was just slender; now he looked genuinely strong, with muscle contours on his arms and chest visible even through the gray fur.
And he treated this body like a shy middle schooler! But she… she had long stopped being angry. That was just Legoshi, that was his nature, which, among other things, Haru had also grown to love.
A mischievous thought flashed in her mind. Haru smiled and softly said:
"Will you help me? Please…"
Legoshi overcame a moment of confusion and asked:
"Um… undress?"
"Good boy…"
His wolf tail wagged weakly. Unlike her, he vividly imagined the room in scents — during their time together, Legoshi had learned not only to perceive her scent as a coherent stream but also to break it down into components, much more informative, showing fear or other strong emotions. And what he felt now was strong. Intense. Suppressing the gnawing despair within him, he stepped forward and gently ran his fingers along her sweater with the strange fluffy collar, then very carefully hooked the edge with his claws and pulled it upwards.
Haru slipped out of her clothes, her snow-white body remaining only in the bra straps and a medium-length light skirt at the bottom, scattered on the bed, like… candy wrapper. Kneeling down, the wolf rested his muzzle on her neck, inhaling the divine scent and whispering:
"I'll never understand, probably, why you loved me. With my indecision, stumbling at every step. But I love you."
"I love you too. By the way, if you treat yourself a little less harshly," she smiled, rubbing her cheek against his nose, "I won't love you any less."
Legoshi would have been happy to continue the tender touches, but suddenly, turning sharply away, he sneezed. Bursting into laughter, she gracefully turned back:
"Did you get fur in your nose?"
"Yes," he said, rubbing his nose. "So ticklish… I couldn't take it anymore."
"Come here. Don't leave things half-done."
"I thought… you could take off the bottom yourself."
"I could. But do I want to?" Haru winked.
He approached obediently, trying not to scratch her with his claws — though they were carefully trimmed and not sharp at all. With his lips, he touched the back of Haru's head and, blushing desperately, found the clasp on the side and freed the girl from the hindering piece of fabric.
Oh… she was clearly prepared. Slipping out of his fingers, Haru tossed aside her dark stockings and remained in dark red lingerie, slightly accentuated with lace frills and standing out on her body like fireworks in the night sky. Lowering his eyes, the wolf mumbled:
"You… are beautiful."
"And just beautiful?" Haru slyly asked.
"Very."
"Better already. Gosi, I didn't mean to embarrass you like that, but you're quite a piece of cake yourself. With chocolate and cherries. Seriously, many females would kill for you, just seeing… and I don't think only wolves would participate in a fight."
Contrary to her words, he blushed even more.
"Come here."
Legoshi froze as if turned to stone. Sighing, she used those words she had saved for tougher times:
"Legoshi… come."
The wolf stepped forward abruptly and knelt again before the bed — his loyal gaze demanding her attention. Realizing that he had once again easily succumbed to his canine instincts, Legoshi smiled guiltily… but thankfully, he didn't pull away. Haru slowly ran her hand over his cheek:
"Everything's fine."
"Yes. Everything's fine."
"I promised to share a dream with you. At least, to try."
"Yes," the wolf wagged his tail, partly relieved that Haru suddenly shifted away from the seductive performance and eased the pressure. "How is that even done?"
"Relaxed and with complete peace of mind," she smiled. "Honestly, I regret reading those brochures. There are so many descriptions of needing to relax, lie down with a partner you fully trust, and think about a joint meeting in a place neither of you has visited before. But not thinking too hard. Total nonsense, really."
"Not thinking too hard — like daydreaming?"
"I have no idea," Haru shrugged. Legoshi guessed:
"Maybe it means the thoughts that come before sleep? But they come to me almost on their own, I hardly control them…"
"Let's try this — let's imagine a common place and dream about it together," she playfully suggested, then caught herself. "Just, wait, let's not make it non-existent! We can walk in a shopping mall or a park in reality."
"Kumandra?"
"Sisu's homeland? Why did it suddenly come to your mind?"
Legoshi shrugged:
"I don't know. It still seems like mythical lands to me, despite the wars Sisu described. And there are a lot of her brothers and sisters there…"
"Alright. Now we need to imagine… mm," she wrinkled her nose, tugging at the bra straps with her fingers. "Legoshi, can you give me one of your old T-shirts? Even a child's one would probably be too big for me."
I will become better. For her. I won't hesitate on every step of the escalator, trying to figure out if I need to go down or up.
The wolf looked thoughtfully at her. Then, surprising himself with his bravery, he slowly said:
"Just take it off…"
Haru raised her eyebrows, then smirked:
"Wow. You won't regret it?"
"Never."
She slowly peeled off the top part of the red set, watching the wolf with a mysterious expression on her face. He looked at her and only her, as if forcing himself not to look away, breathing deeply. He opened his mouth slightly and let out a quiet exhale. They were sitting a little apart on the soft mattress, but now, talking about all this metaphysical stuff with dreams, Haru couldn't help but notice that the aura of his mood… had changed slightly.
The wolf felt the hot blood freely coursing through his veins. Not wanting to look away, he watched, admired, explored her almost naked body with his gaze, the embarrassment almost disappearing… and his own body responded in kind.
"Not here," a thought pricked. "Not now. You're visiting grandpa."
I have to become stronger… and bravery might not be there next time.
"You'll have to find it. Time after time, until, finally, you shed your excuses along with the actions that led to those excuses, and can calmly, openly love her. Soul… and especially body."
Legoshi didn't know what voice had thrown him such untimely thoughts, but it brought him to a state of shaky balance — where the wolf could both comfortably be with Haru, not feeling restrained, and, at the same time, not letting desire take over. In something, the voice was right. Not here. Not now.
Nevertheless, there was one pleasure he couldn't deny himself. Legoshi embraced Haru and kissed her lips. Her hands initially rose up, to his gray fluffy cheeks and wolf's jaw, caressing them, then Haru, unable to resist, slowly ran her hands over her own body with a barely audible moan. When he leaned back after prolonged seconds, she hoarsely whispered:
"You piece of fur… what do you think my thoughts will be about now?"
With an apologetic smile, Legoshi lowered his gaze. Then, with equal force of will, he raised it, directing it at her. His lips parted, whispering one short word:
"Soon."
"So that's how. I'll take it as a promise," she said, stunned. The girl slowly exhaled, biting her lip. Shaking her head, she flopped onto her side, into the soft and overly large pillow, and beckoned him with a finger:
"Hug me. For shared sleep, the authors emphasized, it's better to maintain direct physical contact. I don't know if we can keep our heads side by side…"
"I can press you against me, then your head will touch my chin."
"And you'll snore in my ear?!" she protested.
"I hardly snore…"
"Fine… at worst, the fur on your ears will get into my nose, and you'll wake up from a sneeze," Haru chuckled. Legoshi lay down next to her and quietly agreed:
"Yes. And you from laughter."
"To wake up from laughter… I don't know, what could be better."
He ran his fingers over her cheek. He pondered, holding a long pause.
Suddenly, he let out a short laugh, then, unable to hold back, he rolled onto his back and laughed out loud. Haru froze. Legoshi, freely and sincerely laughing, showing his carnivore mouth features, was such a rare sight that it could have been exhibited separately. Tears welled up in the corners of the wolf's eyes, she found herself involuntarily starting to smile. She asked, spreading her fingers and making a silly face:
"What's so funny?"
"I… hahaha… I'm such an IDIOT… why did I even doubt? Haha… sorry… you just took and changed my mood," he said, half-whispering, gasping and laughing. Haru widened her eyes:
"I did?"
"Oh, Haru… ahaha… I envelop everything in tragedy, afraid to enter this room, and you… you illuminate everything with your presence like a little star lantern. I… I don't know, I probably would have cried or whimpered… or something like that. Memories of my mother still weigh heavily on me. Even now, when I lie on my side like this, and there's not the slightest smell in the room, I still remember how she hugged me on the last night…"
"I'm… oh my… I'm sorry, Gosi… I didn't mean to…"
"No!" he exclaimed, covering his muzzle with his hands, breathing heavily after the strange fit of laughter. "I'm… bad with words. But, you know — your presence here, your scent, your thoughts — they made those memories bright! They crossed out any hint of suffering! It's gone!.. It's as if I woke up… from laughter."
The wolf's head turned, and Haru, almost crying herself from his intonation, realized she was looking into the happiest eyes of the wolf she had ever seen. The night light illuminated him with its soft yellowish light, and the flicker doubled in Legoshi's eyes, making them adorably cartoonish. He exhaled the words confusedly:
"Haru… I don't know how to say this correctly. I… No, not like this. It's as if a second level of love has just opened up to me. Third, tenth, hundredth. I love you. I love you more than life. You repaint the world around you in brighter colors, and there's not a single force that would make me think otherwise…"
Haru hugged him around the neck and felt a single tear — of joy, not tragedy or heavy memories — still leaving her eye and rolling down her cheek. She said, choking on the overwhelming feeling in her chest:
"Legoshi… I'm torn apart by pain for how much you've had to endure, both as a carnivore and as an animal, and by the joy that I can somehow alleviate this pain. But… I want to be with you. Always. In any bodies and in any forms. I love you. And, it seems, I'm losing the last shreds of sanity from this damned love."
"Damned or blessed one?" a voice whispered over her ear.
Laughter broke through tears on its own:
"You just said you're bad with words."
"They seem to find their way. Past the brain. It's more reliable that way," Legoshi whispered, smiling toothily, as if deranged. He gently and tenderly held Haru to him, torn in half by the force of his own emotions and gathered together by the power of the euphoria he had never experienced before. Or had experienced, but always doubted, crushed by the weight of his own uncertainties. The wolf pulled back a little just to look into her shining, twinkling eyes:
"Shall we taste this dream together?"
Haru gently nipped at the edge of his nose with her lips:
"Just the dream?"
"And real life too. All of it. And each other. But… not like this. In the right way…"
"To the last piece?"
"Yes. Together."
"Together…"
They said something else nonsensical, tender, but Haru could hardly remember anything after that moment. Her eyelids were slowly filling with lead, and her last wish was to bury her fingers in the fur on his chest — with or without the desired sleep, it no longer mattered.