"I have another announcement," Louis said with a noticeable touch of irony. "Dear members of the theater club… if any of you happen to have information about the director acquired in the past few days, I would kindly ask you to share it. If something seems important, we will pass on this information to the relevant authorities. It could aid in the investigation."
At four o'clock, the club gathered precisely on schedule. Only Gadzmir, Ayako with Keoji, and Fumiko were missing, as they had gone away for the entire weekend until Monday, and Akihito, about whom ominous rumors persisted. Louis knew for sure that due to recent events, Akihito's parents had taken him out of school, and they were even planning to transfer him to another – nevertheless, the rest of the club remained solid. Putting his hand on his heart, Louis could even say, "much more solid than in our time." The animals had bonded quite well, and he duly respected the fact of their socialization.
As for Gon's case, the police appeared at the school – briefly, for a couple of days – questioned all the teachers and some students, paying special attention to Louis and Legoshi as the freshest faces, but no one was detained. The director of the small theater was much more concerned about what Utamaro had discovered. The white wolf, pretending to be a private detective, interviewed all or almost all of Gon's family's neighbors, and they provided a more general picture – no one had seen either the tigress or their daughter for over two weeks. Moreover, according to the police transport department's data, obtained not entirely legally through Utamaro's acquaintance, no tickets were purchased in the name of Tracy and Danica.
Louis wanted to request information about bank transactions, but in the end, he resigned himself to the inevitable. The tigers had disappeared, and there was nothing he could do about it. He had to focus on the immediate.
"That's all for now. Juno, don't rehearse the ballroom part yet, I want to try Eri's idea in Act Five."
"Where Dallittle arrives amidst all the parade already? Alright."
"And I forgot my hat," Tsutomu lamented. Louis waved his hand dismissively.
"It's alright, amidst all the parade, you'll only be able to rehearse by the beginning of May. Bea and the others are working hard as it is. Do you remember the beginning of the scene?"
"Yes," Bryson nodded, stepping onto the stage and heading towards the wings. "Who will be reading Fumiko's lines, you, Louis-san?"
"It's fine if one of the girls does… for authenticity."
"Just say you don't want to stand on your feet for too long," Juno teased, taking the scripts. The others involved in the scene also stepped onto the platforms – Pina, collected and elegant as always when he was out of reach of Sisu's magic, Yuki, playing the maid in this episode, and Tsu, who had already memorized many of his lines. To Yuki's credit, it must be said, she had brilliantly simplified the text – leaving out all the unnecessary parts and keeping only what was important and appealing to the audience, but after a certain line from Tsutomu-Dallittle, the scene was supposed to turn into a farce. And he, moreover, found himself at its very center.
And it was all the idea of the green-eyed cat, who actively desired to see the idea come to life. Tsu pursed his lips, glancing sideways at Eri. She was engaged in animated conversation with Nora. The fox sighed and shuffled off towards the wings. Unlike the theater audience, the club stage was not a work of art – on the contrary, it was a small and not very neat copy of its older sister. Moreover, the backstage area ended literally two meters from the beginning of the long curtains, hitting a bare wall with a cable running along it.
They set up a couple of chairs, which actually represented the writing desk in the professor mother's office, Mrs. Hedgehoggins, a noble lady in her years. And since Fumiko was not here right now, Juno was substituting for her with a thin stack of printouts. Never ceasing to be amazed by her energetic nature in the position of club president, the deer, nevertheless, made sure she rested more often, because who, if not he, was aware of the price of such energy.
"Let's begin!" Louis commanded.
Yuki appeared on stage modestly, as befitting a maid. She spoke softly, but distinctly:
"Mr. Henry, mam, is downstairs with Colonel Piggering."
"Well, show them up," Juno allowed, tilting her head a couple of millimeters.
"They're using the telephone, mam. Telephoning to the police, I think."
"What!"
"Mr. Henry's in a state, mam. I thought I'd better tell you."
Juno chuckled ironically, scanning the text.
"If you had told me that Mr. Henry was not in a state it would have been more surprising. Tell them to come up when they've finished with the police. I suppose he's lost something. And call Miss Dallittle."
"Yes, ma'am," Yuki bowed and headed towards the exit. Skillfully portraying annoyance, Pina burst into the "office" exclaiming:
"Look here, mother: here's a confounded thing!"
"Yes, dear. Good-morning. What is it?"
"Eliza's bolted!"
"Well, Professor, you wouldn't even recognize me…"
Juno inappropriately snorted, throwing off the scene's mood. The deer frowned reproachfully, drumming his fingers on his knee and limiting himself to a brief dry remark:
"Stick to the script, please."
"Ah, so I'm supposed to sit and write, not paying any attention to him…" the wolf said, staring at the lines. "Hold on, Pina. Let's try it again from the moment of entry. Can we?"
"It's not that important, Juno," the deer spoke. "These are technical rehearsals; we'll go into more detail with Fumiko."
"Alright…"
They continued playing until Tsutomu appeared. So far, everything was going well, but Louis had no idea where it would be best to insert the suggested addition. He decided to see how things unfolded.
The flying fox played with deadly seriousness. Which, in fact, was required of his character – being an extremely cunning animal, Dallittle the scavenger genuinely wondered why public notoriety suddenly fell upon him. Tsutomu exclaimed, addressing Juno:
"What has your son done to me?! Ruined me. Destroyed my happiness. Tied me up and delivered me into the hands of middle class morality."
Pina coolly remarked:
"You're raving. You're drunk, you're mad. I gave you five pounds. After that I had two conversations with you, at half-a-crown an hour. I've never seen you since."
"Oh! Drunk! am I? Mad! am I? Tell me this. Did you or did you not write a letter to an old blighter in America that was giving five millions to found Moral Reform Societies all over the world?"
Pina casually waved his hand in the air, lips curling sarcastically:
"What! Ezra D. Wannaferret? He's dead."
"Yes: he's dead; and I'm done for. Now did you or did you not write a letter to him to say that the most original moralist at present in England, to the best of your knowledge, was Alfred Dallittle, a common dustman."
"Oh, after your last visit I remember making some silly joke of the kind."
"Good joke! Your joke will lead me to the grave. That's what your joke will do to me. Just give him the chance he wanted to show that their society is not like ours: that they recognize and respect merit in every class of life, however humble. Them words is in his blooming will, in which, Henry Hedgehoggins, thanks to your silly jokes, he leaves me a share in his Pre-digested Cheese Trust worth three thousand a year on condition that I lecture for his Wannaferret Moral Reform World League as often as they ask me up to six times a year."
Even in a light interpretation, this passage was read without prompts or stumbles; the deer nodded satisfactorily. Bryson entered the dialogue, crossing one leg over the other:
"A safe thing for you, Dallittle. They won't ask you twice."
"Even if it were ten times! I'll lecture them blue in the face, I will, and not turn a hair. But what have they turned me into a gentleman for? I can't stand it. I was happy. I used to live for my pleasure, quietly, peacefully, not depending on anyone, could squeeze money out of anyone if needed – you know that, Henry Hedgehoggins. Now I know no moment of peace, tied up hand and foot. Everyone's trying to squeeze money out of me…"
"Stop!" Louis lightly clapped his hands. "There were "neck and heel", actually, but… Here."
"Shall we set the scene from here?" Eri eagerly asked, making the deer flinch inwardly – she approached so quietly. He nodded:
"Yes, I think this is the best spot. Yuki already had to cut half of the text from here, and now we'll just strike out the remaining bit until… with the swindler."
"Where is it, 'five pounds, I paid you five pounds for her'?" Pina clarified.
"Yes. Legoshi! Make us central light, please!"
The room descended into a soft semi-darkness, and a wide spotlight immediately lit up on the stage. Clearing his throat, Louis gestured commandingly in that direction:
"Tsutomu-kun, I want you to nervously pace around the room during the final monologue. Walk back and forth, roughly reaching the center around the line about money. Then the lights come on, and all these lawyers, doctors, numerous women, decently and not so decently dressed, start coming onto the stage."
"How decently exactly?" timidly asked Tia, the Vietnamese pig from the dance group. Waving his hand, he clarified:
"Nothing too revealing. But according to the fashion of those times, it might seem incredibly scandalous."
"Goro, will you play a lawyer? But a dancing lawyer, instead of a partner, you'll have a briefcase and a bundle of documents. No lines, just intuitively."
"Um… I'll try," nodded the white lion. Louis nodded towards Juno and Eri, who were already whispering, pointing their fingers at different places on the stage:
"Go to them. I think we can go for a more modern costume or just a good coat, but definitely with a top hat. And we'll need to do this several times, Kobayashi, with you, Nora, and Ratih… the doctors, a whole team. A doctor and two nurses. Who else was there… Ah yes, relatives. Philip, Izumu, can you guys come on stage to him and dance around a few laps? Just like kids playing on the street?"
"P-Possibly, Louis-san," the cautious beaver said, momentarily releasing his game console – despite the play director's promise that they would "assist other teams", most of Philip's rehearsals were spent entertaining himself. His role as the messenger at the duchess's reception was depressingly short, and the guy learned the necessary lines literally overnight. However, he could establish communication with other actors of episodic roles… but didn't want to. At least until the BeastBoy's battery died. "And what exactly do you want to do?"
The gharial listened silently, but the same unspoken question was in his eyes.
"Well…" the deer pondered for a moment. "Imagine that you're a couple of kids, and a rich uncle has come to visit who always showered you with candy. Your task is to get those candies by any means, dancing around him. Gestures, no words. All this to cheerful music. Let's try it. Are you ready, Dolf?"
"Yes," nodded the hippo, holding his finger over the laptop. "Tell me when to start."
"Wait, for now just relax," Louis chuckled. Turning on his chair to Juno:
"Alright, it's your turn now."
"Let's go," the wolfess firmly grabbed Goro's hand, Eri, in turn, nodded to the jackal:
"Let's go. I have a couple of thoughts, but we need to see how the dance will work first. And, by the way, a professionally dancing doctor – that's cool."
"That will be a good comedic device," Louis nodded with a satisfied smile.
Looking somewhat embarrassed, Kobayashi nodded:
"Not exactly professional… but thanks for the compliments."
"Let's go already! So, imagine: you probably come out directly into a waltz with the nurse – you surround Tsu and start trying to examine him on the go…"
"Eri!"
"Yes, Louis-san?"
"Look, you and Tia will have roles as extortionate women, respectively. Tia will be more decent, you – less."
"Alright, Louis-san."
"To what extent 'less'?" the lewd toothy smile played on the cat's lips. Louis, tilting his head slightly, slyly remarked:
"That's Tsu, you know each other. It's your call."
"Got it," Eri said with a considerable note of cunning in her voice.
"By the way, we still had a monk costume somewhere in the old stock. Maybe include a monk in the scene? With a large donation box," the she-wolf turned sharply to the director. He shrugged:
"Maybe. I'm not sure yet; we need to see how the scene will look in action."
Once the order and method of entry were determined, Dolf pressed a key, and cheerful folk music poured out of the old speakers, specifically chosen by Louis as a contrast to the ballroom themes. Everyone was satisfied with the hints of the future dance, except Tsutomu himself. His task was to fend off all attempts to get acquainted with the newly acquired wealth with an outraged look, and he coped with this task more or less adequately. But when Eri approached him and began to portray something like a lively dance from a more modern era, Tsutomu glanced at Louis, who was calmly observing, then ventured to ask, despite the serval almost leaping into his arms:
"Louis-san, is this still according to the script?"
"Well… this particular episode doesn't have a script. I suspect Eri just wanted to play with you a bit out of play itself…"
The club erupted in approving cheers and whistles.
"…but at the same time, your task is not to succumb to her charms. Although, perhaps, she's the very woman you'll marry in the future…"
"Everybody saw it already," Tao innocently whispered into his ear, loud enough for everyone to hear.
"Alfred Dallittle, I mean," Louis almost didn't miss a beat, despite the chuckles. And despite the astonishment of the flying fox frozen on stage, whose skin under the short fur and on the inner side of his ears had taken on the color of the setting sun.
"Tao-senpai…"
"I'm joking, relax," he lazily waved his hand. Bryce, with a stone-faced expression, added from the stage:
"Or maybe not."
"Or so," the black cat raised an eyebrow and tail simultaneously.
The dance pattern slowly but surely emerged — the former garbage collector clutched imaginary money to himself, and they spun him in different directions, touched his clothes, awarded him with fake medals, while Eri shamelessly twirled closest to everyone, simultaneously giving instructions to the others. It turned out great for the first time, albeit chaotic. The deer nodded approvingly to the rhythm of the music, then raised his hand up towards Dolf:
"Stop! That's it, thanks. We'll work with this format for now. Juno, please take care of the scene at the duchess's dance, and I want to run through the dialogue between Piggering and Hedgehoggins from the second act. Kibi, Dave! We'll need a bunch of antiques for the set — a gramophone, an old one, with a horn, reels with magnetic tape, a phonograph, maybe we can take a couple of animal skeletons from the biology class. And definitely a poster with vocal cords in cross-section."
"I think I saw the poster in the biology class," the anteater said, furrowing his brow. "I think we'll be allowed to take it and a couple of models for the dress rehearsal. But what's a phonograph?"
"An old device for sound recording," Yuki showed her erudition. "It used to make marks on special cylinders with a needle, and then you could play them back as sound."
"And where am I supposed to get that, Louis-san? Rob a museum?"
"We'll submit a request to the school supervisor," Louis shrugged. "If not, you'll make a cardboard model. First time, huh? Anyway, we need to create the atmosphere in the linguist scientist's study."
"I don't quite remember that scene," Bryce apologized, tilting his horned head.
"No problem. It's the very beginning of the second act. For now – no problem. By the beginning of May, you should know the lines without a script, but then I'll be pushing you mercilessly," the director smirked.
The lighting changed again.
Pina, waiting only for the signal, stood with his back to the audience, half-glancing over his shoulder at the deer. Despite all his arrogance, the ram took his role very seriously; probably, he, alone among the entire club, already knew most of the lines by heart — Pina didn't hesitate to recite "Pygmalion" both in the attic and in front of Sisu, who enjoyed improvised performances.
"Well, I think that's the whole show."
"Amazing, just amazing," Bryce exclaimed unevenly, "I haven't taken half of it in, you know."
"Would you like to go over any of it again?"
"No, thank you; not now."
"…I'm quite done up for this morning," Louis delivered the line, adding, "Here's the transition, you rise from the table and face the fireplace."
"Got it," the buffalo sighed, rising heavily from the chair.
The rehearsal continued in its own way — calmly, without unnecessary incidents, until darkness began to thicken outside, and lanterns lit up on the school paths. The deer called for a break and leaned back in his chair. Juno argued with the Labrador in the corner, casting wary glances at them, when a little Vietnamese pig approached him and gently touched his elbow:
"Louis-san, you mentioned sharing information about the deceased…"
"Yes, about the director," he nodded. "Did you go to him yourself or were you summoned?"
"T-truth be told, I was summoned," she stammered. "But not because of misbehavior."
Louis smiled reassuringly:
"Alright. Let's go to the office, it's too noisy here."
Tia responded with a slightly more cheerful "okay" and followed him. Despite her lively and uninhibited stage persona, in real life, she was the complete opposite of her vibrant dancing image. Modest and shy, Tia somehow reminded him of Els, the Angoran goat… as Legoshi said, things were very bad.
No one clarified the details. Those who are vulnerable are the first to be targeted, he thought grimly. Ideal victims.
When they entered the office, formally belonging to Juno but used by both of them as needed, the deer nodded towards the chair at the desk:
"Take a seat."
"I-I won't stay long, Louis-san."
"I need any details you can provide, Tia," he said gently. "This tragic event has left too many questions even for the police."
The pig sighed:
"I'm so sorry… I didn't know Gon-san well, but he was the one who founded the club…"
"After closing it himself. Director Gon was a respected animal… but not perfect, unfortunately. If he offended you in any way during the meeting, I need to know."
"No, no!" she blushed, crossing her fingers on her knees. "Everything went well. Gon-san talked about the excursion the school organized for us… well… for those who met the quotas."
"First time I've heard of it, but I've always kept my distance from school life," the deer nodded.
"And… that's all."
"Absolutely everything? He didn't mention anything else? Any peculiarities about the excursion, where you'd be going. Perhaps he was excited?"
For a few long seconds, Tia pondered, even rubbing her temples with her small fingers in concentration. She uncertainly replied:
"I'm almost sure he was friendly, but seemed upset about something. Excursion to Tokyo, I even sent a joyful message to my mom. Peculiarities… I don't know. He said they would transport herbivores separately, predators and omnivores separately? But it's common sense, I guess…"
"But we only have one bus… although they could transport them in turns, of course…" the deer muttered, having familiarized himself with the school funds over these days beyond his intentions, and froze. He froze, mentally running the clockwork in his head.
Click – one gear fell into place.
Louis knew the black market and its interests well. He knew, but hadn't applied them to the school. But someone from the outside could.
Click. Another.
Gon had indeed changed in character. As if something had influenced him.
Click.
The distant route was chosen not by chance. The herbivore group also raised suspicion. As if they intentionally singled out several weak targets for kidnapping…
Click, click, click.
The gears turned a few more times and froze in respectful silence. Too many coincidences for one event. Too many combinations carrying the familiar scent, the stench of the black market. Not fully understanding what he was dealing with, the deer clenched his teeth painfully. He managed to say:
"Thank you, Tia. You can go."
"You're welcome, Louis-san. I-I'm sorry."
She heard the change in his voice and hurriedly flew out of the office. Louis involuntarily clenched his fists. Even if the excursion was real… no one would have stopped an attack there. And in the underworld's terms, even one teenager from the herbivores was considered valuable prey.
Again.
The past clung to him with all its limbs.
After stabilizing his breathing, the deer sat for some time, staring at the wall. He was snapped out of his stupor only by the ringing of his mobile phone.
"Hello?" Louis answered with a voice that wasn't his own, not bothering to check the caller, simply sliding his finger across the call slider out of habit.
"Louis-sama, Ackert from the tax office called. He says everything has been sorted out with the documents, and there won't be any lawsuit."
"Thank Rex. And Acketr's team, of course. One less lawsuit," muttered Louis, absentmindedly reaching for his cigarettes. Then he looked around, remembered that besides him, the club's president was also present, and regretfully put the pack away. "Mica, did 'General Herbivore' call?"
"No, Louis-sama. Shall I inform you if there's a call?"
"Better send a message. I gave Jeffrey my personal number, but they'll likely contact from their supply department; we need to finalize the deal for several MRI machines."
"Is it for local hospitals?" the secretary asked. Louis raised an eyebrow.
"Only one; the other three will go to the southern prefectures. Why this sudden interest, Mica?"
A heavy sigh came from the other end — the girl realized she was violating basic principles of business ethics, but judging by her tone, the matter was serious.
"Louis-sama… my sister suffered a severe head injury. She's been in a coma for two months, and she's on the waiting list for the procedure… but the wait times keep getting longer, the nearest available scan is in a month."
Louis sighed. "Hard to hear, Mica. I'm sorry, but the delivery will be by cargo ship from Europe, and the timings are roughly the same. Plus distribution, plus installation. I can try to get her into the queue at one of the less crowded hospitals, but for coma patients…"
"Yes, I know. They're rarely transferred, and responsibility is rarely taken," she said sadly. Louis softly spoke,
"I'm sorry. If by the time of delivery and installation of the device at the general hospital for herbivores she still hasn't received the required examination, I'll make sure she's prioritized."
Mica said despondently, "Thank you, Louis-sama."
"Don't forget about 'General'," he reminded her and ended the call.
You can't be kind to everyone. His adoptive father, it seemed, didn't understand what kindness was at all. Louis, in this sense, was a little more flexible. Although the top management of the conglomerate became much more loyal to him personally after the crisis, the young magnate still felt helpless when faced with such situations. Yes, he could cheat or throw hefty bribes into the ruthless healthcare machine to get the desired procedure, but the main task of the Horns as patrons was to ensure accessibility of services for everyone. If not financially, then at least their availability…
The noise outside interrupted the young tycoon's thoughts. Rising and hissing at the unpleasant sensation — he had shifted the load onto the prosthesis — Louis limped to the door, gradually transitioning to a more confident step.
Opening the door, he was surprised to find that Juno and Nora had not yet left the hall. Moreover, the dispute between them almost escalated into a fight — both predators had bared their teeth and almost growled at each other, Legoshi unsuccessfully trying to separate them. Louis decisively approached.
"…even if it had interfered, why should I care?! Juno, no one cares about your reputation, your presidency, or your status as a Beastar!"
"It's none of your business, mutt," the she-wolf snarled, curling her fingers in the air. "If you can't behave like a proper student and not anger the new director, I can't risk the club being closed again!"
"Juno… stop. This is rude to Nora," Louis interjected.
She was… straightforward in expressing her feelings, but the insults Juno was hurling were not like her. Nora, too, was angry, though now her fury was mixed with tears. The labrador cried out,
"Mutt? You wild beasts don't get too cocky to…"
"Stop! Both of you."
The command didn't come from Louis, the young twenty-year-old director of the school's drama club — it was spoken in the tongue of a beast accustomed to giving orders to a pride of lions. His icy tone forced all three of them to flatten their ears, though Nora's were already drooping. The golden female lab-ret looked horrified, covered her mouth with her hand, while Legoshi looked around and gratefully nodded, privately wondering about the stark change in his friend's behavior. He turned to him.
"Legoshi, as a neutral party, I'll ask you. What's going on here with this dog-wolf squabble, why such hostility, and why should someone suddenly close the club?"
"I know just a bit more than you, Louis. Tried to calm them down until trouble happened," he said.
The deer shook his head, "Carnivore temperament…"
Juno attempted to interject, "Louis, I…"
"…are you worried about the club's safety as its president?" Louis ironically finished for her, still pulling out the pack and rolling it between his thin fingers. "Nora. What happened?"
"Juno…" Nora began.
"I don't want to hear from either of you that the other is to blame. What did you do? Ask yourselves that question and answer it aloud," Louis urged.
The labrador spoke hesitantly, "I… When classes were canceled, I received a reprimand from the chemistry teacher, Loggs. Moreover, he didn't stop at just a reprimand; he issued a warning in my personal file, saying he would also check on the club."
Curses echoed in his mind, but the deer restrained himself and simply asked, "Why?"
The dog looked down, "I accidentally hit a goat in the cafeteria… I swear, I didn't mean to! But then Loggs-san appeared, started muttering something about the unacceptability of such behavior, and I snapped…"
"M-m-m…" Louis grimaced as if from a toothache, "Loggs has been appointed as the temporary acting director for now. But he can't close the club; that requires the initiative of the board of trustees. So you can relax. Now, you, Juno."
"Since when do I answer to you?" she asked angrily. Louis calmly replied, "Never did. I'm trying to resolve the conflict, so I urge patience. You're more responsible because of your position as the club president than you ever had to answer to me…"
"She… she put all of us at risk!" Juno snapped, poking her clubmate with her claws.
"I've already figured that out. Why insult her?" Louis asked.
"Because she thinks everything can be taken slowly, and you managed to open the drama club only after a year… I just want to put on at least one damn play!" Juno exclaimed.
"Louis-san…" Nora spoke softly. "I'm willing to apologize for my behavior if Juno-senpai apologizes in return."
The upper lip of the she-wolf twitched, an involuntary growl rose in her throat, but she managed to control herself. But instead of apologizing, she snapped, "Oh, go to hell… all of you…"
And headed towards the office. Louis put his hand to his face and said to Nora, watching Juno's retreating figure, "I'll talk to her. Misunderstandings happen; it's not the easiest time for the club and especially for the president. I'm sorry, Nora."
"You don't have to apologize, Louis-san. I understand… and it still hurts."
Legoshi, catching the glance thrown at him, nodded almost imperceptibly and hugged the Labrador by the shoulders, "Murder weighs on everyone… even if we don't show it. I'm sure Juno didn't mean any harm. She's not like that and has never been as long as we've known her."
Nora sniffed, seeing the deer heading towards the exit, "Legoshi-san… I'm sorry for what I said… about wolves."
"It's nothing," he said gently. "Neither Juno nor I are hearing it for the first time."
"It's still very hu-hu-hurtful…"
"Calm down. Go, take a shower; water usually puts you in a good mood. At least, for us, dogs," he smiled. She, blinking, asked imploringly, "Legoshi-san, do you go to B-Strike?"
"I haven't been in ages. Used to go with roommates from the dorm."
"Maybe we can all get together someday? Me, you, Kobayashi… Juno."
Legoshi sighed, "Let's start by making peace between you two…"
Louis watched the school park and stadium, filling his lungs with smoke and exhaling it. Someone from the students started jogging at night, circling the track partially hidden behind the trees; several couples, mostly of the same species, occupied the benches. He suspected that Juno was now angry not only with Nora but also with him, so it was necessary to let her cool down. Besides, thousands of fragments of thoughts were swirling in his head right now. About the conglomerate, about its subsidiaries, about Cherryton Academy and its individual students, about Juno…
Carelessly tossing the cigarette butt into the bushes, he headed back. Legoshi was already busy with the mop, Nora was absent — obviously heading to the locker room and shower. The deer chuckled, "The great engineer of optics, light, and cleaning technologies."
"Hm?" the wolf raised his head at him. He often cleaned before, when he was still a student here. Usually, this was done by students, but simple work brought some peace to Legoshi.
"Nothing. Did any terrible sounds come from the office?"
"Doesn't seem like it. Why?"
"Gathering information," the deer smiled bitterly. And headed towards the office.
Inside, it was quiet, so Louis swung the door open without knocking or any unnecessary shuffling. Dark. Juno didn't even bother to turn on the light, content with the illumination coming through the window from the street lamp.
"Leave," came the muffled voice from the table.
"I came in peace."
"I don't give a fuck. Leave," Juno repeated. Louis shook his head.
"No."
"Fine, then I'll go."
"Don't go. Please. Enough of storming off in anger today."
"Louis, I'm not in the mood for jokes."
"And I'm not joking," the deer said, stepping closer to the table step by step. "Juno, we're all on edge. The whole school, but especially us. And especially you. I'll have Eri take care of the dances, it'll ease your burden a bit…"
"I don't need solutions or a way out," she growled.
"I understand," he paused, approaching the table where Juno's silhouette was barely visible. With each step, the growling in her throat intensified, like an awakening volcano. Disregarding doubts, Louis embraced her from behind, intertwining his fingers on her stomach.
"Let go!" Juno barked, but made no attempt to break free. Internally frightened, feeling and hearing the predatory urges in her voice, he nevertheless continued to hold her fingers intertwined. Then he let go and slowly stroked her stomach.
"Let go…" the girl said, less confidently, petrified. Louis rested his head on her shoulder, quietly saying,
"I'm not going anywhere. I was harsh back there, in the hall. I'm sorry."
"Louis, I…"
She leaned back in the low back of the chair, nudging his shoulder.
"I'm not coping. I'm not handling it. I have to finish the school project over the weekend, and I haven't even started. Grades are dropping. I shouldn't even think about the title of Beastar right now, I'm almost exclusively stuck in the club."
"Leave it," he gently kissed her cheek. "Your reputation won't falter unless you do something extraordinary, I swam in the same lake. We'll do the project together tomorrow, you'll manage the grades as soon as the workload decreases."
"You've got plenty to do yourself," she said slowly, without turning, folding her hands first on her knees, and then, after a short pause, placing them on top of his. The deer continued to stroke her, despite her growling and prickly mood. He himself was not in the best spirits, but the wolf seemed to be in a depressed state.
"I swear — tomorrow is a free day. Maybe a few calls, but otherwise I'm all yours."
"Completely mine?" she smiled with the corner of her lips.
"Completely. Even…"
"No, just not those jokes. Please."
"Okay," Louis smirked. "I wanted to suggest having dinner together. Tomorrow, after we finish the project."
Juno nodded slowly, keeping her lips sealed for a verbal response.
"But not at a restaurant."
"Then where?"
"At the best chef's place in Cherrytone. Or maybe even in this part of the world. In Horns Manor."
"You… are inviting me to your home?" Juno gasped. The deer confirmed:
"Yes. I regret not having kindred spirits regarding his culinary talents."
"No. You. Are. Inviting. Me. Home?!"
"Yes," Louis repeated and then, taking her hand, stepped aside and knelt down:
"Would the wolf lady care to visit my family estate by tomorrow evening?"
"Aristocrat, Rex take you," she couldn't help but smile, then changed her tone, playing along, "Yes, my noble… deer. I should accept your invitation."
"It sounded ambiguous."
"That was the intention."
Rising, leaning on the table, Louis leaned towards her and touched her lips. He whispered:
"Don't worry. Everything will be fine with the club."
Instead of a response, Juno drew him closer, and before he could object, the deer found himself… on her knees, which, in general, didn't bother the wolf. They were roughly the same height, but her carnivorous physique helped her – though not without grace, Juno surpassed him in strength. After struggling, Louis pleaded:
"Let go!"
"Nah, slim chance," Juno mocked, and playfully touched the deer's neck with her lips. He snorted in annoyance:
"What am I to you, a stuffed toy?"
"No. It's much nicer to squeeze you, and the stress goes away much faster," she whispered in his ear, involuntarily causing him to flicker with it. Louis grumbled:
"Only if it's for stress relief… and so that no one sees."
Juno froze, looking at the door of the office. Raising an eyebrow, he himself stared at the strip of light under the door:
"Do you feel something? Is someone coming?"
"Usually, at times like these, Pina bursts into the office," she smirked. The deer laughed and, despite the awkward position, hugged her shoulders.
It seems the storm has passed.