"So, we've managed to intercept almost all of the Marauders' shipments. But there are so few of them that it raises the question: how did they plan to establish themselves in the market at all?" Makoto concluded his report. His fighters had spent the past week just scouring the alleys for smugglers and "special" buyers. Most of the time, it was fruitless, although they did yield some results.

"Purely through the lab," speculated Chon Hee. The white lion shook his head:

"What little we found in their hideout can hardly be called a lab. And we never found the real one. It seems the assumption that they're brewing here is mistaken."

"Then you would have found at least a supplier," Nobu said grimly. He turned his head to the gecko:

"Pibb, what about 'Khud Tej'?"

"Negoro returned," the lizard said quietly. "If he planned to contact you, Nobu-san, I'm not aware of it."

"No, he's deliberately ignoring us. I think it's time to slightly spoil his mood."

"Riot?"

"Possibly, even a little intimidation," the honey badger smirked menacingly. "If he doesn't call by Thursday, we'll send a delegation on a courtesy visit. But this time armed."

"I'd rip that fucking cook's head off," Soldier muttered, crossing his arms over his chest. The cuts had already healed, leaving scars, but the marks in the form of stitches remained on the most unpleasant areas for a long time.

"You'll shoot him if needed. What happens when you attack an animal with a knife unarmed, you've already experienced firsthand," the leader said coldly. "But, again – only if the raccoon doesn't contact us on his own initiative."

"Boss?"

"Yes, Splinter."

"I need more lads," the hyena said with a bored look. "The base is already surrounded by attack warning measures three circles deep, cameras are installed in every hole, but it all breaks or twists every third day. Give me a couple of bigger enforcers, and let them patrol at least the factory premises. It feels like they're stealing their own electronics."

Nobu grinned:

"Don't have any. Part of the Slaughterhouse is scattered across the old Marauders' control zone, and it wouldn't hurt to stick a couple of cameras there too…"

"And plant a couple of scoundrels for round-the-clock observation," she smirked. "For Dwight's plan, it would also be nice to connect to Cherryton's security system, but there are more guard beasts than high technology there."

"We're working on it, Atsu. Dwight has never let Slaughter down – he won't this time either."

"This slippery soft bastard annoys me, boss."

"That shouldn't prevent you from working with him. That goes for everyone," Nobu, squinting, surveyed the meeting table, "if you have a disagreement with another member of the gang, ignore him. Especially if it's a conflict with another officer."

"Got it."

"Understood, boss."

"That's obvious," 'Splinter' Atsu yawned. The honey badger added:

"Otherwise, I'll shoot both of you. Hinagawa, how's our supply situation?"

The hyena-like dog usually reported last – being a coward, he didn't even try to gain any influence among the officers. Hinagawa stood up, adjusted his glasses, and began to read from the uneven sheet with a trembling voice:

"We've recently recruited three new beasts. One herbivore, by the way. I've sent Bansui and Cricket to hit up two stores near the tower for more supplies."

"I thought we were already taking everything from them?"

"Calm down, Soldier. If we take everything, then what will they use to bring food here?"

"Y-yes, Nobu. Also, I've almost finalized a deal with the owner of the bar, three blocks north of here. He promised to open a point here, right at the factory."

"What do you mean 'almost finalized'?"

"Roku demands a security guarantee."

"From the Slaughter?" Nobu asked, surprised. Hinagawa nodded with a miserable look. "And the fact that we left him untouched isn't a good security guarantee? Soldier… go have a talk with him."

"I'd gladly do it," he nodded arrogantly. "Dirty squirming worms need to know their place."

"Hinagawa, this is all well and good… but what about the tattoo parlor?"

"And is that also part of my duties?" the dog shrank. Nobu snorted:

"No, but it's empty."

"Most of the salons that operated here and nearby on the black market closed after the riots," Chon Hee interjected, showing enviable awareness. "Even if Hinagawa manages to find someone, it will be third-rate trash."

"Then it's on you, Chon Hee."

"Yes, boss," he nodded.

"Also, we need to come up with something about the club and the underground casino," Nobu said, rising from his chair without addressing anyone in particular.

"Dokugumi already has a gaming basement. And there is still that shitty slottery down the street."

"That's not it. We need scale, a bit of elitism," the honey badger smirked. Zanoza chuckled:

"And a lot of scams. Although even I don't understand slot machines."

"What's there to understand?" the moose smirked confidently. "Put a box with a money slot, paint it nicely, and at the bottom, put a bucket for 'donations'."

It was most offensive that he didn't even pretend to be an idiot, Nobu thought with regret. Soldier was often used by him purposefully, for intimidation and brawls, but in life, he was just a regular brute with cast-iron fists and an equally cast-iron forehead. Hearing this, the lion covered his face with his hand, unable to show enough restraint. Nobu, in anger, said, shaking his head:

"Running a casino is a bit more complicated than you can imagine, idiot. Maybe it makes sense to set up a hostel from the former Marauders' base and organize a casino there… well, I'll think about it. For now, everyone is free."

She overslept for more than two hours yesterday, making it eleven in total. She came back to the dorm, threw the fragile bones on the bed, managed to chew on a semi-dry soy ham sandwich, and shut down. The next morning she barely opened her eyes, trying not to be late for classes, and even managed to answer something, but her thoughts wandered very far.

Juno didn't want to go back to Gouhin. And yet, it wasn't his decision that served as the trigger, but hers. So, she had to go back after all. Return to the place where another indescribably beautiful evening of pain, madness, and struggle with the inner beast awaited her. But for now, willpower was stronger than fear, and at the appointed time, the she-wolf found herself in the chamber again, clutching a bucket.

She ate very little. She simply couldn't stomach food, resorting to energy drinks and raw nuts between classes. But as soon as the heavy iron door slammed shut, and the smells of fresh meat hanging on the hook started to assail her sensitive nose again… everything she had eaten today ended up back in the bucket. She wiped her muzzle with a wet towel and threw it with disgust into the corner.

Unfortunately, vomiting turned out not to be the worst ordeal. The stomach, the nose, the instincts buried in the brain since ancient times – all of them screamed in unison that food lay before her. Delicious, enticing, rich in proteins and essential nutrients. And at the same time, Juno felt such horror, as if a motionless body of Pina – she couldn't imagine Louis here – hung before her. She felt the phantom, but almost real taste of blood on her tongue.

"Leave… me… alone!" the female growled helplessly.

Now Juno understood what Legoshi and that strange doctor had told her. The struggle with herself, the worst of all possible struggles, the struggle with what was natural and almost insurmountable for wolves, turned a once proud she-wolf into a pitiful, drooling creature. Several times, trying to bite her own hand, she angrily withdrew her palm, remembering Gouhin's instructions and the photographs on his wall – self-mutilation wouldn't bring her closer to her goal, but would leave scars and disfigurements for life.

Remembering how Louis taught her to calm her heartbeat with slow breaths and exhales last year, during dance exercises, Juno tried this technique and moaned powerlessly after a minute. Deep breaths were almost the worst idea – each gulp of air contained a huge chunk of scent, almost physically present in the room. Losing self-control for a moment, she crawled to the bucket and immediately recoiled in fear into the corner.

Her movements seemed to be controlled by a mad puppeteer. For some reason, in her imagination, he took the form of a wickedly laughing wolf spirit, black as the night itself, with crimson coals instead of pupils. He said nothing, but with his whole appearance, he seemed to mockingly ask, "Why do you even try? For what or whom? Here it is, your reward, just reach out and sink your teeth, naturally meant by nature to tear living beings apart."

Then consciousness was overshadowed by the image of a bloodied, but still composed deer – and the inner battle entered the second round.

Time lost its meaning here. Opposite the window of her chamber, a little further away, hung a clock on the wall, but every time Juno thought it was all over or that it was about to end, the clocks mercilessly showed that another five or ten minutes had passed. She stopped approaching the door and looking at the dial.

The smell was… so enticing.

She rose to her feet and, drooling saliva from her half-open mouth, approached the tantalizingly smelling piece almost close enough. It was almost half the size of the she-wolf's height, surely some large animal died for such a wonderful treat? Nothing would happen if she took a bite… just a small one… it would be easier to hold on, right?

A resounding slap, and Juno growled again. This growl didn't sound frightening – rather, it was a powerless growl of despair, weakness in the face of her own hunger. In frustration, she clenched her fist and struck the meat with a soft, repulsive sound, the makeshift punching bag swaying, creaking on the hook, firmly suspended with a thick chain from the ring in the ceiling.

"Come on… it's so close," advised her the dark puppeteer.

"Shut up," she muttered indistinctly and turned her back. Then she took a few steps toward the wall and sat on the thin mattress, serving as both a chair and a bed. Lowered her head. Saliva disgustingly freely flowed down, dripping from her fangs, Juno didn't even attempt to close her mouth, simply breathed heavily, trying to somehow control her desires and inner impulses. The sounds she made could scare anyone outside – apparently, that's why there was another sturdy door leading to the floor with the chambers for the unruly. Although she didn't hear any neighbors – apparently, such patients rarely appeared here.

However, at the hardest moments, for some reason, in her mind's eye appeared not Louis or Pina, although both of them had some indirect relation to voluntarily chosen sufferings, but… Tem. Juno had never personally met him – perhaps, glimpsed him somewhere briefly in the school corridors – she only remembered the mournful photograph at the makeshift memorial, yet in her consciousness, brought to such a pathetic state, the alpaca suddenly came to life and bitterly remarked that all of them, predators, were the same. Anger and unjust accusation from a dead herbivore made the she-wolf whimper softly and plaintively.

After endless time of internal suffering, remorse, new waves of nausea, and weakness in the body, Juno heard a knock on the door. She weakly responded:

"Gouhin-san? Is it time already?"

And in response, she heard an unfamiliar voice:

"Juno? Is that you?"

Or rather, not entirely unfamiliar. Rather, it was a voice she didn't expect to hear here, although Legoshi, she remembered, mentioned something like this…

"Bill?" the she-wolf asked uncertainly. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm helping… oh, who am I kidding. I'm here for treatment."

"Because of…"

"No," came a slightly sharper tone from behind the door. "Not because of meat. Why does it smell like it here?"

"It's part of my… training," Juno swallowed the accumulated saliva. "And anyway, it's none of your business, Bill. How did you end up with Gouhin anyway?"

A quiet, sad chuckle was heard. Then the tiger's voice said grimly:

"Long story."

"I see."

They were silent for a while – animals, familiar in the past, and intersecting almost by chance. They had nothing to say to each other. In the old club, Juno and Bill hardly talked, she was more focused on hunting Legoshi, and then on Louis. Hunting… Tears welled up in her eyes, she wiped them with the sleeve of her old sports jacket. To sob, simultaneously drooling… ha. What an irony. Bill, judging by the rustle and the shadow on the barely visible strip of light under the door, was still standing nearby. She asked, unable to resist:

"What time is it?"

"Half past three," came the answer after a short pause.

Another two and a half hours.

Juno squeezed her eyes shut tightly and buried herself in her knees, hoping that at least for a while she would get rid of the smell, but it had already permeated everything around. The tiger spoke again:

"Juno… sorry to bother you, I just wanted to ask – what's going on with Gon? And with the club?"

"Your Gon is dead!" she hysterically barked. "Go away!"

"I know, but… okay, sorry," he said shortly and actually left. The she-wolf breathed a sigh of relief and a second later realized that she shouldn't have so hastily driven away her former clubmate. At least he distracted her a little from this horror. Two and a half hours…

Rubbing her hungry growling stomach, the she-wolf froze with an idiotic thought suddenly popping into her head — what if she distracted herself… differently? She had just begun to comfort herself, then slapped her forehead with her palm again.

You won't associate the smell of meat with arousal in your memory. No. Bad dog.

How much did Gouhin say, forty percent? What if by distracting herself like this, the percentage would rise to fifty, or even a hundred, putting Louis' life in danger as soon as she saw him? No, no, not like this, it's idiocy. Stupid, stupid, stupid… Why was she born a wolf?

And at that very moment, it dawned on her, slicing through the shell surrounding her mind, an unpleasant gap in her understanding sharpened like a blade. This is what the "shyest" and one of the strongest animals in their school felt every minute of his life. This is why he strove to protect everyone, why there were eternal futile efforts and meticulous caution when dealing with club members, especially herbivores. Only now did she realize the distance between herself and Legoshi – although before, arrogantly, Juno thought she was ahead in terms of, like, anything.

Yes, she wasn't hopelessly in love with the wolf anymore, and the thoughtless offer at the metro made Juno curse her tongue a little later, but now the she-wolf felt something towards her fellow wolf that she hadn't felt in a long time – immense and profound respect.

And they definitely needed to talk.

Perhaps Legoshi had a couple of hints or at least a few words to inspire her to come back here again. Nervously avoiding the gaze of the butcher at the meat shop, dragging the heavy bag to the clinic, unfolding it, hanging the meat on the hook, and spending several hours in a mad mantra, trying not to eat either it… or herself.

Haru… if you ever think about neglecting them and breaking the heart after all that this wolf has been through…

I'll eat you myself.

No. No, stop, I won't eat anyone. Otherwise, Louis will be in danger next. I'll see this through to the end.

Far away – in kilometers, by subjective feelings – stood a second bucket filled with clean water. Juno, weakened, crawled on all fours to it and dipped her muzzle down, greedily swallowing water. Maybe if she filled her stomach at least like this, it wouldn't torment her brain so desperately for food.

But as soon as her nose appeared from under the water, the craving for meat clouded her mind again. The she-wolf caught herself again standing next to the piece of flesh, ready to sink her teeth into it, clasped her muzzle with her hands, and recoiled, falling heavily to the floor. She let out a completely wild and beastly cry, mentally preparing for another battle with the creature of darkness, born from her wrong, threatening society and her beloved animal, physiology.

When, after two hours and some, the panda with a stern look finally opened the door to the chamber, his gaze fell on the untouched pile of meat still hanging calmly to the left, and the she-wolf, pressed against the wall on the right, staring with a wild look at the desired but forbidden treat.

Gouhin sighed, shaking his head, but didn't say anything condemning. Instead, he briskly said:

"It's time. Time to leave, Juno."

She glanced at him absentmindedly, got up, swaying and leaning against the wall, then, struggling with her hands along the peeling and cracked plaster, she made her way to the exit. Gouhin picked her up by the arm and said:

"Do you still want to continue? Are you sure you can hold on and come here for at least a few more days? Keep in mind, it might take longer."

Juno silently nodded.

"Let's go downstairs. There's some rice and beans in the kitchen, if that striped bastard hasn't eaten it all yet."

She lifted the corner of her lips by just a couple of millimeters. Bill always had a great appetite, as far as she remembered. Besides, there were all sorts of rumors circulating in the old club. Rumors about him and the black market.

Barely shuffling her feet, she slowly said, leaning on the bear's powerful arm:

"I… still need to clean up."

"After dinner," he replied firmly. "Otherwise, you'll pass out, and we'll need to clean up after you. Therapy might not be necessary, but eating sometimes is, Juno. Consider it a recommendation."

"Thank you, doctor," she said with a sad smile. Eating is useful. Until it's friends or acquaintances. And not living, thinking beings in general.

Why wasn't she an herbivore? Or Sisu with no instincts for hunting herbivores?

Taking himself in hand, Legoshi still timidly approached the police station. Not just any station — it was the main police headquarters of Cherryton. And although last time they treated him decently, he still felt nervous. Unfortunately, this meeting point was named by the Black Demon, and the wolf didn't dare to object to him.

Although after their previous meeting in the strange office of Yafya, it was hard to believe that he transitioned to a desk job. Legoshi even heard from his grandfather that the horse retired as the Esteemed, so it was unclear why he was here at all. But the wolf obediently entered through the main double doors, heavy and massive, yet with glass allowing to see what was happening inside and outside, finding himself in a spacious lobby. The duty officer, a small rhinoceros, sitting dignified behind a semicircular table, nodded politely as Legoshi approached a bit closer.

"Officer Nakata. How can I help?" unexpectedly spoke the beast with a female voice.

"Uh… I'm Legoshi. I have a meeting with… Tosegawa, the analyst."

Something strange flashed in the eyes of the policewoman, but she nodded: "Alright. Pass through the scanner, go to the third floor, and turn right. You need office 309. Got it?"

"Yes, thank you, Nakata-san."

For the main police headquarters, the building looked quite old and not pompous at all. Only the detectors at the entrance, a couple of screens with bulletins, and computers on the desks looked modern; everything else bore the marks of many years of use. Even the elevators here were manually operated. However, Legoshi almost never used the elevator, quickly climbing to the third floor and heading down the corridor to the right.

Most of the offices were not labeled, except for the numbers. It was impossible to guess their purpose from the numbers alone. Only from one door, not entirely closed, came:

"So, in case of extortion, the criminal may resort to the following schemes…"

Legoshi sighed sadly, sensing the relevance of the topic since recently.

Finally, he found the office almost at the end of the corridor, marked with three gilded digits. Taking a deep breath and straightening his back, Legoshi knocked.

"Come in," came the reply from inside.

The wolf entered and closed the door behind him.

The office didn't strike the imagination — a regular room of an office worker who reached a certain position. Yet it was comfortably and tastefully furnished, everything on the desk was neatly arranged, steam rose from the cup, judging by the smell, it was coffee, and the owner of the office, a coal-black horse in a white shirt with suspenders, light gray trousers, and a bow tie, half turned at the window.

"Legoshi," he said. It didn't sound friendly, yet there was more warmth in the voice of the former Sublime than the former criminal could expect. Legoshi hurriedly bowed:

"Yafya-san. Good afternoon."

"And you… live long and prosper. How did you end up in Cherryton again? There were enough prizes for Melon to pay for prestigious college tuition. The record of the predatory attack has long been removed from the database, as far as I know."

"I… almost spent it all on restoring the place where I live. Much of it wasn't in very good condition."

"And the rest?"

"Set aside."

The horse unexpectedly smirked and turned to Legoshi. Small square glasses adorned his elongated muzzle; Yafya looked attentively at the wolf through the reflecting lenses:

"You've always been… peculiar. I'm almost sure you had nothing to do with Gon's death and appeared roughly at the same time by pure chance… but why are you here? Is there any information about the murder?"

"There is something, but we're not sure of its truthfulness," Legoshi looked aside. He didn't want to hand over so easily what they found to the former vigilante. "I'm here for another reason. Something strange is happening at Cherryton Academy. We suspect one of the teachers of colluding with the black market."

"Oh really? Tell me."

"Over the past time, several new figures have appeared at school, besides us, but the physical education teacher wants to hold an orientation lesson in the forest, and for someone from the outside, it would be the best opportunity to strike. To kidnap someone, or blackmail…"

"Kidnap? Blackmail? I don't understand," Yafya adjusted his glasses. "Legoshi, if you don't tell me everything from the very beginning, I won't be able to help much."

"Forgive me for my curiosity, Yafya-san, but how did it happen that you can help at all? I didn't know you were back working with the police."

"It turned out that I can't sit without work for long," the retired Sublime ironically informed. Presumably, retired. "So I applied for a position as an organized crime analyst, and occasionally the police chief asked me to act as an instructor and train the youngsters in hand-to-hand combat."

Legoshi said in surprise:

"Wow… and are the lessons for everyone?"

"Only for cadets and junior officers," the horse mercilessly corrected him, adjusting his well-groomed mane. "You should have enrolled in the police academy."

"I don't think I could work in the police."

"You underestimate yourself. You have a good nose… and I still remember your punch. Tell me."

"Well…" Legoshi took a deep breath. "We found out that the late director Gon was being blackmailed with his kidnapped family. Most likely, they're already dead. And before that, the director invited some herbivores — separately, which alerted Louis — on a tour far outside the city."

"Who's Louis?"

"A red deer, my friend and drama club director."

"So, he's a teacher?"

"Yes, and that too probably. He's also the majority shareholder of the Horns conglomerate."

"Ah," Yafya snorted shortly, rolling his eyes almost imperceptibly. "This Louis."

"Yes."

"The guy whose leg you ate. The heir of Oguma, a magnate and an animal with several dark spots in his biography, very interesting to the police."

Legoshi flattened his ears and stared at the floor. He didn't like reminders about it even in a joking manner, and coming from Yafya, it was even worse. Moreover, he really didn't like how his interlocutor focused on the dark spots in his friend's biography.

"Let's not dwell on that," Yafya nodded as if hearing his thoughts. "So, the suspicious excursion."

"Yes, Yafya-san. Herbivores were supposed to be taken separately… but no one organized the trip because Director Gon went to the black market."

"In a suicidal attack. You say his family was kidnapped…"

"The information is accurate," Legoshi nodded.

The horse tapped his fingers thoughtfully on the table:

"Under the pretext of this, they could strike against the students through blackmail, as you rightly assume. I had the same version. Indeed, things are restless at the Academy. There have been several staff changes, three teachers fired, security hired, a new member added to the board of trustees, a new director… And all this — against the backdrop of last year's events. Honestly, there are ideas in the municipality about a complete reorganization of the school. A complete change in the management system, security, clubs… and segregation. But for now, the board of trustees is defending its independence from external decisions."

Legoshi sighed sadly, then said:

"Segregation will kill most of the clubs, Yafya-san. They're mixed, and in my opinion, they should remain so."

"You're biased. But… for now, everything stays as it is. So, let's continue. Do you connect the forest orienteering with the possibility of kidnapping?"

"Yes. That's why I came to you. Can we provide police cover for this?"

"It's already done."

"So quickly?" Legoshi asked joyfully, perking up his ears and simultaneously not believing it. The office owner shook his head and said:

"No, slower than you might think. But before you came, I managed to access the police operations database for Cherryton. And as it turned out, your event is already registered as a police operation. The police know something and want to lure the criminals into a trap. Risky, but justified."

Legoshi listened to him, his mouth slightly open. The puzzle laid out by Louis shattered into numerous small pieces in his mind and stubbornly refused to take shape. Everyone or almost everyone knew about the forest physical education lesson; it was properly registered and approved by the director, except perhaps not submitted to the board of trustees for consideration. Otherwise, Louis would have known. Wutenga even visited the drama club for Pina… which was not necessary at all. And if he only came to them and started acquaintance not only with Legoshi?

But if this is a police operation, it means that Wutenga…

"Is Wutenga a police officer? Undercover?" the guest asked in amazement. The horse smirked:

"The future shadowing would just ensure you, so - yes. I'm not allowed to show personal files of employees, but believe me, I went through all the information about him to rule out the possibility of double play. Wutenga was transferred a week ago from the prefecture to Kyushu to minimize the risk. If he's a mole, then he's our mole."

Legoshi continued to stare ahead in amazement. Yafya allowed him to recover from the shock and warned:

"If this information suddenly surfaces anywhere, you'll jeopardize the work of police. I'm sure you don't want to do that, Legoshi."

"No, Yafya-san. But may I inform Louis? He has too many… possibilities to try to interfere with your agent. And," the wolf admitted, "I don't want to leave him in the dark."

"Quid pro quo. What do you have? Just be honest."

Legoshi hesitated. Then he said uncertainly:

"We found… the director's phone. Completely smashed, dead, and soaked, but one guy managed to fish out images from it. The pictures showed the director's bound daughter and wife."

"Danica and Tracy?" the analyst's voice grew sterner. The wolf simply nodded.

"Yes. I didn't remember their names, to be honest, but yes. That's how we came up with the blackmail theory. But overall, we know almost nothing… oh, and one more thing — one of the members of the gang that blackmailed Gon is a honey badger. There are no representatives of this species among the school teachers, so… most likely, we didn't make a mistake."

"And the trail leads to the black market…"

"I hope this helps you, Yafya-san."

The horse sighed.

"I've moved away from field work. My body doesn't allow me to act as effectively as before, old wounds ache, my reaction has worsened… and my vision suddenly started to deteriorate, as you can see. But I'll put this into the case. You can tell Louis, and only him. I forbid you to involve the school students. Clear?"

"I have no right to put them at risk!" Legoshi expressed his feelings vehemently. He was clearly outraged by such an assumption.

"Alright, alright. Calm down. And, Legoshi, since everything has been uncovered in such a strange way… I have a request too."

"Yes, Yafya-san?"

"Help Wutenga. Provide possible assistance."

"In the forest?"

"No, the police will handle that. But something fishy is still happening at the Academy. Securing this school is our top priority, now that gangs from the black market are involved. And I ask that you be on alert."

"You're asking?" Legoshi exclaimed disconcertedly. Yafya smirked wryly.

"Well, should I kneel into dogeza? Spare my old bones some worry."

"N-no, of course not! We're already doing our best, Yafya-san."

"Good. I'm counting on you, Legoshi. But if push comes to shove… don't make your grandpa nervous, a'ight? That ancient lizard will eat my liver afterwards."

"I'll try," the wolf, adorned with battle scars, replied almost sincerely.

"Serious news, ladies'n'gentlemen," Kibi practically radiated self-satisfaction. "The costume workshop, tirelessly, has worked to finish the first two costumes by today. Many others are also ready, with patterns and sketches, but these two are ready to be tried on."

"Did you make a dress for me?" Fumiko asked eagerly.

"No," the anteater answered haughtily.

"My uniform?" the buffalo asked hopefully. He had been flattered by Pina's comment during one of the early rehearsals that the uniform would look good on him.

"Nope! Going with me will be… Pina and Goro!"

"Well, that's always the case," Tao said with visible disappointment. "Pina gets a costume with lace, and as for the best friend, nothing."

"If you paid even a little attention to your appearance, Freddie, you could have gone to the costume designers yourself. The workshop is open all the time while the club is running," the Dall's ram said lazily. "And there you could have ordered yourself not only a lace costume, but also a lace hat, and even lace panties…"

Tao turned purple. "You… I don't wear that!"

"Since when? Swore you'd stop from tomorrow?" Pina looked at him with a sweet and cheeky smile. The dance group led by Eri giggled, Goro stood up from the bench and joined the small company. As Kibi led them into the mysterious backstage, the white lion asked:

"What about me? I didn't particularly care about the costume either."

"The tailors took measurements from everyone," the anteater shrugged. "And then it just so happened that your character was the first one to go into development. Together with Pina, of course, he was annoying."

"I'm still he-e-ere, Kibi-i-i…"

"And still a-a-annoyi-i-ing," the anteater replied in the same tone. "Ayako's been struggling to tailor a vest for you. Sometimes the pocket's too narrow, sometimes the armholes are too low…"

The ram snorted. "I have the lead role. Which means everything has to be perfect. Besides, you haven't exactly been rushing to sew, have you?"

"I work for two props teams at once!"

"I'm almost certain you don't overexert yourself in either," Goro remarked teasingly. He liked the friendly yet extremely cunning anteater, although he considered the club veteran more suitable for the stage than himself. But Kibi was never tempted by an acting career.

Nevertheless, now he was being led to try on a costume… his first actor's costume. It must be interesting.

While Pina, with the help of Kibi and Keoji, was already doing clearly not the first fitting, Goro stood in front of the mirror and leisurely put on the offered costume. Both girls from the costume team, Ayako and Beatrice, assisted him. The numbat gave quick explanations:

"Here. Behind the screen are trousers with thin stripes and a shirt with a moderately strict collar. You can take school shoes, they don't differ much. The main part, like Pina's, is the waistcoat — for contrast, yours is made of purple viscose with patterns and silver buttons."

"Raise your arms," Beatrice commanded, her tail nervously twitching in the reflection.

After he put on the trousers and shirt, it was time for the waistcoat, and finally the dark jacket-coat with long tails, and on top of it all — a simple cylinder, which, however, looked quite decent on the lion's head. Ayako scratched her head plates and said:

"It would be better to borrow cufflinks from your parents or grandfather for the sleeves, this fashion has reached our century."

"I… don't think my father has anything like that," Goro shook his head, stretching his arms and inspecting the material. "Bea, is this what your brother makes? That artificial fabric?"

"Yes," she nodded briefly. "Like it? My brother doesn't make crap."

"Yeah, thanks."

"She made four-fifths of your costume," the female armadillo smirked. "I mostly did the waistcoat."

"Everything looks very beautiful and stylish, even though I don't understand the fashion of those years," the lion smiled sheepishly. "Thank you, girls. Especially Bea."

"Go see Rex," she said with a crooked smile. "It suits you. A proper gentleman."

The lion tried to make a few dance moves — he had already started practicing with the dance group for the ball, but found that the long coat was getting in the way. He shrugged it off, tried again, and was satisfied — the clothes didn't restrict his movements and were tailored exactly to his measurements.

"You have a great talent, Beatrice," he said softly. "Whose costume will you be making next?"

While the embarrassed and visibly flustered tigress didn't know what to answer, Kibi, shaking off the dust from Pina's costume, replied instead:

"We're not sure yet. We wanted to dress up Eliza, she needs two costumes too, one very simple and a lady's dress, but since Juno got dropped… we'll work on Freddie Mandrill and Mrs. Hedgehoggins."

In addition to the grey-blue waistcoat for public scenes, worn over a costume similar to the lion's, and a coat of the same dense artificial tweed but in a different color, Pina also had a dressing gown made of thick fabric resembling velvet. The sleeves and collar were quilted, sewn with a rhomboid mesh. The ram stretched his arms and nodded in satisfaction:

"I had no complaints about the dressing gown from the start. Well done, Kibi-kun."

"I thought they'd find faults here too. But I guess there weren't any before," the anteater retorted.

"I care about making the play look dignified. And to ensure you don't loaf around backstage," the ram said, dropping a cunning smile.

"The play or you, Pina-kun?"

"If I wanted to be seen in all my glory, I'd ask for a neck scarf. Unfortunately, I think it doesn't suit the linguistics professor's image. It ruins the whole magic…"

"Thanks for not asking for a pink shirt," Kibi interjected.

"With laces? Next time I'll definitely think about it, thank you, sweety."

"I'll visit Dom wherever he might be now and pluck out a few feathers. And then I'll make sure to dart them into that part of you you've constantly been named after."

Kibi was one of the few who could endure a long squabble with the ram, but their exchange of banter seemed to fizzle out on its own. The herbivore with blue eyes didn't respond and seemed lost in thought — lately, they had sometimes noticed this behavior from him, as if their haughty clubmate's thoughts could occupy something other than himself.

"Pina."

"Yes, Goro-kun?"

"Let's go, show ourselves to the people," the lion nodded towards the stage exit. "I don't want to keep the excellent costume designers' work a secret."

"Are they really that excellent?.." Beatrice muttered, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Indeed they are excellent. If you work just as hard for the others, we'll definitely succeed."

"It's good that there's only one Pina in the club."

The ram shushed at the diminutive anteater. "Sh, the world wouldn't handle the grandeur of two such as myself. Let's go, Goro-kun, let's have a fashion show."

He had clearly organized fashion shows somewhere before, flashed through the lion's mind. Pina felt comfortable in his new clothes — he twirled on stage and struck various poses. He even recited a couple of lines from the professor's lines, which made the sparse applause much more enthusiastic. After him, Goro appeared and also received his share of applause. He was a bit more modest, though he bowed at the end as if the play were already over. Then he said loudly:

"All applause to our couturiers. They jumped higher than our heads, it feels like I was dressed in a professional tailor's shop."

"Well…" Pina began, then ran into the sharply pointed look of the white lion and, making an indistinct movement with his eyebrows, fell silent. In the end, they really did try hard.

After the animals lively dispersed to corners and benches, working on individual scenes and simply chatting about trivia, the ram approached Goro and said thoughtfully:

"You know what I think? You're missing black lisle gloves here. Well, or at least similar ones."

"But lisle gloves are…"

"No, not leather! Do you think I, as a herbivore, could suggest such a thing?!" Pina asked incredulously. "No, even in the late 18th century, in places where Shaw came from, they learned to process fiber from tea leaves in such a way that it was soft and durable. It was also called lisle. But, I think, any snug-fitting gloves will do, even made of spandex."

"How do you know all this?"

"I'm interested in fashion," the ram shrugged. Goro chuckled shortly:

"That's easy to believe."

"Then take note of the advice of an animal who cares about clothing — the head of the Mandrill family absolutely needs gloves."

And those gloves bothered him so much…

However, the costume designers didn't go to bow. Instead, Ayako and Kibi cornered the poor tigress, exchanging silent glances. Keoji stood aside, but also shook his head with a strange smile. Each of them wanted to make sure they weren't the only ones who noticed. Finally, Ayako nudged Beatrice's thigh with her elbow and said significantly:

"Hey."

"What?" Bea's orange-black tail started twitching again, whether from annoyance or just nerves.

"Hey," Kibi drawled, curving his small mouth in a typical smirk for his species.

"What do you want?" Bea looked down at them with widened eyes.

"We all saw."

"Saw what?!"

"We-e-e-e-e-ll," Kibi drawled on, unrelenting.

"Kibi, go to freakin' Rex."

Ayako smirked. "Don't deny it. You like him."

"I don't know what you're talking about. Leave me alone," she muttered and turned away, meticulously gathering measuring tapes and fabric scraps from the floor. The female armadillo nudged her with her elbow:

"And Goro will come back to return the costume."

"So?.."

"Maybe we'll just accidentally leave to have lunch? Although, judging by the time, it's already dinner."

Beatrice gritted her teeth and, without turning around, muttered softly, "You imagined things. Buzz off and leave me alone."

"How fierce," Kibi smirked. "Alright then… keep your secrets."