Outside, the Gouhin clinic didn't look impressive — just one of many buildings in the black market, albeit slightly better maintained. And, of course, taller than its neighbors. But Louis had only been here once and hadn't even entered. He had seen Gouhin himself twice, more like casual encounters. However, now the building unexpectedly became a priority for him.

So it was especially strange after the knock on the door — apparently, the old panda didn't recognize the bell — to come face to face with an old acquaintance.

No, of course, Louis assumed San might be here, but the alpaca was clearly surprised.

"Shi?"

"Yeah. Hi, San."

"What brings you here?"

"I need to see the doctor. Or rather, one of his patients," Louis smirked. San glanced over his shoulder at the guards — a white wolf and a snow-colored weasel, both in black suits and clearly armed.

"Are they with you?"

"They'll wait outside."

San shrugged phlegmatically and opened the door wider, letting the deer in. Louis stepped inside, looking around. Well… not the worst he could expect from a semi-legal clinic in the black market. Clean, albeit devoid of any sense of taste.

"How are you?"

"You seemed to have some business with Gouhin."

"Yeah," the deer nodded. "But right now I'm asking — how are you?"

"Fine," he replied shortly and unwillingly. Louis sighed and stated the obvious:

"You clearly aren't glad to see me."

"Why should I be? I haven't heard from you in exactly a year — all I've had is reading newspapers and watching TV, occasionally noticing your important person," San replied irritably, poking him in the chest. Pushing his hand away, Louis retorted:

"I tried looking for you at the old place. And you never carried phones with you — couldn't you have left a note at least?"

"It's too late to dig all that up," the alpaca grumbled, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "Kyuu vanished, I'm working for the old man now. He's upstairs, dealing with a particularly uncooperative patient."

"I probably don't need Gouhin himself. Although I'll still say hi when he's free. Can you show me where Juno is?"

"The she-wolf? What do you want from her?"

"Business matters." Louis explained. Obviously, he hadn't explained enough to the second herbivore, because San furrowed one eyebrow and raised the other:

"With a predator?"

"She's my sibling, we were separated in childhood," Louis sarcastically informed. "San, I'm not intruding into your life. I wanted to try earlier to get you papers and recruit you into the security service, but then I gave up on the idea — couldn't find you in the tower. We're not the same kids we used to be. Communication… almost vanished."

"You wanted to make me your bodyguard?"

"You have… a specific type of thinking. Suitable for repelling external threats."

San sighed, turning his head away. They continued to stand in the corridor facing each other, only Louis leaned against the wall. The alpaca spoke, still looking down the corridor leading to the kitchen:

"But in the outside world, I'll be like a cripple."

"This type of disability can be cured. Unlike others."

"Shi, aside of jokes, I just don't see myself there. Here — I do, here I know all the moves and exits, know how to survive. Beyond the black market…"

"That's why in the end I abandoned thoughts of pulling you out," the deer nodded. "Although, honestly, I wouldn't mind sitting in a café again and discussing where the world is heading."

San looked at him. A regular animal, without the arrogance and snobbery that flashed here and there in their conversations many months ago. Well, he didn't make them up, did he? Either Shi, the Fourth, really changed, or he carefully masked his nature.

"Female. Carnivore, wolf female. Right?"

"She's here… in some kind because of me."

"How so?" San asked with barely concealed surprise. Louis shook his head negatively:

"It's personal, San. Sorry."

"I've already figured out almost everything. But in a sign of past friendship, when we were still a livestock, I won't inquire further."

"Thank you," bowed his horned guest.

"The patient is on the third floor, fourth room on the left. Don't run into the old man, he'll kick you out with a flash. And I didn't say anything," the alpaca smirked.

"Of course."

"Shi!… I mean… Louis, right?"

"Yeah?" the bewildered deer turned, who had already headed for the stairs. San and Kyuu refused to call him by name — it was even stranger that the alpaca remembered it.

"Do you think I could… well… do something? Out there, in the outside world?" San asked in a strange tone, directing his gaze at Louis, awaiting an answer. Louis clarified, "You mean — without my assistance? There's plenty of unskilled work outside. For anything else, usually, you need training. Although with a certain amount of money, you could, for example, open a dojo outside the city and earn from teaching self-defense."

"Dojo…" San chuckled, then nodded. "Well, thanks for the honest answer. But I doubt I'd be suitable as a teacher."

"Each to their own," Louis threw over his shoulder as he ascended the stairs.

The corridor, lined with a long, worn-out runner of monotonous blue color, led nowhere — straight as an arrow, it hit the wall, and on both sides were rows of identical reinforced doors. Realizing that such conditions were inevitable when dealing with predators driven mad by hunger, the deer nevertheless felt a pain in his heart.

And I thought it had completely hardened.

Fourth room on the left. All doors were equally massive, seemingly able to withstand even a siege. What was Gouhin doing with her? No, Louis heard something about it from Legoshi, but…

The smell of meat hit his nostrils. Raw. Once a boss of one of the black market's gangster groups, he was quite familiar with such aromas. Wasn't it too harsh for a carnivore like Juno? The deer reached the door and tried to peer through the miniature barred window, but, of course, saw nothing.

"Juno," he called out with a suddenly hoarse voice.

"Where? I… Louis? What are you doing here?" came the weakened voice of the she-wolf from inside. "I'm probably hallucinating already."

"No! It's me. Ju… how are you? How are you holding up? I didn't know it was this bad…"

"Louis!" clawed fingers grasped the bars. "Rex… you better… go. I don't think it's a pleasant sight… I'm not myself."

"But it's still you."

The deer stroked her fingers, feeling the pain in his chest. A small ray of light penetrating inside still fell on her face — emaciated, weakened, eyes dull. Juno wanted to see him, but at the same time was afraid and trying to drive him away.

"It's not me anymore…"

"Don't torture yourself. Stop. Please. I… I have illegal channels. We'll buy some meat every week. I don't want you to go crazy because of these stupid training sessions…"

"But I want to live! With you!" the beast roared from within with a voice very remotely resembling his girlfriend's voice. "And not put you at risk!"

"But I already have a risky life."

"Then I'll make it less risky! Go away, stupid deer!"

"Okay. But remember — whatever happens, I'm with you," Louis pressed closer to the bars and whispered almost inaudibly, it was still incredibly hard for him to say these words. "And I love you."

Juno, despite her throaty roar, still breathed out:

"And I…," and pressed her lips to his in a quick, threatening kiss due to the bared fangs and saliva. Right now she was so wild that it was even somewhat… hot.

"And then she bit off half his face with one bite, and they lived happily ever after," came a grumpy comment from the left.

Louis stepped back from the door and saw Gouhin, who was disapprovingly shaking his head, watching their strange scene. The bear pointed to the door behind him with his thumb:

"Get out of here. Even if she's doing this for you, Juno is an independent animal, and disrupting her routine, interfering with her decisions — it's vile."

"If only the routine didn't involve sadistic training with the probability…" Louis began to speak challengingly and then immediately stopped himself. Gouhin nodded and repeated:

"Out."

"Juno… I hope we'll see each other as soon as possible. And thank you for making such efforts…"

"Thank you for coming. But let's meet when all this is over," Juno said tiredly, poking the tip of her muzzle between the bars. "Don't come to the clinic."

"Okay. Then… take care."

Descending the stairs, the red deer heard a new grumpy comment from behind:

"And here I was hoping that at least the CEO and the owner of a billion-yen corporation isn't an idiot"

"Even I have pity sometimes."

"In general, or only towards her?" the interlocutor clarified, heavy-footedly stomping up the steps. "As for the probability I suspect, 'compared to winning a lottery' you, unexpected guest, are painfully right. But it's good you didn't finish that thought."

"What's the point then?" Louis asked with a grimace of anger. Gouhin reasoned wisely:

"Even if she can't suppress her instincts — which, let's admit it, is almost impossible — training will still help her keep herself under control. It's another matter that changing her diet would achieve the same effect without such suffering. Undesirable consequences may arise."

"Enlighten me, please."

"For example, she might vomit every time she smells blood or raw meat. Or her blood pressure might skyrocket, or Juno might faint. Psychological blocks have various mechanisms of operation and almost unpredictable manifestations."

They descended downstairs, and the panda unexpectedly offered, "Tea?"

"A tea party with idiots — some new kind of entertainment for black market doctors?" Louis retorted with acerbic irony, glancing at him.

"What can you do if even respectable animals lose their heads over love," Gouhin smirked. "Don't take it personally. That's just how we are. She's going crazy because of you, you're losing your mind because of her, and then you go through life like a pair of love-struck idiots. Or she eats you. But I guess that's not much of a deterrent for you."

"Have you had something similar? I'm not talking about being devoured alive, of course," Louis inquired.

"Once upon a time, long ago. And if you think I've become older and much wiser… that's partially true. At least about being older. So, about that tea?"

Louis shook his head. "No, thank you. I've been relaxed enough with the smell on the third floor, besides, the day is too busy for random tea parties."

Gouhin squinted mockingly. "But not too busy for random intrusions to closed patients?"

"I wanted to see Juno. To check if everything is okay with her."

"Of course."

Gouhin took out a cigarette pack from his breast pocket, rummaged in it and cursed — the cardboard shell was empty. Doing a similar gesture, Louis handed him an almost full one, and the panda nodded, pulling out two cigarettes at once, putting one in his pocket. He said grumpily but with a smirk, "And now you're even offering treats yourself. Completely disregarded the laws of hospitality and twisted them to your advantage, damn deer."

Smiling wryly in response, the "damn deer" took out a cigarette himself, rolling it between his fingers. He looked out the window — Utamaro and Mitsui were talking about something, occasionally glancing at the clinic building, then at the narrow streets, a potential danger zone.

He said, "Help her, Gouhin-san."

"No doubt. And now get out of here, don't tease her olfactory receptors and my poor nerves."

When the three of them settled into the black executive sedan — Louis sighed in relief because Mitsui took up much less space than the strong but bulky Nikolai — the tapir behind the wheel asked cheerfully, "Where to next, Louis-sama?"

"Well, we've already been to the hospital. Now to the prison."

"Whatever you say."

"Then the morgue and the cemetery."

"Logical," Utamaro chuckled. "Boss, aren't you planning to visit the school today?"

"No. I left everything to my best friend, who will undoubtedly be so responsible and uptight that by the time of my next visit, the club will be in ruins," the deer chuckled, lighting up. weasel immediately coughed:

"Boss… could you…"

"Oh… Sorry, Mitsui."

That's why Nikolai still had a slight edge as a bodyguard — both he and the white wolf stoically endured tobacco smoke. Well, or whatever they put in modern cigarettes instead of tobacco. Louis extinguished his cigarette and showed his empty hands as a small irony, Mitsui grumbled:

"Sorry. But when people smoke in a closed car, I almost panic."

"And why should the club suddenly be in ruins, Louis-san?" the wolf asked.

Louis shrugged. "When you take something too seriously and don't know how to do it at all, there inevitably comes a series of accidents that lead to catastrophe. It's not even superstition, just life observation."

"Wisdom of the boss, volume one," Utamaro grinned. Louis glanced at him, poking the massive predator in the side:

"For mockery next time, I'll make you take notes."

"Understood, boss."

"Painted on the wall of a multistory building from top to bottom."

"Definitely, boss. And I'll sign the author's name so that the wave of popular love for you only grows," Utamaro continued to chatter with a stony expression.

"You're on fire today…"

"Louis-sama… So where are we really going?" the driver asked with an apologetic tone.

Louis was surprised, "I said — to the prison."

"It's very hard to tell when you're joking and when you're serious," the driver muttered apologetically.

They were indeed heading to the prison. Not forgetting his "street" roots, Louis regularly visited the Shishigumi serving their sentences. Unfortunately, he couldn't influence their release dates, but now the deer was determined — even to the point of crossing some legal boundaries. Of course, he wasn't talking about escaping, but he was ready for a dense and secretive conversation with the prison warden.

Belleview Prison was ironically named, although the view from the hills far beyond the city where it was located was picturesque. Moreover, Belleview was built on the borders with the neighboring prefecture, back in the days when, as the oldest reptiles said, the borders looked different. In any case, the prison looked mundane — gray walls, bars, watchtowers, one search tower the size of a decent lighthouse, several correctional service vehicles parked in the lot, and even a small helicopter on a special platform nearby. Of course, the beasts inside were segregated, and, of course, the most serious security was in the predator block. For those who didn't join gangs, there was either constant humiliation, violence, or both, regularly and in large portions. However, since all the lions ended up here together — only Sabu was separated because of his health and speech problems — they quickly organized a new interest group right behind the bars.

Louis went through the inspection. Then the metal detector. For obvious reasons, the guards wouldn't pass him, but the deer had never visited the prison in close company. His ties to one of the most dangerous gangs — not something he wanted to publicize, and he didn't even trust SB Horns that much. He had to give up the cane in advance too — Louis carried a heavy box in his hands.

They checked it too, and finding nothing suspicious, finally let the deer into the visitation room.

For a prison, this room looked quite cozy — just a few guards looking bored but armed, comfortable couches and armchairs, several tables of various sizes for beasts of different sizes, even vending machines with water and snacks in colorful packages. One of the guards, a massive bull resembling Ges, asked, "Who are you here to see?"

"Agata Kurihara, Congolese lion," Louis named a familiar name.

The bull lifted the receiver of the archaic-looking internal phone on the wall and, pressing a button, said distinctly, "Inmate Kurihara to the visitation room. Roger. Understood."

After disconnecting the intercom, he reported, "He's on his way. Will be here in ten minutes."

Louis smiled barely noticeably. Of all the cats in the gang, Agata was the least dignified and one of the strongest, perhaps second only to Miguel. He never missed an opportunity to stretch his muscles or play active games even within the walls of the prison.

Time passed unnoticed. The deer, massaging his knee by the side table against the wall, snorted when he saw the muscular lion in a white tank top and with the upper part of the orange prison robe tied around his waist enter the hall. But his expression, happy as a kitten, and small pigmented freckles made this monster incredibly cute.

"Louis-sama!" Agata exclaimed.

He insisted that they don't use the word "boss" within the prison walls. Louis warmly smiled, "Hey, Agata. Oh, you look like trouble. Did you win at least?"

"When I left, we were up by twenty points. But even without me, we have a strong team," the lion grinned, struggling to resist the urge to strangle the herbivore in his arms. Still, he was their boss, who, despite banning the use of the term "boss," remained so forever. He managed to tame his wild nature and humbly sat opposite Louis. The deer pushed a large box towards him.

"Here. Everything's as usual — regular smokes, two phones, candies for Hino, magazines for Free. The meat was confiscated at the entrance, as usual."

It was a routine joke, but Agata was already smiling anyway. Hiding the box, the lion asked eagerly, crossing his fingers under his chin, "What's happening outside, Louis-sama?"

"Everything's as usual. Out of the ordinary — there was a blackout in the city, a truck fell from a high road straight onto a power station. All quiet in Horns. Well, mostly. But…" He paused cautiously. "…it's not quiet everywhere."

The lion nodded, crossing his arms over his chest, "If we're thinking about the same 'not quiet' place, then it's always restless there."

"You're spreading yourself even bulkier. Soon you'll stop fitting through the door," Louis remarked.

"Strength is everything here, Louis-sama," Agata sighed. "No different from the black market, although the suits were more fashionable there."

"You never did like ties," the deer smirked.

"I'd wear three for a way out if they'd let me…" Agata trailed off.

"Talking about 'getting out'… have you been behaving yourself?"

"Perfectly, b… I mean, Louis-sama! Not a single fight! Although, to be honest, nobody wants to mess with the Shishigumi. But I've kept my record clean as a whistle."

"Prison or criminal?" Louis asked.

Agata snorted indignantly, lips pursed.

They chatted about trivial matters for a while longer, but the deer wanted to get to the heart of the matter as quickly as possible — or at least get some answer that would allow him to develop his plans further. Rising to his feet, Louis patted him on the rounded shoulder, "I intend to have a word with someone. If it works out, I won't say goodbye. But if not… then until next time, Agata."

The lion didn't seem too pleased — he offered a polite smile, knowing full well that fighting the system usually leads to defeat. "Try, of course. But I wouldn't get my hopes up. Goodbye, Louis-sama."

What Louis himself hoped for was the prevailing compensation law, which after its enactment immediately started being chased by lawyers all over the country. Agata's salvation lay in conditional early release, but the deer didn't know if it applied to him at all. Nevertheless, he had already decided to push ahead. Louis didn't hold much hope for the other lions — Agata got the shortest sentence, three years only, and Dope, always acting a little bit more, had snagged four years and two months at the age of twenty-seven. The others were sentenced to different periods, from seven to fifteen years in these places for a combination of crimes and involvement in organized group activities.

Free earned the maximum sentence by biting a bailiff on the backside during a court session. Hearing that news, Louis wasn't even surprised — it was so typical of the often uncontrollable lion that surely the other Shishigumi members shrugged with the traditional expression of "well, that's Free" upon hearing it.

Dope was twenty-nine now, caught shortly before his birthday, and Agata, a month or so away, would turn twenty-eight, a formidable force of a Congolese lion. Of course, from a utilitarian point of view, Louis would prefer Jinma, who knew the black market better than anyone, but he himself might be much better known there. However, Louis was facing a very difficult conversation now.

…which, to his surprise, ended faster than he might have expected.

After listening to his brilliant speech about redemption before society and creating a new law enforcement structure, for which the inmate Kurihara was perfect, the warden of Bellevue Prison, an elderly goat with a gray beard, chewed his lip thoughtfully and said, "You're getting worked up over one crook. What has he done for you or promised to do?"

"I owe his father a lot," Louis said, his soul barely twisting.

In the end, Ibuki really was like a father to them. Moreover, the deer had often sadly thought that he could have been a much better father than Oguma. "As a way of repaying the debt — to get his son out of prison, Yoshimura-san."

"I see. Well, since the guy in question can indeed be released, let's talk about the amount of bail."

"Excuse me?"

"I believe that for conditional early release, some compensation for what he might do while free is necessary. At least I'll personally ensure that the funds go to good causes," the warden's eyes gleamed.

Louis frowned, "But… I asked you about this two months ago! I even offered… compensation. What's changed?"

"Two months have passed. And that means that your friend's son has served exactly half of his prison sentence. From that date, you can start filing documents for conditional early release. Besides, he's one of the few who actually qualifies for it without extra hassle."

"What strange laws."

"They are what they are. Don't you have lawyers in Horns? I'm sure they could explain everything much better than I can."

"And for how much… for what bail," Louis corrected himself, "can you release him right now?"

"Let's say ten million yen. But he won't get out before tomorrow anyway — we need to prepare documents, gather commission seals…"

"So, for ten million yen, you can't get the commission to work outside their normal schedule?" There was venom in Louis's voice, enough to create a serum for three thousand animals. Or kill three hundred. However, Chief Yoshimura was no stranger to such operations, so he knew that the urgency of his guests might add a little extra.

"Twelve. But you'll have to hide him and keep him out of public view until the documents are in the system. And that's at least tomorrow. Let me explain — he must not be seen by any cameras, be it newspapers or surveillance cameras. He must not make the news, and if I'm suddenly accused of anything…" the goat gestured towards the door, where the head of security stood, "…I'll have witnesses right away, saying you threatened me."

The guest nodded briefly, "That's a big piece of money. But I think I can be a benefactor… in one exceptional case."

"Then we have a deal?" Yoshimura extended his hand. The red deer shook it, feeling the shadowy deals radiating from the handshake. I wonder, how many criminals have received such "conditional early release"?

However, it's not like he really cared about such details. The system was imperfect — luckily, today it was in his favor.

"Deal," Louis said firmly.

The procedure was indeed carried out almost lightning-fast, although the captain, looking at the paper, only snorted — apparently, there were a few million clicking in his brain right now too. The inmate was called in again, questioned, taken to the shower, and finally released. Not cheap, but in the scale of a conglomerate dealing with trillions, it really was peanuts. Honestly, Louis was willing to give much more for Agata; he deserved good treatment — moreover, as far as he could remember, the young lion was the only one who hadn't fully tarnished himself in their criminal schemes. Along with Jinmu, he supervised the supply of a little weaponry that made its way to the black market and served as support in enforcement actions, but now… now Louis, despite the quick resolution of the problem, would have to throw him into the fire.

The clothes given to Agata upon his "discharge" were already a bit tight. But he still managed to stain the expensive fabric by falling on his knees in front of Louis right in the corridor. He bowed in a respectful pose, "Louis-sama… I don't know how or why I earned this, but I won't let you down!"

"Get up," the deer grimaced. "Oh no, no, no, let go of my knees, they're tired enough. Don't make a scene here, my security is waiting at the gate, and they'll surely look at you with suspicion."

"They… know?" Agata raised his eyes significantly upwards. Shaking his head negatively, Louis said, "Only rumors. So if you're asking, can you call me boss again — only when we officially get you a job. Get up, don't be…"

"What? A dumb cat being eternally grateful to you?"

"And that too. But in the upcoming showdown, I just want to see a reliable ally in you."

Agata, now serious, easily stood up, towering over Louis by a head, and leaning towards his ear, whispered almost inaudibly, "Use me as you wish, boss. Direct my strength. Your enemies are my enemies."

"Excellent," the deer's eyes sparkled.

In the company of one unarmed Agata, he felt even more confident than with two armed guys from the conglomerate's security service. Louis pulled out his phone and dialed the secretary's number; she answered on the second ring, "Listening, Louis-sama."

"Mika, organize a subsidiary company for security. You can set it up as a branch of our security company, or however is most convenient, just make sure all permits can be obtained as quickly as possible. Ideally — by tomorrow."

"That's almost impossible…"

"Contact the legal department. Or call Ikari-san, maybe he has a 'dummy' with the necessary licenses just for such a case…"

"You… want to officially hire me?" the lion asked incredulously after Louis gave his final instructions.

"Yeah."

"With a salary?"

"Agata… when was the last time you had a job?"

"Well," the beast, whose jacket was barely holding together, said sheepishly, "Before the Shishigumi, I worked in a carpet store."

Louis couldn't help but snort.

"What?"

"Knew you'd laugh," Agata sighed. "We used to sell carpets. The owner had a small shop on Yasutoro Tenkai Street. Then, almost six months later, I ended up at the Shishigumi mansion, where under Free's guidance, I exchanged an old… and excessively blood-stained carpet for our new one. After that, he slapped me on the shoulder and asked, 'Kid, aren't you tired of smelling dust?'"

"Oh, almighty Rex… Free would have immediately offered a pinch of 'pearl' instead."

"No, it didn't come to that," Agata smiled, baring his teeth.

The gates in front of them creaked reluctantly aside. Unlike the others, with grilles and locks, these were entirely metallic, resembling more the main entrance of some villainous fortress. They were even the same color — dark gray, almost black, much darker than wet asphalt.

They waited, showing no tension. Although upon seeing Agata, it definitely appeared — even with a childish expression (albeit armed with solid teeth), he inspired awe purely by his figure.

"Shall I introduce us, boss?" calmly asked Utamaro. Louis theatrically waved his hand towards the lion:

"This is Agata. Our future employee."

"An interesting labor exchange in our times," remarked the white wolf, looking at the fenced complex of buildings behind him.

"You know, Utamaro, about my irrational level of trust in large carnivores. Where would you be now if not for her," the red deer smiled, turning his horned head to Agata. "This is Utamaro Hiyoki, acting head of security at the Horns conglomerate. Mitsui Yamamoto is his subordinate, both sometimes work as my bodyguards."

"Pleased to meet you," the lion nodded slightly.

"And us," replied Utamaro, although he did not extend his hand. In his eyes, this new acquaintance looked even more suspicious than Legoshi, who was always defended by the boss. "Will he also be a guard, Louis-san?"

"Yes… but a different one."

What the deer meant by this remained a mystery, as he suddenly switched to the lion. He jerked his head in a questioning gesture:

"Well?"

"What?" Agata didn't understand.

"Firstly, with your release. Secondly, you must be hungry as a whole lion's pride right now. What did they serve for lunch in prison?"

"I missed it with all these procedures," Agata disarmingly smiled, putting his hands in his pockets. "You know what I missed the most about the food, Louis-sama?"

"I guess," Louis smirked grimly. The guards exchanged glances.

"Nah, here's the thing. Spices! Seriously, in prison, it's just salt, and if you're lucky, you'll get some pepper, although usually it's all stuck together in one lump. What I'd chew on right now is something spicy. Something like what they gave at the corner by that small okapi, forgot his name…"

"Meaning, so spicy your guts twist," summed up their boss. "Utamaro, where in Cherryton can you eat something very spicy?"

"I don't know. Maybe Mitsui can suggest."

"I'm also not even a bit of a specialist in that cuisine," Mitsui nodded. "We should check out Zoogle or ask Terry."

"What? Who's Terry?" a tapir stuck his head out of the window. Louis asked him:

"Do you know the restaurants in town serving with spicy cuisine?"

"'Adraise' is closer to Cherryton Academy, 'Inferno' is a mile from B-Strike. If you're coming from here, the nearest is 'Khud Tej' on the coast, but honestly, its reputation is dangerous."

"How do you know all this?"

"I was a taxi driver two years before this."

"I just want to stuff something in my mouth," Agata pleaded, wagging the tuft on his tail. "Let's go to this 'Tej' of yours. Louis-sama, I'll pay you back with my first salary."

"Hush," Louis snapped. "Today we celebrate on my dime. Besides, it's a free attraction — feeding the lions. Where else can you see that?"

Utamaro sighed:

"What always amazes me, boss, is your circle of acquaintances. Do you mind if our big friend sits in the front?"

"Agata," reminded Agata. The wolf ignored his remark and turned his gaze to the boss. He nodded:

"Yes, no problem."

If Terry objected to such proximity, he courageously remained silent. Agata squinted, leaning his elbow out of the fully open window and letting the wind hit his face, tousling his lush mane. He wasn't the best of the Shishigumi, but fate had decreed that he was now the one tasked with protecting the boss. Moreover, the boss mentioned some kind of "skirmish"… and the untapped efforts, often restrained during prison brawls, now simply screamed in his muscles. However, only tranquility reigned on his face with its dark fur, even darker mane, and light pink freckles.

Freedom. Unexpected yet desired.

What the lion wasn't surprised by was Louis's power. He allowed himself to doubt it, and was pleasantly disappointed. Though, apparently, even their boss couldn't free them all together.

The lions carefully followed every mention of Louis in the news. Together with him, they experienced both the approaching crisis at Horns and the brilliant way out of it. The boss didn't forget to supply them with various useful things like cigarettes and other knickknacks, and even from behind bars, they paid him unconditional loyalty. And Agata, most likely not the strongest or most assertive of the gang, could confidently consider himself the most loyal.

"How does the taste of freedom feel?" Louis asked from the back seat. Agata happily nodded and turned his head, leaning back slightly.

"Very tasty and nourishing. I'm ready to sit on it for a couple more hours until my stomach starts growling instead of me."

"We won't starve you. Terry, can this jalopy go any faster?"

"Sorry, Louis-sama. Safety regulations prohibit increasing the speed of protected vehicles above seventy five miles per hour. Even if I wanted to, I need confirmation from Utamaro."

Louis glowered at the wolf. "Why all of a sudden?"

"Because there's an electronic limiter there. I have the key, and I also assess the danger. And for your head, I'm risking mine, Louis-san."

"I thought we were talking about a career, not a head, Utamaro."

"For bodyguards, these are often the same thing," Agata suddenly stood up for the wolf. "Don't rush at full speed on my account, Louis-sama."

"It's a good thing you didn't see how I ride the 'kusari'…" Louis grumbled.

"Usually quite cautiously," the weasel interjected. "You exceeded the speed limit only four times in the last year, which for animals with your wealth and under thirty years old can be considered excessive caution."

Louis laughed. Then he asked, "Utamaro, do we have any guys in Security… you know, regular guards? Not analysts, not stockbrokers, not private detectives, just, you know, classic muscle, who stand and grunt 'Yes, boss,' 'Of course, boss.' Because you guys are kind of strange."

"If I say 'Yes, boss,' will I get hit hard?" the white wolf inquired, adjusting his black tie. "Anyway, we don't have such animals, boss. They don't stay. Their place is in supermarkets, parking lots, guarded parking lots. A large company's security service needs professionals."

They drove straight west for a while longer, then turned south. Overall, it was the same route as before, but as they approached the city, the tapir turned onto another road running along the coast. The sun, gradually leaning towards sunset, played on the sea waves, and Louis thought about Sisu. He couldn't handle everything himself, so he initially wanted to break down the tasks into subtasks, and those into separate items that each could handle. But Legoshi said he'd take care of everything without causing any unnecessary noise. And coming from a beast like him, it sounded so astonishing that Louis suddenly trusted his friend.

"A charming little place," Agata assessed the small restaurant. The tapir warned, emboldened, "You, lion-san, don't demand to increase the level of spiciness there. There are worrying rumors about this place in the city."

"I'll probably settle for an alcoholic cocktail," Louis said cautiously. "Today is surprisingly a good day."

"I don't think they have a good drink menu there, Louis-san."

"Mitsui, it's a spicy food restaurant on the coast, what's the alcohol menu?" the deer snorted. "The most you'll find there is a few beach cocktails, a couple of liqueurs, and ubiquitous whiskey. Maybe gin. But that'll do for me, honestly."

Thursday evening didn't gather gala concerts — there were four or five cars in the parking lot, and most likely, there was no one else here. When they got out of the car, accompanied by all three, Louis headed to the restaurant — Terry stayed in his place, doing the job for which he received good money from the company. Upon their arrival, someone among the patrons clearly became alert, a group of young predators at a table with a semicircular sofa lowered their voices, but no one was so scared as to leave their order. The sharp eyes of the guards surveyed the room, and not finding anything suspicious, followed the deer. Agata walked calmly beside him, inhaling combinations of scents.

"Good place," he said quietly. Louis replied:

"I hope so. Let's sit over here by the window."

As soon as they settled in, pushing the comfortable, albeit firm chairs back from the table, a spotted basset hopped up to the table, comically twitching his ears:

"Welcome to 'Khud Tej'! I'm Havar, here's our menu."

"Utamaro, are you going to have something?"

"No, boss."

"Then we really did come to feed the lion," Louis nodded. He opened the menu, realized he didn't know the names of any of the cocktails here, and pointed randomly:

"This one. 'Mountain Freshness' sounds good. Havar, what's in it?"

"It's…," the waiter coughed and recited, clearly having memorized all the items by heart: "Mint liqueur, citrus, echinacea, ice, and a little paprika."

"How little? The atmosphere here is, to put it mildly, spicy."

"Just a little bit, deer-san. We often recommend this cocktail for those who are here for the first time," the dog smiled. Louis nodded approvingly:

"Then bring it. Agata?"

"Ugh… I don't even know what to choose," the lion puzzled. "Are your skewered sausages soy-based or made from another substitute?"

Maintaining his composure, the waiter leaned in and whispered something in his ear, Agata's eyebrows immediately shot up, and he glanced at the basset, as if he had just been told something blatantly absurd. Then he said:

"Let's go with that. Double portion, a selection of sauces of different spiciness — this one, this one, and garlic from the previous page. And a huge plate of pasta."

"Will you drink something?"

"Just regular soda. But a lot. Half of a gallon."

"That's quite an appetite," Mitsui remarked. Agata shrugged awkwardly:

"Eating your fill is the privilege of free animals. In prison, I was always underfed."

Louis carefully inspected the interior of the restaurant. It was as if someone had already told him about this place, but in the hustle and bustle of the past few days, facts unrelated to school, the conglomerate, or Juno almost instantly flew out of the deer's head.

"Havar, you know, I'll have something after all," he said. "Is there anything for normal animals? Not spicy, or at least just mildly spicy."

"There's the 'Genju' salad made from seaweed, celery, and iceberg lettuce, with minimal seasoning."

"Okay, then one portion of 'Genju'."

"Got it. Thank you, wait for your food, please." bowed the basset.

After waiting half an hour and discussing the latest, mostly neutral news, they finally got their food. As soon as his plate left the tray, the nostrils of the Congolese lion widened, and he muttered:

"No way…"

Utamaro also sniffed and looked puzzled, the weasel asked with interest:

"Did you know, boss?"

"About what?" Louis looked at her questioningly. Agata quietly reported:

"These are fish sausages. I mean, not fake ones. Real ones."

"Seriously? So that's the 'reputation' Terry was talking about."

The wolf said dejectedly:

"I noticed some strange smells at the entrance, but they were all terribly overridden by spices."

"Do you have a neutralizer?"

"Yes, boss. But I don't think it'll be needed… for now."

Mitsui remarked:

"I think Utamaro-san suffers not because he's a wolf, but because even for a wolf, his sense of smell is too strong."

"How nice it is to be an herbivore," Louis smirked. "Agata, eat, don't mind me. Or do you want me to try a piece?"

"N-no, Louis-sama," the lion stammered, and eagerly sank his teeth into the sausage. He chewed, rolling his eyes: "Oh, Rex! This is exquisite! Just a little more chili on top…"

"Enjoy."

Louis himself ate slowly, glancing alternately at Agata and around the room. The cocktail turned out to be not bad, although it immediately stung his palate and tongue with a malicious combination of paprika and mint. Should have just asked for water, like Shishigumi. Although was it worth calling himself that now… the others weren't going to be released anytime soon, and the deer himself wasn't planning to found another gang.

The road by the restaurant wasn't particularly busy. All the more interesting were the four cars that swerved into the parking lot one after the other at high speed. A silver minivan, a black minibus, and two old muscle cars, roaring their engines like madmen. They didn't bother parking, just stopped opposite the windows, and animals of various kinds quickly leaped out of the doors, all of them breathing obvious aggression and holding in their hands…

Louis missed the moment when he found himself on the floor. Atop him, with his elbow carefully pressed against him, lay Agata, protecting the boss from the shards of glass that shattered from the bullets. Gunfire rang out across the parking lot, a jaguar with a high-pitched voice shouted:

"Hey, Negoro! Greetings from the Slaughterhouse!"

And again he raised the "uzi", spraying the much-suffering walls and windows with another burst of flame from the muzzle. The visitors screamed, someone hysterically beat against the wall, kicking up a puddle of spilled drinks and sauces. Bullets whizzed, ricocheting off metal posts. The rest, obviously jaguar's henchmen, were armed more simply, several animals with crowbars and bats rushed to smash the cars. What the hooligans didn't expect was the presence of those who could bite back. Utamaro, who had taken cover behind a column by the window, nodded to the weasel — she sat under the table with a gun at the ready — and both bodyguards opened fire, injuring the spotted one with the "uzi" with their first shots. Unfortunately, he crawled away behind a car, indiscriminately spraying the windows, but the bodyguards continued to fire until several lifeless bodies were added to the gang's ranks. Several retaliatory shots knocked white dust and debris right next to Utamaro's muzzle, he sent his last lead farewell and again took cover behind the wall, reloading.

Agata asked through the roar:

"Do you have a gun?!"

"Lie down!" Louis shouted angrily, trying to get up. "You want to go back to prison?!"

"Better to prison than straight to the morgue! Give me a gun, boss!"

He didn't get a chance to reply — the rioters, not retreating even in the face of unexpected resistance, burst inside. Grabbing his weapon from waist, Louis fired blindly towards the entrance, and one of the beasts fell to the ground, writhing and clutching his stomach. Along with him, Utamaro opened fire, much more effectively, the white weasel continued to hold the window, forcing the attackers to sit behind the cars and aimlessly shoot, without raising their heads.

Behind them, a mongoose in a T-shirt and camouflage pants slipped through the broken window, and unfortunately, he had a gun with him — Agata was the only one who managed to react and rushed towards him, grabbing the chair by the back. But before the unfortunate piece of furniture took off, apparently not able to outpace the shot, a tall shadow suddenly emerged from behind the column simultaneously with Agata, and the mongoose stared in disbelief at his own severed arm, which fell limp to the floor.

Then he let out a deafening scream. And immediately choked on his own blood — the second, almost imperceptible to the eye, swipe opened a wide, bubbling slit in his throat.

"Snatched a big prize, gentlemen?" the familiar chef chuckled painfully behind a medical mask, squinting his eyes and pressing his back against the wall next to them.

"I have no idea why they're so pissed at us!" Louis shouted, hurriedly reloading the magazine into his gun to replace the one he'd shot. Unfortunately, this was the second and last one.

"And these aren't yours, they're our guys," his interlocutor said mockingly and threw a knife, which, spinning, hit… the handle, but squarely in the nose of the bandit who was crawling through the side window. "Damn, missed! Does anyone have a spare gun?"

"Who are you?!"

"Forgot? But I do remember you, Legoshi's buddy!"

Louis wanted to send him packing with all his lung power, but he discovered that the shootout unexpectedly quieted down. Five bodies lay outside, three more inside, a bloody trail led to the door — someone had managed to run off, and outside there was the roar of engines and the screech of tires on asphalt. Discovering that he was breathing heavily and had somehow managed to bruise the knee of his healthy leg so that it was throbbing with dull pain, the deer licked his dry lips and raised his head above the table.

The lightning-fast clash came to an end. The scene of destruction reigned both outside and inside, and their sedan abruptly stopped by the door, Terry waved silently from inside.

"What's going on now…" Louis growled angrily and leaned on the table, rising. Mitsui was pressing her bloodied shoulder, but judging by her collected expression, the wound was light, Utamaro and Agata looked unharmed, as did the mysterious knife enthusiast. The lion, still holding the chair in his hands, finally lowered it and kicked the uneaten sausage on the floor with disappointment:

"Shit… they ruined such a good lunch."

"With incredible regret, I announce that after the devastation, the establishment can hardly help," the chef ironically said and, turning his head, spent several seconds digesting what he saw, then groaned in frustration;

"Dammit!.."

In the corridor by the kitchen, apparently struck by a wild bullet or ricochet, lay an old raccoon. He was no longer breathing.

"And why did you come here, you old clump of fur…"

"I sympathize with your misfortune, but what are they? Who are they working for?" Utamaro dryly asked, checking the bolt and hiding the gun in the holster under his armpit. The gazelle male waved his hand:

"Not a misfortune… just a minor mishap." Looking around, he saw the eyes of several young predators peeking out from under the table, watching the unfolding scene in horror, and waved his hands at them:

"Get out of here! The police will be here any minute to put you in the records!"

The youth, without needing to be begged, rushed to the windows — apparently, the sight of several bodies by the exit didn't particularly appeal to them, and the smell of blood — mostly predatory species — was too strong.

Watching them go, the chef grinned under his mask and said:

"No one is more afraid of the police than honest citizens."

"Melon," came from behind. "Stop playing the comedy."

"You remembered after all," and the mask slipped off, revealing one of those charmingly vile smiles for which the hybrid was famous. "And here I naively thought that I was unforgettable."

Agata growled and rushed forward, but Louis stopped him with a simple gesture of his hand raised with his palm up.

"Boss, but he's…"

"I know. Melon, what are you doing here?"

"What a good lil' cat… it's nostalgia, perhaps," the hybrid smirked, swinging the knife he held from side to side. "I work here. Or rather, I worked. These guys aren't to your liking here — they were up to something with that corpse in the corridor. When it wasn't a corpse yet."

Louis skeptically inquired:

"And you're not involved in this?"

"As you can see. If they wanted to get me, they'd be yelling something about the shitty cook. But they clearly and distinctly addressed Negoro, I even heard the wild roar and shots through the kitchen noise."

"Alright… it's time to get out of here, boss," Agata said, looking around and temporarily losing all interest in the psycho. Or he was very skillfully pretending.

"I agree," nodded Melon. "We'll talk heart to heart another time."

Louis raised his voice:

"Wait! Who are these scumbags anyway?"

"The Slaughterhouse, also known simply as the Slaughter," the hybrid said with these words, nudging the mongoose's corpse with his foot, blood continued to flow — and where did so much come from? "Self-proclaimed kings of the black market, trying to seize and squeeze every corner."

"And is there a honey badger among them? What do you know about them anyway?" Louis asked hopefully, hiding his weapon. Melon shrugged honestly:

"Last time there were two, a moose and a white lion. I don't remember their names. Whether there's a honey badger among them — I have no idea. But I think it's time to end our wonderful and soulful conversation."

And he jumped out of the broken window, not afraid of the shots fired after him and on the move, tearing off his blood-soaked apron.

The animals exchanged glances, Louis made a clear gesture towards the exit, looking irritatedly after the hybrid who was rushing to one of the empty cars:

"Damn psycho Ryback. Let's go, let the police deal with the accidental witnesses if they find anyone here. You were within your rights, you were defending me."

And with the departure of the black sedan, the restaurant practically emptied, leaving several surviving waiters to deal with the nightmarish and bloody devastation. In the distance, sirens could already be heard — this time the cops reacted promptly, but "Khud Tej" had already suffered irreparable damage.