Chapter 30

One would think, after all these years of living there, that the Naganaki Shrine would turn into a dull, dreary place. A place of a frustrating lack of change, remaining as resilient as stone while the world shifted and morphed around it. A stubborn relic of the past, clinging to those who still believed in faith or tradition.

One might think any or all of those things. But Koromaru strongly disagreed.

There was something different about the air, he thought to himself, his fluffy white tail motionless behind him as he lay on the ground. The shrine was still and quiet, but fresh, containing a touch of life and a faint spark of energy. It smelled of old stone and well-weathered wood, and Koromaru was sure he could feel the humans' whispered wishes and prayers seep into the walls of the shrine, giving it life.

It was why his master had so deeply loved this shrine. It was why Koromaru still protected it from the Dark Beings that seemed to frequent it during the Great Emerald Glow.

(Even as he had the thought, a feeling swept through Koromaru. Raging, rushing emotion. Swirls and torrents of thought. Koromaru stamped down on them, pretending not to notice his hackles rising and his claws slowly digging into the soft dirt.)

It was also why, on the occasion that someone came by who clearly was not here for the shrine, Koromaru perked up his ears and lifted his head from his hidden perch to the left side of the shrine's main walkway.

He was not so biased as to assume that every person who came to the shrine was a ne'er-do-well. That was not how his master was, and that was not how he would be, either. But regardless, he was always interested in things that were different from the norm. You can learn many things from those that your mind perceives as different.

This one was an adolescent male with dark blue hair covering one eye, dressed in the clothes of the local Kirijo-sponsored high school. The boy cast his gaze about, effortless but with a quiet purpose. Loosely held in his hand was a brown paper bag, one which Koromaru could smell contained dog treats (even over the scent of this boy's lavender shampoo and slightly musky shoes).

A boy with dog treats who had walked a not-inconsiderable distance after school to come to the shrine.

Fascinating. So the boy has come for me, specifically. Or at least a dog here.

But Koromaru was not so easily dissuaded from leaving his perfect spot, not even for those who come bearing treats. (Although, he thought with his mouth slightly watering, he certainly does bring some compelling arguments). Thus, he did not make his presence known on that day.

He also did not show himself the next day, when the boy arrived. Nor the next. He continued watching with a strange fascination as this boy appeared day after day, even to the point (he noticed with no small amusement) when the boy himself began to smell a bit like those dog treats.

So after the boy had returned daily for an entire week, Koromaru decided to reward his persistence. (And, perhaps, assuage his own curiosity).

It was a Monday. June 15th, to be exact. The clouds were lazily meandering across the sky, with some sun occasionally peeking out. The boy arrived just in time for one of these periods of brief sunlight, and he unbuttoned the top button of his shirt, showing just a bit of skin. This caught the attention of two girls of the same age, who whispered to each other before giggling and scampering off.

The boy didn't even notice. Koromaru's tail wagged once.

The boy looked around expectantly. As ever, he held a bag of dog treats in his hand, both bag and treats having been replaced halfway through last week, after it had come perilously close to breaking. (Koromaru had almost ruined his cover with a whimper when the bag ripped slightly last Friday. Thankfully the boy hadn't heard, and more thankfully, he'd grabbed the bag to prevent it from fully ripping.)

The boy continued his usual routine. He walked over to the shrine to pay his respects (though Koromaru sensed, based on how little time he spent actually praying, that he was just donating), before scanning the area. He kept his eyes down for the most part, checking under the shrine, under barriers, and so forth. But Koromaru was too far back for the boy to see without actually crawling under the shrine (and, maybe, Koromaru kept moving around most days to keep himself hidden).

It was time. Wriggling out of the darkness, Koromaru managed to sneak out while the boy was turned the other way. Only through conscious effort was he able to stop his tail from wagging.

Once he was right behind the boy, he barked once.

The boy jolted, nearly dropping the treats (poor planning on Koromaru's part). He whirled around and stared down at Koromaru, who was currently doing his best to look innocent (and succeeding rather well, might he add).

"A week," he said. "I've been looking for you a whole week. You've been watching me the whole time, huh?"

Koromaru tried to intensify his innocent look.

The boy sighed. "Well. I guess this isn't good reinforcement. But…"

He knelt and unraveled the pack. Koromaru padded over, the intoxicating odor of the expensive dog treats nearly overpowering him. His nostrils flared as one was placed on front of him.

The boy smirked.

Dipping his head, Koromaru gave another sniff, finding it harder and harder to think with all those delicious snacks right in front of him-

In a matter of moments, nearly before Koromaru himself knew what was happening, he had scarfed down the first handful. He found himself (somewhat to his chagrin) hungrily looking up at the boy. Chuckling, said boy reached into his bag (now placed on the ground) for another handful while scratching Koromaru's head. Koromaru chowed down, crumbs spewing.

"Hungry, huh?" The boy said. "I'm not too… hey." His tone changed on the last word, dropping from light-hearted puppy talk to something much more serious. Koromaru froze. "What's this on your leg?"

Oh, that. Koromaru looked back around to confirm that yes, the boy was looking at a relatively deep wound on his rear left leg, one he'd gotten facing the Dark Beings a few nights ago. It was probably infected at this point, though Koromaru had tried to wash it off, just like his Master had always done.

Koromaru couldn't shrug, but he bobbed his head from side to side.

"How did you get that?" asked the boy.

Pondering for a moment if he could somehow communicate the concept of "the Dark Beings," Koromaru paused. Then he did another Koromaru shrug, instead sniffing the bag of treats again because it wasn't fair, those should be a controlled substance.

The boy obliged. Koromaru munched on more snacks (more, more! he thought with ecstasy and a tiny sliver of remorse), while the boy continued his scritch-scritch-ing of Koromaru's head. "You should get that checked out," the boy said. "I could take you to my place. We could get someone to take a look at you."

Koromaru knew that couldn't happen. If he left here, no one would protect the shrine from the Dark Beings, the shrine would get mysteriously damaged, the humans who fixed it would be baffled, and eventually would refuse after enough times, and the shrine would go into disrepair. All his Master's work undone, and probably in a matter of months.

Koromaru wouldn't let that happen. He shook his head, and bobbed his snout towards the shrine.

"I'd watch the shrine."

Koromaru cocked his head. Why? Why would this boy go so far for him? This was kind, very much so… but, it didn't make much sense.

Come to think of it, it also didn't make much sense why the boy was talking to him like a human - or as someone who truly understood him - rather than like a dog.

Almost as if his thoughts were floating above his head, the boy said in a soft tenor, "This must seem odd. But I think you have powers like my comrades and I. I believe you've been protecting this shrine. And I want you to meet my comrades, since I think you'd be best protected with us. The shrine would be better protected, too."

Aha. Well, that would indeed explain a few things.

It wouldn't explain everything, however. It wouldn't explain why, all of a sudden, the boy appeared so suddenly and with such tenacity in his determination to find Koromaru. Most people would have lost curiosity, but this boy had not. He hadn't even hidden it.

Koromaru's instincts did betray him sometimes. (See: the fact he was still craving those treats, good god!) But often they were spot on. And his instincts currently told him that this boy's current strategy was somewhat more… bold than the boy was used to.

But it did make sense. And, as long as he could confirm if the shrine was protected before darkness (and the Dark Beings) arrived, he supposed it wouldn't hurt to see what this group was about. He bobbed his head sharply once.

The boy's face relaxed into a small smile. "Great." He extended his hand out, palm up. "I'm Arisato Minato," he said. "You have a name?"

Koromaru barked and extended his paw outwards, placing it in Minato's hand. He then tilted his head far to the right, showing off his faded blue collar.

Minato focused on the collar. "Koromaru?"

Minato's voice was somewhat odd when he said the name, the questioning lilt almost too exaggerated. Koromaru shrugged it off (figuratively) and barked an affirmative.

"Ok." Minato withdrew his hand and stood up, glancing around while Koromaru put his paw down and took a moment to scratch his ear. "Can I take you back now? I want to introduce you soon so I can find some protection for the shrine quickly."

Koromaru nodded again. If I'm going for it, might as well go all the way, eh?

"Alright. Let's go then."

Unfortunately, Koromaru barely made it out of the shrine before his leg got the best of him and he let out a slight whimper - totally on accident, but Minato heard. He turned, immediately knowing. "Your leg." He bent over to inspect, and Koromaru backed away. Minato put his hands up. "I won't hurt you, I just want to look."

Oh, Koromaru wasn't worried about Minato hurting him. He was embarrassed. It was such a dumb thing, he'd gotten distracted during his fight by a bizarre scent, then had been hurt in his hesitation.

And the scent? A discarded chicken nugget in the shape of a Shiba Inu.

The irony was not lost on him. Neither was the shame (the shame!).

But Minato wouldn't take no for an answer, clearly. Koromaru relented and showed Minato the leg. "Hm." Minato's lips thinned. "That doesn't look infected yet, but it doesn't look good. I don't want that to get any worse. Could I carry you?"

Koromaru growled at that. He may be going along with this boy, but he wasn't about to be treated as an invalid after a single injury.

"Not a fan." Minato paused for a moment. Then he looked at Koromaru with a slight, sly smile. "But I wonder if you're bribable?"

He pulled out the bag of dog treats, and their scent wafted into the air once again.

Koromaru whimpered.

It was a quiet evening in the dorms, and the last rays of the evening sun saw Mitsuru resting in her armchair, completely at ease with a textbook in her lap. The only sound came from the light rumble of the washing machine in the other room. Mitsuru had brewed herself some herbal tea, and the bittersweet scent permeated her small square of space from where it sat on the coffee table. She nestled into the plush chair before opening her book. There was several hours before the Dark Hour hit. Plenty of time to do some comfortable studyi-

CRACK!

The door slammed open. Mitsuru suppressed a flinch, then turned around in her chair, doing her best to make it look natural with her heart beating out of her chest.

Hamuko stalked through the doorway, head down. Mitsuru had seen her leave with Junpei earlier to go visit Yukari in the hospital (Mitsuru's hands clenched around her book at the reminder of her injured kouhai), but now it was only Hamuko. Her fists were slammed deep in her pockets, her face determinedly blank.

"Welcome back, Arisato. You've returned early," Mitsuru said, while Hamuko halted, blinked, and looked up.

"...Yeah." She looked directly at Mitsuru, and straight through her. "I remembered something I had to do."

Mitsuru raised one eyebrow. "I'm surprised you left the hospital early. But I understa-"

Before Mitsuru could finish speaking, Hamuko recoiled as if physically slapped. "I-I wouldn't normally! Of course. I just remembered that- I have an assignment, and I have to get it done. So, that's, uh, why I'm back so early."

Grasping for words, Mitsuru said nothing for a moment. "...Ah, yes, I do understand. Schoolwork is very important."

Meanwhile, internally, Mitsuru facepalmed hard enough to give herself a concussion. 'Schoolwork is very important,' what an award-winning statement. And what a way to greet someone, mentioning how they 'left' someone.

As Mitsuru (and apparently Hamuko) warred with their thoughts, the silence grew to monstrous size. Hamuko stood there, and Mitsuru eventually spoke, if only to kill the growing quiet. "...Well, do not let me keep you, then."

Hamuko nodded, and all but bolted up the stairs in her haste to escape the situation. She had gone up a flight (or so, Mitsuru was estimating) when she heard Akihiko's voice. "Hey, Hamuko, I was wondering-"

"Sorry Akihiko-Senpai, not tonight, I promise I'll get back to you soon."

"Oh. Uh, alright."

There was a pause in footsteps before they continued, one much faster than the other. Mitsuru watched the stairway as Akihiko descended several seconds later, a furrow in his brow.

"Even I can tell that something's up with that girl," he said in a quiet voice. "Has she told you anything?"

"...No," Mitsuru replied, squeezing her book tighter. "She has not."

Akihiko grunted. "That's gotta change. We can't have her just moping around the whole time. Regretting the past isn't gonna change anything."

"I agree." Mitsuru paused, then raised an eyebrow at him, a small smile sneaking onto her face. "Although… I believe there is a bit of irony, shall we say, about us having that opinion."

Pausing, Akihiko frowned. "Well, no, I mean..." He scratched his head, sighing after a moment of struggling with words. "Look, I know what you mean. But we're trying to use our pasts as… ugh, what's the word… catalysts to improve ourselves. So that we never have to deal with our shitty history again. Whereas Hamuko is just moping, and not…"

Akihiko paused again, frowning deeper at his own words. "Actually… do you think she's acting like this because she thinks this is the best way to act?"

Mitsuru didn't immediately respond, digesting (and slightly reeling from) Akihiko's words. Honestly, Mitsuru often forgot that, for all of his impulsivity and occasional missing of details, Akihiko frequently had the ability to cut straight to the core of an issue, purposefully or otherwise.

In answer to his question… given what they knew about Hamuko's personality, it did seem more likely that she would not mope, and would instead work to ensure that this… situation would never happen again.

But why did she think that pushing people away was the right choice? If Akihiko was right, that was the biggest question. And the one person who might best know the answer was-

SLAM!

Before Mitsuru had the opportunity to respond to Akihiko's question out loud, the door slammed open once more. Both Mitsuru and Akihiko whirled towards the doorway.

Standing there, with a wide stance and a confident look, was Arisato Minato. In his arms, he held an albino and (if ever dogs could look it) sheepish Shiba Inu. It was loudly panting, and drooling a bit onto Minato's shirt. Crumbs covered its mouth, spewing across Minato and the entryway as it breathed.

Minato glanced at Mitsuru. "Senpai," he declared heroically. "I need a vet, a patrol for the Naganaki Shrine, and several bags of dog food."

Mitsuru stared at him.

Akihiko stared at him.

Then, after a moment, Mitsuru took a deep breath, shut her eyes, and closed her book with a resounding crack, placing it on the coffee table in front of her.

"Akihiko," she said coolly, reopening her eyes to stare straight at Minato. "Could you please gather the rest of S.E.E.S. in the Control Room now? I believe Arisato has some explanations to give."

"Er, sure, Mitsuru," Akihiko replied, quickly glancing at her before jogging away and up the stairs. Minato, for his part, remained wholly unphased (though at this point, anything else would be unusual), striding confidently through the hallway with no regard to the spittle, crumbs, and some excess fur falling off of his canine companion.

Once he reached the stairwell and began climbing upwards, Mitsuru slowly stood, beginning to walk towards the stairwell herself. Then she paused and looked behind her. There lay her cozy nook, complete with her book closed on the coffee table and her tea (all too rapidly cooling) untouched next to it. Meanwhile, debris of all sorts scattered across the entryway, and the welcome mat lay awkwardly askew in front of the doorway.

With Minato audibly tramping up the stairs and out of view, and no one else in the room, Mitsuru allowed herself to stare up at the ceiling and release a heavy sigh, blowing one errant strand of hair to the side. Then, she summoned all her remaining willpower and energy, and marched forwards, towards the stairwell and the Control Room.

So much for a relaxing evening.

Aw yeah. We've got the best boy!

Shout outs to:

MangaMan999, Focusphobia, Chimera840, Shotgunner55, BajaBlaster88, Baltparrot, Ouroboros1442, ElesisSieghart, Viecenta1(period)8, UngaBungaBoi, scaler91 for favoriting;

MangaMan999, Chimera840, Shotgunner55, BajaBlaster88, Baltparrot, Ouroboros1442, ElesisSieghart, Viecenta1(period)8, UngaBungaBoi for following;

0lcra, Da Etan, Maxxus Herald, Krysvun, and AsBsCs for reviewing;

And of course, my wonderful beta Disasternoj for editing!

I don't have any housekeeping or news to share this time, but I hope everyone's doing well. :) As always, thank you all so much for reading, and see you in the next update!

[Next chapter drops on May 14th, 2024!]