Chapter 42: Knowledge and Experience
As Yasui looked around the research center of Doctor Wyll, he couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. Not only was it a very small space, but it shared a building with a smoothie bar. So over two thirds of the building was smoothies, and then the rest was a lab. Yasui checked his phone to be sure he had put in the correct address. As he did, Mr. Nishinoya adjusted the strap of his shoulder bag and chuckled.
"Well… it's definitely cozy."
Given how small the space was, the entrance which doubled as the waiting room was tiny. Yasui shook his head.
"I think this is the place. The door said Doctor Wyll on it."
As if on cue, the door on the other side of the room opened and a capybara wearing a labcoat walked out. The capybara noticed them and raised his hand in greeting.
"Hello! I'm Dr. Wyll. I take it that you're Yasui and… uh…."
He looked between the two canids expectantly before Yasui stepped forward.
"I'm Yasui. And this is Professor Nishinoya."
Nishinoya stepped forward and offered Wyll his hand.
"Nice to meet you." The wolf said.
"Likewise." Was the capybara's reply. Once they were done shaking hands, Dr. Wyll stepped back and looked Yasui up and down eagerly.
"Fascinating. I must say, you're a truly remarkable specimen. You seem almost perfectly split between vulpine and lupine features! Ah, sorry, I'm getting ahead of myself. We can chat while the tests run. Please, follow me."
Yasui and Nishinoya trailed behind the smaller herbivore as he led them through the door he had come from and into the lab proper. This part at least seemed much more professional and lab-like. You could almost forget it shared a building with a smoothie restaurant. Wyll gestured to a couple of seats near an exam table.
"Please, have a seat. I'll go get the exam kits."
Yasui watched as Wyll hurried to a cabin and removed two plastic wrapped bundles. He then grabbed a rolling tray table and moved it over to where Yasui and Nishinoya were. He began unwrapping the kits as he spoke.
"So for now we'll just need a saliva sample and some fur. After that I'll get some blood from you, Yasui. Sound good?"
Yasui and Nishinoya both nodded. As Wyll began carefully extracting his samples from Yasui, Nishinoya asked him,
"I must say, I'm curious exactly what you're looking for with these tests."
Wyll placed the swab he had gotten from Yasui's mouth in a tube and then got out a pair of tweezers to get some fur.
"Well, primarily I'm checking to see how stable his genome is. Depending on the hybrid animal, the genetic code can either be stable or unstable. The more different in species the parents were, the more likely to have an unstable genome."
Wyll then moved on to collecting samples from Nishinoya. As he did so, he continued explaining.
"Not only will this help me further my research into hybrids and their sudden increasing frequency, but it'll also be helpful for Yasui here to know. Depending on how unstable a hybrid's genome is, they can suffer from a multitude of disorders and diseases. Unstable hybrids, which are called that for self-explanatory reasons, tend to be prone to paranoia, schizophrenia, extreme violence, depression, an increased risk of cancer, and are typically infertile and many times have neurological problems that affect their senses of touch, taste, and smell."
Doctor Wyll placed Nishinoya's samples apart from Yasui's and moved over to a large machine. He then began to place the samples into the machine and type on a computer. While he got the test started, he glanced back at Yasui.
"However, I wouldn't be too worried, Yasui. Lupines and Vulpines are highly similar, and you most likely are a Stable Hybrid. Which brings me to the main focus of my research. Yasui, what do you know about mules?"
Yasui shrugged.
"Uh… not much. I know there are a few at school. I've never talked to them though."
Wyll rolled his chair over to Yasui and leaned forward excitedly. Clearly he wanted someone to talk to about his research.
"Well, Yasui, what if I told you that mules as a whole are hybrids."
Yasui raised an eyebrow.
"They are?"
"They are indeed! Most people don't know that! But the ancestry of the mule is a very interesting one. Far, far back in the ancient past, a tribe of donkeys and a tribe of horses decided to move together to a new land to avoid a drought. Naturally, living in close proximity meant that some of their members interbred. And to the surprise of both tribes, these hybrid children had the positive characteristics of both species!"
Wyll gestured with his hands, using a pen to illustrate his points.
"You see, horses are fast and agile. However, they as a whole have very weak constitutions. They tend to get injured easily, and usually never fully recover from their injuries. Heck, even with modern medicine if a horse breaks their leg they typically walk with a limp for the rest of their life, if ever again! However, donkeys are very hale and hearty, but are slow and plodding creatures. But mules are the best of both worlds. They're strong and agile like horses, but tough and durable like donkeys. Hence why horses and donkeys interbreed to this day and we have lots and lots of mules!"
Yasui flattened his ears.
"Okay, but what does this have to do with me?"
Doctor Wyll grinned.
"I'm researching whether or not society has the wrong idea about hybrids. Most people believe hybrids are weak and sickly. Unnatural creatures that are mentally unstable and violent. However, what if hybrids are simply the next evolution of animal society? What if by encouraging interbreeding we create new, stronger species like mules?"
Wyll gripped Yasui's hand.
"And that's why I want to study you! From what Gouhin sent over to me, you have a remarkably durable body. You heal quickly and retain a lot of positive traits from both fox and… whatever else you are. Which leads me to the next gamut of tests. I have a few questions I want answered please."
Nishinoya stood and dusted his pants off.
"Well, if you're done with me I'll go work next door. Let me know if you need anything. I'll at least wait around for the test results."
Yasui nodding and waved as he left.
"Bye, professor! Thanks for your help!"
As Nishinoya left the room, Wyll retrieved a clipboard and pen and eagerly moved around Yasui.
"So, first things first, can you show me your claws?"
Yasui held up his hand and flexed his fingers slightly. As usual, his claws extended slightly as he did, before retracting partway into his fingertips. Wyll scribbled excitedly.
"Fascinating! You retain a fox's retractable claws. But the musculature and bone structure you have is predominantly wolf. Larger fangs, longer legs, more pronounced snout, and a longer and more expressive tail. Now, your eyes appear vulpine, but do you possess a geomagnetic sense?"
"Yeah, I do."
Doctor Wyll shook his head slightly.
"Remarkable. You possess many of the best traits of both your ancestors. Of course, there are always some lemons in the genome. Hence your poor eyesight. Now, do you have any questions for me?"
Yasui rubbed his knees with his palms slowly as he thought. There had been something that had bothered him ever since he learned about his being a hybrid.
"Actually, Doctor Wyll, there is. I just… don't know how it's even possible for me to exist. As far as I was aware, foxes couldn't interbreed with anything other than foxes."
Wyll tapped his nose.
"Ah! And you'd be right. Under normal circumstances, a fox is incapable of reproducing with any partner but another fox. The same is true for most species. Under normal circumstances, only certain species can interbreed with each other. Wolves and other direct Canines can interbreed, as can most pantherids, equids, etc. And that's one of the things I've been looking into. How is it that we suddenly are seeing hybrids that shouldn't be possible? There are records of hybrids with such vastly different species, including some carnivore-herbivore hybrids might I add, that they should not be possible. And I have discovered something groundbreaking!"
Dr. Wyll stood and moved over to a whiteboard. He began to write on it.
"Now, the genome of all animals is constantly mutating. And contrary to what comic books and superhero movies tell you, a mutation is when information is either lost or changed in the genetic code of a creature. The most common mutation is albinism, where a creature loses their genetic information responsible for producing pigments. I've discovered that many animals have a somewhat similar mutation that I've named Genetic Hypervirility Syndrome, or GHS."
Yasui raised an eyebrow.
"Genetic Hypervirility Syndrome?"
"Yes! You see Yasui, to explain, imagine that the reproductive system are locks and keys. A male's sperm is the key, and the female's egg is the lock. Usually, only the key that matches the lock can open it. However, keys that are very similar can open similar locks!"
Yasui nodded.
"Like donkeys and horses. They're similar."
Wyll snapped his fingers.
"Exactly! And, to use foxes as an example, many species have uniquely shaped keys and locks. Foxes have additional shapes to their genetic materials that prevent them from interbreeding. But certain animals have a mutation that causes them to lose much of the shape of their key or lock. Rather than a male with GHS having a key, they have a lockpick. It can fit any lock, but isn't as likely to open it."
Yasui narrowed his eyes.
"So… hybrids from really different species that historically can't have kids together are only possible because their parents have this… GHS thing?"
Wyll nodded.
"Yes, although only one needs to have it. And I've found that females are much more likely to have GHS than a male."
"So… I probably have it too then."
Dr. Wyll wobbled his hand back and forth.
"Actually it's more complicated than that. There are essentially three possibilities. One, you have the reproductive capacity of one of your parent species. Two, you have GHS and as such can create further hybrids. Or three, you're infertile. I won't know without a sample."
Yasui stared at him blankly while Wyll gave him a meaningful look. Finally Yasui frowned.
"Wait, you mean…."
"A sperm sample, yes."
"Like, sperm as in…."
Wyll raised an eyebrow.
"I thought they taught basic anatomy and physiology in schools? Let alone sexual education."
"I'm aware of how it works!" Yasui interjected. "It's just… how exactly do you propose… I give you this sample?"
Dr. Wyll plucked a plastic container off of a shelf and handed it to him.
"Just go fill this up in either the single-occupant bathroom or that storage closet over there. Wherever you feel most comfortable."
"But… the problem is… how do I…."
"Yasui, it's pretty simple. Go whack off somewhere and aim for the cup. Try not to make a mess."
"But I can't!"
Dr. Wyll hurriedly picked up his clipboard.
"Oh dear, so you're impotent?"
Yasui vigorously shook his head towards the capybara.
"No, all of my… parts work. I've had to deal with the… aftermath of some… unwelcome dreams recently enough to know that."
"So what's the issue?"
"I just… can't… do that."
Wyll looked at him incredulously.
"You mean to tell me you've never once mas—"
"I've never… touched myself… no."
"And I'm assuming you're also a virgin?"
"Yeah…."
Wyll tapped his pen to his chin before narrowing his eyes.
"What do you mean by 'touch yourself'?"
Yasui looked away uncomfortably.
"You know… did… that. What you were talking about."
"You mean masterbated?"
Yasui flushed and cringed a bit.
"Yeah, that."
"And you've also never…."
Wyll motioned for Yasui to finish the sentence. Yasui looked confused.
"I've never?"
"Because you're a virgin you've never…."
"Oh… uh… been with… a lady."
Wyll hurriedly wrote on his clipboard.
"Fascinating! I've never actually met someone who suffered from genophobia before!"
"Genophobia?"
"It's the fear of sexual intercourse and sexual intimacy. You're practically wetting yourself just talking about the subject."
"I am not scared of… intercourse."
"Then say what it is. That three letter word. Starts with 'S'."
"I… huh?"
"You can't even make yourself say the word 'sex' and— see! You just flinched when I said it!"
Yasui rubbed his arms.
"I'm just not comfortable talking about this is all!"
"Alright, fine. We'll drop it. Just be careful moving forward in life. You might be in danger of never being able to have children should you attempt to in the future."
Yasui waved his words away.
"Yeah yeah, I'll keep that in mind."
Wyll left Yasui to stew in his own thoughts for a while. Eventually, he returned to Yasui, looking confused. Yasui looked up at him expectantly.
"That took a lot longer than you initially said. So what does the test say?"
"Could you go get your other doner."
Yasui nodded.
"Oh, that's right. He wanted to know too."
Yasui stood and walked across to the smoothie bar where he found Nishinoya grading papers. The wolf smiled when he saw him.
"All done? That took a while."
"That's what I said, but he has the results now. I came to get you so you could hear them."
Nishinoya grinned and gathered his things.
"Perfect! Lead the way, Yasui."
With teacher in tow, Yasui reentered the lab and took his spot in front of Dr. Wyll. The capybara glanced over the two before returning his attention to a paper he was reading. Finally he ran his hand over his head and sighed.
"Well… the tests are conclusive. I've run them three times to be sure, and they all say the same things."
Both Yasui and Professor Nishinoya exchanged confused looks before staring expectantly at Wyll. The Doctor shrugged.
"Well, Yasui. It's a direct half match."
Yasui sat up straight.
"So I am half wolf?"
"Yes, you are. But I mean you and Nishinoya are a direct half match."
Nishinoya frowned, confused.
"Yeah, which means he's half wolf."
"It means a bit more than that!" Wyll interjected. "There's only one way for him to be a direct genetic match with you, Nishinoya!"
Both wolf and hybrid stared uncomprehendingly up at Wyll. Finally the capybara handed Nishinoya the paper he had printed out from the DNA test he had ran.
"Mr. Nishinoya. You're Yasui's father."
The room was silent. Yasui and Nishinoya stared in disbelief at the doctor. Yasui's mind was racing. Professor Nishinoya was his biological father? But how? His village was hours away! If his birth parents were here then why had he been found in the mountains? As he was thinking this, Nishinoya laughed and tried to give Wyll the paperwork back.
"That's literally impossible."
"On the contrary." Wyll said. "It's a simple fact. The test doesn't lie."
"Well it's wrong then! Clearly there was an error or something. No machine is perfect."
"Hence why I recalibrated and reran the machine. Twice. The test results were the same each time."
Nishinoya stood and paced back and forth.
"No no no. There's no way! I'm a married man, and I've never cheated on my wife! How could I be his father! I'm pretty sure I'd know!"
Wyll rolled his eyes.
"So you didn't have sex with a fox, say, seventeen years ago?"
Nishinoya was about to speak when he stopped. His face grew pale and he sank slowly back into his seat. For his part, Yasui was dumbfounded by this all. It felt like a bad dream. His absent biological parents were supposed to be these callous, cruel monsters he could write off with ease. Not his favorite teacher.
Nishinoya looked at Yasui, and shook his head slightly.
"I remember. When we first met I said there was something familiar about you, that you reminded me of someone. But I couldn't remember who it was."
Wyll leaned in closer.
"So you know who the mother is?"
Nishinoya nodded.
"I do. We were both sixteen. High school classmates. I was going through a bit of a rebellious phase, and she was a free spirit. We decided to stick it to society and date each other. You have to understand, mixed species relationships were stigmatized even more heavily back then. And we thought that because she was a fox we couldn't have kids anyway, yet another way to rebel, so we didn't need to worry about… consequences. I never even knew she was pregnant."
Yasui gulped.
"Mr. Nishinoya, who is she? Where is she?"
The wolf raised a hand to his head, furrowing his brow.
"I-I don't know. It's been years, and we only dated for a few months. Her family moved away for her father's job, and I never saw her again."
Wyll tilted his head.
"Can you remember her name?"
"Not really." Nishinoya said. "Once I met my wife I forgot all about her. I… I think her name was 'Wenshi', or 'Tenshi', or… something that ended in 'shi.' I don't remember."
Yasui didn't know what to do. Should he try to talk to Nishinoya? He was technically… Yasui's father. It was weird to even think that. What was he supposed to say? Did he just pretend like this never happened, or was he supposed to… do family stuff with Mr. Nishinoya now? Like go over to his house for dinner or something?
Nishinoya turned towards Yasui and gave him a stern look.
"You. Did you know? Is this why you insisted I come with you to have our DNA tested?"
Yasui held up his hands.
"I didn't, I swear! I have, well, had no idea who either of my parents were. The only thing my parents found with me was a short letter telling them my name was Yasui."
Wyll awkwardly rocked on his heels before clearing his throat.
"Well, I should get back to work. I'll let you know if I find anything interesting from your samples as I keep testing them. Thanks for coming in!"
Yasui nodded absently. Whatever else Doctor Wyll might find was pretty far from his mind right now. Slowly, Yasui and Nishinoya left the premises. There was an uneasy silence between them. Yasui wanted to say something, but he wasn't sure what to say. Eventually, he nervously spoke up.
"Uhm, Mr. Nishinoya?"
The wolf didn't look at him as he replied.
"What?"
"Should we… talk about this?"
Nishinoya turned and threw his hands up in aggravation.
"What do you want to talk about! I mean, what could you possibly want from me! If you want to blame me for something, go right ahead! I had no idea you were even born! If you want money, you're out of luck! I'm a professor, I don't exactly make much!"
Yasui fell silent as Nishinoya pinched the bridge of his snout and sighed explosively.
"How the hell am I supposed to explain this to my wife!? How am I supposed to tell my kids they have an older half-brother they didn't know about because teenage me couldn't keep it in his pants!"
Yasui felt guilty. This was all his fault for not having the guts to find someone else to donate a DNA sample. Of course Mr. Nishinoya would be upset about this, Yasui was freaking out too, and he hadn't just learned that he secretly had a son! Yasui worked his jaw, and spoke in a somewhat husky voice.
"It's okay. I don't want anything from you. And I get that you don't want anything to do with me. You have your own family, and I don't want to force my way into it and mess everything up. I have a family who loves me too, so it's not like I'm alone. We can just… pretend none of this ever happened. Nobody needs to know."
Yasui moved to walk away but Nishinoya grabbed his shoulder.
"Yasui, wait. It's… it's not that I don't want anything to do with you. You're… my son, I guess. I have at least some responsibility to you. Just… give me some time to sort this out."
Yasui nodded, still feeling dejected. This hadn't gone anything like what he'd wanted. Nishinoya released a long, drawn out breath.
"Yasui, I'm not upset at you. I'm just a little freaked out. So don't feel bad, none of this is your fault. We'll figure this whole situation out, okay?"
"Yeah, okay."
Even still, everything was awkward and tense between the two of them as they walked. Any conversation they carried on was clipped and a bit forced. Yasui was honestly a bit glad to part ways, as he turned towards the hospital to visit Miss Diana and Nishinoya headed back home. They had agreed not to tell anyone about their hitherto unknown familial bond for the time being, apart from Nishinoya's wife. They could sort out who needed to know what later.
But unfortunately it seemed that Saturday was doomed to be even more unpleasant with no relief in sight. Yasui was disappointed to find out that Miss Diana was still barely conscious, only occasionally slipping in and out of awareness. As such, Yasui spent most of his visit just sitting in silence beside her bed as she slept. She looked far healthier than she had when Yasui had first seen her, but definitely still needed time to recover. It was during one of these periods of silence when Yasui was interrupted by the door opening. He watched as a male cheetah walked in and inclined his head towards Yasui.
"Good afternoon. My name is Hashima, I'm Miss Diana's personal assistant. Although I'm a bit closer to a coordinator between the management of the Supotto Conglomerate and Miss Diana these days. You're Yasui, right?"
Yasui nodded. Hashima gestured towards the chair beside Yasui.
"Do you mind if I sit down?"
"Go ahead."
Hashima took a seat and looked at Miss Diana. After a minute or two, he spoke to Yasui again.
"How's she doing? Any improvements?"
"Not really. She occasionally wakes up for a bit. The doctors told me that the swelling in her brain is decreasing slowly but surely."
"That's good to hear."
Hashima straightened his clothes.
"You should know that several people are upset that you didn't inform them about your excursion today. You're supposed to clear your schedule with them when you leave campus so they can have you escorted."
"Oh, I forgot about that." Yasui intoned. Hashima shrugged.
"Once Miss Diana wakes back up fully they'll calm down a bit. The higher ups just hate risk, no matter how slight."
Yasui nodded before asking Hashima the question that was bothering him.
"Mr. Hashima?"
"You can just call me Hashima."
"Okay, Hashima. Why are you talking to me? Do you need something from me?"
Hashima smiled.
"Right to the point then, no more small talk?"
"Just curious. I can imagine all of you important business types have better things to do than hang out with me."
Hashima leaned forward and rested his elbows on his legs.
"Truth be told, there's something you need to do."
"Oh?"
"There's a board meeting tomorrow, with lunch afterwards. And we need Miss Diana to be there as she is the majority shareholder. However, that clearly isn't going to happen with her in this state. As such, you'll need to take her place and act as her representative. You are her heir after all."
Yasui immediately shook his head.
"No way, I don't know anything about business or money or… well… anything that your company does."
Hashima held up a hand placatingly.
"Now now, you're just necessary to begin the meeting. I'll coach you on what you'll need to say. Additionally, all you'll need to do is represent Miss Diana's interests at the meeting. At the most, you'll have to vote yes or no on some small matters. And once again, I'll coach you on what to do."
Yasui grimaced.
"I don't know…. I really don't think it's a good idea."
"Well unfortunately we don't exactly have a choice. Please, we really need you to do this."
Yasui sighed and looked back at the sleeping form of Miss Diana. Hashima followed his gaze.
"Can you at least do it for her? Otherwise it'll make a huge mess for her to sort out while she's recovering."
"…Fine. Just tell me what to do."
The cheetah smiled and pulled out a bundle of papers.
"Excellent! We'll send a car to pick you up at ten. In the meantime, I'll have one of our PR staff visit you at school to walk you through your part in this. Also, do you have a suit?"
"Not one that fits anymore."
"We can have one ready for you. On behalf of the Supotto Conglomerate, thank you."
As the cheetah left, Yasui looked at the pages he had been given and flipped through them.
"Something tells me you wouldn't have taken 'no' for an answer."
And as Yasui reviewed what essentially was a script he had been given, he was beginning to suspect that Hashima had downplayed what he would have to do. Apparently by 'opening the meeting' he had meant that Yasui would have to sit through a report on all sorts of stuff he didn't understand and was expected to at least appear to understand it all. Things like 'market trends' and 'quarterly earnings' were thrown around with enough initials like 'ROI' and 'EBITDA' for different 'sectors' and 'holdings'." His head was reeling as he sat down to dinner with Shinrai. Tonight, they were joined by the rest of the study group, minus Tao who was rehearsing for the Drama Club's performance the upcoming week.
Shinrai stared at Yasui as the hybrid once again mumbled to himself while staring intently at the ceiling. The squirrel arched an eyebrow.
"Yasui, you've been like a zombie ever since you got back. Did something happen with your test thing?"
Yasui shook himself out of his trance and looked confusedly at Shinrai.
"Huh? What test?"
"The genetic test? To find out your species?"
Yasui's eyes went wide.
"I'd completely forgotten about that…."
And so he had. In all the sudden panic about his upcoming role at the board meeting, Yasui had completely forgotten about the earth shattering truth that Professor Nishinoya was his father. Now he had two things to bother him again. Yasui groaned.
"It was… fine."
Shiro leaned over, grinning.
"So, Mr. special guy, what's the verdict? What flavor of animal are you?"
All eyes were on Yasui. He looked at the expectant faces and frowned.
"Uh… I'm half fox, half wolf. That's all."
Shinrai pursed his lips.
"Oooh, so are you a Wox or a Folf?"
Yasui laughed.
"Am I a what?"
"A Wox or a Folf." The squirrel reiterated. "What's the correct name?"
Yasui shook his head.
"Does it matter?"
Shiro nodded vigorously.
"Absolutely! We gotta figure out which you are! That way you can have it ready instead of saying the whole 'I'm half fox, half wolf' mouthful each and every time. Right, Tenbe?"
The toucan gave Shiro a baleful look.
"Don't care."
Shinrai narrowed his eyes.
"If you don't care so much, Tenbe, then why are you eating dinner with us? And why are you in this study group?"
Shiro smiled.
"Because he secretly likes us. He just plays at being grumpy."
Tenbe yawned.
"Actually it's because I get community service credit for associating with you losers."
Yasui heard a very practiced and unobtrusive cough from behind him. He turned to see someone he did not recognize standing by their table. She was a wolf with deep redish brown fur with soft, off white patches on her neck that presumably extended across her torso. She was wearing a professional looking blazer and pencil skirt with thin, rectangular glasses. She gave him an impassive stare and inclined her head.
"Good evening, Mister Yasui. My name is Charlotte. I was sent to assist you with the… matters discussed this afternoon."
Yasui's mouth went dry, and he heard silverware clatter against the table as Shinrai, Shiro, and Tenbe all gawked at the female. It was understandable, though Yasui, because he was also gawking at her. Not just because he hadn't expected her, but also because she was incredibly attractive. The silence stretched on for almost a minute before Charlotte gave him a curious look.
"You are Yasui, are you not?"
Yasui immediately shot to his feet.
"Yes! That's me! N-Nice to meet you!"
Charlotte nodded curtly.
"Very well. Shall we be on our way? We have a lot to do."
Yasui smoothed his fur and grabbed his bag before hurrying after her.
"Y-yeah! On my way!"
The remaining boys at the table, and several from surrounding tables, stared as Yasui and Charlotte walked away. Although all of the boy's eyes were glued to Charlotte's gently swaying hindquarters as she sashayed across the floor in her pencil skirt and none were on Yasui. Finally, once she was out of sight, Shinrai turned to look at Shiro.
"What the heck was that?"
Shiro had a dreamy look on his face as he chuckled.
"I don't know, but I want one."
Meanwhile, Yasui was walking beside Charlotte who somehow seemed to move as little as possible while walking, her back ramrod straight and her head completely level. Yasui suspected he could have balanced a stack of books on her head and they wouldn't have fallen. As they walked, Charlotte asked.
"Do you have somewhere private we can go? As you know, we're trying not to draw attention to your new status."
Yasui gulped. He was nervous and sweaty all of a sudden, and his tongue felt clumsy and dry.
"Uh, I have a thing. I mean place! I have a place we can be alone! For business reasons! A room, it's a room."
Charlotte nodded imperceptibly.
"Very well, lead the way."
And so Yasui led her to the Cooking Club room. As soon as he opened the door, he was aware that it was actually very unimpressive and he hadn't done the best job cleaning up after their meeting on Friday. He forced a smile.
"Hehe, it's a little messy. Sorry."
"It will suffice."
She made her way over to one of the chairs and sat down, crossing one leg over the other and staring at him expectantly. Yasui glanced down as her short skirt exposed a pleasant amount of thigh before looking at the ceiling. Why did she have to be a pretty lady! And with that short, tight skirt and blazer coupled with the glasses she looked like a librarian. And if there was one thing Yasui liked, it was librarians. Charlotte gestured at him.
"Very well. We've just begun the meeting. I'm assuming you know what to do?"
Yasui nodded and took a deep breath.
"Yeah, okay. Uh…."
Charlotte shook her head.
"Dear God. I'm hoping you're planning on refraining from saying 'Yeah, okay, uhhhh' when you actually speak."
"Sorry. Just a little nervous."
Charlotte fixed him with her stern look once more and gestured for him to begin again. Yasui took a deep breath and began.
"D-distinguished members of the board! Thank… you for meeting—"
"Stop! I don't remember that being in the script."
Yasui tilted his head.
"Huh?"
Charlotte took off her glasses and stood, shaking her head.
"I have my work cut out for me. For starters, why did you add that 'thank you' part?"
"Because it's polite?"
"It's unnecessary. The board is not doing you a favor by gathering. You are the head of the company. You may show appreciation, but don't thank them for doing their duty."
Yasui flattened his ears a bit.
"S-So what do I say?"
"You may say something along the lines of 'I appreciate the time it took you to travel here, and am excited to meet you all.' You're the unknown party here, so don't show weakness. Otherwise they'll eat you alive. And second, stop stuttering and mumbling. You sound like a nervous little puppy."
Yasui shifted his feet.
"I'm still in school. It's not like—"
"What? It's not like you're the current acting head of one of the largest real estate firms in the country? Because that is exactly what you are. Start over."
Yasui nodded and started again. He barely got past his appreciative comment when Charlotte once again stood. This time, she strode over to him and took hold of his muzzle with her right hand. She then pointed his head directly towards her and gave him an imperious look.
"Stop staring up at the ceiling while you talk. Make eye contact with your audience. By averting your eyes you tell your listeners that you are either nervous or lying."
Yasui probably should have been a bit incensed by her grabbing his mouth like that, but her hands were warm and soft. And she smelled nice. Charlotte took a step back and looked him over more closely. After a second she took hold of his arm and removed his hand from his pocket.
"Keep your hands by your side or behind your back. And no fidgeting!"
She then walked behind him and grabbed his shoulder. She slowly pulled his shoulders back and pushed against the small of his back.
"Stop slouching. You look ridiculous."
"I'm half wolf, I have a hunchback."
She gave him a withering look.
"Well I'm a full blooded wolf and manage to avoid slouching. You can too. So neck straight, shoulders back, and stop bowing your legs. You should stand like you have at least a shred of dignity."
Yasui did his best to keep standing like she had told him too as he began his speech again. Charlotte almost immediately held up a hand to silence him.
"You keep mumbling. I need you to enunciate your words. Open your mouth more when you talk."
"But I—"
"Repeat after me. 'How now, brown cow!'"
"H-how now—"
"Without that insufferable stutter."
"How now… brown cow."
"No. Annunciate. How now, brown cow. Make your lips into an 'O' shape when you finish the words. See? 'Ow, ow.' Now you try."
Yasui worked his jaw a bit and tried again.
"How now, brown cow."
"Better, but now you're flapping your jaw a bit too much. Open your mouth enough to speak clearly, but not so much that you look like a muppet."
Charlotte ran Yasui through a few more annunciation exercises before retaking her seat.
"Now. Using everything we've gone over. Begin."
Yasui locked eyes with Charlotte and began his speech again. She interrupted him a few times, and then a few more times. And then there was the fact that Yasui kept getting distracted by her. He'd start off looking her in the eyes, and then he'd shift his gaze a bit to not stare (as were her instructions) and look at her mouth or ear or shoulder. And then his eyes would travel down to her chest, or to her short skirt and long legs. It was on one of these occasions that Charlotte snapped her fingers and gave him a sour look.
"Mister Yasui, please refrain from ogling the board members as much as you are currently ogling me. You are speaking to members of the board, not to their breasts and hips."
Yasui flushed and covered his face. He was absolutely mortified by his behavior, but he couldn't seem to stop. And to make matters worse he kept doing more and more of the things Charlotte was instructing him not to do, like stutter or say things like 'um' or 'like' as fillers as time went on. He was currently doing worse than when they had started. Yasui groaned.
"I'm so sorry! I'm not usually like this! I don't know what's wrong with me today!"
"Sit down, Mister Yasui."
Yasui took a seat across from her, shamefaced. Charlotte removed her glasses and cleaned them with a cloth she removed from her pocket. Once she was satisfied, she gave Yasui a piercing stare.
"Mister Yasui. You are one of the worst speakers I have ever had the misfortune of meeting. You mumble, stutter, and say filler words every sentence. Additionally you express everything you're feeling on your face at all points in time. Before we address the myriad other issues, we must help you develop a poker face."
"I've tried to keep a straight face before and it's never worked. How are you going to manage to fix it?"
Charlotte reached into her purse and removed a small stress ball.
"Simple. I'll do my best to distract you while you practice your speech. Whenever you break your composure, I'll throw this at you and you'll have to start again."
Yasui nodded and she made a shooing gesture. He stood and resumed his position in front of her.
"Distinguished members of the board—"
As he began the speech again, this time careful to try to keep good posture and enunciate clearly, Charlotte propped her head on her elbow and yawned widely and loudly. Yasui gave her a confused look before she launched the stress ball at him as fast as lightning. Yasui yelped as it thwapped against his shoulder and bounced to the floor. Charlotte scooped it up.
"People will yawn. Just ignore them. Start over."
Yasui collected himself and started again. This time, she sneezed loudly. Yasui managed to not react to it, and he smiled as she nodded approvingly. This earned him another stinging mark on the leg from the ball.
"Maintain a properly even expression at all times." Charlotte said. "Even if a clown runs into the room and begins to dance the macarena. Again."
Over and over, she'd do something disruptive and Yasui did his best to ignore it. She would loudly talk over him, slam her chair, click a pen, and all manner of obnoxious gestures. She even pulled out a pocket mirror and picked something out of her teeth at one point. But slowly, Yasui was able to get the hang of disciplining his face to not react to her antics. Until finally, he was in the home stretch. Yasui was beginning his closing remarks and he was on fire. This had been his best performance yet, and he was almost at the finish line.
"And so, in closing, I want to express my excitement in learning everything I can about this company, and becoming as capable as possible in my new role. It is an honor—"
Charlotte smirked at him and snapped her fingers a few times. Yasui glanced at her, as was appropriate, but didn't react otherwise. She snapped again and pointed down. Yasui followed her gesture, and that was his downfall. She had been sitting as she usually did with one leg crossed over the other. As he watched, she slowly shifted which leg was on top, while subtly hiking her skirt up. Yasui froze and his face went beet red as he got a sizable glance up her skirt. As the stress ball whipped towards him once more, there was only one thought in his mind.
(So the lighter fur does extend down to her thighs.)
THWACK!*
Yasui let out a howl of pain as the ball smashed into his nose at mach screw-you. His eyes streamed with tears as he clamped his hands over the throbbing end of his snout and let out an exclamation of pain.
"Son of a gyaaaaaaAAAH! My nose!"
For her part, Charlotte's stern demeanor faded and she hurriedly stood and examined him.
"Yasui! I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you! Is your nose okay?"
Yasui moved his hand and watched as a spatter of blood hit the floor. He growled and covered his nose again while looking for something to soak up the blood with. As he did, he snapped at Charlotte.
"No I'm not okay! That really hurt!"
Charlotte removed a tissue from her pocket and held it over his nose, motioning for him to take it.
"Here, let me get you some ice. It'll help the bleeding stop faster."
She grabbed a large piece of ice from the freezer and wrapped it in a napkin she found. While Yasui stood over the sink and absorbed his bleeding with the tissue, Charlotte pinched his snout and held the ice to it. After a minute or two, the bleeding stopped and Yasui was angrily wiping the blood out of the sink and off his face and hands. He shot Charlotte a dirty look.
"Why would you do that!? I was almost there!"
She sighed.
"Because you always reacted the most strongly when you were looking me over. I didn't want you to fall to pieces if one of the female board members was wearing a top with a plunging neckline."
Charlotte rubbed her temples and gave him a serious look.
"I apologize. That… entire last bit was too far. I just… we all can't afford for you to embarrass yourself. If you make a fool of yourself tomorrow, the board will start breathing down Miss Diana's neck. She'll need to take a more active role in the company again and establish some form of system to ensure that you can remain her heir without driving the company into the ground. I think you're aware that we all don't want that to happen."
Yasui threw his hands up in the air.
"I didn't ask for any of this! Miss Diana made me her heir without my knowledge! I don't want to run her company!"
"Nobody's asking you to… yet." Charlotte intoned. "But if something happens to Miss Diana, you're her replacement. We just need to prove to the board that you're capable enough of being that replacement. Even if it's just as a figurehead, you'd still need to be able to represent the company without looking like a moron."
Yasui closed his eyes and groaned. This was all too much pressure. There was no way he could pull this off. As if sensing his thoughts, Charlotte clasped her hands.
"Now then, let's take it from the top."
"No!" Yasui barked. "I'm exhausted and my nose hurts! We're done! Either I'll do a good job tomorrow or I won't. I've practiced as much as I will!"
Charlotte breathed a sigh of relief and smiled faintly at him.
"Finally, you're acting like a leader. That's important, remember this feeling. I believe I've done everything I can. I'll see you tomorrow."
Yasui watched as she turned and left. As she was walking out the door, she turned back to face him.
"Oh, by the way. I've been promoted to your official liaison with the Conglomerate. From now on all scheduling will pass through me. Apparently you gave the security team a headache when you went off campus without an escort multiple times. So they decided to put me in the middle. Something about you reacting more positively to female authority figures than male ones."
And with that she was gone. Yasui let out a weary sigh and slumped against the table. He checked his phone and saw it was almost nine. They had been working for around two hours. It definitely felt like it to Yasui, because he was exhausted. He also saw that Shinrai had texted him asking where he was. Yasui opened the messaging app and typed out a response.
Y: Sorry, Shinrai. I was doing something. I only just finished.
Yasui set about straightening out the room. He was almost done when his phone vibrated. He looked at the screen and saw that Shinrai had responded.
S: bro it's been hours
S: what were you doing????
Y: A favor for Miss Diana.
S: and who was that hot wolf lady???
S: unless secret girlfriend :0
Y: She works for Miss Diana. She was helping me with something.
S: was it doing the nasty because if so ya boy needs help too
Y: No it was none of that.
S: watching a movie atm
S: wanna come hang?
Y: Sure, but don't expect too much. I'm tired.
S: 0_0
Y: And not for that reason.
S: just messing with you
S: meet us in the carnivore common room
S: :)
S: i gave the dude a little hat
Yasui hesitated. While he definitely wanted to hang out with Shinrai, he felt bone-tired. Even as he deliberated about what to do, he yawned widely. Yasui shook his head to clear the drowsiness from his mind and began to walk towards the dorms. It was a very cold and windy night, which helped him wake up a little bit more as he walked. And soon enough Yasui was in the warm common room of the dorm. He looked around the relatively quiet room and saw where Shiro, Shinrai, and Hikaru were sitting on the couch watching a movie. Shinrai saw him and beckoned him over.
"Dude! Where have you been?"
Yasui shook his head.
"Sorry. Like I said, favor for Miss Diana."
"Yeah but what?" Shinrai asked. Yasui once again shook his head.
"I can't say, it's a secret."
Shiro gave Yasui a goofy look.
"And who was that incredibly attractive wolf you were with?"
Hikaru made a "T" with her hands.
"Hold up, Yasui was with a chick?!"
Shinrai snickered.
"Yeah. This super hot wolf lady came by our table and talked with him. And then he followed her out."
Hikaru laughed.
"Huh. Well color me impressed. I always thought you and Yasui had some sort of weird bromance thing going on and didn't notice girls."
Shinrai crossed his arms.
"I happen to notice girls of all species because I am a modern guy who sees no species, only the person within."
Shiro chewed noisily on some popcorn and added.
"And their jugs. You notice their jugs too."
Yasui grimaced at Shiro as Shinrai threw a pillow at the dog. Yasui shook his head.
"Way to kill the mood, Shiro."
"You're welcome, Yasui."
Hikaru snorted and elbowed Shinrai.
"Unfortunately Shiro forgot to account for your big ear fetish."
Shinrai laughed.
"Aw yeah, love me some big ears. That's the real deal there. Girl taking off her top? Nah, no biggie. Girl taking off her hat to reveal some big, floppy ears. Heck… yeah…."
Shiro chuckled loudly through a mouthful of popcorn.
"Bruh, imagine an ear fetish strip club. Walk in and it's a bunch of guys getting all hot and bothered over a rabbit taking her hat off."
Yasui shook his head.
"Honestly, the concept of a strip club still confuses me. You're just going up to your friends and saying, 'Hey! Wanna go to the place full of naked girls and get aroused together!'"
Shinrai cackled with laughter.
"Bro! Let's all go to the club and get boners together! Weekend plans bay-bee!"
Hikaru hung her head.
"Ugh, males. Although Yasui raises a good point. It is kinda weird."
Shiro smirked.
"It's like my conspiracy theory that wrestling was invented by guys as an excuse to take their shirts off and hug each other."
Yasui settled in and rested his arm against the arm of the couch. The movie they were watching was already part of the way done, so he wasn't exactly paying attention. In fact, he apparently dozed off for a second because he suddenly was jolted awake by Shinrai poking him.
"Yasui. Yasui."
"Hm?" Yasui grunted and stifled a yawn, stretching. Shinrai jerked his head towards the door.
"Movie's done. I'm about to head out. Wanna do something tomorrow?"
Yasui rubbed his eyes and groaned.
"Maybe in the late afternoon. I have something I need to do around lunch."
"Cool beans, dude. Just let me know."
Yasui grunted as he got off the couch and staggered upstairs. It was a weird flurry of emotions he was feeling. Deep in the back of his mind, Yasui was still reeling from the knowledge that Professor Nishinoya was his biological father. But above that he was worried about tomorrow and the meeting. But above it all, Yasui was exhausted. His muscles felt like lead and his eyes were gritty and hot. Half awake, he brushed his teeth and collapsed into bed. Yasui's last conscious thought was "hopefully I'll feel more relaxed tomorrow."
Yasui did not feel more relaxed that Sunday. A heavy weight seemed to have settled into his stomach that refused to move. His fur was a mess and he couldn't get it to lie flat no matter what he did. His clothes were all wrinkly and disheveled looking. One of his eyes was smaller than the other (although that was mostly due to the scar tissue from his beating at the hands of a large crocodilian.) His usually small facial scars seemed massive today. And to top it all off had bit his tongue during breakfast and was worried that it was going to swell and make his speech garbled.
Yasui didn't say a word as the nondescript car from the Supotto Conglomerate picked him up, his "distant cousin" Quintus the wolf sitting inside looking just as menacing and big as before. Yasui's mind just wouldn't stop. Was he about to throw up? He was going to throw up. Why was it so hot in here? His armpits were sweating through his shirt! And his teeth felt greasy and mossy. They were probably disgustingly yellow and crooked. His leg itched but it was in a really awkward spot of his inner thigh and he didn't want to scratch it while beside Quintus. And just like that, the car was stopped and Yasui was being hurried out and into an impressive skyscraper.
Yasui was met with a whirl of professional looking rooms, and elevators, and so many different people. His head felt like he might explode! And suddenly, Quintus was pushing him through a door and into a spacious corner office.
The room was very nice. Floor to ceiling windows offered an unparalleled view of the city's downtown, while glass shelves held awards and mementos of places visited. The desk was an ornate piece carved from mahogany with a high backed chair sitting behind it. In the room with him was Charlotte as well as a male koala standing beside a long black bag. Yasui gulped.
"H-hello." His voice came in a harsh rasp. Yasui's mouth was so dry, it was like sandpaper. Charlotte gave him an appraising look.
"Well well well. Part of me was uncertain if you'd show. At least you're here, even if you look like a trainwreck. But, that's what Gustavo here is for."
The koala inclined his head and removed a fine black suit from the bag. Yasui was instructed to put it on, and then stood with his limbs held outward while the small koala scurried around making adjustments. While he worked on Yasui's outside, Charlotte drilled Yasui on proper etiquette for a meeting. Fortunately he had remembered most of what she'd taught him, but then she threw him a curveball.
"Yasui, you most likely will need to mingle a bit after the meeting while we wait for lunch. As such, everyone is going to want to come speak with you. They'll want to form their own opinion about you, so I'll tell you what to say to all of them."
"But how will I keep it all straight?" Yasui asked. The corner of Charlotte's mouth twitched at that.
"It's simple." She replied. "You'll say the same thing to all of them. They walk up, you shake their hand. They introduce themself, you do the same. You then immediately offer them some sort of compliment, the more relevant the better, to take control of the conversation. They ask you a question, you answer it as best as you can with a question of your own which you then answer.. We'll then shuffle them away and you just rinse and repeat. Simple."
Yasui nodded and silently mouthed the steps again. He still had time before the meeting. It was in one hour. He had time to rehearse his speech and practice his manners. It was in twenty minutes, he still had a little time. And then, Yasui was walking through a pair of polished wooden doors and into a massive conference room. Before him, a long wooden table stretched, inhabited with at least fifty different animals of all shapes and sizes. The walls were lined with suited aides and assistants, and all eyes were on him. There was one empty seat, the head of the table at the far end of the room.
Yasui tried really hard not to look nervous as he walked across the room. His skin seemed to burn where all those eyes were piercing him, burning their way into his soul. They all were trying to dissect him, flay his entire being away so they could poke through his very soul like a diviner reading the augury. With a definite tremble in his limbs, Yasui took his seat. There was a pause as Yasui looked around for Charlotte, desperate for guidance. There she was, back left corner. She made direct eye contact with him and nodded confidently. She then subtly motioned for him to relax and gestured to a male owl in the center of the table. As if on cue, the avian stood and addressed the room.
"I now call this meeting to order. Unfortunately, the head of the board, Miss Diana, was unable to join us today. However, she has appointed her heir, Mister Yasui, as her representative in her stead. Mister Yasui, you have the floor."
(Mister Yasui… that's a weird thought.)
Yasui watched as all eyes turned to him. Immediately, several of the board members gestured for their aides and whispered in their ears. Yasui slowly got to his feet and straightened his clothes. His mouth felt like it was full of sand, and his tongue had apparently swollen to the size of a watermelon. Yasui cleared his throat and licked his lips, but couldn't seem to find his voice. That's when panic started to creep in. He was about to embarrass not only himself but Miss Diana in front of everyone. Why was he just standing here like a moron?! Do something!
Yasui locked eyes with Charlotte. She made a rolling motion with her hand and mouthed "distinguished members of the board."
Yasui took a breath and pushed through his nerves.
"Distinguished members of the board…. I, uh, I would like to first take a moment to… express my appreciation for your coming here today. I'm sure many, I mean, some of you had a… long trip."
Yasui glanced around. The whispering had gotten more frequent, and several people were giving him somewhat sour looks. Charlotte hid her eyes with her hand and slowly shook her head. He was absolutely bombing this. It was like he hadn't even practiced at all. And then… something clicked inside him. He had an idea. And so, Yasui relaxed. It couldn't get any worse, so screw it.
"I know I can understand that. It was a pretty long drive from my school to this building, almost twenty whole minutes. They wouldn't even let me stop for coffee."
A few chuckles rang out through the room. Yasui swallowed, and felt some of the nervousness recede. He straightened his posture and began making eye contact with the board members.
"If you hadn't noticed, I'm not a businessman. I haven't even finished high school yet. All that I know about business is what Miss Diana has taught me. I'm the president of Cherryton's Cooking Club, and Miss Diana is the only reason why our club was able to get off the ground. She's done a lot to teach me everything from running a food stall at a festival, to what pants to wear with which shirt."
This got a few more laughs. Yasui was gaining confidence now. He was completely off script, but it felt right.
"Miss Diana has done so much for me, and I'm here to return the favor. I'm not an expert business savant like Miss Diana, or a brilliant analyst like a lot of the people I've met who work in the Supotto Conglomerate. But I promise that I'll do my best to learn as much as I can and be an heir Miss Diana can be proud of. And with that said, I think I've rambled enough and will let the smarter people do the talking. I yield the floor."
And with that, Yasui took his seat once again. The owl from before stood and inclined his head towards Yasui.
"Thank you, Mister Yasui. While I can't speak for the rest of the board, I appreciate your candor, and am honored to have you in attendance. Now then, let us move on to the first order of business."
Yasui felt like the bowling ball that had seemed to have settled into his stomach had been removed. Suddenly he could breathe again. As he looked around the room, he once again met Charlotte's gaze. She nodded and gave him the first real smile he had seen from her. She mouthed "well done" and gave him a thumbs up.
And with that, the meeting started in earnest. Topics ranging from reports from different groups in the company, like a report from the French branch on the new Alpine ski resort that had opened that year, to forecasts on the market trends of real estate worldwide. Although how they were able to predict what land would be bought and sold for years from now was beyond Yasui's understanding. But, he tried to pay attention as best as he could. Even if it was a bit boring and heavy.
The clock had struck noon when the male owl once again stood.
"Thank you for that update on oil futures, Mister Gyo. And now, we come to the last topic for today's meeting. As of now, we have a budget surplus that will put us over our threshold for the end of fiscal year. We need to determine what to do with the surplus. I open the floor to ideas."
As a few hands raised and different people proposed different things, Yasui turned behind him to where Mister Kopland, the Dalmatian who Yasui had spoken to on several occasions, was standing. Yasui beckoned to him, and the stoic actuary walked over and leaned down so Yasui could whisper to him.
"I don't understand. Having a surplus means that you have more money, right? How is that a bad thing?"
Kopland moved closer to Yasui's ear and whispered.
"It's a bad thing because all of that money sitting around can be taxed. Our accountants calculate exactly how much our Net Profit needs to be to minimize how much we pay in taxes each year while maximizing our market value. If we have more money than we should, we end up losing more money to taxes. So instead we need to find something to use it for. Typically we'd do something like a shareholder disbursement or reinvest the money into R . However, we've already maxed out a lot of those avenues and need to get creative."
Yasui whispered back.
"I didn't understand lots of that."
"It's convoluted tax problems. I'll explain it more later."
Satisfied for the time being, Yasui sat back and idly watched as a few more proposals were presented. Finally, one board member, an older female Borzoi, took the floor.
"I for one would like to know what the head of the company thinks we should do. Mister Yasui, what are your thoughts on the matter? Should we reinvest, send out a dividend, or one of those other ideas presented?"
Yasui stared at her blankly. This was a joke, right? She wanted him to come up with something? Yasui watched as everyone looked at him, curious. He looked to Charlotte for guidance, and she just shrugged helplessly. Slowly, Yasui got to his feet. He licked his lips.
"So… as I understand… we have too much money and need to do something with it?"
The owl nodded.
"That is correct."
Yasui rubbed his palms on his pants and worked his jaw. If he had a bunch of money he had to get rid of, what would he do? Yasui finally shrugged.
"Why not just give the money to someone? Like an orphanage or hospital or something. They always need money, and then we don't have it."
There was a confused silence before one of the other board members spoke up.
"You want to just… give away a couple million dollars."
Yasui nodded.
"Well, yeah. If nobody has a better idea."
There was a flurry of activity as many of the aides huddled together whispering and typing on phones. After a few minutes of silence, a giraffe in a suit stepped forward.
"That could actually work. We can work the system to transfer the majority of the surplus budget to our Canadian branch, and have them donate it to alleviate their tax liability. And domestically, we could donate one million yen to a charitable organization to not only reduce the surplus, but increase our goodwill with consumers and get some excellent publicity. We're looking into suitable charities now, and there are some promising programs within the city."
Murmurs broke out, and an older male hyena nodded sagely.
"An unconventional strategy, but it could yield better long term outcomes than simply providing a dividend to our stockholders."
There were murmurs of agreement before the owl spoke.
"All in favor of proceeding with Mister Yasui's proposal?"
Most of the hands around the table shot up. The owl nodded.
"All opposed."
A small smattering of hands raised. The owl made a note on his paper.
"We have a majority. The motion passes. We will give our surplus budget to charity. Have the PR department begin preparing statements to the press. Something about us investing in our home city, or something along those lines. And with that, I believe we have covered everything. Do we have a motion to adjourn?"
The elderly Borzoi raised her hand.
"I move that we adjourn."
The owl inclined his head.
"Do we have a second to that motion?"
A deer partway down the table raised his hand.
"I second the motion."
The owl bowed.
"Very well. This meeting is adjourned."
And with that, people began to stand and talk with their aides. Many individuals approached him to introduce themselves and shake his hand. Yasui did as instructed and complimented them before redirecting their questions. The line seemed to stretch on and on, until finally he was standing with Charlotte watching the last of the board members leaving. As the door shut, Yasui felt his knees turn into jelly. All of the nervousness and adrenaline washed over him, and he felt like he'd just run a mile.
Charlotte approached him with a satisfied look on her face.
"Well done, very well done."
Above the weariness, Yasui was overwhelmed with relief. He felt over the moon! He could have danced, right then and there. As it was, Yasui moved forward and seized Charlotte in a hug.
"Oh my gosh! We did it! We actually did it! I didn't embarrass you all in front of everyone!"
Charlotte laughed quietly in the back of her throat and patted Yasui's back.
"Were you that nervous?"
"Terrified!"
"Well, at least you took your responsibility seriously."
Yasui groaned and released her.
"I'm exhausted."
"I can imagine." Charlotte replied. "However, I must reiterate how impressed I am with you. You did far better than I imagined you would."
Yasui grimaced.
"You expected me to do that bad, huh?"
"I was cautious is all. I had my reservations."
Yasui stretched and sighed in relief.
"Well, at least it's finally over. I'm ready to get out of here!"
"Aren't you forgetting something?"
Yasui gave Charlotte a confused look. She tapped her watch expectantly.
"You still have a board lunch to attend. They typically last for around two to three hours."
Yasui physically wilted in front of Charlotte. He gave her a pathetic look.
"I think I suddenly caught food poisoning and need to go back to my dorm."