''If you had done something differently, it wouldn't be you,
it would be someone else looking back, asking a different set of questions''
Meanwhile, on the same day. 16:09A knock on the door woke Phil. Just hours earlier, he had finished installing new doors in an auditorium. Today's work seemed to be finished, and Mr. Wilson had permitted him to take a break.
The knock at the door slightly annoyed him. Would they ever let him rest? It's Saturday, after all.
When he finally opened the door, he saw a blue peafowl dressed in school uniform.
''Hi, you must be Philip, the repairman?'' the peafowl asked.
''Hi. Well, that's me. Is something broken?'' Phil asked.
''Oh, it's great. Our Drama Club president, Sanu, said you could help with some work.''
''I guess I can. What do I need to do?''
''Can you please help us with decorations for the new play?''
''Alright, lead the way. I'll help.''
''Thank you. Follow me. Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Dom,'' the peafowl said, holding out his paw. (arm, wing? IDK)
''Nice to meet you. And, yeah, by the way, you can call me Phil.''
Phil picked up his tools and then followed Dom. As they walked, they chatted non-stop.
''I'd thought only Drama Club members could work with decorations.''
''Yes, that's right. But today is a day off, and we haven't finished them yet. We've finished the decorations, you just need to fasten them together. Louis got mad when he found out the decorations weren't ready. He told me to get them ready by next week.''
Soon they arrived at the place where the Drama Club practiced and held other activities. There were decorations for the upcoming play featuring the noble deer, Louis, in the lead role. Dom switched on a few lamps and unrolled a large sheet of paper with drawings to show Phil.
''Here, take a look. Everything must be like this. Beautiful, isn't it?'' Dom said with a smile. ''It needs to be fastened in the marked places.''
''Yeah, I get it.''
Phil got to work right away. First, he took the paper with the assembled decorations image and studied it carefully. He noted where they needed to be fastened. Phil used a pencil to mark the areas on the decorations that needed to be fastened before beginning the actual work.
Dom helped by carrying and holding the heavy structures while Phil fastened the bolts.
Meanwhile, Dom shared various stories about his life at the Academy and the Drama Club. He mentioned the upcoming Meteor Festival in the city and suggested that Phil and Kurt should attend. Phil barely listened to him and just nodded in agreement. Nevertheless, he noted that Dom spoke to him openly, was friendly, and offered help. He didn't show any disdain for humans, unlike the other students.
It's been half an hour since they started working. The work still was far from finished. It would take at least an hour to get it done. Phil decided to take a short break and just chat with Dom. The peafowl even asked Phil where he learned to repair and craft things so well.
Suddenly, Louis and Juno entered the pavilion. Even Dom hadn't expected their appearance, and Louis seemed doubly surprised to see Phil. However, Phil was more drawn to the wolf girl, especially her outfit. Phil was attracted to girls in sportswear, so when Juno showed up in a white T-shirt and red shorts, he couldn't help but blush. But he tried his best to hide it because Louis was watching him. Juno herself seemed quite shy upon seeing Phil and waved at him modestly.
''Dom? Wait, what are you two doing here?'' Louis asked.
''Oh, Louis,'' Dom replied, ''I didn't expect to see you here today.''
''I asked Juno to rehearse in advance. That's why I'm here. What are you doing here?''
''I asked Phil to help me finish the play decorations, Mr. Wilson told Sanu that Phil is a skilled craftsman.''
''Decorations? Yes, I remember, Sanu assigned you that task. So, are you two managing?'' Louis asked, crossing arms on his chest.
''Yes, of course," the peafowl said with a smile, "Phil is doing an excellent job. I assure you'll be pleased with the result."
The deer remained unimpressed.
''I hope so. Alright, Juno, let's begin...''
Juno danced so gracefully that Phil couldn't look away, forgetting he had come to work.
In the past month, Phil has realized that he really likes Juno. Many times, he tried to convince himself that it was impossible. After all, they look too different, and, moreover, they are from different worlds. He's a human, and she's a wolf, although she's anthropomorphic. But no matter how hard he tried, all his beliefs crumbled like a house of cards.
Sometimes, he couldn't help but admire her as she walked through the Academy's hallways while his heart raced. Sometimes, it really distracted him from work.
Although Juno was a grey wolf by species, she had fluffy purple fur that looked unique and amused him. There's also a light beige color on her muzzle, extending down her neck to her chest. Her fluffy tail wagged amusingly from side to side as she walked, drawing invisible patterns in the air with its tip. Her sharp claws and equally sharp teeth were smaller than Legoshi's, but they could still cause serious wounds. However, it was almost impossible, considering her kind and compassionate nature.
Kurt noticed one day that Phil had his eye on this wolf girl. When Phil was cleaning the Academy corridors, Juno caught his eye. And he was so drawn to her that he didn't notice anything else around him. Kurt saw his friend's strange behavior and decided to follow his gaze. The result surprised him, to say the least. Phil stared at her, smiling. Kurt, however, avoided getting involved in any manner. He trusted Phil to handle the matter himself. Kurt wondered for a long time, though, 'Could it really work out between them?'
The most mesmerizing thing Phil found about her was her eyes. Those big, blue eyes seemed to always be in 'Hypnosis' had to summon all his self-control to look away from her and return to work. In her kind and innocent eyes, Phil saw things that others refused to see. He didn't see a dangerous carnivore in those eyes but a gentle, almost human-like soul, hated only for being born a wolf. Just like humans in our world do, they judge a book by its cover. But it's even more complicated in this world because humans are not divided into carnivores and herbivores with all the consequences.
Every day, Juno thinks more and more that humans aren't scary at all. Why do some animals avoid them? No matter how she looked at them, humans didn't disgust her. Their furless, peach-colored skin made her feel anything but negative. It's funny, but the sight of balded animals is sometimes worse than any monsters. Juno even thought if humans had fur, it would be something unnatural. Fur and humans are not compatible. At the same time, not having a tail at all gave them a sense of lightness and simplicity. The simple and amazing facial features looked somewhat amusing.
Meanwhile, Phil didn't want to miss a thing about her. It feels like the whole world has turned grey. Like everything lost its color. Everything, except for her. It seemed like time had frozen, and she was the only thing in motion in the entire universe. His ears were like they filled with some kind of foam, and he couldn't hear anything. Dom even had to nudge him on the shoulder to bring him back to reality and get him to continue working.
The work was going slow, but still high-quality. Phil kept getting distracted by the beautifully dancing wolf girl. Louis stood by her side the whole time, advising her.
Half an hour later, all the decorations were finally ready. Dom walked around, inspecting their condition after assembly. The reaction was not long in coming:
''Wow! Well done. Everything is strong and reliable. Louis, what do you think?''
The deer carefully examined the decorations made. He paid special attention to the places where they were fastened.
''Huh, not so bad. They hold on very tightly. I'm pretty sure they won't fall apart like they did back then.'' Then Louis turned to the human. ''Good job, Phil. You would be valuable as part of the drama club's production crew.''
Louis gave him a slight smile, though his serious gaze seemed cold-blooded as always.
'I've noticed that the number of broken stuff at the Academy has significantly decreased. Maybe humans aren't as useless as I thought. I wonder if they are naturally this hardworking.'
*17:31Phil had agreed to stay late and clean up the trash left after work. He was so absorbed that he didn't notice Juno entering the pavilion.
''Hi, Phil.''
''Oh, hi. I didn't see you come in,'' Phil said, turning around, then continued sweeping. ''I'm almost done.''
''Listen, uh, Dom and Louis asked me to hurry you.''
There was a brief silence as Juno sat on the chair next to Phil. He looked at her and smiled, and she smiled back at him.
''You didn't just come to hurry me up, did you?'' Phil said and sat on the chair beside her.
"Hee-hee, well-" she said shyly, ''I just wanted to ask how you're doing. It's been a month since you caught me on the stairs, and we've both been so busy that we didn't have time to talk.''
They chatted for so long that they didn't notice the sun sinking below the horizon. Most of their stories were about life. It was as if there was nothing else in the world but them. Juno also asked some questions about humanity. Phil carefully chooses his words when telling Juno about humanity to avoid suspicion of being an alien.
''...so that's why we call it hockey. I really like this sport. And I also love playing basketball.''
''Wow, that's cool,'' said Juno, then looked at the clock. ''Oh, it's getting late. I think we should leave now.''
"Yes, let's go."
But as soon as they left the pavilion, it started to rain heavily outside.
"Oh, it's raining. And how long will it go? I didn't even bring an umbrella. Oh, we'll have to wait,'' Juno said sadly.
Welp, in her white T-shirt and red gym shorts, Juno won't go far in this downpour. Phil's work jacket, though not hooded, was more rain-resistant. And so he got an idea.
''Hmm, I don't think so,'' Phil said, taking off his jacket and handing it to Juno. ''Here, cover yourself with it, and let's go now. Let's not wait for the rain to stop.''
"What? But you'll get soaked."
''Of course, but you are not. I've got nothing to worry about. You, on the other hand, will take a long time to dry your fur. But with my jacket, you'll be fine.''
Juno, of course, hesitated for a long time, deeply worried about Phil. But his magical, sweet smile eventually made her relent and accept his idea. She took the jacket and covered her head with it.
They both walked briskly toward the dormitories. Phil's jacket did a great job of protecting Juno from the rain, which made her happy, but she still worried about Phil and occasionally turned around to look at him. But Phil looked fresh all the way through, fixing his wet hair and telling stories of his life and jokes. This helped her to distance herself from the situation, and her tail wagged happily from side to side. But in her heart, she was still worried about him. After all, it was chilly outside.
A few minutes later, they reached the dorm and sheltered under the building's awning to escape the rain. Everything went smoothly. The rain barely reached Juno, but Phil was soaked to the bone.
''Thank you, Phil. What would I do without you?'' Juno said and handed Phil his jacket back. ''But, are you sure you won't get sick? You are wet to the skin.''
"Don't worry about me, I'm not afraid of catching a cold. I'm an athlete, and on top of that, I'm a hockey player," Phil said as he showed off his biceps to the wolf girl. This made her blush and look shyly at the human, while she stroked her fur behind her head with her paw.
Her beautiful face hypnotized him. Phil smiled and, without realizing it, reached out and touched the soft fur on her head. Phil had never gone this far before. They usually just bowed to each other when they met and said goodbye, as friends do. When Juno felt his touch, she became numb. She first felt misunderstood, but then it turned into a pleasant sensation. Phil began to stroke her soft fur. It was so soft that he didn't want to pull his hand away, even though he knew he had crossed a line. But Juno didn't object or resist. She just enjoyed the affection.
Phil continued and besides stroking, began softly scratching her fur with his fingers.
''Mmm, Phil, this feels so good, your hands work wonders...'' Juno said warmly, closing her eyes and leaning closer to him, not even realizing it.
Phil moved his hand to Juno's ear. Her soft, rumbling growl showed she was very pleased. Then Phil gently stroked the fur right on her ear with his index finger.
''Ah, Phil, please, do that again. Oh, Phil...''
The more Phil did it, the more she cuddled him and wagged her tail. She held him closer to feel his warmth and heartbeat. Despite being wet from the rain, he remained charming.
A minute later Phil finished caressing Juno, then placed his hands on her shoulders. The wolf girl looked into his eyes as he smiled at her like never before.
Then she placed her paw on his cheek. Phil stood still, letting her touch him wherever she wanted. She moved from his cheek to his neck, then down to his left arm, feeling every part of it as if she didn't want to miss a single curve or line of his arm.
'Such soft and pleasant skin. Such strong arms! Such expressive and powerful muscles! Phil... What fascinating creatures you humans are.'
Juno and Phil gazed into each other's eyes for what felt like a century, but it was only five minutes. It was as if they were lost in time. Phil's face gradually moved closer to Juno's charming muzzle. Just a little closer, and his nose would amusingly touch her ever-curious nose. Now, only a few centimeters separated their lips. Just a little more, and it would be the first time. The first time for both of them.
Suddenly, a short phone call brought them back to reality.
''Oh, sorry…'' Phil said, then pulled out and looked at his phone.
It was a call from Kurt. A missed one.
'Hmm, he probably dialed by mistake. If it was something important he will call again.'
*Meanwhile in Gohin's clinic.''Dang it. Alright, let's just turn it off. I hope that Phil won't notice. Well, it's time to go and check on my 'patients', they'll wake up soon.''
*Shrugging, Phil tucked the phone into his pocket and looked at the wolf girl again. She stood and smiled at him. Phil, after brief silence looked around and said:
''Uh, well...hehe...uh...Juno, you know...Kurt and I are allowed to go out on the town now.''
''Oh, that's wonderful.''
''Yeah, and so... well... if you have some free time, maybe we can... go out sometime?''
'What? Go out? Does this mean... a date? Is he really inviting me on a date? It's true, he's actually inviting me on a date! Or is he... No, no, it's clearly a date. Go on, say yes, you dummy!'
''Yes, let's go tomorrow!'' Juno exclaimed happily.
''Tomorrow? Hmm, well, Kurt went today, so I can go tomorrow. I don't think it's prohibited. So, yes, let's go tomorrow. I don't see why not.''
'Man, I didn't expect this so soon. I thought I would have more time to prepare, maybe next week. Either way, it's too late...'
''Weeell, then… Huh?''
Phil couldn't finish because he was interrupted by a sudden sob. Juno's gaze was fixed on the ground. Phil gently lifted her face with his thumb so that he could see her eyes and a river of tears flowed from them.
The look of the sobbing girl shook him to his core. He felt like everything inside him was being crushed, as if under the relentless pressure of a hydraulic press. He couldn't bear to see her cry. Phil had seen people cry many times, but it didn't make him feel very emotional. He even thought that sport had 'killed' all his emotions, even pain. But now, his feelings are driving him insane, tearing him apart. He's a tough guy who grew up playing violent sports like basketball and hockey, yet his heart is bleeding.
"Hey, hey, what's wrong?" Phil forced a smile, trying to hold back his tears.
''Sorry, Phil,'' Juno said, wiping away her tears. ''It's just... no one has ever cared for me as warmly as you have. I was bullied at my previous school, all because I'm a wolf. I thought this Academy would be better, but it seems like there's no end to this. And you've been kind to me from the start. It just... so...''
Juno began to cry again. Her tears were so heartfelt. Phil knew that if he didn't do something sensible right away, then his brick-built masculinity would crack, and a fountain of emotions and tears would come to the surface. He can't let this get in the way of going out with Juno.
Without a second thought, Phil hugged Juno tightly. Not so tightly that she felt pain or discomfort, but enough for her to feel his kindness and care. To feel something more than just friendship. He wiped the tears from her cheeks and under her eyes with his thumbs.
"Don't worry," Phil said, gently patting her head. "We may look very different, but we share the same inner struggles. People say you are a dangerous carnivore, and I'm a scary monster. But with me, you have nothing to fear. Tears should not flow from such beautiful eyes as yours. Please, don't cry."
Phil hugged the crying wolf girl for a few more minutes, while she shed tears, pressing her muzzle to his chest. He gently patted her head and playfully scratched her fur, which had a calming effect on her. She soon stopped crying and enjoyed his affection, smiling.
''Thank you, Phil. Thank you so much.''
''Don't mention it. So, are we still on to go out?''
''Yes, of course,'' Juno said, ''Let's meet tomorrow at 12:00 at the Academy's entrance.''
''Okay.''
''Good, see you tomorrow. Good night.''
''Yeah, good night.''
Before entering the dormitory, Juno looked at the human one last time, giving him a sweet smile. Phil stood for a few more seconds, watching the door behind which the wolf girl had vanished. A second later he felt his phone buzzing.
«Incoming message from: Durham»
''Hey Phil, it's Durham. We would like to watch another hockey game. Can you show us sometime?''
''Maybe next time. I'll think about it,'' Phil messaged back.
After that, Phil headed back to the cabin. The rain hadn't stopped yet, but he paid it no mind. In fact, he even did a little dance on his way, almost slipping into one of the puddles. He just laughed at the silly moment and kept going. He was in such a great mood. After all, there will be his first date ever! Moments like that are unforgettable!
When he returned to his cabin, Phil removed all of his wet clothes, wrung them out, and hung them up to dry. With nothing else to do, he plugged in his phone to charge and then lay down on his bed.
Phil lay there for several minutes, staring at his phone until Kurt walked into the cabin.
''It took you so long hanging around there.''
''We got held up. It's a big city, we had a lot to see. By the way, I bought you some ice cream. But it's a little melted, I guess.''
''Oh, that's great,'' Phil said and took a carton of ice cream from Kurt, which he took out of his backpack. ''By the way, Durham messaged me that he and buddies from room 701 want to watch another hockey game, but you say we shouldn't show it to them.''
Kurt was quiet for a while, and then he answered:
''Now you can show them anything you want, even movies. Legoshi already knows everything, and I'm sure they'll know everything soon enough, too.''
''Uh, okay. So... W-wait, what do you mean by 'knows everything'? Don't you mean that...''
''Yep...''
''What now?''
''Nothing. Legoshi is still our friend. His friends probably won't turn their backs on us either. But I can't speak for the rest of the Academy. We'll see. By the way, what are you doing tomorrow?''
