The Cherryton Cooking Club

by Mr.Dr.Sadperson

Taking place one year before the events of the show, this story is a simple look at the (relatively) normal lives of average students attending Cherryton Highschool.

2. Chapter2

Chapter 2: The Start of Multiple Worries

(A few months before the events of Chapter 1.)

"Hey Mom, have you seen my—"

The male red fox stopped in his tracks when he saw his mother, a slender red fox with a good natured sort of face named Ino, sitting at the large table that took up most of the room he had just entered. It wasn't her sitting there calmly in front of the plates and cups she had set out that caused him to freeze, it was the fact that she was holding the very object he had been looking for. In her outstretched hand was a sheet of paper. This fox's name was Yone, and he was Yasui's older brother. His mother looked over with that same kind yet mischievous gleam that never seemed to leave her eyes.

"Yone, you really should be more careful where you leave your homework papers. If I didn't check the sink before I started filling it up for the breakfast dishes, this would have been ruined."

Yone's ears flattened in embarrassment and he mumbled a quick apology. He took the blank sheet and set it in front of him as he sat at the table. Algebra, his worst nightmare. He knew that this single piece of paper was going to make his weekend a living torment.

He looked up as four more red foxes entered from various parts of the small house. His father, a male with a sturdy body moulded by years of work, walked out of the kitchen carrying a jug of milk that he began to use to fill the seven cups that were set out. From the bathroom came one of his younger sisters, fifteen year old Kime. She had begun to enter the phase of her life where she was spending more and more time in front of a mirror fussing over her orange-red fur and face. She had inherited her mother's slight body, but had her father's more stern features. As she sat she continued carefully combing any tiny knots and tangles out of her tail and yawned,

"Good morning, Mom and Dad. Also you too Yone. Although I don't particularly care if your morning is good because you left the toothpaste cover off AGAIN!"

She huffed and picked a small piece of lint off her clothes. All the members of the family were dressed in a similar fashion, with simple clothes that were well made but clearly hand sewn. Next came twelve year old Mina who immediately sat down and grumbled.

"Is breakfast almost ready? I'm starving."

She had gotten the lion's share of her appearance from her father with a more sturdy frame and his smaller eyes. Beside her trailed Lily. Lily had just turned nine a few weeks prior and had the most even combination of genetic traits. She also tended to be the loudest. She rubbed her eyes before asking,

"Mom? Dad? Why are you going to town today? We don't have school and we haven't harvested yet."

Her father, whose name was Ibiki, finished pouring the drinks and sat down at the head of the table.

"Well, we have a meeting with the principal of the school. Apparently it's really important that he see us and Yasui."

Yone rubbed his face after sliding his homework away in disgust and said,

"I wonder what he did?"

Kime turned up her nose.

"Well at least we know it isn't that he's failing his classes. That would be what we would have to worry about if it was you."

"Hey! I can't help that I don't do school well! Yasui just happens to have spent all his time hunched over books. It's probably why he's so short."

The discussion was cut short as Yasui entered holding a tray heaped high with eggs and toast. Whenever he was in a room with his whole family he looked a bit out of place. If his spindly limbs and oversized snout weren't enough there was his different colored fur. Unlike the rest of his family who had deep orange-red fur with white tail-tips and white fur from their throats to their stomachs, Yasui's fur was tinged with a bit of grey and a more rusty red coloration, with the grey tinging the white that should have been on his chest into a more light-grey hue. He also lacked the distinct dark fur on his forearms and legs the rest of his family had. He set the tray down and took his place directly to his dad's left.

"Sorry it took so long, I was worried that the eggs would be too runny. Anyway, I made sure to make them in all the ways everyone likes. We have scrambled, over-easy, and sunny side up."

Ibiki smiled and patted his son on the shoulder.

"We appreciate you making this for us."

Yasui smiled as his family prepared to eat the food sitting before them.

"It's no problem. I actually like making breakfast for you guys."

Kime smirked and elbowed Yone.

"And I'd rather it be Yasui cooking than you, turnip brain. At least this way we know it's edible."

"It was one time!"

"Children." Their father called, "would you mind stopping your argument so we can enjoy this breakfast before it gets cold."

They both turned away from each other before joining their family in their pre-meal preparations. Without a word they all pressed their hands together and closed their eyes before beginning to help themselves. As they ate, Yone looked over at his brother.

"So, Yasui. Any idea what this whole meeting is about?"

Yasui shook his head as he chewed a mouthful of egg. Mina swallowed her bite and chimed in.

"Knowing him he probably stole a library book or something."

Kime arched her eyebrows as she spread some jam on her toast.

"They wouldn't call a meeting with Mom and Dad over a dumb book, it must be something major. Like starting a fight or cheating."

Yone shot his sister a sly look over the rim of his cup.

"Or maybe he insulted a teacher like a certain somebody."

Kime's eyes narrowed.

"You want to go there? Fine. Maybe he was caught trying to peek on girls in the changing room."

"That was all a misunderstanding!"

"Was not!"

"Well maybe he'll get suspended for attacking somebody over a boy!"

"Maybe he's one wrong move from being expelled for cutting class!"

"Maybe he's getting called in because he slapped another student for—"

Lily tilted her head and asked,

"Yasui, what's wrong with your face?"

"N-nothing!"

Everyone turned from their various objects of focus to look at the second oldest child. He had stopped eating and was covering his face with both hands with an embarrassed and panicked look. His mom's face softened into a look of concern as she gently reached out and touched his hand.

"Are you okay?"

Yasui jumped to his feet and ran to the bathroom, hands still clamped over his muzzle. Upon shutting the bathroom door, Ino glared at Yone and Kime.

"Are you happy with yourselves? You made the poor boy panic. You all know Yasui's a bit... high strung."

They both huffed and turned away from each other.

Before long Yasui opened the bathroom door before walking back to the table. Yone swalled a mouthful and patted his back as he passed.

"Dang, my bad, bro. Didn't mean to freak you out."

Yasui nodded and looked at his hands in embarrassment.

"It's okay. I don't know why I feaked out like that."

Yasui's father placed a hand on top of his head and ruffled his fur.

"It's okay son, I'm sure that this is all going to turn out fine. It's probably all a misunderstanding or something. Right, everyone."

He made sure to give his other children the patented dad stare. The one that practically used telepathy to scream "drop it."

Yasui nodded and began rubbing at his snout with his fingers self-consciously. The rest of the meal went on like usual with the family talking about what they were going to do today or what interesting things had happened recently. Once everyone had finished eating and the dishes were put away, those heading to town packed a picnic lunch and began to say their goodbyes. Ino smiled as she addressed her four children that were remaining behind.

"Yone, you're in charge until we get back. Make sure that your sisters do their homework and help them if you can. Kime, do the same for Yone. We should be back before dinner so please try not to burn the house down."

Yone groaned.

"Aw come on, I barely can do my homework! Can't we just wait until Yasui gets back."

The other siblings chimed in with how that was a much better idea and how, "I need help with history" or "I don't understand what I need to do for my literature paper." Ibiki crossed his arms and gave his children a knowing smile.

"The thing is, I know that you don't have that much trouble with your homework. You just like having Yasui help with it so it gets done faster. However, Yasui happens to be busy today, so unless you do it on your own I won't allow him to help any of you anymore."

They all began to exclaim how that wasn't fair as the group prepared to leave the house. Ino smiled and kissed them each on the cheek.

"Take care. We'll be back soon."

Yasui and his parents stepped out of their home and into the morning sun. The village they lived in was a small farming community situated in the mountains named Mishiranu. The areas around it were cultivated into a patchwork of fields growing everything from beans to carrots. Each field was owned by one of the families that made the village their home, and the crops were then sold in the town at the bottom of the mountain where all the villagers would do their shopping and where their children attended school.

The three foxes got into the old, weathered truck they used to bring the crops (primarily radishes, turnips, and other root vegetables) that they grew into town and started along the winding road down the mountain. As they drove Yasui stared out the window and watched the trees pass. It wasn't long before his dad looked him in the eyes through the rear view mirror.

"How ya holding up?"

"Oh... I'm better now. I guess I was just panicking a bit hearing them all talk about me like that. It was just me being stupid."

Yasui kept staring out the window as his father paused for a bit before saying.

"Son, you know you don't have to help your siblings with their homework all the time. They should be taking responsibility for themselves."

"But I like helping them with their homework."

His mom turned her head and looked him in the eyes. He soon withered under her gaze and looked down.

"Well... I like helping them. Even if I don't really want to do that much homework, it makes me feel good to help."

She sighed and began fussing over some small stain on his clothes.

"But sweetie, you do more than enough already. You help with cooking breakfast, you help me with the garden and some of the sewing. You also help your father load and unload the truck, and you help your brother and sisters with homework. I don't want you feeling like you always have to help everyone."

"But I have to help with that stuff. You're my family. We're supposed to help each other!"

"And I love how happy you are to help, but it's important to know when to say no to your family, right Ibiki?"

Ibiki nodded and held up a finger.

"It's important to help others, only after you have already helped yourself. At least, I think that's what my grandpa used to say. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that it's okay to, you know, stick up for yourself sometimes."

Yasui's ears drooped as he nodded. They rode in silence for a while before his mom smiled and said,

"How about this, you tell us where you want to eat our picnic lunch. We can spend some time together, just the three of us. Know any good places?"

Yasui hummed, deep in thought, and unconsciously began to nibble his finger.

"Yasui, what did I tell you about putting your hands in your mouth?"

"Hm? Oh! Sorry, Mom. I didn't realize I was doing it. But anyway, I think I know just the place."

Ibiki grinned.

"You'll have to be our fearless leader then. Once we finish up at school our adventure begins."

Yasui shook his head and grinned.

"Dad, I'm not five anymore."

"Oh come on, you'll always be the same little kit who would hang on my arms and say, 'are we going on an adventure, Dad?' every time we would go for a walk."

"Dad, come on."

Ino began to gush.

"Oh, you were such a little cutie back then. Don't tell your siblings but you were my favorite kid to watch when you were small. You were so sweet and affectionate, always bringing me flowers or berries or shiny rocks. And you always wanted to talk about the little kids books you were reading, or your 'adventure stories' as you called them. And whenever I was sewing and would tell you that you needed to stay inside with me, you would just come over to the couch where I was sitting and cuddle up to me. You were so cute I thought my heart would burst."

Yasui rubbed his snout and grumbled.

"If only I would have stayed cute rather than turn into a disproportionate freak."

"Oh quiet you! You're a handsome young fox and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. You just haven't hit your growth spurt yet. Everyone looks a bit strange at your age, it's just puberty."

"Mom!"

"You know, your body is going through a lot of changes so it's normal to feel a bit out of sorts."

"Mom! Please!"

"You start having to deal with BO, and mood swings, and don't get me started on all the changes going on with your body in the 'adult' ways."

Yasui groaned.

"Please, no more. Just one time of getting 'the talk' was enough."

"I'm just saying that it's a transition, and if you have any questions we're here. Goodness knows me and your father already went through it."

Ibiki coughed.

"Uh, honey. Maybe we should just let the kid relax for a second."

"Yes! Please! Thank you, Dad!"

Yasui sighed and ran his fingers through the thick fur along the scruff of his neck. No matter how often he trimmed it, he couldn't seem to stop a thick layer of fur from growing along the sides and back of his head.

As if I needed there to be more weird things about me.

He was always sensitive about it, but there was no denying it. To put it in the words of their neighbor and honorary third grandmother, Mifune, he was "a bit of an odd duck" when you looked at him with the rest of his family. While it wasn't terribly uncommon for some red foxes to have a different shade of fur color than their parents (especially if a grandparent had one) it was also obvious in general mannerisms. Yasui was often times a bit... spacey. His parents often joked about him needing to come up for air after spending so much time with his nose stuck in a book, or for him to get out of his own head for a bit and do something. They had all learned long ago that Yasui had a bit of an overactive imagination which could easily get away from him. He also was more easygoing and sensitive than his siblings, with there having been more than a few instances of some playground bully leaving him in tears. Of course, that was years ago when he was much younger. He had fortunately learned to control himself a bit better over the years, but he still was a bit unbalanced at times.

The rest of the journey to town was uneventful. Nobody used this mountain road except the citizens of Mishiranu when they were delivering their produce to town or on schoolday mornings when all the children who attended piled into a beat up old bus owned by the only postman in the village, an ancient crow who had long ago forgotten his real name. As such, he had taken to referring to himself as "Old Ink" on account of his feathers and perpetually ink-stained clothes.

After almost an hour of driving, they reached the outskirts of what the villagers simply called "the town," Aka-Shukusha. Aka-Shukusha would be considered a small, backwater town by most anyone from anywhere else, but to Yasui it was practically the gateway into the modern world. A store that sold clothing, a restaurant, a bakery, a school, a library: the town had it all. They parked their truck in the small teacher parking lot and piled out, looking more than a little out of place in their homemade clothing and worn shoes. As with most of the animals that lived in the village, every member of Yasui's family had one pair of shoes that they wore only when going to school or town, and when that pair finally was too worn and small to be functional they would buy a new pair the next time they went into town. Usually they all went barefoot along the dirt roads of their hometown, so one pair of shoes could last them for years if they were lucky.

There weren't many other students or teachers at the school, but two or three were wandering around for clubs or teams or other activities. Yasui couldn't help but be jealous of those lucky few. He'd always wanted to join a school club, but farm work tended to cut into any sort of free time leaving only a small window in the evenings for any sort of leisure activities. They finally stopped in front of the door to the headmaster's office. A small plaque hung there that stated his name, Headmaster Sho. Yasui's father knocked on the door and a shrill voice squeaked out.

"Come in!"

They entered into the small office and stood behind the two armchairs that were situated in front of the headmaster's desk. Before them sat a squat racoon that was starting to go a bit grey around his eyes with a large pair of glasses perched on his snout. He smiled, stood from his chair and gave a quick bow.

"Ah, hello and good morning. I was wondering when you would arrive. How was the trip down here?"

Ibiki smiled and returned the greeting.

"Good morning to you as well. Fortunately it was uneventful so we made good time. I'm just glad that my wife could come with me this time. You remember last time how she unfortunately was feeling ill."

The headmaster gave her a kind smile.

"Of course I do. It was just two months ago after the... incident regarding your oldest son."

Her smile grew a bit tighter as she replied,

"I am truly sorry about that. I assure you that Yone will think twice before he does something as stupid as cheating on a paper again."

Headmaster Sho waved his hands.

"I believe you, I know that Yone tends to struggle a bit academically. However, let us discuss the matter at hand."

Ibiki frowned.

"Yes, let's. I apologize, but I don't understand what this meeting is about. We've never had a meeting about Yasui before, well, other than the one when he was in elementary school."

"Ah, yes. I'd almost forgotten about that. How is your arm, Yasui?"

Yasui unconsciously rubbed his right arm.

"It's fine. No problems anymore."

"Good. But yes, this is definitely a... different sort of meeting. And, if it isn't too much to ask, I'd like to speak to just the two of you first. Yasui, would you mind stepping outside?"

His parents exchanged worried looks. Something so severe that they needed to speak to the headmaster alone? What could their son have possibly done! Yasui nodded, his heart immediately jumping into his throat, and nervously edged out of the room. Once the door was closed Sho gestured for then both to sit. Immediately Ino began worriedly talking.

"What did he do? I can't even imagine what might have happened. I mean, I expect this sort of thing from his siblings at times, but Yasui?! Never."

The headmaster held up his hands.

"I assure you, this has nothing to do with your son's behavior. This meeting is about his academics."

This statement took them both completely by surprise. Ibiki frowned.

"I thought he was doing well. He gets perfect scores on almost all of his tests."

"That's precisely the issue. It has come to my attention that our highschool might not be... adequately prepared to instruct your son upon his graduation from middleschool in a few weeks."

Ino shook her head.

"I don't understand, what does that mean?"

"It means that Yasui needs to be in a school that's better suited to the task than our simple academy. We believe that him attending a more challenging school would help him immensely, and that he has the chance to really make it far in life if he has the right education. As such, I spoke to an old friend of mine who happens to be the headmaster of Cherryton, a prestigious boarding school, and he has agreed to allow Yasui to attend."

Ibiki rubbed his jaw before sighing.

"I agree that the kid's smart enough for a fancy school, but we couldn't afford to send him to some expensive boarding school."

Sho smiled.

"That's the good news. I already had Yasui's teachers issue him the entrance exam, and he scored high enough to get him a low-level government grant that would cover the costs. All he would need is to buy a uniform and make it there."

Both parents looked at each other and frowned. Ino clasped her hands in her lap before talking.

"I understand that he could attend this school you're talking about when it comes to the actual school stuff, but is it necessary?"

Sho sighed and steepled his fingers.

"Honestly, I believe it will help in more ways than just intellectually. I'm sure you've noticed, but Yasui seems to... struggle when it comes to interacting with his classmates."

Ibiki furrowed his brow.

"I mean, he's a little shy but that's nothing to worry about."

"Unfortunately it is. We've noticed that his interpersonal skills are severely underdeveloped. I believe it's mainly due to how different he is from his classmates, coupled with his past... misfortune. Here he's always been a fish out of water, and his classmates tend to alienate him for that. But at a large school he'd have a much better chance of finding some other students like him, and he might learn how to interact with others more naturally. Living with them would also help him grow more comfortable with communicating with those outside his immediate family as he would be in almost constant contact with them. I'm sure you can see that this is an opportunity that I feel will help your son tremendously."

Ibiki looked to his wife and took her hand. After a brief moment she nodded and he turned to the headmaster.

"Could we have a bit to discuss this and think it over?"

"Of course. So long as you get me an answer before school break we'll be fine. Well, I think we're done here. It was nice to meet with you."

Ino smiled.

"It was nice to meet with you too. Have a good rest of your day."

They exited the office and found their son sitting on one of the benches beside the door. Ino sat beside him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Did you hear us?"

He glummly nodded.

"And?"

"I... I don't know. I don't think I'm smart enough to go to a school in some big city somewhere. And I know I'm not brave enough to live away from home."

Ibiki reached out and tilted his son's head up to look at him.

"Son, do you remember what I always told you?"

"That coffee is the lifeblood of any good farmer."

"True, but the other thing."

"Pickles are a gift from heaven?"

"No, the other other thing."

"I don't know."

He kneeled down in front of his son and tapped a finger to his forehead.

"I always told you that this big brain of yours would take you far someday. And I know that you're brave enough and smart enough to do this."

Yasui looked between his two parents.

"You really think I should do it?"

They both nodded. He rubbed his arms before slowly nodding.

"Okay. I'll do it."

Ino smiled and ran her hand across his head, smoothing down his ears.

"I know you'll make us proud. You'll make lots of friends and learn so much."

Yasui returned the smile before standing up.

"Well... since it's still early. Would you mind taking me to the library? I want to get some more books to read."

Ibiki laughed.

"Of course! This is something we need to celebrate! In fact, I think we might have to get one of those donuts you like so much and split it for lunch."

"Really!"

"Really. Cmon, we're burning daylight."

The three began their walk out of the school and towards to sunlight of the outside world. It was shaping up to be a beautiful day. One that Yasui was going to get to share with his parents.

Beep Beep, Beep Beep, Beep Be—*

THUNK*

Yasui groaned and rubbed his eyes before flopping back into bed. Sunlight was peeking through the curtains over his bunk and he was not happy about it.

Why... why did I have to have a dream about that day. Why.

He sniffed a bit and frowned as he felt moisture soaking into his fur. He quickly reached up and rubbed his eyes.

Seriously! Am I crying! Get a hold of yourself! Now is not the time to be a crybaby. It's been less than a day and you're already homesick!? Just... just get a grip. Just stop thinking about it.

He couldn't help it. No matter what he did he couldn't seem to stop the tears. He finally managed to snap out of it and sighed, arms flopping back down to his sides.

I guess I need to get up. No, I really don't want to. But I have to, I guess. Reasons to get up: I need to go to class, I'm kinda hungry, This room smells kinda bad. Reasons to become a hermit and never leave bed: Bed comfy and outside not. Seems pretty even to me.

His deliberations were interrupted by the sounds of his roommates beginning to stir. He sighed, rolled out of bed, and threw the covers back on. He quickly straightened his few personal effects before getting dressed.

Let's see, it's pretty warm out so I don't think I need the uniform jacket, but do I want to wear the vest or just the shirt and tie.

He'd never really thought too much about it, but the prospect of being judged on your first day can make you overthink the dumbest of things. Add to that the pressure of a self-appointed goal to make loads of friends and you have yourself a nice early morning conundrum. He eventually settled on no vest.

I don't want to look stuck up, and the vest is a little fancy looking.

Before the rest of his roommates had even left their beds, he had gathered his various books, notebooks, and pencils into his weathered backpack (five years and still holding together) before heading out. However, as he passed his floors communal bathroom, he realized that he had forgotten one crucial thing.

Oh crap, I haven't even looked in a mirror or anything! What if my fur looks like a bomb went off inside a yarn basket!

He quickly ducked in and rushed to the nearest sink. Fortunately for him, he seemed to be the only person in there. Everyone else was probably just now waking up. Apparently years of having to get up early enough to make breakfast before riding a bus for almost an hour makes you a bit of an early riser. He audibly groaned as he saw what was waiting for him.

"Great, just great."

It wasn't the messiness of his fur that bothered him, that could be fixed with some water and straightening out. Rather it was the length of the sides and back that were giving him grief. Unbeknownst to Yasui, his fur had been steadily growing at a rapid pace. Before leaving home, he had been a bit too preoccupied with his preparations to notice his need of a trim, leaving him with the start of a pair of large, scruffy sideburns and a thick layer of fluff on the back of his head.

"What's the issue? Got a stomach ache?"

Yasui jumped as a friendly voice rang out from the other side of the room. Apparently he was not alone after all. Looking over at him from only a few sinks away was a Labrador Retriever with well groomed, golden fur. He was currently in the process of putting toothpaste on his toothbrush. He gestured to Yasui's stomach with the brush and yawned widely before continuing.

"If ya do, I have a couple antacids in my bag. I kinda tend to eat a bit too fast and give myself indigestion."

Yasui's ears flattened as he looked back at the mirror.

"No, my stomach feels fine. It's my fur. I forgot to cut it before I came here, and I don't have any scissors."

The Labrador chuckled through a mouthful of foam.

"Noh wahries, rehy *ptoo!* sell them in the school store."

"That's the problem, I don't have any money."

"Aaaah, spent it all on junkfood and videogames?"

Yasui shook his head.

"No, I just didn't have any to begin with."

"Why not? Your parents not give any?"

Yasui once again shook his head as he began trying to comb through his unruly frizz.

"No, my family are all farmers. We don't have much money. I'm here on a grant."

Yasui frowned.

Why am I telling this random guy my whole life story? I don't know him. I mean, he seems nice, but still. What mysterious power does he have that makes me want to tell him stuff!?!

"Oooh, I get it. Yeah, that is a bit of a pickle."

The pleasant looking canine tapped his chin with his still damp toothbush before perking up.

"Well, I guess I could let you borrow mine? I mean, after you clean them. And you can just clean them again before you give them back."

"Seriously?"

"I don't see why not. Though I think you're worrying about this too much. Having long fur isn't that big of a deal. One of my roommates is a sheepdog so he has TONS of fur."

Yasui grimaced and ran his fingers through the growing layer on the sides of his face.

"This is just the start. In a few days it'll get so bad I'll look even more ridiculous than I already do. I'll look like some sort of bobble head."

The dog waved his hand dismissively as he packed his things back into a small bag filled with other bathroom essentials.

"Oh please, you look fine. The fur on your head isn't half as wild as my best friend Legosi's."

"Really?"

"Oh by a long shot. Anyway, my offer still stands, and you can make a little pocket change from it too."

Yasui tilted his head.

"Really? How?"

"Well, there's this store near the school that turns fur into yarn. Whenever I trim my fur before the start of summer I gather it all up and sell it for some pocket change."

"They seriously want to buy trimmed fur?"

"Mhm, you'd be surprised. Also, your fur will probably be worth a decent chunk of change, well, if you trim off enough of it. They pay more for rarer, more interesting colors than your standard shades."

Yasui frowned and looked in the mirror. Interesting fur color? His fur seemed to be the same dull, rusty red it usually was. Same grey tinge as always too.

"I don't think my fur really counts as interesting. I have the darkest, most bland looking fur in my family. They all have bright orange-red fur. Mine's all dull and dingy."

"Wow, you're a bit of a downer."

Yasui's ears flattened.

"Sorry."

Great, just great. I stumble across some super nice guy and I instantly drive him away with my moping. Real nice, idiot.

Yasui started when he suddenly felt a bump on his elbow. The Labrador was now suddenly standing beside him. He smiled and looked in the mirror.

"C'mon, it's the first day of highschool! Smile a bit!"

Yasui swallowed and attempted a weak smile. The dog scoffed.

"Is that the best you've got? Like this!"

He immediately closed his eyes, pointed to his face, and grinned from ear to ear. Yasui felt the corners of his mouth twitch as he loudly said "cheeeeeeeeese!" The strange boy's eyes snapped open and he laughed.

"That's more like it! Now, keep that going. Nothing helps you look better than a smile!"

"Alright. I'll try."

"That's all anyone can do. Now c'mon! It's time for breakfast!"

The friendly canine had started to steer Yasui out of the bathroom and towards the cafeteria.

"Really? Well, is it fine if I sit with—"

"SHOOT!"

The Labrador came to a screeching halt and looked all around. He grabbed his head with both hands and sighed.

"I forgot my backpack! How could I be so careless! It's still sitting beside my bed!"

He took off running towards his room before spinning back around and running back up to Yasui. He grabbed his hand and gave it a vigorous shake.

"I'm Jack by the way! Room 701, see you there whenever you borrow my scissors!"

And with that he was running pellmell towards his dorm. Yasui was left dumbfounded in the middle of the sidewalk, hand still outstreached.

"I did it."

He pumped his arm and grinned.

I did it! I made a friend! Oh I almost feared today would never come! I, Yasui, finally made a friend. And he isn't biologically related to me!

His celebration was cut short when he realized that students were starting to stream out of the dorms and towards either the bathroom or the cafeteria. Yasui gathered himself and joined the herd, not wanting to look like a weirdo in front of the whole student body. As he grabbed a tray and joined the line for breakfast he began to think more about his conversation with Jack.

Maybe I'm jumping to conclusions a bit. Just because he talked to me once doesn't make us friends. At least, probably not to him. I need to find a way to make him like me, and to do that I need to find ways to hang around him.

[Yasui was walking back to his dorm now that class was over when he heard a family voice.

"Oh come on! Seriously."

Looking over he saw Jack and a few other canines looking sadly up at a baseball that had gotten stuck in the branches of a tree. A few of the boys had already tried and failed to reach it through multiple means, and despair was beginning to set in on the group. Yasui walked over and stood beside Jack.

"What's the matter?"

Jack looked over and sighed.

"We were playing catch but I accidentally threw it too high. Now it's stuck and we can't get it back. And that was our only ball too."

Yasui squinted and scanned the tree up and down before setting his backpack on the grass.

"Hey Jack, do me a favor. Cup your hands like this."

He showed Jack how to hold his hands before taking a few steps back.

"When I put my foot in your hands, try to throw me straight up."

Jack nodded, not sure where this was going. Yasui rolled his head from side to side and flexed his hands, his vulpine, semi-retractable claws extending. He ran towards the Labrador and used his hands as a spring board, launching himself far up the trunk of the tree. As his momentum slowed he dug in his claws and effortlessly scaled the remaining way towards the ball. He grabbed it and lightly sprang down, landing like a superhero from a comic book. The canine onlookers cheered and Jack even gave a shrill whistle before flinging his arm around his shoulders.

"Yeah! That's my buddy! Thanks dude, I owe you one."

Yasui smiled and shook his head.

"No way, that's what friends are for, right?"

Jack laughed.

"You said it! C'mon, we can always use another player."

Yasui pursed his lips and furrowed his brow.

"I dunno, I really should go study."

Everyone groaned and started trying to talk him into joining them. He sighed and held his arms up in defeat.

"Alright, I give. Let's play some ball."

They all cheered before continuing their game, now with a new player.]

Wait, why wouldn't I just climb the tree by myself. Then I could always get the ball and say something witty, like "looking for this?" or "having a ball?" Oh, that one was terrible. Definitely not that last one.

"Next."

Yasui blinked as he realized he had reached the counter. He set his tray down and watched as a cheese and veggie omelette was set on his plate. He gave the zebra who had served him a weak smile.

"Thanks."

He wheeled around and started looking for a place to sit. He was hoping to maybe see that Jack fellow somewhere, but so far no dice. After a few minutes of wandering he sighed and began to walk back to the tree he had sat under the night before.

It's too crowded in there anyway. Who knows, that squirrel might be there again. Maybe I can talk to him. Just... carefully. Remember, claws covered and fangs hidden.

However, that squirrel wasn't there, instead he was walking to one of the corners in the cafeteria where a smaller table was already occupied by two other students. Most people sat with their roommates or friends of the same species during meals, however this sometimes varied when friends or club mates would sit together. As such, nobody looked twice as the squirrel sat down beside a black tailed jackrabbit with gray fur, and an alpaca with snow white wool. The alpaca was serenely working through his fruit and yogurt while the rabbit was reading manga while occasionally taking a big scoop into his mouth.

"Morning guys."

The alpaca smiled.

"Morning, Shin. I see you're bright-eyed and bushy tailed as usual."

"Haha, squirrel joke. I'd say the same to you too if I knew any good alpaca sayings, Kashi."

Kashi the alpaca contemplatively chewed a strawberry before carefully swallowing and replying.

"I'll have to get back to you about that. I'm actually drawing a complete blank on alpaca idioms."

Opposed to the crisply pressed and pristinely put together alpaca, the rabbit was a bit more rough looking. While still dressed well and sitting beside an expensive satchel, he had the bearing of someone who didn't care particularly much about how they looked. He yawned widely and smacked his lips.

"Hey Shin, you got to chapter twenty of volume five of Realm Guardians yet?"

Shin shook his head and began mixing his fruit into his yogurt.

"No, I'm still on volume three. I can't believe you read that fast, Don."

He rubbed at his eye and shrugged.

"It's a gift. Just imagine if I used my powers exclusively for school. I'd probably be an absolute genius and blow Kashi out of the water."

Kashi gave him a cool smile.

"You probably could. All that natural intellect and you never study. How you stayed second in the class during middle school is still beyond me."

Don shrugged.

"Guess I'm just a genius then. School's overated anyway."

Shin sighed.

"I studied almost as hard as Kashi did and only came eighth. Having a squirrel attention span is no fun. I can't focus on anything. Speaking of, are you guys ready for the big announcement tonight?"

This immediately perked up Don who laughed and pointed his spoon at his friend.

"Ready? I've been waiting for the official release date of Fantasy Quest VII since it entered development! I'm putting it on preorder as soon as the announcement happens."

Kashi nodded.

"Yeah, me and Fantasy Quest go way back. First video game I ever played. We have got to get it the day it drops."

Shinrai nodded as he took a bite that was way too big. His cheeks puffed out as he gave a muffled reply, mercifully covering his mouth with his hand.

"I glo wigh, ih wooks so guhd."

He swallowed and sadly pat his wallet.

"Unfortunately this will wipe out all the money I've been saving. I mean, I intended to use it for this game anyway. But it will really hurt to spend that much. Not that you'd understand."

They both shrugged. Kashi gave a wane smile and went back to his breakfast.

"To be honest, I wouldn't mind just being some average student who has a typical, middle class family. Being the son of politicians kinda sucks most of the time. I mean, I'm lucky to see my parents once a month."

Shin nodded.

"I guess."

"You should. Count the blessings you do have, otherwise it'll hurt worse if you lose them."

Don groaned.

"Quit tryin' to sound smart. You just end up reminding me of one of those cheap fortune cookies."

Kashi rolled his eyes.

"Says the son of the immensely rich owners of one of the largest shipping companies in the world."

Don shrugged.

"I never complained about my parents. My family rocks, even if they make me actually work for my allowance."

Kashi frowned.

"Congratulations, you're one step below entitled rich-kid. Instead, you're an entitled rich-kid with well meaning parents."

"I am not entitled!"

"Have you met yourself?"

Shinrai sighed and continued working on his breakfast. With how often those two argued he felt like the child keeping his estranged parents together.

All too soon the bell rang, signaling that classes would begin in a matter of minutes. Yasui checked his class schedule and set off to his first class of the day, Classical Literature. The room was already beginning to fill up as the teacher put a seating chart on the projector. Apparently, they would all be seated alphabetical, which meant that Yasui would be in the very back for every class. He was on the very first seat of the back row, with the isle to his right and a female tabby cat to his left. He made sure he was presentable, got his pencil ready to take notes, and turned to his new neighbor.

"Hey, I'm Yasui."

The cat gave him a blank look and maintained silent eye contact for a solid minute. Yasui was beginning to sweat when she finally spoke.

"You're left handed."

Yasui blinked before nervously smiling.

"Yeah, why? Are you too?"

"That's bad luck."

Yasui could only blink a few times as he tried to process this unexpected conversation.

Wow, that... takes me back. The last time somebody called my being left handed bad luck was... when I was ten and Aunt Rose was watching me. She refused to touch me after that. Not that she liked me in the first place.

This unfortunately set a precedent that continued in his other classes. In his math class he sat between a sparrow and and a guinea pig who were both too scared to talk to him. In Science, a duck who actually moved a seat away. On and on it went until the period directly before lunch break. This was shorter than a typical class on account of it being the physical education period. Apparently, here at Cherryton, all students had PE three times a week directly before lunch. The idea was that they all needed a brief stint of physical stimulation in order to help them be attentive in class. They were all separated by size: small breed, medium breed, and large breed. They weren't however divided in any other ways, the idea was that both carnivores and herbivores either male or female could utilize their innate skills in different ways. However they realized having chipmunks and elephants running together was a recipe for disaster so they at least tried to keep them in relatively close size categories. Yasui had changed into his PE uniform (a simple shirt with athletic shorts) and was standing far from the outer edge of the clustered students assembled in one of the school's gyms.

The teacher, a sleep deprived looking jaguar, blew a whistle and held up a bag of red rubber balls. Many of the students (especially the male carnivores) began to excitedly murmer. The teacher yawned before holding his arm straight in the air.

"Single file, we're splitting into two teams. As it is your first day of classes, I figured we'd play a classic. Get ready for dodgeball."

There were cheers, there were groans, there might have been a few whimpers, but soon enough they were split into two equal teams. Yasui was doing his best to hide behind two of his teammates, a male and female german shepherd duo who were excitedly stretching and elbowing each other. Yasui hated dodgeball, even if this was his first time actually playing. He'd sat on the bench more than enough times during middle school to know that soon there would be a transformation from gym to slaughterhouse. Balls hitting people and tails getting stepped on, what wasn't to love. The whistle blew and all the athletic and competitive students charged towards the balls set in a neat line at the center of the room. Yasui made the split second decision to join (from a safe distance) the small group of unathletic students standing meekly in the back.

On the other side of the court, only two students made up the unathletic group: a black tailed jackrabbit named Don and an alpaca named Kashikoi. Don stretched his arms over his head and sighed.

"Seriously, can this stupid 'class' be over already? I'm hungry, and this is dumb."

Kashi was taking this time to go through a full routine of stretches. He balanced on one foot and began to stretch his leg up behind his back before suddenly leaning completely forward with his hand touching the floor, narrowly avoiding a stray ball. He righted himself and took a deep breath.

"I dunno, I find it relaxing. Getting to stretch, fresh air, what's not to love?"

"The threat of airborne, rubbery death."

"Well this probably won't take too long anyway. Our team has far superior athletic prowess when compared to theirs. Unfortunately for them, these teams aren't exactly even in the skill department."

Don shrugged and pointed to a scrawny fox standing awkwardly in a corner.

"I see what you mean. Like, get a load of that guy. I mean, he looks like somebody just sat on his tail and he's too embarrassed to complain about it. Heck, he makes me look athletic and confident."

Kashi squinted a bit as he looked him up and down.

"Huh, I wonder if he's new? I don't recognize him."

"Not surprising. Now that we're highschool student the classes have been rearranged."

"I guess. I wonder if—"

They were interrupted by a loud "thwack" followed by a chorus of "oooooooo." Following where everyone was looking, they saw that the fox they had noticed in the corner was now lying on the ground with a small puddle of blood growing beneath his nose. Nervous whispers erupted and accusatory glare were shot at the lynx who had thrown the ball. He was holding his hands up defensively and arguing with a nearby group as the teacher who was supposed to be supervising finally looked up and sighed before blowing his whistle.

"You, on the floor. You've got a nosebleed, go to the nurses or a bathroom or something. Don't just lie there, it's gross."

The fox groaned and cupped his nose before shakily walking out of the gymn. The teacher rubbed his eyes and waved his hand dismissively.

"Whatever, class dismissed. Whoever threw that ball, clean up that mess please."

Don pumped his fist and slapped Kashi on the back.

"Alright! Early lunch! Thank you whatyourface the fox."

Yasui, for his part, spent a quick stint in the bathroom with a tissue up his nose. If it wasn't clear, he was the unfortunate sod who took a ball to the face. Fortunately his nose seemed fine, so he made his way towards the cafeteria for his much needed lunch. Upon entering the cafeteria he was feeling more than a little discouraged.

Well, so far nothing has gone well. But it can't possibly get worse, right? Oh no, I jinxed it didn't I?

As he collected his sandwich and began once again scanning for a sign from the heavens as to where he should sit. He stopped when he saw the same Labrador from this morning walking towards a table.

Yes! It's that Jack guy again! Maybe today won't be a total wash after all! I'll walk over and say, "mind if I sit with you?" and he'll say, "Sure thing Yas—"

Yasui's internal dialogue was immediately shattered by the realization of one simple thing. He had forgotten to introduce himself this morning.

Why!?! How could I forget to tell him my name! For all I know he's already referring to me as the weirdo from the bathroom! No, it's okay. It's salvageable. Just go over and sit with him. No worries.

He was mere steps away when the monster of a wolf he had seen yesterday sat down directly beside Jack. Yasui immediately spun and power walked to his tree.

Abort! Abort! I'm pulling the plug! We'll get them next time.

As he scurried out the door, he passed by the table where Shin, Don, and Kashi were having their lunch. Don spotted the fox and elbowed his alpaca friend.

"Hey dude, it's the guy whose face got broken."

Kashi sighed.

"You shouldn't make fun of him. You've had your share of embarrassing moments. Remember when I got you in the face during dodgeball three years ago?"

Shin gave the alpaca a disappointed look.

"I still can't believe you of all people hit Don in the face. I mean, where's your sense of companionship. Weren't you ever picked on during PE?"

"No, not really. I guess unlike you and Don I've always been in pretty decent shape. I actually used to dominate the playground baseball games back in elementary school."

Don gave him a dirty look.

"Make up your mind Mister Perfect, are you a nerd like us or a jock. You can't be both."

"Don, I'm on the chess team. What do you think."

Shin speared an apple slice and used it as a pointer.

"He makes a good point. Chess is an inherently nerdy activity for high school students. But we can't exactly talk either given I'm in the AV club and you're in the art club."

Don pounded his fist into his palm.

"That's what I'm saying! We're all nerds and have been since middle school. We can't have Kashi suddenly going athletic on us! Next thing you know he'll be skipping game night and hooking up with random chicks!"

Kashi raised an eyebrow.

"You realize that we can have girlfriends too. Just because we like games, manga, and anime doesn't force us to be celibates. I mean, you've all had girls you were interested in before, right."

He pointed to Don who shrugged.

"Never touched one, let alone kissed or something."

Shin blushed and looked down.

"I've never even talked to a girl I wasn't related to."

Both rabbit and alpaca gave him looks of pity mixed with disgust. Don whistled.

"Wow, that is sad. There has to be some little squirrel lady you like."

"No, not really."

Kashi grew a wry smile and asked.

"But is there some girl who's not a squirrel you like."

Shin's face immediately heated up and his tail twitched.

"N-no. Not at all. That's—"

Don waggled his eyebrows and leaned in closer.

"OoOooo, who is it. She a chipmunk? Maybe a hedgehog? A rabbit? You naughty squirrel, you're not crushing on somebody who's bigger than you are you?"

"Cut it out man!"

Kashi crossed his arms and smiled.

"Give him a break, Don. We all know that Shin gets nervous around girls. But seriously, you need to learn how to talk to ladies if you want to get anywhere in life."

Shin groaned and began fiddling with his shirt.

"I know that, it's just... I'm not there yet. But I will be someday. I don't know why but girls just freak me out! I can talk to the guys in my room and other guys just fine, well herbivores that is. I'm a bit iffy when it comes to carnivores. But that's the point! I wanna get better at that stuff, so before summer break I started doing one of those self-improvement regiments that has me doing some sort of challenge every day."

Kashi nodded.

"And? What's your challenge for today."

"Well... it's to 'do something that scares you.'"

"And? What did you do?"

"Nothing yet, I haven't decided what to do."

Don rolled his eyes.

"Just talk to a girl, or stand on a tall building or something."

"Yeah, I'll do something. Well, the bell's gonna ring any second now so I guess I'll see you guys tonight."

Kashi smiled.

"Top of the roof as usual. See ya!"

They parted ways as the students of Cherryton made their way to their remaining classes. Yasui experienced the same treatment he had received in his earlier classes, either being ignored or actively avoided by his classmates. By the time the final class of the day was over, he was feeling more than a little down. He was walking back towards his room, planning on what homework to do first (yay, how exciting) when he noticed a group of canines playing with a frisbee in front of the dorm. In that group was Jack.

Well... maybe I should try to join in? They'd probably let me. I'm bad at playing catch with any sort of object, frisbees included, but they probably won't mind. Can't make me feel any worse than I already do.

Just then, one of the players threw it wide and it sailed over the whole group and lodged itself in the branches of a rather tall tree. Yasui was dumbstruck.

Holy crap, it happened. It actually happened! Now's my chance! Thank you God for this opportunity!

He quickly dropped his backpack at the base of the tree and began to scale the side opposite the gathered players who were trying to knock it down with rocks. One of them groaned.

"Nice one, Collot. Now it's stuck."

"Oh shut up, it's not my fault. Besides, all we need to do is find a ladder of something. You know where we can get a ladder, Jack."

Jack shrugged.

"Maybe the janitor has one? Or we could see if there's one that we could borrow from some club or another."

"Hey, yeah! Legosi! You're in the stage crew, right? You guys have a ladder we can use?"

One of their members, a spotted hyena named Miguno, pointed up in the tree.

"Hey guys, who's that.

They all looked up to see a small fox carefully clambering through the branches of the tree. He soon reached the stuck frisbee and pulled it free. He sat straddling a branch and held it up for them.

"Hey, you guys—"

CrrrrrrACK*

whack*

thumP

boNK*

wHAM*

THUD*

They all winced and let out a collective "oooooooooo" as the limb he was sitting on broke, causing him to crash his way through a few branches before landing hard on the ground below. Miguno sucked in a breath and looked at his battered form. He carefully poked him which caused no response.

"Crap guys, I think he's dead! What do we do!"

Jack's ears drooped.

"Oh no! It's that gloomy fox guy I bumped into in the bathroom this morning! Poor guy."

Voss, the fennec fox of the group, looked up at Jack.

"Well what do we do? Call the school nurse?"

Jack shrugged, his tail hanging limply behind him.

"I dunno, maybe? What's the protocol for this?"

"Uh, guys, he's still breathing."

They all rushed over before Collot, the sheepdog, spread his arms.

"Whoa, we gotta give him room."

Durham, the coyote, raised an eyebrow.

"We do?"

"Yeah, that's what they say in all the movies."

They were interrupted by a low groan from below them. They all snapped to attention and watched as the fox shakily began to try to get up. Jack tugged on Legosi's arm.

"Go help him up!"

"Huh? Why me?"

"Because you could easily carry him to the school nurse if we need to."

"Alright."

Meanwhile, Yasui was just beginning to return to the land of the living. He had blacked out for a few seconds when he hit the ground, and as such he was currently seeing stars. He felt a large hand grab his shoulder and carefully lift him to his feet. A deep, almost growling voice came wavering in through the ringing.

"Uh... you okay?"

Yasui shook his head to clear the stars and looked the speaker dead in the face. There, leaning over him with his massive jaws right in his face, was that massive wolf from before. Immediately his ears flattened and he slipped out of his grip and bolted in the other direction, screaming his head off. Legosi just stood there and watched him run. The other boys closed in and Jack worriedly asked.

"What happened? Did you grab him too hard? Was he bleeding?"

"Well... I think I scared him."

The other boys all laughed and Collot slapped Legosi on the back.

"C'mon, who could be scared of a big softie like you. He's probably just weird about being the center of attention or something. You know how foxes are."

Legosi rubbed his neck.

"Yeah, I guess so. Oh, he left his bag by the tree? Should we turn it in to lost and found or something?"

Durham just tossed the newly retrieved frisbee into the air and caught it again.

"Nah, he knows where it is. How about we move somewhere without trees so this doesn't happen again. We don't have much time before Legosi needs to go to drama club."

The other boys all approved and headed towards more open ground. Meanwhile, Yasui didn't stop running until he was completely out of breath. He ducked behind a cluster of bushes near the wall that surrounded the school and flopped into a sitting position as he attempted to catch his breath.

Screw it all! Why does nothing ever go my way! Was I really mean to children in a past life or something?!? I mean come on! Why universe, why!

He whimpered a little to himself and pulled his knees up to his face, his tail tucking between his legs.

How am I such a screwup. I don't think I can ever show my face around Jack again. I know he'll just laugh at me. Who wouldn't, I looked like a complete idiot! First I bit the dust, then I run screaming from his friend. What is wrong with me! This is why nobody likes me!

Yasui sat feeling miserable for a few more seconds before he shook his head and stood up, dusting himself off as he did.

No! No feeling sorry for myself. I can at least try my best at the actual school part of this whole nightmare.

He reached towards his back for his bag only to realize he'd left it at the base of the tree. His eye twitched as he also noticed that in his fall he had managed to tear a sizable gash in his pants.

"Great, just... freaking... GREAT!"

He smacked a hand to his forehead and growled.

"Why am I such a loser! I can't do anything right! I... I."

He took a deep breath before shaking himself, as if to shake off his bad thoughts like water.

"Get a hold of yourself. Today has sucked. Tomorrow might too. But I need to do my best at school so I won't disappoint my entire family. First things first, bag. Once I get that I can go check out some of the clubs here and see if I can join one. Soon it will be time for dinner. When I'm done with dinner I'll try to stitch my pants and see about studying or homework or... something. It's fine, it's cool, I'm fine. I can do this."

He rolled his shoulders and set off to retrieve his backpack. Sure enough, it was still sitting beside the same tree as before. He picked it up and pulled put the list of clubs he'd written down. With a determined expression he headed towards where the first one met.

"Potential club number one: drama club. Let's hope they're friendly."