Chapter 3: Hunting for Clubs
Upon returning to the scene of his earlier embarrassment, Yasui found his backpack exactly where he had left it. Checking inside, everything was still there and accounted for.
Yeah, like someone wants to steal my notes. Imagine getting in trouble for stealing somebody's class notes, you go down to the headmaster's office and wait outside with the other students who did a no-no and they're like. "I'm here for fighting behind the gym. What're you here for?" And you're just like, "I stole some dudes notes from class. I just saw that ratty old notebook and couldn't help myself."
Yasui pulled out the club registry and began to scan through for his first choice.
I really hope they let me join. I could use a win today. If my creating imaginary note thieves to entertain myself is anything to go by, I really need a hobby. I'm starting to get a little pathetic.
It didn't take long to find where the drama club met. Upon entering he saw students of all species and sizes practicing lines or dances, or even just cleaning spotlights or costumes. He had barely entered the room before an aloof voice came from his left.
"Do you need something?"
He turned and saw a tall male deer looking down at him like he was a cockroach that had crawled into the room. Yasui cleared his throat (no voice cracks this time) and did his best to smile and look approachable.
"Yes. Umm... my name's Yasui, I'm a first year. I was wondering if you were accepting new members into your club?"
"Did you get an invitation?"
Invitation? What did he mean by invitation?
Yasui scratched his neck and looked away. It was really hard to keep eye contact with this deer.
"Well... no. I didn't think I—"
"What, you didn't think that you, like everyone else here, needed one."
"No I—"
"Too bad, you do. Anything else or are you going to leave."
Yasui's ears flattened and he began shuffling towards the door.
"S-sorry."
The deer crossed his arms with a look of disgust.
"Honestly, apathetic carnivores like you make me sick. Born with powerful bodies and instincts yet you surrender at the drop of a hat. Is this seriously not important enough to you to fight for it? If you care you wouldn't give up so quick. Not that it matters, only students with invitations get into the drama club."
The verbal beating had already demoralized Yasui to the point of wanting to just go crawl into a hole somewhere, but he dug up the last of his (admittedly small) self worth and asked,
"Um... where do you get an invitation?"
"You don't just 'get' one. If we thought you were worth our time you would have gotten one when you were in middle school. You didn't. So go run off to whatever it was you were doing before you decided to show your oversized snout here and stop wasting everyone's time."
He hated to admit it, but honestly Yasui kinda wanted to cry a little bit. Somehow this deer had managed to see every little insecurity he had and use them against him. He simply turned and left the building without another word. As he walked he took deep, calming breaths.
Don't you dare cry Yasui. Don't you DARE!
Yasui rubbed a little speck of dirt out of his eye and shook it off.
It's fine. You probably weren't going to fit in with the likes of him anyway. 'Strong body' as if. Did he bother to look at me first. I'm a dang runt! A scrawny, worthless nobody.
Yasui straightened up and smacked himself upsude the head.
No! No no no! Enough of this self pitying bull. I'm going to join a club if it's the last thing I do.
He found a bench and began intensively pouring over the registry. He was determined to find out which club was right for him.
Let's see. The club that makes the school newspaper could be fun, but I kinda suck at writing and I don't know how to work a camera. All sports teams are out, I have two left feet. Well, should it be two right feet given I'm left handed? Whatever, how about... the art club? I don't think I'm good at drawing but maybe I could learn. Aha! Literature club! I love reading!
He pulled out the small map that he'd been given yesterday and found the room the club met in. A short walk later and he was outside of room 2-4, home of the literature club. A sign on the door said "club meeting in progress, please knock." Yasui straightened his collar and adjusted his tie before rapping on the door with his knuckles. A nasally voice came from inside.
"Coming!"
The door opened and a male tapir wearing large glasses stepped out. He pushed his spectacles up his snout a bit and asked,
"Uh... can I help you?"
Take two, smile and look friendly.
"Yes, is this the literature club?"
"Yeah, why? You need to get something from someone?"
Yasui folded his hands behind his back, hiding his claws, and tried to smile without opening his mouth enough to show fangs.
"Actually, I was wondering if you were taking new members."
The tapir frowned and looked him over.
"Do... do you want to join?"
Yasui nodded and closed his eyes. He'd read somewhere that many creatures saw closing your eyes around them as a token of trust and friendship. Especially if a carnivore did it around an herbivore, it passively signified they had no intention of attacking them.
"I would love to. I've been an avid reader ever since I was little. I've read everything from books on botany to the classics. Although, I'm totally a sucker for a good fantasy novel. Speaking of, have you ever read the Burning Thrones saga? They're probably my favorite."
Just like the guide said. Establish interest, make a connection. I really hope that pamphlet on first impressions Headmaster Sho gave me was right.
The tapir beamed.
"Of course I have. That series was Sagayo's first big hit. He practically redefined the modern fantasy genre. Who's your favorite character? Mine's definitely Ironclad Raj. They way he uses a massive shield instead of an actual weapon is so cool!"
"Totally! But I've always been a fan of Obi. Not just because he's also a fox, I feel like a lot of people thought he was lame at first because he couldn't fight and came across as a bit of a coward. But finding out that the reason he was so scared to fight was because his flame magic cost his brother his eyes really made me sympathize with him."
"Totally! That fight at the end of book five when he unleashed his full power and accessed the Pheonix Flames in order to save Lightbringer Mayato was epic. And when you figure out that the reason why he hid his powers was because the people of the Iron Coast viewed magic as a perversion of the natural order, genius! I don't know how Sagayo comes up with this stuff."
Yasui laughed.
"Yeah, I know I couldn't. Anyway, I'm Yasui."
"Alvi."
"Nice to meet you, Alvi. Sorry to change the subject, but can I join the club? I really feel like I could contribute something to the discussions you have."
Alvi looked down and awkwardly polished his glasses.
"Listen, Yasui. You seem like a nice guy and all, but... well... The literature club... it's kinda... herbivore only."
Yasui's smile began to falter. He could feel his ears starting to droop a bit as he chuckled.
"W-what do you mean? Herbivore only? This is an integrated school? How could a club be herbivore only?"
"Well, they let the clubs be pretty autonomous. It should be in the registry. If you look beside the name it will have an 'I' for 'integrated', 'H' for 'herbivore', or 'C' for 'Carnivore'. I'm really sorry."
Stay calm. Don't do anything stupid. Leave in as good terms as possible.
The door opened again and a female horse poked her head out.
"Alvi. What's taking so long?"
Alvi looked to her and gave a nervous smile.
"Sorry! This guy was just asking about the club. So I—"
The horse rolled her eyes and pointed a finger at Yasui.
"Sorry, but this club is herbivore only. End of discussion."
Alvi shot him an apologetic look.
"Sorry, I've got to go. It was nice to meet you."
They closed they door in his face as Yasui pitifully squeaked.
"It was... nice to meet you... too."
He walked around the corner and slumped onto the floor of the empty hall. He ran his hands across his head and muffled a growl of frustration.
What is with this place! I don't understand why this sort of stuff keeps happening to me! Am I just destined to be miserable and lonely? What am I supposed to do!
He pulled back out the directory and began crossing off more club names.
"Chess club, no. Art? No. Baseball? No. Judo? No. No, no, no, no, and NO! Are there any clubs in this school that are both about something I can do and will let me join even though I'm a stupid fox!?"
He looked at the only two names still remaining: gardening club and cooking club. He had a feeling that despite there not being an explicit herbivore label beside it, he'd probably be the odd one out in the gardening club. But then again...
"I guess there's no harm in at least looking. Not that they'll let me join. At least there's hope that it'll help remind me of home, helping Mom in the garden. Weeding, watering, gathering... I wonder how the plants are growing. She always uses over two-thirds of the space to grow all her peppers."
He scanned the page for the room they met in. Instead, the spot that should have been occupied with a room number said "rooftop."
"Rooftop? Well... I guess that makes sense."
One quick climb up the stairs and he was standing outside a door with a sign reading "rooftop/ gardening club." He didn't want to get his hopes up, but he subconsciously began to straighten his clothes and hide his claws. Once he was ready he opened the door and got his first look at the gardening club. The rooftop garden was much bigger than he'd expected. As he stepped out he saw rows and rows of... flowers filling every available space.
Flowers? Do they seriously only grow flowers?!? What kind of crap garden is this! You can't have a garden that's only flowers!
He immediately spun around and marched back through the door in disgust.
A garden that only grows useless flowers! Grandma Inika would lose her mind. I can practically hear her now. 'Flowers! What use are flowers to a family! Let them grow wild for all I care, you can't feed hungry children with flowers! Grow something good, like beans or tomatoes.' I can't be part of a gardening club that doesn't grow vegetables. Cooking club it is.
He once more pulled out his now creased and wrinkled directory and checked the listing for the club room. However, he was surprised to see that there wasn't a room listed. He scanned the page again and saw a note at the bottom. "If you have any questions or concerns please come to the student help office."
Well, I guess I'm going to the "student help office" now. Sheesh, by the time this is all over it's going to be dinner and the club meetings will all be over.
It took a quick search to reach the smaller office tucked way in the back of the main building. Fortunately nobody other than the bored looking female duck behind the front desk was around. Yasui stepped up and waited for the duck to notice him. He stood there... waiting. The duck was still just boredly clicking away on her computer when Yasui cleared his throat. Immediately the receptionist jumped.
"Gyaah! Ah... oh, can I help you?"
Yasui nodded and set the club registry on the desk.
"Yes, I was interested in the cooking club, but there isn't a room number listed."
The duck nervously adjusted the small, rectangular glasses perched on her bill and typed something into the computer. When she spoke she had an unusual lisp.
"Sorry, I'm not used to having visitors. Everyone wants to go to the flashy main office for everything. I mean, it's not like it's my only job to help with a lot of the problems they bring to the ladies at the front desk, but no, they want the cute receptionists instead of a lame duck. Heh, Y'know, you might just be the first person to come visit me here in months. Last visitor I had was a second year who wanted to know if this is where the laundry was done. I mean, c'mon! Talk about insult to injury! So anyway... cooking club... cooking club. Aha! So, you wanna join the club?"
Yasui frowned.
"Uh... yeah. Don't I need to go visit them or something or—"
The duck was getting weirdly excited the longer this went on.
"No need. Fortunately for you I am the head of the student help office! Can I see your student ID?"
Yasui pulled the card out and handed it to her. As she typed the duck said,
"Y'know, I can do way more than any of those floosies at the main office can... don't tell them I said that. But yeah, supposed to be people come to me for help about all sorts of things, but for some reason nobody does. Alrighty, here ya go."
She returned Yasui's card with a flourish before rolling her chair to a massive locker and fishing around inside. She returned and handed Yasui a key.
"Here you are. It's going to be in room 1D of auxiliary building two. It's right near the back entrance of the running track."
"Oh... thanks. Does every member of a club get a key?"
"If they came to me they could. Although, club activities are ending for today, so you probably will just have to wait until tomorrow. Let me know if I can help more!"
"Thanks uh... what's your name?"
The duck froze and stared at Yasui like he had just stabbed her.
"M-my name?"
Yasui nervously smiled.
"S-sorry, I didn't see a nametag so I—"
"You want to know my name?!?"
"I'm sorry! I'll just—"
She reached across the desk and clasped Yasui's hand between her two wings.
"I'm Kabuya! Please come back!"
Yasui extricated his hand and weakly smiled.
"Yeah... will do."
While he walked away he tucked the key into his pocket. As he did his fingers rubbed against a familiar flat object. He grabbed it and held it in his palm.
Old Bolboi's lucky coin. I almost forgot I had it in my pocket.
He flipped it like it's previous owner had done so many times before and caught it in his other hand. It was such a strange coin that Yasui never got tired of looking at it. It was made of some sort of steel, and had the imprint of a fox's head on one side and an eye with a knife pointing at it on the other. The face was scratched and a little worn, but still bright and shiny. He held the coin to his chin and sighed.
Bolboi, I could definitely use some of your luck right now. If you're watching me, help me make a friend. Or at least talk to somebody who I won't immediately embarrass myself in front of.
He tucked the coin back in his pocket and headed for the cafeteria as the various clubs all dispersed and went their separate ways. He decided to just skip the formality of pretending to look for a table and went straight for his tree. He thought it was a little sad, actually. Here barely more than a full day and he was in the same predicament he had been in middle school, isolated. Nobody to talk to, nobody to sit with, and not even a family to go home to anymore. He set his tray of food beside him and began to rummage around in his backpack for the spool of thread and needle his mom had given him. He smiled as he remembered her words when she gave them to him.
She just walked into me and Yone's room while I was packing and handed it to me. "Here, just in case you catch your clothes on anything. Remember to stitch how I taught you. Keep your lines crisp and your knots tight. Sloppy stitches ruin good clothes."
Yasui shook his head, a smile still on his face and began the delicate process of threading the needle.
"Don't worry, Mom. I haven't forgotten."
However, up above him, Shinrai was looking curiously down as the same fox from before sat down at the base of the tree again. This time, however, he set his food aside and started pulling something small out of his bag. As he leaned a bit further down the tree, he caught sight of a needle and thread and watched as the fox began to carefully stitch a small tear in his clothes.
Wow, he's sewing like a pro! That's kinda cool. Maybe... maybe I should make talking to him my thing that scares me for today. I mean, he doesn't look that threatening, and we both seem to eat in the same place, so...
Shin carefully balanced his tray and moved to a lower branch, careful to not spill anything or make too loud of a noise. He saw the fox's ears perk up a bit as he stopped his work. Shinrai got situated and cleared his throat. The fox turned his head and looked up at him. For the first time, he looked this bizarre fox right in the face. He noticed that his eyes were unusually wide and seemed a bit extra alert compared to most other creatures Shinrai had seen. He smiled at the fox and pointed at the needle and thread.
"Wow, you're good at that. Do you sew often?"
The fox blinked once before scratching his cheek with his sharp, pointy claws.
"Not that often, but my Mom taught me. She's amazing at sewing. She could definitely do this way better than I could."
"Really? Is she a professional fashion designer or something?"
The fox raised an eyebrow.
"A... what?"
"You know, fashion designer. Makes expensive clothes for stores and stuff."
The fox let out a little chuckle and shook his head.
"No, but I'll have to tell her that when I next see her. Maybe she should look into doing that or something."
Shinrai crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes.
"Say... you're not from around here, are you?"
The fox grew serious again and shook his head.
"No, why? Did I say something wrong? I apologize if that was rude."
Shin waved his hands and laughed.
"No no, nothing that serious. You just have a little bit of an accent. And you talk a bit differently too. Where are you from?"
"Oh, uhh, a farming village on a mountain. It took me hours to reach here."
Shinrai leaned a bit closer, his face lighting up in excitement.
"No kidding! I've always wanted to go to the mountains! Are there really valleys so deep that sunset happens a few hours earlier than other places?"
The fox held a finger against his lips and hummed.
"Hmmm... I don't know about hours, but yeah."
"That is so cool! I've always wanted to take a picture of a mountain sunset. I'm really into cameras and pictures and stuff, so cool scenery really interests me."
The fox perked up at this.
"Really? That's so cool! I've never had my picture taken before, well apart from for my ID. How exactly does it work? Does the camera print out your picture right then or do you have to do something to it first. I haven't read much about cameras so I'm not exactly sure of the details."
"Well it depends on the camera, but wait... you've never had your picture taken? Like, as a family photo or something?"
The fox's ears drooped a bit and he sighed.
"I really wish we had, then I could at least see my family. This is the longest I've been away from them in my whole life."
Shinrai gave him an understanding smile.
"Homesick?"
"A bit I guess."
"Don't worry, the next break will be here before you know it and you'll see them soon. I'm Shinrai by the way."
The fox smiled at him appreciatively.
"I'm Yasui, thanks for talking to me. Today's kinda been a bad day."
Shinrai smiled before adjusting his tray.
"Well, I won't distract you from your food any longer. Better eat before it gets cold."
Yasui nodded and set his own tray across his lap. Shinrai watched curiously as Yasui did the same gesture he had seen yesterday. He pressed the tips of each finger against their other-hand twin, making a sort of steeple or bridge between hands with his thumbs making them into a rough circle. He spent a few seconds with his eyes closed before he finished and picked up his utensils.
"What was that you just did?"
Yasui flinched and looked up.
"What was what?"
"That hand thing? I saw you do it yesterday. What is it?"
Yasui squinted his eyes and thought for a moment before realizing what he meant.
"Oh, you mean my showing gratitude?"
Shinrai gave him a curious look.
"I guess? Is that what that was? Is that something you do in your village? Like, instead of pressing your hands together and bowing? And even then, who were you thanking?"
Yasui took a sip of his drink before explaining.
"Well, we do the whole bowing thing too, but this is just what we do before every meal. We would always take a moment to express our gratitude to the food we were eating."
Shinrai laughed.
"Wait wait wait, you're thanking the food itself? Why?"
Yasui scratched his head and sheepishly looked away.
"It... doesn't matter. I guess it's stupid anyway."
"Aw, I didn't mean it like that! I just was surprised is all. If it's a tradition from your home than that's fine by me. I just don't quite understand the idea of it."
Yasui picked up one of the carrots off his tray and held it between his thumb and forefinger. Tonight's dinner was bean steak with vegetables, not exactly the style of food he was used to.
"Well... it goes back to a tradition from my village. It's called 'the cycle' or the 'circle of life.' Do you know about that?"
Shinrai shook his head. Yasui scrunched his face up and rolled the carrot around a bit before popping it into his mouth. He picked up a stick and drew a circle on the ground.
"Well, It's kinda complicated. But the way it goes is that all life happens in a big circle. Every living thing, from the grass to the bugs to the largest carnivores are all connected in the cycle. The plants are eaten by small bugs or herbivores, the carnivores eat the bugs and... well it's a very old tradition so—"
Shinrai grimaced.
"So the carnivores eat the herbivores and bugs who eat the plants."
Yasui's ears drooped and he awkwardly rubbed his hands across his legs.
"...Yeah. Sorry if that's uncomfortable."
Shinrai waved his hand dismissively.
"Oh please, it's not like you decided that's how this ancient tradition goes. Continue."
"Well, those carnivores are eaten by stronger carnivores who are eaten by stronger carnivores until you reach the apex. The apex is the strongest creature of them all, or any creature that dies of natural causes and is buried. It then goes that through the apex, the cycle begins again. Their body feeds the earth from which comes the plants."
Shinrai nodded.
"And it all starts again. That... honestly is kinda a neat way to think about it I guess. A little creepy, but neat."
Yasui nodded and continued.
"Well, it's not just your physical self that passes along, it's your spirit too. At least, that's what the tradition says. According to my Dad who heard it from his Dad and so on, all living beings have a physical body as well as a spirit, which is the life energy a living thing has. However, only animals like us have a soul, which give personality and emotions. When you die, they say your soul leaves your body, but your spirit stays behind and is passed on into whatever consumes it. That really freaked me out when I ate my great uncle—"
"WHAT!!"
Shinrai immediately scrambled further up the tree, dropping his meal on the ground. He gave Yasui a frantic stare as Yasui went wide eyed and put his hands over his mouth.
"Oh my gosh! That came out wrong! Let me explain! When I first was told about this it was because my grandmother had baked an apple pie for dessert when my family ate at her house. When I tried to sneak a bite before we gave gratitude, she scolded me and told me to show some respect because it was my great uncle I was eating. Well I started crying and wouldn't eat any until my parents explained that because we believe that the spirit passes on, we bury our dead without embalming them so they decompose and return to the soil. That way their spirit inhabits the plants that grow over them so they can offer us strength and provide for us from the afterlife."
Shinrai shakily nodded his head and sighed.
"So... you didn't actually eat your great uncle?"
"No, he asked to be buried under an apple tree. He always loved apples and wanted to ensure the tree would provide delicious, nutritious fruit for his family for as long as it stood."
Shinrai closed his eyes and crossed his arms. Yasui nervously fidgetted before Shinrai smiled.
"You know, as creepy as that sounds, I actually kinda like it!"
"R-really?"
"Yeah! I mean, it's nice to think you're giving something nice to your family after you die rather than just sitting in a coffin. Shoot, I might ask to be buried under a walnut tree now that I've hear about it! That way any grandkids or whatever I might have can remember me."
Yasui excitedly nodded.
"That's the point! It's about passing on the memories of your ancestors and thanking them for providing for you with the plants fertilized by their body. And you thank the plants or whatever for offering their nutrients to help you live."
Shinrai nodded before looking down saddly at his dropped tray.
"Well then, sorry for dropping you, Mr. Veggie Meal. Now I'm going to be hungry."
Yasui patted the ground next to him and gestured to his tray.
"Here, you can have part of mine. It is my fault you dropped your food. For some stupid reason I can't seem to talk without it all sounding wrong."
Shinrai frowned and hesitantly dropped from his branch.
"I dunno, I've never eaten carnivore food before. Is it any good?"
Yasui shrugged.
"To be honest, I've never had bean steak before. Back home we eat meal steak, tofu or just eggs. And vegetables, lots of vegetables. Given we're farmers we grow pretty much all our food ourselves."
"Meal steak? What's that?"
"Oh, it's made from meal worms."
Shinrai pulled a face.
"Dude, gross! You eat... worm steak?"
Yasui just shrugged.
"We need to get protein and other necessary things somehow. It's better than the alternative."
Shinrai gulped.
"Hehe... yeah."
Yasui blanched and hurriedly clarified.
"I meant malnutrition! Sheesh, I can't stop putting my foot in my mouth!"
"No worries. I guess it's going to be a first for both of us."
"I guess... so... halfsies?"
Shinrai stiffled a snicker and asked,
"What did you just say?"
"Halfies, like, you take half and I take half."
"But why did you say it like that?! I've never heard somebody call splitting something 'halfsies.'"
Yasui paused with cutlery in midair and gave Shinrai a curious look.
"You haven't?"
"Nope! Man, you're a strange one for sure."
Yasui frowned and looked back at his food.
"Sorry. I'll try to not be."
Shinrai huffed and crossed his arms.
"Don't get all bent out of shape. I meant it in a good way. My Dad always told me that weird people keep life interesting. He should know, his cousin eloped with a snake."
Yasui laughed.
"Wait, seriously?!"
"Seriously! One day we just got a postcard of him and his new wife on their honeymoon. It's still a bit strange to see them at family reunions. She's nice though, plays a mean trombone."
Yasui gave him a skeptical look and began divvying up his meal.
"You're pulling my tail."
"I'm serious! They met at a jazz club!"
"And she plays the trombone?"
"Yeah, she moves the slide with her tail. It's pretty much the only instrument a snake can play."
Seeing the fox's disbelieving stare, Shin huffed and pulled a face.
"Whatever, you don't believe me. Just serve up that bean steak before it gets cold."
"Alright. Here you go."
They both cut a small piece off and looked at it skeptically. Yasui shrugged.
"Well... down the hatch."
They both began to chew the "steak" and slowly began to form their opinions about it. Yasui nodded his head.
"Not bad, a bit less... dense than meal steak. It also doesn't taste as... I dunno... mealy?"
Shinrai frowned.
"It's chewier than I expected. But good. I kinda like it. It's something to really bite on."
"I think that's the point. But I didn't think herbivores really liked chewie foods."
"Well, squirrels love gnawing on different types of nuts and seeds. Keeps the front teeth from growing too big."
"Huh, you don't say."
They fell silent as they enjoyed their meal. After a brief pause Shin asked,
"So, you been enjoying school so far?"
"No, not really. My roommates are rude and made fun of me for being small, nobody talks to me, and I embarrassed myself in front of this guy I was trying to become friends with."
"Oh, that sounds rough."
Yasui sighed and halfheartedly stabbed a piece of bean steak.
"Yeah, not only did I forget to give him my name, I then fell out of a tree in front of him, knocked myself unconscious, and then ran screaming from his friend."
"...Wow."
"Yeah. I don't think it's meant to be. I'll just spend every day alone from now on. I did all through middle school so why not highschool too."
"You're exaggerating. There has to have been some people you were friends with."
Yasui just shrugged.
"I don't think any of them ever even bothered to learn my name. They probably haven't even noticed I'm not at their school anymore."
"I'm sorry. That sounds really..."
Yasui chuckled sarcastically.
"Sad? Pathetic? Creepy?"
"Lonely."
Yasui stayed silent a moment before nodding without a word. The two finished their meal in silence before Shinrai got to his feet and brushed any grass from his pants.
"Well, I promised to meet my friends tonight, so I've got to go. It was nice talking to you,"
The squirrel smiled and picked up the tray he had dropped.
"Even if you are a bit weird."
"Thanks, Shinrai. You wanna... eat dinner here tomorrow? I won't make you drop your tray this time."
"Sounds good to me. And Yasui... don't give up trying to be friends with that person you were talking about. If they're worth being friends with they won't care that you embarrassed yourself. Heck, it might even be something for you to joke about."
Yasui rubbed his right arm and shrugged.
"Maybe."
"My advice? Don't take yourself so seriously. If you can laugh at your mistakes you'll be happier. At least, it works for me. See ya!"
Yasui watched the energetic herbivore wander towards the dish return before turning and looked back towards the city.
Don't give up... okay. I'll become friends with Jack no matter what. And I'll try to laugh at myself.
He squared his shoulders and pulled a cheesy grin.
"Hey, did you see me fall out of that tree, classic!"
He held it for a moment before sighing and returning to his usual slouchy posture.
Who am I kidding, I'd just come across like an idiot. Better to just pretend it never happened.
He picked up his tray and dropped it off at the cafeteria on his way towards his dorm.
All that stuff can wait for tomorrow. Tonight, I need to focus on homework and studying. These classes are probably going to be tough as nails, and if my grades slip, I'm on a one way trip back home on board the Disappointment Express.
While Yasui was being a model student and having a complete lack of a social life, Shinrai had climbed the small creature stairs up to the school roof. Most of it was occupied by a rooftop garden, but there was a decent chunk of roof that was simply empty space with a few places perfectly suited for sitting and looking out over the sunset-stained town. Shinrai sighed as he flopped down near Don and Kashi who had arrived at their usual time.
"Sorry I'm late, the vending machine I usually use was out of Koala Cola, so I had to find another one."
He noticed their dark expressions and asked,
"Uh... you guys okay?"
Don huffed and looked out over the city in disgust.
"No. We're not."
"I said I was sorry! It was only by a few minutes that I was late! It's no big deal."
Kashi sighed.
"It's not about you."
Shin just gave them a puzzled look before Don threw his hands up in exasperation.
"It's the new Fantasy Quest! It's releasing next Friday!"
"Oh, that's sooner than I expected. So what's the issue."
Kashi stood and began slowly pacing the roof.
"The problem is that it's a midnight release."
"And?"
The alpaca just gave the befuddled squirrel a patient look before it finally clicked. Shinrai's expression deflated into a look of despair.
"Oh yeah, curfew."
Don practically snarled and thew his empty can across the roof.
"Yeah! We have to be in our dorms by the exact moment the game releases! Which means that when all the stores in this city sell out on the first night, we'll have to wait for the next shipment. As if that ever happens fast."
Kashikoi shook his head and sighed.
"I guess it can't be helped. We're stuck waiting until we can get a copy during the day."
Shinrai sadly nodded as he popped the tab on his drink.
"Bummer. I'm so dang excited to play it that I don't wanna wait any more than I have to."
Kashi just shrugged.
"I guess that's just the way the cookie crumbles."
Don stormed over to them and grabbed their shoulders.
"No. We're not just going to take this. I know what we have to do."
His two friends shared confused looks before he elaborated.
"Guys, we gotta sneak out."
Shinrai smacked his hand away.
"Are you crazy!?! We could get expelled! And unlike you people, my family can't afford for me to get kicked out."
Kashi nodded.
"And besides, it's dangerous. The three of us wandering around the city at night is just asking for trouble."
Don smiled.
"It would be, if we didn't make a plan."
He pulled them all into a conspiratorial huddle and grinned.
"Gentlemen, let's plan our escape."
Shinrai nervously rubbed his hands together and twitched his bushy tail.
"I dunno... my parents would kill me if I get caught."
"So we don't get caught. C'mon, heist with me."
Kashi raised an eyebrow.
"Heist? We're buying a game, not robbing a bank."
"But we'll need to do all the same stuff as a heist movie. Planning, codenames, the getaway. C'mon, we've waited years for this moment. I personally am not letting it slip through my fingers. So what do you say, are you with me?"
Don stuck his hand in the middle as the three stood there in silence until Shinrai nervously put his hand on top of the rabbit's.
"If we get caught I'm going to kill you."
Don looked over at the unreadable alpaca and started him down.
"Alright Mr. Model Student, what's it going to be. Are you sick and tired of following all the rules yet?"
Kashi sighed and put his hand on top.
"Fine, but only because without my help you're both going to get expelled."
Don smiled.
"Alright. Operation Quest Getter is a go."
"Quest Getter?" Shin and Kashi dryly asked.
"Shut up! It's a working title. Now, hand me a candy bar and some paper. We've got a heist to plan."
(Yasui's home, many years ago)
An elementary age Yasui came bursting out the front door of his house and ran towards the home directly beside their's.
"Bolboi! Bolboi!!"
Sitting on the porch of the small house was a wizened old goat with a pipe sticking out of his mouth. He chuckled as the young fox drew near and cheerily set his wrinkled hand on his head.
"Young Master Yasui, what could possibly bring you here."
Yasui grinned and held up a piece of paper that contained last night's homework.
"You promised that if I did well on the super hard homework from yesterday that you'd show me how to do your magic tricks!"
"Did I now? Well, let's see how you did."
He leaned over and made a big deal of scrutinizing every little detail of the page before chuckling and affectionately tweaking the youngster's ear.
"See, what did I tell ya. You've got a good noggin on ya. Try hard enough and you'll do just fine."
"Uhuh! Now can you teach me some magic? Pleeeeease?"
The goat chuckled before rummaging around his pocket and bringing out an unusual coin made of steel. Yasui gasped.
"Your lucky coin! Are you really going to teach me with it?"
"You bet your tail on it. I learned all these tricks from the man who gave me this coin. I helped him out of a few pickles when I was younger and we swore to be brothers. He looked a bit like you pa, 'cept he was so skinny and all beat up at the time. Course that was years and years ago. Anywho, watch closely."
With apparent ease he rolled the coin across his fingers where it vanished into his clenched fist. Almost immediately he held his opened hand up to reveal that the coin was gone. Yasui clapped excitedly before Bolboi reached into his ear and pulled the coin out.
"Cool! How'd you do it!"
"Well now, pay attention and I'll show ya."
They were interrupted by Yasui's mother passing by and waving.
"Hello there, Bolboi. I hope Yasui isn't bothering you too much."
The old goat cackled and scratched his nose.
"Oh please, I'd keep the little squirt all the time if you asked. Not even Mifune puts up with all my stories like he does. He's probably the only person alive who thinks I'm cool."
Yasui giggled and hugged him before turning to his mom,
"I'm not bothering him! He told me he'd teach me some magic tricks if I did good on my homework."
She smiled.
"Well isn't that sweet. Oh, also, remember to tell Mifune that I'm making my signature curry tomorrow. You can both join us for dinner if you want."
Bolboi wheezed his wheezy laugh and jabbed the air with his finger.
"As if I'd miss a chance for yer curry! Be there at the usual time."
"Okay. And don't forget, Yasui. You still have some homework to do for next week, so don't spend too long learning magic. You need to learn math too."
"Okay, Mom."
She waved goodbye and made her way inside before Bolboi turned back to the attentive fox.
"Now, about that trick."
BEEP BEEP, BEEP BEEP click.*
Yasui groaned as daylight filtered in through his dorm window. He sighed and looked forlornly at his clock.
Why... why is my brain determined to make me feel even worse. As if I wasn't homesick enough.
He rolled out of bed and began getting dressed. As he did, he mentally prepared himself for the day.
Today is a big day. Once I'm done with classes, it's time to get a good look at my new club. And then, I'm visiting Jack's room. Okay Yasui, let's do this.