Chapter 28: The West Wind Blows
(I can't believe it's already November!)
Yasui shuddered as his stomach gurgled ominously. All the sweets from last night were still wreaking havoc in his guts. He wasn't used to eating that much food, or anything quite that heavy. It had been a very fun festival, and he had some cool prizes to boot. He hadn't heard from Shinrai yet today, so he figured that the squirrel was sleeping off the mountain of junk food he had devoured last night.
(It's crazy how much he eats. A squirrel's metabolism must be very fast.)
Yasui was at a bit of a loss. He wasn't entirely sure what he should be doing today. He had a few chores he needed to attend to, like laundry and a few little bits of homework, but other than that he had nothing he needed to do. He was walking down the hall towards the stairs when he saw Jack and his roommates leaving their room. Yasui waved to them and hurried to join them.
"Hi Jack, Legoshi, and everyone else!"
Durham crossed his arms and muttered to Miguno,
"How come we're just 'everyone else'?"
Jack returned Yasui's greeting.
"Hi, Yasui! What are you up to today?"
"About to go get breakfast."
"Same here. Want to tag along?"
"Sure."
As they walked towards the cafeteria, Yasui asked.
"So did you and Legoshi have fun last night?"
"Yeah! We stayed up late and watched some scary movies. Well… not too scary. Just… a little spooky… and mainly animated ones."
Yasui tilted his head in confusion.
"I thought you were going back to your neighborhood for the festival?"
Jack frowned.
"No, where'd you hear that?"
"Miguno."
Jack turned his attention to Miguno who was looking a bit awkward.
"Why'd you tell him that, Miguno. As if we could ever get a homebody like Legoshi to leave campus."
Miguno coughed.
"I was, uh, I forgot."
Voss whispered something to Collot who then laughed.
"Ooh! I bet that's true!"
Miguno blushed.
"W-what! What did he say!"
Collot elbowed the shorter boy.
"Yasui probably came knocking when you had your hand down your pants, am I right?"
He pantomimed a gesture Yasui didn't recognize where he moved his clenched fist back and forth. Miguno was sweating now.
"N-no! That would be gross! I definitely was not!"
Durham threw his arm around the hyena's shoulders.
"Let me guess, was it 'Bikini Safari' or 'Dogs Gone Wild'?"
"I was not jerking it!"
Yasui whispered to Jack.
"I'm confused. What are they talking about?"
Jack whispered back.
"They're saying that Miguno was rubbing one out."
"…Huh?"
"You know, touching yourself? Fapping?"
"Still not entirely sure what that means. I'm not super up to date on slang."
Jack stifled a laugh.
"It means, you know, rubbing your male bits."
Yasui's ears pointed straight up and he immediately grew flustered.
"Oh! Now I get it! Geez, it was pretty obvious in hindsight that's what you meant."
The other boys were still teasing Miguno. Collot patted the hyena's head.
"No judgment dude, sometimes you just have to crank one out. Have some quality alone time."
Miguno was thoroughly embarrassed.
"I wasn't…. Oh forget it!"
Voss piped up.
"You better not be using all of Jack's lotion or he'll be sad! You know he has sensitive paws."
Jack narrowed his eyes.
"You guys better not be using my lotion to bust one! Go buy some cheap stuff if you're going to do that crap!"
Durham gestured towards his waist.
"But it's so nourishing on my sensitive parts, and keeps me smelling fresh."
Jack crossed his arms.
"Your parts will be nourished when I smack them so hard they pop out of your mouth."
Collot laughed.
"Oh please, Jack. You're too sweet and good-natured to ever hit us!"
Jack tapped his snout.
"That's true. I guess I'll have Legoshi do it."
The wolf stopped staring off into space and looked down at his friend.
"Hm? What am I doing?"
Breakfast with the 701 boys was a very rambunctious affair. They were constantly joking with each other and telling stories. Yasui was fascinated by this. He'd spent time with them before, but he never got over how much fun they always seemed to be having together. Durham was halfway through a story as Yasui slowly worked on his cheese omelet.
"—So then I notice that Voss isn't there! So all I had heard was a clang and a splashing sound, I hadn't seen anything. So I freak out and jump into the river screaming 'Voss! Voss! Where are you!' because I know that the sides are too high for him to climb out. Turns out that it was just a freaking rock that had fallen into the river after someone threw it at the bridge, and Voss was still sitting there looking at me like I was nuts!"
Everyone howled with laughter as Voss added.
"Well what was I supposed to do? You didn't even look for me before jumping in!"
Jack shook his head, grinning.
"So what did you do? Did you change clothes or something?"
Durham rolled his eyes.
"As if! I showed up to the party absolutely soaked and just played it off as part of my costume!"
Collot snorted.
"No way they bought that!"
"Yes way! They even complimented my creativity!"
Collot rubbed his eyes.
"Sucks I couldn't go with you three. It sounded fun."
Jack then turned to Yasui.
"So, Yasui. Did you do anything for the Mask Festival?"
Yasui wiped his mouth with a napkin and nodded.
"Yeah, I had a great time with some friends."
"What did you do?"
"We went to a festival… place."
Miguno swallowed a mouthful of milk and asked,
"Where'd you go? Somewhere nearby?"
"Er, no."
"Well where was it?"
"Uh… Adventure Land?"
The boys all had varying levels of spit takes to that information. Jack was the first to recover.
"Holy crap! That's amazing! But it's so pricey, where'd you get the money for it? If you don't mind me asking."
Yasui shook his head.
"I don't mind. It was all thanks to one of my friends. Well, friends is a little inaccurate. We're a bit more like… family I guess. She's an adult who sort of keeps tabs on me and looks out for me since I don't have relatives here. Her company apparently sponsors something there so they get free tickets."
Collot whistled.
"Damn, you are one lucky fox. I've heard that the Mask Festival at Adventure Land is insane."
Yasui grinned.
"It was really fun! There were games and rides and food! I had a blast! And then I totally passed out on the ride back here because it was so late."
Durham pulled a face.
"Hot dang, Yasui's living way better than we are. I need to swap friends."
Miguno elbowed him.
"As if you could make any new friends! We only keep you around because it counts as community service to hang with a dork like you!"
"At least I'm hot 'a-f' unlike you. You scare all the chicks away with your doofy face."
Collot chuckled.
"Dude, I'm pretty sure this entire table reeks of turbo virginity."
Jack waggled his eyebrows.
"Unless Yasui has a secret or something."
Miguno blew a raspberry.
"Honestly, after that bomb he dropped I wouldn't even be surprised if he revealed he was getting it on the reg like some frat star."
Yasui raised his eyebrow.
"I'm not entirely sure what that last bit was, but if we're talking about virginity then yeah, I'm still a virgin."
Collot leaned in a bit.
"Wow, most people don't just admit that so casually."
Yasui shrugged.
"I thought it was obvious. I mean, I'm not married or anything."
Durham smirked.
"You know, you don't have to be married to have sex. It's not illegal or anything."
Yasui shrugged.
"Still, my family is very traditional. I'll probably wait until I get married… which will probably never happen."
Miguno laughed.
"You're in the same boat as Legoshi then!"
The wolf blinked and looked up from his food.
"Hm? What are we in the same boat about?"
"Never getting married. We all know you'll probably just end up wanting to be Jack's roommate forever, and never get around to finding a lady."
Jack scoffed.
"Oh please. Loads of girls would be interested in Legoshi. He has that dark, mysterious stranger thing going on."
Durham wobbled his hand back and forth.
"A little, but I think it comes across more like an intense outcast seeking vengeance. Mainly because of the staring."
Legoshi blinked.
"Do I really stare that much?"
Collot pinched his fingers together, leaving only a small gap.
"Just a tad bit. Try relaxing your face a bit, might help."
Legoshi let his face go slack. This just made his eyes look sunken and a little crazy. Immediately, they all shuddered. Miguno shook his head.
"Forget that! Clench your jaw and droop your eyebrows again! Geez that was horrible!"
Later that day, Yasui was doing homework when he got a text from Shinrai.
S: help
Yasui immediately responded.
Y: Are you okay? What do you need?
S: stomach pill
S: ate too much
Yasui let out a relieved sigh. It wasn't anything serious. With some reluctance and a bit of annoyance, he made his way to the school nurse. Upon opening the door, he was met with the nurse's assistant from before. The cheetah looked up from a hefty medical textbook.
"What's up? Need something?"
"My friend ate too much food and made himself sick. Can I get some medicine for him?"
"For sure. How big is he?"
"Small, he's a squirrel."
As the cheetah looked through some different medications that were stored in a cabinet nearby, he addressed Yasui.
"So, you look well. Think you got a bit taller."
"You remember me?"
"You're pretty memorable. Short fox with unusual fur color and long limbs. Pretty unique."
"Huh, usually people can't remember if they've met me or not."
"I'm good with faces."
He walked over to Yasui holding a small paper cup with a pill in it.
"Here you go. That should calm an upset stomach."
"Thank you."
Yasui accepted the cup and awkwardly stood there for a moment.
"So… uh… thanks."
"Don't feel like you need to continue the conversation. You should go give that medicine to your friend."
"Right, will do. Bye!"
The cheetah waved at Yasui as he left. Following Shinrai's directions, Yasui made his way to the common room of the male herbivore dorm. He found Shinrai sprawled out on a couch with a hand on his stomach. The squirrel stifled a burp and asked,
"Did you bring the medicine?"
"Yeah, here you go. Are you feeling okay?"
"No. I feel like I swallowed a bowling ball."
"It's probably all the food you ate last night."
"Yeah, no crap."
Shinrai held his hand out for the pill, which Yasui handed to him. The squirrel quickly swallowed it and washed it down with some water from a bottle he had sitting on the floor beside him. He burped.
"Thanks."
"So… want to do something?"
"No. I don't want to move."
"Oh…. I'll, uh, go do something else until you feel better."
Shinrai moaned in discomfort. With a shrug Yasui left the room.
(I guess I need to look for something else to do.)
Once his homework was done and his laundry was drying, Yasui idly strolled into the library. He put his hands in his pockets as he looked around.
(It's pretty funny actually. Back home I would practically have lived here if I could have. But now it seems like I rarely come here to read. Guess that's what actually having friends and people who want to spend time with you will do.)
He decided to do what he used to do to spend the time between the end of school and when the bus would bring all the villagers back up the mountain. He wandered down a row looking for some book that would grab his attention. He found one about mushrooms that looked unique and pulled it off the shelf before bringing it to one of the chairs spread around the library. He was about to crack it open when a familiar wolf walked towards him, heading for the front door. Yasui waved.
"Hi, Juno. Fancy meeting you here again."
She returned his wave.
"Hi. How's it going?"
"Pretty good. Just killing time. You?"
"I came here yesterday to do homework and accidentally left my pencil case behind. I figured I'd grab it on my way back to my dorm."
"Nice…. So… you up to anything today?"
"Yeah, I'm going to the mall to get some clothes for winter. It's going to start getting cold soon, it already is at night and in the mornings."
"Yeah, I noticed. Very frosty this morning."
She nodded and paused there for a moment before inclining her head.
"Well, it was nice seeing you again. Bye."
"Goodbye."
As she left, Yasui frowned.
(I could have asked to tag along with her, but that would have been a bit awkward. We don't exactly know each other very well. But honestly… I'm a bit bored. I guess I've forgotten how to just do stuff by myself.)
He considered texting Miss Diana, but figured that he didn't want to overstep and be a nuisance.
(Especially because she's probably pretty tired today. She did say that she tends to need to recover after doing stuff like the festival. She's probably recovering her strength in bed right now.)
Meanwhile, across town, Miss Diana was walking through a busy convention center. A large banner hung over the entrance which read "Collectibles and Memorabilia Show" in large characters. She already had a bagged up purchase in one hand as she looked over another stand of vintage records. She asked the goat running the stand,
"You wouldn't happen to have any signed Rush albums, would you? Specifically '2112'?"
The goat flipped through some sleeves he had behind the table and shook his head.
"No, I'm afraid not. You a Rush fan?"
"Indeed, I love all things classical Eastern rock music. Rush, Def Leppard, Led Zeppelin, you name it."
"It's nice to see some animals here in Japan enjoying the classics. All the kids nowadays just like that awful techno crap with all the beeps and boops. No instruments at all."
Diana sighed.
"It's true. They don't appreciate the artistry of a skillfully played guitar solo. Just a stupid and repetitive chorus."
"Hm, damn right. I have some guitars though, if you're interested."
Diana shook her head.
"No, I'm afraid I already have too many guitars as is. I'm running out of room."
"Oooh, whatcha got?"
Diana smirked.
"Well, I do have one of the guitars used by Van Halen during a tour. Signed and everything."
The goat whistled.
"Now that I'd love to see!"
The conversation was interrupted when a male deer approached Miss Diana, pretending to look at some records. He didn't look over at her as he spoke.
"I'm surprised to see you here."
She didn't look at him either.
"Same here."
"I half wondered if you were dead."
"You wish."
"Certainly not. You at least made my life interesting."
"I thought we were both thorns in each other's hides."
"Hm, I preferred to think of it like a game of chess. And you were the only worthy opponent I had. That is, until you left."
They casually wandered over to another stand, using the hustle and bustle of the crowd to hide their conversation from eavesdroppers. Diana smirked as she glanced at the deer.
"I almost didn't recognize you in that outfit."
"Ditto."
While Diana was wearing ripped jeans and a biker jacket over a band shirt, the deer had a burgundy turtleneck sweater on with khaki pants and loafers. Circular wireframe glasses sat on his nose below an impressive rack of antlers. However, Diana definitely recognized those cold, calculating eyes. She smiled slightly.
"You look well, Oguma."
"As do you, Diana. Last time I saw you you were positively skeletal. It's no wonder you don't get recognized unless you reveal who you are. Especially without those boring suits you always used to wear."
"Are you calling me fat?"
"No, you just no longer look like you spent your life on a desert island."
She smirked.
"Still as quick witted as ever. Find more porcelain teacups for your collection?"
"Yes. British. From the seventeenth century. Why am I not surprised you know what I collect?"
She gave him a sly grin.
"I keep tabs on everyone who's dangerous."
"You flatter me."
"I'm surprised you don't keep tabs on me."
"I try to. But your bodyguard is good."
"Hence why I have him."
"Indeed."
Diana leaned forward to look over some silver spoons.
"So, any reason you approached me? Trying to pull some sort of scheme or other?"
"No. I'm purely here for pleasure."
"You? Pleasure? Unlikely. Everything you do is calculated and precise."
"Exactly. My doctor said I need to reduce my stress. I was developing ulcers. So I have to spend some time each week doing restorative activities."
"Somehow you manage to calculate relaxation too. You truly are ice cold."
"High praise from the 'Ice Queen' herself."
"Don't forget my other title, the 'Cold Hearted Bitch of Real Estate.'"
"It's not nearly as catchy."
Diana cast him a wary look.
"So cut the crap, why exactly did you approach me?"
"Simple, I miss our little back and forth game from the good old days. It was mentally stimulating. I simply wanted to do so again."
Diana sighed.
"Unfortunately you're out of luck. I'm retired."
"I didn't mean in the same capacity as before. I just miss having someone on the same mental level as myself to interact with. Everything is too easy with you gone."
"So what? Want to play Scrabble? Trivia games?"
"Actually…. now that you mention it, would you accompany me to lunch? Some intelligent conversation would be very welcome for a change. I fear my mind is growing dull from lack of exercise."
Diana rolled her eyes.
"Always so pragmatic. But I digress, what's in it for me if I say yes?"
"I know you miss it. The thrill of the dance. Mentally maneuvering around an opponent and striking them where they're vulnerable. Trying to glean useful information while sowing false information for your opponent. We're similar in that way. Every deal, every merger, every buyout is a game of deception and skill for us. And we love it."
Diana narrowed her eyes and smiled slightly, her eyes calculating and cold.
"You have my interest. Where and when?"
"Cafe Dumont, twelve forty-five."
"Very well. Prepare yourself, I didn't earn my title by batting my eyelashes and giggling."
Oguma smiled, but his eyes were hungry and cold, like a shark's.
"I look forward to it. Enjoy your limited run tour shirt."
"I will. And be sure not to forget the cup you handed to your attendant before walking over. The one with the gilt lip."
Oguma smiled, his eyes narrowing.
"You're good."
And so, despite Charles's protests, Diana was sitting at a corner booth in the Cafe Dumont at twelve forty. She had arrived early to let Charles pick a good vantage point and so she could sit with her back to a wall. At precisely twelve forty-five, Oguma walked in wearing the same disguise as before. As he sat, he delicately smoothed the creases from his pants and folded his hands.
"I half expected you to not show."
"I half didn't. But I must admit, I was intrigued. And the coffee here is delicious."
"I prefer their selection of teas. And their croissants are the best in the city."
"I prefer 'Le Beau Vieux'. Flakier."
"Noted."
A waiter walked over and smiled at them.
"What can I get for you two?"
Diana didn't take her eyes off of Oguma for a moment.
"I'll have a macchiato, extra cocoa powder on top. And a pain au chocolat."
The waiter wrote that down and turned his attention to Oguma.
"And for you?"
"Oolong tea. Cream and sugar on the side. And one of your apricot tarts."
The waiter nodded and strode off. Diana laced her fingers together.
"It's somewhat funny. The head of the Suputto Conglomerate and the head of the Horns Conglomerate are sitting together in a clandestine meeting, and to all the world we're just two random beasts having coffee."
Oguma scrutinized her as he spoke.
"There is something rather enjoyable about being incognito. It's nice to fly below the radar for a bit."
"I find myself doing it more and more frequently."
Oguma leaned forward a bit.
"Now, if you don't mind me asking, I have to at least say it. What have you been up to for the last year?"
"Oh, you know. Yoga lessons, mani-pedi, mindfulness, discovering myself. All the typical trivial pursuits."
"I see. And how do you enjoy these pursuits? Do you find such tedium… fulfilling?"
"Oh definitely. Much better than controlling a massive business with legions of underlings at by beck and call. You should try it."
Oguma gave her a smug look.
"Maybe you should join a community center. Go play shogi or shuffleboard."
"I'd rather die. Too slow and boring."
"You know, you're not exactly painting a pleasant picture of retirement. I was almost looking forward to it."
Diana raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? Handing little Louis the keys to the kingdom soon?"
"That is my plan. Once he is finished with high school I will begin to phase him into the running of the business to ensure a smooth transition."
"I'm surprised you're telling me this. Aren't you afraid I might leak this to the public? It could tank your stock."
"Not particularly. It serves no true advantage to you, and I want your assistance."
"I already said, I'm retired."
"Not in an active role, just as a consultant. You were one of the top merger and acquisition brokers in Japan back in our glory days."
The waiter returned with their orders. Diana took a dainty bite of her pastry and dabbed at her lips with a napkin.
"I'm still shocked you're actually abdicating your throne. I can't imagine a Horns Conglomerate without Oguma sitting at the wheel, scheming and calculating behind that poker face."
"It would be like a Supotto Conglomerate without Diana sitting at the top using misdirection and subterfuge to outmaneuver competitors and snatch up their businesses under their noses."
She lifted her cup.
"Touche."
They were silent for a moment before Oguma sighed.
"I'm getting old. Too old for this business."
"I wasn't expecting you to get vulnerable with me. Don't you know it's dangerous to show weakness around a hunter like myself."
"While that's true, I know you understand me. We're things of the past, you and I. The business world is evolving faster and faster because of the internet. The slower world of information lag and careful machinations is dead and buried. The digital age has no use for our skills of playing the system, because that system is gone."
Diana raised an eyebrow, but her haughty demeanor had faded somewhat.
"Feeling sentimental?"
"Seeing my old rival again seems to have brought that out. I must admit I was not expecting it."
Diana leaned back in her chair a bit.
"To be honest, I miss it too. The age of newspapers and phone calls, where having a good source of information and a keen eye for details got you ahead, not algorithms or models."
"And being smarter than everyone else."
Oguma checked his watch before standing.
"I must be going. It was… quite pleasant to talk with you."
"You never did give me a straight answer. Why did you want to do this? Not the lies and half-truths of wanting me as a consultant or opponent in a game of wits. What did you really want?"
Oguma pushed his chair in and bowed to Diana.
"As I said, I'm getting old."
As he turned he glanced back and gave her a wry smile with those cold, calculating eyes.
"And old beasts get sentimental."
The bell hanging from the door chimed as he left, leaving Diana to sit and watch him walk away. She huffed.
"I must have lost my edge. I still am not entirely sure what he wanted from me."
The weekend passed in its normal routine for Yasui, including his bizarre territory room time with Izumi the less than friendly otter. And this week she seemed to be in rare form. She barely even grunted at Yasui as she pushed past him to enter the otter room. Yasui knew better than to try to start up a conversation with her. At best he'd get one word replies. Typically she'd just tell him to shut up. However, this week she was acting weird. Instead of immediately getting into the water and swimming, she just floated there instead, grimacing in pain. Yasui finally worked up the courage to ask,
"A-are you okay?"
She cracked open one eye and glowered at him. But she then huffed and grunted,
"I did something to my back. Now it freaking hurts."
"Oh no, I'm sorry."
"Meh."
Yasui nervously tapped his fingers together before continuing.
"Do you want me to try to help?"
"How? Have some pain meds and a hotpack shoved up your ass?"
"Uh… no."
Yasui fell silent. After an awkward minute she sighed.
"What were you going to do?"
"Well, uh, one time when I was doing yoga I pulled something in my back and the person teaching me massaged my back and it felt better. Do you want me to try to do that?"
Izumi thought about it for a while before huffing.
"Fine. It can't hurt any more than it does."
She got out of the water and sat down on the gentle slope near Yasui. Yasui looked at her larger body and gulped.
"Uh, maybe… can you lie on your belly? You're a lot bigger than I am. I'll probably need the leverage."
She sighed but did so. As Yasui scooted closer she held up a fist.
"Freaking touch me anywhere pervy and I'll feed you your own snaggly teeth, got it?"
Yasui cringed at the thought.
"Got it!"
Nervously, he examined her back. He was a bit surprised by what he saw. Beneath her now damp fur were very toned muscles. Apparently all that swimming was doing wonders for Izumi's physique. Yasui reluctantly placed his hands on her back, feeling her short, thick fur between his fingers.
"Where does it hurt?"
"Lower."
He slid his hands down a bit.
"Here?"
"No, closer to the small of my back."
He shifted again. She tensed up.
"There! Gah, it's sore."
Slowly, Yasui rubbed his hands against the tight muscles. He found that she seemed to react the best when he kneaded with his palms, like he was making dough. At first, Yasui thought she was experiencing discomfort because she kept grunting and clenching her fists, however he then stopped dead in surprise and confusion when she let out a very bizarre… moan. She seemed caught off guard by this too, and immediately flushed.
"W-what are you staring at, pipsqueak!?"
"N-nothing! D-do you want me to stop?"
"…No. Keep going."
Still wary, Yasui continued his kneading. He had finished with the small of her back and was getting up when she cleared her throat.
"Hey, uh… the rest of my back is pretty stiff too. So… maybe you could get the rest."
"Oh… sure?"
Surprised, Yasui resumed his sudden role as a masseuse. As he did, Izumi sighed.
"Dang, you're good at this."
"Uh, thanks. I guess it's natural talent."
"Hmm… and your hands are nice and warm, like a hot water bottle."
"Yeah, I run hot."
"By the way, mention this to anyone and I will literally kill you."
"Oh! O-okay!"
"I don't think you understand me. If anyone, and I mean anyone hears about this, I will find you. I will rip your tail off, wrap it around your scrawny neck, and strangle you with it."
"I understand! Please don't hurt me!"
And so Yasui found himself massaging the admittedly scary otter during their shared territory time. It was a bizarre experience, and once the time they were supposed to spend in the room was up they stood and gathered their things. Izumi rolled her shoulders and sighed.
"Dang, I haven't felt this good in ages."
She looked down at Yasui and rolled her eyes before flicking his ear..
"Guess you're not a total waste of space after all, pipsqueak. Later."
As she walked away, Yasui felt a bit… hopeful. She had never been that kind to him before, which was saying something because that still felt a bit insulting.
Sunday ended as it always must, and classes began again. There seemed to be a general impatience around Cherryton, as the long month of November slowly ground on. First one week, then the next, until it was almost halfway done. With the Holiday Season just around the corner, it was hard for everyone to be patient with the promise of Rexmas and New Years within the next month. As such Yasui was keen to learn more about this somewhat mysterious holiday before it arrived. During his shift on Thursday at the cafe, Yasui rested his back against the counter and looked at Mimi as she idly swiped on her phone.
"Hey, Mimi?"
"Hrmph?"
"What's Rexmas all about?"
She gave him an indifferent stare before replying.
"Uh… the heck do you want me to say? That it's about the joy of family or giving or some other movie crap?"
"I mean, what exactly is the point of Rexmas? What are you celebrating?"
"Eating food and giving each other presents."
"Huh, that's it?"
"Nowadays, pretty much. Not many traditionalists around anymore. Honestly I think the whole holiday is pretty dumb."
The bell rang and Yasui cheerily called out,
"Welcome to Cafe Lapin!"
Mimi on the other hand propped her elbow up on the counter and rested her head against it, looking at the new visitor.
"The heck are you doing here, ass-clown?"
Yasui was appalled, but then realized that she must know this newcomer. The creature walking towards them was a young looking rabbit with similar colored fur to Mimi's. He was wearing a school uniform Yasui didn't recognize and calmly walked up to the counter, smiling at Mimi.
"Hi, Margaret."
Yasui mouthed the word "Margaret" as Mimi huffed.
"Don't freaking call me that, squirt."
Yasui looked between the two of them in confusion before Mimi rolled her eyes.
"Yasui, meet my younger brother Toriya. Toriya, this is Yasui."
Toriya looked Yasui over and remarked.
"Wow, you're young to be working here. And you're a carnivore."
Mimi held up a finger.
"One, he's like sixteen or some crap. Two, why the heck would it matter if he's a carnivore? He's a total pushover no matter which way you slice it."
Yasui was about to protest when he realized that she had a point. The younger brother looked at him and shrugged.
"I guess you have a point."
(Hey….)
Mimi crossed her arms.
"So what are you doing here?"
"Visiting my sister."
"And?"
"…Skipping cram school."
"Why?"
"I don't feel great today. But I don't want to go home because Mom will grill me for skipping."
"So you're going to loiter around here until you should head home?"
"Well… yeah."
"Mkay. I'm not your mother so do whatever you want."
"Thanks, Mimi. You're the best sister ever."
"Damn straight. And don't forget it. Want some hot cocoa?"
"Yes please."
"Whipped cream like usual?"
"Yeah, thanks."
As Toriya went over to a table, Yasui whispered,
"I didn't know you had a brother!"
"You didn't need to know."
"But still, I've told you about my family—"
"Many times."
"And my friends—"
"Which I didn't ask for."
"And you didn't tell me you had a little brother!"
Mimi gave him a typically deadpan stare.
"Do I really strike you as the sharing type?"
Yasui sighed.
"I guess not."
"I don't see why you care so much."
"Because we're friends."
"We're coworkers."
"Well I think of you as my friend, Mimi. I like working with you."
She hesitated before looking over at him with an uncharacteristically soft expression. But before Yasui could be sure he hadn't imagined it, it was gone.
"Great. Now make that drink."
"You don't want to make your brother's drink yourself?"
"No."
Yasui took a mug and set to work making the drink. He was always a bit worried about what his hot cocoa tasted like due to the simple fact he couldn't drink it.
(Well I bet I could taste it, but still. I don't want to risk getting sick.)
After adding a hearty topping of whipped cream, Yasui carried the mug over to the table where Toriya was sitting playing a handheld game. Yasui nodded towards the console.
"What are you playing?"
"Fantasy Quest Tactics 2. It's one of my all time favorites."
"Cool."
"You ever play it?"
"No. I haven't played many games. I only recently started to play any video games when I started school at Cherryton. My best friend loves video games, so sometimes I go to his house to play them with him."
"Oh, you're not from around here? Where are you from?"
"A farming village near a town called Aka-Shukusha. My parents are farmers so we don't really have expensive things like a tv or game systems."
"Wow, so what are you doing all the way here? Like, how do your parents afford tuition?"
"I got a government grant because of my grades."
"Holy crap, you must be pretty smart then."
"I'm good at school. But I wouldn't say I'm smart."
Toriya sighed and looked forlornly at his drink.
"I get that. My parents are really strict about grades with me. They push me to be top of the class and go to cram school and all that stuff. They gave up on doing that to Mimi, even if she is smarter than me."
"Huh? Is Mimi super smart?"
Toriya laughed.
"Don't let her looks fool you. She's in the top ten of her class, and she barely even tries."
"Wow, I kinda thought she was a delinquent. Er, no offense."
Toriya sighed again.
"She is now. She got tired of my parents pushing her. So she moved out and started acting like she does now. But she's actually really smart and kind when you get to know her."
Mimi leaned over the counter and said,
"Quit gossiping like grannies, you have work to do. Don't make me kick you out, Toriya."
Yasui waved to her.
"Don't worry, I'm on my way."
Toriya smiled.
"You know, I think she might actually like you a bit."
"Really?"
"Just a bit. I'm her brother so I'm good at reading her."
"Huh, good to know. It was nice talking to you."
The rabbit nodded. His eyes seemed so tired for someone so young.
"It was nice to meet you."
Yasui rejoined Mimi behind the counter.
"Your brother seems nice."
"Mhm. And if you do anything to hurt him in any sense of the word I'll skin you and wear your hide as a coat."
"Noted."
Yasui grinned as she turned away from him. It was obvious she really cared about her brother. Something about knowing that just made Mimi make a little more sense to Yasui. She caught him looking at her and smacked him with a rolled up cleaning cloth.
"Quit staring at me, dork."
Later that same day, around six or so, Shinrai was getting his food from the cafeteria line when a familiar rabbit walked over.
"Yo, Shinrai. I know your friend works on Tuesdays, so do you want to sit with me and Kashi?"
Shinrai nodded.
"I guess."
He followed Don back to his table where Kashikoi the alpaca was already sitting. Kashikoi looked up and an expression of mild surprise came over his face.
"Shinrai. It's been a while."
The squirrel sat down.
"Yup. Been a hot minute."
"How are you doing?"
"Pretty good. Grades are fine, feeling pretty good, you know how it is."
"And how's your other friend, Yasui?"
"He's good. Same old Yasui."
Don twirled his fork through his pasta and quietly asked,
"Is there a reason you've stopped talking to us? Like, did we do something to really tick you off?"
Shinrai hesitated. He hadn't even realized it, but he had sort of been avoiding his old friends. He hadn't meant to, it had just sort of… happened. He sighed.
"Not really. I just kinda stopped hanging out with you. I know you don't like Yasui so—"
Don frowned.
"You know, that's really not an issue. I was a bit of a douche at first, and I'm sorry. But really, I don't mind the guy. I don't think I'll ever personally be friends with him, but you don't have to avoid us because of him."
Kashikoi nodded his assent. Shinrai propped his head on his arm and looked down at his meal.
"It's also just that I always feel like a spare wheel when you guys do stuff. You're both better friends with each other than me, and you're both rich. I felt like a loser around you."
Don furrowed his eyebrows.
"Then why didn't you say something? How was I, well, we supposed to know about this if you didn't tell us?"
"I thought you didn't care."
"I thought you were ticked at us."
Kashikoi casually set his cup down after getting a sip of water and held his hands up placatingly.
"Well, let's just set the record straight then. Friends again?"
Don looked at Shinrai expectantly who in turn nodded.
"I don't see why not."
Don grinned.
"Good, because Kashi won't get off my back about studying and doing homework. At least you can join me in slacking off."
"Actually, I've been doing a lot of extra studying too. Yasui helps me so I can do better on tests and stuff."
Don grimaced.
"Crap, not you too!"
Once Shinrai had finished eating with his friends he played a video game until he got a text message from Yasui.
Y: I brought you something if you want it.
S: wut
Y: I brought you something. I'm outside your dorm.
Shinrai frowned and hurried down the stairs. As he did, he heard some other students talking.
"Did you see that fox just lurking outside the dorm?"
"I know! So creepy."
Shinrai glowered.
"Dang it Yasui, the heck are you up to."
He opened the doors and was blasted by a gust of cold wind. The temperature had dropped quickly when the sun had set. Shinrai shivered.
"Yasui? Where the heck are you?"
"Here."
Shinrai flinched as Yasui stepped out from a dark corner. The squirrel shook his head.
"Geez dude! A little heads up next time!"
"Sorry."
"Why were you hiding in the corner?"
"I was just staying out of the wind."
"Yeah, you can tell it's November. Getting cold."
"It's a little chilly."
"So, what did you want to give to me?"
Yasui handed him a paper cup.
"It's hot cocoa."
"Sweet! Thanks!"
Shinrai took a sip and smacked his lips.
"This is good. Did you make it?"
"Yup. I wanted to try some to see what it tastes like."
Shinrai gave Yasui a concerned look.
"Aren't you not supposed to have chocolate?"
"Yeah, hence why I only took a single sip and gave the rest to you."
"Works for me. Also, hot dang it's cold! Let's continue this inside!"
"Okay, you don't have to ask me twice."
The two hurried inside and moved into the warm common room. Shinrai shuddered and took another drink of the warm, sweet beverage. He sighed as Yasui asked,
"So, what did you think?"
"Hm?"
"Of the cocoa."
"Oh, that. Pretty good. It really sucks that it'll make me sick if I have too much of it."
"Yeah, bummer. So, are you excited for winter?"
Yasui scratched his head.
"Uh… should I be?"
"I always am. First it's Rexmas, then New Years, and then my birthday. Freaking gifts on gifts on gifts!"
"Oh, I hadn't really been thinking about any of that stuff. I guess I'm looking forward to Rexmas. But I think I'll probably be home for New Years. It is during break."
"Aw, that's too bad. But I bet my parents will let you come over for Rexmas. Thought, quick side note, when is your birthday? I just realized I don't know it."
Yasui picked at his snout a bit as he answered.
"My birthday is on the twenty-second."
"…Of?"
"November."
Shinrai blinked a few times before smacking Yasui's leg. Yasui rubbed where he had been hit.
"What was that for?"
"Were you just not going to tell me it was your birthday soon! I mean, today's… uh…."
Shinrai checked his phone. He glowered at Yasui and held the screen up.
"Today's the twelfth, dude. It's ten days until your birthday. It's next, next Sunday."
"Okay. I don't get why you're so upset."
"Are birthdays not a big deal where you're from?"
"Not really. At least, mine never was. Usually it was just a nice dinner and a gift from my parents. None of my siblings or myself ever had any money so we couldn't get gifts for each other."
"Didn't your extended family get anything for you? I mean, my aunts and uncles usually at least send me a card or something. And my grandparents go nuts with the gifts they give to their grandchildren."
"You forget that my aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents all hate me."
"But why?!"
"Well… hate is a strong word. They just tend to pretend that I don't exist. They do stuff like that for my brother and sisters, but not for me. I've never actually had a real birthday party that wasn't just my family. Well, and our next door neighbors. Until Old Bolboi died, then just his wife came over. I always told my parents I didn't want one."
Shinrai scowled.
"Why are you so nonchalant about all this! I'm super ticked just hearing about it! That's it, this year you're having a real birthday party! With cake and gifts and ice cream! And you can invite whoever you want!"
Shinrai held up a finger and sucked on his teeth.
"Well… maybe. Depends on if my parents say it's okay."
"You don't have to do that."
"Well tough! I'm doing it anyway!"
Yasui smiled.
"I'm sure I'll enjoy anything you do for my birthday."
"You will, I won't accept anything less. Now, what's your favorite flavor of cake?"
"Don't have one. Just make sure there's no chocolate."
"Well what's your favorite food?"
"I don't really have one of those either."
"Pick!"
"I mean… I like soup."
A mole walked by and pointed at Yasui.
"Uh… what's a fox doing here? This is the herbivore dorm?"
Shinrai snapped at him.
"He's my friend who brought me hot cocoa and now we're planning his birthday party!"
The mole held his hands up defensively.
"Geez! Calm down! I was only asking!"
Yasui gripped Shinrai's shoulder to stop his reply.
"It's okay. I was just leaving anyway."
Yasui turned to address Shinrai.
"I'm going to bed now. I'm sure whatever you do for my birthday will be great. Just please… don't overdo it."
Shinrai huffed.
"Fine. But you better tell me if you want anything specific for a birthday present!"
"I will. Goodnight, Shinrai."
"Goodnight!"
Shinrai watched him leave and took another sip of cocoa. He huffed.
"This is really good cocoa."
With Friday came Yasui's next day of classes, and his first quiz in Advanced Literature. As he and the three dogs sat down, Mr. Nishinoya handed out the stacks of papers that was their "quiz." Yasui's eyes widened a bit when he realized that it was five pages long, front and back on each page. His three classmates didn't seem fazed, they just remained staring fixedly at the teacher as he moved around the classroom.
(This is a quiz?! It's as long as some tests I've taken.)
Mr. Nishinoya sat down at his desk and gestured towards them.
"Begin."
Immediately the dogs leaned forward and began on their quizzes, almost perfectly in sync. Yasui apprehensively began reading the first question.
(In the short story from Chapter 4 about the older woman who lost her friend's borrowed jewelry, what would you consider to be the main theme? Please explain your answer in a short paragraph below.)
Yasui let out a sigh of relief. The test was "long" because there was a large amount of space after each question for them to give their answer. With that out of the way, he began to write with confidence.
(In the story mentioned above, I believe the main theme is how many of our problems are ones we make ourselves. The wife created her own problem by being insecure and vain about her appearance. Rather than wear what she had to go to her husband's work party, she insisted that she needed a new dress and fine jewelry to wear so she could seem more glamorous than she really was. The husband created his own problems because not only did he not attempt soothe his wife's anxieties about the party or try to reason with his wife that they should live within their means and be happy with what they did have; he also was the one who suggested they try to replace the lost necklace with a new one rather than be honest with his wife's friend. As such, they both contributed to the life of misery and debt they went into for years to pay for the replacement necklace. The real irony is that the issues these people created were fake, just like the friend's jeweled necklace.)
Content with his answer, Yasui moved onto the next question. By the time that class was over, Yasui was very happy with each answer he had written down. He had always been good at remembering what he read, but this was actually a very fun way to test on literature. It wasn't just "write down facts from the story, include one quote." Instead Mr. Nishinoya was asking them to prove they understood what they read. Yasui's only concern was that his answers might be too unrefined. He felt like his answers were a bit on the… country bumpkin side. Very pragmatic and straightforward, with little flowery language or complex words. As he walked down the hallway, the three dogs strode by while earnestly talking. Yasui hurried to catch up.
"Hey, how'd you guys feel about that quiz? Think you did well?"
The male beagle gave him a sidelong look and continued talking to the Newfoundland dog.
"As I was saying, I think you might have forgotten about the 'nature versus nurture' themes in question four."
"I didn't. I just chose to stress the 'trap of societal pressure' side of the meaning instead."
The golden retriever raised an eyebrow.
"Why raise one over the other? I simply wrote two separate paragraphs on each one."
Yasui closed his mouth and winced internally.
(I thought that story was about why we should not only be careful who we are friends with, but also to not allow them to have too much power over us so they can't lead us down the wrong path.)
Seeing as he was being ignored, Yasui just halfheartedly waved at them and went his separate way.
"Okay, have a good weekend."
As he left, the golden retriever whispered to the other dogs.
"I'm thinking it's time for me to get closer to that fox. Then I can find some proof that he cheated on his exams. I saw some of his quiz when I turned mine in. His answers are all wrong. It's like he didn't even read the breakdown of the themes in the book!"
The beagle frowned.
"How exactly are you planning on getting him to admit it? Ask nicely?"
She smiled and smoothed her skirt, checking her reflection in a pocket mirror she pulled from her purse.
"My feminine charms of course. Everyone knows that foxes are disgustingly lecherous. He'll be drooling over me so much he won't bother to think about hiding anything from me."
The Newfoundland dog shuddered.
"Just be careful you don't go too far and give him the wrong idea. Or do something you'll regret."
She narrowed her eyes.
"Just what kind of girl do you think I am, Jimin? If you think I'm a slut who'll get down and dirty with that guy for some answers you are mistaken. I'm just going to flirt with him a bit, get him to lower his guard, then see what he tells me."
The beagle coughed loudly causing the other two dogs to stop talking. He waved.
"Hi, Shiki. Ready to go get lunch?"
Shiki the poodle looked much less shellshocked these days, but still tended to get a bit teary eyed when reminded she no longer was in the advanced class with her friends. She feebly waved back.
"Hi, Kojo. How was… your class?"
"Same as usual, well, except we had a quiz."
She nodded halfheartedly.
"That's nice. I hope you all did well."
As Kojo went and talked to her, Rebecca and Jimin had a quick whispered conversation. Kojo hissed,
"She looks… better these days."
"Yeah, but us dogs have a very strong pack instinct. Getting split up like this has been really hard on her. So don't bring anything up around her about you-know-who."
"Yeah, unlike foxes we dogs aren't naturally loners."
They both smiled at Shiki and walked over to join her. Rebecca sniffed the air.
"Wow, Shiki! Is that a new perfume? It smells great!"
The poodle brightened up a bit, her tail swishing behind her.
"It's new shampoo actually. It's good for keeping my fur from tangling."
"You'll have to show me which one you're using now. My fur keeps getting knots in it. I blame the cold weather, too much static."
Shiki fell in with the three other dogs and together they headed towards the cafeteria.
"I know. I had to find my sweater this morning. It really got cold fast."
Jimin laughed.
"Yeah, but by afternoon it's warm again. Gotta love the weird transition from fall to winter."
During the lunch hour, Mr. Nishinoya sat in his office and graded papers while he ate a sandwich. He adjusted his glasses while he began reading over the quizzes from Yasui's class.
"Let's see what we have here. Rebecca… about what I expected."
He grimaced. Part of him hated grading these Advanced Literature assignments. He could always count on the same thing. Every answer would be word for word what was in the back of the book. Technically correct, but still not what he had asked. He sighed.
"Should I start forcing them to use their own words? But I'd probably get in trouble with the administration if I did because this is technically what is wanted."
He kept reading until he reached Yasui's quiz. He started to read before stopping. His expression brightened somewhat.
"Well well, if it isn't the little maverick's paper. I should have known…."
Once classes were over for the day, Yasui joined his clubmates for Cooking Club before heading to his usual Friday before dinner study group. They had shortened the length of time that they met because almost two-thirds of it had been used to goof off anyway. And this way Yasui didn't miss his club. As such, Yasui was in the library working on homework after dinner so he wouldn't need to do it on Saturday or Sunday. He heard a somewhat familiar voice from nearby.
"Oh, hello. Fancy meeting you here."
Yasui glanced up. Standing a little bit away was the female golden retriever from his Advanced Literature class. Yasui looked back down at his homework, assuming that she was talking to someone else. However, one of her fingers tapped on his paper.
"Hello, did you not hear me?"
Yasui blinked in surprise, giving her a quizzical look.
"Uh… I heard you. Did… did you need something?"
"I was just saying hello. I've never seen you outside of class before."
Yasui looked around in confusion before tilting his head.
"Uh… not to be rude or anything, but why are you talking to me? You usually ignore me."
She huffed.
"I'm sorry about that. I was being rude. I just, I couldn't help but be a little upset that you replaced my best friend in the advanced class. Can you forgive me?"
"Uh, sure. I mean… I get it. You guys were in the same class and then I came along. I really didn't mean to do something like that."
"No you didn't do anything. Although Shiki is definitely trying to get her spot back."
Yasui laughed.
"I'd imagine so. But I won't just let her have it. Sorry, if that's what you wanted."
"Not at all! I just wanted to start over with you. We are going to be classmates for a while after all. I'm Rebecca."
"I'm Yasui."
Rebecca looked at his books and papers.
"You're sure being studious. Do you usually spend a lot of time studying and doing homework?"
"Yeah. Being good at school is just about the only thing I am good at. So I try really hard to get the best grades possible."
"I bet your parents are proud."
"I think so."
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry. Do you not talk to your parents often?"
"I try to call them every Monday. But it's difficult because they live far away. I'm actually not from here, I got a scholarship to attend this school."
"That's impressive! I'm sure your parents are proud of you."
"Thank you, I appreciate you saying that."
Rebecca sat down and gestured to her school bag.
"Mind if I join you?"
"Feel free. It'll be a nice change of pace to work on homework with somebody who I'm not actively tutoring."
"Oh? You tutor?"
"Not officially, just to help my friends. And my siblings when I was back home."
Rebecca smiled warmly at him.
"That's very sweet of you. You're a good friend for doing that."
Yasui grinned, feeling embarrassed at all this praise.
"Well, I try. And hey, like I said, no hard feelings about the whole not really talking to me before thing. I bet it's an awkward situation for you. You don't want to get chummy with the guy who took your friend's spot in the class. I should have been understanding about that, instead I sort of thought that you were all jerks. Anyway, I'm rambling now. I just wanted to say that you don't have anything to apologize for."
Rebecca smiled.
"I appreciate that. You're very mature."
Yasui blushed.
"You think so?"
"Well… maybe I spoke too soon."
She giggled, and Yasui joined in laughing with her.
(She's actually pretty nice. I'm glad she's giving me a chance.)
Once the homework was finished, Yasui said his goodbyes, leaving Rebecca by herself. She almost immediately packed her things up and walked over to a table a little bit away. Jimin the Newfoundland dog was sitting there waiting. He leaned towards her as she sat down.
"So? Find out anything?"
"Well he's warmed up to me like I said he would. He told me a bit about himself."
"And?"
"Apparently he's here on a scholarship."
"Really?"
"That's what he says."
Jimin scowled.
"I don't know, the whole situation is so weird."
"You can say that again. I'll keep digging. If there's something to find, I'll find it."
"And if there isn't?"
"Then Shiki better study more, or somebody has to distract him from his studies. You know, bump him down to fifth in the class or lower."
Jimin gave Rebecca a meaningful look.
"Maybe you could… you know… be his girlfriend?"
Rebecca glared at him.
"That would be a last resort. I'm not dating a guy I barely know just for ulterior motives. At least, not unless there's no other choice."
Late that Saturday afternoon, Yasui took Shinrai with him as he headed to Miss Diana's house. Shinrai had insisted on coming, stating that he had promised to clean her gutters if she won. As they sat on the train, Yasui turned to his friend.
"You know, I don't think she actually expected you to do anything if she won. You probably don't have to do anything, I mean she might have forgotten."
Shinrai huffed.
"It's the principle of the thing! I gave my word, and I'm going to follow through!"
Yasui shrugged.
"Suite yourself."
As they left the train station and headed towards Miss Diana's neighborhood, Shinrai whistled.
"Wow, this part of town is swanky. How rich exactly is this Diana lady?"
"I dunno, I've never asked. But… probably pretty rich. You know, successful businesswoman and all that."
As they passed some of the large houses, Shinrai stared at everything he could. Finally he shook his head.
"Wow… imagine living in one of these. Does Miss Diana have a pool?"
"Yeah, she taught me how to swim."
"You'll have to see about getting me an invite during the summer. Swimming is always more fun in the warm months, but the public pools get crowded. Having a whole freaking pool to ourselves would be awesome!"
"I'm sure she'd be fine with that. She's really nice."
Shinrai crossed his arms.
"I just… how lucky are you that you randomly bump into this rich older lady who then decides to get all buddy buddy with you! It's like something out of a movie!"
"It is pretty nice. I don't think I'd be doing half as well here in the city as I am now if she wasn't looking out for me."
Shinrai punched Yasui's arm.
"Give me some credit too! I taught you how to use public transportation!"
Yasui laughed.
"You've been a big help too. I really appreciate you."
"Ah, don't sweat it. You can repay me when the apocalypse happens and we have to forage for food to survive. Your wilderness survival expertise will be invaluable when civilization crumbles."
"Shinrai, I grew up on a farm, not in a cave. Unless farmers and gardeners are what will be needed to restart civilization, I probably won't be much help."
"Oh, they totally will. Like, if a meteor hits the planet and knocks the whole electrical grid down, we're reverting to the stone ages. Totally hardcore. You can lead us back into civilization with your turnips and radishes."
Yasui grinned.
"They can call me 'Yasui the Turnip Whisperer.'"
"Long may he reign."
As they walked up the ornate steps to Miss Diana's front door, Shinrai stopped and gaped at the intricately carved wood inlaid with glass.
"Bruh… that's one fancy door."
"I know, right! It's nicer than my whole house!"
"It probably costs more than me…."
"—Than what?"
"Just me."
Yasui rang the doorbell and after a minute or two Charles opened the door. He nodded to them and let them inside. Miss Diana walked down the hallway that led to the living room and smiled at them. She was wearing jeans and a fashionable cream-colored sweater with ankle boots on. As usual, she looked like she had just stepped off the cover of a fashion magazine.
"Yasui! Welcome! And I see you brought your friend like you said you would."
Yasui waved.
"Hello, Miss Diana. I'm sure you remember Shinrai. He insisted he had to come here to fulfill his part of your bet."
She tapped her cheek.
"Oh really, he doesn't have to do anything like that. I wasn't really being serious."
Yasui shrugged.
"He insisted he had to stick to his word."
Diana looked down at the squirrel and smiled approvingly.
"That's very admirable of you, to keep your word like that. Bravo."
Shinrai didn't seem to have noticed any of what had been said. He was staring open mouthed at the foyer as he slowly turned around. Finally he shut his mouth and looked at Miss Diana with an expression of disbelief.
"You live in a castle… a dang castle."
She grinned mischievously.
"Well, the architecture was inspired by French chateaus. So you're not far off."
Shinrai pointed to the crystal chandelier.
"Is that gold? Like… actual gold?"
"It's overlaid in gold."
The squirrel looked around and then down at his clothes. He attempted to smooth his pants and wipe some errant food stains off his jacket.
"I'm not dressed well enough for this…."
Diana clasped her hands.
"Speaking of not being well dressed enough, I realized we need to get you some winter clothes, Yasui!"
Yasui waved his hands.
"No need to go and do something like that! I have some money now, because of my job. I can get my own clothes. I don't want to mooch off of you."
Diana frowned.
"Really? But I saw these really cute v-neck sweaters that you would look so charming in. And then there was this amazing scarf with this subtle geometric print that would match your fur color perfectly."
As she continued listing off what she had found that would be great for Yasui to wear, Charles muttered.
"Don't think you can get out of going shopping with her that easily. You know she won't give up until she can put you in at least one outfit she puts together."
"I know. I just don't want to take advantage of her generosity, but she's so hard to say no to."
"Welcome to my world."
They were led to the backyard where Yasui saw that the large inground pool had been covered over with a green pool cover. He pointed to it.
"Oh, what's going on with your pool?"
Diana gestured at it vaguely.
"It was getting too cold to swim, so we closed it up for the winter. But, I wanted to show you something perfect for a cool fall day like this."
She led him around to an area of her backyard that Yasui hadn't really paid attention to before. Several comfortable looking chairs and a loveseat were positioned under a gazebo of sorts, except there was no wooden floor. Instead, a stone fire pit occupied the central area, already piled high with wood and kindling.
"What do you think, shall we have a good old fashioned sit around the fire?"
Yasui clapped his hands in excitement.
"This looks amazing! I love fires! Er… campfires I mean. Not lighting them."
Diana patted Yasui's head.
"I'm sure that's what you meant. And I definitely would be shocked if there is a mysterious fire somewhere in this city near where you are."
"I swear! I'm not a pyromaniac!"
Shinrai sucked on his teeth.
"I dunno, your club involves fire too. I'm starting to get the sense you're a firebug."
Yasui gave both of them deadpan looks.
"How far are you going to take this?"
Diana chuckled.
"Depends, are there any other… burning issues we could talk about?"
Shinrai laughed.
"What's the latest… hot topic?"
Diana grinned.
"I've heard that this season of Bachelor is really… heating up."
Yasui walked away from them towards the firepit. Shinrai cackled,
"Wait up, Yasui! Where's the fire!?"
Yasui sat down on the loveseat and looked across the yard at the sun as it started to hang low in the sky. Shinrai rubbed his hands together.
"Alright, let's get started. I'll need… uh… definitely something to clean those gutters."
Diana pointed towards a shed nearby.
"Charles definitely has a ladder and a bucket you can use. As far as gloves go… I'm not sure."
Shinrai gave her a thumbs up.
"Okay, I'll go get started while we have some daylight. Thanks for having me over by the way, and thanks for Adventure Land… if I hadn't already thanked you. Honestly I don't remember."
Diana smiled at him.
"Any friend of Yasui's is a friend of mine. I was glad to have you along."
Shinrai nodded before hurrying towards the shed. Miss Diana sat down in a chair next to Yasui's seat and gave him a warm look.
"So, how are things in Yasui's world? It's been a while since we really talked. School keeps you busy?"
Yasui sighed.
"Yeah, and I just don't want to impose on you. I let you do the inviting, not me."
"Well I wish I would have known that. I would have invited you over before now."
Yasui looked at her as she spoke. As soon as she had sat down in her own chair, Yasui had felt disappointed. He had wanted her to sit beside him so he could press up against her. Yasui snapped out of it and smiled.
"I'm always happy to come over. It's nice to just have dinner with you. Especially if I get to cook it for you. More practice for my cooking skills, and an excuse to spend time with you. Absolutely a win-win in my book."
She smiled endearingly at him.
"You really are such a sweet boy. I've said it before and I'll say it again, you'll make one lucky lady very happy one day. I think you just need to put yourself out there and give people a chance."
"Honestly, I'm just not good at talking to girls."
"Nonsense, you're a great conversationalist. You never flounder when we're talking."
"That's different. I mean… girls my age. I don't understand them. I just… I wish I was older. I get along better with people older than myself than I do with beasts my own age."
"That's just because you're an old soul. You'll find someone you click with, I guarantee it."
Yasui shrugged and looked out over the city.
"Maybe…."
(I wish I was older, because then I could ask you to be my girlfriend. But it's never going to happen while I'm underaged. Why do I have to be sixteen! If I was seventeen, I'd be turning eighteen in eight days! I could confess my feelings for her without it being super weird, and she wouldn't absolutely say no! But because I am underage… there's no chance at all.)
Diana tilted her head.
"What's on your mind? You seem… pensive."
Yasui shook himself out of his own mind.
"Huh? Oh, just… realized I need to remember to have Shinrai invite you to my birthday party."
She gasped.
"Birthday party?! When? What day is your birthday?"
"The twenty second."
"So soon! Why didn't you tell me?"
"I kind of forgot."
She stood and paced around.
"That doesn't leave much time at all! I need to see if Shinrai already has a venue planned out. If not, we should do it here. I have plenty of space. And then I need to go gift shopping!"
Yasui held his hands up to make her slow down.
"Hold up, don't go too overboard. I don't want anything too… crazy. Okay? Just some nice fun with the people I like best."
Diana nodded.
"Okay, noted. We can make a guest list tonight before you leave."
Yasui heard a strange sound and looked over to see Shinrai looking embarrassed as a bucket full of leaves spilled onto the ground. He yelled,
"I'll clean that up!"
Yasui shook his head.
"You have a lot of gutters, Miss Diana. Hopefully this won't take too long."
"It won't, they already got cleaned a few weeks ago when the landscapers closed my pool and did some maintenance on my yard."
"Oh… so there's no real need for him to clean them?"
"Nope, but he can feel free to pick up any leaves and twigs that have recently gotten caught in there. Now then, let's see what Charles is getting ready to make for dinner."
Yasui eagerly stood.
"I'll see if he needs any help! I don't want to miss out on some extra lessons from him."
It turned out that Charles was making something called tapas, and Yasui did his best to help him season and cook the vegetables and get everything ready for their meal. Shinrai finished a few minutes before they were done cooking and walked up to the door without entering the house.
"Do you guys have something I can use to clean the leaf juice off myself with? I don't want to get it everywhere."
Diana walked off and returned with a slightly older looking towel. Shinrai accepted it gratefully and began wiping himself off. As Charles and Yasui set the table, the squirrel sniffed the air.
"Oh, something smells good! What is it?"
Yasui gestured to the platers full of a variety of different foods.
"Tapas!"
"Cool! What is that?"
"I have no idea."
Charles gruffly spoke as he washed his hands to clean any cooking mess off them.
"It's a Spanish cuisine. It's lots of small dishes you eat as either an appetizer or main course depending on how much you make."
Shinrai rubbed his hands together.
"That sounds right up my alley! Now let's eat, I'm starving!"
They all took their seats and began to serve themselves small helpings of the dishes on the table. As they ate, Diana looked at Yasui and asked,
"So, before we decide where your party is to be held, we need to know how many people you want to invite. That way we can be sure we have enough space. Of course, I am happy to play hostess. I believe I have the most space available of anyone here."
Shinrai gave her a look of surprise.
"You'd really do that? Allow a bunch of noisy, rowdy high school boys into your nice house?"
She rolled her eyes.
"If they're friends of Yasui's how bad could they be?"
Shinrai shrugged as Diana looked at Yasui expectantly. Yasui scratched his chin.
"Let's see… who I'd want to invite…. Well you three of course. And then… maybe Jack, Legoshi, and the other guys from their room. So that's six more. And then… maybe my coworker Mimi, although she probably wouldn't want to come. And my club mates of course. So that's another three. And…."
Yasui looked over to see Diana stifling a laugh. Yasui frowned.
"What? Did I say something dumb?"
She waved her hand.
"No no, not at all. It's, you were talking before about how you'd never had a birthday party because you didn't have people to invite. But now you have over a dozen friends you want to have over. It's just nice to see how much you've grown in even the short time I've known you."
Yasui's ears pulled back a bit as he blushed.
"Aw, Miss Diana. That's very kind of you to say."
Shinrai snickered.
"Yeah, you're way less awkward now than when we first met. About half as weird too."
Yasui glowered at him.
"Gee… thanks."
Diana shook her head.
"Now, boys. We're getting off topic."
By the end of the night, they had decided on who to invite, where to host the party (Miss Diana's place, of course), and what time they wanted to have it. When asked about food, Yasui insisted he didn't care what they had. If anything he wanted to be surprised. And so, Yasui and Shinrai headed back to school excitedly talking about plans for the big party.
This excitement carried over into the week, as Shinrai and Yasui both invited everyone to the party and made preparations. Yasui found it difficult to wait for the big day. So much so, that he felt like being adventurous that Friday afternoon and went into town to treat himself to something tasty as a snack. He was walking around the main plaza above the station he had gotten off of when he saw a certain squirrel sitting at a restaurant with a familiar rabbit. Yasui approached as they ate their french fries, waving happily as he walked towards their table.
"Hey, Shinrai! I didn't know you would be here today!"
Shinrai flinched and looked at him nervously. He gave a halfhearted laugh.
"Haha, yeah. So lucky… bumping into you here."
The squirrel exaggeratedly leaned over and rested his elbow on the table.
"Whatcha doing here? I wasn't expecting you to just… come into town on your own."
Yasui shrugged.
"I felt like doing something I usually don't do. So I decided I should treat myself to something interesting as a snack. Any suggestions?"
Shinrai's too-wide smile grew even more strained.
"W-well… you can totally get something here! Maybe you should go check the menu! There's lots of good types of fries that they sell here! I like the cheese fries!"
Yasui nodded.
"I'll have to see if any stand out to me. I'll go get some and be right back."
Shinrai made a point of checking his watch, but seemed to not notice he wasn't wearing a watch.
"Oh my gosh! Look at the time! Don and I really have to get going! I guess we'll head out and see you later! Enjoy your fries!"
Don the rabbit suddenly frowned and looked below the table before glancing up at Yasui and hurriedly sitting forward in his seat. Yasui was a bit confused by their odd behavior, but decided not to ask.
(Shinrai is probably up to something. I'll let him do whatever he has planned without prying.)
Yasui nodded and walked towards the front of the restaurant.
"Well, I'll see you later. Bye."
Shinrai waved at him.
"Totally! Bye! See you later!"
Yasui made his way to the front of the restaurant and looked at the large menu posted above the register.
(Let's see, they have regular fries for three hundred yen, or special fries for four-fifty. There's cheese fries, garlic parmesan, spicy, black pepper and vinegar, sweet potato cinnamon, curry fries, honey chipotle fries…. They all sound good.)
He walked to the register and smiled at the iguana manning it.
"Hello, I'll have… one order of spicy fries please."
The iguana typed something into his register.
"Okay, those come with a creamy mayo dipping sauce. Is that okay?"
"Great, thanks."
"That will be four hundred and fifty yen."
Yasui handed him the correct change and was given a plastic sign with a large red "4" on it.
"Have a seat and we'll bring you your fries when they're done."
Yasui inclined his head.
"Thank you."
The iguana mirrored him.
"No, thank you. Have a great day."
Yasui went to the table where Shinrai had been sitting and placed his sign on it. He sat down when he noticed something. There was a wallet on the booth. He picked it up and opened it. Inside was Shinrai's ID.
(Uh-oh! Shinrai dropped his wallet! I better see if I can catch up to him and return it! Otherwise he won't be able to ride the train!)
Yasui stood and hurried outside. He looked around but didn't see his friend anywhere in the crowd. Yasui closed his eyes and sniffed, hoping to catch the familiar scent of the squirrel. And there it was, he could smell Shinrai. Following the trail of smells, Yasui hurried in the direction of a side street.
As Yasui had left to go place his order, Shinrai had hurried out of the door, doing his best to block Don from Yasui's sight should he turn around. Don rolled his eyes.
"Dude, it's in a bag."
"I know! But I really want Yasui's present to be a surprise!"
Don smirked.
"You're lucky I know a great repair shop. This TwinScreen looks brand new now."
Shinrai raised his eyebrows.
"I mean… it was my older brother's. He takes good care of his stuff."
"Oh yeah? Then why was the screen cracked?"
"…Pretty good care of his stuff."
Shinrai sighed nervously.
"Let's cut across this side street. I want to have this hidden somewhere safe as soon as possible."
Don rolled his eyes.
"Whatever dude."
Shinrai looked into the bag as they walked into the dimly lit corridor between two buildings. Ahead was an opening to an alley on the left and right where beasts could access the back doors of the buildings. Shinrai winced and looked at Don.
"You don't think it's tacky to give him a second hand console, do you?"
"I doubt he'll care. Especially because he probably knows you don't exactly have a lot of money."
"I guess. I just was thinking about how special my first ever game console was, and wanted to give him something like that. And a few games too, ones I think he'll like."
"I think it's a good idea. I mean, worst case scenario he has something to do on his way back and forth from his home."
"That's true."
They both jumped as a deep, crackly voice came from the alley that they were passing on their left.
"Whatcha got in the bag?"
They both wheeled around to see a gruff looking caiman stalking out of the alley. Instinctively, they took a step back. Shinrai gulped.
"U-uh… n-nothing interesting. Just… s-some old junk."
The caiman glared down at them with cold, reptilian eyes. Despite only being a caiman, he towered over the two small herbivores.
"Oh? Is that so?"
He took another step forward. They took another step away from him. He gave them a snaggle toothed grin, showing off his sharp fangs.
"Dontcha know that it's dangerous to go down back alleys? Especially if you're carrying anything valuable."
They continued to instinctively back away as he slowly, menacingly stalked towards them. Don was too terrified to speak, his mouth was just gaping like a fish out of water. Shinrai barely squeaked.
"W-we'll remember that!"
The caiman licked his fangs.
"Wouldn't want anything to happen, so you should probably give me everything you've got."
Shinrai worked his mouth and squealed,
"What?"
"Everything. Hand it over. Phones, wallets, that bag. Give them to me."
Don frantically pulled his phone and wallet out and handed them to the caiman. Shinrai froze. This couldn't be happening. In broad daylight. On a Friday. This close to a main street. He mentally berated himself for going down a sketchy side street as he slowly pulled his phone out and handed it over. The caiman snatched the bag as well and shoved everything inside it. He held his hand back out.
"Wallet. Now."
Shinrai reached into his back pocket, to find it empty. He checked his other pocket. Empty too. The caiman grabbed him by the arm and let out a deep rumbling sound.
"Stop wasting my time! Hand it over!"
"I-I-I c-can't!"
The caiman snapped his jaws.
"Maybe you don't realize how dangerous of a situation you're in. Maybe I should show you. I think losing a hand would drive the point home."
The caiman opened his mouth. The stench of decaying meat and cigarette smoke wafted out, choking Shinrai as the caiman slowly and deliberately pulled his hand toward his maw. Shinrai tried to pull away.
"N-no! P-please! Stop! Help! Help me!"
It was like time slowed to a crawl. The jaws slowly began to shut towards his tiny, frail arm. Shinrai knew that there wouldn't be anything left. Crocodilians had enough bite strength to crush metal. His bones would be child's play. He was still struggling when a blur of red threw itself on the caiman.
The reptile yelled in surprise, dropping Shinrai as he did. Shinrai watched as a rusty red claw raked across the caimans face, buried two fingers deep into his eye socket. The caiman bellowed in such an unearthly way that it sent chills down Shinrai's spine. A spurt of crimson fluid painted the wall as the red attacker pulled its claws out. The caiman reached for the assailant, but not before it managed to sink its sharp teeth into the side of his neck. The reptile grabbed the red thing and flung it down the alley, screaming as the hunk of flesh was torn off by his attacker. With a roar he charged after the ruddy creature. Shinrai was still lying dumbly on the ground as Don grabbed his arm and yanked him to his feet. The rabbit immediately sprinted back the way they came, carrying his friend along. As they were curving out of the alley, Shinrai saw the caiman grab the unknown rescuer and slam it into a wall. Shinrai shrieked.
"YASUI! IT'S YASUI! WE HAVE TO HELP HIM!"
Don panted as he ran as fast as his legs could carry him.
"How! We're herbivores!"
"WE CAN'T LEAVE HIM HE'll KILL HIM!"
"We need! To get! Help! Hurry! The police! Or something!"
Shinrai felt tears well up in his eyes as the two of them flew out from between the buildings.
Yasui wasn't entirely sure what had happened. He had followed Shinrai's scent into the side street until he heard voices. He saw a caiman standing back to him before Shinrai yelled for help. And then, before he knew it he had felt the gory sensation of an eyeball… giving way beneath his claws and the taste of blood in his mouth. A strong hand had then grabbed him and thrown him bodily down the alleyway and onto the damp concrete of the ground, with the chunk of flesh still gripped in his teeth. Before he could even stand, the caiman had picked him up by the face and slammed his head against a wall.
Stars exploded across Yasui's vision and a ringing sound filled his ears as something slid down his throat. He was moving again, but not under his own power. The wall got closer before his head collided with it with a sickening crack. Hot blood spilled from his forehead as he sprawled on the floor. The caiman opened his jaws and lunged for his neck. Reflexively, he threw his left arm up to defend himself. The jaws clamped down on his forearm, and with a sharp jerk—
SCHLRIP!*
Yasui's vision went red as the portion below his elbow vanished. He fell back, his vision going dark around the edges. The caiman spat before picking him up by the neck. Yasui couldn't even struggle as he looked into the terrifying visage of the reptile. His ruined eye was a mess of red as he snarled.
"You're going to pay for that."
The caiman pulled his arm back and sent his fist forward with the speed of a bullet. It slammed into Yasui's face, right above his right eye. It was odd. Yasui knew he was in more pain right now than he ever had been before. However, he couldn't seem to feel it. He couldn't feel anything right now. It was like his ghost was floating in empty space as his body was mercilessly pummeled. Once the caiman had dropped him to the ground, he kicked Yasui in the ribs. Once, twice, three times. Yasui could only lie there and look up at his tormentor.
(Am I going to die?)
He didn't want to die. His mom would be sad. And his dad too.
(Mommy. I want my mommy.)
It was like Yasui was looking down a dark tunnel as the caiman reared back for another kick. However, something massive and white collided with him, sending him flying. The tunnel was pulling him farther away. It was getting dark. He thought he heard something. Maybe it was his name. He wasn't sure.
And then Yasui knew no more.