Chapter 43: Through New Eyes
Nishinoya was exhausted that Sunday night. Saturday evening had been his daughter's first ballet recital so he'd been busy with that, and then all day today he'd been doing odd jobs around the house to help his wife, Leora, as much as possible. He loved his family: Leora, their eight year old son Leon, and their four year old daughter Airi; but they tended to exhaust him, especially because Leora was pregnant with baby number three and needed lots of extra attention.
Nishinoya sat on the edge of the bed and yawned widely. He caught his reflection in the mirror across the room. His fur was starting to get silver streaks in it, which was disheartening because he was only thirty three. Probably because of the stress he dealt with. Maybe they should have waited to have kids for a few more years. Twenty five was a bit early by modern standards. But Leora had wanted kids, and so they had them. Nishinoya looked up as his wife made her way into their bedroom from the bathroom. She was dressed in a simple nightgown and was drying her face as she waddled towards the bed, her round belly showing noticeably through her clothes. She groaned as she got into bed, rubbing her stomach gently.
"I feel like I'm about to pop. This pup's going to be a giant! At least, it feels like it after lugging him around all day."
Nishinoya grinned.
"Or her. We don't know yet. Because you wanted it—"
"I know, I know. I wanted it to be a surprise. Ugh, I'm so bloated already. And I still have two months to go. I feel like a whale."
Nishinoya joined her in bed and kissed her cheek, stroking her neck fondly.
"I think you look beautiful."
"Stretch marks and puffy ankles included?"
Nishinoya chuckled.
"Yes, those included. Those just make you my darling tiger girl."
Leora laughed and playfully batted him away.
"You're such a goof sometimes. I thought literature professors were supposed to be serious."
Nishinoya laughed with her and settled beside her, one hand resting on her round belly. Occasionally, he'd feel a little kick from inside, which brought a smile to his face. Leora grunted and mumbled to her stomach,
"Settle down, baby. Mommy needs to sleep. Oh, by the way. What was it you wanted to talk to me about yesterday? I completely forgot to get back to you with all the chaos."
And just like that, the warm feelings Nishinoya had vanished. He had already forgotten about telling his wife the complicated situation with Yasui. His memory really was terrible. Nishinoya gulped.
"Well… it's a bit of a… complicated topic."
Leora raised an eyebrow, adjusting her position on the bed to be more comfortable.
"How complicated are we talking?"
Nishinoya hesitated. How did he broach this topic appropriately? Should he ease into it, or just rip it off like a bandage? His wife never liked excuses and beating around the bush, so Nishinoya elected to go for a direct approach.
"Leora… I just found out on Saturday that I have a son."
Leora gave him a concerned look and placed the back of her hand against his forehead.
"Nishinoya, that's serious! Forgetting you have a son is not a good sign! I know you say you've always had a bad memory, but this is beyond forgetfulness! What if you have a tumor, or early onset alzheimers or dementia?!"
Nishinoya removed his wife's hand from his head and sighed.
"Leora, I didn't forget about Leon."
"But then—"
"I sort of found out that I have another son."
Leora just sat there for a moment. She blinked owlishly before hissing,
"You… what?!"
"I… have another son. You see—"
Leora raised her hand and ponderously got out of bed. She walked towards the door to their room and opened it. Nishinoya tried to continue.
"Honey, let me explain—"
"Don't you 'honey' me!" She hissed. "You bastard! You lying, rotten, good for nothing, cheating, bag of garbage!"
And with that, she stormed out. Nishinoya sighed.
"I guess direct was the wrong approach here."
Nishinoya gingerly crept after her, trying not to wake up their children. He found Leora furiously rummaging through the refrigerator and watched as she carried an armful of miscellaneous food to the table and began eating them with a ferocity that bordered on violence. Nishinoya gulped as she bit an olive in half and snarled at him.
"You're lucky the kids are asleep, or I'd castrate you with a kitchen knife!"
Nishinoya gingerly moved between her and the kitchen before continuing.
"Leora, please let me explain."
"What's to explain! You slept with some woman and now you have a baby with her! I hope she was worth it, because I will not let you get away with this!"
"No! It's a student of mine!"
Leora did a double take and just barely stopped herself from slamming the table. Her angry hiss was beginning to rise in volume to a stage whisper.
"You slept with a student?! You're disgusting! Oh my God! What is wrong with you?! How could I marry an actual monster who—"
"Leora! My son is the student! Not the mother! That's what I'm trying to say! This unknown child of mine is a teenager!"
Leora stopped and gave him a worried look.
"I'm confused. How exactly—"
Desperate to clear things up, Nishinoya sat down and took Leora's hand.
"Apparently my old highschool girlfriend got pregnant by me without me knowing. I told you, I didn't cheat on you. This was before I met you."
Leora just sat there and ate olives for a while before making a rolling motion with her hand.
"Okay, I'm calm now. Give me the whole story."
Nishinoya let out a sigh of relief.
"Okay. There's a student in my first year Advanced Literature class who's a hybrid. He needed someone to donate a sample of wolf DNA so he could try to figure out what type of hybrid he is."
"He didn't know what species he was?" Leora asked. Nishinoya shook his head.
"He was found by his adoptive parents. No clue as to who his real parents were. So I agreed and this doctor tested our DNA. Apparently it showed that I'm his father."
Leora tilted her head as she folded a piece of cheese and ate it.
"So who's the mother?"
"I don't remember. She was this fox I dated during my rebellious teenage years."
Leora raised an eyebrow and Nishinoya held his hands up defensively.
"Cut me some slack, it's been over seventeen years. And we only dated for a couple of months."
"What happened to her?"
Nishinoya shrugged.
"Her father got a job outside of the city and she moved away. Never saw or heard from her again. This was before cell phones were popular after all."
Leora ate another olive and gave Nishinoya a searching look.
"So what are you planning to do?"
"Well." Nishinoya hesitantly began. "We talked a bit, but not a lot. We're going to keep it a secret for now, and maybe permanently. As he said, he has his own family and I do too. It might just make things awkward if we mixed it all up."
Leora gave her husband a stern look.
"Nishinoya. You are not just ignoring that boy! Whether you like it or not he's your son. You have a responsibility to him."
"So what do I do?"
She gave him a matter of fact look.
"Maybe you should ask him? See what he wants to do. And make sure you don't make him feel guilty about any of this. If anyone is to blame it's you and this random fox girl."
Nishinoya furrowed his brow.
"If only I could remember her name. I know it had a 'shi' at the end of it, because I called her 'Shi-shi' sometimes. What was it? Denshi? Jenshi? Wenshi?! Gah! Curse my terrible memory!"
Monday arrived with no real surprises. Classes were normal, Yasui ate with Shinrai, and after classes the Cooking Club were meeting with their new member in attendance. However, there was a certain undercurrent in the school that Yasui didn't understand. Excited whispering could be heard from the girls as they roamed around in packs, giggling at the boys. As the Cooking Club meeting started, Yasui addressed Yufine.
"Hey, Yufine? Why are all the girls acting weird?"
The tigress grinned and rocked on her heels.
"Because the Winter Performance is this week! They're all excited to see who's going to go with who!"
Yasui tilted his head. It was currently just him, Yufine, and Chaussette in the room. So he couldn't ask Baz if this had any effect on the male students. He should have asked Shinrai at breakfast. Pressing on, Yasui gave Yufine a curious look.
"So girls go to this performance with their friends?"
"No, silly." Yufine giggled. "Boys and girls go together. So the girls are excited to see who's going to ask them to go with them! I've already had three guys ask me!"
Chaussette looked at Yufine with a mopy expression.
"Nobody assssked me, and I don't think anyone will. People do their besssst to forget ssssnakessss exist."
Yasui crossed his arms.
"Well, so long as you want to go on Friday, we could go together, Chaussette. I have work on Thursday, but I'd be happy to go with you."
Chaussette went rigid and looked shyly up at him. If snakes could blush, she'd be blushing.
"R-really, Yassssui? You want to go… with me?!"
Yasui nodded.
"Yeah, it'll be fun. It's at six thirty, right?"
"Yeah."
"Well let me know where to meet up."
Chaussette flicked her tongue and Yufine giggled a bit. Yasui gave them both a confused look before returning his attention to the recipe book.
(Girls. They can be so weird sometimes.)
Fortunately, both Maihime and Baz arrived shortly after that, and the Cooking Club started in earnest. However, Yasui soon found that there was a small problem with their newest member. Everyone else had at least had some small amount of experience in the kitchen, whether it was helping their grandmother bake cookies to chopping carrots for a snack. Baz on the other hand barely seemed to know which end of a knife was the sharp part. Coupled with his massive size, he was a bit of a menace in the kitchen.
Yasui ducked as the lumbering polar bear almost took his head off with a cutting board he was getting down. Baz gulped.
"Oh, sorry! I didn't notice you there, Yasui."
Yasui nodded, a bit shaken.
"It's fine. Just… be careful."
They were in the process of making some flambéed mushrooms. It was a new recipe, and they were working with some new ingredients and techniques. As Yasui was adding the wine to the pan, he gestured towards anyone nearby.
"So apparently all we need to do is use a lighter to ignite the fumes coming out of the pan. So when I say to light it, we can—"
"FWOOMPH!"
Yasui jump backwards as orange flames erupted from the pan. Baz immediately cried out,
"Ah! Sorry! I thought you meant now!"
Yasui blinked in surprise and looked around at his club members. Everyone was gaping at him in horror. Maihime pointed at his head.
"You're on fire."
Yasui spun and looked at the reflective surface of the refrigerator. Sure enough, small flames were licking at his fur. Yasui let out a scream that was a few octaves higher than he would have liked and looked around for anything to extinguish himself in a blind panic. Immediately Baz grabbed the coat he had hung over the back of his chair and flung it over Yasui's head to smother the flames. Unfortunately he also grabbed the chair with it.
CRACK!*
Silence fell over the club as Yasui dropped to the floor like a sack of potatoes. Nobody moved as the hybrid lay ominously still on the floor. Baz fell to his knees, hands feebly outstretched towards the prone Club President.
"I-I didn't mean to…. Oh God…. Oh God! I-I killed him! Oh my God!"
And with that everyone went into hysterics. Baz immediately burst into tears and began rocking back and forth on the floor. Yufine fainted and joined Yasui on the ground. Maihime turned and vomited loudly into the sink. And Chaussette hurriedly nudged the coat off of Yasui's face and attempted CPR. She covered his nose with her tail and desperately blew into his mouth, watching as his chest rose and fell with each blow. Chaussette looked around desperately.
"SSSSSOMEBODY WITH ARMSSSS DO CHESSSST COMPRESSSSSSSSIONSSSS!"
Chaos reigned until Yasui coughed loudly, making Chaussette stop puffing breaths into his mouth. Yasui groaned.
"Everyone shut up! I'm not dead! That just knocked me out for a bit!"
Yasui sat up, holding his throbbing head. He touched the back of his skull and his fingers came away sticky and red. Yasui winced as pain lanced through his skull. He was definitely going to have a large bump on his head after that.
Baz held his head in his hands and groaned.
"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to! I'm such a moron!"
Yasui waved him away.
"It's fine, just a bump on the head. I'll live."
Chaussette gave him a concerned look.
"But you're bleeding! We sssshould take you to the nursssse!"
Yasui shook his head. He then regretted shaking his head as the room swam in front of him.
"I'm telling you, it's just a bump. If I'm not completely okay soon we can go to the nurse. Just let me sit for a moment."
Yasui accepted the paper towel Yufine got for him and sat down to wait for the room to stop spinning. Baz was still profusely apologizing, and Maihime was absentmindedly stirring the pan of mushrooms. It was then that a knock rang out from the door. Everyone turned and watched as a male peafowl walked in and waved to them.
"Hey, everyone. Sorry to barge in like this but— uh… are you okay?"
He directed that last question to Yasui. Yasui gave him a thumbs up.
"Little accident. Nothing to worry about."
The peafowl shrugged.
"Okay. Well, back to the point. I'm a member of the Drama Club. We have a dress rehearsal on Wednesday, you know, to get ready for the big performance. And we were wondering if we could get you to make snacks for us. We'd pay you for them, of course."
Yasui glanced at his club mates.
"I think we can manage that. How about you guys? Feel like catering again?"
Yufine rubbed her chin.
"But what should we make?"
The peafowl put his hands up in indifference.
"Whatever you want. So long as it's suitable for both carnivores and herbivores."
Yasui nodded and winced when his head throbbed..
"So what time would we drop the food on Wednesday, and where?"
The Drama Club member tapped his chin and thought for a moment. Finally, he shrugged.
"Well I guess you'd just bring it to the auditorium. The back entrance, not the front."
Yasui gave him a thumbs up.
"I think we'll take you up on your offer. We can iron out the details later."
The peafowl inclined his head.
"That's great! I'll let the president know!"
As he left, Yasui sat back in his seat and closed his eyes. The timing was actually perfect. They were running low on cash again.
(We really need to get better at planning out ways to make some cash.)
The other members of the Cooking Club joined Yasui around the table. Chaussette tilted her head.
"Ssssso what do you think we ssssshould make?"
Everyone looked at each other blankly and avoided being the first to answer. Chaussette suddenly was very interested in the ceiling, Yufine began picking at her claws, Maihime just stared off into space, and Baz looked like he was trying very hard to not be in the room. Finally, Yasui sighed.
"How about soup? I like soup, and it's still cold out so it works well."
Maihime nodded.
"And it's easy to make a big batch of vegetable soup. We can put bits of tofu and mushrooms in it to make it filling. I like tofu in my soup. And bean sprouts."
Yufine clasped her hands.
"And we can make some nice bread to go with it! Soup with homemade bread is to die for!"
Chaussette flicked her tongue.
"And it sssshould be cheap."
Yasui nodded.
"Right. Soup it is. Anything to add, Baz?"
The massive polar bear hung his head.
"Can I just go sit in the pantry? I'm too clumsy to help. I just break stuff."
Everyone exchanged awkward looks. There were definitely some… issues with Baz currently. He was nice and all, but he definitely broke stuff. Yasui sighed.
"Baz, you just have to be a bit more… careful. We'll find what you're good at. Yufine was a bit clumsy in the kitchen too before she found out she was good at chopping things. Now she's probably the best one here with a knife. We'll find your thing."
Maihime spoke up after Yasui was done.
"Yeah. You can always just smash things we need broken up into pieces."
Bas sighed.
"I guess so."
While Yasui was having his club meeting, Shinrai was occupying his time in a different way. He and Hikaru were in their hidden hangout room above the auditorium watching a cheesy action movie. As they sat on the large bean bag that acted as a couch, Hikaru fanned her face.
"Is it getting stuffy in here?" She asked. Shinrai scoffed.
"You're wearing, like, three layers. And they actually have the heat on because the Drama Club is setting up the stage. Just take off your hoodie."
Hikaru sighed and grabbed the hem of her sweatshirt. As she pulled it over her head, it apparently got caught on something. Shinrai watched as hoodie, overshirt, and undershirt got lifted. His eyes widened as he saw her soft, tan fur running across her belly. But that wasn't what caught his eye. The shocking sight was the fact that Hikaru had the most massive breasts Shinrai had ever seen, proportionate to her body. His jaw dropped as he was astonished by the sheer size of them. Each one was just… huge!
(How does she hide those?!)
Hikaru squealed and hastily covered herself back up. She looked at Shinrai with an embarrassed flush to her face.
"Y-you! What did you see?!"
Shinrai tried to say something, but couldn't think of what to say. That he had seen her absolutely gigantic jugs? Her massive titties? Her super sized melons? Hikaru turned away and her ears drooped.
"Go ahead, laugh! Get it out of your system!"
Shinrai shook himself.
"I… what?"
"If you're going to laugh at me just do it now so we can watch the movie!"
"Why would I laugh?"
Hikaru spun to face him, her face positively burning with shame.
"Because I'm a freakishly disproportional… freak!"
"Uh… what?"
"Oh go to Hell! I know you saw them!"
Shinrai cupped two hands over his own chest.
"You mean… those?"
"Yes, you dumbass!"
"Why would I laugh at your boobs?"
Hikaru crossed her arms.
"Are you playing dumb?"
"Not playing, just dumb."
She sighed and twisted the bottom of her shirt.
"I guess you don't get it as much, because you're a guy. But I've been embarrassed about my body for ages. Kids used to make fun of me in elementary school and middle school."
"…Because you have big breasts?"
Hikaru scowled.
"Imagine having D-cups in the sixth grade! I looked like a freak! I still do! Apparently it's some sort of hormone imbalance, and the doctor says they might get even bigger. I feel so ugly all the time, especially because I have to wear baggy clothes to hide them. I just want to be normal!"
All of this burst out of Hikaru like a flood. Shinrai got the sense she had wanted to talk about this with someone for a while. The fennec fox sighed.
"It's exhausting. I have to change in secret, I wear a dress over my bathing suit, and I can't use public baths! So if you're going to tease me about it, just get it over with."
Shinrai licked his lips. How did he respond to all that?
"Hikaru… I don't think you look like a freak."
"Oh please! I saw your face when my shirt came up!"
"Uh… that was just because I saw your boobs. Honestly, I thought they looked great! Like… really awesome! But I can get why you'd be a bit sensitive about it. I promise I won't tell anyone, or even breathe a word about it to you at all!"
Hikaru's expression softened and she hugged Shinrai.
"Thanks, Shinrai. I really appreciate you saying that."
There was silence for a while before Shinrai blurted out,
"Can I touch them?"
"Dude!"
"I'm joking! Sheesh!"
But as Shinrai sat with Hikaru and even after they had parted ways, he had troubling thoughts on his mind. It was just… weird to think of Hikaru as a female, with breasts and all that. He was so used to just hanging out with her and playing games that seeing her like that made him uncomfortable. Mainly because he found himself… thinking about her over and over again.
Shinrai was walking across the school grounds when he saw his sister Hana walking with her boyfriend Robby the stoat. The fact that she was dating a stoat was still a bit of a sore topic for Shinrai's parents, and something Shinrai didn't typically like to think about. Well, his sister dating anyone and getting… physical in any way wasn't something he wanted to think about. The two older beasts noticed Shinrai, and headed in his direction. As they got closer, Shinrai halfheartedly waved.
"Hey, Hana. Robby."
Robby raised his hand.
"Hey, little dude. How's it going?"
Shinrai shrugged.
"Oh, it's going I guess."
Hana arched an eyebrow.
"What's eating you?"
"Nothing, I'm fine!" Shinrai replied. Hana rolled her eyes.
"I've lived with you for over a decade. I can tell when you're being pissy about something. What's up?"
Shinrai glowered at her.
"Geez! Leave me alone! I'm literally just walking!"
Shinrai stormed off, leaving Hana and Robby watching as he left. Robby put a hand on Hana's shoulder.
"What was that about?"
Hana rolled her eyes.
"That's his classic 'guilty' move. He feels bad about something. Whatever, let's go."
Yasui noticed that Shinrai was acting odd at breakfast the next morning, but decided not to pry. He was too busy planning the meal for Wednesday. Yasui had coordinated with Chaussette and Yufine to get the ingredients while he was at work that Tuesday, and was trying to figure out the logistics of transporting and serving the food to the Drama Club.
That Wednesday saw the Cooking Club engaged in a flurry of activity. Vegetables were being chopped, bread was being baked, and drinks prepared. Baz had proved the most useful he had ever been in a club meeting. With his immense strength he was able to carry most of what needed moving in one trip. With Baz loaded up like a pack mule, Yasui led his clubmates to the main auditorium. They found the back door unlocked and soon were hurrying inside.
The peafowl from before joined them, and was saying his hellos and explaining what needed doing when. Yasui frowned as his phone buzzed. He looked down to see that Professor Nishinoya had just sent him a text message.
N: Hello, Yasui. This is Nishinoya. I got your number from the office.
N: I'm sorry for the sudden intrusion, but I think we need to talk. Can you meet me right outside the front gates?
Yasui hesitated. His distress must have been obvious, because Chaussette tilted her head and gave him a confused look.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah," Yasui lied. "I just… something came up and I need to step out for a bit."
Chaussette nodded.
"Don't worry, we can handle thissss. Take assss much time asssss you need."
Yasui's mouth twitched in a weak attempt at a smile.
"Thanks, Chaussette."
Not wanting to draw extra attention, Yasui quietly slipped out the door and walked towards the front gate. It was a cold day, but the sky was clear. The sun was nearing the horizon, casting the world in brilliant golden light. But to Yasui, everything was a ball of cold nervousness.
Outside the gate, Yasui found Professor Nishinoya leaning over the small wall at the edge of the walkway looking out over the ocean. Upon noticing Yasui, the older wolf gave him a strained smile and ran a hand across his head.
"Hey, Yasui. Sorry for springing this on you so fast. Honestly, I've been delaying this for a bit. So… sorry about that. If this whole… situation has been causing me stress, I can only imagine how you feel."
Yasui swallowed and stuffed his hands in his pockets. He didn't say anything. He didn't know what to say. Heck, Yasui wasn't even entirely sure how he felt! Nishinoya sighed and crossed his arms on the wall, leaning over his elbows.
"Dammit, this isn't fair to you. Yasui, I'm so sorry. I should have just manned up and accepted the reality of the situation."
Yasui shook his head.
"No, it's fine. Like I said, I'm doing fine and you have a family of your own. I don't want to mess that up for you."
Nishinoya looked at Yasui and chuckled mirthlessly.
"You're really something, you know that? You feel guilty about possibly making my life a bit uncomfortable. You're a better man than I am."
Yasui frowned.
"I don't see it like that. I just don't really… I don't want to… I'd hate to feel like I was causing a problem. I'm not worth throwing everything into chaos for."
Nishinoya straightened and looked Yasui dead in the eyes.
"Yasui. You're… my son. Nothing about our circumstances changes that. It's just a fact. And I have a duty to you. But… it's your choice. If you want nothing to do with me, I'll respect your decision. I couldn't say I'd blame you. But if you want… I'd be happy to start spending time with you. You could come over for dinner sometime. Meet my wife and kids. They're technically your half siblings and step-mother, so I'm sure they'll be interested in meeting you. If you want to, that is."
Yasui looked away from Nishinoya. Did he want that? Did he want to accept Nishinoya as his biological father? Did they just… start doing things together? How did that work? His parents back home would always be his parents, but should he include his biological father with his adopted parents? Yasui sighed.
"Can I think about this? Please? I-It's a lot to take in."
Nishinoya nodded.
"Of course. I just wanted you to know where I stand. And that you're always welcome to talk to me."
Yasui nodded and stared down at the water. Finally, Nishinoya wiped his hands on his pants and cleared his throat.
"Right. I'd better be off. Need to get back home soon. Well… goodnight, Yasui. See you tomorrow."
"Goodnight…."
Yasui stood there by the wall for a while. His mind was racing. Did he want to try to connect with Nishinoya's… with his extended family? Even after Yasui returned to the auditorium and helped the Cooking Club, his heart wasn't in it. This distraction lasted through the day and well into Thursday. He was pondering what to do as he walked home from work, when he sighed.
(I wish I could ask Miss Diana. She's the smartest person I know.)
So far he hadn't had any news from Miss Diana. She was still recovering, slowly but surely. However that definitely didn't help him now. Yasui felt a bit aimless if he was being honest. He didn't know what he wanted to do about Nishinoya, he didn't know what he wanted to do after highschool, and he didn't know what he wanted to do with his life in general. The more he thought about these things the worse he felt, and that only made him overthink more. Honestly, Yasui was glad he could just turn his mind off and watch the Drama Club perform on Friday. That at least should be easy.
Yasui met Chaussette in front of her dorm. He'd volunteered to carry her to the auditorium due to how cold it was. He was wearing the new suit from his board meeting, and Chaussette was wearing a bizarre outfit that must be the snake version of a dress. It was a tube of fabric that stretched from below her head to where she usually slithered from. So essentially it covered her… neck? Yasui wasn't sure how to describe snake anatomy since they were sort of just long tubes with heads.
The auditorium was pretty densely packed. Yasui was surprised how many students were in attendance. He didn't think many of them cared about theater or plays. As the lights dimmed, Yasui noticed Chaussette uncomfortably craning her head to see. He leaned down.
"Are you having trouble seeing?"
She flicked her tongue.
"Well… it'ssss jusssst uncomfortable. My sssspine is very flexible sssso I have to keep mysssself held upright like thissss."
"You can use my shoulders as a prop if you want. That way you aren't sitting upright the whole time."
"Thank you, Yasssui. That'sssss very kind of you."
Chaussette slithered across Yasui's back and rested her head on his shoulder. Once again, Yasui was struck by just how inconvenient much of life was for snakes. Their unique anatomy just made so many things difficult. He felt bad that Chaussette and the other snakes just dealt with it, and promised himself that he'd make her life easier whenever he could.
The curtain rose, and the performance began. Yasui was a well read individual, but plays had just never appealed to him. They were so… over dramatic. And then there was the dancing. Yasui didn't mind dancing, but he just didn't see the point of interrupting the flow of the narrative just for dancing and music. But everyone else seemed to be enjoying the performance.
(Maybe I'm just an uncultured bumpkin.)
As he "watched" the play, Yasui's mind wandered to both his problems with Nishinoya, and the idea he had regarding the festival that Shinrai was going to on Saturday. He weighed the pros and cons of forming a relationship with his biological father and half family against the possible downsides. But the possible outcomes were getting more and more far-fetched as he played them out in his head. This then distracted him onto the topic of Saturday.
Shinrai had said that this Odd Soul Festival was a herbivore specific event. But what if he looked like an herbivore? Which is why on that Saturday evening Yasui snuck into a deserted bathroom in the main building with a bundle of clothes in his arms. These were the clothes he had bought at the thrift store back home which had belonged to a deer. He put them on and then withdrew the accessories he needed to hide his carnivore nature. A pair of gloves for his claws, a surgical mask for his fangs, and he just tucked his tail into his clothes. Not the most comfortable outfit, but it would do. And then, the piece de resistance, the antler headband he had gotten from the play with Miss Diana and his family.
Once the hood of his coat was up, with his false antlers fit into the gaps you could unzip in the top, Yasui looked at himself in the mirror. He was honestly impressed how much like a deer he looked. The only thing that didn't fit were his eyes, which were yellow with elliptical pupils. But hopefully nobody would notice. Putting his other clothes in a backpack, Yasui headed out into the night. He could barely suppress a grin as he hurried out of the school grounds and down the hill. Yasui had made sure to look up where this festival was being held before dark, and he made a beeline there. He'd sneak in and then find Shinrai.
(Shinrai is going to be so surprised! I can't wait!)
There was a certain feeling of excitement that came with being disguised. Yasui had to try not to laugh whenever he walked past anyone. Being a deer was fun! He also noticed that everyone he saw treated him a bit differently. They nodded if they were an herbivore, or gave him a friendly smile if they were a carnivore.
(Gee… people sure are nicer to deer than they are to hybrids.)
Eventually, Yasui made his way to the Odd Soul Festival grounds. Booths and stalls were set up selling all sorts of weird stuff. Charms and talismans and all manner of weird hoodoo. A massive bone encased in ice was submerged in a pool where herbivores crowded. Yasui looked around for Shinrai, but was beginning to realize how hard it would be to find a squirrel in this crowd. There were so many herbivores around that it was a bit overwhelming.
(I guess I might as well just take part in the festival while I look for him. Even if I don't know what's going on.)
Apart from the odd things Yasui didn't understand like the bone and the talismans, there were at least a few booths selling food and some games. These were mainly attended by children and teenagers, while the other parts were crowded with adults. Yasui slunk over to the area with the young people as quickly as he could. That was his best bet of finding his best friend.
Yasui was about to get in line for food when he realized that he couldn't eat in his disguise. One look at his razor sharp teeth would be enough to reveal his species to everyone. With a sigh Yasui leaned against a wall on the edge of the festival grounds and scanned the area for Shinrai. Yasui let his mind wander to his various worries like Nishinoya and school and Miss Diana as he stared at the crowds. His thoughts were interrupted when he felt somebody jostle his arm.
"Hey there, having a fun time here all by yourself?"
Yasui blinked and looked at the speaker. He was a tall and athletic looking red deer with a handsome face. Beside him was a very pretty red deer doe holding his hand, and a little behind was a female white tail deer who had all the appearance of being incredibly shy. The three deer all seemed to be of high school age, probably close to Yasui's age if he had to guess. The male deer shook his head and looked over the crowd.
"Yeah, I don't really believe in this mumbo jumbo. How about you?"
Yasui shrugged.
"To be honest I don't actually understand what's going on. I've never been to one of these before. I'm from the countryside so I'm not entirely sure about the traditions here yet."
The male deer nodded slowly.
"Huh, no kidding. You here for school?"
"Yeah." Yasui replied. The female deer holding the male deer's hand giggled.
"What school? I know a lot of people from different schools here through sports."
Yasui hesitated. Should he tell them anything about himself if he was here in disguise?
(It can't hurt. Not like it matters at all.)
"I'm going to Cherryton." Yasui said. The male clapped his shoulder.
"Hey! That's a good school! You must be pretty smart to have gotten in there. We're all from Northern Heights High. Which I should probably introduce myself. I'm Hokabe, this is my girlfriend Maya, and our shy friend back there is Eleanor."
Eleanor glanced up and then immediately returned her gaze to her shoes. Yasui nodded to each deer in turn.
"Nice to meet you. I'm…."
(Crap. I should probably not tell them my real name. I could probably get in trouble for sneaking in here if they looked me up. Think of a name, fast!)
"…Rin. My name is Rin."
Hokabe shook his hand.
"Well, Rin, what are you're thoughts on this stupid festival so far?"
Yasui shrugged.
"I just got here. I'm not sure what to do."
Maya leaned against Hokabe.
"Oh, Abe, we should let him tag along with us! It'll be fun! That way Eleanor isn't stuck third wheeling for us again."
Hokabe grinned at his girlfriend and turned his attention to Yasui.
"Well, Rin? Want to hang with us? We can all go be superstitious herbivores together."
Yasui laughed awkwardly.
"Yeah… sounds fun."
(Why not. I can always leave them when I find Shinrai.)
Yasui followed the three deer into the crowd again. They led him to an offering box where they all put a coin in, and then to where the giant bone was. Yasui looked the massive object up and down and Hokabe nudged him.
"They claim it's the bone of a massive herbivorous dinosaur. And that if you wash in the water it transfers its protection to you. So we all just dunk our hands in the water and call it good enough."
Yasui shrugged and dipped his gloved finger in the cold water. He didn't feel all that better protected. Next the four of them headed towards the various booths and stalls selling all manner of things. As they wove through the crowd, Yasui heard what one charm seller was saying as he displayed his wares.
"Charms to ward off misfortune! Buy one of these and you'll be sure to be safe from predation! Why take the chance? Get your charms here!"
Yasui froze and stared at the vendor. Maya noticed and gave Yasui a confused look.
"Something wrong, Rin?"
"Yeah, what did he just say? About… predations?"
Hokabe sniffed.
"Yeah, what a bunch of crap. As if some charm will stop a predation."
Yasui looked around with a new idea. A festival for herbivores only where they sought out protection and blessings… blessings against predators. Protection from him. Yasui suddenly felt a bit sick to his stomach. All the herbivores hurriedly making their offerings and bathing in the blessed pool suddenly seemed more furtive and scared than he had realized. Everyone here was terrified of carnivores. Yasui was literally their nightmare made flesh, and he was sneaking around dressed like them. Yasui staggered away from the booths, breathing hard.
(This was a mistake! I should have listened to Shinrai! Of course he didn't want me to come here!)
Yasui felt Hokabe's hand on his back.
"Hey, you okay? Do you need some water or something?"
Yasui held up a hand.
"No! I'm fine, I'm fine. It's just…. It's a little shocking. I had no idea this whole festival was about… that."
Maya crossed her arms.
"It's speciesist, and insensitive to carnivores. I'm on my school's volleyball team, and I have lots of friends who are carnivores. Most of these jerks haven't even spoken to a carnivore before. They all just believe whatever the propaganda networks tell them."
Hokabe nodded.
"Yeah. Predation is a crime, and so we should focus on who actually commits those crimes instead of their species as a whole. When a deer robs a store we don't all claim that 'all deer are burglars' or something like that."
Yasui looked up at the three deer.
"You guys really think that?"
Hokabe grinned.
"Absolutely. Our generation could be the generation to end this whole mess with segregation and fear between carnivores and herbivores. We don't believe all the fear mongering about carnivores that the media tells us."
Maya nodded.
"Yeah. There's even a few mixed species couples I've seen at school. They prove that we're all the same on the inside."
Yasui tilted his head. It was interesting to hear people his age who seemed to talk about deeper issues than video games and girls. It was actually refreshing having a more intellectual conversation with his peers.
"What are your thoughts on hybrids?"
Eleanor spoke up for the first time that evening. Her eyes remained glued to the ground as she awkwardly spoke.
"I-I hate how society treats hybrids. I had a friend as a kid who was a hybrid. She got bullied so bad that she…. You don't get to control your species, so punishing hybrids for existing is just… stupid."
Both Hokabe and Maya seemed surprised that Eleanore had spoken. Maya smiled at the shy girl and held her hand.
"Good for you, Eleanor. I'm glad you said that."
Eleanor blushed and buried her head in her coat. Hokabe just chuckled.
"Dang, Eleanor never talks to strangers. She must like you, Rin."
They all laughed and Eleanor bashfully shook her head. But her coat hid a small smile. Maya leaned forward towards Yasui and asked,
"So, Rin. What's different here than in the countryside? Do people have more prejudices or less? Because I'd heard that in the countryside some people are really old fashioned."
Yasui told them all about growing up in his village. They swapped stories from childhood back and forth, laughing as they did. Yasui forgot all about finding Shinrai, he was so absorbed in their conversation. Eventually, Maya looked at her phone and sighed.
"It's late. We should head back to school. It was great talking with you, Rin. We should hang out sometime."
Hokabe tore a scrap of paper off a piece he had in his pocket and wrote down his phone number. He grinned and gave Yasui a fist bump.
"Text me later, dude. Don't be a stranger."
"Yeah, I'll do that. See you later." Yasui replied.
As he walked back to school, Yasui had to admit that he'd had a great time. It was so nice to have a real conversation with someone without it ending up turning into a discussion of memes or tv shows. The following Sunday morning saw just that situation happen.
Yasui was sitting down to eat breakfast when Shinrai sat across from him. The squirrel grinned at Yasui and leaned closer.
"Dude, have you heard about the situation caused by this propaganda short film that came out the other day?"
Yasui shook his head.
"No, I didn't. What happened?"
Shinrai snickered.
"Well, this herbivore group that's super pro segregation made this short film. It's essentially a new version of Little Red Riding Hood. So it's this little rabbit lady in a red hooded coat walking around when the Big Bad Wolf shows up and starts being all scary. They imply he eats her and then it talks about crime statistics for a bit before calling for the segregation of carnivores from herbivore society."
Yasui made a disgusted face.
"That's horrible! Why would they make something like that?!"
Shinrai waved his comment off.
"Yeah, it's sucky. But the real kicker is that it absolutely backfired. So the wolf they got to play the Big Bad Wolf is super hot, like, I'm a dude and even I think he's smoking hot. And now a bunch of herbivore women are having horny fantasies about him dominating them. Apparently it's inspired multiple pornos in the few days it's been out. Imagine how mad those guys are! You spend all this time and money making an anti-carnivore film only for it to make herbivore chicks want to bang wolves. Isn't that hilarious?"
Yasui nodded, but inside he sighed. He liked Shinrai a lot, he just wished the squirrel could at least sometimes take anything seriously. As Shinrai continued talking about this whole Big Bad Wolf situation, Yasui's phone buzzed. He looked down at it to see that Charles of all people had texted him.
C: Yasui. Miss Diana gets out of the hospital later today. Could you come over to the house around seven? I'm sure she wants to see you and I'd like you to watch her while I get some things.
Yasui eagerly texted back.
Y: Of course!
Y: Tell her I'll be over at seven on the dot!
Shinrai noticed Yasui's grin and raised an eyebrow.
"Good news?"
"Yeah!" Yasui replied. "Miss Diana is getting out of the hospital today! I'm going to go visit her tonight!"
"Dude, that's great! You should get her a gift or something! Like flowers or whatever. Chicks love it when you get them presents when they come back home from anywhere. My mom told me."
Yasui nodded.
"You're right. But what should I get her?"
Shinrai shrugged.
"Chocolates, a candle, freaking whatever the heck crazy rich leopards like. I'm sure if you just get something she'll like it. Heck, get her a stuffed toy or something. Or maybe that's a bit too juvenile."
"Yeah, maybe. Gee, I'll have to think about it."
Yasui wracked his brain as to something he knew Miss Diana liked that she didn't already have. She was very fashionable and trendy, but Yasui wasn't sure he could afford anything related to that for her. He knew she liked chocolate, but didn't eat it when he was over for obvious reasons.
(Should I just get her a candle? Or maybe something else girls like? Who would know what an adult woman would enjoy?)
Yasui frowned at his phone as an idea came to him. There was one person who he might be able to ask for help. But doing so was a step he wasn't sure he was ready to take. He'd thought about it a lot, but still hadn't come up with anything definitive yet. Yasui took out his phone, and then put it away. He stood before pausing and removing his phone from his pocket yet again. This repeated several times before he finally typed out a text message.
Y: Hey, Mr. Nishinoya. I was wondering if you could help me with something?
Yasui sat staring at his phone for a while, waiting for a response. He leaned forward and grit his teeth.
(Was that a mistake? He said he wanted to be involved in my life, but was asking him for help before talking with him more rude? Crap, I hope I didn't just make things weird.)
There was a buzz and Yasui checked his phone.
N: Hey Yasui
N: what can I do
Y: I'm trying to buy a gift for a friend of mine who's a lady. She just got out of the hospital and I want to give her something special. But she's an adult so I'm not sure what she'd like. What would you get your wife as a present?
The message that Mr. Nishinoya was typing appeared and disappeared twice before a reply came through.
N: well
N: probably something a bit unnecessary but nice
N: you could get her a spa kit with scented candles and oils and all that stuff
N: btw is this your girlfriend or something?
N: because if so that changes things
Yasui went red in the face and hurriedly replied.
Y: Not my girlfriend! She's like my aunt!
N: okay then yeah a spa kit should work
N: just checking
Y: Thanks Mr. Nishinoya. I appreciate the help.
Yasui put his phone away and was gathered his things to go shopping when his phone buzzed again.
N: have you thought about what we talked about the other day
Yasui rubbed his head and paced a bit before answering.
Y: I have. And I don't think I'd mind getting to know you a bit better. So if you really want me to come over for dinner some night I'd be willing to.
N: that sounds like a plan
N: I'll check with the wife and see when she wants to do this
Yasui sighed and rubbed his eyes. He still felt conflicting feelings about his biological father, but it couldn't hurt to learn more about him. In the meantime, he had a gift to buy.
In the end, Yasui decided to heed Nishinoya's advice and bought a gift basket for Miss Diana containing scented candles and oils that the lady at the store assured Yasui would be a hit. Basket in hand, Yasui knocked on Miss Diana's door and stood eagerly waiting for a response. Charles opened the door and hurriedly stepped outside, giving Yasui a relieved look.
"Good, you're here. The doctors gave Miss Diana some new medicine and it has her a bit out of it. They warned me it could happen which is why I need you to watch her."
Yasui grew concerned.
"How out of it?"
The muscular gorilla rubbed his brow.
"Not too bad, just clumsy. Only a few minutes ago she almost cut her finger off trying to open a jar of olives. Just, keep her happy and distracted while I get some groceries and fill her prescription."
Yasui nodded and Charles ushered him inside. As they walked to the living room, Charles called out.
"Miss Diana, look who's here!"
Yasui watched as Miss Diana unsteadily rose from her seat on the couch and broke into a massive smile. She hurried over to him in a wavering line and threw her arms around Yasui's neck.
"Yasui! Oh, I've missed you!"
Yasui returned the hug and smiled.
"I missed you too, Miss Diana. I'm so glad you're back home!"
The leopard giggled and staggered backwards a bit, looking Yasui over.
"Me too. Oh, that hospital was dreadful. So boring! And the only cute visitor I had was you!"
She playfully pinched Yasui's cheek. Yasui laughed.
"Miss Diana, you look so much better now! I can hardly tell you were in the hospital."
Diana spun in a small circle, almost falling as she did. Both Charles and Yasui started forward to catch her but she held up her hands.
"Now now! I'm just a little off balance. This medicine they gave me has me all over the place. Please, come sit! We have a lot of catching up to do."
Yasui laughed as Charles gave him a thumbs up and left.
"Miss Diana, I visited you almost every day. It hasn't been that long."
Diana frowned.
"It hasn't? Odd, it feels like ages to me. But anyway, tell me everything that's been going on with you! Spare no details."
And so Yasui told her all about his woes and experiences at school. She listened intently, and Yasui noticed she was a lot more cuddly than she usually was. She seemed completely unwilling to let go of Yasui's arm the entire time he was talking. Finally, once he had gotten her caught up, Diana sighed.
"Well I'm glad you're doing okay. You were in a rough spot for a while there."
Yasui shook his head.
"Enough about me, Miss Diana. Is there anything I can do for you?"
Miss Diana leaned her head back and groaned.
"Oh, yes please! I want a bath! A real bath, not a sponge bath. Charles said he was worried I'd slip and hurt myself, but if you help me I'll be fine. I just feel so gross and dirty having gone this long without a real bath."
Yasui did his best to hide the blush that came to his cheeks as he nodded slowly.
"Okay, I can do that. Let's go upstairs then and draw you a nice warm bath."
Miss Diana had to cling to Yasui's arm as they went up the stairs because of how unstable she was still. As Yasui was preparing the massive bathtub in the master bathroom, Charles was at the pharmacy. As the buff gorilla handed the prescription over to the pharmacist, the animal behind the counter raised an eyebrow.
"Sheesh, this for you?"
"No, my employer. She suffered a head trauma recently."
"Ah, makes sense. Fair warning, this stuff's like a kick from a mule. Can have all sorts of nasty side effects."
Charles furrowed his brow.
"Such as?"
"Hot flashes, nausea, delirium, loss of appetite, increased libido, mood swings, partial amnesia, and suppressed inhibitions to name a few. Goes without saying, but keep whoever this is far away from sharp things."
Charles grunted.
"Will do."
Once the bath was prepared, Yasui turned to Miss Diana. The leopard had already changed into a bathrobe and was sitting on a chair nearby. Fortunately she had been stable enough to change in her own closet.
"Alright, ready?"
Diana nodded and got to her feet, leaning heavily on the wall. Once she was standing, she shrugged off her robe and started towards Yasui… completely naked. Yasui felt like his eyes were going to fall out of his head as she bounced and swayed her way towards him. She grabbed his arm and leaned against Yasui.
"I'm looking forward to this so much! I can't wait!"
Yasui gulped, averting his eyes. He had changed into his spare swim trunks that he left at Diana's place just in case he needed to perform an aquatic rescue, meaning he and Diana were currently skin to skin. Yasui did his best to not touch anything while he helped Miss Diana into the bath. She submerged herself in the warm, foamy bath and sighed luxuriously.
"Oh, that feels amazing. Mmm, thank you, Yasui."
Yasui nodded and smiled wanly.
"You're welcome. I'll… be over there. If you need me."
As Yasui sat, his eyes kept flickering back to Diana as she lounged in the bath.
(She's just so… beautiful. I want to see more of her. Everything about her body is just… perfect. No! She's… like family. I won't think about her like that.)
Miss Diana giggled and splashed around in the water. After a moment, she made a pouty expression and called out,
"Yasuiiiiii, can you come scrub my back?"
Yasui kept his eyes on the floor as he replied.
"Can't you manage by yourself?"
"No, I can't. What if I slip and split my head open again? Much safer to have you do it."
Yasui sighed, but got to his feet and uncomfortably made his way to the bathtub. Although to call what Miss Diana had in her bathroom a tub was an understatement. It was closer to a small pool. As Yasui got closer to where Diana was she laughed and moved to the middle of the large pool of soapy water.
"Ah ah ah! You have to catch me first!"
"Miss Diana…."
The leopard winked at him and splashed some water his way.
"Oh cut me some slack! I've been so bored in that hospital! I think I should be allowed to have a little fun."
Yasui steeled himself and stepped into the tub. He waded over to where Miss Diana was luxuriously sprawled out and knelt down with the loofah she had floating nearby. With a triumphant expression, Miss Diana turned about and presented her back to Yasui. As he began scrubbing her, Miss Diana idly kicked her legs a bit, making the water ripple and froth.
"I swear, this is soooooo much more relaxing than bathing alone. I should have you give me baths more often."
Yasui flinched as she ran her leg up his. She laughed.
"Oh stop being so tense! I'm not going to scold you for seeing me naked!"
"I'm just not sure this is appropriate Miss Diana."
The leopard pursed her lips and settled back into a reclining position with her head above the water. She gestured for Yasui to sit beside her.
"Yasui, I have a question I want to ask you."
Yasui looked at her suspiciously but sat down a little bit away.
"Okay, what's the question?"
"Do you… find me attractive?"
Yasui froze and gawked at Diana like he'd been struck by lightning. Finally, he recovered from his shock enough to gasp out,
"W-what do you mean?"
"Do you find me attractive? It's very simple."
Yasui groaned and thumped his head against the rim of the tub, sliding down into the water.
"I-I just… how am I supposed to answer that? You've always treated me like a nephew of some sort, so I'm just… you know."
"Yasui, you're avoiding the question."
Yasui closed his eyes and ground his teeth. Finally, he sighed.
"Yes…. I think you're pretty, and smart, and just… an amazing woman."
There was a sloshing noise and Yasui jumped as he felt Miss Diana press up against him. She pressed her cheek against Yasui's neck and nuzzled him affectionately.
"You see, I've always known you had a crush on me. It was cute when you looked like a little kid, like when a kindergartener says they want to marry their teacher. But now, well, you're all grown up. And that makes me think. I've always said I wished I could meet a guy like you. Somebody who's kind and genuine, who loves me for me. And just now, it occurred to me."
Yasui's eyes went wide as Miss Diana pressed her lips against his and drew him into a deep kiss. He stayed paralyzed as she moved to straddle him, wrapping her arms around his neck. After a moment that felt like forever, she pulled away with a grin. Her eyes sparkled as she continued.
"Why keep waiting for a guy like you, when I can just have you?"
"Miss Diana, are you sure that's—"
She interrupted him with another kiss before rubbing her nose against his.
"If you don't want me, just say the word. I'll stop and you can go sit in that chair again repressing your feelings and pretending not to stare at me. You're a mature male now, with needs just like any other. And I have needs too. I mean, it's been years since I kissed someone!"
Yasui licked his lips. She tasted like sweet cherries and honey. This couldn't be real, it had to be some dream of sorts. There was no way that Miss Diana actually felt the same way about him that he did towards her. She looked into his eyes before leaning closer and resting her mouth by his ear.
"I know what you're thinking. 'What will people say when they find out? What about the age difference and species difference?' Well, to Hell with all that. I just want to wrap myself around you and feel like a woman again."
Yasui was breathing heavily as she pressed herself against him. He felt his heart skip a beat as she purred loudly.
"Oh, Yasui. Be a darling and rub me all over. I want to feel a pair of strong hands on my thighs, cupping me and caressing me. Go on, I know you want to."
Yasui hesitantly reached down and ran his hands over her back. He felt her silky fur as he moved his hands down further. She was so soft and yet firm at the same time. She purred louder the more he stroked her. Soon she was shepherding him out of the water and hastily drying the two of them off with a towel. Yasui let himself be pushed into her bed as Miss Diana lounged on top of him. She kissed him and ran her hands along his chest as she laughed drunkenly.
"Yasui, have you ever been motorboating before?"
"Uh, no. I haven't. Why?"
She grabbed his face in her hands and pressed him into her bosoms. She giggled as she shimmied her chest back and forth.
"Here you go! Have a nice trip!"
Once Yasui had come up for air, his glasses askew and his face burning, Miss Diana tapped his nose with her finger.
"Yasui, you're still a virgin, aren't you?"
"W-well, yeah. I am." Yasui stuttered out. She smirked and kissed him again before winking.
"How about we fix that?"
Yasui felt his heart stop and his eyes went wide.
"Y-you don't mean…."
Diana straddled his hips and clasped her arms behind her neck, sensually swaying.
"I think I'll ride you until the sun comes up. Because son of a bitch do I need some dick! It's like my crotch is on fire!"
Yasui shrank back into the mattress a bit as Diana began scooting backwards toward his waist. She glanced behind herself and grinned.
"And what do you know, my seat is up and ready for me. How polite of you."
"M-Miss Diana, are you sure this is a good idea? I-It's a little fast to just… do it right off the bat. Shouldn't we go on some dates and then—"
Yasui's words were cut off as Diana clasped his mouth shut and wiggled her hips teasingly.
"Enough talk out of you. The only thing I want to hear is you moaning and panting as I pop your cherry. Now be a good boy and buck those hips when I tell you to."
Yasui was paralyzed between lust and terror. It was too soon, too fast! But he wanted her so much. What if they regretted this! What if he regretted stopping? Diana pushed herself back and Yasui gasped as she touched him. She bit her lip and gave him a look of heavy lidded lust, before she blinked rapidly and paused. Miss Diana's head bobbed a bit and her mouth twisted into a grimace. Yasui gave her a concerned look.
"Are you okay? You look a little… green."
Diana clasped a hand to her stomach before her eyes bulged out of her head. The leopard scrambled off of Yasui and flung herself towards the bathroom. Yasui started after her, worried she might hurt herself.
"Miss Diana! What are you—"
"BLEEEEEEEEECH!"
Yasui froze as the stomach-turning sound of Miss Diana violently throwing up reached him. He grimaced and slowly walked towards where she was crouched by the trash can.
"Miss Diana?"
She shuddered before releasing another wet retching noise. Yasui recoiled at the sound and stench of vomit. It definitely didn't take long for him to "deflate" after that. Yasui stooped and rested a hand on Miss Diana's shoulder as she gagged and spit into the trash can.
"Miss Diana, can I get you something?"
She shuddered and groaned.
"Water… please."
Whatever energy she had had was spent once she'd been ill. Miss Diana was shaky and weak as a kitten while Yasui got her some water and helped clean her up. As he tucked the still naked leopard into bed, she murmured distractedly.
"Why am I naked? Yasui, is that you? When did you get here?"
Yasui patted her hand as he pulled the sheets over her.
"Don't worry about it, Miss Diana. Just get some sleep."
The leopard nodded wearily.
"Yes… I'm very tired all of the sudden. Everything's a bit fuzzy…. Why am I… naked?"
As she passed out and started to breath heavily, Yasui put his clothes back on and gingerly left the room. Once he was in the hallway, Yasui slammed his fist into his leg.
(Damn it all! I was so close! But still, I just… I froze up!)
While Yasui was disappointed that his encounter with Miss Diana had ended so abruptly, he was more disappointed by how relieved he felt that it had.
(Maybe that stupid doctor was right. Am I really scared of sex? Gosh, can I just be normal for once!)
Yasui waited downstairs until Charles came home. The large gorilla gave Yasui a searching look.
"Any trouble?"
Yasui shook his head.
"No. She's asleep upstairs."
"Good. The pharmacist said that this new medication can have some crazy side effects. I was worried she might give you some problems."
Yasui sighed and put his coat back on.
"Well, I should head back to school. Goodnight."
Charles inclined his head.
"Goodnight, Yasui. Thanks for the help."
And with that, Yasui left without another word. About an hour later, as Charles was heading up the stairs to check on Miss Diana, he found her sitting on the stairs huddled in a blanket. The gorilla frowned and hurried towards her.
"Miss Diana, are you alright?"
Miss Diana nodded, her face grim.
"I'm alright. It's just… everything's all hazy. What happened after we got here that is."
"It's probably the medicine. Fortunately you only need to take it for another couple of days. But why do you look so worried?"
Diana set her jaw and drew the blanket closer around her bare shoulders.
"Like I said, my memory is a bit hazy, but I'm worried that I've made a terrible, terrible mistake."