Chapter 41: A Lesson in Acceptance
Miss Diana moved among the members of Yasui's family, saying her farewells. She hugged Ino and grinned.
"It was so lovely having you all stay with me. My home hasn't been this lively in… well… ever. Please come back sometime, I'd love to be able to take you all to the beach or somewhere else interesting."
Yasui's siblings all clamored at their mother, begging her to let them come back to visit. Ino motioned for silence.
"Everyone! Quiet, please!"
Once she could be heard, she returned Miss Diana's smile.
"Thank you for your hospitality, and for looking after Yasui. We would be honored to come back someday. And if you ever want to visit our village, our home is your home."
Yone snickered.
"Our home could fit in her home!"
They said their goodbyes and Yasui walked with his family out the front door. It was a cloudy, windy sort of day this Sunday. Ibiki craned his neck at the sky and frowned.
"Looks like it wants to snow."
Yasui nodded his agreement as they began to make their way back to the bus station where his family would leave from. Apparently Shinrai was going to meet them at the station so he could at least say hello to everyone before they left. As they walked, Yasui noticed that Kime seemed to be in an especially good mood. Yasui drifted over to walk beside her and asked,
"You seem happy. I'm a bit surprised you're not bummed out about going home."
Kime giggled.
"Well, sure it sucks to leave so quick, but I at least have something to look forward to."
"What's that?"
Kime held up a piece of paper.
"Apparently Yone felt bad about ruining my day yesterday. He chased Jack down and apologized for the whole incident. And then he asked Jack if he was okay with me calling him so we could chat, and long story short Jack gave me his number!"
Yasui smiled.
"Yeah, Jack's a really friendly guy. I don't think he has a mean bone in his body."
Kime grinned.
"My friends are never going to believe it! I wish we had gone to a photo booth yesterday so I had a picture of him."
Yasui narrowed his eyes.
"Wait… do you have a crush on him?"
Kime winked and walked faster to move up to be with their parents. Yasui shook his head and made his way over to Yone.
"You got her Jack's number?"
"Yeah. Gave it to her this morning. Figured I'd give the poor guy at least one more day of peace."
"I never knew you to be so… considerate."
Yone scowled at Yasui.
"For your information I have always been very considerate!"
"You once lied to me and said that strawberries make you shorter so I'd give mine to you."
"Well… I'm definitely more considerate now. Geez, lay off me!"
Yasui shook his head as Yone grumbled. He had a feeling most of Yone's act of selflessness had just been to appease Kime's wrath. Nobody wanted to be on the receiving end of that.
The family finally trooped into the bus station and Yasui saw a small figure rushing towards him.
"Yasui! I can't believe you didn't tell me your family was in town! Some best friend you are!"
Yasui laughed as the squirrel crossed his arms and tapped his foot angrily.
"Sorry, Shinrai. I was a bit preoccupied and it slipped my mind."
His attention immediately moved from Yasui as Ino and Ibiki walked up beside him. Shinrai broke into a smile.
"You must be Yasui's parents! I'm Shinrai, his best friend!"
They both shook the small herbivore's hand and Ino inclined her head.
"We've heard a lot about you. Thank you for being friends with Yasui. I'm sure he's grateful to have you around."
Shinrai huffed.
"Has a funny way of showing it! He's been all mopey and flaky this past week, which now makes a little more sense as I'm sensing there was some family stuff going on."
A female voice broke through as Hikaru walked up after Shinrai. The little fennec fox was bundled up in thick winter clothes with a large wool cap to cover her ears. She adjusted her circular glasses and looked at Ino and Ibiki.
"Sup. I'm Hikaru. I'm friends with Shinrai and also sort of Yasui."
Yasui tilted his head.
"I'm surprised you wanted to meet my family as much as Shinrai did, Hikaru."
She snorted.
"And miss out on the opportunity to see what sort of people raised the weirdest, most effeminate guy I've ever met? Not likely."
Yasui pouted.
"I'm not effeminate."
Ino smiled longsufferingly at Yasui and patted his arm.
"Oh come now, Yasui. There's no shame in the fact that you've always been in touch with your feminine side. It's nice to meet you too, Hikaru."
After that was a somewhat embarrassing stretch of time as Shinrai and Hikaru mingled with Yasui's family. Embarrassing stories were shared, mainly about Yasui, and jokes were made. Eventually, the bus came rumbling into the station and stopped with a hiss. Yasui hugged each family member and said goodbye as they all loaded back up on the bus. Yasui waved as the bus slowly rolled forward and began its trip to the mountains where his family called home. He smiled down at Shinrai, feeling a little melancholy.
"Hopefully they'll be able to come visit during the summer. It would be nice to go to the beach with them all. I bet they'd enjoy it."
Shinrai scampered up Yasui's back to sit on his shoulder. Ever since Yasui's massive growth spurt, Shinrai had found it easier to carry on conversations while here than down by Yasui's knees. Yasui then gestured to Hikaru.
"Want a lift too?"
The fennec fox pouted.
"You calling me short?"
"Well… yeah."
"Okay, just checking. Sure, why not. Just don't manhandle me, or I'll claw your eyes out."
Yasui shook his head and leaned down to let Hikaru take a spot on his shoulder. They were both a little large for him given he wasn't as big as most large carnivores, but it was manageable.
Yasui was quiet as they made their way back to Cherryton. It was understandable. He had just said goodbye to his family and wouldn't be able to see them for a while. As such, Yasui was quick to excuse himself once they reached school grounds and went to the library to work on some last minute homework. He sighed as he looked at his planner.
(Almost halfway through January. Time sure does fly.)
He was nose deep in his Seaspeak essay when his phone rang. Yasui guiltily looked around as all the surrounding students gave him dirty looks. He whispered his apologies and ducked outside before answering the phone.
"Hello?"
An unknown voice came from the other end.
"Hello, is this Yasui? Doctor Gouhin's patient?"
"That's me. Uh… who are you?"
"Apologies. I'm Doctor Wyll. I run a genetics lab. He said you were interested in having me test what your ancestry was as you're some sort of hybrid. Are you still interested in that?"
Yasui scratched his head, thinking back to earlier that month. He then remembered.
"Oh yeah! I forgot about that!"
"I apologize for the delay. It's just me at the lab and I've been busy with my research. Now, Gouhin said you believe you might be part wolf?"
"That's what it looks like."
"Okay. Well if that's the case, I'll need you to do something for me."
Yasui frowned.
"Do what?"
"I currently don't have any wolf samples to compare you to. If you could bring someone with you to donate a sample I'd appreciate it. It wouldn't take longer than half an hour."
"So I need to bring a wolf with me?"
"Yes."
"And… you can't do this yourself?"
"It would make this process take even longer. If you can find someone to come with you I can squeeze you in on Saturday at noon. If not, it could be February before I get a sample in."
Yasui sighed.
"Okay! I'll see what I can do."
"Perfect. Call me back at this number by Thursday to let me know how it went. Anyway, I need to go now. Goodbye."
The phone clicked and Yasui stared at the screen with confusion. That had been an odd conversation. But then again most scientists in books and movies were pretty weird, so it checked out. Yasui sighed and was about to return to his homework when a reminder popped up on his phone. He tilted his phone and saw that "Otter Room Today" was what had appeared. Yasui clapped a hand to his head.
(I forgot about that! I have to go do my Biology hour with Izumi!)
As it was the first full week back, Yasui had not yet even seen Izumi. He wondered what the admittedly scary otter would have to say about his new appearance. Quickly, Yasui gathered his things and made his way back to his dorm. He hurriedly got everything he might need and rushed to the Otter Room. He saw Izumi sitting by the door, a massive scowl on her face. Yasui gulped and walked over.
"Izumi! Sorry I'm late. Uh, it's Yasui by the way. Growth spurt."
The giant otter looked him over with a somewhat surprised expression on her face. Before she had towered over him. Now, they were around the same size. She huffed.
"Yeah, well, you're going to pay for being late. And I can tell you've been slacking off your training."
Yasui rubbed his elbow.
"I've been a little preoccupied."
"Well you're going to be preoccupied giving me a pedicure, manicure, and massage for both of those screw ups."
Yasui grimaced.
"You know this is supposed to be relaxing for me too, right? Not that I work my tail off while you relax."
"Yeah that's cute. Problem is you're still my little bitch and I can beat you up if you whine about it."
Yasui pouted and looked at the floor.
"You don't have to be so mean to me. I thought we were sort of friends."
Izumi raised an eyebrow.
"We are friends. It's the sort of friendship where I eat your snacks and you do my homework. But on the plus side I beat up anyone who tries to mess with you. A.k.a you're my little bitch. Now get your lanky ass in here and get to work. I still have to decide what color I want my nails painted while you file them. I'm torn between 'Midnight Black' and 'Charcoal Gray' at the moment."
Yasui sighed and walked into the Otter Room. He wasn't sure if this was technically bullying, but he wasn't about to risk making an enemy of Izumi. Besides, it wasn't like giving her massages or doing her homework was unpleasant. It was just… demeaning. Yasui groaned as she took a seat on the soft grass that lined the area and propped her feet up. She threw him a file.
"Alright, we got one hour to kill so the school gets off our backs. Get going."
"Please don't make me touch your feet."
"Why do you care?"
"I just… really hate feet."
Yasui shuddered as he remembered his "first kiss" and all the details surrounding it. That had been a very low point in his life. Izumi gave him a flat look.
"Well that's good to know. Tell you what, either you file and paint my nails, or I'll use your head as a footstool. How's that sound?"
Yasui groaned.
"Why did I tell you that?"
"Because for such a smart person, you're kind of a moron."
And while the act of touching Izumi's feet made Yasui's skin crawl, he had to admit that giving her a pedicure and manicure was bizarrely satisfying. Smoothing her nails down with the file, applying an even coat of polish, and then putting on a clear topcoat after they had dried. He'd never painted nails before, but he'd helped his father paint garden signs before so he knew how to evenly brush paint onto something: once he was done, Izumi looked down at her nails and actually smiled.
"Daaaaaamn. These look fantastic. I guess I shouldn't be surprised you paint your nails. You are a bit of a sissy."
"Why does everyone say that!" Yasui griped. Izumi gave him a noogie and scoffed.
"Because you are. Besides, I could tell you were having fun doing my nails."
"No I wasn't!"
Izumi smirked and Yasui looked away.
"Okay… maybe a little bit. It was oddly satisfying."
"Uhuh, it seemed like it. Have you considered opening a spa? You certainly have the skills for it."
Yasui rolled his eyes.
"Oh please. Why would I open a spa?"
Izumi shrugged.
"You got any other plans, dork?"
Yasui opened his mouth and then closed it. He looked at Izumi and then frowned. What did he want to do with his life? This was the first time he had actually thought about it. He was already in High School. In three years he would graduate. So… what should he do? As a kid he had always imagined he'd continue his father's farm with Yone. He never thought he'd leave home. So… did he just keep with his original thought? Go home, work the ground, die and be buried in the orchard. What other options were there?
Izumi raised an eyebrow.
"Did I break you?"
"No." Yasui shook his head. "I just… hadn't ever thought about that. What am I going to do with my life?"
Izumi shrugged.
"What do you want to do? You going to college?"
"I'd never thought about it. What would I even study?"
"What do you enjoy studying?"
Yasui raised his hands helplessly.
"I like books. I like cooking. I liked learning about home remedies and medicine from my neighbor. None of that is exactly a job."
"Librarian or author. Or even Literature nerd at some school or whatever."
Yasui nodded.
"Huh. I hadn't—"
But Izumi wasn't finished.
"Chef, caterer, pharmacist, doctor, dentist, surgeon."
"Well some of those are a bit unrealistic, I mean—"
"Spa owner, nail technician, accountant, lawyer, historian, butler, and on and on and on. It's almost like there are a crapton of jobs for dorks like you here."
Yasui crossed his arms. When she put it that way… there were a lot of different things he could do with his future. But what should he do? Yasui looked up at Izumi.
"What do you want to do?"
Izumi stuck her lip out and puffed.
"Why do you want to know?"
"Just curious."
"Well… I'm going to go get a degree in exercise science and physical therapy. I realized how much I enjoyed training you, and… well… I did more research and I think it's a good move for me."
Yasui grinned.
"So you found your passion because of me? Which means that you obviously do like me and are my friend."
"Zip it with that talk or I'll rip your tail off and shove it down your throat."
Yasui went back to doing his remaining homework until dinner, which he had with Shinrai as usual. While they were eating, the somewhat familiar faces of Don the rabbit and Kashi the alpaca appeared as they stopped by to talk with Shinrai. As was usual they greeted Yasui, but didn't exactly talk with him much. They were on friendly terms with each other, but Yasui was still definitely not their friend. Don bumped Shinrai's shoulder.
"Yo, Shinrai. Are you still in for the Odd Soul Festival?"
Shinrai shrugged.
"I don't know. I haven't been to one since Middle School. They're not really my thing."
Kashi interjected.
"They've actually modernized them a lot recently. Much more in the way of food and entertainment has been added."
Shinrai pursed his lips.
"Hmmm. Eh, what they heck. If it sucks I can always leave early. Last weekend of the month, right?"
Don nodded. Shinrai gave him a thumbs up.
"Sweet. Keep me posted on when we're leaving."
Don and Kashi waved goodbye to the two of them as Shinrai turned back to face Yasui. Yasui pointed at the two herbivores.
"What was that all about?"
"Well, I went back to eating dinner with them while you were sticking to yourself last week. They invited me to go with them to the Odd Soul Festival."
Yasui's ears perked up.
"A festival? Can I come?"
Shinrai grimaced.
"Uh… not to this one, bud. It's sort of… herbivore exclusive."
Yasui frowned.
"Oh. Really? Why?"
"It just sort of is."
"Well what's it all about?"
"Uhh…. I really don't want to go into detail."
"Why not?"
Shinrai huffed.
"Because it's a little awkward to talk about. There's a reason I don't usually go to them. But… well… it's got a long tradition attached to it and I figured what the heck, might as well."
Yasui sighed.
"Okay… I guess I'll just leave you to it."
"Thank you. Now, back to what I was saying. I definitely think Phoenix Orbs is a superior show to Two Piece because the cultural impact of—"
Monday morning happened like it usually did. Breakfast and then classes. Yasui definitely felt a bit better now that he had patched things up with his family. However, the problem of finding some wolf to accompany him to get genetic testing done was weighing on him. His first thought had been Legoshi, but then he realized that the larger boy might not work. He had revealed to Yasui that he himself wasn't a pure blooded wolf. He didn't want to betray the trust he had been given by getting him tested and revealing it to some random doctor person. But Yasui had to admit he didn't exactly know many wolves.
(Maybe I could ask Juno to come with me?)
Yasui cringed at that thought. He liked Juno. They weren't close, but they were acquaintances. But at the same time he had been keeping some distance between the two of them because of how violent his reactions to her had become. In that he could barely stop himself from drooling all over her every time he caught her scent or the scent of another female wolf. He wasn't sure why only female wolves bothered him like that. Probably yet another piece of genetic weirdness. His last class before lunch, Advanced Literature Studies, had just finished when he realized the answer was right in front of him.
Professor Nishinoya was packing up his things as Yasui approached him. The older male wolf smiled at him, adjusting his glasses.
"Hello, Yasui. You seem to be in better spirits today."
"Hello, Professor. I was wondering if we could talk quickly?"
The wolf nodded.
"Of course. We can walk to the cafeteria together. It's noodle soup day, my favorite!"
Yasui laughed.
"Same here! But anyway, I was wondering if you were busy this Saturday afternoon?"
"Why do you ask?"
"Well…." Yasui fidgeted uncomfortably. "I'm aware you know of my… situation. With the whole species thing."
Nishinoya nodded.
"I was informed, yes. Is this about the complaints about you?"
Yasui froze and gave the professor a confused look.
"Complaints? What complaints?"
"Well, numerous complaints have been filed about your erratic behavior. Apparently some students don't feel safe around you. I was wondering if the office had spoken to you."
"No, I hadn't heard about that. But that's… really upsetting. Do I scare people?"
Nishinoya raised his eyes to the ceiling and sighed.
"Animals don't like change. Add something new to their lives and they immediately get grouchy. Just keep your head down and don't draw attention to yourself. You'll be fine."
Yasui fell silent as he digested this new information. Finally he realized he hadn't actually gotten to the main point he had wanted to raise.
"Oh! I forgot to ask you about the favor I need!"
Nishinoya gave him a rueful look.
"What favor is this?"
"Well, I'm planning on having some genetic testing done so I can figure out… what type of creature I am. The doctor said that I need to bring a wolf with me to compare my sample against. And I… don't know any other wolves."
Nishinoya tapped his finger against his arm. Finally he sighed.
"Well… I might be able to help you. What time and where?"
"I'm not sure yet." Yasui replied. "But it shouldn't take long."
"I have to grade some papers anyway. Might as well grade them in a waiting room if it helps out a student."
Yasui smiled at the adult.
"Thank you so much, Professor. I'll let you know more when I hear back from the doctor."
"You're very welcome, although I'm not promising I'll be able to do it. I'll try, but plans do change after all. Who's that?"
Yasui turned to look where Nishinoya was looking as he said that. Three adults wearing suits were hurriedly walking towards them. They saw Yasui and made a beeline towards him. Yasui tilted his head in confusion.
"Are they with the school?"
"I've never seen them before." Nishinoya replied. The group consisted of a male palomino horse, a female antelope, and a male dalmatian. The dalmatian took the lead and gave Yasui a stern once over.
"Are you Yasui? Age seventeen, student at Cherryton, originally from a small village named Mishiranu?"
Yasui, bewildered by the flood of questions, nodded slowly.
"That's me. Am I in trouble?"
The Dalmatian jerked his head.
"We're going to need you to come with us. We have already cleared it with the school office, and they have verified our credentials. Feel free to inspect them."
They all presented papers that Yasui barely skimmed over. He gulped, suddenly nervous.
"Okay. Uh… what's this about?"
The Dalmatian shook his head and looked at Professor Nishinoya.
"This needs to be discussed in private. The school has provided us with an office to use for this conversation. Please follow us."
Yasui nodded, his mouth dry. Were these some sort of government agents or police? Had he done something wrong? Or… had something happened to his family on their way home? They had verified where he was from first.
They led him to a small office on the first floor of the main building and the Dalmatian and the antelope ushered him inside. The horse stood outside the door. Yasui gulped as the Dalmatian took a seat at the desk in the middle of the room and gestured for him to sit opposite him. Yasui did as requested and the Dalmatian studied him with calculating eyes. Finally he spoke.
"First things first, I'm going to need to see your ID to verify your identity."
Yasui nodded and handed the Dalmatian his wallet. The very serious canine looked his ID over before nodding and handing it back. The dog then spoke.
"Mister Yasui. I'm a representative of the Supotto Conglomerate. Do you know what that is?"
Yasui nodded.
"Yeah, that's Miss Diana's company."
"And what, might I add, is your relationship to Miss Diana?"
Yasui fidgeted nervously with his fingers and looked at the table.
"We're friends. She's… like an aunt to me."
The Dalmatian steepled his fingers.
"I'll be blunt. As of nine p.m. last night Diana has been in the hospital, unresponsive."
Yasui felt his heart turn to ice. This couldn't be happening. Obviously there was a mistake. He had been with Miss Diana yesterday morning! She had been happy and healthy! The Dalmatian inclined his head.
"This comes as a shock to you, I see."
Yasui nodded, his mouth agape.
"She… I saw her yesterday. She was fine. Happy. W-what happened?"
The Dalmatian removed a folder from the briefcase he had and opened it.
"Apparently her bodyguard found her on the floor of the kitchen. She had fallen and hit her head on the ground hard enough to cause a contusion. When she arrived at the hospital the doctors determined she had suffered an aneurysm which must have led to her fall."
Yasui felt his throat tightening. Miss Diana… was in the hospital. And she was really hurt.
"Is she going to be okay?" Yasui asked. The dog flicked his eyes up at Yasui and then back to his folder.
"The doctors are not sure she's going to wake up. As such, we are making preparations for the event of her death."
Yasui felt like the walls were closing in. Miss Diana… might die. Kind Miss Diana. Beautiful Miss Diana. Dead. Yasui leaned against the table and slid his hands beneath his glasses to cover his eyes.
"No no no! This can't be happening!"
The Dalmatian cleared his throat.
"Mister Yasui. She's not dead yet. It's around a fifty-fifty split if she'll recover or not. In the meantime, we reviewed her new will and need to establish some… understandings with you."
Yasui looked up at him, confused.
"Wait… Diana's will? Is that what you're here about?"
"Correct. Do you know the terms of her will?"
Yasui shook his head. The Dalmatian produced a thick document and skimmed through it.
"Originally, Miss Diana established a trust which would assume control of her assets and ensure her wishes were respected after her passing. However, on January third she updated her will. Yasui, Miss Diana has named you her sole heir. As such, in the event of her passing or being rendered mentally incapable, you will assume control of all of her assets. This includes her majority shares in the Supotto Conglomerate, which represents sixty-two percent of the company's shares. Additionally you would receive her houses, cars, and all the money in her accounts."
Yasui didn't know what to say. He didn't even know Miss Diana had done this. Why had she made him her heir? They were close, but he didn't know anything about money or business. The Dalmatian gestured to the antelope who stepped forward and began looking over some documents of her own.
"Mister Yasui, I'm Miss Diana's accountant. I feel the need to inform you of the total value of what Miss Diana's estate comprises. First off are the shares in the Supotto Conglomerate. The company is currently sitting at a market price of seven billion USD, which makes the total of your shares in the company worth close to four billion USD. However do be aware this is technically not a liquid asset as they are not able to be sold as per the charter of the corporation unless under extraordinary circumstances. But in terms of Diana's personal assets, ranging from stocks to real estate, the total currently is valued at three-hundred and seventy-six million USD."
Yasui felt his eyelids flutter before he slid sideways out of his chair and onto the floor. The Dalmatian leaned over and inspected him. With a frown he looked at the accountant.
"I believe he fainted."
It only took a few minutes for Yasui to come to consciousness again. He shakily got back into his chair and shook his head.
"Sorry, it's just a lot to take in. And… can I ask you something?"
The Dalmatian inclined his head. Yasui clasped his hands together in his lap and thought over what he wanted to say. Eventually he formed it into words.
"Why… are you telling me this? Why come here and do all this? It's not like Miss Diana is… gone yet. And wills only matter when the person who wrote it… passes. So why are you doing this?"
The Dalmatian steepled his fingers and stared deep into Yasui's eyes. With no emotion whatsoever he began,
"I am an actuary. It's my job to assess risk. The board wanted me to investigate this new risk to the company, you."
"How am I a risk to the company?"
"You could have coerced Diana. You could have manipulated her just to get at her money."
Yasui leaned back in his chair, offended.
"I would never do something like that! Miss Diana is a wonderful person and my friend! I don't even want her money! I told her I don't want her to spend money on me because I don't want to take advantage of her."
"Be that as it may, you are an unknown entity. And while I do believe your affection for Miss Diana is genuine and you are not, as you kids say, a gold digger. There's also the matter of the liability you pose."
Before Yasui could speak the Dalmatian held up a hand.
"Whether you asked for it or not, you are officially Diana's heir. That makes you next in line as the head of the Supotto Conglomerate. As such, there are certain measures we will need to take to ensure your safety."
"My safety?"
"Yes, Mister Yasui. Your safety. You don't think Diana has a bodyguard just to keep her company, do you? There are all sorts of dangerous criminals and business rivals who would like nothing more than to kidnap you and hold you for ransom. Of course, we haven't announced you to the public. Plenty of time to do that should you be needed. Even still, there are corporate spies everywhere. Some of our rivals probably already know about you and are scrambling to gather as much information about you as possible. While we believe the security at school is suitable for now, we must insist that you have a bodyguard with you whenever you are not on school grounds."
Yasui didn't know what to say. He was devastated, confused, scared, angry, and sad all at once. Thoughts of bodyguards and money and spies whirled around his head like a hurricane. Eventually, Yasui decided what he wanted to ask most of all.
"When can I visit Miss Diana?"
The Dalmatian smiled.
"I knew I was a good judge of character. I'll inform you when Miss Diana is out of intensive care and is able to receive visitors. Until then, clear any trips off campus with me so we can arrange an escort. And Yasui?"
Yasui looked at the stern dog as he stood and gathered his things. The dog looked at Yasui and tapped the side of his nose.
"Best not to tell anyone about your change of situation. You know the definition of a secret, right?"
"Uhh…."
"A secret is only a secret when just one person knows it."
Yasui left his meeting with the representatives from the Supotto Conglomerate feeling very confused. There was so much to take in. Yasui practically sleepwalked through the rest of the day. How was he supposed to react to all of this? All of the sudden Miss Diana was in critical condition and he apparently was rich. Or at least he would be if she were to pass away.
Yasui finally snapped out of it as he and the other members of the Cooking Club made their way to the boiler room for their catering gig for the reptile support group. He was jostled by Yufine who gave him a curious look.
"Yasui? You've been acting weird today. Everything alright?"
Yasui looked around and noticed that everyone was looking at him. He rubbed the back of his head and shook his head slightly.
"I'm fine. Just have a lot on my mind."
Yufine leaned in a bit.
"You sure? Want to talk about it?"
"No, I really don't. Let's just deliver this food and… whatever."
The food in question was a creamy vegetable soup, steamed dumplings, and fried tomatoes. Yasui had searched for foods popular with reptiles on the internet and found these on most menus. They existed the stairwell and found Iti the Komodo Dragon waiting for them. He was wearing a mask over his mouth like the last time, and he waved as they approached.
"Glad you all could make it. I set up a table over there for you guy. We have a few plates and cups and the like, but feel free to rearrange it as you see fit."
Yasui nodded and the Cooking Club got to work. The venue was definitely an odd choice, until Yasui fully appreciated how very hot and humid it was down here. As he discreetly tried to dry his armpits by holding his elbows out and fanning himself, Chaussette flicked her tongue.
"Too ssstuffy for you?"
"A little."
"I feel great. Nice and warm. But if you need to go get sssome air, I doubt anyone will mind."
Yasui shook his head and gave her the "okay" symbol. Soon, a large portion of Cherryton's reptile students had begun to filter in. Yasui was actually a bit surprised by how many there were. He hadn't ever really seen them before among the crowds of students. One thing he noticed was that one corner was given a very large berth by everyone, which was where Iti and four other students were sitting spaced pretty far apart. Along with Iti was a gila monster and three snakes. One snake in particular caught his eye, a strikingly green snake the color of new leaves. Curious, Yasui walked over to the five students.
Iti saw him coming and hurriedly set down his food and put his mask back on. The other students did likewise. Yasui looked at them all and was a bit confused. Why were they all sitting so far away from the other students? Regardless, he smiled and gestured to Iti's plate.
"How are you liking the food?"
Iti nodded, his voice muffled by his mask.
"It's all very good. We really appreciate it."
"Glad to hear it. So… sorry if it's awkward, but I was curious. Why are you all so far away from everyone else? And from each other for that matter?"
Iti gave Yasui a look of recognition.
"You haven't interacted with reptiles much, have you?"
Yasui shook his head.
"No, sorry. There were almost none back home."
Iti shrugged.
"It's no fault of your own. You see… we're all either poisonous in the case of myself and Ray here." He gestured to the gila monster. "Or venomous like my friends here."
Yasui looked at the three snakes. They all looked… ashamed. That was the only word for it. And maybe because he currently had been forced to deal with something similar, it really bothered him. Iti continued.
"Everyone gives us room so we don't have to wear masks during the meetings. And since we're all toxic already, we're good at avoiding each other's poisons. Although arguably Ray and I are the only ones who can really harm anyone unintentionally. Poison and venom are two completely different things, but most people don't understand that."
Yasui looked at the five deadly reptiles. His gaze was especially caught by the green snake. She was even farther away from everyone else, and her eyes widened as he walked over to her and offered her his hand.
"I'm Yasui, the president of the Cooking Club. It's nice to meet you."
The snake hesitantly shook his hand with a coil of its sinuous body.
"I'm… Jeska."
The voice seemed female, but Yasui always had a hard time telling different genders of snakes apart.
"What species of snake are you? I've never seen such an incredible color of green on another animal before!"
Jeska looked down.
"I'm a Boomsssslang. And… please be careful. My venom is extremely dangeroussss. One drop is enough to kill you. Ssso please give me a little bit of room."
Yasui nodded and moved back.
"Sorry."
One of the other snakes added.
"Sssssame here."
Yasui nodded at them, not attempting to shake hands again. Iti's eyes creased a bit as he smiled behind his mask.
"Yasui, we appreciate what you're doing, but truth be told we separate ourselves from everyone else for our comfort as well as theirs."
"Oh." Yasui deflated a bit. He'd just been trying to support them. Iti laughed.
"I'm glad you're accepting of reptiles, especially poisonous ones, but for us we like to be kept at arm's length. It takes some of the pressure off of us. I mean, imagine if your spit could kill somebody. Every sneeze, or cough, or even when you spit a bit while talking; lethal. It gets exhausting having to try to watch what we do all the time. So everyone else chipping in and giving us space is actually helpful."
Yasui nodded thoughtfully.
"I hadn't thought about it like that. Sorry for barging in and stopping you from eating. I'll let you get back to it."
Iti nodded his appreciation and Yasui left them alone. He sighed as he moved away from everyone. He'd meant to be nice, but it had just been an inconvenience for them. That coupled with the news about Miss Diana had him not feeling very well.
Yasui was withdrawn the rest of the afternoon and was happy to say his goodbyes to the other members of the Cooking Club. He just couldn't stop worrying about Miss Diana, no matter how much he tried to distract himself. The anxiety was just eating away at him from the inside, making him feel sick. He was walking up the stairs to his dorm and was so preoccupied he didn't even notice Jack and the other 701 guys, minus Legoshi, until he had almost collided with them. Yasui moved aside and inclined his head.
"Sorry, Jack. Everyone. I wasn't paying attention."
Jack tilted his head, looking concerned.
"Are you okay, Yasui? You look pretty glum."
Yasui sighed.
"No, I'm really worried about a friend of mine. She's in the hospital right now."
The boys immediately gathered around Yasui, inquiring about Miss Diana. Jack clasped him on the shoulder.
"Do you want to come with us to dinner? Some company might help take your mind off things."
Yasui shook his head.
"I appreciate it, but I'm not hungry right now. I might just go to bed. Getting the news made me feel exhausted."
Jack gave him a sympathetic look.
"Sometimes emotional stress does that to you. If you need something let us know. We're happy to help."
"I appreciate that." Yasui said before continuing up the stairs. True to his word he almost immediately collapsed into bed and burrowed into his blankets. Yasui didn't cry, this wasn't that sort of emotional response. The only way he could describe it was that his heart… ached. It was like every single one of his internal organs was currently quivering uncontrollably and had also been exercised too hard. Somehow Yasui felt like he had sprained his lungs and liver.
Yasui's phone buzzed and he checked to see that Shinrai had texted him.
S: Yo
S: Where r u?
Y: In bed. I'm not doing well. I just heard that Miss Diana is in the hospital.
S: omg I'm so sorry
S: is she ok?
Y: The doctors aren't sure. They say that she has an equal chance to pull through, or to not.
Yasui waited for a response but never got one. He sighed and stared up at the ceiling. He hadn't felt this helpless since Old Bolboi, his surrogate grandfather, had died. Those awful days of waiting while he was sick in bed had been terrible. And the worst part was knowing that you couldn't do anything to help. Yasui heard the door open and turned his head to see who it was. To his surprise, Shinrai was walking in the room.
"Yasui! There you are!"
Yasui rolled back over. He wanted to be alone right now. However, the squirrel sat down on his bed and set down a tray of food.
"I got you something to eat for later. You feeling okay?"
Yasui shook his head, not trusting himself to respond. Shinrai sighed and leaned his back against the bedpost. He pulled out his phone and messed with it while Yasui stared at the wall. This continued for a while before Yasui finally spoke up.
"What are you doing?"
"Hanging out. Figured you could use the company."
"I'm not in the mood for anything fun."
"I know. I'll just sit here and be… available I guess. I'd be a pretty crappy best friend if I just left you alone after finding out someone important to you is in the hospital."
Yasui sighed and sat up. He stared at Shinrai. Couldn't he just leave him here to mope? As he thought that, his stomach gave a loud gurgle and he looked wistfully at the food Shinrai had brought him.
"I guess I might as well eat."
Shinrai nodded. Yasui slowly ate the food he had been brought and then sat with his legs crossed looking at the spot between his knees.
"Thanks for bringing me dinner, Shinrai."
"No prob…. I'll be honest, I don't really know what to say. Nobody I know has ever really gotten sick like this."
Yasui nodded. Finally he sighed and pulled out his books to do some homework. Shinrai stood and wiped his hands on his pants.
"Well, I'll leave you to that. If you want to hang out, just let me know."
"Thanks, Shinrai. Maybe tomorrow after work."
"Sounds good. Catch ya later."
Tuesday saw no alleviation of Yasui's worry. He texted the number that the Dalmatian had given him asking for an update on Miss Diana's health and was informed that she was still in the ICU, and that this number was for emergencies. Yasui did his best to keep his mind off of things. He paid attention in classes, he talked with Shinrai and Hikaru during lunch, and then once class was over he made his way to Cafe Lapin for his shift.
Yasui was glad to see Mimi behind the counter. She was one of the few people who didn't seem to care about Yasui's new appearance, because she seemed to care about literally nothing as it was. The shift was normal, until seven thirty. They had a radio in the cafe to play jazzy music while people drank coffee, however the speaker suddenly crackled and a voice cut in.
"We interrupt your program to deliver an important safety announcement. There has been a predation on the corner of Shell and Kolb street. The suspect, a male grizzly bear, has fled the scene and the police are in pursuit. We recommend everyone stay indoors with the doors locked and the windows covered until the all clear is announced."
There were murmurs of alarm from the clients around the cafe, all of whom were herbivores. Yasui gulped and moved out from behind the counter.
"Everyone stay calm! I'll go lock the doors and pull the security shutter down."
Mimi crossed her arms and bounced her leg nervously. After Yasui had secured the cafe she whispered to him.
"That predation was pretty close to here. Like… two blocks away."
Yasui nodded.
"Yeah. Here's hoping he went the other direction."
Mimi said nothing, but bit her lip and looked down. Yasui stared at her. She looked… nervous? Since when had Mimi had feelings?!
"Mimi?" Yasui asked incredulously. "Are you… scared?"
"Yes I'm scared you dumbass! There was a murder down the street! If you hadn't noticed, I'm a rabbit! We aren't exactly known for our strength and durability!"
Yasui reached down and offered her his hand. It was almost comical how much larger his hands were than hers. She pushed it away and scoffed, laughing a bit.
"Oh grow up. I'm not holding you—"
BANG BANG BANG*
Everyone jumped as a loud banging was heard on the security shutter. The herbivore patrons huddled in the far corner, cowering in fear. Yasui could hear faint sirens from outside as the pounding renewed. It sounded like someone was trying to break down the shutter. Acting on instinct, Yasui moved forward and interposed himself between the door and the herbivores. He felt his hackles raise and his lips pulled back in a snarl as he crouched, wound tight as a spring.
Abruptly, the pounding stopped and the sound of running feet came from outside. After a moment, Yasui heard a police siren move past the cafe. Clearly the police had chased whoever that was off. Everyone released a sigh of relief, sensing the danger was passed. It was a shaky remainder of the shift. Most everyone was still on edge my the time the police announced that it was safe to leave. Yasui and Mimi were quite as they helped Mr. Nabuyo close up the store. As they all stood outside, Yasui looked down at Mimi. She was clearly still a bit freaked out, given she had abandoned her usual grumbling and grouching and was very tense and nervous.
"Hey, Mimi? Want me to walk you home?" Yasui asked. Mimi shot him a look before rolling her eyes.
"As if." She paused for a moment before adding,
"But… thanks for offering."
Yasui nodded and waved goodbye before heading back to school. He was a bit worried about how school would be tomorrow. Whenever something like this happened, everyone usually ended up being a bit out of sorts for a while.
And true to form, the entire student body of Cherryton was in complete upheaval all day that Wednesday. Herbivores avoided carnivores like the plague and acted like they were being victimized by the carnivores, the carnivores were angry about the crappy treatment and blamed the species responsible, and all the bears on campus were depressed and on edge. Yasui even watched as a group of lions flipped a panda student's tray out of his hands outside of the cafeteria. One of the lions sneered.
"Uh oh, you dropped your food. Better hope no herbivores walk by or you'll just tear them to pieces and eat them instead!"
The panda swelled indignantly.
"I-I'm a panda! I eat bamboo!"
Another lion sneered and grabbed the panda's snout, revealing his fangs.
"Then what are these big fangs for, huh? You need sharp claws and fangs to chew salad!"
The panda clenched his fists in anger. The first lion jostled his friend.
"Better watch out! We all know how violent and destructive bears are when angry!"
The panda pulled away and stormed off in a huff. The lions shot him dirty looks and went the other direction. Yasui sighed and hunched his shoulders as a group of ducks skirted around him like he was going to explode at any time. While this wasn't as bad as when a fox had committed a predation, it still was awful. And this sour mood carried over into the club meeting for the Cooking Club. Even Yufine was subdued and stressed when she showed up.
"Hey, everyone." Yufine halfheartedly intoned to Yasui and Chaussette. "How are you two holding up?"
Chaussette responded by not even moving her head from where it was slumped on the table. Yasui just shrugged.
"I've been better. How about you, Yufine?"
The tigress sat down and pulled a face.
"I love having my classmates treat me like a criminal. It's the best."
Yasui nodded and looked past her to the door.
"Is Maihime with you? Or is she not coming today?"
Yufine just shrugged.
"I don't know. I never know what she's planning on doing. Maihime marches to the beat of her own drum."
The door opened and Maihime walked in. She went through her usual routine of putting her bag in a cubby before sitting down like normal.
"Hey guy. What are we making?"
Yasui exchanged a look with Yufine before crossing his arms.
"I hadn't really thought about it. Given the day everyone has had I'd figured we could just make something simple like cookies."
Maihime tilted her head. As per usual, the kangaroo had a somewhat surprised or vacant look to her.
"Your days were bad too? Did you lose your favorite bracelet like I did?"
Yufine opened her mouth to speak before shrugging and shaking her head. Yasui sighed.
"No, Maihime. Our days were bad for a different reason. But enough about that. What should we—"
Yasui fell silent as there was a knock on the door. Slightly confused, he stood and walked over to the doorway. He turned and looked at his fellow club members.
"Are we expecting anyone?"
Everyone shook their heads. Mystified, Yasui opened the door. He peered out and saw a large striped shirt and pants accompanied by two large, muscular arms covered in thick white fur. Yasui felt his mouth go dry as he realized he was looking at a truly massive polar bear. The bear awkwardly fidgeted with his massive clawed fingers.
"Is this the Cooking Club?" The bear's voice, a thundering rumble, asked. Yasui gulped. This guy was so tall his head wasn't visible through the doorway. He was also completely terrifying.
"Y-yes."
"Uh… hello. My name is Bazzil, but everyone calls me Baz. Can I come in?"
Yasui looked behind him at the girls. They all looked pretty scared. It was understandable given a literal giant was growling at them. But… the poor guy probably was having a crappy enough day without them treating him like a monster. Yasui steeled himself and stepped backwards to give the huge ursine a clear entrance. Not that he needed it. Given how huge this bear was he probably could have picked Yasui up with one hand.
"Come on in. I-Is there something we can do for you?"
Baz stooped and entered the room. It was then that everyone gasped. Yufine especially made a pathetic little mue as Baz's face became visible.
Baz had the most tragic, harmless looking face Yasui had ever seen. He had a cute pouty mouth and big puppy dog eyes set on one of the most adorably baby-like faces Yasui had beheld. He had the face of a plush toy on the body of a serial killer. Baz shuffled his feet awkwardly and held his hands behind his back.
"I was wondering…." The young giant rumbled, "If you'd let me join your club?"
Everyone was a bit taken aback by that. This kid looked like he should be joining the wrestling team or boxing club, not the Cooking Club. Yasui tilted his head.
"Uh… why do you want to join?"
Baz sniffed and looked down at his size twenty shoes.
"Everyone says I'm scary because I'm so big, and I'm really clumsy and break stuff. But then I saw one of the posters you put up in the dormitory."
Yasui looked at him questioningly.
"Poster? What poster?"
Baz unfolded a piece of paper and showed it to Yasui. It was a hand drawn poster that showed a cartoon tiger face and a kangaroo face smiling. It read,
(Join the amazing Cooking Club! Learn how to cook and bake! Boys are especially welcome! Girls like a guy who can cook!)
Yasui gave Yufine a withering look.
"I don't remember making this poster."
Yufine blushed and looked up at the ceiling.
"Well… I might have decided to do some recruiting. And Maihime is actually pretty amazing at drawing, so we made some posters! And it worked!"
Yasui sighed and looked back at Baz. The bear sighed.
"I thought maybe if I learn how to cook, people would be less scared of me. How could you be scared of a guy who's giving you baked goods?"
Yufine cooed and walked over to him, taking his gigantic hand in hers.
"Oh, Yasui! We have to let him join! The poor guy's just a big, cuddly teddy bear!"
Baz smiled. It was adorable.
"Momma said the only thing bigger than my heart is my stomach."
Yufine pouted and turned to Yasui.
"Look at that big, sad face! You can't say no to that!"
Yasui sighed as they both gave him pleading looks.
"I wasn't planning on saying no." Yasui grumbled. Both Baz and Yufine excitedly clapped their hands in celebration. (Baz really is like a big kid), Yasui thought. As this was going on, Chaussette raised her tail to get his attention.
"Um, Yasssui?"
"Yeah?"
"There'sssss a problem."
"What's that?"
"We don't have a chair big enough for him."
Baz raised his hands placatingly.
"That's okay. I'll pull up a box and sit on it for now."
With that settled, they all gathered around the table and Yasui looked at Baz.
"Well, I guess we should all get introduced. I'm Yasui, the club president."
Baz waved. Yasui then pointed at Chaussette.
"She's Chaussette."
Chaussette nodded.
"That's Yufine." Yasui continued, pointing at Yufine. The tigress grinned.
"Nice to meetcha!"
Finally Yasui gestured to Maihime.
"And she's Maihime. She's… being oddly quiet today."
Maihime shook her head.
"I'm trying to remember where I left my bracelet. It's been driving me insane all day."
Baz frowned.
"Oh, I hate when I forget things."
Yasui clasped his hands together.
"So, that's all of us. Anything you want to know?"
Baz tapped his fingers on his knees.
"Well… what do you guys usually do?"
Yufine leaned forward a bit.
"Well, we sort of just do whatever. But today we were planning on making cookies!"
Baz nodded.
"Okay, but I meant as far as big events or whatever."
Everyone was quiet for a moment as they thought. Chaussette finally piped up.
"We had a booth at the Festival of the Meteor."
Yufine nodded vigorously.
"Yeah! And we did a bake sale once!"
Yasui bobbed his head a bit as he thought.
"And we'll probably do something for Valentine's Day. Yufine told me that people like to give gifts on February fourteenth."
Yufine held up a finger.
"Girls give guys things on February fourteenth, and then guys give girls presents on March fourteenth."
"Yeah, that." Yasui conceded. Baz nodded.
"Wow, sounds fun. So… what do you think I should do to help out? I don't know anything about cooking at the moment."
As Yasui thought, Yufine interjected.
"You can pick up heavy things! And reach high shelves! We don't really have any strong people in our club!"
Baz smiled.
"I can do that!"
Maihime then addressed everyone, a perturbed look on her face.
"Have any of you seen a small red bracelet with a white bead in the center? I can't think of anywhere I would have left it but here."
The rest of the week went by slowly, as every day Yasui was anxiously waiting for some sort of update about Miss Diana. But even by lunchtime on Friday, Yasui still had no word about her condition. Shinrai was doing his best to support him, but Yasui was starting to worry.
"I'm sure she'll be fine!" Shinrai said as he ate his vegetable stew. "No news is good news after all! Like, if anything bad was going to happen, it would have happened sooner rather than later. That's how brain stuff works, I saw it on tv."
Yasui pulled a face and picked at his stir fry.
"But what if she never wakes up! What if she's in a coma for years!"
Shinrai shrugged.
"You were in a coma and were fine. Maybe she's having some sort of strange out of body experience. She could be watching you right now, like a friendly ghost!"
Yasui shuddered.
"I hope not."
Yasui had a very vivid dream about Miss Diana again last night. Ever since his growth spurt he'd found his libido had gotten more and more intense. Especially at night. Shinrai took a drink and tilted his head at Yasui.
"Did you have an out of body experience when you were comatose?"
"I don't remember most of what happened. Everything was really foggy."
They were interrupted as Shinrai's two herbivore friends, Don and Kashikoi, approached them. Don tapped Shinrai's shoulder.
"You have Science class yet?"
Shinrai shook his head. Don continued.
"We have to do an astronomy report. And apparently we're supposed to go somewhere outside of the city so we can see the stars over a weekend and fill out this star map thing. So I was thinking, we could go camping!"
Shinrai sat up excitedly.
"I've never been camping before! That could be fun!"
Don then glanced over at Yasui.
"And, uh… Yasui. Maybe you could come too?"
Yasui's ears pricked up in surprise.
"Me? You want me to come camping with you?"
Kashikoi smiled.
"You're sort of the only person we know who has any sort of wilderness experience, being from the countryside and all that."
Yasui crossed his arms.
"Oh I get, because I'm a country bumpkin I clearly know all about camping."
Don nodded.
"Exactly! You have wilderness skills and, like, mountaineering knowledge!"
Shinrai gave Yasui a meaningful look.
"Didn't you say you used to go camping with your family back in the day?"
Yasui snorted at Shinrai.
"Yeah I went camping before, but that doesn't mean I have a full campsite in my back pocket."
Don rolled his eyes.
"Don't worry about it! We'll provide the tents and other stuff. You just provide the general knowledge about, you know, camp stuff."
Yasui sighed. Somehow this was sounding more and more like they wanted him to babysit their camping trip. Kashikoi elbowed Don.
"And he knows how to cook! So he can help out with meals."
Don snapped his fingers.
"And you know how to cook! C'mon, it'll be fun."
(Somehow I bet I'll be having a lot less fun than you all will.) Yasui grumbled internally. However, Shinrai gave him an excited look.
"I mean… it does sound like it could be fun. Guys trip!"
Yasui sighed.
"Fine. When is it?"
Don pumped his fist.
"Yes! Thank you! First weekend in February. We'll leave Friday and be back Sunday."
Yasui raised an eyebrow.
"So right after this festival that I can't go to?"
Kashikoi nodded.
"That's right."
Yasui gave a thumbs up.
"Greeeeeat."
As the two herbivores left, Shinrai turned to look at Yasui. Sensing Yasui's annoyance, the squirrel waved his hand dismissively.
"Trust me, Yasui. You'd hate the Odd Soul Festival. It would be suuuuuper awkward and boring for you."
Yasui nodded, however an inkling of an idea was worming around in his head. He was about to say something when his phone rang. Confused, Yasui answered it.
"Hello? This is Yasui speaking."
"Hello, Yasui. We spoke earlier this week. I met you on behalf of the Supotto Conglomerate earlier this week."
Yasui felt his heart skip a beat. His stomach backflipped as he shakily replied.
"I-I remember. So… what are you calling me about?"
"It's about Miss Diana."
Yasui's stomach stopped cartwheeling and instead dropped into his shoes. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Fortunately, the speaker continued without Yasui's input.
"She's being moved from the ICU to a standard room. The doctors believe she should be awake in a few hours. You're welcome to come visit if you want. We'll send a car to pick you up around seven."
"That'll be great! Thank you!"
Yasui hung up the phone and breathed a sigh of relief. He returned to his meal and found his appetite had returned. Shinrai grinned.
"I'm guessing that was good news?"
"Yeah. Apparently the doctors think Miss Diana will wake up soon."
"Good to hear! Tell her hi for me."
"Will do."
But before Yasui could go visit Miss Diana, he had to make it through the rest of the school day. And that included his usual Friday "study group" where very little studying tended to get done. And it seemed like this week was not going to be an exception. Most notably, Tao was practically comatose in his chair. Shiro the Doberman tilted his head curiously at the feline.
"Dude, you look like crap." He said. Tao groaned.
"I feel half dead. Drama Club has been keeping me busy every day. We only don't have practice today because they're setting up the stage and doing final adjustments to costumes."
Yasui slowly nodded.
"Oh yeah. The Drama Club's winter performance is next week, right? Thursday and Friday?"
Tao nodded slowly and yawned.
"Yup. Fun fun fun."
Shinrai grinned.
"What part are you playing?"
Tao huffed.
"Mook number three. And background character five."
Tenbe the toucan sniffed.
"Ah yes, my favorite characters."
Shiro chuckled.
"Maybe we can all find dates to go with us?"
Shinrai shrugged.
"I'll probably just go with Hikaru and make fun of people the entire time."
Shiro rolled his eyes.
"Okay, totally. I know you secretly love theater. You seem like the type."
Shinrai scoffed.
"The only good thing about the theater is the snacks. Tell 'em Yasui."
Yasui looked up from his homework.
"Hm, yeah. I like cockporn. I mean popcorn."
But the damage was already done. Immediately everyone started losing their minds over Yasui's slip of the tongue. Tao howled with laughter and banged the table with his fist.
"Dude, Yasui! That's one hell of a Freudian slip!"
Tenbe sniggered.
"I always knew you were a bit fruity. But dang."
Yasui rolled his eyes.
"Haha, very funny. I was too busy actually doing the homework we're supposed to be doing rather than good off the whole time to pay much attention."
Shinrai smirked.
"Studying some anatomy?"
Yasui threw his hands up in disgust and returned to his homework.
"You're all gross."
Finally, it was seven o'clock. Yasui was practically jumping out of his skin by the time the car from the Supotto Conglomerate pulled up. Once he was inside, the Dalmatian from before inclined his head.
"Yasui."
Yasui returned the gesture.
"Hello, Mister… uh… I don't think you ever told me your name."
"It's Kopland. Mister Kopland."
The Dalmatian then gestured to a male wolf who was sitting beside him.
"And this is Quintus. He's your bodyguard whenever you leave school."
Yasui sighed.
"I really don't think that a bodyguard is necessary. I mean, he's just going to draw more attention to me!"
"Not if you play along with our story. He's your cousin twice removed on your father's side."
Yasui raised an eyebrow.
"He is?"
"Not really. It's called lying."
"I was more talking about the fact that he looks nothing like me."
Kopland regarded the wolf appraisingly. He had jet black fur and a more blocky muzzle than Yasui. He then looked back at Yasui.
"Distant cousin."
Yasui sighed.
"I really don't want a bodyguard."
"Well I really don't want to have to explain to everyone why we're filing a missing persons report for you because you didn't want a bodyguard. Unfortunately this is nonnegotiable."
Yasui sighed. And leaned back in his seat. He like Mr. Charles okay, maybe this Quintus guy wouldn't be too bad. Besides, it was only until this whole fiasco with Miss Diana was sorted out. Once that was done, he was certain everything would go back to normal.
The car ride to the hospital was awkward to say the least. Yasui had considered raising the point that he had successfully gone to work without an escort, but thought better of it. All that really mattered was that he was going to see Miss Diana.
The room that he was led to by the nurse was a lot bigger and nicer than the one he'd been in. It had a large window and lots of space for visitors. In the bed occupying the center of the room, Yasui saw a very different person than the Miss Diana he knew and loved. This leopard was gaunt looking and had a bandage wrapped around her skull. As he opened the door her eyes flickered open and looked in his direction. Diana smiled weakly.
"Yasui…."
Yasui returned the smile and sat beside her.
"Hi, Miss Diana. How are you feeling?"
She closed her eyes and licked her lips.
"Tired…. My head feels all fuzzy. Mmm… I don't know how I got here."
Yasui carefully took Miss Diana's hand and gently held it. She smiled.
"I'm glad you came to see me. Last time I was in the hospital… nobody came to see me. Well, except Charles. Where is Charles?"
"He was outside. I think he feels terrible about letting you fall like that."
Diana rolled her head a bit.
"Nonsense. I'm the one who sent him away to… you know."
Yasui watched as she seemed to deflate somewhat before weakly adding.
"I'm sorry, Yasui. I'm so… very tired still. I'm afraid I might… just…."
Yasui rubbed her hand between his own as her eyes drifted shut and her breathing became slow and deep once more. Eventually he stood and left the room to join Charles with the doctors. For his part, the big gorilla looked positively distraught. Yasui pat him on the back.
"How are you holding up, Charles."
The muscular ape ran a hand across his silver head.
"It's all my fault. I should have been there."
"Hey, we both know how stubborn Miss Diana is. It's not your fault."
Charles sighed.
"But it's my responsibility to look after her safety and protect her, even from herself."
Yasui gave him a sympathetic look as the doctor walked over with some papers. Yasui gestured to the room.
"So… is she going to be okay?"
The doctor, a hen with deep brown feathers, held up the clipboard.
"Her tests are promising. The cranial swelling has lessened, enough that we no longer need to keep her unconscious. However, it's going to take time for her to heal completely. We have her on some mild sedatives to limit her activity and allow her time to heal. With any luck, she'll be discharged by this time next week."
Yasui perked up excitedly.
"Really?! That fast?!"
The doctor nodded.
"Fortunately, it was a small aneurysm. And to top it all off she was found and treated quickly. No guarantees, but her chart is looking pretty good. And to top it all off, she seems in good spirits, which tends to help with recovery."
Yasui sighed and gently punched Charles in the elbow.
"See? You did your job perfectly."
Charles sighed.
"I won't be happy until she's up and about again."
Yasui nodded, looking through the observation window at Miss Diana. She seemed to be sleeping peacefully, not a care in the world.
"Same here."