The Cherryton Cooking Club

by Mr.Dr.Sadperson

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

60. Chapter 50

Chapter 50: Living Pono

Yasui never remembered feeling this type of bad before. It was an odd form of exhaustion that had him feeling like he was riding in the backseat of his own skull. To Yasui, the car was driving in slow motion but somehow also going fast. His eyes itched a little and he felt like he needed to soak his entire body in water to stop feeling so dehydrated. Overall, he was not enjoying international travel. Diana chuckled as she looked at him from the other seat in the car.

"How are you holding up, Yasui?"

"Honestly?" Yasui said weakly. "I'm feeling a little woozy. I'm not entirely sure what day it is anymore."

Diana patted his hand and smiled reassuringly.

"That's just the jetlag. All you need to do is power through until it's your normal time to sleep and then crash. It helps your body acclimate to the new time."

"I feel like my soul is leaking out of my body."

Diana laughed and knocked on the window to the driver's seat of the car. Charles glanced back with a typically professional expression.

"Yes?"

"I think we need a bit of a pick-me-up. How about we stop for some coffee and a snack."

The gorilla grunted his assent and changed lanes. Yasui stared unblinkingly out the window. Part of him was enjoying the sights of the tropical island. But the most part of him just felt like his head had a cinder block where his brain should be. Even as they stopped for coffee, Yasui felt like he was somehow falling while standing still. He had never been this tired before. So much so that he was soon back in the car holding a cup of coffee and a donut of some sort without realizing he had moved at all.

"Look, there's the beach where the resort is." Diana said as she pointed out the window beside Yasui. Yasui flopped his head in that direction and stared at the curve of white sand across the water from where they currently were. Lush vegetation and brilliant blue sky painted a picture of perfect tropical bliss. But all Yasui wanted to see was a bed. However, as he looked blearily out the window, Yasui noticed that some of the signs had words he didn't recognize on them. He frowned tiredly and rubbed his eyes.

"Miss Diana? I thought that they spoke English here. Some of those words don't seem English."

The leopard nodded and stifled a yawn behind her coffee cup.

"Well, the main language is English. However there is the Hawaiian language as well that gets used alongside it. Mainly some individual words. For example, instead of saying 'Hello' to you, people here say 'Aloha'. It means both 'Hello' and 'Goodbye' in Hawaiian."

Yasui nodded and mouthed the word "Aloha" to himself. It felt strange on his tongue, and unfamiliar. But then again, he hadn't ever spoken Hawaiian before. Yasui dragged his heavy head around to look at Diana.

"Any other words I should know?"

"Hmm." Diana hummed as she tapped her finger on her leg. "The other main one is 'mahalo' which means 'thank you.' So when someone gives you something or opens a door for you, you say 'mahalo' in response."

"Got it. I think I can remember that."

Diana smiled and hid a yawn behind her hand.

"I think you'll enjoy Hawaii. It's a beautiful place, and the people are friendly. It's also very laid back so it's a great place to unwind, something I think you need."

"But aren't I here to be your assistant?" Yasui asked with a frown. Diana chuckled and waved her hand.

"Not all the time. You'll have some time for fun. So go to the beach or maybe take a surfing lesson. It'll do you some good. 'All work and no play makes Jack a very dull boy' after all."

Yasui squeezed his eyes shut, trying to moisten them, before he grunted.

"I know a guy named Jack back at school. He's nice."

"That's great, Yasui."

Weirdly, the drive to the resort somehow took both a really long time and no time at all. Yasui had to repeatedly pinch himself to try to stay awake, which was no easy feat. Even after drinking coffee he felt as if he hadn't slept in days, which was sort of the case. Yasui hadn't felt this wacked out and exhausted since he'd been taking too many pain meds after his incident this fall.

(Weird to think that was only a few months ago. I guess a lot has happened this year. And in only a few weeks I'll be a second year as the Spring semester starts up. Lots has happened since I first showed up at Cherryton last Spring. I've grown up a lot, made friends, made some… well… lots of mistakes. But also some good stuff too. I became friends with Shinrai, started the Cooking Club and made lots of friends through that. Chaussette and Yufine. Maihime and now Baz. Speaking of Chaussette, I hope she's doing well. It seemed like she took the bullying incident pretty hard. When I get back home I should check in on her. Maybe I can bring her a souvenir from here. It's warm in Hawaii, she'd probably like it here.)

Diana laughed as she examined Yasui. Yasui shot her a confused look.

"What's funny, Miss Diana?"

"You look very deep in thought right now. What's on your mind?"

Yasui shrugged.

"I was thinking about bringing Chaussette a souvenir. She seemed pretty shook up by what happened with the bully and all that. And while I'm at it I should get Shinrai something. And my family. Geez, I should have brought a bigger suitcase."

Diana smiled and crossed her legs.

"We'll have plenty of time to go souvenir shopping later. For now, let's focus on surviving until the end of the day."

As the car pulled up in front of the resort, Yasui got his first really good look at the property. It definitely had a distinctive tropical vibe to the architecture. The roof came to a sweeping point and had gleaming white plastered walls with a tiled roof. Standing outside of the entrance was a male boar wearing a bright floral print shirt. Oddly enough to Yasui, the pig was a bit… chubby? Or maybe he was just extremely wide for his size. It wasn't that he was rotund like the seal manager of Diana's hotel back home, he was just broad all over. As Diana stepped out of the car, the boat grinned broadly and spread his arms wide.

"Aloha ahiahi, Miss Diana! I hope you had a pleasant trip! It's so wonderful to have you back here in Hawai'i!"

The boar rushed over and hugged Diana before standing in front of Yasui with a broad grin.

"Ah! And who's this?"

Diana smiled and gestured to Yasui before speaking in English.

"Iz, this is my attache, Yasui. Yasui, this is the manager of our resort here, Mr. Iz."

The boar heartily clasped Yasui's hand and shook it energetically.

"Just call me Big Iz, braddah. Everyone does. Aloha, and welcome to 'Ka Pōmaika'i o ka Moana'. Or as you say it in English, 'Ocean's Blessing.' Please! Come in! We have everything ready for your visit!"

As the boar strode off towards the front door, Yasui spoke quietly to Diana in Japanese.

"Mr. Iz seems very… excited."

"He's always like this." Diana said with a smile. "He loves this resort and wants everyone else to love it as well. Hence why I made him the boss."

Yasui nodded as they made their way after the excitable male. Upon entering the building, Yasui was impressed by just how simple it was compared to what he had expected. Miss Diana's other hotel, the 'Prime Meridian', had been very fancy and extravagant with its luxury. This one was very simplistic and oddly homey. The walls were paneled dark wood, and the floor a cream colored stone. Paintings of different scenes of the island dotted the walls, some featuring people surfing or enjoying other leisure activities. Several large, comfortable looking chairs were placed around the lobby which had a tall, pointed ceiling where a large fan slowly spun to keep a breeze moving. Yasui immediately wanted to just sit down and relax for a while.

Big Iz clapped Yasui on the shoulder and laughed.

"Watcha think, bud? Pretty nice joint, eh?"

Yasui blinked a few times, trying to parse through the boar's American slang. There was a big difference between knowing English from having taken it all through elementary and middle school, and having spoken it your whole life. Yasui nervously stammered out a response.

"I… uh… sorry. I do not… understand."

Iz smacked his palm against his forehead and chuckled in a self deprecating way.

"Pu'upu'u! I just assumed you were a master at speaking English like our beautiful Miss Diana here! 'A'ohe hopohopo, braddah. I was just asking if you liked the lobby."

"Ah!" Yasui said, slight recognition crossing his face. He assumed part of what Iz had said was Hawaiian. Fortunately the boar talked relatively slowly, so Yasui was able to muddle through easier than some of the people he had heard talking at the airport.

"Your lobby is… very nice! It is… comfortable. Makes me want to have a seat."

Iz clapped his hands.

"That's exactly what we want! We want our resort to make you want to sit back, kick up your feet, and enjoy some island chill. Now then, let's give your two the grand tour. We've done some expansion since you've been here last, Diana. I think you two are gonna like it."

Diana nodded and gestured for the boar to lead the way. As the trio walked through the main building, employees wearing brightly colored shirts with floral print smiled and waved at them with calls of "aloha" and other greetings. Iz pointed out the expanded exercise room which bordered the indoor pool. The complementary laundry room. The game room where multiple arcade style games were available. And several spaces for people to have meetings or parties in privacy. It was after this that Iz led them to two large glass doors at the back of the building.

"And now, the most exciting new offering of our resort. Our newly expanded outdoor pool and waterslides!"

The boar pushed the doors open to reveal that behind the main building was a pool so massive it blew Yasui's mind. As he watched, guests swam and jumped into the clear water while others sat in comfortable lounge chairs with large umbrellas ready to offer shade to anyone who was getting too warm. At the far side of the pool, several sizes of slides swirled and curved around each other. The smallest slide was only a bit taller than Yasui, and as he watched a female flamingo and her child slid down the gentle slope together to land with a small splash in the cool water. Meanwhile the largest slide was almost as tall as the main building and spat screaming guests into the pool in a sizable wave. Iz rubbed his hands together.

"Whatcha think, Miss Diana? Worth the wait, eh? It's almost twice the size of the original pool here."

Diana nodded.

"I can tell. Has it caused an increase in resort stays?"

"Sure has." Iz said as he crossed his arms and admired the pool. "We've seen an increase of over twenty-nine percent annually since we finished the upgrade. Additionally, off season visits have increased by thirty-one percent as many locals will come for the weekend to use the waterpark as a quick family vacation, in addition to our other facilities of course."

Diana pursed her lips, as if she was calculating numbers in her head. Well, for all Yasui knew she was. She'd been doing this for a while, so she probably couldn't crunch numbers on the fly with ease. The leopard finally pointed towards a building across from the pool.

"Is that the new spa?"

"Sure is! We went from just one floor of the main building being the spa to an entire complex itself. Complete with massage parlors, mud baths, hot tubs, saunas, and meditation rooms. We offer reservations to non-guests as well, but guests get a twenty percent discount off their spa treatments. Great way to relax and unwind. C'mon, I'll show you!"

Yasui stared blankly as Diana moved after the boar. How could she manage to work after being on a plane for so long? Yasui felt like his muscles were made of lead, and his shoes were cinder blocks. But if they were walking around the place, he better get a move on and follow them.

But as they made their way towards the spa, Diana stopped and turned towards Yasui.

"Oh, Yasui. I'm terribly sorry, but would you mind helping me with my luggage? The bellhop should have delivered our bags to the room. If you could put my nice clothes in the closet for me, I would appreciate it. I really don't want them to wrinkle, and that way I can get ready for dinner faster after Iz shows me all the updated amenities."

Yasui nodded, and smiled as best he could. He was sure his eyes had bags around them, and he looked haggard. Heck, he felt haggard. As such, Yasui was more than happy to set up their rooms. Although if he wanted to take Diana's advice and just hold out until his normal time to sleep he might need to take a cold shower or something like that.

It was easy enough to find Diana's room. She had booked the presidential suite for Charles, Yasui, and herself to share. Given it had enough bedrooms to accommodate Yasui's entire family in extravagant luxury and comfort, it was plenty large for the three of them to split. They each had a room to themselves, with a closet and bathroom attached. Obviously Yasui put Diana's stuff in the large master bedroom. It was her hotel, she deserved the best room.

Yasui slowly wheeled Diana's various suitcases and bags into the room and began opening them up, looking for her hanging clothes. One bag was filled with multiple pairs of shoes and toiletries. This one he unpacked onto the shelf and bathroom respectively. The next had Diana's leisure wear, various shorts and shirts for activities like tours or hiking, as well as her swimsuit. Yasui put these clothes in the dresser. Next was the bag that held Diana's sleepwear, electronics like her laptop, a book, and her underwear. Yasui immediately closed this bag with a blush and set it aside. He didn't think it would be appropriate to handle the leopard's undergarments.

Finally, Yasui found the bag that held all the nice dresses and gowns that Diana had for important meetings and fancy dinners. As Yasui held the first one up, a strapless red dress with a matching sash, Yasui rubbed the soft fabric between his fingers. It felt like silk, which felt like solid water on his fur. Yasui grinned and gently rubbed the gown against itself, enjoying the little *swish swish swish* noise the material made. Silk was, well, silky. Yasui wondered how people described smooth things before they invented silk. Was there a material they used before silk that was the softest and smoothest material around? Did they say something was cotton-y smooth?

(I am so tired.)

Yasui reluctantly hung up the dress, and then unpacked the rest of the fine clothing Diana had in her luggage. Content that the clothes were not going to wrinkle, Yasui checked for any more baggage before nodding. Miss Diana was all unpacked, which meant he could go take the coldest possible shower and try to wake up a bit.

Yasui made his way to his room where he'd be staying. He entered the bathroom and whistled in approval of how nice it was. Shiny countertops of white marble gave the room a very pleasant brightness, while the simple accents of tiki wood and palm frond designs felt suitably Hawaiian. Yasui took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes before slapping his cheeks a few times. He shook his head vigorously before turning the shower on cold and stepping in. He yelped as the icy water hit him, and immediately felt wide awake and alert. Hopefully now he'd have no trouble staying awake until his normal bedtime.

After that unpleasant shower, Yasui grabbed a towel and began to dry off before looking around for his clothes. He then realized he hadn't gotten his bag, which meant he hadn't gotten any clothes out. Yasui sighed and wrapped the towel around his waist. Slightly damp and leaving wet footprints in his wake, Yasui left the bathroom to look for his suitcase. He started in the main entryway and poked through every nook and cranny, but for some reason couldn't seem to find his suitcase anywhere. But that made no sense, his belongings couldn't have just disappeared.

(Maybe I left them at the front desk? I thought someone was bringing the bags up, but they could have missed mine.)

Yasui glanced around and found one of the phones that was stationed conveniently in the room. Squinting a bit because he hadn't put his glasses back on, Yasui dialed the number for the front desk. The phone rang three times before a pleasant voice spoke in English.

"Hello, this is the front desk. How can I help you?"

"Ah, yes… hello. I am Yasui, from the… uh, I am with Miss Diana. I was wondering… do you… have my bag?"

"I'm sorry? I don't quite understand."

Yasui grit his teeth as he wracked his brain for the right words.

"I am… not able to find my… suitcase? My… my clothes. I was asking… is my bag… down at your desk?"

"I understand. Give me just a moment and I'll check."

The phone went quiet as Yasui stood naked but for a towel in the middle of the room. He impatiently hiked up his waistwrap to better cover himself and sighed. How could he have lost his luggage?! Was he going to be without clothes for the entire trip? He'd look like an idiot, and that would reflect poorly on Miss Diana. And she was counting on him to do well on this trip. Well, she hadn't said that, but Yasui assumed that was the case.

"Hello, are you still there Mister Yasui?" The phone line chimed in. Yasui adjusted the phone and worked his jaw a bit, trying to not butcher the less used language he was currently speaking.

"Yes. I am here."

"I'm sorry, sir, but we don't seem to have your suitcase down here. We'll have someone check to see if it was misplaced. In the meantime, if you want we can send you some clothes to wear from the on-site store. If you tell us your measurements we can have those on the way to you momentarily."

Yasui let out a sigh of relief and quickly told the person working the front desk his clothing size. Yasui shifted his towel and sat down to wait. He didn't know how long they would take to fetch him the clothes, but hopefully it would be before Diana showed back up. He would feel pretty stupid sitting around naked in the room because he lost his suitcase.

After about ten minutes, a knock came from the door. Yasui stood and hurried over so he could look through the peephole in the center of the door. Outside was a male toucan wearing a nametag while holding a paper bag. Yasui opened the door and nodded appreciatively at the bird. The toucan smiled.

"Here are your clothes, sir. Is there anything else I can help you with?"

"Ah, no. Thank you." Yasui stammered before closing the door as quickly as he could without being rude. He wasted no time in flinging the towel off and pulling the clothes on. The toucan had brought him a pair of khaki shorts, a package of four boxer-briefs, and a green button down shirt with pink floral designs across it. It was a lot more tropical than Yasui's usual clothing.

However, as Yasui examined himself in the mirror, he actually found he liked the way the new clothes looked. After turning to view himself from either side, Yasui nodded approvingly.

(I actually look pretty good in Hawaiian clothing. Although, maybe I should get a hat. I feel like a hat would look good with this.)

Yasui smiled and quickly put on his shoes. He'd go see if the store here had hats he could buy. Yasui wasn't sure what type yet, but probably something more formal than a baseball cap. So after stuffing his wallet and room key into his pocket, Yasui headed back down to the main floor and asked for directions to the clothing store.

The employee at the desk gladly pointed him to the shop, and Yasui began looking over the racks of resort wear and accessories. He was looking at a tall stand with different styles of hats when an associate, a female capybara, walked over and smiled brightly.

"Aloha! Is there anything I can help you with today, sir?"

Yasui looked over and grinned sheepishly.

"Ah, uh, aloha. I am… trying to pick a hat. Which do you think… looks good for me."

The attendant rested a hand on her hip and looked Yasui over before having him try on a few different hats. As Yasui set one hat or other on his head, the capybara would shake her head and have him try on a different one. Finally, Yasui tried on a light hat that was almost like a fedora but a bit less pretentious. The attendant clasped her hands and nodded.

"That's the one! I think it's the perfect shape for your face. And it'll keep the sun off your eyes. What do you think?"

Yasui examined himself in a mirror and smiled happily. He looked very mature and grown up, like a real adult on a trip. Yasui gave the attendant a thumbs up.

"Is… very good! I will take it."

"Alright, well right this way then. Then you can get back to enjoying your vacation."

Yasui got to the register and pulled out his wallet to pay when he realized that there was a problem. His wallet was full of Japanese yen, but he was in America where they used dollars. Yasui embarrassedly removed the hat and slid it back to the cashier.

"Sorry. I do not have the… right money. I can not buy the hat."

The cashier smiled.

"That's okay. We can charge it to your room if you have your key. It'll be added to your total when you check out."

Yasui nodded, thinking about what to do. He could easily just give Miss Diana the amount in yen for the hat. Yasui gave the cashier a thumbs up and pulled out his room key which he then slid to the cashier. The cashier typed something on the cash register before handing him his key back.

"You're all set! We hope you have a great stay here."

"Ah, thank— I mean… mahalo?"

The cashier laughed and waved at him.

"'A' ole palikia! Have a great day!"

Yasui donned his hat and set off to walk around the hotel and see the sights. He'd have to ask Miss Diana where he could change some yen into dollars so he could buy some souvenirs for everyone. Speaking of which, since today was still Sunday, tomorrow he was supposed to call his family. But Yasui hadn't done so since his suspension, he just hadn't worked up the nerve. The fact that he still hadn't told them about his being suspended didn't help either.

Yasui didn't want to lie to his parents, it was just… he was terrified to tell them. Yasui had never been in trouble at school before for something he did. There had been accidents before where he'd been hurt and stuff like that, but never in his life had Yasui been suspended. He knew it was wrong to not tell his parents, but every time he was about to, something would happen that made him not tell them. And then there were the excuses. Yasui kept finding himself making up excuses why he wasn't telling them yet. Stuff like he was waiting to find out if he was just suspended or something worse. Or that he was going to tell them when he had some good news to dull the blow.

It didn't help that Yasui still occasionally felt a little… uncomfortable about his technically adoptive parents in some regards. This little voice in his head kept raising horrible thoughts about his "family." Like, maybe they had only cared about him because he helped their real children out. All his life, Yausi had pitched in more than his adoptive siblings around the house. He'd helped them with homework, made breakfast, did chores while they played with their friends, and had never once had parties or special events like the other kids. Sure it could be because he'd been bullied a lot by the other children in the village, probably because they knew he was an outsider, but what if it was also because Ibiki and Ino were embarrassed by how odd he was. He'd always been a runt before he grew into his current freakish size, so that probably had opened them up to comments about him.

Yasui shook his head, as if he could knock the little voice out of his brain that way. Thinking that way wasn't helpful, and it was disrespectful to Ino and Ibiki. They had raised him, clothed him, and taken care of him as best as they could. They didn't deserve him doubting their intentions and assuming that they didn't actually love him the same as their own children. But still, it was a biological fact that parents cared more for their biological children than ones they didn't actually… make. And they had been very eager to ship him off to a boarding school hours away from them where he could only visit a few times a year.

(Stop stop stop! Why am I thinking about this! I'm in Hawaii! At an awesome hotel! I should be focused on helping out Diana as best as I can as her attache, whatever that means. So in the meantime, I'm going to take a walk and enjoy the scenery!)

Yasui wiped his snout with the back of his hand and set off at what he thought was a suitably cheerful pace through the hotel. Yasui walked along the pathways that surrounded the hotel, taking his time enjoying the lush plant life that filled the hotel grounds. (Guilt). He stopped to smell some vibrant flowers sprouting from a bush that had the aroma of sweet perfume. (Liar). Yasui walked a bit faster to go look at some other things that would surely take his mind off of stuff he was trying not to do. (You've become a bad person!).

Yasui was speed walking by the time he returned to the large pool that occupied the center of the resort. He definitely worked up a thirst by now, especially because of how much warmer it was here than back home. Yasui saw a small open air building where a female otter was sitting behind a counter off to one side of the pool. Pictures of different snacks and beverages lined the back wall, and Yasui could see tubs of ice cream in what was revealed to be a freezer she was standing in front of. The otter, who looked a bit younger than most of the other staff, waved cheerfully at him.

"Aloha! Want some ice cream or a drink?"

Yasui hastily muttered "Aloha" as he tapped his shoe nervously on the ground. What was wrong with him? Why did he seem bound and determined to make himself miserable at every opportunity? He was on a once in a lifetime trip and instead of relaxing like he was supposed to, he was stressing himself out like an idiot! Yasui realized he was just staring at nothing while standing there and reached for his wallet.

"Uh, I would like… water. Oh, I do not have dollars."

The otter raised an eyebrow and grabbed a small cup.

"Water is free, dude. You don't have to pay for it. You, uh, you seem a bit nervous. Everything okay?"

"Oh, sorry. I am fine." Yasui hurriedly said. He accepted the cup of water and took a sip. Honestly, Yasui did actually want some ice cream. The creamy dessert in the large tubs looked pretty good, and Yasui was a little overheated from hurrying around. Plus, he was getting hungry now. Hopefully dinner would be soon.

The otter leaned against the counter and inspected him a bit more closely.

"So, where are you from? Your accent screams 'Asia' and you look like you're not from around here."

Yasui swallowed his water and shuffled around a bit.

"I am from Japan. I am here to… help a friend with something."

"Hey, no way! I lived in Japan for like three years! My dad is in the Navy, and we were stationed at Okinawa for a while. I went to elementary school there."

"Oh! Do you know Japanese?"

The otter pulled a face and wiggled her hand back and forth a bit.

"I used to, but I pretty much only remember the basics now. Still, that's pretty cool that you're here helping a friend. Are you enjoying Hawai'i so far?"

Yasui silently mouthed the word "Hawai'i" to himself. Both this otter and Big Iz said it differently than Diana had. The way they pronounced it had a pause near the end, closer to "Hawa-ee" than "Haw-eye-ee" when you said it. Yasui wondered why that was.

"So far… very good." Yasui stammered. "But I am… very sleepy. I was on a plane for very long today. Apparently it is… still Sunday here."

"Ah, yeah. Those time zones can be a real pain. But, besides that, are you sure you don't want a little ice cream? You really seem like you could use it."

Yasui's hasty excuse was interrupted by his belly rumbling loudly. He was regretting not eating the donuts Diana and Charles had gotten in the car. Yasui shook his head and shrugged.

"I need to… to… how do you say, change my money? I only have yen."

The otter winked at him mischievously and glanced around.

"Tell you what, it's on the house. I'm pretty sure the hotel can spare a scoop of ice cream for a hungry guest. Besides, my boss says that 'making each guest's stay perfect is more important than making money.' Hence why I choose to work here instead of somewhere else. Big Iz actually gives a crap about people. So, what flavor do you want?"

Yasui looked down at the flavors available and was a little taken aback. There was a truly extravagant amount of variety available here. Some of the words Yasui could recognize, like "Vanilla" and "Chocolate." But many of the names were alien to Yasui. That was the downside of only having taken English up through middle school. He knew how to say lots of basic words, but definitely was far from fluent in the language. Yasui finally shrugged at the otter.

"I can not pick. What is… pop-u-la?"

The otter giggled and pointed to a tub of yellow-orange ice cream.

"That would be our mango ice cream. It's the most popular flavor in Hawai'i."

"Ah, one… of mango then." Yasui said with an embarrassed little smile. He felt like an idiot stumbling over words like this. The otter began scooping and shook her head at Yasui.

"Relax, dude. Your English is really good. A lot better than my Japanese. I feel like a huge idiot for not knowing Japanese when I lived there for so long. Especially because of how many Japanese immigrants there are in Hawai'i. Most Americans don't know any other languages than English anyway, so you're kicking their butts in that regard."

"Oh! Thank you!" Yasui said as she handed him his ice cream cone. He meant both for the ice cream and for her kind words. The otter smiled at him, showing slightly crooked teeth.

"You're welcome, mister…."

"Ah! Sorry! My name is Yasui! And I guess I should say 'mahalo' instead of 'thank you'?"

"Hey! No fair! You can't go picking up a third language like that! You're making all us Americans look dumb!"

The otter laughed, and Yasui quickly joined in. The otter had a rather unladylike laugh, and snorted frequently. The otter wiped her eyes and held out a hand.

"I'm Kanoa. It's nice to meet you."

Yasui shook her hand and ate a mouthful of the ice cream. It was delicious, nice and cold with a fruity sweetness and mellow flavor. Kanoa tilted her head and tapped the counter.

"So, are you here for, like, work, or is this a vacation where you're helping a buddy out?"

Yasui licked his lips, removing a speck of ice cream from his whiskers.

"To be honest… I am… suspended. So my friend is having me tag along while she does work here."

"Oh! Wow, you look pretty old for a college student. Is it your senior year?"

Yasui frowned.

"Sorry, I am… in high school."

Kanoa's eyes widened and she shook her head.

"Daaaaaaang. You're like, really tall for a fox then. I thought you were older than me!"

"Ah, probably not. I am… seventeen years old."

Kanoa pointed at her chest and grinned.

"Ha, eighteen here! Just had my birthday last month. But seriously, you're tall for a fox."

Yasui looked at himself as best as he could. He hadn't noticed he had forgotten to dye his fur lately, and so his more vulpine characteristics were obvious now. But in Yasui's defense, he had been a bit preoccupied with other things to care about his fur. Yasui rubbed his arm and tried to look nonchalant.

"Oh, yes. I am… just tall."

"That's awesome, dude." Kanoa said as she made a strange hand gesture. "Every school probably wants you to join their sports teams, eh? Probably got some crazy hops too. Foxes usually have crazy jump heights."

Yasui shrugged, not sure how to respond. He wasn't exactly athletic, so he'd never really played any sports. Yasui took another lick of his ice cream cone and decided to flip the conversation.

"So, you are from here? You are… Hawaiian?"

Kanoa grinned and began cleaning the scoop she'd used to prepare Yasui's ice cream.

"Born and raised. What about you? You from Tokyo or somewhere else?"

"I am from a small farming… village. In the… mountains. It is very very more quiet than the city."

"Nothing wrong with quiet." Kanoa said with a shrug. "Besides, most people think we live pretty slowly here. We all tend to run on island time."

"Island… time?" Yasui said curiously. Kanoa nodded and gestured around.

"You know, taking it easy. Living that pono life. Why rush around when you can live in the moment and enjoy your life."

Yasui frowned, trying to decipher the otter's words. As he did, his ice cream began to drip onto his fingers. Yasui hurriedly licked the melting dessert and sucked the spilled ice cream off his fingers. Kanoa held out a napkin to him, which Yasui gratefully accepted. Once Yasui's ice cream was under control once more, he tilted his head and looked searchingly at the otter.

"What does that mean? What you said? Eh… 'pona' or something."

Kanoa tapped her snout.

"Living pono?" Yasui nodded, and the otter continued.

"Living pono means you're living the good life. You know, living well. Living in balance with nature and with your community. Here, we're all ohana, which means family. Lotta people don't realize that, they think ohana just means your parents and siblings. But ohana is everyone around you. Everyone from this island is my family, and we try to look after each other."

"Ah, I see." Yasui quipped. "It is… a lot like the village where I grew up. All of the people… know each other. They are all like… like… uh… coosans? I am sorry, I cannot remember the English word."

"No biggie." Kanoa said as she made a sweeping motion. "I get what you mean. Yeah, it's a nice thing. Even if it can be a pain sometimes to have the neighbors keeping tabs on you. Do you miss your village?"

Yasui paused. He had been about to say he did, but did he? Did Yasui actually miss his village? Or did he think of school and the city beyond as his home? Sure, the city was dangerous and dirty. But at the same time, it was exciting and alive! He'd even come to think of the city as his home more than Mishiranu at this point.

Yasui's stomach tensed as he prepared to speak. He had an odd feeling. It was like he was standing on the edge of a cliff. Behind him was his old life in his sleepy little village where he was an outcast, and in front of him was the terrifying unknown of life in the city. Endless possibilities, and endless opportunities for mistakes. The question was, did he dare to step over?

"I… do not miss my village." Yasui said in a quiet voice. "I was always… alone. I had no friends, and everyone treated me… bad. At my school, I have friends. I never… had friends before."

"Oh…." Kanoa said quietly. The otter looked down at her hands and slowly began wiping the counter. She let a little breath hiss from between her teeth before she smiled at Yasui.

"Well, I'm glad you've found somewhere you fit in, dude. Nobody's an island, we all need other people in our lives."

Yasui returned her smile and took another lick of ice cream. His phone buzzed, and Yasui checked it to see Miss Diana was asking him if he was ready for dinner. Yasui hurriedly finished his cone and bowed his head to Kanoa.

"Thank you. I enjoyed… our talk."

"No biggie, Yasui. It was fun. Swing back around sometime in the afternoon if you wanna chat."

"I will." Yasui said with a smile. The otter made that same hand gesture and bade him "aloha" as Yasui walked towards where Diana had told him to meet her. The location in question was an open air restaurant facing the beach where multiple large grills were suspended over beds of glowing coals. Skewers of seafood, whole vegetables, and even some fruits were being roasted carefully over the grills by apron wearing animals. Yasui joined Diana, Charles, and Iz at one of the half-moon tables that curved around a grill. Yasui watched as their cook, a tall pelican with wildly styled feathers, used tongs to flip slices of pineapple and rows of spiced shrimp and scallops. Diana took one look at him and burst into laughter.

"Why, Yasui! Don't you look tropical!"

Yasui looked down at his floral shirt and shorts and blushed. He hadn't thought his clothes were silly looking, but then again he didn't know much about clothes. Yasui glanced at Charles, who was very determinedly watching the grill and not looking at Yasui. Although the gorilla's mouth kept twitching like he was barely holding back a smile. However, Big Iz just clapped his hand and grinned at Yasui.

"Way to embrace the island spirit, braddah! You're lookin' sharp!"

Yasui nodded, feeling a little better, and sat in the remaining seat. Diana leaned towards him and smiled apologetically, switching to Japanese as she spoke quietly.

"I'm sorry, Yasui. I didn't mean to laugh at you. You look great in those clothes, it's just you caught me by surprise."

Yasui plucked at his lurid shirt and sighed.

"I don't know what happened to my suitcase. I look all over for it and can't find it anywhere!"

"Oh dear, what could have happened to it?" Diana gasped. "I know I saw you wheel it to the car at the airport, did you get it out of the trunk?"

"I don't remember." Yasui said with a groan. "Everything is a blur before I went to the room and took a cold shower to wake myself up a bit. After that I couldn't find my stuff so I called down to the front desk to have them check. They didn't see my bag anywhere so they brought me some clothes to wear."

Diana nodded and tapped a clawed finger on the table.

"We'll have to check with the car driver, see if your bag is in the trunk. Don't worry, we'll find it."

Iz tilted his head at the two of them and asked in English,

"Is everything okay? You both look troubled."

Diana smiled at the boar. Before she replied, a member of the restaurant staff came to deliver drinks and a platter of appetizers. As everyone got settled into their first course, Diana turned to Iz and spoke in English.

"Yasui is looking for his bag. He seems to have misplaced it somewhere. We'll check with the car company."

"'Ano 'ê!" The large boar said as he rubbed his forehead. "I swear I saw him with it in the lobby. I'll check with the bellhops and see if it somehow got sent to the wrong place."

"We appreciate that, Iz." Diana said graciously. After that, the leopard and boar began discussing marketing positions and staffing goals. Yasui was happy to instead watch the chef grill and serve them various courses of fresh fruits, vegetables, and shellfish. Surprisingly, Yasui found he really enjoyed the grilled pineapple. It was something that at first sounded weird to him, because pineapple was supposed to be something cool you ate in the summer as a snack. But roasting it added a smokey flavor and unique texture Yasui enjoyed immensely.

At one point Yasui stood to go to the bathroom and walked past a stand with vibrant colored drinks served out of tiki cups or coconuts. The server manning the stand smiled at Yasui, who pointed to the interesting looking beverages.

"Can I… have this?" Yasui asked quizzically in English. The attendant chuckled.

"You're part of Miss Diana's dinner group. Everything is included."

Yasui grinned and picked up a coconut filled with something that smelled sweet. He took a sip and his eyes lit up as some sort of fruity slush filled his mouth. It had the most complicated and full-bodied flavor of any juice beverage Yasui had ever had. Yasui licked his lips and smiled at the attendant.

"It is… delicious! What is it?"

"That's a classic piña colada. A tropical staple. Now, if you want something really special, I'd recommend our world famous mai tai's. They're the ones in the tiki cups with yellow umbrellas. We also have an assortment of other classic beverages available upon request."

Yasui eagerly slurped his piña colada, enjoying the sweet coconut flavor with a hint of pineapple and brown sugar-spicy goodness. It was somehow both warm and cool at the same time, and before Yasui had finished using the restroom and washing his hands, he'd finished the beverage and happily swapped his empty coconut cup for a tiki mug. Yasui sipped the drink, scooting the lime wheel and mint sprig out of his way, and getting a taste.

Unlike his first beverage, which had been sweet and creamy, this one was really something strange. It was citrusy and complicatedly… almondy with a minty burn on his throat that almost choked him up for a second. But given how much Yasui enjoyed spicy foods, he was more than happy to drink a spicy drink. Although, there must be something other than the sprig of mint in the beverage to give it that much of a kick. Maybe some chili flakes or something. Either way, it was tasty.

Yasui sat back down and smiled at Miss Diana as he sipped his drink. The meal continued with roasted taro root and crabs steamed in banana leaves served with a tangy dipping sauce. After that were large cubes of something reddish that Yasui didn't recognize the word for that were amazingly juicy and flavorful. The meal as a whole took two hours, over which time Yasui grabbed two more of those juice drinks, one of each flavor, and enjoyed listening to the stories and jokes that the three adults were swapping.

Occasionally, they tried to loop Yasui into the conversation, but right now Yasui didn't feel like talking. He was happy to just… sit there. Yasui felt really good right now, sort of light and bubbly on the inside. And that was so great to feel, after how terrible he'd felt since he'd been suspended. No more nagging guilt or feeling ashamed of what he'd done, Yasui just wanted to kick his feet up on a beach chair and watch the sunset.

Or no! He wanted to go swimming! In the ocean! Yasui wanted to go to the beach after this and swim in the water. Or maybe he wanted to give Miss Diana a big hug. He might not be infatuated with her anymore, but she was still pretty and smelled good. Sure things had been a little weird between them and it had sorta been Yasui's fault, but that was the past! Or wait, had it been his fault? Whose fault had it even been? Eh, Yasui didn't care. He just wanted to go splash around in the ocean.

As the sun was turning the ocean to molten gold, Big Iz bade them goodnight. He claimed he was letting them off early because they were tired from their trip, but that tomorrow when they had dinner with the full management team of the resort they weren't going to get away so quickly. Diana laughed and smiled at Yasui.

"You seem like you had fun, Yasui. Glad to see you feeling better."

Yasui giggled and lopsidedly traipsed towards Diana. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and squeezed her gently.

"I feel great! I've never felt better! Thank you syoooooooo much for bringing me alalong with you! Maybe itzza island air or all the frrrosh fruit but I feel great!"

Diana chuckled and patted Yasui on the head before he staggered away.

"Well you sound exhausted. I think you've officially hit the level of sleep deprivation where everything's funny. C'mon, let's get you to bed."

"Noooooooo! I wanna go schleeee the ocean! Hehe, 'sea' the ocean! Giddit? Shhhheeeeee!!"

Diana laughed as Yasui giggled to himself and almost tripped over a bush beside the path.

"Oh, Charles. Help the poor boy. He's positively whacked right now."

Charles placed a hand on Yasui's shoulder and attempted to steer him back onto the path. Yasui flopped against the large ape's chest and reached up to poke his nose.

"And you! Yous was so funny when you talked, Charlie! Why's you not talk more often! I thought we were friends Chaaaaarlie!"

Charles recoiled as he caught a whiff of Yasui's breath.

"Good God! He's not tired, he's completely soused!"

Diana snapped her head around like a whip, her eyes wide with alarm. She rushed over and tilted Yasui's head towards her. Yasui giggled and booped his nose against hers, wafting the scent of rum across her. Diana closed her eyes with a pained expression on her face.

"For the love of God I'm the worst aunt ever! First the thing we shall never speak of, and now I get him plastered! It's a good thing I never had kids, because I suck at looking after people!"

Yasui pulled away from Charles and wrapped Diana in a full hug, patting her head sloppily as he did so.

"Heeeeeey! Don't shay that about yourself! You would be a ggggreat mommy! Remember when I wuz in the hopipple? Y'know, when my arm got ripped off? You stayed wiv me and made me feel sooooo much better!"

Charles firmly gripped Yasui's shoulders and steered him forward. However, his expression was decidedly amused.

"Well, at least he's a happy drunk." Charles rumbled. Diana huffed and crossed her arms angrily. The gorilla shrugged.

"What. He got drunk. Personally I blame the language barrier. Knowing Yasui, he didn't realize he was drinking alcohol."

"Whuzzat? No no no, no alcool. I didn't drink alacol. Allacal tastes bad and makes you schupid. I had tasty spicy fruit juice, and it was nummy. Hey, I'm wondering if I should actually try looking for a girlfriend? Cuz, I don't like being alone and I reaaaaaally want to kiss someone. But who ssssshould I achs? Gehehe, I sounded like a schnake. Hey! I know!"

Yasui tried to steer himself to Diana, but Charles kept him moving forward. Yasui flopped his head back to stare at Diana, his feet dragging a little.

"Whuddabout Chaussey? Y'know, the snake from my club! She's always so so nice to me! And she's lonely and sad loads and loads and loads. But like, not when we're hanging out doin' stuff."

Diana smiled and bit her lip. She was trying not to find this amusing, but it was hard. Steeling herself, Diana did her best to look serene as she responded.

"Oh, a snake? That's an… unusual choice. Do you have feelings for this girl?"

Yasui yawned and pulled a face.

"I mean, I really really like her. But like, I like her ashc a person. And I'm always like 'y'know if I end up dating someone I hope they're like Chaussssssette and they're really smart and we talk about cool stuff. Buh like… I don't really know if I like her in the physical way? I mean… I shorta have a type. For starters, I like spots. I mean, I just loooooooooove a girl with pretty spots on her fur. I dunno why, I just like spots. Plus, I'm not tryin to be gross or anything but I need to say the truth. I'm not ashamed ta say it, I like boobies. And snakes… don't have."

Diana was currently biting her tongue to avoid laughing. It was horrible, she felt horrible. This entire situation was so bad, and irresponsible. But at the same time….

"Well, Yasui. This is something you have to decide for yourself. There's more to a relationship than… spots and boobies."

"I know." Yasui slurred morosely. "And now I feel like a jerk for not thinking Chaussey isss hot. I mean… I told her she has purdy scales once because she was sad and said she's ugly. And like, she is pretty for a snek I think. Buuuut, it's still like kinda hard to ignore when it comes to dating someone. Obviously you wanna date someone pretty, hence why I wanted to date you for the looooooongest time. But like apparently that's not the most important thing because it's compatibility or some crap. And like, Chauss and I are reaaaally compatible and whatever. So I dunno! I might be a jerk!"

Yasui's rambling explanation lasted long enough for the three of them to reach the massive suite they were splitting. Charles immediately herded Yasui to his room and set to work, forcibly persuading him to go to sleep. After a bit of wrangling, the gorilla joined Diana out in the kitchen of the suite. Diana was chewing her lip as she stared at the door of Yasui's room.

"How did that happen? How did Yasui get alcohol? He's too young to drink!"

Charles shrugged.

"For starters, most people don't think to card the people at a very fancy business dinner between the owner of a hotel and the owner of the company which owns said hotel. Plus, Yasui was dressed like a middle aged man having a midlife crisis. I'm certain everyone would have been shocked to know he was in highschool. He doesn't exactly act like a teenager most of the time, you know."

"I know, but still! This is serious! He got drunk on my watch! I can't believe this has happened!"

Charles snorted and moved towards his room.

"He'll be fine. Yasui won't be the first teenager to get his hands on some booze, and he won't be the last. And he'll learn a valuable lesson tomorrow morning when he wakes up hungover."

As it turned out, Charles made his prediction with spot on accuracy. Yasui awoke the following morning to a splitting headache like he'd never experienced before in his entire life. It was like Yasui's head was ripping in half and his eyes seemed to have a heartbeat. Even the small amount of light that pierced the curtains was enough to make Yasui want to stab his own eyes out. Yasui groaned, which sounded absolutely deafening in his ears, and buried his head in his pillow.

(Why do I feel like I died sometime last night? And who reanimated my ragged corpse.)

Yasui ran his tongue around his mouth. It felt swollen and fuzzy, and his mouth tasted like a trashcan. Yasui's stomach felt bad too, like he'd swallowed a very angry centipede which had proceeded to rip his bowels to shreds. All Yasui wanted to do was wrap himself in the bedsheets and never move again. But even as Yasui lounged in bed trying as hard as possible to not breathe any louder than he had to, his stomach twinged in a familiar sensation. Yasui hurriedly crawled out of bed and into the bathroom attached to his room. Just in time he stuck his head in the toilet as he expelled the remainder of last night's meal from his belly.

As Yasui fumbled his hand upwards and flushed the toilet, wincing at the loud noise, he heard footsteps from the main room of the suite. The door to Yasui's room opened and both Diana and Charles were standing in the doorway of the bathroom watching him. Yasui spat some bile into the now empty toilet bowl and quietly croaked.

"I think I ate something bad last night. Are either of you two sick?"

Charles snorted in amusement.

"You really had no idea, did you? Ah, that's hilarious." The gorilla said with a chuckle. Diana shot the large ape a withering look and knelt down beside Yasui. She gently rubbed his back while he desperately sloughed off the toilet.

"How are you feeling, Yasui?"

"Like crap." Yasui groaned. "I think something's really wrong with me. My head is throbbing and my eyes hurt so bad."

Diana clicked her tongue and patted Yasui's shoulder.

"It's called a hangover, dear. You're fine, just hungover."

Yasui frowned, eyes squeezed shut against the bright light leaking in from outside the bathroom.

"What? But how? I only drank some juice drinks."

"Those were cocktails, Yasui. They were alcoholic."

Yasui groaned and rubbed his head.

"Really? But they tasted so sweet and fruity? Isn't alcohol supposed to taste terrible?"

Diana sighed and patted his back again.

"Nevertheless, they were. I'm sorry, Yasui. I should have noticed you grab the drinks. I was too preoccupied."

Yasui waved her comment away and mumbled a brief comforting reply. He burped and winced at the unpleasant burn in his throat. Charles walked over and easily picked Yasui up by the shoulders. The gorilla marched towards the kitchen and plopped Yasui down at the table. Yasui had his eyes squeezed shut against the light, so he couldn't see Charles. But he could hear him rummaging around in the kitchen.

"Don't worry, Yasui. I've treated hangovers before." The gorilla said with surprising mirth. "I'll fix you up an old military special."

The special turned out to be runny eggs, toast, black coffee, and ice water. Charles tapped the table and commanded Yasui to eat. Yasui didn't really want to, given his appetite was nonexistent, but the gorilla practically crammed the food down his throat. Especially the coffee and tea, Charles demanded he drink more and more ice water and black coffee until Yasui couldn't stomach another sip. Oddly enough, Yasui felt much better with the breakfast in his stomach. He still wanted to curl into a ball and sleep for a week, but he didn't wish he was dead anymore. Yasui was happy to take what he could get.

While Yasui ate, Diana cleared her throat and gestured to a suitcase sitting beside her.

"Yasui, you'll be happy to know I found your suitcase."

"Really?" Yasui mumbled. "Where was it?"

"You put it in my closet by accident." Diana said with an oddly serious voice. She was acting a bit odd, but Yasui couldn't tell how as he finished his meal and went to go pass out in a chair. As Yasui flopped into a sear and rested limply with a pillow over his head, Diana was checking her phone nervously. Charles glanced at her and raised an eyebrow.

"Nervous about something?"

"Yes." The leopard said heavily. "Yasui's hearing with the school board is today. My lawyer is going to call to tell me the decision. I hope he put together a good case for Yasui. I'd hate for him to be expelled."

Charles got a sour look on his face at the mention of Diana's pet lawyer.

"I don't trust that skeevy fox. There's something weird about him, I think he's actually insane."

"He's weird, but harmless… I think. But that's beside the point. All that matters is that Yasui gets to go back to school."

(Meanwhile, back in Japan.)

Gyobe the fox lawyer slowly raised his head from his bathroom sink and wiped water from his eyes. They were bloodshot again, he'd need to use more eye drops before he attended this high school disciplinary hearing. Why exactly he was defending a high school student he didn't know per the request of his boss, one of the richest females in Japan, Gyobe wasn't sure. But he did what he was told, especially with this job.

(Keep it together. I can't afford to get sloppy.)

The fox took a long breath through his nose and let it out through his mouth. He had no appetite again, a side effect of his medications. Gyobe opened his medicine cabinet and began carefully setting out the cocktail of pills he had to take every day. He'd seen Miss Diana's review of him, and found it darkly amusing. She thought he was possibly a sociopath or psychopath? If only it was that easy.

Gyobe was probably the less-than-proud owner of Japan's most poorly functioning psyche. As the fox carefully took each pill, he tallied them up to make sure he didn't miss a medication. First the medication for schizophrenia, then paranoia, bipolar disorder, depression, hallucinations, anxiety, and to top it all off his gamut of antipsychotics for his multiple personality disorder. Life was just peachy for Gyobe, so long as he kept on being Gyobe.

As the fox slugged back his final pill, he walked over to his couch and flopped down on the cheap piece of furniture with a sigh. It was impossible to completely hide how messed up he was in the head from employers, but fortunately Diana hadn't seemed to care that much that he was insane. Of course she had no idea how insane he was, as the records from numerous stints in psychiatric hospitals were protected under doctor-patient confidentiality. But if he had a major episode in the line of his work, she might decide he was more trouble than he was worth and fire him. Gyobe couldn't bear to go back to working minimum wage jobs again. He just couldn't.

(Yeah, a fox who passed the exams needed to graduate law school and get his license to practice in the city flipping burgers. Not a pretty picture.)

(I'm so lonely. I just want someone to hold me and tell me I'll be okay.)

(I smell peanut butter! Did I remember to take the medicine for hallucinations? Oh no, if I forgot the antipsychotics that keep me "me" and end up having another episode I'm screwed! Last time I was lucky and nobody recognized me, but this time might not go that way.)

Gyobe took a deep breath and dug his claws into the palms of his hands. The sharp pain helped him to focus, and drown all his conflicting thoughts out. Gyobe couldn't afford to fall down the rabbit hole of his own rambling psyche today, he needed to prepare his statement and review his evidence. The fox took another deep breath before carefully retrieving his notes from his interviews and beginning to review them.

As the day continued and Gyobe made his way to the building where the school board meeting was being held, he could almost say he felt good. Almost, because Gyobe never felt good. The cocktail of pills he took made him feel weak and nauseated, but if he went off them he mentally felt like a raving lunatic. This was because he became one, best case scenario he might flip out and start yelling at people. Worse case scenario he might have a full psychotic break and come to his senses on a train traveling across Germany… again. Needless to say, Gyobe couldn't afford that right now.

Inside the room where the meeting was to be held, Gyobe approached the members of the school board of Cherryton and bowed.

"Good afternoon. I am Gyobe, and I will be representing the student known as Yasui today."

One board member, a female deer, raised an eyebrow and frowned.

"Yasui isn't coming to his own hearing? That's more than a little unusual."

(Good. I'm glad I thought of them asking this question before. Simple answer.)

Gyobe straightened and folded his hands behind his back.

"I'm afraid Yasui is currently indisposed. He sends his regrets that he can't be here in person. However, I have compiled all necessary information to act in his stead and have his written consent as per Educational Guideline 235-47B."

A middle aged tiger whose seat was marked as "Headmaster" smiled and made an apologetic gesture to the deer.

"It's happened plenty of times before. Especially because Yasui lives far from campus. Given he can't stay on school grounds, it makes sense he might send someone to represent him so he doesn't have to sleep on the streets while he waits for this hearing."

The deer nodded, and Gyobe took his seat in front of the table where the board were seated. There were currently four other members in attendance apart from the headmaster. The female deer, a male elephant, a female cheetah, and a male cockatoo. As Gyobe got settled, the elephant stood and spoke in a deep, loud voice.

"This meeting of the Cherryton School Disciplinary Board is called to order. Today we must decide whether or not we allow the hybrid known as Yasui to return as a student, or if we expel him from our institution. Headmaster Gon, please read the official incident report for us now."

The tiger dipped his head and pulled out a sheaf of papers. The felid straightened them before adjusting his seat.

"On February fourteenth at around twelve thirty-nine p.m. Yasui was engaged in a physical altercation with a younger carnivor student. The other student was verbally harassing a second year middle school student, a female snake named Chaussette who is a member of Yasui's club. According to testimony from all involved and witnesses nearby, the other student threw Chaussette's lunchbox at her. This caused Yasui to assault the other student, breaking his jaw in the process. No criminal charges were filed."

The elephant stood once more and looked at the other school board members.

"The floor is open for any comments the board wishes to make or questions they wish to direct to Yasui's representative."

Once the elephant was seated, the deer stood and sniffed haughtily at Gyobe.

"The report speaks for itself! This Yasui is a violent beast who assaults people at the drop of a hat! Our school doesn't need a half crazed hybrid roaming the halls endangering other students. I personally believe he should be expelled, effective immediately!"

With a self satisfied nod, the deer retook her seat. Gyobe clenched his jaw and fiddled with his claws. He'd been on the other side of a few of these back when he was a student. Those in authority here in Japan hated "different" almost as much as they hated change. He didn't envy Yasui's situation.

The cheetah shot a somewhat disapproving look at the deer as she stood. The feline smoothed her dress and folded her hands in front of her.

"I have a question for Yasui's representative. Was Yasui acting in the defense of this Chaussette girl? Or did he simply lose his temper?"

Gyobe rose smoothly and clasped his folder full of notes to his chest.

"According to the account of Chaussette, Yasui was acting to defend her. He attempted to de escalate the situation with the bully first. However, contrary to the wording of the official report, the first true blow was struck by the bully. The student in question threw the box Chaussette had been carrying at her hard enough to draw blood. I have the report from the nurse's station to confirm that Chaussette was treated for a nosebleed caused by physical trauma immediately after the incident."

"And after the bully threw the box?" The cheetah continued. "Why did Yasui lash out so violently towards this bully? That went beyond simply defending a club mate. He put the other student in the hospital."

Gyobe gulped. This one was a tricky little pickle. How best to phrase this? Saying Yasui lost control of his temper and went too far would not make the hybrid seem stable. People with different species parents already were viewed as being unstable and violent. Feeding into that would have the opposite effect that he wanted. Better to approach from a different angle. Gyobe shifted and nodded to the cheetah.

"The reason for that truly unfortunate accident is simple. Within the last three months, Yasui has undergone an extreme growth spurt. He has nearly doubled in size and body mass. As such, due to how fastidiously Yasui normally avoids physical confrontation, Yasui simply did not know his own strength. This happens frequently with carnivores who undergo growth spurts. It's the leading cause of accidental dismemberments in schools by a wide margin."

The cheetah grew a pensive look and took her seat once more. With her finishing her line of questioning, the cockatoo stood and looked sternly down at Gyobe.

"While the physical 'how' of the incident might be important, and your statement about that is duly noted, the most important factor is the mental side of this incident. Primarily, the concern that Yasui is unstable and violent, and that he poses a threat to the safety of the other students here at Cherryton. Over the past few weeks multiple complaints have been made regarding Yasui. Not to mention the fact that he was placed on probation due to possibly inappropriate behavior and favoritism with a teacher that turned out to be his biological father. Needless to say, some parents have already written letters demanding we expel Yasui because they believe he is a danger to their children."

Gyobe scratched his nose and straightened in his seat. How did he want to handle this one? He had to be careful not to push anything too far and risk it getting heated. But at the same time he needed to shut down all these concerns about Yasui's mental stability. So what was the right play here?

(I want to rip my own face off and throw it at them.)

(Imagine how terrible it must be to drown. It's not quick, you're awake for a while. Water rushing into your lungs, burning the entire way. You writhe and buck helplessly as you sink to the bottom of the water, trapped in a liquid tomb.)

(That cheetah is kinda cute. But she's probably in a relationship. Maybe I should ask her out for a drink after this? Oh, who am I kidding. I'll never have the balls to do something like that.)

Gyobe stood and adjusted his tie, buying a little more time. An idea was crystallizing in the fox's mind. He just needed to delay a bit before going in for the coup de grace.

"Esteemed members of the board, your concerns are valid. However… these concerns come from ignorance. You don't know much, if anything, about Yasui. So allow me to illuminate you regarding some things you should know."

"Yasui has not had an easy life prior to coming to this school. He was subjected to severe bullying at his previous school, which culminated in an incident where Yasui was hospitalized for a while after a bully tore his arm off. Even after he transferred to this school, Yasui has faced a lot of difficulties. Did you know that due to extreme claustrophobia Yasui is unable to make use of biology day? Unlike the other students here, he doesn't get a few hours each week to deal with stress."

Gyobe strode forward, getting closer to the board members.

"Additionally, Yasui only recently discovered that his parents were not his biological parents and that he was in fact a hybrid. This has led to him being socially ostracized and harassed by other students. In the matter of Yasui's mental stability, it's a wonder that he is coping as well as he is with all the adversity he faces. Can you blame him for defending a friend of his from being degraded and attacked purely because of her body? Yasui is not someone who wants to harm others, he is the victim of years of abuse who wanted to protect a vulnerable young girl from similar circumstances."

Gyobe paused dramatically before folding his hands behind his back.

"However, most notably comes a very crucial piece of evidence for Yasui's moral character. That would be the incident this autumn where Yasui was once again hospitalized. This time, because he threw himself into danger to rescue three herbivore classmates from an attempted predation. Yasui was permanently disfigured in this incident, and missed weeks of school. But did anyone thank him? Was he offered an award by the school for his heroism? No! It was ignored completely! Worse, rumors spread about Yasui that he'd been injured performing criminal acts! This is outrageous! Yasui has shown that he is a caring, compassionate student and this school seems determined to make him a pariah!"

The atmosphere in the room grew tense as the members of the disciplinary board exchanged glances. The cheetah looked surprised, while both the cockatoo and deer looked a bit suspicious. The elephant simply looked pensive whereas Headmaster Gon seemed uncomfortable. Gyobe smiled inwardly. There was no way they could find fault with that argument. The silence stretched for a minute or two before the deer stood once again.

"While those past actions are definitely… notable, they only help to raise my point. Yasui's mental state must have deteriorated after these incidents. It's not his fault that he's suffered hardships, but clearly he's become mentally unstable! As such, we can't in good faith allow a ticking time bomb to walk around Cherryton!"

Gyobe blinked, blindsided by this unexpected outcome. He'd been sure that would have simply ended the hearing then and there. Clearly the herbivore members of the board were more shaken than he had expected. This was bad, he had to come up with a plan.

"I'm afraid I must agree with Tsubome's point." The cockatoo said, gesturing to the deer. "The mental stability of the hybrid named Yasui is clearly questionable at best. I propose he undergo a full psych evaluation before we decide if he can or cannot return to school."

The cockatoo sat back down, and the cheetah stood somewhat reluctantly. She cast an annoyed look at the deer and cockatoo before smoothing her skirt. With a glance at Gon and the elephant, she cleared her throat and spoke.

"I find that proposal distasteful, however… I am on board with the idea if it will soothe people who are worried about whether or not Yasui is a safety risk."

As the cheetah sat, the elephant stood and surveyed the members of the board.

"All in favor of requiring the hybrid called Yasui to undergo a psychological evaluation before he can return to school, raise your hand."

Every hand raised, and the elephant nodded.

"Very well. Are there any other matters that must be addressed in this case?"

The deer stood and looked sternly at Gyobe.

"I have another matter to be addressed. This in particular is due to the… species of Yasui and the ramifications of his parentage. Word has gotten out that there is a hybrid here with a violent past, and many parents want us to take preventative measures. As such, it has been requested by multiple parents that Yasui be supervised at all times and required to wear a muzzle while on school grounds to protect herbivore students."

The cheetah stood and narrowed her eyes at the deer.

"That's ridiculous! You want to muzzle a teenager just because some… some… herbivore supremacists and species purists think that any creature other than a purebred doesn't deserve rights?!"

"What we think of the parents of our students is irrelevant." The deer sniffed. "It is simply our responsibility to ensure the safety of all students here, regardless of whether or not that makes a minority of students uncomfortable. Venomous reptiles are required to wear masks when outside their rooms, and bears are required to take pharmaceutical drugs to blunt their muscle growth and strength. It's not unprecedented to require a creature who has dangerous anatomical features or behaviors to take measures to prevent them from harming those around them."

The cockatoo chimed in with a placating tone.

"Let's not get heated. The issue is whether or not we should enact some measure to alleviate the concerns of parents."

The cheetah threw up her hands in disgust.

"Why stop there? How about we implant a tracking chip under his skin so we know where he is at all times? Maybe a shock collar linked to his heart rate, so if he starts to experience any emotion it zaps him! Or maybe you just want all carnivores wearing muzzles and sleeping in cages! You've already proposed segregating the school, so why not!"

The deer rolled her eyes.

"Why must you carnivores be so touchy? Is your pride and comfort worth more to you than the lives of others? If I could save lives by shaving my head, I would. Even if it does make me look ridiculous."

The elephant slammed a hand down on the desk. He gave both females an angry look.

"That is enough! We are not here to bicker over personal grievances! This is a meeting of the Disciplinary Board. Now, all in favor of enacting the prescribed forms of… preventive measures upon the student called Yasui, raise your hand."

The deer raised her hands, as did the cockatoo. The elephant, cheetah, and Headmaster Gon did not. The elephant nodded curtly.

"Very well, that motion does not pass. Are there any other matters to be discussed?"

Nobody spoke. The tension in the room was palpable. After the silence had stretched for a few seconds, the elephant stood once more.

"Very well, then I adjourn this meeting of the Disciplinary Board. Mister Gyobe, please provide a psychological evaluation of Yasui to the main office as soon as possible. We will review it and let our decision be known after that time."

(I'm so fired.)

Gyobe fought down the bile rising in his guts. He'd be filled with panic right now if he could have felt anything through the pills he was on. As it was, Gyobe felt sick to his stomach. He left the building and made his way to a small park nearby. Gyobe sat on a bench, looking at nothing in particular as families around him enjoyed one of the first truly nice days in months. Spring had begun to arrive, and while it was chilly still, the snow was beginning to melt and the sun was blazing bright above the city. Gyobe felt like swan diving off a bridge to avoid making the call he needed to make.

With trembling fingers, Gyobe dialed Miss Diana's number and held his cell phone up to his ear. He felt numb, like normal, but he couldn't stop shaking. But Gyobe had to do this now, that way he could check if the Burger Bell near his apartment was hiring before they got busy. The phone rang and Miss Diana's smooth voice came across the line.

"Ah, Gyobe. Tell me you have good news."

Gyobe swallowed past the lump in his throat and spoke as smoothly as he could manage.

"I made Yasui's case at the hearing. However, they… want him to undergo a psych evaluation before they will let him return to school."

(Please don't fire me, please don't fire me, please don't fire me.)

Diana was quiet for a moment, before she sighed.

"Well, I suppose that makes sense. He was an absolute mess for a while. Hence why I offered to bring him with me. I had hoped a little distance might help Yasui process everything that had happened."

Gyobe licked his lips, careful to keep his voice even.

"Has that helped?"

"Oh, loads!" Diana laughed. "He's taking a surfing lesson right now. I've set him to work trying out all the different amenities and giving us feedback about what he likes and dislikes about them. Hold on, I'll wave him over. Yasui should be a part of this conversation."

There was a span of a minute or so where faint voices came across the phone line. Then Diana spoke again.

"Alright, Yasui's here. Gyobe, what exactly did the Board need from Yasui before he could return?"

"A psychological evaluation." Gyobe intoned professionally. "I'm afraid you'll need to find a psychiatrist to administer a test and have them send it to the headmaster."

"Oh, that'll be easy." A young male voice said over the phone. "Go ask Doctor Gouhin for a copy of mine. I went and saw him after I got suspended because I was… a little afraid of myself."

(I get that feeling.)

"Very well." Gyobe cooley said. "Where do I find this Gouhin person?"

A brief set of directions later, followed by a brisk walk through the seedier part of town, left Gyobe truly bewildered as to why Yasui picked some quack in the center of the Back Alley Market to be his shrink. Gyobe had been to the Market several times, most adults had. But he'd never visited a doctor back here, it sounded like a recipe for disaster.

Gyobe pushed open the door to Gouhin's clinic with a certain amount of hesitancy. Gyobe didn't like doctors very much. It was like they could smell how crazy he was and immediately begin picking him apart. As the fox entered what clearly was a waiting room, a gruff voice from a room further in growled at him.

"Be with you in a sec."

Gyobe glanced around before perching on the edge of one of the chairs. For all he knew this Gouhin fellow would be some lunatic who'd try to give him some experimental treatment that would make everything worse. Gyobe's ears pricked up as footsteps headed towards him from the back room. Through the doorway that led deeper into the clinic walked a panda that, to put it bluntly, was an absolute beefcake.

The panda had a scar over one eye, which appeared to be missing. Although with the dark fur pattern it was almost like an optical illusion. He had large biceps and a bit of a beer belly, not pudgy really, just overall burly. Gyobe hadn't ever seen someone who looked like this. Immediately, Gyobe had the desire to feel the panda's muscles.

(Oh… that's new.)

Gyobe shifted a bit and looked down at his shoes. He was used to strange intrusive thoughts after all. Better to just let them pass. The panda jerked his chin at Gyobe and grunted.

"I'm Doctor Gouhin, you need something?"

(You, you massive hunk.)

Gyobe shook his head and cleared his throat.

"Yes, uh, I'm here at the request of… uh… my boss. She's a friend of a patient of yours named Yasui."

Gouhin sniffed.

"Oh yeah? And why are you here?"

(So you can wrap those strong arms around me and put all my broken pieces back together.)

Gyobe dug his claws into his knees. This was starting to freak him out. He was used to having a somewhat unhinged mental dialogue, but this was new. Gyobe needed to get out of here before he did something he regretted.

"Well… Yasui's school needs a copy of his psych eval. I don't know if he told you he was suspended or not but the hearing was today and they decided they needed to see a psychological evaluation before they'd let him come back. But he's currently on a trip and couldn't come so I was asked to come here and talk to you so you could help out by sending a copy of the psych eval to the headmaster or office or I'm not sure. You're a doctor, I'm sure you know how this sort of thing works."

Gyobe shut his mouth with an audible click. His heart was pounding and he could feel himself about to do something stupid. Gyobe had to get a grip. Dammit, why couldn't he just be normal!

Gouhin crossed his arms below his pecks. He shot Gyobe a hard look.

"You on drugs? Or are you coming down with meat withdrawals?"

(Well I'm technically on a lot of drugs, but they're ones that doctors gave me so it's legal. Also I think I love you.)

Gyobe shuddered, squeezing his arms against his chest in an effort to suppress his rising mania. The fox could almost feel the manic energy bubbling up inside of him. Best case scenario he made a fool of himself. Worst case he got arrested.

"Just a little nervous. Doctors and all. Please, pay no attention to me and just take care of what I was telling you about earlier."

Gouhin arched an eyebrow.

"Oh? And what was that?"

"Pardon?" Gyobe asked in a squeaky voice. Gouhin shifted his weight and sniffed.

"What was the last thing you said to me before your comment about doctors?"

Gyobe's mind scrambled for what he'd said. Had some unhinged babbling slipped out? Crap, had he accidentally said he loved him? What had he said?! What had he said?!

Gouhin shook his head and jabbed a finger at Gyobe.

"Alright, get over here. And so help me if I have to Narcan you I'll—"

Gyobe sprang to his feet and hopped into Gouhin's arms. He squeezed the burly panda and cackled maniacally.

"Fix me you big bundle of muscular goodness!"

Gouhin frowned down at the smaller mammal and sighed.

"I swear, this city breeds nutcases like fleas."

(Hawaii)

Yasui was toweling himself off after the surfing lesson he'd been auditing and picked up the pencil and clipboard he'd been given so he could write down his thoughts.

(Let's see… the instructor was… very good. Taught the basics well and was encouraging whenever I fell off the board. Ten out of ten.)

Fortunately he'd recovered from his hangover, and promised himself he'd never touch a drop of alcohol again. But even with the amazing weather and fun activities, whenever Yasui stopped what he was doing the nagging guilt he felt about still not telling his parents about his suspension would wriggle into his head like some brain-eating parasite. As Yasui drank some water and sat down in a beach chair, Miss Diana walked over and smiled at him.

"How's it going, Yasui? Making progress on your list?"

Yasui held up the clipboard.

"So far so good. I think next on my list is… hula dancing lessons."

The leopard nodded and smirked at him.

"Are you going to wear a grass skirt for that? I think you'd look good in one."

Yasui snickered before falling silent again. Diana sighed and rested a hand on her hip.

"Yasui, I don't know what else to do to try to help you feel better. Is there anything you can think of that'll help? I'm at my wits end here."

Yasui grimaced.

"I feel a lot better, both physically and mentally. It's just… I did something a little stupid, and I feel guilty about it. I sort of… still haven't told my parents I got suspended."

Diana's expression twisted into a visage of pure shock.

"Yasui!" She gasped. "You still haven't told them?! That's… that's far more irresponsible than you usually are. Why didn't you tell them?"

"Because I'm scared and ashamed." Yasui said glumly. "I've never really gotten into trouble like this before. And I don't want them to think less of me. I know it's irrational, but… part of me is scared they'll love me less because of this. First there was me running off when I found out I was adopted, and now this! They're going to flip their lids!"

Diana gave Yasui a stern look and pointed to his cell phone.

"Call them. I swear, I'll leave you here until you do. You'll have to subsist off of coconut leaves and rainwater. I mean it!"

"Yes ma'am." Yasui said as he grimaced. He wasn't used to Miss Diana being particularly tough on him. Usually she spoiled him like crazy, but ever since this morning she'd been acting normal one second and a bit stern towards him the next. It made Yasui wonder if she was mad at him for his mistake with the alcohol last night. Either way, he wasn't pushing it. Diana nodded and returned to what she had been doing, leaving Yasui to his phone call.

It took four rings of the telephone for Yasui's mother to pick up.

"Hello? Who is this?"

"Hi, Mom." Yasui gulped. "It's me… Yasui."

"Yasui! I've been worried because you haven't called recently. Are you busy with school? I'd imagine exams are coming up soon."

"Yeah… they are. But… that's not why I called."

Yasui took a deep breath before explaining the whole situation with his suspension. As the words came tumbling out of his mouth, Yasui couldn't stop. He told her everything else that had been bothering him, everything he'd been too embarrassed and ashamed to tell her that had happened over the school year. Yasui told her about his struggles with puberty, his problems with the painkillers after his surgery, his terrifying experience at the train station, and how he'd taken to dying his fur out of humiliation at what he was. It was like a dam bursting inside of him. Once it started, there was no stopping it.

His mother was quiet throughout Yasui's speech. Once he was finished, Yasui's mother spoke very clearly and seriously.

"Yasui, I wish you would have told me all of this sooner. I can't believe how many terrible things have happened to you this year. Honey, are… are you sure you want to stay at that school? Maybe you should come back home."

"No, Mom. I know lots of bad stuff has happened, and I'm sorry for not telling you. But so many great things have happened to me this year too! I've made friends, and learned how to do so many things. I realized that I can actually do something with my life, not just help out on the farm until I die! I could go to college and be something only I could be! As much as I hate to say it… Cherryton feels more like home than the village ever did."

There was silence across the phone line. Yasui waited, wondering what his mother Ino would say. Eventually a sniffle broke the silence.

"Sorry." Yasui's mother sobbed. "It's just… you've grown up so much so fast. It seems like yesterday you were just my shy little boy whose teeth were too big for his mouth."

"I know, Mom. And I know it's been hard on you for me to be gone. I miss you and Dad and everybody else too. But… for the first time ever I'm actually living my life. It used to just be all in my head, imagining what I wanted to do but never would act on. Now… I've started to become something. Sure I'm making mistakes and getting hurt, but I'm also improving as a person while I do. And I wouldn't change that for the world."

Ino sighed and he heard her wiping her face faintly through the phone.

"Alright, Yasui. We're okay. Just… take better care of yourself. And do well in school! Your grades are important!"

"I will, Mom…. I love you."

"I love you too, son. Make sure you come back home soon."

Yasui went back and forth as his mother fussed over him. Eventually, with a promise to come back home to visit over Spring Break, Yasui hung up. As soon as he was done with the call, Yasui felt like a ton of bricks had lifted off his back. As per usual, Mom made everything feel better. Why had he been so stupid he thought he should hide things from his parents? And thinking they might love him less? How idiotic could he be!

The sun seemed brighter and warmer as Yasui continued his task for Miss Diana. However, he got a weird call from Doctor Gouhin about him sending his psychiatric evaluation to the school and Yasui "dumping some basket case" on him. But Yasui wasn't exactly sure what the panda meant by the last part. Whatever it meant, Yasui was sure that things would work out. And so he arrived back at the room utterly exhausted yet in high spirits.

Miss Diana was sitting in the main room, going over some papers. She turned to speak to him, but before she could get a word out Yasui hugged her tightly.

"Thanks for making me call my parents."

"I… you're welcome, Yasui. I was worried you might resent my trying to be a bit forceful with you. But after the fiasco last night I felt I was being too… spineless with you. Friends don't let each other make mistakes and not try to help. And besides, I am still an adult while you're not quite grown yet. It's my duty to look after your wellbeing. Even if I do suck at it."

Yasui pulled away and patted her on the hand.

"I think you're doing great. It's not your fault I'm an idiot who can't figure out I'm drinking alcohol."

Diana laughed and moved to make room for him on the couch.

"Have you heard back from Cherryton?" The leopard asked softly. Yasui shrugged.

"Not yet, but Dr. Gouhin sent over the paperwork. I'm sure I'll hear back soon, but it's out of my hands. Until then, I'm going to enjoy myself. It's not everyday you wind up in an amazing hotel in Hawaii. Sorry, Hawai'i."

"That's very grown up of you, Yasui." Diana said with a smile. "You've got another day here before we fly back to Japan. Any idea what you want to do?"

Yasui grinned widely and pulled a pair of brochures out of his pocket.

"Have you ever seen an active volcano before?"