“Y-you want me to take care of him? But…”
Hinata’s face fell. His parents had told him they would never keep pets, because it was important to always place the animals at the clinic first.
But Shunya just grinned and said, “Actually, I’ve already cleared it with Yuusuke and Suzune. I was just waiting for you to come home. Right?”
He winked at the front desk, where Hinata’s father, Yuusuke, stood. At their family clinic, Hinata’s mother, Suzune, was the doctor, while Yuusuke was the nurse. Yuusuke was also a qualified pet groomer and could provide help with everything from health management to haircuts.
When he’d been in college, Hinata’s dad had played rugby, and he still had a firm physique, but his facial features and personality were very, very gentle. Except for right now. At the moment, he looked cross.
“Were you going to say anything, Hinata?”
Oh, right! Hinata had been so distracted by his grandfather and the Shiba Inu that he had forgotten to greet his dad.
“Sorry. I’m home,” Hinata said, downcast.
Yuusuke grinned. “Good! Welcome back. Now, as for what Grandpa just said, we’ve already given our blessing.”
“R-really? But I’ve asked so many times before, and you never allowed me to have a pet…”
Hinata couldn’t believe it. Once his parents made up their minds, things were set in stone. Back when he was in preschool, he had begged to keep a stray kitten he’d picked up. But despite his tears and sobs, they’d promptly found a foster family to take it.
“Well, the circumstances this time are different,” Yuusuke said, shrugging.
Shunya nodded, then petted the dog on the head again. The Shiba Inu lifted his snout and whined softly.
“This little pup was a promising police dog and even got to participate in an investigation, but there was some…trouble.”
“Is that really a police dog? It’s a Shiba!”
“Oh, believe me, this is a true police dog. A fellow trainer named Kobayashi put a lot of work into this one. He might be a rare breed for the job, but the dog’s talent is unquestionable.”
Hinata stared at the Shiba Inu. He had very nice soft fur, a fluffy curled tail, and intelligent-looking features, but the way the little white patches above his eyes moved made the dog seem very concerned.
“He looks kind of lonely,” Hinata murmured.
Shunya nodded. “Kobayashi had to let the dog go, for reasons of his own. So I took him in, but he’s been so lifeless ever since. Plus…”
“Plus?” Mayuka repeated, looking over the Shiba with concern.
“He’s terrified of bugs. Whenever one comes close, he gets spooked. It’s hard to even take him for a walk, much less perform an investigation. Apparently, he got stung on the nose by a bee.”
“Aww, poor thing!” Mayuka cried, covering her own nose with her hands. Hinata shivered. He’d read in a book that dogs had very sensitive noses. It must have hurt so much to get stung there.
“The poor pup,” said Hinata with great sympathy. “So is he still a police dog?”
“No, he had to be retired from the force,” admitted Shunya. “I feel awful. I saw how hard Kobayashi worked to get this dog ready. He’s still only two years old. But what’s done is done. The least we can do is give the dog a good home.”
“Can I pet him?” Hinata asked his grandfather.
“Of course!”
Hinata crouched down and softly stroked the dog’s head. He squeezed his eyes shut and lifted his chin a little.
“What’s his name?”
“Christie. Kobayashi loves mystery novels, you see. He took the name from the great mystery writer Agatha Christie. I’ve been calling the dog Chris for short.”
“Good dog, Chris…”
Hinata took Chris’s cheeks in his hands and squeezed them. Chris shut his eyes and happily stretched out his neck, allowing Hinata to rub under his chin.
“Chris is so cute,” Mayuka said, crouching to examine the Shiba. “You’re going to keep him, right, Hinata?”
Hinata started to say yes but suddenly felt overcome with worry. Being around the clinic had made him very aware that having a pet wasn’t a decision to take lightly. Things rarely went as you thought they would. It was a lot of work to take care of a pet, and once you took one in, you couldn’t just give up and back out. If he was going to keep this dog, he would have to take responsibility for him.
Before Hinata could answer, the sliding door to the examination room opened. A boy came out with a large brown tabby cat, then turned and gave a very polite bow.
“Thank you very much, Doctor. Go on, Chachamaru—say thanks…”
He tried to point the cat’s face toward the exam room, but the animal only looked annoyed. His face was flat, like it’d been smooshed by the palm of someone’s hand.
Suzune’s voice came out from the exam room. “You’re welcome, Rui. This is the sort of thing that happens to cats all the time, so don’t worry. Bye-bye, Chachamaru.”
“Oh! Rui Takeuchi! I didn’t know you were here,” said Mayuka, bounding toward the boy and his cat. Rui was one of their classmates. He used Chachamaru’s head to help straighten up his slipping glasses.
“When I got back from school, I saw that Chachamaru had thrown up his food, so I brought him here to the vet. Grandma was too busy to leave home; one of her apprentices was visiting.”
Rui’s grandmother was a tea ceremony master. Everyone in their class knew how much of a grandma’s boy he was. Even the way he talked sounded old. But Rui didn’t seem to mind.
“Oh, Hinata, you’re here,” said Suzune, poking her head out of the room. “Nice to see you, Mayuka.” She was short and round-faced, with her hair cut into a bob.
“Dr. Suzune! Hinata can keep Chris, right?” Mayuka said immediately.
Suzune glanced down at Hinata, who was crouched next to the dog.
“Well, it goes against our ethics to keep a pet when we run a vet clinic…but the poor thing’s in a tough situation, and we thought that having a dog might help Hinata get over his shyness.”
Really? That’s why you’re okay with it now? Hinata thought, aghast.