“When did you come out of the exam room, Rui? I never noticed!” Mayuka exclaimed. “How are Chachamaru’s eyes?”
Rui smiled at her. “He just got dirt in them. The doctor gave him some eye drops.”
“Well, that’s good to hear!”
“I should get going now,” said Shunya. “See you, kids…”
“Visit again soon, Grandpa,” said Hinata, squeezing Shunya’s arm.
“Of course, of course. Take care, Chris!” he said, giving the dog one final pet. Then, after waving to everyone, he stepped out of the clinic.
“Your grandpa always seems so cool,” marveled Rui. “It must be the police-dog trainer in him.”
Behind the counter, Yuusuke crossed his arms. “That’s right. He doesn’t seem his age at all. Must be because he’s doing an important job that he’s passionate about. I should really take a page from his book…”
Just after Shunya left, a girl came in.
She was dressed all in black, with a frilly black hairband, a black dress, and thick-soled black shoes. The dress was lacy, had a wide ribbon tied around the waist, and featured a puffy skirt. The only accent was the color of her inward-curling bob haircut, which was bleached a light shade of brown.
Was she in high school? She looked like a princess from the underworld.
“S-so cute… ♡” Rui squeaked. His eyes were wide, and his cheeks were red.
The girl walked elegantly up to the counter, her dress swaying with the movement.
“Hello. I’ve never been here before. Do you think I could make an appointment?”
Yuusuke was taken aback, too. The girl had fine pale skin, peach-pink cheeks, small red lips, and big eyes rimmed by long lashes, which fluttered as she blinked.
“Um, Doctor?”
Yuusuke came back to his senses and pulled a form out from under the counter.
“Oh… I’m sorry. On their first visit, we ask every new client to fill out this form with vital information. And uh, what sort of pet…?”
“Hammy.” She lifted a small carrying case and set it down on the counter.
“Oh, a hamster. And what’s the matter with it?”
“Poor Hammy hasn’t been feeling well since this morning. Will you be able to take a look at him, Doctor?” she asked, staring holes into Hinata’s father with her large, dark eyes.
“W-well, I’m only the groomer. I just handle trimming and hygiene,” Yuusuke told her. “The doctor who examines the animals is…”
“Ahem!” Suzune peered around the side of the exam room door and cleared her throat. “That would be me. Just fill out the form for now and have a seat,” she said, then shut the door.
Oh, geez. Is Mom getting jealous? Hinata wondered.
The girl glanced over the form, then pressed her hand to her cheek and wondered aloud, “Um, where it says ‘Pet’s birthday’…”
Yuusuke peered at the paper. “Oh, do you not know it? I suppose you bought him at a pet shop. When was that…?”
While they talked it over, Mayuka sneakily pointed a finger at the counter and whispered, “I guess Rui Takeuchi likes girls like her. Even Mr. Yuusuke was admiring her for a second, wasn’t he? We were just talking about ghosts, and now it feels like we summoned a witch. Spooky!”
“Shh, Mayuka! She’ll hear you…”
Yuusuke entered Hammy’s information into the computer, then told the girl, “Go ahead and enter the examination room.”
She picked up the carrier, politely knocked on the door, then headed through.
“So cute,” Rui murmured again.
“Yes, very pretty. She’s like a porcelain doll,” Yuusuke agreed, tapping away at the keyboard.
“That’s what they call Gothic Lolita style,” Mayuka noted to herself. Hinata turned to her in wonder.
“Gothic Lolita?”
Chris copied Hinata, tilting his head to the side.
“When people wear those fancy black dresses with cute accessories, it’s called Gothic Lolita style. It’s a whole fashion movement.”
Hmm, really? Three boys and one dog looked at Mayuka with newfound admiration.
Just then, the door to the examination room opened, and the girl dressed in black emerged.
That was fast! everyone thought in unison.
She headed right for the reception counter, so Yuusuke quickly examined the computer record in front of him; Suzune had just typed it in from the other room.
“Let’s see, this is for Hammy… Well, looks like everything is just fine. No medicine prescribed; that’s good. Now I’ll just calculate your exam fee…”
The girl cradled the pet carrier on the counter with both arms and batted her eyes. “It’s my first time having a pet. So when he’s not acting like his usual self, I get worried… Worried that I might not be taking good care of him.”
Yuusuke pulled down a pamphlet from the shelf behind him and set it on the counter.
“If you’re worried, take a look at this,” he said. “It’s all about how to take care of your hamster, with helpful illustrations. It’s very straightforward. They’re easy to care for in the first place, so there’s no need to be nervous about it.”
“May I have this? Thank you very much, sir.”
“Oh, it’s nothing… If you ever have any concerns, feel free to come back for another visit.”
The girl bowed politely, put the pamphlet in her frilly black handbag, paid the exam fee, and left the lobby. Rui stood up with Chachamaru in his arms, following her path with his eyes through the window.
“Mmmm, so cute…,” he murmured once again. His cheeks were still red.
Yuusuke, who was still typing away, nodded. “Yes, indeed. Very cute. The Gothic Lolita look suits her.”
“…Yuusuke…,” said a cold voice. Suzune was leaning against the door of the examination room and giving her husband a very piercing look. “I noticed you were being extra kind to her.”
“Hmm?” He looked up from the computer, mystified. “Well, of course. Marron Veterinary Clinic’s motto is ‘Kind to animals, kind to owners,’ after all…”
“But I don’t recall you acting that way with Koko’s owner. Do you?”
“What are you talking about? I’m always kind to all our clients. And since that girl was taking care of her first pet, she seemed extra anxious…”
“Are you sure you weren’t drooling over her? Plus, that hamster was perfectly fine. Why did she bring it to us?”
“No, I was not drooling. I said she was pretty, because she was pretty. She only came to the vet because she doesn’t have much experience and wanted guidance. Try to have some compassion.”
“It sounds like you had enough compassion for her for the both of us.”
“Suzu, can you just calm down—?”
“I’m always calm!”
Hinata listened to them argue as sweat rose on his forehead. This was bad—Mom was only going to get angrier if they didn’t stop soon. But how could he resolve the situation…?
Suddenly, Hinata bolted upright and called out, “T-t-time for a walk! We’re going to go out now!”
Chris stood up, too, and barked loudly. Instantly, the waiting room was quiet.
Then Rui spoke up. “So are you going to the haunted mansion?”
Hinata briefly froze.
Huh? What? Oh, right, I guess we were talking about that…
Mayuka got to her feet as well, balling her fists. “We are! Of course we’re going. Thanks for reminding us, Rui. I had nearly forgotten after all that.”
She tugged on Hinata’s arm, clearly agitated. Hinata could curse Rui for bringing it back up. If only she’d forgotten about it… I won’t go. I don’t want to go!
Suddenly, his father cried out, went around the reception counter, and crouched down in front of it.
“She forgot something,” he said, and picked up a black frilled handkerchief. It must have fallen out of her bag when she paid for the visit.
“I wonder if we can catch her in time. I’ll go check!” said Mayuka, rushing out of the building. She came back moments later and shook her head. “Nope. I don’t see her anywhere.”
Yuusuke examined her information sheet and dialed her number using his smartphone. “Let’s see… She’s not answering. And her address is… Well, it’s the next neighborhood over, but this doesn’t make sense. Suginami only has five blocks, but here it says she lives on the sixth…”
“She must have written it down wrong,” Rui said, pushing up his glasses. But Hinata wasn’t so sure about that. Would someone really get their own address wrong…?
Yuusuke took another look at the form and gaped. “It says she’s only fifteen! She seemed much older than that. I guess she’s in her first year of high school, then.”
Suzune gave him a sidelong look and snorted. “Just keep the handkerchief behind the desk. After all, a very nice groomer told her to come back anytime, so I’m sure we’ll see her again before long.”
Yuusuke opened his mouth to argue back, but Mayuka interjected, “Oh, I know! I’ve got an idea.”
“Wh-what is it?” Hinata asked warily. Mayuka’s spur-of-the-moment notions were never good. She put her hands on her hips and grinned confidently.
“We’ll have Chris search for her.”
The dog looked up and barked curiously. Normally, Hinata would be opposed, especially after his grandpa had just told them not to do anything that would stand out. But at the moment, he was all for it. Anything to keep them away from the haunted mansion.
“Y-yeah, let’s do that! Chris will be able to track down the handkerchief’s owner. H-hey, Dad, what was her name?”
Yuusuke checked the form once more. “Uh, it’s Akane. Akane Kurosaki.”
Hinata took the handkerchief from his father and held it up to Chris’s snout.
“Time to investigate, Chris. We need you to search for Akane, the owner of this handkerchief. Smell!”
The others watched with bated breath as Chris sniffed the piece of cloth. After several seconds of careful concentration, the Shiba Inu looked up at Hinata, indicating that he was ready.
“Okay, search!”
On Hinata’s signal, Chris put his nose to the floor and started walking toward the automated door leading outside.
“Very impressive,” Suzune murmured. Hinata squeezed Chris’s leash and headed for the exit.
“Isn’t it? Chris is amazing,” said Mayuka proudly, turning to follow. “Well, we’ll be back soon!”
“Um, excuse me,” said Rui, facing Yuusuke. “Is the bill for Chachamaru ready yet?”