Mayuka giggled. “I know, right? His shyness is on a whole other level.”
“Now, now,” Shunya scolded. “Suzune. Mayuka. You should be more understanding about a young boy’s tender feelings. Hinata is a very kindhearted child. That’s a good thing.”
From behind the counter, Yuusuke spoke up in his son’s defense. “Don’t you remember when we chose the characters in his name? First ‘sun,’ for being bright and full of life, and then ‘poem,’ with the hope that he would grow up to be rich with emotion. That’s very important. It’s who Hinata is.”
Shunya beamed at his grandson. “That’s right! And it’s why I wanted to give Chris to you.”
“Grandpa…”
He really does know me, Hinata thought. He only brought Chris because he thought I would be up to the challenge.
Hinata stood up, smacked both cheeks with his hands, and said, “A-all right. I’ll take care of Chris. I can do it!”
Mayuka cheered and excitedly pumped her fist into the air. Even Rui looked happy about the development.
“It’s wonderful having a pet,” he said. “I’m more of a cat person, but I don’t have any problem with dog people.”
Even Chachamaru meowed in apparent approval.
After Rui left with his cat, Shunya gave Hinata a full explanation of Chris’s situation.
This was a dog who had been trained to firmly obey his owner. He was completely housebroken and would not bite or otherwise attack people. Chris was a very smart and well-behaved dog.
“However, changing owners and homes is very stressful for a dog. He’s probably going to be nervous and wary at first. But once Chris understands that his new human is trustworthy, things will go very smoothly.”
Hinata’s grandfather had other dogs to take care of, so he couldn’t sit around all day. He waved goodbye, saying he’d be back later.
“Aw, today’s Tuesday, isn’t it?” said Mayuka. “I have to go study English conversation. I was hoping to play with Chris some more. Oh well.” She made her way to the door of the clinic with obvious reluctance.
Once everyone else had gone, Hinata got his father’s help in taking all the necessary items for the dog to their home upstairs. There was an indoor pen, potty pads, food and water dishes, and dog food.
“We can worry about the other stuff later,” Yuusuke said, winking. “Thankfully, we have lots of supplies here at the clinic. Also, you’ll want this.”
He presented Hinata with a book called A Happy Home Life with Your New Dog!
“It’s about how to care for a dog. It has lots of illustrations, so it’s perfect for all ages. Chris was a police dog, so he’s already well trained. But you’re still new to this, Hinata.”
“Th-thanks…”
Hinata set up the pen in the living room and put Chris inside it, then sat nearby and read the book.
Different breeds of dogs tended to have different temperaments. Shiba Inu were quick learners, brave, and active. They were very faithful to their owners but equally cautious around other people. They were often extremely guarded and might show aggression toward new people or things…
After reading that far, Hinata got very nervous. His mind began to spin.
What if Chris never gets used to me? What if he thinks I’m not trustworthy? Maybe he won’t get over his old owner, and he’ll stay depressed forever…
For the dog’s part, Chris wriggled under a rumpled blanket until only his face stuck out, his eyes glancing all around. Shunya had given Hinata the blanket—it had been Chris’s favorite ever since he was a puppy.
Is this really a good idea? Will Chris be happy with me as his owner?
Hinata was starting to feel pessimistic.
Later that night, Yuusuke was relaxing at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee. He called out to Hinata, “How do you feel about your new partner?”
Hinata was sitting cross-legged in front of the pen, staring at Chris. “I’m feeling the weight of responsibility.”
“Responsibility? I see. Well, it is a lot.”
“Hinata’s too serious for his own good,” Suzune said, sitting across from Yuusuke with her laptop open.
“There’s nothing wrong with being serious,” Yuusuke argued. “It’s a good thing that he understands how big a responsibility this is.”
“It might not be bad, but it’s not good to overthink things, either. Building a relationship takes time. He just needs to relax and let it happen.”
Hinata glanced back at his parents for a moment, then returned his gaze to Chris, resting his chin on his knees.
“Hinata?” his mother said. She was now standing next to him, looking down at her son and the dog. “There’s no way to change the bad experiences Chris had in the past. So let’s focus on what we can do: giving Chris a better life now. Don’t worry—this isn’t a bad place. Chris has a nice new owner and a very cool and handsome groomer, too. And best of all, he’ll have a capable and talented vet taking care of him.”
“Stop tooting your own horn, Suzu!” her husband said, laughing as he walked over. “But your mother’s right, Son. People keep dogs because it makes both them and the dog happy. You can’t have one without the other. So let’s all be happy!”
Oh, I get it now! Hinata felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. I’ll be okay, because I have my family. We’ll all be happy together!
…At least, that’s how it was supposed to be! Hinata thought bitterly the next morning. It was six o’clock, and his parents were both still dreaming…
Right before bedtime last night, Suzune had said, “It’d be a good idea to get into the habit of taking Chris on a walk before you go to school. This is a new environment, so for tomorrow, just focus on getting him used to the routine. Good luck!”
I knew I was gonna have to do everything on my own!
Hinata greeted Chris at the dog pen in the living room. “Good morning, Chris. Do you want to go for a walk?”
Like the day before, Chris was curled up in the blanket. He looked up at Hinata and whined.
“You like walks, don’t you? Wanna go…?”
He opened the gate of the pen and called the dog again, but Chris did not move. Hmmm, let’s see…
Hinata tried to remember what Grandpa Shunya would do when he took his dogs out for a walk. It seemed like he didn’t have to do anything, and the dogs just naturally reacted. But because he was a trainer, he often spoke to the dogs…
I can do that, Hinata decided, and he got to his feet.
“Chris, come!” he commanded.
Chris slowly got to his feet, shook himself, and walked out of the pen. Steadily, the dog plodded over to Hinata’s left side, turned to face the same direction, and plopped down into a seated position.
Hinata felt his pulse race. Wow! Chris actually listened to me!
Belatedly, he realized he should reward his dog for doing what he’d asked. Hinata petted Chris on the head and said sincerely, “Good dog, Chris. Good dog.”
Chris looked up at Hinata, as though waiting for his next words. Hinata put a red leash on Chris’s collar and announced, “All right, let’s go for a walk!”
He started walking, and Chris followed along. At the front door, Hinata slipped into his shoes, went outside, and started down the stairs. Chris trotted along right beside him.
Hinata was feeling great now. This was a very good sign. The weather was nice, and it was a pleasant, cool morning in early summer. He squeezed the leash handle and was just about to head out into the still-empty market when he stopped short with a start.
“Oh!”
Whoops, I forgot my walk supplies!
Last night, he had arranged all the things he’d need for this morning’s walk: poop bags, tissues, a water bottle to rinse off any pee, and a small bag with a handful of dog kibble. He’d put them all in a little shoulder bag while consulting his book, but he hadn’t picked it up before walking out the door.
“Sorry, Chris. I gotta go and get the bag.”
He turned around to head back inside. But at that very moment, a white butterfly fluttered across their path.
“Oh, a cabbage butterfly…”
The insect avoided Hinata’s outstretched hand and flitted toward Chris instead. And then…
“Yipe!”
Chris shrieked and immediately began to run.
“Aaah!”
A strong tug on the leash almost caused Hinata to fall. If the loop at the end hadn’t been around his wrist, Chris would have bolted off right through the shopping district.
But because the leash held firm, Chris was yanked sideways. The dog yelped again and kicked frantically with his feet.
“Chris, what’s wrong?” Hinata cried. “Chris!” He tried to get the dog upright, but Chris hopped up on his own and began pawing at his nose, running around desperately in circles. Hinata was stunned.
“He’s terrified of bugs,” Shunya had told him.
“Oh, right! Chris got stung on the nose by a bee. Even butterflies are no good, huh?”
Hinata jumped over to Chris, who was spinning around in circles, and scooped him up into his arms. He tried to calm the dog, whispering soothingly into his ear. “It’s all right, Chris. Just calm down. The butterfly won’t hurt you. You’ll be fine. There, there…”
After a little while, Chris finally stopped struggling. Now he was just panting heavily.
“Thank goodness,” Hinata said, letting go of the dog. Chris promptly plopped onto his bottom. “I think that’s enough walking for today.”