Chris whined sadly and rubbed his nose against Hinata. The white spots around his eyebrows pinched together.
I wonder if Chris is still in shock from yesterday…
Hinata made some toast for breakfast. He was sitting at the table eating it when the intercom rang.
It was Mayuka.
She let herself in, then hopped onto the sofa and hugged Chris.
“Good morning, Chris! Poor baby, you didn’t get to go on a walk today. Let’s hope you’re able to go back out soon.”
Chris whined again and pressed his snout into Mayuka’s hand. She turned to Hinata.
“Is something wrong with Chris?”
Hinata popped the rest of the toast into his mouth and washed it down with milk.
“Y-yeah… I think it might have something to do with yesterday. Maybe it’s best if we just take it easy at home today.”
“I had a feeling. That’s why I brought my homework.” Mayuka held up the lesson bag she’d brought from home.
When both Chris and I are feeling down, we just make things worse for each other, but having Mayuka around all day long might actually be even more annoying.
Hinata smiled uncomfortably and stood up from the table, then took his dishes to the sink.
“I didn’t get to go to the haunted mansion yesterday,” Mayuka said with a sigh as she got out her homework sheets and pen case. “I bet they’re already filming. I wonder if I wrecked the schedule by not showing up…”
Hinata rolled his eyes as he washed the dishes. “Look, you’re not the star of the video. They were only going to put you in a single shot or two, remember?”
“This time, maybe. But what if I get my big break when it goes up online?”
Hinata laughed. There was something about Mayuka’s boundless optimism that always made him feel better.
“Well, I guess I can put up with some annoyances,” he murmured to himself.
Mayuka’s head shot up, and she glared at him. “What? You just said something about me, didn’t you?”
He’d assumed the sink would drown out the sound of his voice; Mayuka’s hearing was unbelievably sharp.
“W-well, if you’re that worried about it, why don’t you go to the haunted mansion on your own?” he said, trying to distract her.
“Hmm. I thought about it, but I decided I was more worried about Chris,” she said, glancing at the dog and grinning. “We’re a team, after all.”
Hinata felt a comforting warmth in his chest. It was nice to have Mayuka around, after all…
Even Chris looked a little happier than before. Just then, an idea occurred to Hinata.
“Oh, right! Chris, do you feel like having a snack? I’ll go down and see if I can get some cheese for dogs. Can you watch the house for a minute, Mayuka?”
“Okay,” she said, wedging a pencil between her nose and lip.
✦ ✦ ✦
Hinata opened the door to the veterinary clinic.
Saturday mornings were always busy, since a lot of people couldn’t come during the week. That day was no exception.
The lobby was full of people holding carriers with cats, dogs, and birds inside. One paper-lined case even had an iguana in it.
“Hinata!” said Rui the moment the automatic door opened. Once again, he was seated on the sofa, with Chachamaru on his lap.
Hinata waved to his father behind the desk and went over to Rui. “H-hi, Rui. Is Chachamaru feeling bad again?”
“Good morning. No, there’s nothing wrong with Chachamaru… But I hear you went through quite an ordeal yesterday.”
Is Rui worried about me?
“Y-you knew about that…?”
“Yes. The man at the bakery on the corner told my grandma last night. I heard you got hurt,” Rui said, eyeing the large bandage on Hinata’s knee.
“Yeah. B-but it’s only a scrape.”
“Really?! The baker said you were bleeding all over, and he wanted to call an ambulance. Grandma and I were really worried.”
So it was the baker who was fussing about calling an ambulance. That would have been way too much…
“I’m sorry I worried you. But it’s nothing, really. Say hi to your grandma for me…”
“And is Chris all right, too?” he asked. Hinata nodded, and Rui’s brows creased. “I’m glad to hear that. I wonder if the effect of Hakutaku and Amabie wore off, then. Or maybe they were doing their job, and it could have been much worse.”
Hinata blinked in surprise. That’s right. I took the figures out of their capsules and left them in my desk drawer! Feeling suddenly nervous and guilty, he told Rui, “I—I bet it would have been terrible if I didn’t have them with me…”
Maybe next time I’ll put them in my walking bag…
Just then, the door to the examination room slid open.
It was Akane! Hinata was surprised to see her.
If her visit was already over, she must have come first thing in the morning. Maybe Hammy was feeling bad again.
She was holding Hammy’s case, but she was not in her usual all-black attire. While the dress underneath was still black, she was wearing a whitish windbreaker over it with the sleeves rolled up. The jacket looked too big for her body.
Was she wearing a boy’s jacket for some fashion reason?
“Oh!”
Her face lit up in youthful surprise when she saw Hinata, but only for a brief moment. Then the mysterious mask slid down once again.
“You didn’t come to hang out yesterday, Hinata. Yuu was so disappointed. He really wanted Mayuka to be in the video…”
“I-I’m sorry. A bunch of stuff happened yesterday…,” Hinata said, feeling guilty that, in fact, he hadn’t even wanted to go. When he looked away, avoiding her gaze, he noticed Rui’s face was beet red. Oh, right. He’s head over heels for her.
“Oh, um, this is Rui Takeuchi and his cat, Chachamaru,” said Hinata, giving them a proper introduction. Rui bowed quietly and awkwardly, like a puppet on strings.