“The friend carrying the cat!” Akane said, remembering Hinata’s description. At this, Rui’s cheeks grew 30 percent redder.
“I’ve got the bill for Hammy here,” said Yuusuke. Akane turned to head for the front desk but lost her footing.
“Ah!”
Oh no! Hinata reached out to keep her from falling and ended up grabbing her arm. She stumbled and leaned against him as she regained her balance.
“I-I’m sorry,” she said. “Oh, I’m so glad I didn’t drop Hammy!”
She rearranged her grip on the hamster case and headed again for the front desk. Head-over-heels Rui watched her go.
“She’s gorgeous, even when wearing a white jacket.”
Once she was done checking out, she turned back to them.
“Come and visit again, Hinata. I’ll be waiting. Oh…and bring your doggy, too.”
Then she lowered her eyes to the floor and slowly walked out of the lobby through the automatic door.
“You’re so lucky she remembers you, Hinata. I should ask if you’ll take me to the haunted mansion with you sometime,” Rui said, clearly jealous.
Hinata smiled slightly and nodded, then pulled away and headed for the front desk. “Hi, Dad.”
“Did you eat your breakfast, Hinata? How does your knee feel? Do you need to change out the bandage?” Yuusuke reeled off a bunch of questions, not giving Hinata a chance to answer. Then he leaned in and whispered, “Sorry I couldn’t be upstairs with you. As you can see, we’re pretty busy.”
“It’s fine. I know it’s always crowded on Saturdays. Mayuka’s upstairs right now. She’s going to do her homework with me. But…Chris didn’t finish all his food. I came down to get some cheese snacks.”
“That’s a good idea. Chris loves cheese, and it’ll be good nutrition. So…he’s feeling under the weather, huh? We can have Suzu take a look at him in the afternoon when there’s time,” his father said, then pulled a small bag of cheese bites from behind the counter.
Hinata looked back at the entrance and then asked a question that had been on his mind. “Dad, was Akane’s hamster sick or something?”
Yuusuke shook his head. “She was worried that something was wrong with his poop. But when your mother checked, they were very normal and healthy pellets. Maybe she just wanted some reassurance from this kind and gentle groomer!”
He cackled at his own joke, and Hinata joined in.
“Watch out, okay? Jokes like that will just make Mom mad at you again! Oh, and Chris and I will be just fine. Don’t worry about us.”
Hinata took the bag of treats and went back to Rui. “Um, Rui, thanks for worrying about me. As for the haunted mansion, I think it’s probably best if we stay away from there… I think it’s much safer to avoid it.”
“Huh?” Rui stared at him, confused.
“Bye…”
Hinata waved to his classmate and went back upstairs.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Open the door, please, Mayuka,” Hinata said into the intercom.
Within seconds, she let him in.
“Welcome back. Did you get a snack for Chris?”
“Yep. But I saw Akane at the clinic,” Hinata said, taking off his shoes at the door. Chris came trotting over from the living room. “Hey, Chris, you want some cheese snacks? You didn’t finish your breakfast…”
Chris barked and jumped onto Hinata. He had been leaning over and lost his balance, falling to the floor. One of his half-removed shoes flew off and landed in the doorway.
“Aaah! What is it, Chris?”
Chris placed a paw on Hinata’s shoulder and sniffed furiously at the air, practically climbing on top of him.
“Chris, c’mon, behave…”
The dog’s momentum knocked Hinata all the way to the floor. Chris continued to sniff at him, then abruptly looked up at the door.
“Whiiine…”
Without warning, Chris jumped over Hinata’s body and wriggled through the crack in the door, which was jammed on Hinata’s shoe. Before Hinata could do anything about it, the dog had slipped away and gotten outside.
“Chris!”
“Chris!!”
Hinata and Mayuka called out, trying to stop him. But the clicking sound of nails on steps continued downward and vanished.
Hinata bolted upright, grabbed the shoe stuck in the doorway, and jammed it back on his foot as he hopped outside.
He rushed down the stairs to the street, then looked both ways.
“Chris!!”
But there was no response to his call.
Why?
What happened, Chris? Where did you go without me…?
Shocked, he crumpled onto the ground and tried to think.
What was happening to Chris? What was driving this new behavior…?
“Where’s Chris, Hinata?” Mayuka said, catching up.
“I don’t know; he was already gone,” Hinata said absent-mindedly, trying to corral his racing thoughts.
“W-we’ve got to search, Hinata! Wh-which way? Which way did Chris go…?”
She was trotting in place with panic.
… …That’s it! Hinata lifted his head.
There was only one reason Chris would act so desperate.
“Mayuka, I’m going to go check something out…”
“Go? Go where?”
Hinata stood up, ascended the stairs, and darted back in. He grabbed his walking bag and stuffed the blue leash inside it. He was heading back down the stairs when Mayuka snagged his arm.
“Hey! Where are you going? Where did Chris go?”
Hinata looked her in the eye. “The haunted mansion. It might be dangerous… So you don’t have to come along. I’ll go on my own. I swore I’d never leave Chris alone again…”
He started to run.
“What are you talking about?! Of course I’m going with you!” Mayuka shouted, hurrying after him.
“Mayuka!” someone else called out. She looked over her shoulder and saw Rui, standing there with Chachamaru in his arms, looking stunned. “Did something happen?”
“Chris is gone! Hinata’s going to the haunted mansion to look, so I’m going with him!!” she explained before rushing off.
✦ ✦ ✦
Hinata roughly undid the metal chain around the mansion’s front gate. It jangled and fell loose.
He then hurried over to the door and banged on it.
“Open up! Give Chris back! Open the door!”
Mayuka arrived behind him and leaped over to the intercom, hammering down the button.
“I’m part of this team, too, Hinata! You can’t just leave me behind!”
The door opened, and Yuuma peered out through the crack.
“Hey, pipe down out there… Oh, Mayuka, you’re here! We were waiting for you! We can’t start without…”
“Give back Chris!” Hinata clung to the door and tried to pry it open.
“Wh-what’s your problem? Chris? Your dog isn’t—”
“Chris is here! The people at this mansion are trying to kidnap him! You were the one who tried to pull my dog into the car, weren’t you? I saw your ring!” Hinata shouted, pointing at the ring on Yuuma’s finger, visible around the side of the door.
He had just remembered what he saw, brief as a flash, on the hand that lunged out of the passenger side of the white car.
The flash from the eye in the skull!
Yuuma suddenly tried to hide his ring, but Hinata charged at him and lunged into the entranceway.
“Wait, Hinata!” Mayuka cried.
Hinata rushed into the middle of the foyer and shouted, “Chriiiis!”
“What is it with you and breaking into this house?” Yuuma demanded, trying to pin Hinata’s arms behind his back.
“What do you think you’re doing? Give Chris back!” Mayuka shouted, kicking Yuuma as hard as she could on the butt.
“Ow! What do you think you’re doing?!”
The three of them were squabbling when the door to the back room opened with a click.
“What’s going on, Yuu…? Oh, it’s Hinata and Mayuka.”
It was Akane. She had taken off her windbreaker, leaving only the black dress. Hinata slipped out of Yuuma’s arms and ran over to her.
“Akane! Chris is here, right? I’m sure he was chasing after your trail.”
Her eyes, like little black buttons, traveled from his face to the top of the stairs.
“Chris is upstairs, then?” Hinata started in that direction.
“No!” Akane snapped. Hinata came to a stop. “My mother is upstairs…and she said she wants to meet you.”
“…Your mom? Wants to meet me…?”
Hinata’s mouth fell open. Why would Akane’s mother want to meet him?
“She said that she’s met you before. And that she’d like to introduce herself again.”
Akane sounded as though she were reading from a script.
She’s met me before…? Hinata was very confused. He couldn’t recall ever meeting Akane’s mother. Who was she?
“I’ll go and call her. Will you wait in the back room? Please…go on in.” She opened the door mechanically and gestured inside. “You too, Mayuka. I’ll go and get her now.”
“B-but I’m not here for that; I’m here for Chris!” Hinata shouted.
Akane dropped her eyes to the floor and said quietly, “Mother will explain about your doggy, too. Go on in…”
Feeling there was no other choice, Hinata and Mayuka walked into the room. Once they were inside, Akane shut the door.
A cold, hard click sounded behind them.
Hinata turned in shock and grabbed onto the knob. He rattled and turned it, but the door wouldn’t open.
She locked us in!
“Wait, are we trapped in here?!” Mayuka shrieked. Hinata tried the knob again, but it was the same as before.
Crap, they tricked us…
Hinata pounded the door with his hand and shouted, “Chris! Give Chris back!!”
In the distance, he heard what he thought was Chris barking.
“Chris?”