The weather was nice that day.
Not too hot, not too cool. Just a nice, pleasant Sunday. Shunya drove Hinata, Mayuka, and Chris to the hospital where Kobayashi was staying. Chris’s new leash was pink.
The hospital was large—two separate buildings with a courtyard in between them. There was a path you could walk dotted with trees and flower planters and the occasional bench. Patients and hospital visitors strolled and sat here and there.
Shunya found an empty bench. “I’ll go in and bring him out. You wait here,” he said, before heading into the building.
Mayuka sat on the bench, lifted her legs, and let her feet dangle. “It’s really nice here. I wish I could stay at the hospital just once.”
“What are you talking about?” Hinata chided. “You don’t go to the hospital for fun. It’s for people who are sick or hurt… You can’t see your friends, and you can’t go out to play, either.”
But she was insistent. “I dunno… Maybe they have a try-before-you-buy experience.”
“They don’t! Why would you think that?”
Chris was obediently sitting in front of the bench. Hinata prayed that no insects would come by to bother them.
As the hospital patients walked by, they commented on how cute Chris was. Time passed slowly, and Hinata found himself getting more and more nervous. How would Chris react when Mr. Kobayashi came out…?
Suddenly, the Shiba Inu’s ears twitched.
Hinata looked up with a start and saw Shunya at the door to the building, pushing a wheelchair.
“Oh, it’s Mr. Kobayashi,” said Mayuka. Hinata felt his heart lurch.
Shunya took him slowly down the gentle slope toward the three of them. Chris gave a tiny bark and stood up. Hinata got to his feet, too.
The wheelchair came to a stop in front of them.
“Christie…,” said Kobayashi. His voice was clearer and stronger than before.
His hair was still in need of a cut, but his complexion was better, he’d had a shave, and his eyes looked young and alive once again.
Chris didn’t raise a fuss. He walked over to Kobayashi, brought his nose to the man’s knee, sniffed just to be sure, then sat down, satisfied.
Kobayashi rested his hand on Chris’s head and closed his eyes for a time, like he was praying.
No one spoke.
Hinata glanced at the pink leash he was holding, then slid it into Kobayashi’s free hand atop the armrest of the wheelchair. Then he went back to the bench and looked away.
It was better this way. This was right.
“Hinata.”
He looked up. Kobayashi’s eyes were staring into his.
“Hinata, thank you for taking care of Christie.” Hinata just barely managed to nod back. “Thanks for being a good partner to him.”
He bit his lip, trying not to cry.
Kobayashi continued, “And thank you for saving me.”
No! That’s not right! Hinata thought.
There was a part of him that had hoped Kobayashi would never come back, so he could stay with Chris. A part of him hoped Kobayashi would never be found.
And he hated that part of himself. I’m sorry…
“I…”
He tried to speak, to say something, but Kobayashi just smiled and held out the leash.
“And I’m sure you’ll continue to be a good partner. You’ll do that for Christie, won’t you?”
Huh?
With a start, Hinata looked up, first at Shunya, then at Mayuka, then at Chris, then back to Kobayashi.
“I—I thought that once you were better, you would take Chris again, like before…”
Kobayashi just chuckled and shook his head. “It’s going to be a long time before I’m completely better. I hurt my spine, you see, so I might never walk the same way again… It’ll take a lot of training before I can take Christie on a proper walk, using this wheelchair.”
“B-but once enough time has passed…”
Kobayashi’s expression told him it wasn’t just that. “Last week, I saw you and Christie team up in that basement. You were completely in sync as you took on the bad guys, and you did a brilliant job catching them unawares. All Christie had to do was look at your eyes to know exactly what to do. And you gave the order with perfect timing—and very few signals and commands…”
He patted Chris on the head and looked the dog in the eye. “I was stunned, Christie. In just a matter of months, you were able to become so in sync with your new partner. It’s a miracle. I was so happy to see it. I’m glad you found a good partner…”
Chris barked happily. “That’s right! I did find a good partner!”
“So that’s why I want you to stay with Christie for me, Hinata. Could you do that?” Kobayashi asked, smiling.
I can’t hold them back anymore… Hinata started to cry. The tears began to fall and wouldn’t stop.
“Hinata…” Mayuka rubbed his back.
He bobbed his head. “Th-thank you, Mr. Kobayashi. I’ll take good care of Chris. We’ll always be best friends and partners. Thank you so much!”
Hinata took the leash back from Kobayashi and squeezed it tight.
“There’s one more thing I want to ask of you, Hinata.”
Huh? Hinata rubbed the tears away with the back of his hand and looked at Kobayashi again.
“I have two dreams, you see. One is to have my own private investigation business. And that one more or less came true, so when I’m feeling better, I intend to open it back up. The other dream…”
He turned back to look at Shunya, then laughed.
“I’m positive that your grandpa’s going to laugh at me for this one, but I’ll say it anyway.” He held up a finger. “I want to form a kids’ detective club to help out my office in solving mysteries!”
Shunya burst into laughter. “You really never grew up, did you?!”
“What’s wrong with that? I’ll always be a child at heart. So, Hinata and Mayuka, would you form a little band of detectives and help me out with my cases? That’s my other request.”