Disclaimer: Not mine.

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Sena tilted the blue umbrella a little bit more downwards, covering the shivering small form of the black puppy in the cardboard box.

The rain pittered and pattered over them and around them on the gravel sidewalks. The young kindergartener asked the puppy, "How come you dun wanna leave?" The puppy didn't answer him, resolutely sitting upright and staring at the wall opposite him. Sena tilted his head sideways, hoping to hear something from the doggie. "Are you waiting for sumbody?"

The puppy blinked and his tail thumped the cardboard box once and then continued staring at the wall, stoically.

Sena said, "'Kay then." And he waited there in the rain with the dog.

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Sena had brought some dogfood and some milk in his backpack today for Mr. Puppy. He had been doing so for about a week now, stopping a few blocks away from his house, near the alley with the cardboard box with the dog.

Then he heard the painful whimpers of Mr. Puppy and he rushed forward. And around the bend, he saw a couple of older kids dropping lit matches onto the cardboard box. Eyes tearing up and snot falling down and with a shivering body, he ran towards them with a war-cry. Mr. Puppy was hurt!

Screaming and kicking at the older kids, he even tried biting and scratching. Anything to get them away from Mr. Puppy. He could hear them laughing and he felt one of them shove a match at his arm, still burning and he shrieked in pain.

Then he heard one of the older kids scream with him in tandem. He looked up from his fetal position on the ground and watched as Mr. Puppy bit the arm of the pyromaniac. The other two kids were swatting at the doggie but Mr. Puppy held on with ferocious determination.

"What do you think you're doing to Sena-chan!"

Mamori-neechan had followed him and found them.

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"Geez, Sena-chan. D-don't try to be so brave!" Mamori-neechan tried to discreetly wipe at her eyes as she peeled another band-aid for Sena's bruises. Sena had told her all about Mr. Puppy and how even though he was close to wetting his pants, he'd run forward, hoping to save Mr. Puppy.

But now, Sena was happy because Mr. Puppy had followed him home. The doggie was curled up in Sena's lap and Sena was combing through his thick fur, looking for any boo-boo's.

"What do you think I should call him, neechan?"

Mamori looked up from the phone where she was talking to Sena's frantic parents and shrugged at him.

Sena carried the doggie up to his face and Mr. Puppy licked his nose and gave a calm woof.

Sena pumped up a left hand, "I got it! I'll call him, Mr. Shin."

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"And you were so little back then," Sena mourned at the dog before him. Mr. Shin had grown big, almost as big as a, as a…tiger! Sena could even ride him along, like a horse. Mr. Shin blinked at him and his tail thumped the desk table where he was guarding over Sena. Around him, stacks of books precariously swayed at that and Sena sighed.

Why did Mr. Shin like to lie on his study table anyway? Sena could barely push his dog off and Mr. Shin took much advantage of this.

Mr. Shin barked at him and Sena nodded. It was four o'clock. Time for a walk!

"Ya-ha! Go, Kerberos!"

When they heard the demonic laughter and the rapid clicking of claws against pavement, Mr. Shin swooped underneath Sena and stood up, forcing the middle-schooler to sit on him like a horse. And then, Mr. Shin dashed away. Sena curled his fingers against the black fur of Mr. Shin and scrunched his face in fear. "Aa-ah! Mr. Shin, slow down…"

Mr. Shin gave a low rumble at him and Sena wished he wasn't so overprotective.

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In the daily life of Sena and Mr. Shin:

Seven o'clock and Mr. Shin starts drooling on Sena's face to wake him up. About ten minutes later, Sena chokes and wakes up. He rushes to the bathroom and Mr. Shin follows, a school uniform in his mouth. The boy jumps into the shower stall and Mr. Shin drops the uniform on the floor and goes back to Sena's room.

He fixes Sena's bedcovers with his mouth again.

After Sena's shower, the boy picks up his uniform and sniffs it. He screams a bit in despair. It smells like dog drool. But he scrambles downstairs, for breakfast. Mr. Shin is tranquilly sitting under the table with his dog bowl. Sena sighs and fills it with a balanced nutritious dog food. Mr. Shin thumps his tail in thanks and chows down. Sena also shoves his breakfast in his mouth, because he is late.

After they're done, Sena trips over Mr. Shin who's found Sena's lost shoes and the teenager thanks him.

And then he runs out of the house with Mr. Shin calmly waiting by the door.