"Jack and the others are meeting up with me today."

"Oh? Have fun then." Legosi blinked.

"You aren't coming with?"

"In case you don't remember, I'm still thought of as a criminal. We can't take that risk." Legosi frowned.

"But it's different with them, I promise!"

"Really? How so?" Legosi opened his mouth, then closed it when he couldn't come up with anything. "Face it Legosi, this is a bad idea in the making. There's no way it won't end poorly." He whined. Like, actually let out a whine. "What are you doing?" You asked. His pupils abruptly widened, and he curled his hands up, like a puppy. "Uh-uh. No means no." He whined again, this time drooping his ears and tail. "No, Legosi." You looked away.

You regretted it as soon as you felt him wrap his arms around your torso and rest his head on yours.

"Please? Just this once?"

"I'm telling you, this is a bad idea."

"You've been saying that since this morning, [Name]."

"Because sometimes I feel like you don't listen to what I say!" You and Legosi waited under a telephone pole for Jack and the others to show up. Thankfully, it didn't look like Yafya put out a report to arrest you, seeing as most animals only gave you a cursory glance before walking away. You wondered how long it would take until people started coming after you in public…

"Here they come!" Legosi said. You swallowed audibly. Time to face the music… You watch as the group of canines all gang up on Legosi, tails wagging wildly. As they calm down from their reunion, they finally spot you walking over. You give them a wave.

"Yo." You said, stopping a few feet away from them. They all stare at you, a range of expressions across all their faces. The silence is deafening. Legosi puts a hand on your shoulder, dragging you closer.

"It's okay you guys! We're on good terms I promise." They all look at the wolf skeptically.

"Last I checked Legosi, he's a wanted man." Collot said. You roll your eyes.

"There's been an...interesting turn of events regarding my situation." You held up the wrist collar still attached to your arm. They all look at it curiously. "Long story short, in exchange for not serving time, I'm working with the Beastar. You gave Legosi a discreet look, watching him like a hawk. He nods, understanding the context behind that lie. They continue to eye you warily, but relent after Legosi convinces them that you really are telling the truth.

You follow behind the group as they head to a building that just looks really out of place in the current district you were all in. A large neon sign situated on the side told you the name of the building.

"B-strike?" You said quietly, watching as various animals went in and out of the building.

"I haven't been here in a while…" Legosi said. As you walked in, the receptionist at the lobby desk greeted you all. As she went through the process of registering you all, she stumbled when it came time for you to sign up.

"Just lump me in with them." You said, pointing to the waiting canines. She nodded, jotting you down with them and directing you all to the canine section of the building. As you stepped in, you immediately noticed the lack of any sort of furniture in the room, save for a large white box with a hole in the middle. Not unlike those you'd see sports players use for practice. You stand in the corner as you watch the group sit right in front. A loud buzzing sound rang out, then complete silence.

"..."

"..."

...Okay, this is getting boring. Looking at a nearby poster on the wall, you deduced that this is how canines dealt with their instincts. Apparently that machine throws out a ball and the canines catch and return it to the box.

Like a game of fetch. The machine suddenly tilts and shakes, causing all of them to jump.

"Why is it playing cat and mouse with us?" Legosi asked, tail wagging fast enough to blur. When it stops, there's a brief moment of silence before a ball comes flying out. As you expected, they all quickly chased after the ball, with Legosi leaping ahead and catching it.

"Go put it back!" They all shouted at him. He did as they said, tossing the ball back where it came from. Another few seconds of silence passed.

"Amazing! How did you get the ball in so quickly? Words cannot express how grateful we are!" A digital voice said. You felt an eye twitch as the canines all huddled together, whooping and cheering with their tails wagging.

"Wow…" Was all that you could come up with. They had a few more rounds of this before you got bored, and on the next pitch, caught the ball before they did.

"[Name], what are you doing? Put it back!" Legosi shouted at you. You let yourself smile, waving the ball in your hand in a roundabout way. They all followed the ball with their eyes.

"Do you want the ball? Well, do you?" You said teasingly. They all nodded rapidly. With a grin, you pulled back, tossing the ball over their heads. "Then go get it!" You cried, watching as they all ran for the ball. You couldn't help but laugh when you watched as they all skidded to a halt as the ball bounced off the wall and back to you. They all stared at you, ears perked.

This time you tossed the ball straight up in the air, watching it rise and descend just as fast. What caught you by surprise was what happened next.

Legosi jumped to catch it before the rest of them could, running up to you and depositing the ball into your hands. You looked at him in shock as he stared at you with his ears perked and tail wagging. You slowly pat him on the head.

"Uh...good boy?"

You sighed as you leaned back against the tiled wall of the bathhouse, letting a smaller towel droop over your head. You idly glanced at Legosi, who rested his arms over the edge of the pool.

"So, enjoy your day out with them?" You asked, shuffling a little closer to the wolf in order to have a more private talk with him, (The closest you could get to one anyway). He nodded, looking up at the ceiling wistfully.

"Mmhmm. We used to come here all the time back when I still attended school…" He sighs, turning to you. "What about you?"

"Eh...it's obvious they don't accommodate people like me." You joked. That gets a laugh from him. You feel an arm rest on your shoulder, and you glance towards it to see Jack...trying to give you a smile.

"S-so uh, [Name]?" He asked. You nodded your head to show you were paying attention. "I...we…" He fumbled, looking back at the group of canines before turning back around and bowing low enough that his head nearly touched the water, "We're really sorry for jumping to conclusions, a-and we'd like it if you came back here with us sometime again in the future!" He said rather quickly. You reeled back slightly in shock, looking briefly at the group before turning back to Jack.

His eyes are shut, and while his mouth is set in a thin line you can see it quivering slightly here and there. You put a hand on his shoulder, making him raise his head. Giving him a closed smile, you give him your answer.

"As long as you still want me to be around you guys, I don't mind." He smiles, tail splashing about in the pool. As you all exit the building, heading back to your respective homes, Legosi lags behind the group. You slow your own pace, matching his.

"Something up?" You ask him. He looks up from the ground to you, then to his friends.

"Do you think we'll still be able to hang out after we grow up?" He asks you quietly. You look at them, then back to Legosi. You smile and pat his shoulder.

"I don't see why. You guys seem really attached to one another, yeah? They probably won't just forget about you or anything like that." You give him a thumbs up. "Don't sweat it, Legosi." As you continue up the steps, an orange bounces past you, falling back down the way you just walked up. Someone at the top groans.

"I just bought those too…" You dodge out of the way as all of them, Legosi included, scramble back down the steps after the fruit.

"Don't worry! We'll get them for you!" Jack shouts as they sprint down the steps. You look at their retreating backs, before sighing in exasperation.

"Unbelievable…" You say.

You curse lightly as you dash through the crowds of animals. You had gotten a message from Haru saying she wanted to meet up with you and Legosi just for a chat. Legosi had work, but promised to meet up with you two later. Unfortunately on your way to where she told you it had begun to rain, much to your displeasure.

"This better be worth it…" You groan, stopping under a gazebo in the middle of the park. You take the time to wipe off the rainwater plastered on your face.

"[Name]-kun!" Speak of the devil. You turn and laugh as you spy the rabbit making her way over to you with an umbrella. She takes a few seconds to close it when she reaches you, laughing at your soaked appearance. "Didn't you check the weather before going out?" You give her a shrug.

"Eh, a little rain won't hurt me." You reply wryly. "So, what'd you want to talk about?"

You and Haru spent the majority of the day shooting the breeze underneath the gazebo. You tell her about the things that have happened after her sudden visit that night, and she in turn told you a little more about her college days. She sighs in exhaustion, letting her ears droop slightly.

"Everything's such a pain over there…"

"Oh? I thought you were staying with your family?" She shakes her head.

"Nah. Don't get me wrong, I love my family, but sometimes it gets a little…"

"Hectic?"

"Yeah."

"Too many rabbits, huh?" You say with a smile. She pouts, socking you in the arm.

"Geez, I didn't think you'd be a guy who'd perpetuate stereotypes [Name]-kun." You laugh, and she does the same. A nearby clock chimes softly, and you both look over to it. "Wow, has it really gotten so late?" Haru says. You nod. Time really sped up while you chatted with her. Standing up with a flourish, she offers you her umbrella. "I should be getting home soon…" Take the umbrella, folding it open.

"I'll walk you back then, it's the least I could do since you offered me your umbrella. She clings to your side as you make the trek to her house. On the way there, you spot Legosi around the same time he spots the two of you. After a brief chat, he suggests giving Haru her umbrella back and sharing his with you.

Confused, you agree, only to find Legosi practically swamping you in order to fit under his umbrella. Haru laughs as you try to make enough space between you two to walk, no easy feat. When you finally make it to Haru's home, she suddenly perks up and digs through her pockets.

"Here," She hands Legosi a slip of paper. He reaches into his backpack and pulls out a similar slip and exchanges it with her. You raise a brow.

"Care to explain?" Haru smiles.

"It's my schedule! That way we know when we're available!" You nod, hearing the door to her house open. "You know, it's surprisingly hard to get a hold of you Legosi…" She trails off as the three of you turn at the sound of an umbrella being dropped onto the pavement. A rabbit stares wide eyed at the three of you.

"Ahahahah…" He laughs hysterically. "Hey Haru!" She sighs, one ear flicking like Legosi.

"Hi, daddy." The older rabbit points a shaky hand at you and the wolf.

"Are they your friends?" He asks. Legosi straightens up, gripping your shoulder tightly.

"Y-yes! Uh...I'm Legosi, and this is [Name]! Pleased to meet you!" In his haste, he drops his umbrella, forcing you to catch it swiftly, which causes you and him to end up in an awkward position.

"Nice to meet you…" You manage as you slowly untangle yourself from the wolf. He nods shakily.

"...Would you two like to come in for dinner?" He asks. Haru waves a hand frantically.

"W-we'd love to!" Legosi shouts, bowing. You resist the urge to slap a hand over your face.

"He'd love to. I've got some important matters to take care of." You remove yourself from the wolf, handing him the umbrella. "I'll meet you back home, okay?" Without waiting for his reply, you turned and walked off into the night, giving them all a wave as you turned the corner.

"Wow. I don't think I've ever seen him that mad at you before Legosi. Well, maybe that night you told me you and him were-"

"L-let's go inside, Haru-senpai…"

You grumbled to yourself as you trekked back to the condo, clothes sticking to you as the rain became progressively harder. "You just love to spite me, huh?: You said while looking up at the dreary clouds that blotted out the night sky. Sighing to yourself, you upped your pace, wanting to just be out of the rain and into some fresh clothes. As you take an alleyway back, something catches your eye.

"...Tripwires?" You say, crouching down and touching one with a finger. It immediately retracts, and you jump back, only to feel your back hit someone's chest.

"Very observant. Not that I expected anything less, [Name]." You turn to find Yafya staring back at you. You growl, reaching for your gun before finding it pointed right at you. "Well, maybe not as much as you think you are." He says.

"What the hell do you want?" You say. He only smiles.

"A favor."

"Really? And here I thought you were supposed to be the best your perfect society had to offer. Guess that punch didn't spell it out for you." You snark. He looks to the wall of the alley way, turning back with a solemn look.

"Don't get me wrong. I will get back at you for that eventually, but I wouldn't catch you here without good reason." You raise a brow. He twirls the gun so the handle faces you. You take it slowly, watching as he types something into his phone. Your phone vibrates, and you pull it out, one eye still trained on him.

"...What am I looking at?" You sat slowly.

"That...is a victim of someone who's very, very dangerous." The picture he sent was of an elephant with a hole that had been punctured straight through his chest. You grimace. It must have been something that specialized in harming the animal, considering their hide…

"And you're showing me this because…?"

"I want to make a proposition." He reaches into one of his shirt pockets, pulling out a folded slip of paper. "You and that wolf help me catch that criminal, and I'll make sure both your records are wiped clean. Do we have a deal?" You eye him skeptically.

"Just who is this criminal you're talking about?"

"He's a hybrid, for starters. Gazelle and a leopard. He hides his carnivore features to appear weak, and he's been running our whole department in circles. Along with that, he's responsible for the sudden rise of ivory tusk trading. I don't think you need me to tell you how bad it would be if he continues like this." You look away as you weigh your options.

You don't think he'd be the type to lie about something as serious as this. That, coupled with the potential wipe of you and Legosi's records…You look back to him, taking the slip from him and turning it over. Ten million yen…

"Fine. But don't think you're my list of people I hate just yet." Yafya smiles.

"I wouldn't have it any other way."