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Having changed into X, the Genius learns of the Numerous
“Urk…the questions on today’s math exam were as complicated as ever…”
On a certain evening, Fumino was on her way home, staggering, as she let out a sigh like that.
“I need…I need some healing…Something comfortable…like a puppy…or a kitty…”
“Young lady over there.”
Fumino suddenly heard a voice like that. An older unfamiliar lady had opened up a store at the side of the street.
“…Um, are you talking about me?”
“That’s right, young lady.”
When Fumino pointed to her herself, the older lady nodded.
“You seem to be tired, so I wanted to recommend you one of my products.” She said, and took out an object resembling a headband.
“It is a ‘Understand the feelings of animals band’, you see.”
“H-Huh…”
Fumino could tell us much. On the front of the headband, it said ‘Understand the feelings of animals band’ after all.
“I appreciate it, but…” Fumino didn’t want to accept some weird object, so she was about to decline.
“Now you can get it for only 10 yen.”
“So cheap!?”
With such a price mentioned to her, Fumino started reconsidering her choice.
I guess it’s just some joke…I might as well get one and put it on when I’m busy studying again…
Fumino envisioned the scenery of her wearing his headband while she’s studying, and let out a snicker.
“I understand, I’ll buy it!” She said, and handed the older lady the 10yen coin.
“Thank you for your patronage.”
Fumino accepted the cheap headband, as the woman grinned.
“If you put it on and have a good sleep, you’ll be able to understand an animal’s feelings all too well.”
“Ahaha, is that so.” Fumino gave a vague smile, playing along with the older lady. “Then, I’ll be on my way.”
She turned around, turning her back towards the older lady. She didn’t look back, just walking on ahead when she received a message right as she turned the corner. The message came from Nariyuki, which said ‘You forgot your pencil case!’.
“Ah, this is bad!” In a panic, she ran back the path she came. “…Huh?” Only for her to tilt her head. “Did that person already close up her shop…?”
The store inhabited by the older lady had vanished without a trace. Of course, it wasn’t some fully-fledged building, but not much time passed since Fumino walked away, so she was a bit dubious about it.
“…Ah, have to hurry!”
She didn’t want to make Nariyuki wait, so she didn’t bother to think about it twice, and ran down the street.
***
That night.
“Yawn…Alright, I guess I should head off to sleep. Tomorrow’s a holiday, so I’ll get some good rest…”
After today’s math exam, Fumino’s brain had reached full capacity, and left her dizzy. While yawning, she headed towards her bed, while on the way—
“Ah, I bought this, right.”
The headband she bought from the older lady entered her field of view. The only reason she even decided to follow the advice she received is exactly because of her exhaustion. In a daze, she put on the headband.
“With this, I’ll be able to talk with animals as much as I want tomorrow…hehe…” She fell into the bed, and her consciousness drifted away to the world of her dreams.
***
(Mmm…)
Kyuun…Such a sound reached Fumino’s ears. Oddly enough, it didn’t sound like her own voice. As her consciousness solidified, and her senses returned to her, she was assaulted by a feeling of discomfort. It felt like her body had changed shape greatly compared to the previous day. A variety of scents tickled her nose, and the scenery in her room looked different from before. She should have been covered by her blanket, but it felt more like she was warmed by authentic fur.
(Hm…?)
Woo…? Again, a voice different from Fumino’s rang out. Once she moved her head, the sense of discomfort grew even worse.
(Hmmm…??)
Woof…? She tried to push up her body, but it didn’t work out as good as she planned. Leaving her no other choice, she crawled out from the blanket.
(Ouch!?)
Woof!? She fell down the bed, and let out a shriek.
(Huh…? What is going on…?)
Woo… ? The voice she let out sounded like a howl. As she moved around, she happened to see herself.
(Huh…? Ehhhh!?)
Wooooooooof!? Fumino realized what was going on with her body.
(I became a dog!?)
The appearance she had spotted belonged to a puppy. She possessed black fur, with an adorable figure. When she moved a part of her body, the dog in the mirror responded accordingly.
(…Ah! I see…)
There, Fumino arrived at a certain conclusion.
(This is… a dream, right? You almost got me with that dream where I had large breasts, so I won’t fall for that again!)
Fumino let out an arrogant snort for a second, but.
(…But, it hurt when I fell down from the bed, right?)
She remembered the pain that assaulted her before, and was forced to accept that she indeed turned into a puppy, and that this was not a dream. Right after, a cold sweat ran down her skin.
(F-For now…I’ll go meet that old lady from yesterday! Maybe it has something to do with the headband she gave me!)
Arriving at this thought, she started running. Thankfully, she forgot to properly close the door to her room, allowing her to escape more easily. She used the stairs that looked bigger than before, ran through the entrance door, and jumped outside.
“…A puppy? Did Fumino pick that one up?” She heard Reiji’s, her father’s, faint mutter at her back, but ignored that.
A bit of time passed. With her field of view lower than usual, she ran into a dog she knew from the neighbour, called Bob. It was a large dog, and she was never too comfortable when walking past him.
…Now I might actually talk to him, right?
WIth these thoughts, she stopped in front of him.
(Good morning, Bob!)
She called out to him, which earned her a sharp glare from Bob.
(I…um…recently moved here.)
She twitched in shock, but kept trying.
(Can we talk a bit?)
Besides his sharp gaze, Bob showed no reaction.
(Um…can you hear me?)
Slowly but steadily, Bob’s mouth opened.
Ah, did it work!?
“Woof! Woof woof!”
“Kyuuuu!?”
However, Bob started howling right away, which led Fumino’s bed to curl up subconsciously.
“Woof! Bark bark!”
(Um…are you angry…?)
“Grrrrr! Grah!”
(Huh…? Wait a second…)
Fumino realized something. Basically…
(I can’t even tell what other animals are saying!?)
Just as always, she could only hear Bob bark and howl.
(Turning into this appearance, and yet unable to understand other animals’ voices, was I scammed!?)
Fumino swore to complain at that older lady, as Bob started barking, so she had to run away quickly.
“Woof!?”
However, she immediately bumped into something, letting out a groan.
“Woof…”
It looked like a giant was right in front of her eyes, which Fumino looked up at with teary eyes.
“Wahh, a puppy!? How cute!”
(Uruka-chan!?)
A familiar girl greeted Fumino, flashing a warm smile.
“Come here~”
(Aawawawa…S-Scary!)
Fumino was suddenly picked up, feeling intense fear as she dangled in the air.
“Hold on a second…You’re not wearing a collar…?” Uruka inspected Fumino (‘s dog body) up close, and raised one eyebrow. “A stray pup…? But, with such beautiful fur…maybe you’re lost?”
Although this was a person Fumino knew very well, it was still terrifying to see her up close with her gigantic face.
“Alright, why don’t you come to my place for now! My friend has Frieda-san with her, so maybe she knows someone who’s missing a puppy in her network!”
(N-No! I need to search for that old lady’s store!)
Fumino tried to explain herself, but her words turned into weeps, nothing resembling human language. Instead, she had to rely on rampaging in Uruka’s arms.
“It’s fine, no need to be scared~”
(Urk…)
Fumino’s body was tightly squeezed, not allowing her to let out a woof. However, there was another reason why she couldn’t let out a sound.
With my current body size, they seem even bigger…
There was another emotion besides fear that was instilled in Fumino.
“Good pup, good pup~”
Uruka apparently assumed that Fumino had calmed down, and started walking.
I had no idea Uruka-chan liked dogs that much…
Fumino couldn’t do anything, and was forced to be dragged along.
“Oh? Uruka-san, what a coincidence to meet you here.”
Fumino heard a familiar voice, and tried to find the source of such.
“Ah, morning Rizurin.”
“Good morning.”
As a matter of fact, it was another girl Fumino knew all too well, wearing the uniform of Ogata Udon. She must be out on an errand.
“Is something wrong with that puppy?” Rizu looked at Fumino.
“Yeah, I just picked it up. Seems to be lost, so I’m holding onto them for now.”
“Is that so.”
(Please, Ricchan! Convince Uruka-chan! I have a place to be at!)
Rizu gave a profound glance at Fumino, who howled as hard as she could. Of course, nothing resembling human words came out of her mouth—Or so she thought.
“Hmm…”
As if Rizu picked up on Fumino’s intentions, she gave a deep nod.
(Huh…!? Ricchan, are my words getting through to you!?)
“It appears to be that way, yes.”
Receiving a response from Rizu, hope once again filled Fumino.
(It might be hard to believe, but I’m Fumino!)
“Oh?”
(I need to search for the reason why I ended up like this!)
“I see.”
(That’s why, could you convince Uruka-chan that she lets me free?)
“So that’s what’s going on.”
The conversation with Rizu seemed to work out quite a bit.
“You’re amazing, Rizurin, you can actually tell what this pup is thinking?” Uruka showed an expression filled with admiration.
“I am training my psychology level, so this much is expected.”
“I don’t think this and that are related…” Uruka showed a wry smile towards Rizu’s arrogant grin.
(I really have to agree with Uruka-chan here, but this helps me greatly!)
For now, Fumino could sigh in relief.
“And, what is this girl saying?”
“She seems to be hungry.” Rizu said, and opened up the lid of the udon bowl.
(That’s not it, okay!?)
Fumino had the udon pushed towards her, but she threw in a howl.
“Ahh, I see. Sorry I never realized.”
(You’re wrong, alright!?)
Since Uruka was satisfied far too easily for Fumino’s taste, she threw in another howl retort.
“We actually received a cancelled order as I was on the way, so I was about to throw this way. Please, eat as much as you want. It doesn’t have any onions, so no worries.”
Rizu offered Fumino the bowl with only good will, and as if to ridicule Fumino even more, her stomach grumbled with an adorable tone.
(Right, I didn’t get to eat anything this morning…)
If she hadn’t been a dog, Fumino’s face would have been beet red by now.
(They’re wrong…I never said that, but…I’m still happy! Thanks, Ricchan! I won’t waste any food!)
Yet, all she could do was howl in sadness, as she stuffed her mouth.
(Phew, thanks for the food!)
In the end, Fumino enjoyed the udon bowl, while still carried by Uruka.
“As long as you enjoyed it.”
That apparently got through to Rizu, who politely lowered her head.
(…Wait, I don’t have time for this! Uruka-chan, let go of me!)
There, Fumino finally remembered what her original goal was, and started growing rampant in Uruka’s arms.
“Oh, you’re back with full energy, huh? But, you gotta stay still until we’re home~”
(That’s not it!)
“Hmm…I see…”
(Ricchan, why do you seem so confident again!? Ah, because I did eat it after all!? I dug my own grave, huh!)
The situation took a turn for the worse—or so she thought.
“Maybe this puppy isn’t lost, but actually has a place it needs to return to?”
Rizu actually guessed Fumino’s intention.
(That! Nice assist, RIcchan!)
Fumino nodded strongly several times.
“Huh…? Is this puppy…nodding?”
“I heard that dogs hold knowledge similar to a young child. It might just understand the basic gist of what we are saying.”
Fumino nodded along, seeing a ray of hope.
“I see…So there’s a place you need to go to…Sorry to bother you like that.”
(Ah, no, I was really happy for the kind treatment, Uruka-chan!)
This time, Fumino shook her head horizontally. Following that, Uruka and Rizu looked at each other.
“Maybe it really understood us…”
“How clever!”
They both rubbed Fumino’s head, and Uruka let her down on the ground.
To think I would feel this much safety just by standing on the ground…
Fumino could sigh in relief.
(Alright you two, I’ll see you again…when I’m human!)
Fumino put all her hope into this one howl.
“Have a safe trip.”
“Take care~”
Rizu and Uruka waved at Fumino, who ran down the street.
***
After she ran for a while, she arrived at the corner where she had encountered the older lady last night. However, that store was nowhere to be found now.
What should I do, I don’t have any other ideas where she could…Ah!
Fumino looked around in a panic, and spotted the older lady walking across a pedestrian crossing.
(Excuse me, but could we talk about the headband you sold to me last night!)
Fumino barked, as she ran towards the older lady. Her eyes were fixated only on the person in front of her. As a result, she didn’t even realize the approaching cars. If she had reacted quick enough, she might have been able to avoid it, but her legs were frozen to the ground caused by the shock.
…Huh? Am I going to die here…?
As the car drove towards Fumino, her mind turned blank. If she were to get hit by a car with her current body, there was no chance for her to survive. And, this fate was sure to happen in the next few seconds.
If I had to die, I wanted to at least look like a human…
However.
“Danger!”
Together with this voice, Fumino’s body was picked up. She was tightly grasped inside her saviour’s arms, who rolled around on the ground to stand up in one smooth motion. Fumino had trouble even understanding what was going on, as her vision tumbled over and over, where she merely heard the surroundings letting out ‘Ohhh!’ screams of admiration.
“Rescue…Seems like I made it in time.”
Her saviour turned out to be another familiar person.
(K-Kirisu-sensei!)
It was Fumino’s teacher Kirisu Mafuyu.
(Thank you very much! You really saved me!)
Inside Teacher Kirisu’s arms, Fumino howled in joy.
“You must have been scared right. It’s all okay now.” Teacher Kirisu showed a warm smile, and gently caressed Fumino’s head.
Sensei…So she smiles like that as well…
Fumino was slightly surprised to see that reaction. The Mafuyu she knew always held a stern expression on her face, acting like a calm, almost cold person, which left her a bit scared every time they ran into each other.
I really don’t know anything about Kirisu-sensei, huh…
At the same time as she felt regret, she was filled with the desire to know more about her. If she had tried to learn more about her teacher, maybe the future would have been different. Laughing together with Rizu and Mafuyu, studying in happiness—that scenery popped up in her head.
Well, if that had happened, I would have never gotten to know Nariyuki-kun.
Now that she had Nariyuki as her private tutor, she made great progress with her studies, stopped fearing math, and even had her father accept the path she had chosen. Without him, she probably wouldn’t even be talking with her father right now. All she had for Nariyuki was endless gratitude.
Well, the fault of that mostly lies with me though…
Fumino gave an inner wry smile, and admitted her fault.
He really did a lot for me…
Right as she felt her heart skip a beat, it happened.
“Great work, Sensei.”
“…Yuiga-kun, you saw that?”
The person she had just thought about inside her head appeared in front of her.
(N-Nariyuki-kun!?)
She let out a delayed howl.
(T-This is not what you think, okay!? I wasn’t thinking anything like that…)
Feeling flustered because of this timing, Fumino tried to make up excuses, which only came out as barks. In more than one sense, she was wasting her energy.
“Ah, am I being hated, I wonder?” Nariyuki interpreted Fumino’s barking in such a way, and showed a hollow smile. “Ah, Sensei, that reminds me.”
He took out something from his bag, and handed it to Mafuyu.
…A band-aid?
Fumino looked at the item, and tilted her head.
“Feel free to use this.”
However, when she looked at Mafuyu’s hand who accepted the band-aid, she saw a small wound, which she most likely suffered when she saved Fumino.
“…You really keep a close look.” Mafuyu didn’t even sound surprised, just accepting the band-aid.
That in itself was quite shocking for Fumino however.
“Knowing you, I figured that ending things in a cool fashion was pretty much impossible.”
“Dissatisfaction. What is that supposed to mean?”
“Ahaha, I’m sorry.”
Watching the conversation between the two, Fumino had a single thought.
Sensei and Nariyuki-kun talk this way towards each other?)
Fumino had never seen the two talk like this, especially Nariyuki being this relaxed. Maybe because he had to act reliable and dignified in front of his ‘students’ Fumino and the others.
I guess Sensei is special to Nariyuki-kun…?
As she was thinking about that, she felt a faint pain in her chest.
“By the way, this is a stray dog, right? I don’t see a collar on its neck.”
“With such clean fur, I highly doubt it…”
Hearing their conversation, Fumino snapped back to reality.
(T-That’s right, I need to get going!)
She turned towards the location she had last seen the old lady at, but couldn’t spot her any longer. Fumino started barking again, and struggled to break free of Mafuyu’s arms.
“Ah…sorry to keep holding you like this. Calm down, I’ll let you down right away.” Mafuyu gently put down Fumino on the ground.
(Sensei, thank you for saving me! Nariyuki-kun, see you tomorrow!)
Fumino nodded once, and started running again.
“Did that puppy…just thank you?”
“Maybe it was just a coincidence…?”
She heard these voices at her back, but ignored them.
This time she paid attention to the traffic light, and arrived at the location she last saw the old lady.
Hmm…I completely lost her…
However, the older lady had vanished completely, leaving Fumino aimless.
Maybe she opened up the store in the park over there…?
Feeling a bit of hope, Fumino trotted inside the park.
“Woof?”
That’s when she heard that noise, which didn’t come from her. When she directed her face towards the source, she saw a parent and puppy, both of them with white fur.
“Woof, woof.”
The puppy barked as if he wanted to say something, but Fumino couldn’t understand it.
(Sorry, I only look like this, but I can’t talk with you…)
Fumino barked back, not even attempting to strike up a conversation.
[Does this work by any chance?]
(Eh?! It works!? Is this the delayed effect from the headband!?)
Fumino got excited for a second, but realized what was going on later.
[So this does work, I see.]
(No!? This doggie is just writing on the ground!?)
The parent dog used its front paw to write words on the ground.
(Eh, wah, amazing! So clever!)
It was a shock in a lot of ways.
[My name is Pero. Who are you, woof?]
(I’m Fumino…Ah, this might not work after all.)
Fumino howled for a second, but quickly mimicked the dog’s movement.
[I’m Fumino.]
Since she was worried that maybe the dog didn’t understand it if she used kanji, she instead wrote it all in hiragana.
[Are you searching for someone or something?]
[There’s someone I’m searching for, but I can’t find them…]
[I see, woof.]
Pero nodded, and tilted his head.
[Then, how about you try and trace their scent, woof?]
[Scent…]
Being told exactly that, Fumino’s nose twitched. She never really paid much attention to it, but she could pick up the different scent trails in the air, one of them belonging to the older lady.
[I can do this! Sorry, but I need to get going, Pero-chan! Thanks!]
[You’re welcome, woof.]
Fumino gave Pero her gratitude, who nodded along. However, that’s where a certain doubt popped up inside her head.
[Um…Why are you helping a stranger like me?]
Pero hesitated for a second, before looking left and right.
[You gave off a nostalgic scent, is all.]
Pero wrote, and showed something like a smile.
[Nostalgic scent…]
Pero showed no signs of preparing a response. The small puppy at their side seemed as confused, just looking up at the dog.
[More importantly, shouldn’t you chase after that person? The scent will be gone eventually.]
[R-Right!]
Fumino still had some doubts, but catching that lady had priority.
[Thanks a lot, Pero-chan!]
Fumino wrote these last few words and walked away, to which Pero nodded.
So I guess my scent is familiar to Pero-chan in some way…?
When she took a whiff from her own scent, she realized that a lot of it was from Mafuyu, who had carried her before.
Was that the dog Sensei kept before…?
However, Fumino had no way of knowing that what she was thinking was indeed the truth.
***
A few hours passed, spent by Fumino running through the streets. However.
(Huff…I can’t catch up with her at all…)
Around the time the sun started to set, she walked along with a hung head and tail. She still had the scent of the old lady in her nose, and at times she could even see her in the distance. However, right when she thought she caught up with her, the woman disappeared. This process repeated over and over, like she was chasing after a ghost.
(Maybe I will have to stay as a dog…)
Because the exhaustion got the better of her, her negative thoughts started to grow stronger. But then—
“Huh…? Aren’t you from this morning…?”
Fumino heard a voice above her head, and looked up in shock.
(Nariyuki-kun…)
The howl that came out of her mouth was weaker than expected.
“You seem to be out of energy…did something happen?” Nariyuki’s expression was filled with worry, as he crouched down in front of Fumino. “Are you hungry by any chance?”
(Why does everybody assume I’m hungry!?)
Fumino howled in protest.
“Hm? Was I wrong? …Wait, why am I even talking with a dog…” Nariyuki shook his head, flashing a wry smile. “But, it felt like you were able to understand me, so…” He giggled. “Can I pat your head?”
Fumino nodded.
“There, there…” Nariyuki gently placed his hand on Fumino’s head.
I don’t know why, but this feels so reassuring…
That just showed how much in the dark Fumino had found herself before.
“You resemble someone I know. Someone I can’t leave alone no matter what.”
He probably didn’t catch on to this very dog being Fumino, but that phrase had Fumino’s heart skip a beat.
“I’m sure that it’s because of your fur. The person I’m talking about has beautiful, long hair…It’s like she’s right here.”
At the very least, it seemed like he was really thinking of Fumino.
“She works really hard, you know? To achieve whatever she wants, she’s ready to go through any kind of hardship, and is moving forward slowly but steadily. She’s pretty cool, right?”
Nariyuki-kun…
Hearing an unexpected evaluation of herself, Fumino felt a bit embarrassed.
“Because I have her with me, I feel like I can become ‘serious’ as well. She’s pushing my back, that’s why I can muster up the courage I need.”
Nariyuki narrowed his eyes, giggling.
That’s what I’m supposed to say. Because I have you with me, I can walk forward.
Fumino felt the same way Nariyuki did. If she hadn’t met him, her grades would have stayed abysmal as before, leaving her in the hopeless darkness, without finding a ray of hope. Thanks to him, Fumino gained confidence in herself.
“To me, she’s something like a teacher as well. She teaches me all sorts of things…Especially when it comes to the heart of a woman…although I still don’t get it at all.”
Yup, you sure don’t.
Fumino nodded with confidence.
“See, if I were to caress her head like this, she’d probably get angry at me.”
You really don’t get it.
Fumino showed a pout inside her heart.
(You can rub my head even when I’m in my human form, you know?)
Since she assumed that it wouldn’t get through to him anyway, she became a bit more bold than usual.
“Hm? Are you trying to cheer me up?”
After all, everything that came out of Nariyuki’s mouth was faint howling and barking. Feeling a bit dejected at this, she rubbed her nose at his hand.
Nariyuki-kun’s scent…
She could pick up his scent in greater detail than ever, which had her heart pound from the excitement, but equally calmed her down. It was an odd sensation.
I don’t think I could get tired of this…
She caught herself thinking.
…Wait, stop. That makes it sound like I’m the same as Uruka-chan! It’s not like I feel the same as her, okay!?
Fumino frantically shook her head.
“Haha, are you being considerate of me?” Nariyuki smiled happily. “…Hey, do you want to come to my place?”
(…Eh?!)
Met with this unexpected question, Fumino howled in confusion.
Going to Nariyuki-san’s place…doesn’t that mean…he picked me up!?
She will become Nariyuki’s pet. Arriving at this conclusion, an odd sense of disarray and excitement filled Fumino’s chest.
Y-You can’t do that, Nariyuki-kun! I’m actually a human…! B-But, if you’re going to capture me here, then I won’t be able to escape…You’re going to force me into the bath, and wash all sorts of places…Hyaaaaa!?
Fumino fantasized about this and that, and realized how her body started quivering.
“I’d love to say that, but…”
However, because of Nariyuki’s following words, her eyes opened wide in shock, as she looked up at him.
“Sorry, but we don’t have the finances to keep a pet…”
Even towards a dog like Fumino was, Nariyuki apologetically lowered his head.
“Ah, but, you can stop by for dinner at least? I’m sure that’ll give you enough energy to keep going. What do you think?”
Fumino smiled internally, but shook her head.
(It’s fine! Thanks to you, I’m feeling much better already!)
She howled with as much energy as she could muster. All these negative and gloomy feelings inside of her had vanished already. Today didn’t work, but she just had to keep trying the day after.
“I see. I don’t really get it, but it seems like you’re back to full energy.”
Even this determination seemed to have reached Nariyuki.
“Maybe if we’re lucky, we’ll meet again.” Nariyuki gave Fumino these last few words, and removed his hand from Fumino’s head.
(Thank you, Nariyuki-kun!)
She barked energetically, and gently licked Nariyuki’s finger. This was the best Fumino could in order to give Nariyuki her gratitude. Following this, she turned her back towards him, and started walking towards her own home. She felt Nariyuki’s gaze at her back, knowing that he was seeing her off.
***
Then, she made it back to her home.
(…I totally forgot.)
She looked up the closed door, and howled in defeat.
(What should I do…I can only wait for Dad to come home…When will he be home, I wonder…Or, is he already home…?)
Yet again, uncertainty filled Fumino’s heart.
(Does Dad even like dogs…? Maybe he won’t even take me in…)
Thinking about it, Fumino didn’t know much about that. Right as she started to feel a bit lonely, she heard footsteps approach.
“You again…”
The owner of these footsteps was Furuhashi Reiji.
(Dad came back early, huh…?)
Fumino asked herself with a dubious scowl.
“So Fumino really picked you up.”
Naturally, those words didn’t get through to him, as Reiji just showed a nod.
“Fumino hasn’t gotten home yet?” He asked himself, as he put the key inside the door. “Since I have to work all-night again, I was hoping to let her know and got home early, but it can’t be helped, I’ll leave her a note…Also, when did she even leave the house this morning…?” Then, he looked over at Fumino.
“For now, I’ll send you to Fumino’s room.”
(Wah!?)
Fumino barked in shock at being lifted up.
“I doubt you’d be able to use the stairs with that size of yours.” Reiji said, and gently carried Fumino’s body.
Ah, this sensation…
Faint memories from days long past flooded Fumino’s mind.
So nostalgic…
That was back when her mother was still healthy, and she held a blooming relationship with her father. She remembered often being carried like this.
I see…So Dad can be like this still…
Fumino was enveloped in a secure feeling. The exhaustion from the day caught up with her, as she fell asleep quickly.
***
“…Mmm.”
Woken up by the morning sunshine, Fumino growned.
“……Yawnnn.”
After that, she let out a long yawn, and stretched her tired body.
“Ahh, that was a great sleep…”
It felt like she had slept much more comfortably for a long time now.
“I feel like I had a weird dream though…Something about me becoming a dog…” she mumbled to herself, as it took a few more seconds before her consciousness was back to full power.
She panicked a bit, and looked down at her own hands.
“These are…my human hands, right…?” She blinked a few times, and then sighed in relief. “So it was just a dream after all, huh.” She flashed a wry smile. “I guess that makes sense. This isn’t some fantasy where I would turn into a dog…It’s all because of that stup—” She put her hand on her head, but couldn’t find the headband. “Huh…?”
She got down from her bed, and confirmed her own appearance in the mirror. The headband was nowhere to be found. She checked inside her bag, but no traces were left there either.
“So me buying it was part of the dream…?” She was confused, but that was the only possible conclusion. “It felt awfully real though…Then again, that’s how dreams work.”
A bit of confusion was left inside of her, but Fumino ignored that, and stepped out on the hallway.
“Ah…Fumino, good morning.”
“Morning Dad.”
Reiji was already present in the living room, so they each greeted each other.
Huh…? He finished his all-nighter? I thought he was home yesterday…?
Fumino felt confusion and doubt at this scene. The fact that he had work all-night should have happened only in the dream.
“Were you home late yesterday?”
“Eh…? I think I was home at the usual time…”
“Hm? Maybe we just passed each other…?”
Fumino felt like there was a rift in their conversation, like something didn’t add up.
“By the way, Fumino.” Reiji changed the subject. “What about them?”
“Hm…?”
A question mark appeared on top of Fumino’s head.
“Um…are you talking about Ricchan? Or Nariyuki-kun?” She named a few of her friends.
“No…Are you hiding it by any chance? I’m not angry or anything.”
“What are you talking about?” Fumino was left confused.
“Well…I’m talking about that dog you kept.”
“…Huh?” Fumino’s mouth opened in shock, as did her eyes. “Eh…hold on a second…?” The confusion got the better of her, plaguing her head. “Are you talking about a puppy with black fur…?”
“Is there another?”
“N-No, that’s not what I meant…” Fumino’s voice started shaking. “Last night, did you carry up a puppy to my room…?”
“What, you saw that?”
Finally, Fumino’s bad premonition turned out to be true.
Ehhhhhhhhhhh!? That actually happened!?
“So, what about that dog? Still asleep? Did you provide some proper sleeping space? Does it have a name? You already bought a leash?”
“Ah, eh, wait…T-That dog was actually just lost, and because I couldn’t find the owner last night, I took him home with me!” She came up with a random excuse.
As a result of that, Reiji seemed somewhat dejected.
“…I see, that’s what it was…” He sighed, and turned towards the plastic bag at his side.
From the top of it, Fumino could see some dog food and dog toys, as well as a brush and other necessities when keeping a dog.
“…Dad…” Fumino spoke p. “Do you like dogs?”
“Hm…I don’t dislike them…” Or so he said, but that didn’t have much conviction with the bag right next to him.
That reminds me, he bought lots of stuff when Fumi stopped by…
“Hey, Dad.” Fumino smiled. “A friend of mine apparently knows Frieda-san, so how about we see them another time?”
“…That might be a good idea.”
Fumino might not know much about her father. However, she can just start learning now. Because that’s what studying means.
***
As for Fumino, she went to school normally after that.
“Morning Furuhashi.”
“Eeek!? Ah, N-Nariyuki-kun, good morning…”
“…? Sorry, did I scare you or something?”
“No, um, I just remembered what happened yesterday…”
“Yesterday…? We never met, did we…?”
“R-Right! Ahaha, I guess I’m still sleepy!”
Fumino was surprised by being greeted by Nariyuki, and worked hard to cover up her blunder.
Although it was as a dog…
She remembered her encounter with Nariyuki from the previous day, and felt embarrassed. She felt glad that it was just a dream—but also was a bit disappointed.
“Yahooo! Morning, Fuminocchi, Nariyuki!”
“Good morning.”
Uruka and Rizu joined them, leaving Fumino relieved.
“Ah, a puppy!”
However, because of Uruka’s sudden words, Fumino was left in shock again. She felt her body freeze up. However, Uruka’s gaze went past Fumino, glued to a puppy who was out on a walk with its owner.
“Um, can I give this puppy a hug!?”
The owner nodded towards Uruka’s question.
“Yaaaay!” Uruka raised the puppy high up.
“U-Uruka-chan, wait a second!” Fumino frantically stopped her.
“Hm? What’s wrong?”
“Listen, Uruka-chan.” Fumino raised a finger, and delivered an explanation. “From a puppy’s point of view, humans are giants, you know. If you suddenly run towards them, and raise them up, they’ll be scared. You gotta think of the puppy’s feelings as well.”
“I-I see!” Uruka nodded in admiration.
“That’s Teacher for you, you even understand the feelings of animals.”
“W-Well…” Fumino didn’t know what to respond to Nariyuki’s praise.
Understand the feelings of animals, huh…
She remembered the headband she bought.
But, since I’ve started to understand their feelings at least a little bit, it’s not like everything was a lie…right?
That’s what Fumino thought with a wry smile, and felt like the older lady was smiling at her from a far distance.
CClaw Translations 