FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Going back home after my time with Kounosuke, I left the fan with Grandpa for whatever else he wanted to do with it. As for that book, I had to stuff it under my stacks of clothes in the drawer. It wasn't the best way to hide such a thing, but still good enough to keep them from seeing it. When all was said and done, I was once again out under the sun while heading to one of our frequent hangouts: the candy store.

I arrived there with my white shirt drenched in sweat, the cloth becoming almost translucent. The days here seemed to get hotter and hotter as they passed. That, or I got used to all the air-conditioning in the city that even a bit of heat would turn me into a sweaty mess. Going near the eaves, I caught my breath as the shade gave me relief from the sun. On the bench there I saw Shun-kun and Soutarou-kun, the two enjoying what seemed to be green-colored popsicles. Although we shared a quick greeting, my thirst took over and left me no time to chat, me grabbing a bottle of Ramune from the cooler before plopping next to the little wolf.

"A-Are you alright?" Shun-kun asked.

"You were staggering around..." Soutarou-kun said.

I gave a half-hearted chuckle while popping the Ramune bottle open. "I'm fine. It's just a little too hot today."

For me, it was. For them, maybe not so much. They have been living here for a long time so they're probably used to all the heat and humidity here every summer. As for this city-dweller, it would take a while - hopefully not an eternity - before getting used to this climate. But this bottle of Ramune wasn't helping my case. The marble inside was preventing anything from coming out, and I had to tilt the bottle many times just to get a sip out.

Shun-kun tapped my shoulder. "Umm, Hiroyuki-san, at the neck of the bottle there's a spot where you trap it and drink."

Puzzled, I took a look and saw two finger-sized hollow spots at the bottle's neck. Those spots were where the marble should be trapped when taking a drink. With a gentle tile, I put the marble there and took a drink. As soon as the fizzy lemon drink came contact with my mouth, a refreshing cool feeling travelled all over my body, me squealing in delight.

"Thanks, Shun-kun!" I said. "So, this is how you drink Ramune."

Soutarou-kun tilted his head. "You didn't know?"

"Hiroyuki-san used to drink like that back then too," Shun-kun replied.

"Oh, well..."

There was no way to hide my shame. I used to buy Ramune a lot back when I was a kid to get marbles at a fair price, yet the memory of how to drink it completely escaped me. At least, this new experience replaced the old one that got lost. Setting that aside, Shun-kun and Soutarou-kun were heartily gulping down their popsicles. When Shun-kun gave me the empty package, I saw that it was a soda-flavored double bar, the two splitting it between themselves.

"But what if you wanted to eat a whole one?" I asked.

Shun-kun pouted. "It's too big for me to eat."

"What about you, Soutarou-kun?"

The lion rubbed the top of his upper lip."I'm kinda restricting myself from too much sweet stuff right now."

Given that the lion was the athletic type, it was understandable. But seeing them enjoy the taste of their popsicles, I couldn't help but want to take a bite of it. I could ask Shun-kun to let me have some of his, but his popsicle's already halved. Having no choice, I turned to the lion.

"Erm, Soutarou-kun..."

The lion turned. "Yes?"

"Can I..." I looked at him with wistful eyes. "... have a bite of your popsicle?"

Soutarou-kun looked at me apologetically. "Sorry, but no."

"Eh? Why?"

"Because, that's like an indirect kiss, isn't it?" he whispered.

Shun-kun turned to us. "Hmm? What did you say Soutarou-kun?"

Soutarou-kun couldn't speak a word, his cheeks turning red. How Shun-kun was oblivious to these kinds of things despite already being a high school freshman baffled me. Then again, I forgot to consider that idea when it came to sharing food. And Soutarou-kun was just someone I met a few days ago so things like these would definitely be awkward for both of us. Shun-kun took a look at Soutarou-kun's thinning popsicle, his expression turning into glee.

"You're a winner!" Shun-kun said. "It's the 'Winner' mark!"

"That means you get a free popsicle, right?" I asked.

"But, I already had one," the lion said. "So I guess, this is yours now, Hiroyuki-senpai."

After Soutarou-kun finished his frozen treat, I took the stick and went inside, having it exchanged. Needless to say, I felt a bit heartbroken on the distance between me and Soutarou-kun. Perhaps when the opportunity came, we should have a talk to know each other more. When I came back, I never thought said opportunity presented would present itself when I saw Soutarou-kun alone on the bench.

"Where's Shun-kun?" I asked, sitting next to him.

"Ah, he joined Aotsuki-san for a walk," the lion replied.

"Is that so..."

We sat there for minutes, the two of us unable to speak to each other. I finally had a moment to talk to him alone, but the problem was how to start it. Maybe I should've thought about this more. A deep breath, and I let whatever question that first popped into my brain come out.

"Hey, Soutarou-kun. Where do you live?"

Well, something standard. Can't go wrong with that.

"Oh. I live near Shun-kun's house."

I finished whatever was left of my popsicle. "Really? So you two go to school at the same time?"

The lion nodded. "When I'm not with senpai, I talk and hang out with Shun-kun."

"But what about Tora and the others?"

"Er, that's..." The lion twiddled his fingers. "I talk to them too, but it's kinda hard when you just moved into the neighborhood not too long ago. Shun-kun and senpai, I got along with them because they were the first to approach me."

"Is that so?"

"How about you, Nishimura-senpai? How did you get along the first time you met them?"

To be honest, my memories of my first meeting with everyone were rather blurry. I think it was around pre-school when we first met. I was a kid playing alone on the swings when a little tiger approached me, asking in a shy voice if he could use the free swing next to me. That was my first meeting with Torahiko and yes, it was awkward at first, but after we talked for a while, we got along well and ended up going for the sandbox next. From there, we met more friends and that was how the eight of us got together. Shin-kun was the latest to join us, him only arriving to Minasato when we were in elementary school.

"I guess you got pretty close with Ooshima-senpai after that, huh?" Soutarou-kun said.

I nodded. "Yep! Oh, speaking of home, what does your Mom and Dad do for a living?"

Soutarou-kun's enthusiastic smile changed into a melancholic frown, the lion hugging himself. "I... never knew my Dad."

The air felt a little heavier. "O-Oh. I'm... sorry."

The lion raised his hand. "It's alright. Senpai and Shun -kun already knew this so I guess it's fair you did too. I can tell more if you want."

"Is it alright with you?"

With a nod, the lion continued. His mother was the only one who raised him since birth, as his father died in a car accident before he was even born. Unlike me who was born in the country, he was born in the city and when life got too hectic for the both of them, they decided to move here. The move was easy enough, as his aunt also lived in the village and they would have periodic visits to the city for their other relatives.

"Really had it rough, huh?" I said, patting his back. "Sorry for asking too much from you."

"No sweat about it," Soutarou-kun said, standing up followed by a jump. "Let's get this bad air out! It's not good for us!"

I smiled. "Guess that's why Kyouji-san likes you that much."

Soutarou-kun blushed.

"Let's make lots of summer memories this month, alright?"

The lion nodded. "Yes, Nishimura-senpai!"

"Hiroyuki. You can call me by my first name."

"Gee, that might take a while..." he said, rubbing the back of his head.