FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

After breakfast, I got my stuff together and left the inn the same time as Torahiko did. We went to my house first to drop off my things, greeting grandma and Grandpa once we arrived, then went straight to the bus station. When the bus to Kazenari was finally there, the tiger gave me a quick hug before boarding. As it left, we kept waving at each other until we could barely see each other. When it got out of sight, I recalled something that happened on the day I was about to leave the village.

That day, we still had some hours left before leaving for the city, so me and Tora decided to have one last time roaming around everywhere we wished. Along the way, we bought popsicles and took a break at the bus station. He talked about how it would be boring if I wasn't around anymore and about the fun things I would miss out on. And then he started sobbing, dropping his half-eaten popsicle as his tears started to fall. Holding each other, we cried our hearts out in that station, feeling lucky that no one was in sight right after we had calmed down. It was a moment that we kept secret to ourselves.

I stopped thinking about it and wandered around the streets aimlessly. Nothing new since I've been having random walks outside almost every day recently. To be fair, the streets were tranquil enough to accommodate anyone who preferred going out a lot. It's probably why Juuichi-san liked to walk here in his spare time. Now if this were the city's busy streets, it would be a different story.

My inner blabbering came to a halt when I saw someone with a backpack walking the path that led to the forest. It was a cat and, judging by the black tail, seemed to be Shin-kun. But the clothes seemed to be of a different color, so it was hard to tell from my distance. The cat disappeared into the trees and while I should be minding my own business, curiosity got the better of me and I ended up following the trail.

While I followed the trail, I kept on thinking of what would be Shin-kun's reason for going, if it indeed was him. Foraging for wild herbs? Butterfly catching? Chopping down a tree? Many possible reasons came to mind, though that one with the tree chopping was highly unlikely given his asthma.

The path did lead to the forest, but at a point the cat took a different turn from the one I was familiar with, him eventually going out of my sight. Going in a path I think he took, the area around had more weeds that were enough to keep people out. Why would he even go this way? Or rather, did he really go this way? Sure, it had more shade since the trees blocked most of the sunlight but the humidity, not to mention the burrs that got stuck to my shirt, got me itchy all over.

Tripping on rocks, slipping on mud, and treading bumpy paths, I was at my limit and, in exasperation, took another step with all my strength and slipped again, this time falling on top of the bushes. I wanted to turn back, but then I saw a path made of trampled grass over where I fell. Regaining a bit of hope, I pressed on. Seeing the light up ahead, I ran until I reached the end, where I had to shut my eyes a bit until they adapted to the brightness. When I opened them again I saw myself standing before some sort of clearing, the trees circling around the grass-covered area.

Looking around the area, I saw the cat lying down with his back against a large tree, his backpack resting on his chest. Alarmed, I ran to where he was, forgetting about my own fatigue. When I got close enough, I saw that it was indeed Shin-kun. I checked his whole body and there doesn't seem to be any wound on him. His eyes were closed and he wasn't responding to my arrival. He must have fainted from the heat. Damn! If only I had water with me...

But there was no time for complaining. I had to act fast. I remember one time during our health class that when something like this happened, we needed to do artificial respiration. While the thought of lip-to-lip contact with a friend is unthinkable, there was no choice in the matter. I took deep breaths and once my lungs were filled with air, I closed my eyes and went for it. But before my lips could even make contact, I felt a powerful slap on my cheek.

"What were you going to do to someone who was asleep?!"

Lying on the ground and rubbing my painful cheek, I looked up and saw Shin-kun standing up, breathing heavily with red cheeks and an angry glare directed at me. When everything had calmed down, I sat up and explained my side of things and the cat explained his. Apparently he was reading some book and then dozed off after a few pages. So much for thinking his life was in danger.

"I was sure you hit your head," I said, frowning in embarrassment.

Shin-kun bowed his head. "Sorry for worrying you then."

"I'm sorry too."

"But seriously, artificial respiration? If you're gonna put your lips on mine, you could've at least bought me lunch first."

"I was panicking alright! Anyway, what brings you here?"

Shin-kun smiled as he sat back down. "It's great for my asthma if I get some fresh air frequently. Besides, that house is too big and..." Trailing off, he seemed to murmur something like "Because it's lonely."

"Come again?"

He coughed. "That place is too big and quiet. I can't calm down. Other than Amaki doing his work, nothing else happens."

"Why here in the forest?"

"I fell asleep on the village outskirts once and Kounosuke took pictures. I knew about it when he visited and showed it to me, laughing. Since then, I've been trying to find a place that's private and found this one."

"And what abo-"

"I burned those pictures. Along with the negatives."

Damn it!

"This place is really good." Shin-kun closed his eyes. "The trees block out the village's noises, and you can only near the trees and the insects here. I can relax for hours without anyone bugging me."

"Ow!" I felt a bug bite me. And when I examined myself closer, I found bites all over my arms, neck, and back. Not my fault. It wasn't like I was expecting myself to enter the forest today so I had no repellant on. But to my relief, Shin-kun had some medicine on hand. I took the lotion and slathered it all over the bite marks.

"But really, thanks for worrying about me," Shin-kun said.

"Don't mention it. It's the least I could do for the cookies you gave last time."

He chuckled. "Hey, Hiroyuki."

"Yes?"

"Was city life interesting for you?"

I paused. "What's with the sudden question? Didn't you use to live in the city before moving here?"

"Well yes. But I want to hear how you experienced city life. So, how was it?"

What I told him wasn't too different from what I told Tora: hellish, fast-paced, and breakdown-inducing. But we managed to find our way with things, in my case being almost invisible to classmates. Looking back at it, I wondered how everyone there sustained such busy lives, as if taking a breather was some crime against nature. I even thought that if someone from that metropolitan mess came here, he'd go insane from how slow life was in Minasato.

"Must've been a hellish adventure," Shin-kun said.

"I had enough things to keep me sane. Video games and the Internet being two."

"I guess the answer would be obvious if I asked you where do you want to live more?"

I scratched my head. "No question that I'd prefer it here, but I wouldn't mind if Minasato caught up with the times. I mean, some cell reception and wi-fi wouldn't hurt. And computers would definitely help for a lot of people."

The cat nodded. "It would be nice to look for recipes online without having to go all the way to Kazenari."

"Speaking of which, do you have an e-mail address?"

"None of us has one. Even if we did, our inboxes would be full before we could check it."

I sighed. "Man, I wish Shigure-jiisan's efforts won't go to waste."

A period of silence followed our conversation as we took our time to relax, enjoying nature's sights and sounds. The noontime sun After a while, Shin-kun spoke again.

"You know how Kounosuke's been rambling on how life's boring here, right?" the cat said.

"Yeah. Though I wish he'd change his mind about it. Maybe if I told him my story..."

"I kinda agree to it somewhat." Shin-kun lied down again, resting his back on the tree's trunk. "Barely anything exciting ever happens here, and Kazenari's just as quiet as the rest of the other towns. And unless you plan on doing farming, civil work, or inheriting a family business, employment's not too good here either. Can't blame him for wanting to move out."

"Shin-kun..."

"But, I don't really care about those things." The cat smiled. "I'd much prefer the peace and quiet of the village. And your story just made me want to stay here more."

"Is that so?" I asked, chuckling nervously.

"And it's not like nothing really happens here."

"Oh?"

Shin-kun sat up. "Things look mundane, but if you take a closer look it might not be so. For example, did you notice that the candy store now has an electric machine for making shaved ice?"

"Come to think of it, yeah. Before I left, they just used a hand-cranked shaver."

"That new shaver came here last year. You weren't here to see it, but the kids were jumping when it arrived. And that's only one instance." Shin-kun's smile got a little wider. "There's also everyone's shenanigans, but I'd rather not go into detail about that. Stupid it may be sometimes, but I have to admit, it made me laugh from time to time."

"Excitement in mundaneness, huh?" I stroked my chin. "If only Kounosuke could see that."

"Well, nothing we can do. But that's how he is. Can you picture him any different?"

I thought about it for a bit. "No..."

"Same goes for the rest. But since you just arrived, some things are a bit new."

"Yeah. Never thought that Tatsu-nii would end up drinking like Tappei-san."

Covering his mouth and yawning silently, the cat got up. "Well then, I suppose it's time to go home. In exchange for the mess, how about I treat you to lunch back at the mansion?"

I jumped up. "Sure! Like I'd turn down free food!"

"Shameless as always." The cat smirked. "I can't compare to how Torahiko cooks, but I certainly won't lose when it comes to Western food."

Shaking the earth and grass off our clothes, we took the less-hostile path out of the forest and headed to the mansion for lunch. This time, Amaki-san was there. The blue-eyed and white-furred feline butler helped Shin-kun with the cooking and as I waited in the dining room, I imagined the two acting in contrast to each other. It wasn't too far from reality though; Amaki-san was usually more cheerful. Today's lunch was a seafood pasta and, with the clanging of our juice-filled wine glasses, we had our meal.