Chapter 3: Inuyuka, the “Guard Dog,” Diplomat, and Resident Skirt Flipper

Inuyuka Takahashi sat near the back of homeroom, her nose in a book as usual, while two of her best friends, Neckiery Ito and Sorahime Masada, has an animated conversation.

"So...What kind of animal do you think Hayami Transformed into last night?" Neckiery asked. She was the resident gossip, and currently, she couldn't shut up about their friend Hayami's recent Transformation. So far they hadn't heard a word from her yet, and they were all curious.

Even Inuyuka herself really wanted to know what kind of animal her friend had become. Hayami had been the first of their friend group to Transform, so obviously, everyone was a little on edge. What kind of animal would she be? And most importantly, how much would their lives change now that one of their friends was a Shifter?

Inuyuka sighed. "Can't you just calm down? And Hayami wouldn't want us to be talking about her Transformation like that, you know."

"I know, but it's just too exciting not to talk about!" Neckiery exclaimed, granting herself another eye roll. The sporty Sorahime Masada, who was also the fastest runner in the entire city, took out her phone, as though she were above casual conversation. She wore her hair—which was dyed a lighter shade of blue to match her eyes—in a simple ponytail, which she somehow was able to turn into something elegant and refined.

She was tall and had a slender form, with a modest chest that made her a hit among guys who preferred smaller breasts. Inuyuka's own boobs were about the same size as Sorahime's: not too big and not too small, just right.

"Sora," Neckiery snapped. "Are you listening to me?"

"Of course I am; I just needed to check something," Sorahime replied, sounding bored and reluctant to even be talking.

"Leave her alone, Neckiery. Not everyone wants to gossip twenty four seven," Inuyuka chided. She always seemed to play the diplomat among her friends, especially when Hayami wasn't around.

It was a shame that the person of interest for today wasn't in their homeroom.

"Hmph." Displeased, Neckiery took out her own cell phone, while Inuyuka continued to read her book.

Currently, the hero was engaging in an epic battle with the villain, and all Inuyuka wanted to do was find out if the hero won or not. But it seemed as though that wasn't going to happen today.

When the bell rang to signal the start of classes, Mr. Ono, their homeroom teacher (and a sloth) stood up slowly from his desk and walked to the front of the room.

"Good morning, class. Today, I was tasked with giving you all permission slips for our school's annual field trip to Naragama Peace Memorial Park, to honor those who lost their lives in the historic bombing." The entire class started talking amongst themselves. The bombing was a touchy subject among citizens of this city, so whatever it was brought up, conversations always spiraled out of control.

Inuyuka immediately shut her book. Unlike most people, she actually took seriously the events that had taken place a little over fifty years ago. Instead of gossiping or reading while discussions were taking place, she would listen with an intent to understand and sympathize with those who had suffered.

Most teenagers these days—including her peers—did not take the bombing seriously.

"Now, I know the bombing is a very touchy subject among citizens of this city, which is why I'd like to leave today for an open discussion after passing out these permission slips. Until then, please stay quiet in your seats while I hand them out," Mr. Ono continued. Once again, Inuyuka felt the urge to roll her eyes. Mr. Ono took the liberty to hand out all of the permission slips one by one and, in his old age, (and his status as a sloth) he would take forever to pass them out.

Which meant that, in the end, there would be no time for a discussion.

Inuyuka sighed and put her book away, giving up any hope she had left for finishing it that day. As one of the people who sat near the back, she would be one of the last to receive her permission slip, and one of the last to be allowed to leave or speak.

And people would definitely judge her if she read while Mr. Ono was passing out permission slips.

After what felt like an eternity, Mr. Ono finally got to her seat, which was the last in the third row of desks. She stared at it on her desk and read it over quickly; she would need 2771.51¥ to pay for the trip (or about $25 American dollars), which would include bus fare and cover the cost of the tour.

The field trip was scheduled to be in about two weeks, plenty of time for her to get the money and her parent's signatures, which would be no problem at all considering she lived with them.

Inuyuka went on to wonder how Riniko was doing. Riniko was the daughter of a famous family of all rabbits, famous for the fact that they were all rabbit Shifters and that all of the men in her lineage had served in the military at some point in time. She knew for a fact that Riniko's great grandfather had served in World War II, and that he'd actually been involved with some of the stuff dealing with the bombing. She was probably having a harder time dealing with discussions than anyone in her class was.

As predicted, the second Mr. Ono handed out the last permission slip, the bell rang, which signaled the end of class. Inuyuka immediately got up from her seat, slung her backpack over her shoulder, and followed the stream of students out the door.

***

On the day after her Transformation, Hayami reluctantly entered the school, where she tried to stall going to homeroom as much as possible.

Luckily, a distraction found her, but not in a very desirable form.

Taking out her phone, Hayami walked as slowly as possible to homeroom, her eyes on the screen. So far, she had several missed text messages, but she didn't bother to answer them.

The hallway was mostly empty, due to the school's strict "no loitering" policy, except for that same upperclassman from before, the one who'd been eyeing her in the cafeteria during lunch the previous day. It appeared as though he'd come late, just like she had, and it seemed as though his locker was giving him trouble.

"Shit," he muttered, when he couldn't get his locker combination right.

"Um...do you need any help with that?" Hayami asked,

"What? Yeah, sure…" his voice faltered when he turned to see who she was. "Oh!" His eyes went wide in alarm. Hayami tried to keep her cool, but she was secretly embarrassed by his sudden attention. "Hey. Aren't you that freshman who Transformed yesterday?"

Now his eyes were slight with a wild excitement that made Hayami blush.

"Y—yeah. I am," she replied, stammering. This unfamiliar upperclassman was actually pretty handsome, as she was just now realizing, and that factor was accentuated by his excited smile and the glint in his caramel brown eyes.

"Come with me. I need to ask you something," he added, his tone suddenly serious. What's up with this guy? He's acting really weird… it's not like she'd ever really interacted with him before, anyway.

On second thought, he actually did look kind of familiar—not only because of his basic hair and eye color but because she faintly recalled him hanging out with her brother when he still went to the school. Junichiro was currently a freshman in college, and before he'd graduated, she'd seen him hanging out with this same guy before—if her memory wasn't failing her.

"What is it?" She narrowed her eyes in suspicion, her face still hot in embarrassment.

"I can't ask you here. Just come on already," he insisted, rolling his eyes. He grabbed her arm and pulled her into the nearby janitor's closet that was just down the hall, shutting the door behind them.

In the darkened room, Hayami was blushing so hard she thought her face might fall off from the heat. She felt the upperclassman's hands on her waist, and she could sell his cologne quite clearly in the air. She tried to back away but she almost tripped over something—she assumed it was a broom, but she couldn't be sure.

"Hold still. Don't worry; I'll keep you from tripping," the upperclassman reassured her in a soothing voice. This was just like a scene from some romance anime, only she wasn't all that happy about the situation, contrary to what most heroines would feel—she wasn't anywhere close to happy. Regardless, her heart beat wildly in her chest, and she felt light headed. She'd never been this close to a boy before, except for her brother, but that was different. This...it was something else entirely, a scene ripped straight from some anime or manga.

"This isn't an anime. You can't just say that and expect me to forgive you for shoving me in a closet. I could accuse you of rape and the entire school would believe me," Hayami blurted, desperately wanting the moment to end.

"Well, I know. I'm already shamed enough; I doubt being shamed any more than I am already would make a difference." He chuckled.

"Why are you laughing? This isn't funny!" Hayami tried to keep a straight face, but she couldn't. The truth was, she was close to tears. Maybe the stress of suddenly becoming a Legendary Shifter overnight was getting to her. That had to be it; what else could it be?

"If you're going to be that way, I guess I'll just be blunt." The upperclassman's voice cut through her thoughts, startling her. Regardless of how she'd felt earlier, his breath was warm on her neck and the weight of his hands was comforting. She couldn't help but relax at least a little bit in his presence. And then: "What exactly did you Transform into last night, Hayami Sugimoto?"

Hayami's heart caught in her throat.

"Why should I tell you?" She demanded. "I haven't even told my friends yet, and now—and now you're expecting me to tell you? What's your problem, you stalker?" She felt tears starting to form just above her eyelashes.

The upperclassman sighed. "Hmm. If asking you won't work, then—" he cut himself off and then began again, as though throwing out the old script and ditching it for a new one. "You said you didn't even tell your friends yet. Why not? Is it because you didn't want to risk them not wanting to associate with you any more because of your animal form? If it were harmless, you'd probably have told them a long time ago. Most people in your position would have told the entire school by now, and yet—even the people closest to you don't know what you are." He paused dramatically. "So what. Are you a Legendary Shifter? Is that why you don't want anyone to know? Because otherwise, there'd be no reason for you to get so defensive about me asking—"

Slap.

"Get your hands off me, you bastard!" Hayami's hand made contact with the upperclassman's cheek, her twintails whipping his face in the process.

The upperclassman immediately lowered his hands, alarmed.

"All I want is an answer. You can tell me anything; it doesn't have to be the truth. You can lie; I'm by no means expecting you to trust me right away." His voice was surprisingly calm, which didn't match the alarmed flash she'd seen in his eyes from earlier. "Just give me an answer, and I'll leave you alone. Promise."

The offer was too good to pass up.

After a brief pause, Hayami turned around, now ready to face him. "Deal."

Her voice was just as firm as her stance. She was no longer the flustered, targeted girl she'd been moments earlier; now, there was a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"You won't believe it when I say this, which is exactly the reason why I'm going to tell you what I'm about to say," Hayami began, cupping a fist in her hand. The motion made her feel more secure and present; it grounded her in her words and her actions.

The upperclassman held his breath in anticipation for her answer.

"I'm a Legendary Shifter, and last night, I became a Nine Tailed Fox."

"You—you what?" The upperclassman stammered. He obviously hadn't expected her to say that, of all things. "R—really?"

"I won't confirm or deny if it's the truth. It's an answer, and that's exactly what you asked for," Hayami replied.

"Seduce me," the upperclassman blurted.

"Huh?" Now it was Hayami's turn to be surprised.

"I said, "seduce me". Aren't female Nine Tailed Foxes known for their seductive nature? If you really are one, it'll be your first instinct to do so," the upperclassman clarified.

Hayami was dumbstruck. "I see…although, because I only recently Transformed, I'm not all that familiar with my so-called 'instincts.' I'll give you a chance to test your hypothesis; if I do as you predict, let's assume I am a Nine Tailed Fox. If I don't, well—we'll just leave it at that. Assume I'm either a Defect or something else if that doesn't happen, and stop bothering me. Just make sure you realize how generous this offer is. Good day."

With that, Hayami pushed him to the side and opened the closet door, slamming it behind her.

***

Later that afternoon, Inuyuka and her friends were sitting in Nailah's Cafe at a table by the window. Inuyuka had her book open in front of her, still trying to finish it. Sadly, she kept getting interrupted in the process.

"How's your book, Yuka?" Neckiery asked from the seat beside her. The rest of them all had menus open, and they were trying to decide what to order.

"It's good. The only bad thing is I keep getting interrupted while reading it," she replied nonchalantly. Inuyuka was too laid back to get into a shouting match with her friends over their constant interruptions. It was only natural: they were people, and people who enjoyed each other's company tended to want to talk a lot when they saw each other.

On her other side sat Sorahime, who was also in the middle of trying to decide what she would get. They had the option to choose anything from coffee to ice cream sundaes. This cafe even served breakfast and lunch, but it was too late for that, so they were just here for an afternoon snack.

Inuyuka had a feeling that Hayami would get something sweet. She'd always had a sweet tooth; that was something she'd known about her friend right from the beginning, when they'd first met in elementary school.

She brushed the thought away, trying to focus on her book. The villain was giving his monologue while trying to bash the hero to pieces. The hero kept trying to remind the villain that there were still good things in this world to love, and that it shouldn't be destroyed. But obviously, the villain wasn't listening (of course).

Inuyuka sighed for what felt like the hundredth time that day. First, she'd seen Hayami with an unfamiliar upperclassman, and second, she'd been dragged to Nailah's Cafe just so Hayami could spill the beans about her Transformation.

Something fishy was definitely going on. Hayami wasn't the type of person to just randomly start associating with strangers, unless she had some ulterior motive, so it made sense for Inuyuka to be suspicious. Not only that, but it made perfect sense for Inuyuka to be worried. She didn't want Hayami to be getting involved with something dangerous.

"I'm going to order The American," Hayami announced, still holding her menu propped up on the table. The American was your classic sundae, with all sorts of toppings Americans would want, like chocolate chips, cookie dough chunks and strawberries. This café was known for its American vibes and atmosphere; there was even an American flag in a jar by the register.

As predicted, she got something sweet, Inuyuka thought, with another breathy sigh. She turned another page in her book, still not really all that interested in the food.

"I'm getting that too!" Riniko insisted from across the table, where she sat next to Hayami. Those two had always been close.

"I was going to get something more savory, but now that you mention it, that does really sound good right now," Neckiery chimed in.

"To make our order simple, I'll get that as well," Sorahime declared.

Just as they'd all decided on their meals, a cute waitress came by, wearing a white apron with the café's signature logo. Her hair was up in a simple bun and her smile seemed genuine. She seemed to be in her early twenties, probably a university student or something.

"Can I help you, ladies?" She asked, a bright smile on her face.

"We'll go for four orders of The American," Hayami announced.

"Would you like anything to drink?"

"Just water for all of us," Hayami said quickly, not wanting to add any more to the cost of their bill.

"I'll be back with your drinks as soon as possible. Thank you for choosing to eat here at Nailah's cafe," she said, a singsong tone in her voice as she repeated the restaurant's signature greeting, as if she were some kind of robot programmed to serve them. If they were in some anime or novel series, the waitress probably would have ended up really being a robot, but because this was real life, Inuyuka just felt silly for even generating that thought in the first place.

Once the waitress had left, Inuyuka found herself sighing as she turned yet another page in her book. Still two more chapters left to go. The next volume in the series was coming out the following week, and Inuyuka wanted to be caught up by then so she could read it as soon as possible. She'd tried avoiding online forums discussing possible plotlines and scenarios for the last installment of the series, but it had been difficult. With her level of patience in regards to stories, she could hardly wait for the day of the last book's release, but sadly, waiting and real life drama just had to get in the way.

"Inuyuka, are you okay?" You've been sighing a lot today," Neckiery commented, as she let out yet another sigh.

Inuyuka shut her book reluctantly and put it in her backpack, which was resting on the ground under the table in the crowded space between her legs.

"I'm fine, just tired. I haven't been sleeping well lately. The latest installment of The Last Five Powerful High Schoolers is coming out next week, so I've been spending a lot of time on forums and stuff. Also, I've been getting a lot of homework lately, which has been taking up most of my time," Inuyuka explained.

"Speaking of which, I just started reading that. I've seen you with those books so often that I got curious and looked it up. The plot seemed really interesting, so I decided to buy a copy," Hayami commented. Just then, the waitress came by with five glasses of water, one for each of them.

When the waitress left for the second time, Inuyuka self consciously took a sip of her water. Now the entire group's attention was focused on her.

As if what she had to say about her obsession was really all that interesting.

"Yeah, it is pretty interesting. Just wait until you get caught up. There's a really big plot twist you won't see coming," Inuyuka replied nonchalantly.

"Don't spoil it for me. I want to see what happens for myself," Hayami snapped, although Inuyuka could tell her friend didn't mean anything by it. It seemed as though nerves were just getting to her and as the day wore on, she found it harder and harder to maintain control of her fiery temper.

Sometimes, Hayami really did remind her of those tsundere girls in anime, who got pissed off at even the slightest little thing and were hard to get close to without getting stepped on.

"I promise I won't spoil anything. Just stay away from the forums. That's what you really have to worry about," Inuyuka told her, with another sigh.

"So, Hayami, you wanted to talk about your transformation. You haven't really told us anything specific yet; I'm curious as to why," Neckiery began.

"Yeah. I was really curious about that, too," Sorahime added.

"Me too," Riniko squeaked.

This time, Hayami was the one who sighed.

"I'm going to warn you guys; you're going to be very alarmed when I tell you about what happened last night," Hayami started. She paused, gathering her thoughts.

"How so?" Neckiery inquired, leaning forward on the table, her giant breasts bulging due to pressure.

"Last night—I—well, I became a Legendary Shifter."

Riniko gasped. "You what? Why didn't you tell me sooner? What kind of mythical creature did you Transform into—"

Hayami shot Riniko a glare. Riniko cowered in her seat, uttering a frantic apology.

"Sorry!"

"It's fine. Just stop shaking me," Hayami snapped. Riniko reluctantly let go of her friend's arm with a sigh.

It sure seems like everyone is sighing today, Inuyuka thought.

"Here you go, ladies. Five Americans," the waitress announced with a wink and a peace sign over her left eye, using her expert balancing skills to lift the tray with only one hand.

"Nice joke," Hayami told her pointedly.

"Uh—um, well, thank you!" The waitress replied with a flustered giggle. According to the shiny silver pin on her breast, her name was Hana.

"Are you a college student?" Inuyuka blurted, trying to divert Hana's attention away from Hayami, who was clearly ticked off.

"Er, yes! I am," Hana said, still clearly embarrassed by Hayami's comment.

With that, she began placing the five Americans in front of each of them.

"I hope you all enjoy your deserts. The meal is on me," she said stiffly with an awkward wink, which was most likely meant for Hayami.

"Thanks. I'll make sure to give you an extra tip," Hayami commented dryly.

After she left, the group's attention turned to the sweets before them, which everyone but Inuyuka lacked.

"Mmm. This is delicious," Neckiery said, making herself the first one to take a bite. The sundaes were covered in toppings, mainly strawberries, cookie dough chunks and chocolate chips.

Inuyuka would prefer a cup of Instant Noodles any day.

"You're right. It is delicious," Hayami added, confirming her sweet tooth. Based on what Inuyuka knew from past experiences, the red haired girl would be the first to finish. When it came to ice cream, Hayami was the fastest water among them. Riniko would probably follow second, and Neckiery third, because she always beat Hayami to starting first. Sorahime had fast metabolism, so she'd undoubtedly be just as fast an eater as the other two, only she came from a very refined and traditional family who had drilled table manners into her from the very beginning. As was customary, she was forced to eat her ice cream with chopsticks and that took forever.

"Spoons are not proper; they're too American and barbaric for the likes of our family," she remembered Sorahime's mother saying one night when they'd gone over to the Masuda household for dinner. "Ancient Japanese people relied solely on chopsticks; why do we need forks now, to eat some frozen liquid substance they call ice cream?"

Inuyuka sighed once again at the memory. She and Sora's mom got along well enough, but Inuyuka thought she was a little extreme.

"Do tell us what you Transformed into, Hayami," Neckiery purred, eating another spoonful of her sundae. She was already two thirds of the way done—she would definitely win. Not that they were having a competition or anything; watching them all eat ice cream was just more entertaining when she thought of it that way.

"I'm not sure if I should say it here, but—I guess I'll have to, now that you mention it," Hayami replied, swallowing. "Last night, I became a Nine Tailed Fox."

Riniko gasped, as predicted. A fantasy fantic and a child at heart, flat chested Riniko Yamasaki has always been the most eager to Transform out of all of them. She'd even confessed to being annoyed by the fact that everyone in her family was a rabbit, because she actually wanted to transform into some mythical creature like a unicorn or a dragon, or even something like the Nine Tailed Fox Hayami supposedly Transformed into.

"Wow. Really?" Neckiery seemed genuinely surprised. Now, she only had about one or two bites left and she would win.

"Yeah, I can't believe it either," Hayami replied. "Of all people, I was the one to become a Legendary Shifter."

Inuyuka had a feeling she wouldn't be talking so loudly if the café had been more crowded. Right after school wasn't a very popular time to visit Nailah's; most people were at home studying or participating in extracurriculars. There was only one other person—a woman, and she had headphones in anyway, so it wasn't that big of a deal.

"You'll have to Transform for us at some point," Neckiery told her.

"Make it soon. Please!" Riniko squealed, too caught up in her childish excitement to realize her friend might not be all that excited.

Hayami rolled her eyes. "Yeah, sure."

After that the conversation died down, and Inuyuka took out her book. The villain kept coming up with new ways to trick the hero, and the hero kept falling for them.

This, she thought, is going to take awhile.