Track 10

(We pulled back from the street to regroup for now... but we still haven't come up with a good plan.)

(We need to figure something out. How can we catch those dogs…?)

H-Hey Kafka! Over there!

A bunch of patrol cars are coming this way... Ah.

Kafka! Renga-kun!

Looks like you’re both safe.

Chief-chan! You guys…!

One of the officers back at the venue filled us in. We were hoping there might be something we could do to help, so we came here together.

And I… I was really worried about you, Kafka.

Woof! Woof!

……

Um… Sorry, Kafka. I know you told me to stay put...

… No, don’t apologize.

I’m glad you came, Chief-chan. I know we count on you. Also… neither of us got hurt, so don’t worry.

…! Okay!

Sakujiro-san and Yachiyo-kun are talking to the police right now. How’s the situation here?

We’ve completed the search around the Chinatown area. We also captured the large dog that ran out of here earlier.

There shouldn’t be any more aggressive dogs left for the time being.

…! You managed to catch him!?

That dog is currently fast asleep after taking a hit from a tranquilizer dart, but otherwise, he’s unharmed.

T-That’s good to hear…

So that means the biggest headache is dealt with for now, huh?

Then, that leaves only the dog that fled with the stolen jewelry. Any news on that one?

… We haven’t caught him yet.

We tried to capture it with the police dogs. But it seems to know the area well.

It keeps slipping away when we think we have it. What a pain.

The police have deployed security drones around the brick warehouse area. So far, there’s no trace of anything escaping.

You mean he’s still somewhere around here?

Sounds like it. And since we couldn’t catch him earlier, let's all work together to succeed now.

Yeah! You’re right!

(Kafka and Renga-kun are back to talking like they always do again. They already made up... I’m so glad!)

My little brothers… You managed to see eye to eye… I’ll give you both a hug later.

Huh...?

Hold on, why would you be giving us a hug, Yukikaze?

Aww, the drama’s over already? It was just getting interesting…

… Looks like you've come to your senses.

Yeah. Sorry for worrying you guys. But… we’re perfectly fine now~ ♪

Alright then, let's rethink our approach. If the dog isn't near the front of the brick warehouse, then he has to be somewhere in the streets.

If chasing him alone isn't working, we could try surrounding him instead…

But the streets here are pretty complicated… I don’t think we'll be able to surround him completely. And with how fast he is, we’ll never catch up to him, anyway.

We could use a bike or a motorcycle to close the distance, but we’d have to consider the risk of hurting the dog or ourselves.

What should we do…

Woof!

What's wrong, Shumai?

Woof!

(Shumai…? Is he trying to help us? He’s heading toward the other dogs—)

Woof Woof!

Arf?

Ruff!

I wonder what Shumai and the dogs are talking about?

I bet they’re talking about treats.

…….

They’ve all worked so hard. I should make their favorite foods tonight.

And of course, that includes you guys, too. Think about what you'd like to eat.

... I want shumai.

......

What? Stop smirking.

Sorry, I’m just happy that you asked for something. I’ll make some incredibly delicious shumai.

And of course, it’ll also be a chance for me to have some family time with my cute little brothers—

Oh, looks like they’ve finished talking. Let’s regroup.

Wait. T-That’s…!

Woof!!!!

… A Crane-Wing formation?¹

This… can’t be a coincidence, right? Shumai teamed up with the other dogs to…

Huff! Huff!

Shingen?

*whimper* …!

They're telling us to pull on their leashes. Seems like they have a plan.

Guess so. Even Totomaru’s getting on it, too. …Oh?

Woof!

Uh. Why are you on my shoulder, Shumai-san?

Maybe he knows you’re the fastest here?

Good for you, Ten! Shumai looks really comfy up there!

Seriously~ …Shouldn’t he be doing this to Renga-san or Prez instead?

We don't know how things will turn out, but one thing’s certain: Shumai and the others are up to something. For now, let’s follow their lead.

Let's split up, R1ze. Make sure to keep us all updated. Everyone, follow your partner's lead and move out!

......

Woah there, someone’s fired up. Were you always this fast?

… Can’t blame you. Getting bossed around is pretty annoying~ Oh.

Grrr! Woof!

… Grrrrr!

... Found it.

Murakumo here. Found the dog, I’ll go after it.

A dead end, huh? Things would be a lot easier if you’d just let us catch you here, but…

*pants*...!

Guess it won't be that easy. The target just slipped under the fence and got away~

[That’s alright, Ten.]

We’ve got our sights on him from here.

Arf!

… Gh!!

He ran away… Let’s go, Mile!

… It looks like Shumai and the police dogs were actually exchanging information earlier.

[Exchanging information?]

Yeah. Maybe they compared what they’d learned while chasing the dog and realized there was a pattern to his escape routes.

If that's the case, then he should be making his move soon—

Ruff!

*yelps* !?

I knew it! An ambush, followed by a surprise attack..!

 … Could this be “Fuurinkazan”²?

[F-Foorin, tarzan?]

Fuurinkazan. It was a strategy Takeda Shingen used during the Sengoku period, right?

Surely you’ve heard the phrase, “Swift as the wind, silent as the forest…³“

[Ah! I think I saw that on a quiz show a while ago…!]

[So that means Totomaru is playing the “wind”, right?]

“Wind"—the fastest dog rushes in at full speed, closing the distance and throwing the opponent into disarray.

“Forest”—the other dogs then hide in the shadows to form an undetectable perimeter.

"Fire"—They strike at the target with an all out offensive…

Kosaka-san told me that Shingen’s owner is a fan of Takeda Shingen.

Perhaps Shingen taught this tactic to Shumai.

[Whaaat!? They’re way too smart!]

[A dog strat meeting? Insane.]

Grrrrrr… gh!!

Give up. There’s no need for you to suffer anymore.

… Gh!!

It escaped through the gap…!

(Even in the face of adversity, even when it’s suffering… I suppose it’s simply a dog's nature to keep going for the sake of its master.)

Let’s go after him! This plan will surely―

*pant, pant*

… And now you’ve been chased right out into the open with nowhere left to run. You're probably out of stamina by now, aren’t you?

Why not just give up?

Gh…!

Guess asking you to give up isn’t gonna work, huh? But…

 …!

“Mountain”―Immovable as a mountain. And with that, I guess it’s a checkmate?

*pant, pant*

(His legs are trembling… There’s no strength left in his eyes, either… Poor thing. Even now, he’s still trying to fulfill his role…)

(... He must still trust them. No matter how terrible his owner is, to him…they’re still the right person to follow.)

……

… It’s tough, isn’t it? It must hurt so much… Always being dragged around by people’s whims... You must’ve been through so many scary things, haven’t you?

But… we won’t let you go through that again. We’ll… definitely protect you.

That’s why… We…!

I’m sorry…! But we have to catch you here!!

Ruff! Ruff, ruff!!

… Gh…!

It’s alright. There’s nothing to be afraid of. We won’t hurt you anymore… So, please… don’t run away again.

......

*gasps* Are you okay…!

……G….h…

… He’s still breathing.

… There, there. You’ve been working so hard. Good boy.

—Renga?

He’s fine. I think he just got tired and fell asleep.

I see... I didn't notice while we were chasing him, but you can see his ribs. To think he was trying so hard with a body this thin…

… Yeah.

… We recovered the jewelry too.

Hey, Kafka… Um…

Hm?

Is there any way we could save him… and the other dogs that were caught, too? Can we protect them… without resorting to putting them down.

I can’t pull it off on my own, but if you help me figure something out, Kafka...

... Renga.

I feel bad for always relying on you, but I want to help them… I… told them I’d protect them.

... So you’re giving me a chance to make things right.

Huh?

Of course I won’t let them be put down. I’ve already got a canine rehabilitation program in mind. I’ll use my authority as the 0th Ward Mayor to make it happen.

…! Kafka…!

You, whose name I don’t even know… you’re safe now. Because… I’ll always protect you.

(This time… I’ll make sure to do things the right way.)

Ace and the others have just tracked down the organization members waiting nearby. They’re now in custody and have been handed over to the police.

Thanks. Guess this is case closed, then.

No, I owe you my gratitude. You’ve helped settle a problem on our territory remarkably well.

.......

*aggressive patting* You’re such good boys! Shumai! Leo! You both did so great out there!

Woof~ Woof!

Ruff ruff! Ruff—!!

… You were right, Liguang.

Renga isn’t as weak as I thought he was… I dragged him into my own naivety this time.

Took you long enough to realize. It’s not like you.

Haha, you’re right.

Still, I never thought you'd grow attached to that guy.

Aren’t you attached to him, too?

… Not at all.

…..

… Back when we first started, we didn’t care all that much about each other.

Haha… I guess a certain someone changed us.

......

(As fate would have it, this is where R1ze held its first live show.)

(And since then, we’ve changed once more—)