Track 5

Woof woof ♪

Ruff ruff!

Arf arf!

Hngh…

Ruff?

(The police dog event’s gonna clash with this huge gig… What am I gonna do?)

(I really can't come up with anything good. No matter how many times I tried talking to managir about it, they wouldn't listen... I guess I'm just an idiot...)

(Usually, Kafka’s the one who helps me out during times like this, but now even he’s against me.)

… Should I try asking Liguang for advice?

(If it were him, he’d probably know what to say in a situation like this… But he might just mock me and tell me I'm spouting nonsense.)

Arf…?

Woof! Woof!

Ruff!

Shumai and the others are getting along, huh… Must be nice…

Right~? Never thought they’d hit it off this well.

Hey, Ten… Do you think there's any way I can still attend the event? You’re pretty smart, too. Got any ideas?

… Well, that job’s a big opportunity, right? Probably for the best if you do that instead. The money’s good, and you can play with the dogs at the dorm, anyway.

T-Ten… Not you, too…!

Ugh… I mean, maybe that’s the right call for me as a celeb, but…

(I went to ask Yukikaze for help earlier too—)

......

.........

............

… How about I brew some tea for the time being? Taking a breather might help us come up with some good ideas.

(I’d feel bad if I took up any more of Yukikaze's time… And the Chief seemed busy yesterday, so I still haven’t talked to him about this yet either…)

... Woof?

*whimpers* …

(A dog worrying about another dog? That's wild.)

Leo, Mile. Time to head out for training~!

… Huh!? I-I'll go, too!

Don’t worry about it, Renga. Just take it easy. I'll be the one handling Leo's performance at the event, remember?

I-I haven't agreed to pulling outta the event yet! I’ve asked them to put the offer on hold for now!

… I see. So you’re going to throw away a golden chance just like that. I guess that’s all your pride as a celebrity amounts to.

Gh…!

A-Anyway… Let's go, Leo! You too, Mile! Let's train with everything we’ve got!!

Woof...

(I'll definitely make it to the police dog event.)

(After all… I…)

Arf!

Mile, do you want to try playing frisbee, too? …I wonder if watching the other dogs made you want to give it a shot.

K-Kafka. Look, the thing is… I still…

Alright, shall we try practicing? Let's go, Mile!

(He totally ignored me!?)

(I absolutely have to—)

Walks are so much fun, aren’t they, Shumai, Mile~? The weather’s so nice today, I wonder how far we can go…

H-Hey! What a coincidence running into you here! Leo and I were just out for a walk, too—

You want to go all the way to the park? Then, let's run for a bit!

Arf! Arf arf!

Wha—!?

(I have to make it to the police dog event. Because… there’s something I want—!)

… That concludes our meeting with the police department for today. Thank you for your hard work, everyone!

Good work. Why don’t we take a short break, then?

U-Um, hey… Kafka. About that job that overlaps with the event…

No matter how many times you ask, there's nothing I can do for you. Your celebrity career is your problem—not mine.

Ugh…

… I'll go get some fresh air outside.

Ah, Renga-kun…

(Something feels off between Kafka and Renga-kun lately…)

(It’s like there's this awkward tension around them—like Kafka’s been deliberately ignoring him…)

… I'm gonna step outside for some fresh air, too!

… Kafka, how about I steam some shumai for tonight's dinner?

Huh? That came out of nowhere.

I figured it would be nice for all of us to share a warm meal together for a change. I realized we haven't had the chance to do that lately.

Why not take this as an opportunity to sit down and have a proper talk with Renga? I'm sure there’s a lot that you two need to talk about, my little brothers. Don’t worry, I'll be there to watch over you.

… Sigh.  I’d rather you stay out of it.

… I see. So you’re the one who set up the offer for that idiot.

Granted, the benefits of that job outweigh the drawbacks, but don't you think you've gone a bit too far?

… No comment.

Hm? What are you talking about? Kafka wasn’t just sulking?

You don't need to concern yourself with this, Yukikaze.

Renga-san’s no match against the Prez. I kinda feel bad for him~

(It's pretty fun to watch, though.)

This isn’t something I can just get involved in, okay?

The same goes for you guys, too. We have to get some rest while we still can. Things are only going to get busier from here on out.

(And I...)

(I truly believe this is for Renga's own good.)

......

Renga-kun! There you are.

Chief…

I think… Kafka might hate me.

Wh-What…!?

He won't listen to anything I have to say. Am I being too selfish...?

(Kafka really has been ignoring Renga-kun lately, so I can’t blame him for feeling down… But Kafka, of all people, couldn’t possibly hate him.)

I… want to take part in the event no matter what! Because… Because I—!

It's okay. Calm down… Would you mind telling me more about what happened?

… Okay.

Kafka… always used to invite me whenever he took Shumai out for walks.

We’ve even gone shopping together to pick out stuff for him before…

And it wasn’t just because of Shumai, either. He befriended me ’cause we both love dogs.

… Mhm.

Kafka’s smart and amazing, y’know? Honestly, someone as dumb as me could never get close to him normally—

But he still let me keep working as a ward mayor, and he’s always supported me. I’m just… so, so grateful for that.

I may be the leader of the Morning Team, but R1ze is heading in the right direction because Kafka’s watching over us.

That's why I want to support him, too, even if I can’t do much. I wanna get closer to him!

Since we both love dogs, I thought this event would finally give me the chance to get to know him better—and maybe… we could become closer…

… Th-There’s… actually something I want.

Something you want?

… I… want to make memories… with Kafka…

(Make memories…?)

… Y’know, there are times when I start wondering if everything I’ve believed in up until now was all just a lie…

Huh…

And I've spent my whole life clinging to those beliefs… So if it all turned out to be a lie, then maybe… the way I lived my life was wrong to begin with.

Sometimes… I get scared thinking about it.

(The way he lived… Is he talking about what happened with Kiba-san?)

But… when you have memories, you can look back on them… and you can find it in yourself to believe again.

So, even if I were to leave this place someday… If I have lots of memories to hold onto…

(—I’ll be able to keep on living.)

(There are times when I end up feeling like… I don't want to leave… but—)

(I know I shouldn't feel that way, so at the very least, I want some memories… to hold onto.)

(If he were to leave, huh… So he really is talking about Kiba-san…)

… Hey, Renga-kun. You don’t have to worry so much.

I’m sure Kafka has his reasons… Or, at least, that’s how I see it. … I’ll try talking to him about it, too.

But there's one thing I can assure you—There's no way Kafka could ever hate you.

… You think so?

Yeah! Kafka always looks like he's having so much fun whenever he’s with you.

Whenever he sees you getting along with Shumai, you can just see the happiness in his eyes.

… R-Really?

I’ve been by Kafka's side far longer than anyone else, so I can assure you of that! He may not look it, but he’s actually pretty easy to read, you know.

It’ll be okay. No matter what happens, I’ve got your back!

… Thanks. I’ll try talking with Kafka again… properly this time.

I’ll tell him how I really feel… face-to-face!