Track 9

*pants heavily*

Damn it… He’s fast—! We're gonna lose him at this rate…!

(And—)

Kafka! You okay!?

*pants*... I-I'm okay! Don't worry about me. I’ll catch up, so focus on chasing after the dog!

Got it!

… Since he headed that way… This way’s a shortcut! Follow me!

Grrr… grrr…!

Too bad, that’s a dead end! I’m calling the police…!

Wait! Renga… Look under the wall!

Agh, damn it…! He slipped through a hole and got away!

An obstacle like that won’t stop us… Come on, Mile!

W-Wait, Kafka!

What is it? Let go of me, Renga!

If you go after them, you’ll be all alone, Kafka! Even if Mile’s with you, that’s way too risky!

Is this really the time to be saying that!? Ah, jeez! We lost them...

See, you‘re no help at all! This is exactly why I didn't want you to come with us!

......

Ah...

(I went too far...)

(My head’s a mess. I just couldn't control my emotions...)

—

(... If anyone’s hurting him, it’s me.)

[Hey, Oguro. And the idiot. Can you hear me?]

… L-Liguang?

[Looks like an aggressive one from Chinatown is headed your way. Stay alert.]

Huh?

… Thanks for the warning, but—

Grrrr…!

It’s a little too late…!

Ruff! Ruffff!! Arf! Arf, Arffff!!

That dog… He thinks we’re his enemies…

Ngh...!

……rrrr…grrr! Grrrr!!!

S-Stop… Don't come any closer…!

Please… don’t hurt me…!

... Renga?

(He’s as white as a sheet... I… have to protect him...!)

—GRRRRRRRR!!!

Renga, watch out! Get over here…!

(Wait, no… The target is… me!?)

… K-Kafka!!

Ruffffff!!! Arfffff!!!

Ah...

Looks like Leo and Mile pounced on him, and he took off… I think we're safe for now.

Leo, Mile... Thanks for protecting us!

Ruff.

Arf.

Are you alright, Kafka?

Y-Yeah...

Ah...! S-Sorry for grabbing you outta nowhere…! I thought you were gonna get bitten!!

… W-Why…

Huh?

Why… did you protect me?

Why…? ‘Cause he was lunging right at you! I just had to do something… So my body just moved on its own…

Leo and Mile did most of the protecting, really, but I'm glad you didn’t get hurt!

......

… I'm sorry, Renga.

Huh… What are you apologizing for!? It’s only natural that—

No… that's not it. …I’m sorry, Renga. I was the one being stupid.

… Kafka?

What are you saying? There's no way you’d ever be stupid…

… I’d always thought of you like you were some little kid.

Huh…?

When you told me about how you got bitten by a dog in the past… and how you were at death's door… I couldn’t bear the thought of you going through the same thing again.

It wasn't because I didn't want you to harm HAMA's image. It was never about that... I just… didn't want you to get hurt, so I got in your way.

‎(I never wanted you to feel the terror of almost dying again. I convinced myself over and over again that everything I did was all for your sake... I truly believed it…!)

I’m sorry, Renga… I’m really… sorry. I was wrong. You’re not a helpless child anymore…

I was just being selfish the whole time. In the end… I was the one who hurt you the most…!

I did everything I could because I wanted to protect you, but I… I ended up hurting you instead…!

Kafka...

… I knew it. You really were just worried about me all along.

... Still, I'm just glad you don’t hate me!

Honestly… I was a little worried you did…

…! I'm sorry…!

It's fine… I know you only did it because you cared about me.

… A-And well, y’know… I want to protect you too, Kafka. Always.

I know how capable you are, but you're someone important to me. Of course I’m gonna worry about you.

That's why… I was really happy to hear you say that. But… I feel the same way, too. I don't want you to get hurt either…

Renga...

I’m always relying on you, Kafka. So I… I wanted to do the same for you.

I used to think we were completely different… but I guess we’re the same, aren’t we? When it comes to wanting to protect each other!

......

… The same. Huh...

(That’s right... When Renga told me about his past… It wasn’t that I saw him as someone completely different from me.)

(I saw myself in him.)

(Hearing about how Renga came so close to dying… reminded me of the helpless child I used to be. I felt this desperate urge to help him. Maybe… that’s why I got so stubborn about it.)

(My overwhelming fear of death, my constant dread of it… Those were all my burdens to bear.  And yet… I projected them onto Renga.)

I’m such an idiot, huh…

That’s not true! You’re smart, and really amazing! Don’t talk about yourself like that!!

… I even went as far as using your job to impose my own fears on you… I’m the one who deserves to be hated.

… There’s no way I’d ever hate you.

I mean, I got bitten by a dog, but I didn't start hating them, y’know? It’s the same with you, Kafka… You’ve always been important to me, too!

… Besides. It’s true a dog bit me back then, but there was another dog who protected me, too. That's why…

I know that caring about someone can hurt them sometimes, but it can also bring them comfort.

This time… we were just out of sync, right?

......

(… Despite everything I did, Renga’s still trying to understand how I feel.)

(He isn’t just someone I have to protect. He's someone I can lean on, too.)

… S-So, uh. Thanks for trying to protect me. That… really made me happy.

Hehe. We had a little fight, but we made up now, right? Maybe this can become a precious memory, too.

… Heh. You really are cute, Renga.

S-Stop calling me cute, it’s embarrassing…

… Think you can stand?

Of course.

Renga.

Yeah?

... There, there.

… W-Wait! Why are you patting my head!?

Hehe. A good, brave dog who protects his master deserves a treat, right?

Huh… Oh, uh, yeah?

(... I can see more clearly now.)

Alright. ...Let’s start over, Renga. I’m counting on you—my dependable partner.

…! You bet…!

Together, we’ll definitely catch those dogs who got caught up in these crimes!