The next day

Aurora Borealis

Auri woke up with her arms and legs wrapped around her Kitsune Miku pillow. She was face to face with the vocaloid. I wonder what types of dreams I was having, she thinks, then laughs it off. She’s never had a sexual thought in her life. Why would she, when she never had genitals or hormones in her life? They supplemented her with gene changes instead of using hormones. Their reason was that hormones were far too bulky and outdated. She also thought they wouldn’t know what it would do to her if they did introduce a natural hormone into a completely artificial organism. Well, you didn’t miss what you never had, she mused. She never cared for those pleasures. The idea of them were quite alien to her. And she accepted that about herself. There was a lot she was confident in and didn’t really feel the need to worry about it. Sometimes that’s just how furries were born. Or in her case, made. Maybe sometimes she wished for someone to be close to. But meeting someone like Yuki made her feel like she found it. She had no need for it to be romantic. Just a relationship was something she desired. And that’s precisely why she got up and felt so excited for a new day at school. To see her new friend again!

She looked at herself in the full-body mirror again. Her unclothed body was truly a masterpiece. The scientists got everything right. She put her paws over the lack of breasts and sighed. Oh well. But scanning up and down the length of her body, she felt content as who she is. She slipped into her skirt and tossed the sailor top over her head. She was feeling pretty today, so she got the crop topped shirt. She went into her bathroom and saw an untouched makeup kit laying there. It was a creationday gift from her sponsor, from her most recent creationday celebration. She will call it birthday if anyone asks her about that date, but her and the scientists know that the date is simply the day they chose to start her heart for the first time. She was baby sized when they did so and she developed normally after that. But they failed many times before finally getting it right with 193. She opened the kit. A wonderfully luxurious “outer space” pallet. Girls would kill for this pallet. He must have got it as a play on her space-affiliated name. She loved her unique name. It fit her hair, which she is absolutely sure that the scientists did it on purpose. If the name came first or it was the hair first, she will never know. She dabbed the sparkly, stellar makeup and it made her cheeks glisten. Not too much, because she’s already seen too many anime shows that have girls who go crazy with makeup at school. She doesn’t wish to be a laughing stock, but she does want to blow furries away. What makes today special? She just felt good, inexplicably so. She carefully and gently applied the meteorite black eyeliner in the current trend of wings that extend out. This trend must have come and gone quite a few times. She swears Egyptian hieroglyphics have these wings on the ladies eyes. Or they are just impressionistic eyelashes. But it certainly looks good. She made them small, to fly under the radar. Not wanting to be bold. But maybe a little showing off wasn’t bad. Even the small amount of meteorite eyeliner she applied sparkles. The cosmic blush certainly had a shimmer to it as well. The pinkish tones look absolutely wonderful over the light blue fur on her cheeks. Yuki-Chan was going to love it.

Auri hurried and put her purse in her book bag. She slung it over her shoulder and clicked the button to wake the car up. She forgot she wanted to get to school early to find a solution for her math and science class. Or at least talk to her homeroom teacher about it before class started. She needed to make the early bus, or else she would be on time and have to wait her turn to talk to the teacher, which could take half the class time. The purr of the auto-driving car got louder, and she could tell it came out of parking and stopped at the front for her. She took a last look for things she needed and was glad she did when she saw art supplies laying out. They weren’t the portable ones she wanted, but the big bulky ones will have to do for now, just in case they weren’t able to solve her math and science problem just yet. Dumping these items in her available pocket of her book sling, she made it out the door and got in the passenger seat. It already knew to take her to the bus stop. She guessed she would have to program it to take her anywhere else. She planned to, the minute it was eligible for roads. The early bus was the friendliest she’s seen so far. With only 3 other furries, she could breathe easy. It was just something about crowds that really made her uneasy. This was much more manageable. Hopefully when she gets home, her deliveries will be waiting for her.

Her homeroom teacher looked at her. “You think the class is too easy for you?” Auri explained she was homeschooled and her math and science was much farther along than what was being taught. Her homeroom teacher suggested a placement test. Auri would find the most advanced placement test she could. An actual challenge. She forked through the placement test pile in the admin’s office. She passed up Geometry, Algebra, and then stopped on statistics. She didn’t know that, so she went back a math class. The second part of Algebra. That sounded challenging to her. It would let her skip… almost 5 years of schooling. That sounded like a good deal to her. Now for science. Earth science, Astronomy, all much too easy for her. She finally stopped at Chemistry and went back one. Biology. That could be a fun challenge for her. It would let her skip four years. She brought these two placement tests to the admin, and the well-dressed feline raised an eyebrow at her.

“Your homeschooling taught you all the way to these classes? I would like to speak with them on the phone before giving you these tests.”

Auri nodded and gave them her sponsor’s landline by memory. They typed the phone number into their smartphone and put a bluetooth speaker on their ear. Auri had the same type of feline ear, she knew how impossible phones could be without bluetooth. Phones were a peculiar object. Without the invention of bluetooth, they would have to be made insanely large and cumbersome to be effective. That or just have it on speaker all the time. But Auri’s hearing could pick up most noises if she focused. She decided to eavesdrop on the whole conversation. Both ends of the conversation. She could even hear the bluetooth speaker that was clipped onto the cat’s ear.

“Hello, you have reached Musake-Sama’s line. He is currently in an important call. Do you want me to leave a message for him?” The secretary answered. Hopefully Musake-Sama will be done with his call soon.

“I wish to speak with him directly. I can hold.” The cat tapped his claw on the desk and looked up at Auri. “Is Musake-Sama a relative of yours? His title sounds important.” Auri got quiet at a question like this. She didn’t really know how to answer that and wasn’t prepared. She cleared her throat.

“He homeschooled me and directed my education.” She didn’t want to go into any more. How would I even explain that he funded my existence? Luckily the line went active again and the cat returned to the call.

“Hello, this is Watashi School calling. We would like to verify that Auri has learned up to Biology and Algebra II before having her take the placement test. Did you homeschool her up to that point?” The cat was instantly more formal, he could tell he was dealing with someone important.

“Yes, that would be correct. She should know bits of Chemistry and Statistics as well and has mastered everything leading up to those classes. Feel free to test her on any subjects if you feel it necessary.” Auri could catch most everything said out of the small bluetooth clip on the cat’s ear. She was surprised at how well she could pinpoint her hearing. It’s possible that since she knew where the sound would come from, her ears could align themselves to catch the most amount of feedback from the small speaker. She hoped she didn’t look too peculiar with her ears perked up and aimed at the furry adult in front of her. But she knew that he wouldn’t suspect that she could eavesdrop. His ears were sensitive, so his Bluetooth volume was most likely at a very quiet amplitude. But he couldn’t imagine how perceptive her own ears were. Many times as accurate. And she always felt a bit self conscious about her strangely large cat ears. They looked like cat ears, but if you compared her to any other feline, hers were taller, almost closer to a doberman pinscher. She found herself tucking them away because it made sounds more bearable, but also because she didn’t need to look more unusual than she already did. But she was feeling pretty today, so nothing would stop her! Unless things got really loud, then she would don a cute beanie she brought along. The admin let her take the test and she brought them back faster than he would of thought she would take. She won’t even be late to homeroom, he noticed. He passed the tests through the scanner and it graded her test with more than passable marks. She certainly was able to move past those subjects.

“Alright, you have shown your understanding of these subjects. Assuming you know all the previous ones, would you like to be enrolled in a senior high school program?” Auri asked him if that would remove her from the school, and when he said only for the last 2 hours, she shook her head.

“Is there a way to keep the class I’m in, but take a harder course?” He scrunched his eyebrows at this question.

“You mean an online course? You may be taught online and I won’t keep you from staying in the class for those 2 hours. So you may do the online anywhere you like, if you have a laptop and an internet connection.” Auri perked up at this offer. Yes! I can stay next to Yuki!

“I would love that, thank you.” He said he would inform her teacher, Tsubaki-San, about it. He had her use his computer to enroll in the accelerated course and create an account.

“Now use that login info on any device to take the classes. You aren’t required to attend your last 2 hours now, but may stay if you like. Make sure those classes are halfway finished before the semester ends and that you finish the courses completely by the end of the year. This is self paced, so there is more responsibility on you to keep up with it. Oh and one more thing. You will take a physical test at the end of the year, sent from the Senior High School. This will only be for our statements, but you do need to pass it in order to get full credit for taking these courses.” And with all that, he turned the monitor back to face him and she excused herself after thanking him. It worked out perfectly, she celebrated with joy, now I need to ask for yet another package from Musake-Sama. But she felt he would be joyous to see that she is accelerating her learning and taking more responsibility. So he would be more than happy to send her a laptop.

✶ ✶ ✶

Asuna, Yuki

Yuki walked into the classroom. She didn’t see Auri on the morning transport, but lo and behold, Auri was already in her seat. She must have caught the early bus. Yuki took a seat next to her. She greeted her friend cheerily and Auri matched her enthusiasm. Yuki’s jaw dropped. She froze and Auri noticed her look. Before she could ask what was going through Yuki’s mind, she blurted it out.

“You look absolutely gorgeous!” Yuki has never been able to say her mind like that. It just came out. She saw Auri’s face glow with happiness. Oh my gosh, that makes her even prettier! Yuki was astonished at her own boldness. Auri looked so happy when she heard the compliment, it made Yuki want to say more.

“I’m falling in love with your makeup,” Yuki never has worn makeup, but holy moly did that makeup work on Auri. Students around were agreeing with her and all the girls asked what pallet she used. She shyly told them that she used the “Outer Space” pallet from Cosmic Creations. Some girls who knew the brand swooned and ask her how she got her paws on stuff like that.

“I got it for my 12th cre- my 12th birthday.” The students, and Yuki, complimented her use of the pallet. Auri was so unused to the attention. Even some boys said they liked the glittery look it gave off. The attention was brought off her when the teacher started the class. Homeroom was a nice period to have. It was where you could get fursonal help from the teacher on any subject. Students typically used it to work on homework, or more accurately, slack off. Homeroom has some of its own requirements. But they were easy, like book reports or other fun activities and projects. And it still only being the second day, there wasn’t much to do.

Yuki was glad that she got Auri back to herself again. She could tell that Auri got nervous from all the attention.

“I get nervous when too many furries are paying attention to me as well,” she confided in Auri. Auri looked like she was getting over it though and smiled at her again. Yuki always wondered what went on in Auri’s mind. She seemed so shy with other furries, but was totally comfortable with Yuki. That made her happy. It let Yuki become comfortable, too.

“Yeah, and thank you for complimenting me, Yuki-Chan. It made my day!” Yuki noticed how Auri singled out Yuki’s compliment to the reason her day was made. Maybe trying to tell her that Yuki’s opinion was the one that mattered. Yuki’s heart swelled and she hugged her friend.

“I like you because you’re gorgeous on the inside, as well.” The words just came to Yuki’s lips. Uh oh, I hope I didn’t make her cry. She didn’t know if this would make her cry like yesterday’s events did. Maybe Auri was holding it in because she didn’t want to streak the makeup. She didn’t end up crying, but Auri sure hugged back. The tight hug was one only a close friend could give. The’ve become close friends faster than Yuki has ever made a friend. It just clicked like that.

Homeroom was by in a flash and the Japanese/English teacher walked in. Auri got serious with her notebook, no doubt trying to catch up. Yuki forgot to ask about the tutoring. When she asked Auri, she instantly lit up and excitedly told her she was allowed to go to Yuki’s house. Yuki was happy, but only really wanted to go to Auri’s house. She asked about that, but Auri shook her head sadly.

“I don’t think I can have furries over, unfortunately. But we can go anywhere we want after school, it doesn’t have to be your house if you don’t want,” Auri was perceptive. She must have seen the look that Yuki made when Auri said she could go to Yuki’s.

“We could go to the library… or the park,” Yuki starts to think of fun places to hang out. Auri tells her they sound wonderful. Yuki cheers up again. I’d have to tell my mom that I’ll be home later, but if she doesn’t need me to babysit my brothers that should be fine with her. She devises a plan to make this work as smoothly as possible, “We can hang out today, right?” Auri nods and still has that amazing smile on her face.

Yuki watches Auri-Chan as she looks back down at her paper, her flowing hair brushed to one side of her head to prevent it from covering her paper. It droops past the desk and sways to an invisible light breeze. She scribbles her neat Japanese letters, writing quickly to capture the content Murake-Sensei is droning on about. Yuki tries not to get caught staring at her friend, and looks back down at her paper. It is almost empty because this is just review so far. She doodles on her paper. Before she knew it, she had drawn Auri working at her desk. Yuki blushed deeply as Auri looked over, and she hoped that it didn’t come off as weird.

“Hey, that is awesome! I love drawing, too,” Auri breaks into a grin. Yuki’s heart flutters and the compliment strikes her speechless. She smiles back and imagines how fun it would be to draw with Auri.

“Maybe we could draw after school today. I brought my supplies,” Auri practically read her mind. Yuki nodded shyly, already getting excited.

The class passed fast for Yuki. Auri claims the time slows down the instant the teacher walks in, but Yuki didn’t have to pay attention and her mind was elsewhere. She was thinking about hanging out with Auri everyday after school. They could listen to music and draw together and get to know each other more. Yuki is surprised how comfortable Auri already is with her. For a furry that never made any friends, she sure seemed natural around Yuki.

The Science/Math teacher Tsubaki-San came in after a brief interlude where the students were able to eat and chat. Auri got up to talk to her before the class went in session. Yuki wasn’t able to hear what they were talking about, but wanted to ask Auri when she came back to her desk. Auri waltzed back to her desk. Yuki never noticed, but Auri had an air to her posture and stance, and it showed up how she walked. It was as if she grew up with very traditional parents. Yuki wondered how Auri’s parents were like. Auri had a very formal way of writing too, so she assumes that they must have been very strict.

“The material was too easy for me, so I’ll be taking online classes,” Auri sees Yuki’s look, “but don’t worry, I can take them in here.” Yuki’s emotions ran rampant as she realized that Auri purposely wanted to stay in the class for her. She could take online anywhere, but she wanted to be next to Yuki. Her heart pounded with a frightening new strength. What was this feeling? Her body was motionless, she couldn’t even smile like she wanted to. Auri must have noticed and she continued to tell her about it.

“I’m glad that I’m able to stay in the class to take it. I was frightened they would take me out of the class when I wanted more difficult material.” Auri said to a frozen Yuki. But to top it all off, the light blue furry added, “I didn’t want them to take me out because then I wouldn’t get to see you for as long.” And this finally broke Yuki out of it as she forced herself to utter her thanks and instantly her smile came back to life. She breathlessly stood up to hug Auri, but stumbled and Auri caught the falling furry in her arms. This brought them much closer than they usually were and Yuki’s face flushed. Auri smiled in amusement by her friend being so flustered. Her strong arms picked the frail girl and set her back on her hind paws.

“Careful now,” She said to Yuki, seemingly unaware of the class watching the two. Yuki was painfully conscious of the eyes on her, and she retreated into a shy ball, sitting down and curling up at her desk. Her mind was now thinking at lightning speed, compared to her freezing up. She now replayed what happened over and over. It was something directly out of anime. And Yuki was the star-struck girl in love with her classmate. Wait, did she just admit to that? Everything about it clicked. It was why she was so intrigued by the mysterious blue furry, why she loved that Auri would go out of her way to stay in the class with her, why she wanted to hug her all the time. No, her mind had to slow down. It was rampant with the Anime romance comedies. Those were influencing her to dream about it, making her connect dots that weren’t there. Yes, that is rational. She had always watched the Dandere characters and related to their shyness. She also craved to have someone that she would fall in love with and that they would notice her. This is just her wishing that life was like anime, that is all.

Yuki looks up and sees that class has moved on without her. Auri is drawing since she gets to take classes online now. Yuki gets the bravado to look over at her paper, to see what she is drawing. She is blown away by how amazing the drawing is, it is so close to anime, it could be professional. But that isn’t the most astonishing thing about it even. The character is Yuki! This furry will never stop surprising Yuki, again and again. She smiles to herself and tells Auri that she loves it. Auri looks up and smiles back, “She’s beautiful, isn’t she?” Yuki giggles at this roundabout compliment.

The rest of the class flies by, and Yuki is surrounded in a haze of happiness. She is so glad to have met Auri and wishes to know everything about her. She is also excited to draw with her after school. She is a magnificent artist and could teach Yuki a thing or two. The class bell finally rings and the students pack their bags. Yuki shows Auri where the library is, and to both their surprise, Yuki grabs Auri’s paw to walk paw-in-paw with her down the isles. Auri just goes with it. Yuki wonders, what is going on in her mind…

✶ ✶ ✶

Aurora

Aurora feels a soft paw wrap around hers. She looks over at Yuki, who makes eye contact and then breaks it just as fast. What an interesting girl! She is very shy, a complete social mystery to Auri. Her first friend is very complex and confusing. It is much easier to talk to scientists. But a million more times as fun to be around Yuki-Chan. The petite girl’s emotions are clearly on the surface and wow are they turbulent. She gets flustered when she is too close to Auri, but always wants to find an excuse to get close to her. But Auri doesn’t mind. She holds Yuki-Chan’s paw and swings it to the bounce in their step. Yuki smiles to herself and Auri loves it when she does that. It’s as if she forgets that Auri is there and smiles giddily to no one in particular. Probably having some nice thoughts, Auri ponders.

They get to the library and students are already there, first to third years. Auri looks about at all the new furries she has never seen before. Some are much taller than either of the two and she assumes those are the third year students. They find a nice and quiet corner where the students are less boisterous. There are some readers seated in this area, so it seems like a good venue to try and focus on drawing. Auri sits how she was taught, with her legs neatly under her and her back straight. Yuki giggles. At Auri’s head tilt of befuddlement, she goes to say, “You sit just like an anime character.”

Auri looks around and sees many students more relaxed, sitting at the low tables. She shrugs at Yuki and brings her drawing supplies out. Auri knows exactly what she wants to draw. She is making a character for a manga and she is beginning to fall in love with him. She just can’t stop drawing him! His name is Atom and he is an anthroid. That is, a furry that is completely robotic. He is an AI, so he has a really logical mind but quirky fursonality. But the thing she likes most about him is how cool he looks! She tells all this to Yuki as she begins to draw a base for the character, posed in an epic fighting stance. Yuki starts drawing a short character, but not to the point of chibi. Yuki then talks of her character. She is a fantasy character, a fairy from another world. Her name is Sora and she is the princess of the realm. Yuki sketches out the fragile wings that keep her character aloft. She explains how she is to be wed to a prince, but she refuses this destiny and will do anything to stop the wedding from happening.

“Oh, how creative! Is the boy unpleasant to her, or just the idea of being forced into the wedding?” Auri asked, curious to know more.

“Oh he’s sweet to her. But he understands she doesn’t want to be forced by her parents into it. He accepts the wedding, but would rather they fell in love naturally.” Yuki explains, revealing the intricacy of the story, “But he’s hurt that she is so against it. He actually likes the girl and wishes she would be ok with the marriage. It’s his dream for him to marry her.”

Auri is already drawing the face for Atom. He has an intense expression and there are some scorch marks on his metal exterior. She erases lightly to make the metal shine.

“You’re so good at that!” Yuki says, looking over. Auri smiles and thanks her. Yuki has started drawing the hair for her character. She drew long wispy pigtails that twirled around her character, aloft by invisible gusts of wind. Auri took one look and used hair bands to tie up her own hair in the same fashion. Yuki giggled, a tiny paw covering her mouth. She couldn’t stop herself from laughing as Auri took advantage of her hair’s weightlessness to copy how the fairy’s hair was drawn. Some readers looked up from their book to see what all the fuss was about. Yuki tried to hold it in, but her quiet laugh still bubbled out.

“I think I’ll keep it like this, it is cute,” Auri chuckles along with her giddy friend. They calm down and students’ attention drop off them. Aurora finishes drawing it and switches to colours. She makes the shiny metal have a wonderful paint job full of neat colours. Yuki borrows some colours and goes for a more pastel pallet for her character. The soft pink and lavender make her character twice as cute. Auri adds her finishing touches, a large inscription of the character’s name, Atom, in all caps. She underlines it and makes the text look like it’s plated metal as well. She draws rivets to hold the large 3D font together. Yuki opts for a swirly, cutesie calligraphy to write Sora. Auri lastly begins to shade everything for a final time. She takes care and afterwards the final project has amazing depth from the meticulous work. Yuki watches the whole process and tries to emulate it with her own work. She learned pretty well from just watching. The depth effect is achieved in her work, too.

“Nice job!” Auri compliments the shading, noticing her quick learning. Yuki smiles and puts back the pencils. Once they finished their drawings, Auri gave Yuki her drawing to put in her binder. She gladly did so in the front of her binder, and Auri did the same when Yuki gave her the fairy drawing. Now that both the girls have their new pictures on their binders, they packed up their things.

“Where to next?” Yuki asks. Auri just wishes to walk around with Yuki and talk. They do so, and Auri enjoys Yuki’s presence and the scenery about her. She doesn’t get too much time outside, other than the mountain she lives on.

Auri takes some time to admire Yuki, as the small girl looks about. The sun peeks out between some dark clouds, and the rays glisten on the wolf’s fur. Her bright blue eyes sharply contrast with her snow white fur. Her hair is also white and it falls in her face as the wind blows it about. She brushes it out of her eyes with a small, cute paw. Yuki’s pretty eyes make contact with Auri’s, seeing her watch her. Auri can’t stop herself from blurting, “You’re so cute…”

Auri watches as Yuki goes through several stages of embarrassment. Her cheeks flare up, she breaks eye contact and looks down, but then finally she smiles to herself shyly.

Auri glances at the scenery as they walk. The trees bend and sway in the wind. Leaves fall off and spiral down, flying on occasional gusts of wind before alighting on the ground. It’s cold and Auri sees Yuki hug herself, either out of cold or shyness. Auri feels neither embarrassment from complimenting her or awkwardness from the silence afterwards. Auri just patiently waits and observes. She feels good about the compliment and meant it. She smiles in amusement at her adorable little friend.

✶ ✶ ✶

Asuna, Yuki

Her mind goes blank. Auri’s comment was so simple but so moving for Yuki. Her heart beats fast whenever she gets Auri’s attention, especially her praise. And her chest feels like it’s swelling with a strange mix of happiness and nervousness. It’s a rush of emotions and Yuki doesn’t know how to act. Auri’s eyes still gaze at her fondly and it takes everything Yuki has to break eye contact so she can think thoughts again. The minute her eyes are down on the ground, her mind is abuzz with millions of thoughts. She feels the blood rush to her face, and she knows that it can be clearly seen through her white fur. She never was good at hiding her emotions. And it has never been more clear to her now. She has fallen in…

No. She shook her head. She needs some time to figure that out. She has only known Auri for a short little while, it’s silly to jump to conclusions so fast. At least that’s what her mind thinks. But her heart… It says a whole different story. It starts beating faster and she has to focus to maintain her normal walking pace. Then, she accidently looked at Auri again. She stopped in her tracks when their eyes met. Auri turned to face her as well and just… watched patiently. Tentatively, slowly, Yuki stepped closer to Auri. Her paws met Auri’s and held hers. Yuki couldn’t stop herself. She just wanted… Closeness. Auri just smiled at her, not questioning nor judging her. Yuki drew herself in close, she was short enough to nestle into the crook of Auri’s arms. She was never this comfortable next to someone. Especially not this close, either. She could smell Auri’s scent, like cherry blossoms and honey. She looped her arms around Auri’s waist and never wanted the moment to end.

Auri patted Yuki’s head and Yuki felt a rush of exhilaration as her soft paws brushed up against Yuki’s sensitive ears. She hugged Auri tighter. Everything happening was surreal. Auri hugged Yuki back affectionately. The wind blew around the two, Yuki could hear no other sound but the wind. Everything was so calm. She didn’t have anything on her mind except Auri. The girl who came out of nowhere and plopped herself right into Yuki’s life. Someone she could feel comfortable with. Yuki could feel her body warm up, driving away a cold she didn’t know she had felt.

Yuki felt a rumble. At first, she was confused. But then she realized that the rumble was coming from Auri. She was purring. It was the most comforting sensation that Yuki has ever felt. This girl, who Yuki knew was a mix of canine and feline, was purring. Purring for Yuki. Yuki looked up at Auri, a smile on her face.

Plop! A big raindrop landed right on Yuki’s nose. The clouds slowly started to drop more on them. Auri giggled at Yuki’s surprised face. The raindrops starting coming from every direction, the wind blowing the drops off course. Yuki shielded herself with a paw.

“Let’s get under some cover.” Auri told her and pointed at a coffee shop. They went under the eaves to avoid the rain. Yuki looked inside and saw it was open. She motioned to Auri and her friend followed her in.

“You girls escaping the weather?” The coffee maid said pleasantly as the bell dinged to announce new customers. The maid looked up from cleaning a table, her name tag reading “Rose”. She was a canine with bright red hair, all tied up in a bun.

“Yeah,” Auri said and looked at the menu above the counter. Rose finished cleaning and went behind the counter, putting down her supplies. They decide to order, and Yuki opts for a hot chocolate. Auri says she never has had coffee before, so she orders a blend that the coffee maid suggested.

They sit down at the table, on stools. Yuki looks out the window, watching the raindrops roll down. She turns her head back to her friend and catches her staring at her again. Yuki quickly turns her face down to her paws and laces them together. She feels her face become hot again. Luckily she is spared, as the maid comes over with their piping hot drinks.

“There isn’t anything like a hot drink on a day like this!” Rose pleasantly beams as she sets the drinks down for the school girls. They both thank her and put their cold paws on the sides of the cups. Yuki takes a whiff, the aroma of her sweet chocolate swirls around with the bitter smell of Auri’s coffee. The steam from her cup warms her nose and some of the drops coalesce on it. She can tell from her paws that the chocolate is far too hot to drink. She watches as Auri brings her cup up. Yuki squeaks out a warning, but it is to no avail as Auri sips her drink. Auri’s face, however, doesn’t react to the heat. She must have known that her cup wasn’t too hot for her. She just smiles at Yuki.

“Coffee is really interesting!” Yuki’s blue friend bubbles happily. Yuki says how she can add sweeter or creamer if she wanted and nudges them towards her. Auri picks up the creamer and pours some in, seeing the dark black change to a softer brown as it swirls. She tastes it again and her eyes light up.

“That’s much better!” Yuki nods her head in acknowledgement and gets the creamer from Auri. She adds some creamer to her hot chocolate, partially to cool it down but also to make it taste smooth, as cream always does. They both sip their delicious drinks and look out the window. Auri puts a warm paw on Yuki’s arm. She looks at Auri and smiles. Internally, her heart skipped a beat. Auri seems comfortable with touching Yuki, which makes sense considering the nice hugs they have shared. Yuki tries to contain her feelings that are all over the place. She thinks that she is keeping a cool head about her, but Auri seemed to notice.

“What’s up?” She asked, her face switching to a curious look. Yuki can barely handle the cute head tilt that Auri gave her. It was so subtle but so clear to Yuki, since she has seen her head tilt before.

“I really like you,” Yuki finds herself blurting out again. Instantly she is stunned at her own bravery and is immediately swamped by anxiety, wondering how Auri will take it.

Yuki didn’t have to wait long for a response. She watched as her friend’s face transformed into pure happiness.

“Eep!” Yuki lets out a squeal as Auri hugs Yuki over the table, with reckless abandon. The drinks splash at the sudden movement, but stay righted up. Yuki slowly hugs her back, attempting to keep her balance on the wooden stool.

“I like you too, Yuki!” She says while hugging her. Yuki smiles, her heart still racing. Yuki was really warming up to this furry. She has never been more expressive with someone. Auri’s soft arms looped around the white wolf tenderly. Her paws were gentle because her claws were retracted. Yuki’s wolf claws don’t retract, and they ran through Auri’s long hair. They released and sat back down, trying not to spill the drinks. Yuki returned to drinking her hot chocolate, her blush still slightly visible through her fur. She throws a glance at the waitress, but Rose seemed not to notice as she is polishing glasses behind the counter. Auri enjoys her coffee as well. She scoots her stool closer to Yuki.

“So what kind of things do you usually do after school?” The light blue face smiles at her pleasantly. Yuki thinks about it and responds, “I usually read manga before going home.” Auri nods, already knowing which mangas are Yuki’s favourite.

“Well, I’ve got to say that my favourite thing to do after school has been hanging out with you.” Yuki blushes after hearing this and wonders how this girl can keep making her feel so happy.

The coffee maid comes over, “You girls need anything?” Auri politely shakes her head no, and Yuki makes no move to ask for anything. Rose smiles at the two, “Ynow, it just warms my heart to see a cute pair like you two. Don’t let anyone push you around because of it.”

“Because of what?” Auri tilts her head in confusion. Yuki sits silently in her seat, already picking up what the coffee maid must assume. A wave of anxiety crosses her mind, hopefully not showing on her features. Luckily, the maid waves it off, sparing Yuki yet again.

“Oh, just that you two seem like sweet, shy girls. If anyone hassles you, come here. I’ll show them what’s up.” She flexes an arm, her sleeves already rolled up because she was cleaning. Her expression is playful and harmless, and they laugh. Yuki makes a mental note that this woman can be reliable. Yuki is afraid of a lot, so it is good to know who would help her out in a time where things seem like they are too much. Yuki realized that she must have overheard her and Auri’s conversation. The room is pretty empty, it must have been unavoidable. Yuki flushes when she connects the dots that it must be obvious to the maid. Yuki is really bad at hiding her emotions, the maid must know that Yuki loves…

Yuki tries to break her train of thought. No, the maid meant what she said, I mustn’t look into it. She was simply talking about shyness. She nods firmly to herself, the maid only was talking about how we are school girls.

Auri sees Yuki thinking and nudges her, “The maid is a nice lady, huh?” Yuki nods slightly in agreement, her face relaxing back to its normal features. Rose gets back to cleaning already shiny tables. Auri stops her, though, by asking her why she is cleaning tables that are clean.

“Oh, it’s just something to keep me busy. Times can get quiet and I think better when I am working. It has become a second habit to be moving and cleaning.” Auri-Chan asks her to sit at their table. Rose obliges, but not after grabbing a glass of water for herself. She sighs and relaxes into the chair. She already starts up small talk, asking about the girl’s school day.

“Oh, I’ve had a splendid day. I’ve never gone to school before this,” Auri admits. They talk more about how school is and Yuki occasionally talks in the conversation. Rose is the most talkative, and Auri tries to match her friendliness. Yuki is far more reserved. She doesn’t know how the two can do it, converse back and forth so fluidly. Yuki isn’t able to keep up with that fast pace. She tends to take her time answering things, and by the time she has thought of something, Auri has already answered for her and moved on. It isn’t the worst thing. Yuki just finds it hard to collect herself when talking to a stranger. She isn’t able to think of any good questions after they ask her things. So it just gets silent until Auri makes the conversation turn toward another route.

There is also things that Yuki just doesn’t summon up the courage to answer. Maybe alone with Auri, it would be easier to talk about. But with Rose there, no matter how nice she seems, it’s just hard to talk about anything fursonal. Yuki surprises herself with how much she can talk about when it is only her and Auri. But otherwise it is just same old Yuki. The shy girl. Auri makes her attempts to draw her into the conversation, or include her somehow. But that always makes it awkward because Yuki doesn’t know what either of them are expecting out of her. Where it is easy to talk to Auri on an individual basis, the whole social structure is different when there is another furry present. Auri seems to manage herself well when she is talking to adults, Yuki observes. She must know what they expect and how to continue a conversation with them.

Yuki is just bad at expressing herself in general. She simply decides not to say things sometimes. Furries will ask a question and Yuki just lets it meet a silent end. It is an effective way of not forcing herself to answer, because then they ask less questions. Some younger kids won’t pick that up, and they will just keep talking or keep asking about different things. Yuki just tolerates those types. They all give up eventually.

But that still doesn’t explain how easy it is to talk to Auri. Yuki doesn’t really use that technique on Auri-Chan. She never feels the need to avoid a question from her. She almost feels a compulsion to answer everything she asks. Almost as if Yuki wishes Auri to know those things about her. Yes, there definitely is an excitement present when talking to Auri. Is it how Auri asks the questions? What is it about Auri that makes her easier to talk to?

Yuki watches how Auri communicates with Rose-San. She sees Auri’s easy smile, her excitable paw gestures. She has look in her eyes, when she asks questions, that make obvious that she is clearly interested in what the furry is answering. She isn’t overly-intent, but she isn’t so uninvested that it makes it seem like she wouldn’t care. No, she cares just the right amount. And her hair, it always seems to float around her face in just the right moment to make her look cute when she brushes it away to make eye contact. Her eyes are soft and happy. They don’t stare, but they are casually observant. Their green glow is mysterious and makes Yuki want to talk to her more. Her expression, so happy, makes Yuki want to say things to make her laugh. Auri’s blue fur just gives Yuki an overwhelming sense of openness and peacefulness.

“And that’s how I met Yuki.” Auri finished telling their story. Yuki was so entranced when Auri was speaking that she didn’t even realize the whole thing was about her. She instantly feels the heat rise to her face. Her embarrassment comes off in waves as both look at her. She was caught in her admiration of Auri again. Yuki turns her face down and hides her eyes behind her bangs. She broke eye contact with Auri because if she held it any longer, her heart might have beaten out of her chest. She puts her paws between her legs in timidness. Her small shoulders scrunch closer.

Auri must have noticed because she deflected the conversation to another topic. Yuki sits there, her face still feeling like it was steaming. Inside, her emotions started to fall to a simmer. Yuki has such strong feelings for Auri-Chan, and always gets caught up in them, not noticing that everyone sees it as clear as day. Why can’t Yuki ever hide her emotions? Furries probably also see the emotions that Yuki isn’t aware of! Thoughts like these bounce around in the small wolf’s brain, her ears betraying her emotion. Auri asks Rose if she could fill up her coffee again. Yuki looks up, slowly figuring out that Auri didn’t want coffee, she wanted to talk to her alone. Yuki looks behind the counter, and sees that Rose is biding her time for that very reason. Auri was incredibly good at that unspoken conversation as well.

✶ ✶ ✶

Aurora

Auri gets up and takes a chair right next to her friend. She takes a paw and gently brushes Yuki-Chan’s hair out of her face. Her eyes tenderly meet Yuki’s brilliantly blue eyes. She tries to empathize with her friend’s expression. Since she has moved over, she can tell that Yuki is acting much differently. She seems more comfortable. She must be happy that Auri noticed and moved close. Suddenly, Yuki’s arms shoot out and wrap themselves around Auri’s waist. Auri leans close to her friend, and pats her perfect looking white hair.

“Sorry,” She mumbles, and Auri doesn’t quite know how to take it.

“Sorry for what?” Auri rubs her paw against Yuki’s shoulder in a comforting way, as she embraces her back.

“Being so… So…” She struggles for words, then says, dejected, “I don’t know.”

“You are amazing, just the way you are.” Auri says to her friend with confidence.

“You really think so?” Yuki looks up at Auri with glistening eyes. Auri’s heart melts when she looks down at her adorable friend.

“Of course. I wouldn’t wish it any other way. You are so precious to me.” Auri’s heart beats as Yuki’s face draws up close to Auri’s. Her face fills Auri’s vision, and she can see every detail, every strand of fur.

“Th- Thank you.” She breathes gently, and throws her arms around Auri’s neck. She is standing on her chair to hug her like that. Auri readjusts her arms around Yuki to a comfortable position. Auri is in awe of how fast Yuki became comfortable once it was just the two of them.

Yuki slips onto Auri’s lap. Her arms still around Auri-Chan’s neck, she nestles her head up to Auri and sighs. Auri keeps her balanced with her arms and hugs a little tighter.

“I’m glad I met you.” Yuki says out of nowhere. Auri smiles at her cute friend.

“I’m so happy you’re my friend,” she responds lovingly.

The bell jingles as the door is opened. A waft of cold enters the room and disperses. Yuki’s loving embrace tightens into a hug of nervousness and she turns her head to see who walked in.

The large furry has an arm on the door, pushing it open. He glances around the empty coffee shop. Auri meets his eyes and finally recognizes him. It’s Suda-San! He smiles and walks over to them. His face turns to quietly questioning as he sees Yuki sitting on Auri’s lap.

“Sorry, am I interrupting anything?” Auri noticed that Yuki hasn’t set a word or moved, so she answered for them both.

“No worries, Suda-San. We were just escaping the cold.” Suda-San lingers, looking at them.

“Ah I see. I came to get some coffee.” He goes to the counter and talks in his calm voice to Rose. He addresses her by name, so Auri guesses that he is either familiar with the shop or is friendly enough to address the nametag casually.

Yuki slips off Auri’s lap as Suda-San is away. She meekly takes the chair next to her. Auri wonders what’s up and looks at her, trying to discern her emotion. The little white wolf keeps her face down. She must have been embarrassed that a student from school saw her so intimate with Auri. Auri knew they didn’t mean anything other than comfort by it, but she suspects that Yuki thinks that Suda-San might not have seen it that way. Auri reaches over and ruffles Yuki’s perfectly anime hair. That brings a slight smile to her countenance, but it quickly is replaced by another bout of nervousness when Suda-San walks over.

A steaming cup of coffee in his paw, Suda-San asks politely, “May I sit with you girls?” Auri nods at this and Yuki acknowledges him by looking up. She brings her hot chocolate closer to her. Rose comes over and asks Yuki if she would like her to warm her hot chocolate up again. She nods in thanks and gives it to the nice maid.

“Would you like me to add some whipping cream?” Rose asks pleasantly from behind the counter.

“Yes please,” Yuki’s timid voice is only able to be heard because of how quiet the room is. Suda-San takes a seat across from the girls. He adds creamer to his coffee, the dark black swirls into a warm brown.

“I won’t tell anyone, I’m good for it.” Suda starts saying. Auri notices Yuki-Chan cringe out of the corner of her eye.

“What?” Auri is lost where this is going. She was interested in Yuki’s stark reaction to this. She is usually shy when other furries are around, but this was much different. She was more than just shy, she was frightened. Of what, Auri was not sure of. Suda-San was a classmate, and a good one. She isn’t as open with them as she is with Auri, but she sure isn’t this withdrawn around them.

“Thank you, Suda-San.” Yuki-Chan says, before Auri can get a grasp of what he meant. A knowing expression passes on his face.

“Sorry if I made it awkward, Asuna-San.” He looks apologetically at Yuki. Auri feels out of the loop on this one, but Yuki is looking happier now, so Auri is alright with it. Rose brings Yuki her hot chocolate, warmed and with more whip cream on top. She also sprinkled what smells like nutmeg on the top. Auri is already finished with her coffee, so she asks for a drink of Yuki’s hot chocolate. She obliges, and Auri drinks out of it without checking if it was too hot. It is very warm, but Auri has always been pretty resistant to temperature. She loves how the heat tingles on her tongue, and the whip cream is delicious. She licks her lips because the frothy whip cream was towered pretty high on the drink. She places the drink back on the table, and smiles as she sees Suda-San looking at her. She doesn’t know what type of thoughts go through his head. He’s a quiet, calm guy. She can pretty much tell what Yuki is feeling at any given time, but Suda-San is more reserved in showing emotion.

“It sure is cold out,” Suda-San says, trying to start up some small talk. Auri nods, “I sure do like the cold.”

“I’d rather it be nice and sunny,” Yuki adds in, starting to become more herself as she holds her warm cup between her paws.

Auri watches Yuki for a little longer, trying to figure out the mood shift. She seems less uneasy, after she thanked Suda-San. What was going through her head? Auri couldn’t figure it out, but she liked that she was acting a little more normal now. Maybe she will talk to her about it when they are alone.

“Are you two having a good day today?” Suda-San asks pleasantly. He has an amiable expression, and it puts the girls at ease.

“Just a wonderful day today,” Yuki-Chan says quietly. Auri agrees, and asks if he is also having a good day.

“Oh yeah, it’s going just swell. It’s unfortunate that I cannot play baseball because of the weather, though.” He chuckles slightly, “But the rain is a nice change.”

“It sure is,” Auri says with a sigh. She loves the rain, and loves to go out in it. She will let the drops hit her face, splash on her fur, and soak her completely. She doesn’t mind being wet at all, nor does it make her too cold. She could be drenched on a windy day and still be fine. Her favourite type of weather, though, is the early morning fog and dew that coats everything in ice. She explains this to them to keep the conversation going.

“I like the fog, too,” Yuki says in her cute, quiet voice. Suda agrees and states how there is a certain mood that weather puts furries in. He enjoys the more somber and serious weather patterns.

They sit admiring the rain through the window. It’s pleasant to have a warm drink on a day like this. Auri puts her arm around Yuki-Chan and pulls her closer. Yuki glances at Suda-San but relaxes into it anyway. Auri is glad how things are turning out. She has experienced so much in these 2 days. And having a friend like Yuki is so wonderful.

Auri feels Yuki play with her hair. Her claws brush lightly across her back, and Auri delights in the contact. She starts purring gently, the sound makes it into her breath. Yuki places her paw on her back, feeling the purring.

The 3 students finish their drinks, but the rain is still pouring. They deduce that they are going to have to walk out in the rain. Auri is alright with it, but the other two seem a little more reluctant. They pay the nice waitress and make their way out. Auri goes straight out into the rain and holds her paws up.

“It’s not so bad,” She says, with a teasing smile. She knows that, coming from her, it wouldn’t mean that they would be ok with the rain. They know that she always doesn’t mind being drenched.

Yuki shields her face as she steps out from under the eaves. Suda walks slowly behind the 2 girls, not complaining about the weather. Auri takes her shoes off and jumps in a puddle. Yuki giggles and scolds her, in a joking manner, for splashing.

✶ ✶ ✶

Suda, Hideto

Suda watches the girls splash around in the puddles. He can clearly see how head-over-heels Yuki-San is for Aurora-San. She watches her every move, and matches her excitement. Suda has known Yuki for a long time, through school. He has never seen her so open and joyous around someone. Especially now, it’s as if they are the only two furries on the planet. The way they respond to one another, how they always want to be close. The innocence of it all makes Suda’s heart joyous for them.

Suda has never been able to be open with furries. He didn’t want to burden them, and he knew he could handle it on his own. He has always handled things on his own. Ever since his dad left and his mom became a drunkard, he has done everything for himself. He found a job, he brought home groceries, he grew up quickly. So when he watches these girls, he yearns their innocence. They have the ability to keep things so light and happy. Suda has long since held the weight if responsibility on his shoulders. He doubts he could forget it all and share their excitement. This is just his position in life. He never fought it. He just adapted. Adapted because he had to. Adapted for his survival. Those days are gone, the days of being a child. He doesn’t miss it much, simply because he didn’t have it for long. But part of him still wishes he could have experienced a normal childhood for longer. That is just the way of the world, it seems. He quickly learned to pick his battles. This is not one he could fight. Maybe for a moment, he may be allowed to revisit that naïve playfulness. But it never lasts for long, and he has to go back to real life. It makes those moments sad, knowing that he will never truly have them. Those times are fleeting, they leave him as quickly as they appear.

He watches the girl’s uniforms become completely sopping wet. A small smile makes its way onto his features. To find someone like that… must be nice. They really enjoy each other. They continue towards the nearest bus stop. There, Suda stays under the eaves. Auri is out in the rain still, and she is tugging on Yuki to go explore while the bus hasn’t arrived yet. She kicks a tree and it lets loose its entire contents onto Yuki. She screams in surprise and then laughter. Suda motions to them when the bus arrives. They hop on. The bus is empty because it’s both too wet for furries to want to go anywhere and because it’s a inbetween hour, far after school ends but not far enough to have workers get out.

Auri slips into a seat, still giggling. She crosses her legs, fur dripping. Yuki sits next to her and puts a paw on her leg. Auri seems familiar with Yuki’s contact and Suda looks away. He feels like a third wheel at this point, but he is rather glad that Yuki has all but forgotten his presence. He could tell that she starts to hold back when she remembers he is there, like at the coffee shop. But he has a good relationship with Yuki, so she forgot about the awkwardness and just started to be herself again. That was something Suda doesn’t get to see often. He really didn’t expect her to be a... Well, he shouldn’t judge. But she sure did warm up to the new furry really quickly. And maybe it isn’t that, maybe it’s just a friendship. He suspects he will never know, considering that Yuki usually is shy when it is more than 2 furries. The relationship they have is nice, either way. He’s glad they didn’t mind him sticking around. Or they were too polite to say anything. He grimaces at this thought. He didn’t want to be a burden. He reminds himself that they seemed to forget he was there by the end, so no harm done. He gets awaken from his thoughts as his stop comes up. He gets off earlier than the girls. He waves them farewell, they smile back and Auri says ‘have a good night!’ to him.

He walks a bit, the rain in this area isn’t quite as heavy. The rain blows the light mist sideways across his vision, lit up by the streetlights. He puts a paw up to shield his eyes. He didn’t see the runner until it was too late. They smashed into him, his bags went flying off his shoulder in the other direction. He was splayed flat out on the ground. His mind also tumbled. He peers at who ran into him. He sees them getting up. It’s a girl in tight black runners. She looks to be a fennec, with her large ears bundled up in her hoodie.

“I am so sorry, I didn’t even see you.” The small fox helps the stocky student to his feet. Such a small girl, but she hit him fast enough to unbalance him. And then she helps him up. What just went on? He picks his bag off the ground and slings it over his shoulder again.

“No problem, honey. Where are you rushing so fast off to?” Suda is surprised at his words, he usually is more polite. He did get knocked around a little, so he still is jumbled. Before she responds, he glances at her. The perfect curves, clearly outlined by her skintight suit. She was impeccable. Her athletic body was eye catching. He could swear that her hint of defined abs was the cutest thing he had ever saw. Her clothes glistened, and stuck to her closer, because of the rain.

“I always jog, and the mist is nice to cool me off,” she starts stretching her muscles. Suda is a little lost for words. He can’t take his eyes off her. He is appalled at his own tenacity to not look away. This is so rude, to stare at the girl. He can’t stop himself, and his eyes travel along her body. He tries to memorize her cute, small face. His brain makes him look at her chest. Her breasts have almost no fat, they are mainly just pectoral muscles. That’s quite usual for an athletic girl, for her to have a flat chest. She stretches her legs and his brain can’t help but direct his eyes. His heart pounds and his face burns with embarrassment. What is with him today? He doesn’t look for long, but he can remember the alluring sight so clearly. Darn teenager hormones are flaring up, he supposes. He’s lucky she hasn’t noticed him staring at her. It may be possible she did notice but hasn’t said anything. He cringes at the idea. He’s no sex addict, he’s a perfectly reasonable guy that has restraints and morality. But holy heck, she was beautiful.

“Do you live around here?” If she was a neighbour, he had a chance to get to know her.

“Yeah, actually, right across the way.” She points to a house directly across from him.

“Ah! You’re my neighbour then. I live right across from you,” he points to his house, and since she is finished stretching, he bows in greeting, “I am Suda, Hideto.” He smiles up at her and she bows back. He usually goes by his family name, only a select few call him by Hideto.

“I am Takagi, Chiharu. You may call me Chiharu.” She did end up taking it to a first name basis. It makes sense, as she is his neighbour. That’s usually less formal than classmates. She looks as if she wants to keep running, so he doesn’t want to keep her for long. He is happy that she is a neighbour, he will see her again.

“I’ll let you get back to running.” He wants to let her know that he is open to the idea of seeing her again, so he adds, “You can knock on my door anytime, if you need anything.” She smiles at this and nods her head. She waves bye with a small paw and wiggles her claws at him. He puts his paw up and leaves it there as she starts jogging off. Only after she left his sight did he realize that his paw was still up. He sighs and puts it down. That was sure a rare occurrence. He already yearns to see her again. He can remember her tail bobbing up and down as she jogged away. Something inside him pulls at him to get to know this girl. He finally shakes the water off his head and goes to his front door. Keys jangle and soon enough he has unlocked the door.

“I’m home!” He calls out to a cold house. He shivers, the wetness getting to him. A hot shower would be perfect. He walks to the bathroom, passing his mom’s room on the way. He turns his head, looking in for a split second. As he suspected, she was sleeping. He saw the bottle on her nightstand and he sighs. He hates alcohol with a burning passion. He shakes off the bad vibes and walks into the bathroom. His wet clothes have to be tugged off. The shower warms up and he steps in. The room starts to fill with steam. The cold water that was stuck in his fur is driven off by the warm downpour. He sighs and it resonates in the echoey bathroom. That girl pops into his mind again. Chiharu. What an amazing girl. He didn’t know how strongly his emotions could be until he saw her. He’s too used to his steady emotions never swaying. But now, they have skyrocketed, and sent him on a rollercoaster of a ride.

After a pleasant shower, he dries off with a towel. His thick fur takes forever to dry off, and he turns on a blowdryer to get rid of the dampness. Now warmed up, he should get to his homework. His bag was soaked, but luckily the inner contents seemed fine, minus some splatter that worked its way in when he opened the bag.

He was a studious kid. Obviously no one told him to study beside his teachers. He formed good study habits on his own. His grades were good, especially considering he had baseball practice and work on top of it. He was proud of them, even if they weren’t the best at times. Times where his mother got really bad, his grades also suffered. Things now were manageable. She was calm, pretty much just drinking and sleeping though. He doesn’t know how she got money for alcohol though. He would only buy her necessities, like food and utilities. Even with that, she always managed to come home with alcohol. Suda now is mature enough to never ask. He suspects the worst, that her form of income is from selling her body. The signs are pretty obvious, she has some clothing items that are unusually explicit. The only times he ever saw her in those is when she came home to pass out in the middle of the night and wouldn’t wake up til noon. She must have been too tired to take it off. Suda never stirred her on those days. He wouldn’t be able to look her in the eye. His heart breaks when he finds out some of the terrible things she got herself into. She was an adult and made her own decisions, Suda was never strong enough to confront her about it.

He finished his homework rather quickly. His mind instantly thought about the girl again. He really hopes she will knock on his door sometime. Now that he thinks of it, he could knock on hers as well. She seemed friendly enough to not mind that. The question always is, how soon should he? It can’t be today, for that would be too weird. But tomorrow might be fine if he found an excuse. Man, he really must like her. He’s trying to think of all these ways to see her again already.

✶ ✶ ✶

Borealis

Auri must have gone to sleep early. Bo woke up while it was still light out. He smiled as he saw that her package arrived. She already was doodling with the new artbook she got. Her new pencils were out, he deduced that she was testing the colours. She fell asleep in the middle of something. He was on the carpet, sitting up. She found the journal that Borealis added to her shipment. The panda actually did write a note, instructing her to use it as a sort of scientific log. Borealis loves that this guy is playing along. He looks closer, and oh my. She already wrote a ton in it. That’s what she must have passed out doing. Neat japanese scrolls down the pages, occasional doodles show off what she is writing about. This is what he wanted, so now is a good a time as any to start reading.

I guess Musake-Sama wishes me to write about my feelings. I should start this off right, then.

Dear Diary,

Today was one of the best days I’ve ever had. Even better than when I finished the fifth book of JK Meowing’s Hairy Otter. It’s been cold, and I love the cold. Most extreme temperatures are really fun to me. It was also raining, and I got to play in the downpour with Yuki-Chan. I really like Yuki. She is a girl I met at school.

Ah, she must be talking about the girl Borealis saw. He only awoke for a short time, and what a predicament that would have been if he wasn’t able to give Auri control.

She is super shy with most furries, but luckily she feels comfortable around me and isn’t as shy. I really want to spend as much time with her as I can. Good news, Musake-Sama said I could bring her over to my house! I’m very excited about that, and I’ve already written him a thank you letter.

As to emotions, Yuki has made me feel many emotions that I have never experienced. The first time Yuki hugged me, I felt such a happiness and sense of acceptance. I cried in joy, not something I’m used to. She made me laugh more than I have ever laughed, especially when we were playing in the puddles together. I felt comfort, when she was hugging me and sitting on my lap at the coffee shop. I’m also very curious to understand her shyness. She gets really emotional as well, just adding to how complex she is. She gets embarrassed a lot around me, especially when I stare at her too long or someone mentions how cute we are together. Are friends supposed to be “cute together?” I don’t quite get that, but for whatever reason she blushes and gets quiet. She also makes me feel wonderful, a feeling I can’t explain. When we were sitting on the bus on the way home, she got really close. We were soaking wet from the rain, she must have been cold. She put her paw on my leg and electricity shot up my leg. I got so warm and happy and it made my heart race. Yuki loves physical contact, and I love reciprocating it. Her fur is so soft, I love patting her head. I can’t wait to see her again.

Borealis keeps reading, it starts to cover more normal emotions. She’s pretty precise in her explanations. The scientists will love this. The start was the most interesting to Borealis. She feels strongly towards this girl. It is also clear that the girl likes her back. Borealis wonders how this will play out if the girl meets both fursonalities. He doesn’t think he will be able to emulate how Auri acts around her, however. Auri is extremely complex. She is very different than him, now that he sees her emotions laid out so clearly. Borealis gets out his laptop from the secret compartment and writes down his ideas and observations. He better be organized if he is going to be living alongside this furry forever.

They are quite distinctly separate, the journal entry made that irrefutable. He doesn’t think there is a third fursonality, but if there was, it must be pretty rare. Because almost the whole 24 hours of a day can be accounted for, either as Aurora or Borealis. Right when she falls asleep does he wake up, and he suspects the opposite is true, but he can’t see that side. He just knows that he wakes up around the same time that his other half falls asleep. She keeps a usual bedtime, but it’s very obvious when she goes off the normal routine, because he will wake up in the middle of something or at some random time. He is a little envious of her diurnal cycle. She gets more time awake than he does. Being nocturnal means he has a shorter time to do things. He makes use of it, though. He is very productive when he is awake. He keeps in mind his time limit. Before school started, he could safely take close to 12 hours. Now he better get to sleep before the timer. A good thing that he figured out was the sound of the alarm is a trigger. Just like how he forced her to take control when they accidently switched places during her first day of school, the sound of the alarm can trigger a fursonality switch. Meaning he doesn’t have to try to go to sleep, he just needs to get in bed, or lie down before the alarm goes off. The latter might just make her think she sleepwalks. That wouldn’t be the worst thing for her to think, because it would explain a lot. She really does sleepwalk, it just happens to be a whole different fursonality taking control. She doesn’t need to know the whole truth just yet.

The more he read about her, the more he understood. She was highly intelligent, like he was. She just had a greater emotional connection and understanding. She must be right brained, and he must be left brained then. He chuckles at this. He may not actually be that far off. Their fursonalities could be mainly housed in one portion of the brain, making this effect.