2026-08-23: Welcome to Your New Life, Pudding

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(|======================== Port Island Station - Main ========================|)
-======================================= Iwatodai CityTatsumi Port Island ====-
A sunny arrival greets people who ride the monorail to the artificial island    
every day, as once off the platform, Port Island Station is open-air, allowing  
the sea breeze to spread throughout it. Columns slice a diagonal towards a      
curved wall that makes the station take on an amphitheater type appearance.     
                                                                                
A vendor at Rafflesia makes the enticing offer of flowers for decorations and   
gifts to your sweetheart alike, while Screen Shot Cinema presents matinee       
pricing for students getting away from the stress of school and wanting to catch
the latest releases. Police dot the place, stopping people before they might    
make a wrong turn towards certain alleys. Of course, you wouldn't know anything 
about going to places like that, now would you?                                 
(|============================================================================|)

<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.

December weather was rarely pleasant - at least in the traditional sense - and that Saturday was no different. The sky was a dreary shade of grey, overcast and letting only faint streaks of cold light pass through. The wind, though gentle for the most part, picked up in cold and biting gusts, stabbing at the skin like knives. The temperature was, at least, manageable enough that Hyousuke didn't feel compelled to wear anything more than a light jacket and jeans. Then again, he'd not worn anything heavier than a beanie that year, so perhaps it was just him.

The dog that pottered along beside him - or, indeed, ahead of him, when something particularly interesting was detected - did not seem to be particularly aware of the cold either. Whether it was the coat of short and golden fur that hung off its body, it just being naturally resistant, or simply it having worked up some heat after trotting along beside him on the way to a park near Gekkoukan, he could not say. He doubted the dog would have much to say on it either, but he still glanced down at it as if he would get one.

"Not far now." He said, receiving a glance back in response. The dog looked at him with those round, shining eyes, then turned its head back to the path ahead, clearly not understanding a word of what had just been said. Its face was a little odd, if going by the standards of standard breeds. Its ears were an odd middle ground between rounded and sharp, while its features below were more angular than one might have expected from a golden-furred breed. The same could be said of its stature, it being small but well-proportioned.

It wasn't long before the two rounded a path and came to large, empty, stretch of grass. Somewhere perfect to play around the the dog, though a smattering of benches were nearby for those who wished to sit. The dog did not wish to sit. A stick was clutched between its teeth, and it jabbed its snout incessantly into Hyousuke, barking sharply past it to try and initiate something less boring than standing around.
"Hey, easy now. We can play all you like once we're done introducing you, got it?"
The dog barked. It had heard 'play,' but that was about *all* it had heard. 

<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.

Ririka had been concerned about the dog they had helped Hyousuke rescue, though she'd been hoping that Hyousuke would be able to find the owner. Getting a text from Hyousuke to come meet for an update, though, had left her hoping it was good news...

But she frowns a little in worry as she arrives to the meeting spot to see the dog. She's bundled up, jacket, jeans, sneakers, hat and scarf. "Hey there, remember me?" she asks of the dog, kneeling down and offering a freshly de-mittened hand. She looks up to Hyousuke next. "Hey, Suzuki-san. Still no luck finding the owner?" she asks with a note of worry. 

<Pose Tracker> Fuuka Yamagishi has posed.

Hyousuke had texted everyone asking to meet up. Fuuka can't help but be curious about what's come up... She agreed, of course - and so, arrived ahead of time at the park they agreed to meet at.

And so, she's seated patiently on a bench. She's in her favorite winter wear - a black turtleneck sweater alongside a forest green capelet and matching skirt with three layers.

She looks up as she hears the barking of the dog - and spots Hyousuke currently in the middle of arguing with it. She looks between the two of them and gasps in understanding, popping up from the bench and hurrying over to the two of them.

"Suzuki-san! Is that...?" Fuuka asks. The way Ririka speaks of the dog practically confirms it - and with a smile, Fuuka offers her hand to the dog, too.

"You look great!" Fuuka praises - though her mood turns somewhat downward, as Ririka asks about the owners. So they haven't been found yet...? 

<Pose Tracker> Hitomi Mandai has posed.

Local Schoolgirl in "Suspiciously Good Mood"
        Authorities Vow Investigation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eu3q-wOJjQo


Hitomi Mandai didn't go home for the winter break, or at least, not to stay. As such, the welcoming invitation from Suzuki got a promptish 'I'm in!' from Hitomi.

The cold doesn't bother her, although she is warmly dressed. Her habitual leggings, yes, along with a skirt, but over most of it is a wine-red cloth coat, which was a pretty popular design at Un*qlo last year. It still fits just fine, and that's just ducky. If anything it's a little daring, because it's a guy cut and Hitomi's personal style trends quite femme. (She is also bigger than most of the boys. She is about an inch shorter than Akihiko, if significantly less MUSCULAR)

The big accent piece is a red silk scarf, and this is a bright vivid red, wrapped around the neck twice and trailing rakishly over one shoulder.

Hitomi's also all but skipping. She's smiling at nothing in particular. "We never kept a dog when I was a kid, but I wish we had," she comments to Suzuki. "How about you, you grow up with dogs?" But then!!

Hitomi makes a :D! face at the sight of the dog. "Look at you oooh what a friendly little guy! Look at this guy, Ririka," Hitomi enthuses to Ririka, until they get to an open space. And...

"So hi, I'm Hitomi Mandai," she says unto the dog. "I'm a Scorpio, AB negative. You don't know what that means, you're a dog." Hitomi looks to Fuuka. "I'm completely hopeless here, introduce us?" 

<Pose Tracker> Akihiko Sanada has posed.

        Akihiko similarly alongside his SEES compatriots. He arrives in a tan suit jacket and pants, with a black turtleneck undernearth and a red woolen scarf wrapped overtop.

        "Yo, Suzuki." Akihiko says casually, as he removes a hand from his packet in greeting. He chuckles a little, as he sees the dog excitedly try to play. Ririka asks the question on his mind, so there's not much else but to wait for a response. Instead, Akihiko crouches down and similarly beckons the pup over. "Here, boy. He coos gently.

<Pose Tracker> Moriko Kumamoto has posed.

Wearing a long coat, long skirt and overall cozy vibe, Moriko's one of the later ones to arrive, mostly by dint of her having had to walk. And you know, getting side tracked. It happens. A hand goes up, greeting the gatherin as she spots the dog first, then some of the others in that 'actually recognizing who all's here" sort of way.
 
 The headphones come down. She rubs her ears for warmth and she steps up, fishing around in her pockets as she looks down to said dog!
 
 "Scorpio?" Moriko asks, a bit confused. "To the dog?" She adds, following up.
 
 Still, she doesn't have any treats so she offers her hand out, palm down for the dog to sniff and maybe get pets too.
 
 This many people will probably get it all excited!" 

<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.

"Hey, you guys. Glad to see you could all make it." Hyousuke gave a short wave at them with his free - and bare, in contrast to some in attendance - hand. "I want to introduce you to- Hey, watch it!"

The dog did indeed remember Ririka. The dog remembered her very well, and Hyousuke stumbled a little trying to hold it back when it bolted towards her. Keeping it just a little away from her, he let Ririka approach it on her own terms, though there was no escaping the absolute storm of licks, nuzzles, and excited barking once it *was* within reach of her. Suchw as its enthusiasm that it had even dropped its stick on the way to meet her, leaving it in the dirt, forgotten and forlorn.

Another stranger offered their hand. The dog did not know Fuuka, but it did know that she was a person with hands. People with hands usually meant attention. And attention meant pets. If there was one thing that the wagging little thing could not get enough of (besides treats), it was attention. It returned Fuuka's affection with reckless abandon, rubbing all over her hand before someone else caught its attention.

The dog stared at Hitomi with barely-blinking eyes. It listened. It waited. It panted with its tongue out and its tail whipping up a storm. It... understood nothing. But it did understand that she was paying attention to it, so really, it didn't need to know anything else. Especially when it was allowed to sniff at her. It even snoffed at her. It was a veritable storm of sniff-snoffing, and on occasion, snoff-sniffing.
"I'm sure he's thrilled to meet you." Hyousuke said, a little dryly, but smiling nonetheless. "Dunno what his blood type is or anything, but the vet was pretty sure he's a dog." He was also pretty sure that it was a dog. The dog was pretty sure there were more people it needed to demand pets from.

The dog was anything but gentle with Akihiko. The very second it was allowed, it bounded over and placed its head into Akihiko's hand, as if it were its God-given right to take pets from whoever dared to cross paths with it. Whether it remembered him or not was unclear, but Akihiko seemed friendly enough to take affections from, and that was all it seemed to care about.

Moriko unvoiced assertion was indeed correct. The dog was *very* excited. To be around that many people was excitement enough, but all of them wanting to pay attention to it at once? The little diva was positively ecstatic. It had energy to spare as it took her pets with reckless abandon, returning the affections with rubs and licks in spite of the lack of treats.

"As I was saying..." Hyousuke said, smiling a little as he shook his head. He looked back at those gathered with an expression that was markedly less energetic than the dog's. Not as tired as it had been the other day with Ichika, but the smile was weak, and his posture sagging a little. "I wanted to introduce you to this little guy. Turns out the rumour demon we were all chasing after was, well, this dog." The dog that seemed fascinated with a passing leaf, before immediately losing interest and laying at the feet of whoever was nearest, looking up expectantly.

"I... Well, me and a detective I know... we found his owners." The hesitance he gave to that simple sentiment and the note of bitterness that came with the word 'owners' was nothing short of foreboding. But if that was not picked up on, then the visible contorting of his expression might have been. His lips curled down a little, his gaze hardened, and his grip on the leash tightened just a fraction - but a fraction was enough to whiten his knuckles a touch. "Tracked 'em down to their apartment. I showed up with him, and they..."

Hyousuke paused, searching for the words. Even when he managed to string together a sentence, it didn't come out easy, and everything he said was tinged with venom.
"They didn't want him. They'd *abandoned* him. Those fuckers said they'd call the cops if I came back, and- and they-" It was a simple and blunt statement, but he could feel the poison on his tongue. The words hurt to say - just the memory of the day made bile rise in his throat. "They hadn't lost him, they'd left him in the woods to die! Those assholes, they-" He clenched his teeth and looked down, unable to finish the thought. He took a moment, but even after collecting himself, Hyousuke found himself with anger still bubbling up inside. "So now I'm looking after him. I'm... I'm sorry I couldn't give you better news than that. But I figured you guys'd want to know."

The dog looked up at him, wondering what the sudden change in tone was about. It didn't seem worried - more curious than anything else, if the tilting head was any indication.
"The vet and Igor said he'd be alright as long as someone took care of him, at least. Couldn't find anything wrong with him, just that he was tired." 

<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.

Ririka nods to Fuuka. "I got to see him really quick after we helped... rescue him. I'm glad he's in good spirits still, at least." She'll let Hyousuke explain the details further, though.

But the concern Ririka has doesn't last long in the face of Hitomi's skipping (or almost skipping). "We never had a dog growing up either," she adds. "Or any pet. Koro-cha's kind of the closest..." There's a quiet laugh. "I'm looking, I'm looking. Don't worry."

(Ririka's not used to ahving another girl around who's even taller than her, but Hitomi hits that mark.)

Ririka giggles quietly as she sees the dog's excitement, and will, indeed, approach."Hey, easy there, I'm not going anywhere...And more laughs as it greets her with a storm of licks. "Wh-whoa, easy there, easy!" She's not doing much to dissuade the dog, though. "Save some of that energy for everyone else!" she jokes.

She's not surprised that the rumor beast they were chasing was the dog. She'd heard that part. But she looks up with a frown as she hears Hyousuke mention that the owners wer,e in fact, found. "You did...?"

Then why...?

Ririka gasps. as Hyousuke lays out the ugly truth. "They what? That's terrible! Can they even do that!?" She's about to get angry too, but she takes a deep breath. "... Wow. What a shitty move."

She stays kneeling, regarding the dog for a moment. "... Well, at least he's got you to look after him now. Do you need any help with that?" 

<Pose Tracker> Fuuka Yamagishi has posed.

The dog returns Fuuka's affection - and one can practically see her eyes sparkle as she lets out an adoring 'aww', giving the Good Dog the pets it so rightly deserves.

"I hope Koro-chan won't be too jealous..." Fuuka comments consideringly. Growing up with dogs...

"...We didn't have an pets growing up, either. I wanted one, but... my parents always refused." Fuuka comments with a sigh. She looks toward Hitomi, then, as she asks for introductions. It's nice to see how enthusiastic she is about meeting the dog, too.

"Well, you see..." She starts. Hyousuke does the honors, though - this dog is the true form of the rumor demon they encountered. "I thought so..."

Fuuka listens as Hyousuke continues. He and a detective he knows did find his owners, but...

They abandoned him.

Shock, horror, and disappointment crosses her face.

"That's... that's awful. How could anyone do that to another living being...?" She replies, shaking her head. ...Well. Truthfully, she knows how. She doesn't want to imagine it, though. She looks back toward the dog.

"You poor thing..." She murmurs, leaning in for a quick hug. The dog, at least, seems unbothered about all this. ...It's probably for the best. Better that he not know... She pulls back, looking toward Hyousuke.

"That's a big undertaking, Suzuki-san..." Fuuka comments. "But... I'm glad someone's looking after him."

She nods, as Ririka asks if he needs any help.

"Yes, please let us know." She agrees. 

<Pose Tracker> Hitomi Mandai has posed.

"He said we were doing introductions!" Hitomi protests without much force at Moriko's comment. She then observes what Akihiko is doing, and attempts to imitate it, which in this case mostly means she ends up sitting down in a way that suggests she did not, successfully, crouch down. She *is* able to tuck her legs into something resembling a seiza.

Hitomi looks into the dog's eyes.

No thoughts. Only GOOD BOY.

She does hold out a hand. When sniffed: she smells like a human. (She showered this morning.) "I don't even know if dogs have blood types," Hitomi continues, to Hyousuke, still with good cheer. And then BUMP, he goes for the muscle (Aki baby). "Aw!"

Hitomi's ebullience is then given a single clear challenge. Hyousuke's account of the dog's former masters... who *abandoned him*?? "What the hell!" Hitomi exclaims. "Did they just get tired of this little sweetie?? Shit!" After this she says, to Akihiko specifically, "Sorry, I just -- sheesh."

Meditative silence from Hitomi as she regards yon dog.

"That has to be illegal," Hitomi half-agrees with Ririka. "Did he have tags or anything? You have to get them shots, right? Or is that just cats?"

Caretaking. "Hmm... if you need like, a leash and bowls and stuff, I'd be glad to chip in... are you alright on the food? Like, long term," Hitomi says, looking towards Hyousuke. "I actually don't know how much it costs to feed 'em, that was just kind of the reason my mom said for why we didn't have a dog." 

<Pose Tracker> Moriko Kumamoto has posed.

The dog definitely gets plenty of attention from Moriko, who's happy to crouch down if it lingers long enough to give it good ear scritches and a bit of baby talk. Because of course she would!
 
 "That's.. pretty horrible." She mutters, trying not to let it into her voice as she pets the dog, figuring her tone would matter more than the words around the dog and not wanting to risk it thinking anything was wrong.
 
 More or less confirmed when Hyousuke's tone gets the dog's attention.
 
 "He might be excited to have a friend to play with. Most dogs are pretty social right?" She replies to Fuuka ,eyebrow raised briefly.
 
 "Oh." is the simple reply to Hitomi, still maybe a little confused. "Dunno what it was though." Suggesting she's not big on those sorts of horoscopes.
 
 "Could pitch in to try and help out. Maybe bring a few things in from the shop, I dunno what we'd have with mechanics, but..." 

<Pose Tracker> Akihiko Sanada has posed.

        Akihiko is glad to dote on the dog some, stritching under the chin and behing the ears. "He does seem to have endless energy." Akihiko replies to Ririka. He could probably do this all day... But the dog must greet everyone else too, so Akihiko raises back to standing and putting his hands back into his pockets.

        Akihiko does remember the chase, and finding the dog at the end. So, he was abandoned... Aki leans to the side, and looks at the happy little dog. It doesn't seem to have had that big of an effect on him.

        Then, Hitomi swears- and apologies to him. He lets out a laugh. "If there's any time to swear, this is a fine moment." He says with a smile.

        "It's good that we found him, then." Akihiko says more seriously now, to Hyousuke. "There's a lot that goes into taking care of a dog, Suzuki-san." He opts to focus on the immidatel. He nods along with Hitomi. "Are your parents, or dorm, alright with it...?" 

<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.

Though both he and Ririka exercised some measure of restraint, Hyousuke's anger was still visible anger. The tells were far from subtle, but the paled knuckles and the twisting muscles in his face were a far cry from the hateful, impassioned, words he wished to sling at the dog's previous owners.
"Doesn't matter if they can or can't. I don't think I would've let him go back to owners as shitty as them anyway. He... he deserves better than that." It deserved a family and a home to go back to, and love whenever it needed it, and everything else it could possibly want.

Not whatever a family like that would give it.

Fuuka's question caused him to look down slowly. It was, ostensibly, at the dog. His eyes pointed in that direction, at least. But he seemed somehow distant, in both voice and manner.
"They said they wanted a purebreed." Hyousuke said, taking a few pets of his own from the dog, who was only too eager to return them. It was a generous overlord, after all - it did not take without giving back. "They didn't want a mutt. All they saw was a burden, so they threw him out the first chance they got. Assholes..."

It wasn't a strong enough word, though he was certainly not the only one to express himself in such a way. He looked knowing at Hitomi, sharing her distaste towards its previous 'owners,' thoguh gave no more a gesture than that while he responded.
"No tags, no chip, nothing. All we found its old collar, but the thing was too damaged to make anything out. We managed to figure out the area he was living in, but I had to ask around just to figure out where his owners... well, his old owners, were living. Even if it is illegal though, I can't do anything about it. Cops aren't gonna listen to me, and that's even if they give enough of a shit to do anything in the first place."

Whether the Sumaru Police Department's reputation preceded them in other areas of Japan, Hyousuke could not say, but he wasn't afraid to make his own opinions on them known.

"Horrible don't cover it." Hyousuke said in response to Moriko, trying to keep his tone a little lighter so as not to worry the dog. Not that the dog seemed particularly worried. overwhelmed by the affection it had received - and continued to receive - from everyone, it bounded from hand to hand, even shuffling its body into any waiting pairs it could reach. Privately, Hyousuke worried if it was going to expect this kind of treatment from now on, but supposed it was probably the least of his problems at this point. "Look at him. How the hell could you do that to him? To anyone?" There it was again - the venom. He could feel the bile, and unpleasant memories from farther back than the dog, stirring in him.

Akihiko's concerns were met with a frown, silence, and then a measured tone. It was flat, and it was restrained, like he holding himself back from expressing anything. It was far from an actual calm - more like the silence before a storm.
"The dorm's probably not alright with it, but there's probably about three teachers in Kasugayama that'll try and enforce *any* of the rules, and I'm pretty sure one of them's Ijuuin-sensei. The guys there won't snitch anyway. It's a good way to get yourself hurt, and they all like dogs too."

His neglecting to mention his parents was very much on purpose, though Akihiko's mention of them drew a slight and subtle twitch of his facial muscles. It was probably nothing, though. Just an errant gust of wind blowing dirt into his eye.

Everyone else's shared sentiment - about whether there was anything they could do to help - Hyousuke answered at the end.
"I've got food and stuff covered. I've been getting some help with what stuff to buy, and I make enough from my job and my 'jobs' to cover it." Ichika's experience with Lance had proven invaluable in picking out everything from assorted accessories to the essentials, and everything in between. Meanwhile, his job at the butler cafe alongside Ryuji had proven quite lucrative for something part-time, and his frequent midnight outings had helped to alleviate the financial stress. Yet, the way he trailed off made it clear there was soemthing else bugging him.

"Problem is finding a place that'll take pets that I can afford. And I gotta talk to someone about signing the papers... I can't talk to my folks, but there's someone that-" He couldn't even hide his consternation. Hyousuke tried, of course. He tried to play it off as the pain anyone would have with trying to find somewhere affordable to stay that wasn't a dump. But the hesitation lingered too long, his frown a little too deep, and his eyes diverted a little too much. "...It's complicated. I'll figure it out, it's just a lot to deal with on top of... everything."

The dog, living in blissful ignorance, did not know of nor understand the complex family dynamics plaguing the Suzukis. It did, however, notice that its friend was a little down, and generously bestowed affection on Hyousuke. He crouched down and pet it for its troubles, ruffling that glossy golden fur gently, before it andered back off to partake of the others once more, satisfied its job had been done. It even began to take its stick with it, dropping the thing at their feet in the hopes one of them might break way from the conversation to play. It would settle for pets, though, if its expectant look and wagging tail were any indication.

"Thinking about it though, there's something you guys probabl *could* help with." Hyousuke's tone lightened a little - just a little - and he regarded each of the people there. "I didn't bother naming him since I didn't think I was gonna keep him, but I'm sure as hell not giving him up now. So I guess I do need a name. I was thinking of something like Melonbread or Pudding because of his fur, but that's about *all* I got so far." 

<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.

Fuuka hopes Koromaru won't get jealous. "W-well, we could always ask Aigis, I guess...?" Ririka suggests lightly to her fellow Navigator.

"There wasn't a tag or a chip or anything," she notes to Hitomi. "I think that's part of why it took so long to find the--" Well, 'owner' hardly seems the appropriate word now.

She nods to Akihiko. "I'm g-glad the dog is in good spirits, at least..." That's something, considering the circumstances.

They wanted a purebred. "Well that's a shitty thing to do. I can't believe they'd do that. And he's super affectionate, too."

There's some difficulty, with finding a place. She doesn't know what's going on with Hyousuke and his parents, but... There's someone, apparently. "I hope they can help, then," she offers quietly.

But the name thing comes up, and Ririka had been about to ask. "Melonbread's a mouthful... but Melon could work, as could Pudding. Those are kind of cute." Sh considers, fingers drumming on her knee. "Is there a particular food he likes?" 

<Pose Tracker> Fuuka Yamagishi has posed.

Fuuka looks toward Moriko as she points out that Koromaru might be excited to have a friend to play with.

"That's a good point... I'm sure he could use another dog friend." She considers, then looks toward Ririka as she suggests asking Aigis. "That's a good idea, too."

She looks toward Hyousuke. She can see the anger seeping out of him - she can feel it, too. But she can also see the restraint that keeps him from lashing out.

"...I don't blame you." Fuuka replies with a shake of her head. "Even if they were his rightful owners... if they aren't willing to take responsibility, it wouldn't be safe for him."

They wanted a purebreed, he says, and Fuuka frowns. A burden...

She does feel conflicted when he mentions the police, but - he's probably right.

"It's awful." Fuuka agrees, with a shake of her head. She listens, then, as he talks about the practicals. The dorm... She can imagine how he'd have difficulties. It's rare that dorms allow dogs.

Their own situation is different, of course. Koromaru isn't a pet, but a noble member of the team.

But it seems like that won't be a problem... and he has food covered, too. But there is one thing they can help with. Names!

"Oh, 'Pudding' is really cute..." Fuuka comments thoughtfully.
Hitomi Mandai (hitomi) pages: weirdly specific question, is the dog confirmed Boy (Gender) not just Boy (Good)
Hitomi Mandai (hitomi) pages: nm got an idea 

<Pose Tracker> Hitomi Mandai has posed.

"Hmm... what do they call it when dogs hang out, anyway?" Hitomi muses as the prospect of hanging with Koro-chan (from the perspective of Dog-san here) comes up. Then to Moriko: "It's my sun sign. I know it's all Wang Long and everything now but these things are trends, right?"

Hitomi smiles at Akihiko, and then listens to Hyousuke's account. She frowns slowly, thoughtfully. Her brow knits for a moment. A lot to deal with...

"I bet you really wanted to beat their asses," Hitomi comments. "Glad you didn't, tho, cuz now you have someone else to worry about." Heh heh, Hitomi congratulates herself, even as she sits to be sitting sidewise on the ground, legs tucked to her left instead of her butt on her heels.

She watches the dog. She thinks. She listens.

Without looking back, she says, "You know, I almost ended going to that school. It sounds like all the guys there're gonna look out for him, huh? If you ever need to stash him for a few days, let me know, I know someone in Konan with a place."

The statement seems to trouble Hitomi subtly, despite the fact that it's already made. But before she can get too wistful or worried or otherwise spoil her high mood, they're asked to propose a name. "<Ace of Spade,>" Hitomi says immediately, in English. Or at least English-shaped words.

A full beat passes.

"Ehhehe, though Pudding's good too!" Hitomi exclaims, a little hastily. "Ace of Pudding, maybe! That sounds cool and you can go with Ace for short. Or Pudding," Hitomi concludes, "but I guess I'm wondering about his dignity. Her dignity?" Hitomi leans over more, as if she's trying to angle behind the noble dog to confirm one way or another.

Moriko Kumamoto has disconnected. 

<Pose Tracker> Akihiko Sanada has posed.

        He can understand an awkwardness around parents. For now, Akihiko focuses on the Dorm bit. He nods. Thank goodness there was a place to stay at least. "If you ever need help taking care of them, I'd be happy to help." He similarly offers. "We're taking care of a dog back at our dorm, too."

        "A pack?" Akihiko replies to Hitomi, wondering about it. "I can't imagine Koromaru would have any trouble... It might be good for him to socialise." He suggests.

        Akihiko nods in agreement with Pudding. And he lets out stifles a noise as Hitomi suggests Ace of Spades, and desperately tries to cover herself. "For some reason, I think about white chocolate with I see him.... So, maybe Chocolat." He says, offering the French word.

<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.

Ririka's mention of food got an immediate look from the dog, only for it to realise she did not have any food, and thus nothing of interest. Apart from pets. Or stick-throwing. Or, in time, its new name. Hyousuke, however, considered Ririka's question much more thoughtfully than his canine companion.
"A food he likes...? I haven't really noticed him liking anything in particular. He just kinda eats whatever I put in his bowl and then looks at me like I'm gonna give him any of the food I'm eating too. I think liked the chicken I was cooking once. Or was it the noodles? It might've been both, I think he was just hungry."

Fuuka's response draws a slight smile over his face. The situation was indeed awful, and he quite clearly had no regrets about getting the dog out of there. But hearing it from someone else - that he'd done the right thing, the law be damned - was vindicating in its own right. As was hearing that he had a good ear for names, as far as a dog's one might go.
"The law can kiss my ass if they think I'm giving him up to people that won't love him. I don't care what anyone says, I'm looking after him now. Still... that's two votes for Pudding so far." Assuming Ririka could be counted as voting for 'Pudding.'

Chicken was hardly one he was keen on - even if he'd heard of a couple of people naming their dog Beef - but Noodle didn't seem like a bad option.

"I was this close." Hyousuke confided to Hitomi, in a not-particularly-private manner. "I kinda shouted at them before I left though. Called 'em things for leaving him out there. I wanted to do more, but I don't think he would've been happy with me if I did." 'He' seemed very happy as things stood, however. Sitting down to rest with its tongue lolling out, it watched idly, now a little more settled. Only a little, however. It still took the time to poke its nose at anything interesting. "Oh, yeah, he's definitely a guy. Had the vet check it and everything. Dunno if there's anything we can do about his dignity, but he doesn't seem too worried about it."

The dog had far more important matters to concern itself with, like sniffing at strangely crunchy leaves. Or turning around to sniff at more leaves. Perhaps, in its spinning and twisting, a glance might be afforded to Hitomi.
"Ace of Pudding sounds pretty cool though. Or Pudding Ace... Didn't I see something like that at the arcade?" It certainly sounded like an arcade-y game.

Others had mentioned Koromaru, but it was Akihiko that got Hyousuke thinking about it seriously, even scrunching his face up for a moment as the matter of socialising was raised.
"It *would* be good to get him used to other dogs." Hyousuke said thoughtfully. "Koromaru seemed pretty friendly too, the last time I saw him at least. If you guys really wouldn't mind bringing him out one day, that might actually really help." He also wanted to see Koromaru again and pet one of his other fuzzy friends, but kept that part quiet. For now.

'Chocolat' interrupted Hyousuke's train of thought, but was the first idea he outright dismissed. He did so gently, shaking his head softly at name, but it was a denial nonetheless.
"It's a good name, but I dunno... I can barely do Japanese, giving him a French name seems like it's just asking for trouble." With that, Hyousuke began to tally up the votes - all four of them - and ruffled the dog's fur again. It turned to face him, wondering what the occasion was, and he spoke again. "So, looks like Pudding's gonna be his new name. You like that, boy? You wanna be called Pudding?"

The dog yapped once, and panted. Maybe it liked the name. Or maybe it liked being pet.
Aigis was not there to clear things up, but it seemed happy either way. 

<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.

"She can at least check that he's okay, right...?" Ririka suggests to Fuuka, of Aigis. "Though... he seems energetic enough. I guess Suzuki-san's been doing a really good job..."

Hitomi asks a question, and Ririka considers. "Well, we'd probably call it a playdate? But... maybe they call it 'packing up' or something." That's almost a pun.

But Hitomi offers a place to take the dog, if needed. "Oh, that's so good to hear." It's nice to ahve backup options.

But there is a suggestion. "`Ace of Spade`...?" She repeats in English, then goes back to Japanese. "Like... the playing card? 'Ace' is a pretty cool name, though..."

Ririka wouldn't offer to just take care of the dog at the dorm, but if Akihiko is the one offering, maybe that's okay? But Akihiko has a suggestion, too. "Oooh... 'Chocolat' sounds so fancy..."

Ririka definitely has more pets, and maybe a stick-throw if Hyousuke's let the dog off the leash. "Chicken might be too confusing..." she points out.

"... yeah, it's probably best you kept it to yelling... you don't want to give them any reasons to follow through on calling the cops..."

But the dog... yawned, and then panted. "Maybe he just needs to get used to it?" Ririka tried patting her lap. "C'mere, Pudding. Who's a good boy, Pudding?" 

<Pose Tracker> Fuuka Yamagishi has posed.

A pack... Fuuka looks between Hitomi and Akihiko, and nods at the latter.

"That's true..." She agrees. She looks back to Hyousuke. She smiles back.

"I think I agree..." Fuuka agrees, on the subject of keeping it to yelling. That would complicate things - not just for him, but for the dog, too...

She looks toward Hitomi at her name suggestions. Ace of Spades - then Ace of Pudding...

"...That sounds regal." Fuuka notes. There is something cute about a dog having a very important-sounding name... Dogs can have titles, too.

Hyousuke asks about Koromaru.

"He is!" Fuuka agrees, about Koromaru seeming friendly. "We can ask if he's interested..."

It would be cute to see him playing with another dog.

The decision is made, though - Pudding.

"Congratulations, Pudding!" Fuuka beams.
Fuuka Yamagishi has reconnected. 

<Pose Tracker> Hitomi Mandai has posed.

Hitomi considers Akihiko as he speaks. French, she thinks. Do they all speak French? Huh. A mental note is filed. She then answers Hyousuke, eyes turning towards him as she rocks her head back; she seems to like looking at people while looking up.

"It's good you didn't," she says.

"You'd just be making bad karmas for everybody. They're gonna get neglected themselves, in the future, right? 'cause that's what they did to this guy. Might be a while, but it all gets back to you eventually."

~RELIGION CHOPS~

Dog is more interesting. "Hmm. Yeah, I guess we could." Pudding seems to carry the day, and Hitomi nods once to Pudding. Ace can be his secret stage name, if necessary.

"Maybe they arrange pack-ups by p-mail," Hitomi tells Ririka.

After this... she starts getting up. "Ooff... does he really fetch sticks, though?" Hitomi may say this literally at the exact moment when the newly dubbed Pudding has, in fact, fetched a stick. 

<Pose Tracker> Akihiko Sanada has posed.

        "Pudding. What a cute name.~" Akihiko says with a smile. He's not upset that his suggestion lost. Nope, not at all!!!

        (And no, he only knows French from osmosis. Be friends with Mitsuru for a long enough time...)

        On the law... "I doubt anyone'll complain very much if you're taking care of him, and the owners don't want to." He pauses. "So long as you remain calm about it, of course." He says with a half-chiding smile. There's no point in getting into a screaming match with the owners. "If there wasn't any collar or chip, I'd get that done soon."

<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.

Hyousuke considered Hitomi's suggestions again when Ririka brought up shortening it to just 'Ace.'
"You're not wrong. Ace *is* a pretty cool name. Kinda makes him sound like an action hero or something." Or a superhero. Or one's faithful canine companion. A brief sense of deja vu kicked in, but it was gone before Hyousuke could consider it, and he didn't really think enough of it to bother rummaging around in his head for what it could have referenced. Partly because she brought up something more pertinent. "Yeah, that's probably it. I guess he doesn't really care *what* we call him so long as he's got something."

Indeed, it seemed all the dog cared about was trotting over to Ririka for more pets. Hyousuke, hoping that there wouldn't be any problems, allowed it to slip the leash. It ran immediately, but only so that it could snatch up the stick it had laid somewhere, and returned to Ririka immediately to offer it to her. Not to toss, however. Not immediately. It wanted a game of tug-of-war first - a vigorous play growl proved that much.

"I guess he should have something regal-sounding too. Little guy's damn majestic." Hyousuke said to Fuuka, beholding the majesty of a creature that immediately dropped its stick because it tried to bark, then barked again at the indignity of having lost its stick to the laws of physics. "But yeah... If think Koromaru'd like it, let's have set up a playdate. Or a pack-date? A play-pack?" Hyousuke gave the idea far more thought than he realistically should have, then shrugged. "Guess it doesn't matter. I'm sure they'll have fun, whatever we call it."

"I hope they get what's coming to them. They deserve it. Still wish I'd have given it to 'em, but you're all right. No need to give the cops a reason to start coming at me." Hyousuke said to Hitomi, his voice carrying more than just a subtle edge. He quietly left out the part where it wouldn't even have been the first time he'd dealt with them as a suspect. They didn't need to know that, and he didn't need to say it. "As for sticks, I don't think he's *stopped* fetching them. Seems like every time we come back to the dorms he tries to smuggle one in. He got one between the station and the park. I don't even know where he got it, but he did."

It wasn't the stick he lay at Hitomi's feet. That was a different stick. A cooler one too.

The dog did not seem to care what it was called, only that attention was being paid to it. As long as Akihiko managed that, Hyousuke wagered that it could be called anything with an upbeat tone and be no worse off for it.
"Tag's gonna be the first thing I get when I'm back in Sumaru." He said, nodding to the collar. Though one was fixed in place, there was no tag - the dog did not have a name, after all. "But I gotta book an appointment for the chip since I know I'm taking care of it now. Hopefully it don't sting as much as the checkup..."

Hyousuke laughed a little, even if it was slightly rueful, but even that faded before long.
"But yeah... I guess that settles it. Welcome to your new life, Pudding." The smile Hyousuke wore was a small and gentle thing, yet so laden with affection that one ten times as wide could not have matched it. Pudding looked up with a curious gaze, before clamping its jaws around a stick and trotting a little ways way from the group. It turned back after a few seconds and barked, daring anyone to give chase and take its prize.

As Pudding held its head high, wagged its tail, and let out a muffled bark around its stick, that chilly December afternoon grew just a little warmer. 

<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.

"Yeah, having Koto-chan meet Pudding might be good for both of them...

Secret stage name!

Ririka laughs at Hitomi's p-mail joke. "Maybe, yeah!"

Akihiko brings up the collar and chip, and Ririka nods along. "Yeah, for sure... and ones with sturdy tags." No point having a repeat of before--though with Hyousuke unlikely to outright abandon the dog, that might not be as big a worry.

"Okay, okay, I'll throw the stick, Pudding." Does saying the name a lot help the dog learn it? She has no idea! But she laughs when Pudding growls, and playfully tugs back. "Who's feeling playful, huh Pudding?"

Once she gets the stick free, she'll toss it for Pudding to chase down. And afer she does that she looks to Hyousuke. "... you're doing a good thing for him, Suzuki-san. It's good to know he'll be taken care of."

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