2026-09-22: For Both Our Sakes
- Cutscene: For Both Our Sakes
- Cast: Hyousuke Suzuki
- Where: Kasugayama Boys' Dorms
- OOC Date: 2026-09-22
- IC Date: Tue Sep 22
- Summary: Hyousuke can brook no more delays. If he is to find a place for himself and Pudding to live, there's only one person he can turn to for help.
The phone was a simple chunk of plastic. No more than a few grams, and small enough to sit comfortably in the palm of Hyousuke's hand, the device was nothing remarkable. There were not even any decorations to speak of, unless one were to count the various scratches scattered across the outer shell. Yet, when Hyousuke held it before him, the thing felt as though it weighed enough to collapse his hand. Even taking it out of his pocket felt like a Herculean task, and that was to say nothing of using the thing.
It felt like a lead weight when he dragged his hand out with it clutched between his fingers. His muscles strained, and his mind raced, telling him to set the thing down and forget the call ever had to be made. There was a moment's deliberation, and he let it slide back into its confines, a slight rustle accompanying his disappointed sigh. He'd lost count of how many times the ritual had been carried out that day alone, never mind how many times he'd repeated it ever since he'd resolved to call his brother.
It would have been easy to forgo making the call. He could just ignore the man's presence, as his brother had every year he'd been forced to live with his parents. He could have just decided to forge his own path, with his own strength, and his own ambition, not relying on the help of others. He could simply put the phone away, and avoid the awkwardness of breaking the months-long silence between them with a request for help rather than reconciliation. But something kept making him pick up that phone and, against his better judgement, try and try again.
Pudding was, of course, oblivious to the effect it had on Hyousuke. He was a dog, after all. He was oblivious to a lot of things - the emotional ramifications of his presence and the effect it had on the Suzuki family's interpersonal dynamics was just the tip of the iceberg. But that did not stop him from affecting such things anyway. He wandered blithely over, padding along the dorm room's floor with his tail wagging slowly from side to side, a toy clutched between his teeth until he came to a stop at Hyousuke's feet.
He dropped the toy at Hyousuke's feet and looked up. Eyes wide and tongue lolling out, Pudding panted expectantly at his new master, gold fur gleaming in the weak sunlight filtering in through the window. Hyousuke's smile matched those pale rays when he sank to one knee in front of his pet, and it remained when he reached out to lightly brush his palm across Pudding's head.
"I know boy, I'm trying. It's just... It's hard, you know?" He said. Pudding didn't know, but he could infer that his master was not feeling well, and sought to remedy that with a series of vigorous licks and the rubbing of his head into Hyousuke's palm.
"Hey, easy now, we still haven't gone out yet. You don't want to get tired before we even get to the park, do you?"
Hyousuke laughed as he finished speaking, and ruffled Pudding's fur once more. The little dog barked once in excitement, recognising the sounds coming from Hyousuke's mouth as ones that precluded a walk, but not hearing the word outright left its excitement capped somewhat. Nevertheless, his master wanted to do something that he enjoyed very much, and he made no attempt to hide how he felt, nudging into Hyousuke’s hand and leg and panting in anticipation.
Hyousuke looked down at Pudding. Briefly, he wondered what it would be like to live in such blissful innocence. To be oblivious to the troubles of the world, and to how he was abandoned and left for dead... It was a kind of innocence, he supposed. Something worth preserving, at least in this one, singular, creature. Besides, he'd made a promise. He would take care of Pudding, come what may. No matter how much time, money, or effort he needed to expend, that dog deserved to have the kind of life that he himself had been denied.
The phone still felt heavy as he slowly tapped the numbers in. The shaking as it rang almost made him drop the thing. But he had to - if not for his sake, then for his new friend's.