“Heehee,” Chizuru tittered, turning away from Terry. “Chizu awweady hab speciaw fwen!”
Kyou felt his cheeks puff up as Terry looked at him. The big red American earthie galloped towards him. Bracing for impact, the brown fluff was unprepared when he was lifted up and fell on his back with the other stallion on top.
“Nyu fwen! Nyu fwen! Tewwy wub nyu fwen!”
Laughter came from the humans watching the scene. As they did, the other fluffies did as well, laughing and piling onto the two, not wanting to be left out.
“Nyu fwen!”
Yamakawa himself let out a low chuckle as he took the carrier out of the pen.
“Kyou, I expect you to show Terry how to be a good fluffy for the cafe.”
Pressed under the weight all Kyou could do is squeak an affirmation.
Hanako tied back long black hair before straightening out her apron. The fluffs were lined up behind Kyou as always except for Terry. She had never seen an American fluffy before; he was much larger than the Japanese Uma-Fluffu, and his colors were as bright and bold as his personality was. The red earthie sat next to Kyou, his new “bestest fwen,” anxiously rocking back and forth.
Kyou, for his part, seemed to be barely tolerating the new fluffy. He was always very intense, but then he was also hand-raised by Mr. Yamakawa before the shop opened. Everything he did was to make his daddy happy.
The two were already all over the pen this morning. Every time his senpai tried to tell him something the new fluffy would get distracted. By a toy, by the water bottle, by one of the mares. Trying to get him to use the litterbox right was an exercise in frustration, pine pellets getting scattered outside the entrances.
Not once did Kyou raise his voice. It just got slower and lower. Not that Terry noticed.
Yuki reached down to a container below the pen, bringing it to waist level. Pulling out a small garment, she opened it up.
“Kyou, time to get dressed.”
Kyou walked to the young woman, putting his legs into the upsies position. As he stood there, she slipped on the fluffy-size hapi coat, wrapping a small belt around him, tying it in the back. The fluff nodded with approval, looking at the green garment and its pink sakura blossoms.
Yuki and Hanako repeated the process for the other fluffies until the bin was empty. Mr. Yamada stood behind them, looking over at the cafe’s compliment of fluffies ready to meet the public.
“Daddeh,” Terry said, eyes sad and downcast. “Tewwy no hab pwetteh no-fwuff wike fwens!”
“That’s okay,” he replied. “Come here.”
The fluff obliged, sitting up in front of Yamakawa. A bag crinkled and from within it was a red trucker’s hat with a white front. Screened across the front in red were the kanji for “Garou Densetsu” and a little “Neo Geo” button stuck on it.
Terry’s eyes grew wide in amazement. “Dis fow Tewwy? Reawwy? REAWWY?”
“That is for you,” Yamaka said, smiling. “Be a good fluffy and take care of it.”
He danced around, running to the other fluffies. “Wookit daddeh gib Tewwy! Tewwy su happies! Tewwy wub daddeh! Wub fwens! Dis dah bes’ day ebah!”
The other fluffs ooh’d and aaah’d while Kyou just stared and grumbled until he felt a leg wrap around him. Chizuru pulled him close and nuzzled her friend.
“Wai su maddies?”
“Dummeh so woud! Wike big babbeh!”
“Dat aww?” she asked knowingly.
“Hrmph,” Kyou responded.
Yamakawa watched then clapped his hands, once, twice, three times. Hanako and Yuki turned their backs to the fluffies who in turn stopped what they were doing and looked forward.
“Okay everyone. The cafe is about to open. I expect you all to do your best today, just like you did yesterday and I know you’ll do tomorrow.”
“Yes Yamakawa-san.” Rang out from human and fluffy alike.
A turn of the lock, a flip of a sign, and the Fluff House was open for the day.
