Chapter 42

Arthur coughed as he felt a warm, damp cloth that was swabbing his forehead.

"W-where am I?"

"Back in your room," his ears picked up the reassuring voice of his friend, Aoba. He was glad that it was him and not some other students or worst. "What happened back there? I found you knocked out in the middle of campus a bit bloodied at the lip and you were shaking."

"Was I?" Arthur asked himself rather than his friend. He tried to remember the sudden impact and the warning he was received. Now, he has never interacted with Mizuchi's ex but it seemed like that has been covered.

"Luckily I was just walking back to the dorm and your white fur was that easy to spot," Aoba explained. Arthur lowered his head, sighed. He felt a gentle wing on his shoulder.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Well...I was wondering with me bleeding on the ground," the bat murmured. "I was afraid you were going to eat me. As you mentioned earlier, I'm really easy to spot."

Aoba blinked in disbelief. How could Arthur think of such a thing?! The bald eagle would never eat meat ever since that Black Market incident with Bill, Tao and Legosi. He has herbivore friends and the thought of eating another life disturbed him greatly.

Then again, he understood why Arthur would think such a thing: bats are both prey and predator in life.

"Arthur, I wouldn't do something like that. Besides, you and I both know that us eagles don't have strong sense of smells. We rely on our eyes for everything."

The Honduran white bat could only nod, wrapping his wings around himself like a blanket. It was going to be difficult because he doesn't want to be exposed for his music but he also doesn't want to upset Mizuchi now that she is on good terms with him.

"I'm in trouble," Arthur admitted, he felt a gently wing holding his two fingers. He knew Aoba would understand. "It started with me going out after having tea with..."

After Arthur told him of the situation, the bald eagle was concern on how much this was affecting his friend. To be beaten up by a male rabbit was one thing but if he ever defends himself, the school will view it as a bat attacking one of the herbivores.

"Arthur, that doesn't mean that you should block her out of your life for safety. Sure he is going to do it if you talk to here but...don't you have another way to communicate with her?"

Arthur suddenly had his ears perked up at a sudden thought. Yes, he remembered before his grandfather's death, he used to do this to communicate with his friends in secret! Arthur suddenly leaped up and hung himself upside down with an excited expression.

"Oh Aoba!" Arthur grasped his friends wing. "You are brilliant! Absolutely bloody brilliant!"

Aoba was glad that his friend was okay but he had no idea what the little bat was talking about. He decided to go along with it.

...

"Morse code?" Haru questioned as she and Arthur were pulling some weeds from some of the plants. "And here I thought your braille was already hard enough. Why morse code?"

"Because not every animal here knows it and I have a feeling that her ex might know what braille is despite not knowing how to read it. But if I use morse code using the correction liquid for pens, there's a chance that I can pass on some messages to her. Plus, I can feel the liquid once it is dried out."

Haru rolled her eyes at the young bat's idea. "Look, sounds great but those guys will eventually know that you're the musician here. Besides, do you really have to go Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy on all of this? I thought bats are neutral in the war?"

Arthur giggled and petted a sunflower before turning his head at the dwarf rabbit's voice. "Well, my grandfather was enlisted in the war because he thought it was the right thing to do and if it meant protecting his family. But he was never the same when he came back with those stitches on his stomach."

Haru was now curious about his family. She knew Legosi has always been closed with his grandfather and Arthur definitely with his own father. But grandparents? This was something worth listening to!

So Arthur told her the story of his grandfather's service in the war where he was known as a Farrier: an aerial animal that were in charge of bombing and fights in the air. Like all bats who contributed, they had their stomach fur shaved off before a bomb was planted into their stomachs before it was sewn up.

Arthur stopped because he heard the door of the gardening club opened and it was a voice he did not expect.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"And why the hell are you here at 7.30 A.M?" Haru demanded before Arthur could say a word. "I thought you need your beauty sleep to get rid of those bags under your eyes. Arthur and I-"

"Haru," the Honduran white bat interrupted. "Why don't I talk to her please? I'm sure this is a small matter."

Haru reluctantly agreed but glared at the female harlequin rabbit if she tries anything funny.

...

Inside the gardening club shed, Arthur decided to hang upside down on the ceiling with his disc-shaped ears pointing downwards. Mizuchi sat up as she stared at him with her jade green eyes.

"I know what my ex did to you and I'm sorry," the harlequin rabbit apologised. "And him threatening you not to speak with me or else leaking out your secret? That's just low even for rabbits! I don't understand why I used to date him besides the fact he's another harlequin rabbit!"

"But that's not stopping us from conversing like now," Arthur's ears wiggled as he talked. "I'm curious though Mizuchi, how did you know about the situation."

"Oh," Mizuchi's ears were lowered. "Let's just say a bird told me."

"Aoba," Arthur smiled, making a mental note to thank him. "So this doesn't change anything between us?"

"Of course not! I love- I love your company, Arthur," Mizuchi almost covered her mouth at what she really wanted to say.

Arthur's fur fluffed up in embarrassment. "Me too. So, still messaging in morse code and braille?"

"Definitely."

The Honduran white bat felt touched that this rabbit, who used to hate him but now is comfortable in his presence. Though he cannot see or picture how she looks like, her voice was enough to let him know how beautiful she is.

"Well, I will talk to you again," said Arthur as he got down before the both of them went out. "I'm going to check on the morning glories. They may smell sweet but their attitudes are sour."

Mizuchi was confused by this until Haru nudged her. "He does that."

...

Arthur was ready for his history class when he was tackled from behind.

"Got you again, Arthur!" a boisterous voice laughed, holding no malice. "I haven't seen you in a while, not since....you know..."

"I know, Bill. Good morning to you too," Arthur greeted before adjusting his posture. "So, ready for history?"

"As if I'm going to pay attention to that," the Bengal tiger huffed. "Why do we need to learn about dead guys who have done something?"

Arthur laughed. "I guessed it's a reminder that we shouldn't make the same mistakes as they do. I mean, we are all lucky that we don't have to go through wars and famine."

"Let's not talk about famine," Bill swiped his tongue over his muzzle. "The portion for breakfast at the cafeteria was small today."

Just then, the school's announcement broke out:

"Good morning Cherryton! We would like to inform you that the swimming competition will be held this coming Friday. Members of the swimming club are informed to practice and train while others are welcomed to watch. They will be competing with international schools..."

Both Arthur and Bill listened closely to the names of schools until Arthur could feel all the end of his fur standing up and his ears almost detached from his head.

"...Selkie School for Gifted Girls and Gryphon Cross."

"Gryphon Cross," Arthur whispered, his wings gripping on Bill rather tightly. "That means...Oh, they're coming! They are definitely coming!!"

"Woah, what's up with you?"

"They're coming..." Arthur told the excitedly, a bounce in his step. "They're coming! They're coming!!"

Before Bill could ask what was it, the Honduran white bat was already waltzing his way into history class chanting "They're coming" as if he was joining a cult. Bill only shakes his head in disbelief.

"Who the hell spiked his tea?"