Chapter 60

This is it.

Today is the swimming competition between five different schools that Cherryton has invited. So far, it was Cherryton Academy against Olivier academy, Andre Academy, Gryphon Cross and finally Selkie School for Gifted Girls.

Two of the schools they were competing against were foreign, which drew most of the students to meet with the swimmers.

"I don't know about you but those Selkie girls are hot~"

"I'll say! I want that leopard seal to step on me," another male student growled lustfully.

"Mmm, but have you seen that cobra from Gryphon Cross?" a female student gushed. "I never thought I want to be wrapped into those coils..."

"I'm into females but that snake made me question my taste."

"I've never seen a shark before...is this what a shark looks like on land?"

Arthur rolled his eyes as he manoeuvred his way towards the benches where others were about to watch the sport. Of course, he was walking between Haru and Legosi. Aoba mentioned that he has to attend to something before joining them.

"You excited about this, Arthur?" Haru asked with a smile, watching the bat wiggle his large ears before opening his mouth to use his clicks.

"Oh yes!" Arthur nodded. "It's been how many months since I last talked to most of them except Sameer on the phone. I hope they are all well."

"It has been exactly six months since your arrival," Legosi stated. Arthur made an 'o' shape with his mouth. The times he had spent in Cherryton seemed so fast...

"Time is an odd thing, isn't it?" Arthur turned his head at Legosi's direction, not before Haru steered him away from getting bumped into a wall. They grey wolf tilted his head, forgot the fact that Arthur couldn't see anything!

"I guessed we were so busy that we forgot time flew by," Legosi answered with a wag of his tail. He was glad that Haru was here and the fact that Arthur seems to be recovering from his shock was good enough for him. He didn't really care for the fact that his fur has been cut and he was lacking sleep for a few days now.

"Huh," Haru wiggled her nose. "Looks like the other schools have both male and females on their team except for your old school, Arthur. Also that gifted girl school."

And Haru was right! Several of the students were commenting on both Gryphon Cross and Selkie because they never knew an all-boys/all-girls school existed.

Arthur used his clicks to try and makeout who was here. He could imagine the outline of Sameer's slender frame without his hood, the T-shape of Maccus' head and the misshape form of Beppi, he assumed after the chemotherapy.

"Hey, it's Arthur!"

Legosi and every animal present at the swimming competition were completely baffled at how the blind Honduran white bat was laughing and smiling with an Egyptian cobra, a Tasmanian devil, a hammerhead shark and a leopard seal from the Selkie School. They were embracing each other in a group hug.

"You haven't changed at all, Artie!" the Tasmanian devil cackled before locking him in a headlock.

"Beppi!" Arthur laughed, before wriggling out. "You may be taller than me but I'm older than you. Also, I think I have gotten wider."

"Really? How can you tell?"

Arthur shrugged with a toothy grin. "Good to know that you're out of chemo. Missed anything?"

"Aside from you moving to Cherryton, I feel alive," Beppi grinned. "Nothing's gonna keep this devil down and this place's not too shabby. Doesn't have an aquarium for poor Maccus, eh?"

The hammerhead shark responded with a grunt.

"Come on and say something you moving hammer," a harsh female voice tried to shake the hammerhead.

"I'm glad to hear from you too, Maccus. Naia, leave him alone." Arthur approached the shark to greet him. His skin felt like sandpaper. He knew that Maccus would use his fins to briefly return the hug.

He always knew that the silent hammerhead has a warm heart.

"And where is this Aoba and Mizuchi?" Sameer asked, noticing that some of the female students along with some males were gazing at him.

"Yeah! I hope it's not an imaginary girl you've been imagining!" Beppi giggled.

"When has Arthur ever lied?"

Just then, the barking order from their coach made the swimmers relay back to their respective team. It was Arthur's cue to join Legosi and Haru at the bench.

However, even a simple greeting with his old friends has sparked rumours amongst the Cherryton students.

"How the hell is that Vampyrum friends with those guys?!"

"A freak hanging out with a bunch of other freaks."

Haru was used to people calling her a slut but hearing how they keep badmouthing Arthur really irked her. She could tell that Arthur was trying his best not to let the words get to him. Like an older sister, she wrapped an arm around his shoulder.

"Ignore those dumbasses, Arthur," Haru huffed. "They're more blind than you."

Arthur had a crooked smile on his face. He can't feel down now when his old friends are here. The one thing he feared would be if Sameer or others who knew about him playing music would be leaked out all over Cherryton.

Because today the newspaper club are hovering all over the competition!

...

Meanwhile on the otherwise of the town, Dr Kirk was making records of his observation of last night's research on the sounds above the stratosphere from his home. Space is eerie yet fascinating. He wondered if there was another dimension where they could actually hear sounds in space.

That would make his colleagues think that he has gone mad.

Then again, madness and insanity is about repeating the same experiment to expect different results. Dr Kirk has done different types of experiments, observations and readings to back up his claims.

His real reason for taking up astronomy was because he loved life beyond the galaxy and the stories about space explorations when he was a pup.

He can't recall the last time he had read a science fiction novel or a documentary.

Work has been a typhoon to the old Honduran white bat along with his concern for his own son. He trusts Arthur but as a father, it's his duty to ensure that his son is well and not feel miserable.

Sometimes he really questioned his parenting.

Arthur never had a mother figure except his grandmother, his mother in his life.

"Fucking hell," he muttered, hanging upside down from his ceiling. He slammed his laptop shut before placing it on the bed. "I might as well have grey fur by now from all this stress."

Even the sound of the doorbell almost made him fall.

Adjusting his spectacles, he began to answer the door. He was surprised by the visitor at the door.

"Ten? What brings you to visit me?"

The leader of the Inarigumi swished her bushy red tail, ears lowered. "I don't even know myself. Am I interrupting you, Kirk?"

Dr Kirk shakes his head. "I am just taking a break from work. Oh where are my manners! Please, come in. Have you had anything to eat?"

Ten assured him that she was fine and asked about why he was at home instead of at work. Dr Kirk cocked his head to the side. "Today is my day off. May I ask why are you asking me if I was home instead of texting me?"

Ten fluffed her fur out of embarrassment.

"It's just...I like talking to you. You're a good listener," she admitted, helping Dr Kirk place some of the groceries in the cabinets. Dr Kirk smiled his mischievous smile.

"Is it because I have large ears?" he asked, wiggling them a bit, making the red vixen giggled. "And won't your girls be concern that their boss isn't around?"

"No, they know. My group will carry out our heist later tonight. I decided to test my luck to find you in your apartment. Kirk, do you trust me?"

Dr Kirk blinked behind his glasses. "I beg your pardon?"

With a swift motion, Ten cupped his face close towards her snout, her breath was tickling his ear he couldn't help but squirm. With one wing, he began to grip her paw firm to avoid crushing his cheek bones.

"Do you trust me?"

"....Yes...."