The sound of gliding monorails screeched above them as Noah and Tanji sat down on the bench. It was the type of bench that would typically get demolished, one found in the middle of nowhere too close to the street and too far from anything important. Despite having no business being there, it remained, just like the two of them. Namiport danced in the distance—stuck in a twilight between night and day as the lights above them flashed to life against the gray sky. 

The man fidgeted with the bright red phone instead of his green lighter. He wanted to smoke, but couldn't find the motivation to do so. The only way to pass the time was looking at the street, with Tanji’s curious head following the bolting cars. Noah inhaled the cool evening air through his teeth, looking down at the cat girl. He was struck with an overwhelming desire to talk to her, but the language barrier was nothing when compared to trying to understand the woman’s mind. Was there even a way of comprehending something so foreign? And would talking to his little pink potato even be worth it? 

“You know, these rails are connected to most of the world.” He explained while looking up, taking a quick peek at Tanji to find her large blue eyes now focused on him. Just like before, the man felt understood despite the lack of any confirmation. “I typically just take the one going to the college and back, but they could go anywhere. Even to Osaka, if you take a few undersea tunnels.” Allowing for a moment of silence, Noah watched the woman’s lips twisting. He continued. “Wouldn’t it be fun to sometimes just jump onto one of them, and let it take you…wherever.” Tanji looked at him with an unsure expression, reluctantly nodding yes as if that was a statement she couldn’t fully agree with. Either that, or she only understood half of what he said. 

Noah himself wasn’t quite sure what the purpose of this mockery of philosophy was, but the sound of a black car coming to a halt in front of him forced the man to concern himself with the material world. The door swung open, with the inside as dark as the night sky. He patted his thigh for Tanji to follow him. The inside of the vehicle had a sterile smell to it, with Noah soon finding himself flanked on either side by two creatures. The one on his right was unmistakably the muscular silhouette of Yulka, with the wolf girl seemingly in standby mode until her master ordered her to act. This did not stop her amber eyes from following his every move. 

Only after his vision adjusted to the darkness did Noah manage to make out the form of the girl on the left. She had long straight ginger hair, with a cute face that didn’t match the dark, loose-fitting uniform similar to Yulka's. Like her companion, she was also a Kemonomimi—her fox ears relaxed and passive. Her fluffy tail was idle, taking up a lot of space considering how small the woman was—standing at a little over 3 ft. And just like her animal features, her human face also looked content, smiling as if she were sedated. 

Fortunately, the car was spacious enough to accommodate them—if just barely, with Yulka’s elbow digging into his side and Kitsunemimi’s puffy tail tickling his left hand. 

“Noah! Great to see that you were able to join us. Let's go for a ride.” H’s voice spoke up from the driver’s seat as the car began moving, the shaded windows making it impossible to tell where they were going. “This is Koko, by the way.” The blonde man gestured towards the Kitsune while not taking his eyes off the road.

Trying to slowly edge away from both Yulka and Koko, he found them clamped around his body like a vice. “You mentioned something about a package?” As long as he kept talking business, Noah had the feeling that the two ‘mimi thugs weren’t going to jump him. He did not need a repeat of the Yulka incident. 

H snapped his fingers, seeing Koko reaching below her seat and sliding out a small black briefcase. It was placed in Noah’s lap, forcing Tanji to jump down onto the ground. Clicking it open, he was given a moment to inspect the neatly packed contents. There were several miniature pairs of clothing and underwear for his pet—some tasteful and casual while others were more risque. The black metallic shape of a leg prosthetic and a red envelope were amongst the goodies.

“More paperwork?” Noah questioned, shaking the envelope. “The officers didn’t even go through half of the stuff you gave me.”

“Not exactly.” Despite not seeing his face, the sight of H’s eye squinting told Noah that he was grinning. “It’s stocks.”

“Stocks?” He shook his head. “For what?” 

“EikōBio. Not much, but something to get you started.” 

Ripping over the envelope felt dangerous, with the sound of the snapping paper seeming almost oppressively loud. But when Noah finally did get a glimpse inside, the blonde man was true to his words. The documentation seemed all in order, but considering the type of forgery H had access to, there was no way of really telling. He was going to trust him, for what else could he do?

“Sorry for the little fright with the officers, but trust me kid: that Kemonomimi might as well be the golden ticket. Very important for the boss.” Glancing down at Tanji, she looked up at him with an unamused face. “And there’s more where that came from.”

“So you work with them? I mean EikōBio.” 

“No, not exactly.” There was no shakiness in his voice the student had expected. 

Maybe it was greed or the deep-seated desire for independence, but Noah couldn’t stop his lips from forming a grin very similar to that of his driver. What did it matter what Tanji wanted? Why should he concern himself with the thoughts running around her little head? He had an actual chance here—a chance for a better life. Sometimes it takes being thrown against the wall to start making your way to the top. 

“Alright. What do you need next?” 

“Straight to the point!” The blonde man slapped the wheel in excitement. “I will need you to pick something up from the club tomorrow.” With so little information, there wasn’t even anything that Noah could ask. Maybe that was intentional. “Today, you get to relax. Oh, and I am handing Koko over to you. She will teach you Japanese and act as your bodyguard/translator/maid. Her paperwork has already been delivered.” Noah gave her a wave to see if the fox girl was conscious. Her tired yet alert face turned towards him, giving the man a deep bow. 

The car stopped with a satisfying purr in front of his apartment. Noah watched as his new “bodyguard” held a huge briefcase in each of her hands, appearing almost comical as she carried them inside due to the size difference. Yulka stayed by the side of the car as H squatted down in front of Tanji. It looked like the two were talking, judging by their moving lips. The blonde man appeared mostly stoic, while the pudgy cat waved her hand around widely with each word. He stood up after a moment, walking towards Noah while patting down his trousers. 

“That ‘mimi has a mouth on her, huh?” Of course. She was bad-mouthing him. “Kept talking about how creepy you are. How you let her sleep with you.”

“Nobody is forcing her to climb into my bed every night.” Noah asserted, trying to clean his fragile reputation. 

“Oh, no.” He waved dismissively. “It’s not because she doesn’t like it. Quite the opposite. It’s fun because it’s taboo. Doing something you’re not supposed to is always thrilling, isn’t it?” H’s words seemed directed at him as much as they were at Tanji. 

“Taboo?” Noah squinted, now fully paying attention. “I thought there was a whole sex industry with Kemonomimi. This seems a little…soft-core? I guess that’s the word.” 

“Fucking? Absolutely. Happens all the time. Gotta be gentle with mouse girls, though.” Judging by his casual tone, it seemed that the man had some ”assets” there. “But they have their own little sleeping area, not actual beds. Koko already brought hers.“ He paused. “There is one for Tanji, but I have a feeling that she isn’t going to use it. She likes being with you.” 

Before he even realized that he was smiling, his patron made sure to point it out. “You seem happy.”

Quickly dimming the smile to a professional grin, Noah cleared his throat. “She’s happy. It means I am doing a good job as an owner, right?”

He exhaled, his face suddenly becoming serious. Seeing him like that was almost as surreal as seeing Yulka smile. "Hey, buddy, let me give you a tip. The worst mistake a man can ever make is catching feelings for the product. I am not implying that you are, but…preventive medicine, you know?" The man patted Noah on the back just a little too hard. "Never forget that."

Product. That’s all Tanji was to the one providing for them. Maybe it would be better if she became the same to him. It would certainly make life easier. 

Back inside, Noah could see Tanji sitting on a stool with a prosthetic around her right stump. She was moving her legs up and down, trying to stop herself from fidgeting as Koko combed through her messy brown hair. Now instead of the pseudo-militaristic poncho Yulka wore, the woman was dressed in a maid outfit; a frilly white dress with black accents that he had seen pictures of before, but never actually saw in person—she even had a choker around her neck and a little silver bell!

“Welcome home, master.” Koko stood up from the stool before giving him another submissive bow, sitting down quickly enough to continue combing Tanji’s hair before she could escape. From the looks of it, the woman made it her duty to doll her up—with the Neko now wearing a short pair of jeans and a pink crop top. Seeing her like that was odd, but easy on the eyes. When she was finally released, Tanji clipped on the old pink ribbon he had found her with. 

Seeing Koko walk around his apartment—sweeping, cleaning, and folding—made Noah feel a bit guilty, but it was her job to do so. And besides, her perpetually relaxed and sleepy face didn’t even twitch as she continued her work. This, combined with her professional demeanor, made him feel that trying to help would have been seen as an insult. 

“Must be difficult being so far from your owner.” Noah spoke up, hoping to at least show the Kitsune that he acknowledged her existence. She was currently in the process of laying down her sleeping area, placing it purposefully as far as possible from his bed. Just as he had expected, it looked like one of those dog beds, providing enough space for the woman to curl her body snuggly against the pillow. 

“It is fine. The owner told me that I should do what you say.” Her calm demeanor and unchanging expression were almost unnerving, but he figured that was her quirk. Either that or some type of training. “He also gave me your study schedule. We will start with some basic phrases and greetings tomorrow.” Koko explained while taking off the oversized rubber gloves she wore during the cleaning. “Then, we can move to more challenging subjects.”

Noah nodded, turning towards Tanji. She took small steps while getting used to the new prosthetic, him seeing her body fully erect for the first time. He expected a more stellar response, but there was just a look of discomfort on her face as she circled the room. 

“What’s the deal with all this?” He asked while picking up bright red lingerie from the pile of clothing she had just washed. 

Koko was currently in the middle of brewing green tea for the three of them, allowing herself to climb onto the counter. “Oh, that is for tomorrow’s job.” 

“Can you tell me more about it?” The tea looked to be just about done, with the Kitsune carrying the beverage to his table.

“Of course.” She nodded, watching Noah lifting the cup to his lip to gauge the man’s response. Only after a satisfied smile appeared on his face did she continue. “It  is an establishment catering to clientele with specific tastes.” 

“I think I know what you mean by that.”

“Kemonomimi fetishists.” Seeing her cute face say that made him feel dirty, as if these were words not meant to be uttered by the petite maid—even if she was only using the proper terminology. “There is a device in one of the rooms. The owner needs you to retrieve it.”

“Sounds like something he could have done himself.” Noah reasoned. "Or one of his men." Having said that, he didn't actually have proof that there were any humans other than H and himself involved. For all he knew, his patron's patron was a 5-inch tall mouse girl. 

“Maybe you are the closest. Maybe he wants to test you. I don’t have all the information, master.”

Noah sipped his tea, tapping his free hand against the table. He felt like a pawn in some larger game, but could a pawn really complain when he is given an animal girl maid to clean and make tea?

“Master.” Koko asked, making him re-focus his eyes on her from the daydream. “May I ask you a question?”

“Of course.” He placed the cup down. “What’s on your mind?”

Jumping down from the stool, Koko walked toward one of the bags she brought with her. “I will hold down the fort once you head out with Tanji for the job.” After a few metallic clicks, the woman produced the slick gray body of a sniper rifle—the glint of the scope shining in his eyes after she removed the plastic coverings. “For the time being, this property is considered a corporate asset. So what is the best lookout position in the building?”