On the catwalk

Even though it's a new day at the animal shelter, my thoughts are filled with the events of the day before. And I think I might have a problem: I can't stop thinking about Yuki! I even had trouble falling asleep last night after she posted the sunset photo on her profile! She added the caption, "The most beautiful sunset I've ever seen!" and tagged me in it! I almost died when I saw the notification!

I know I have to do something to help Yuki! Michi could be anywhere, and I wish I knew where to look first! As I was changing the dogs' bedding with Hikaru, I kept thinking of different possibilities and strategies for finding Michi. Rika's voice, however, ended up interrupting my thoughts.

"Ok, so... this might sound silly, and... you don't have to answer my question if you don't want to, but... did something happen between you and... Rika?" I asked Hikaru.

"Yes and no," he responded as he carried in more water bottles to fill the dogs' bowls.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I asked, trying to be as supportive as I could.

"Well, even I don't know what's going on anymore! Let's just say it's complicated," he sighed as he was filling up more bowls with water. Great, now I'm even more confused! I decided to drop the matter for the time being and continue tidying up the dog area with him.

When we both arrived at the staff room, Rika was waiting for us along with Yuki. The whole room was filled with many different colorful bags. When Rika saw us, she quickly sat up, opened a bag, and showed us a piece of clothing.

"Ta-dah!" she said, holding what appeared to be a little pink tutu.

"No, wait! I forgot something," Rika said as she dug again in the bag, bringing out a tiny tiara to complete the look. She then held the full outfit up for me as if she were signaling me to inspect it closer.

"You know, Rika, I had high expectations from you! You got my measurements wrong! There's no way I can squeeze into this tutu! But I love the tiara! Can I keep it?" I replied as I placed it on my head.

"Ha, ha, very funny, Akio!" Rika answered in a sarcastic tone as she grabbed the clothes from my hands and placed them back in the bag.

"It's for the animals, you silly boy! We're doing a mini-fashion show! And you're going to film and take a lot of pictures!" Yuki chuckled as she swiftly pulled the tiara from my head. That simple gesture sent an electrifying shock wave through my body. I love this playful side of hers!

"Jokes aside, you did an amazing job, Rika! I am impressed," I said as I inspected the various costumes. They didn't look handmade at all; she must have spent a lot of time perfecting them.

"Why, thank you! I've come up with three themes, too: sporty, elegant, and playful. And I'm glad I was able to use some small fabrics I had lying around. The accessories, however, are all bought with the money Satoru left us," Rika proudly declared.

"I like the clothes as well! They look great," Hikaru said. However, Rika ignored his remark and began taking more clothes from the bags. Yuki and I could feel the tension in the air as we both exchanged concerned glances. The uneasy silence went away when two of our colleagues arrived in the room, carrying a red carpet.

"I heard you needed this old thing. We had it for a while, but it's still in good condition!" they said after leaving it on the ground.

"Thank you so much! It's perfect," Rika said as she approached the long carpet. She then explained that she intended to use it as a prop for our shoot. We then began sorting out the outfits and arranging the carpet in one of the hallways with the best lighting. That's because Hikaru taught us that, as long as the lighting is right, we don't need an expensive camera to take good photos or videos.

While Rika's outfits were amazing, they were far too large for most puppies. As a result, we had to settle for filming with only three dogs for the time being: two friendly beagles and a lazy bulldog. The plan was to film short video clips with each of them and upload them online.

We had the dogs walk down the red carpet as if they were on a catwalk. The three outfits consisted of two flowery, soft cotton vests for the beagles and a pink princess costume with a crown for the bulldog! We made sure that the animals were comfortable in their costumes, and we gave them lots of tasty treats! The dogs loved the camera! We even cheered for them a few times! My job has been very easy so far. I just had to sit there and film everything.

It was now the cats' turn! When I walked into their room, I felt a lump in my throat. I haven't been here since the time I fainted. I almost jumped out of fear when I felt a touch on my shoulder. It was Hikaru. He probably noticed my fear coming back because he put his hand on my shoulder as a sign of encouragement. I nodded back and entered more confidently this time.

When I saw my favorite kitten, my anxiety almost vanished! She tilted her head and stared at me with curiosity. I got closer, and the cat meowed softly at me. My heart melted a little, and I gave her a little wave back. We didn't have full outfits for the cats yet, but Rika had prepared a variety of funny hats and accessories for them, including little sunglasses, various colored bow ties, bat wings, bunny hats, and my personal favorites, the banana and pineapple fruit hats!

The real challenge was "convincing" the cats to put on the hats. They attempted several times to shake them off their heads. However, the cats seemed to enjoy the attention and even purred with delight when the camera got closer to them. The little tuxedo kitten was the most obedient. She enjoyed wearing her tiny pineapple hat. She kept following me around all day and tried climbing up my leg. Maybe Yuki was right; she did like me!

And that's when I realized I was growing fond of the kitty as well! Now I know what I have to do! I'm going to find Satoru tomorrow and tell him I'm ready to make the big switch!