"Excuse me, ma'am, but that puppy isn't doing well health-wise at the moment," the store owner raised her hand to be heard. "But as I was saying, if you're looking for a guardian..."

"I can take him to a vet if necessary. I can cover his expenses."

Placing a tied cloth bag on the table, the redhead girl showed the store owner a good amount of gold coins. The store owner remained unmoved.

"Listen... If you can come back for him tomorrow, and still want him, he'll be yours. But I can't allow you to take that puppy at the moment."

To the surprise of the group, and to Tenma's, the old lady bowed her head respectfully.

The redhead girl tried to prevent the situation from escalating, putting away the money she had taken out.

"Don't worry, I apologize. It's fine."

Behind her, a muscular man, a member of the same guild and dressed in armor, began looking at the puppies in the same cubicle.

"That's right, we'll just look for another one here. It seems our boss likes puppies. If we can't take that one, we could buy another, right?"

The man reached his hand into the cubicle to pick out another puppy but was stopped by a firm grip on his wrist from the redhead girl.

"I've already chosen our new guardian. I'll trust that you'll have him tomorrow," she said to her group companion, letting go of him as he sighed and stepped back. "Sorry for the trouble, we'll be back tomorrow then."

The whole group left in silence, but Tenma could see how the group leader kept looking at him until they all left.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

That girl gave him bad vibes.

***

Shortly after, the atmosphere became silent. The store owner polished the counter, fed the birds with sunflower seeds, and cleaned the place meticulously.

Tenma had nothing else to do but look around, resting his head on the glass of the cubicle.

His siblings, who had been so full of energy just a while ago, fell asleep after playing so much.

The day was getting darker, and customers came and went.

And Tenma learned something important.

Somehow, he couldn't understand anyone who wasn't human.

He had the body and appearance of an animal, but he couldn't understand any of them. Not his new siblings, not the store owner's pet canary, and certainly not some gelatinous creatures that seemed never to tire of playing with each other, though thankfully they were away from him in another cubicle, because they were starting to disgust him.

For Tenma, this new life should have been a golden opportunity. But locked up, he couldn't take advantage of it.

And suddenly, acid rose in his throat.

And again, more vomit.

Tenma had noticed it before the store owner confirmed it. He was sick. Despite having a young body, he wouldn't be able to make the most of it if he only had to suffer whatever was ailing him.

He reached the point of feeling dejected. Of overthinking his death, feeling panicked and unable to receive comfort from anyone. But at the same time, he felt he didn't deserve comfort for his bad decision.

He thought of the last girl he trusted, of the cataclysm from the sky, the angel that perished alongside him...

He thought about what his new purpose in life should be.

"It's time to close."

Finishing arranging a few last boxes after a hard day's work, the store owner, who seemed to be in her sixties, grabbed a dark handbag and held her keys in her hand.

Tenma watched her get ready to leave, but saw her approach his cubicle. He continued to lie there, barely moving his tail as he watched her closely.

He was picked up from his torso with care, and with a handkerchief, the owner wiped his mouth and fur that had gotten dirty. She carried him in her arms, as if he were a baby.

But even so, Tenma didn't mind. He felt it as a form of unintended comfort, but it was what he needed at least. He rubbed his head against the store owner's hand for a moment, and she stroked his head.

Finally, she carried him outside the store.

"We need to take you to the vet. You'll be strong."

Tenma had remained relaxed until that moment, listening to the old lady's sweet words.

........................

Wait, a vet!?