I never knew meat could taste so delicious. I can barely fall asleep at night now. My mind just won’t shut up. All it does is think about meat, meat, meat. If this continues, dark circles will appear around my eyes just like the raccoons who came for Senior Fluffytail the other day. Speaking of Senior Fluffytail, I wonder how she’s doing. After feeding a whole school repeatedly, wouldn’t she be suspected of being a meat smuggler? Other than an extremely rich individual, who else could afford to feed that many squirrels with the most luxurious food product out there? Even an elder would be hard-pressed to give out that much meat. Seeing how unfazed Senior Fluffytail was after feeding everyone present, it’s quite clear she doesn’t value meat—which must mean she has a tremendous amount of it, or she has access to a large supply. Either way, it doesn’t matter. What matters is whether or not she’s going to feed us again today; hopefully, she does.

Since Senior Fluffytail was given a tree hole to stay in at the school, I expected her to have arrived at the classbranch first, but for some reason, she’s not here. She usually is though. Class starts in five minutes, and most of my fellow students are already seated. Then again, the teacher always arrives exactly on time, so why would an assistant teacher be any different?

“Slayersson One,” Branchtrimmersson Three said and waved a paw at me when I sat down. “Be honest, what’s the relationship between you and that assistant teacher? You said she bailed you out of jail, but why would she do that if she wasn’t related to you? I never knew your family was so rich; you hid it so well.”

Upon hearing that, the rest of my classmates turned their heads to stare at me as well. They were eyeing me as if I were one of Senior Fluffytail’s dishes. “That’s right,” Nobleheartsson Two said, placing both his paws on my shoulders. I shook him off. “Why didn’t you tell us you had such a rich relative? She’s practically like an elder. Why don’t you bring her to my home today after school? My parents are curious about her. If things go well, my dad can talk to his friends, and I’m sure one of them can convince your landlord to lower his rates.”

Before I could even respond, a familiar face popped into view. Devourersdottir Three grabbed my front paws and stared me in the eyes. For some reason, my face felt unusually hot. “You have to introduce me to Lucia. You have to. I don’t know what she adds to her meat, but it made it taste so much better than glue!”

…Anything will taste better than glue. Once again, before I could respond, loud thumping footsteps and the sound of rustling leaves appeared from around the corner. Devourersdottir released my paws and scampered away. The rest of the class scattered, shutting their mouths and taking their seats. Moments later, the teacher came into view, but no one cared about him. Everyone was craning their necks to look behind him.

“Stop staring,” the teacher said. “I didn’t come here with the assistant teacher. Speaking of which, she should be here by now.” The teacher swept his gaze over the class before his eyes finally stopped on me. “Slayersson One, go down to the supply tree hole and bring her here. As expected of someone who poisoned the law enforcement chief, she can’t be counted on to arrive on time.”

Why do I have to go? There really isn’t that deep of a relationship between Senior Fluffytail and I. She bailed me out, and I returned the favor by bringing her here. Other than that, there isn’t anything going on between us! Of course, I’m not going to resist. Resisting isn’t wise when you’re weak. “Yes, Teacher.”

I’ve never been to the supply tree hole before, but I know where it’s located. It’s at the back of the school near the ground, way on the other side of the entrance. A tree might be round, but there’s still a designated path that works as an entrance, signaling the front side. It’s not that far away, only a couple minutes of walking. The first few minutes of class aren’t that important; it’s just review of the homework you were assigned the day before, and being the genius that I am, I’ve never gotten a question wrong. The review is useless to me, so I tend to let my mind drift off while it happens.

This should be the supply tree hole. “Hello? Senior Fluffytail, are you in there?” Oh my. What happened here? There are three raccoons, the same law enforcement officers that came by our house the day before, and there’s Senior Fluffytail. Senior Fluffytail is standing over her cooking pot, and the three raccoons are lying on the floor, …dead? No, it seems like they’re just sleeping.

“Oh, hey, Slayer Junior!” Senior Fluffytail said and raised her head. “You came right on time. Do you want—wait, no, never mind. You’re too young for acorn ale.” She dipped a ladle into the pot and scooped out a foul-smelling liquid. Then, she drank it and exhaled, her tail swishing from side to side. “Ooh, that hits the spot.”

Right. “Class started. The teacher sent me down to fetch you. I think he’s upset with you not paying attention to the time.”

“Ah?” Senior Fluffytail blinked. “Class started already? These pandas said they wouldn’t take too much of my time, but they took it all!”

I’m not sure what pandas are, but I’m assuming they’re an animal from the lower realm with dark circles around their eyes. “At least you have a proper excuse now. Just say some law enforcement officers came to discuss things with you, and he’ll understand. Why were they here anyway?” It probably has something to do with meat, right?

“Oh, they accused me of being a meat smuggler,” Senior Fluffytail said and packed away her pot. By packing away, I mean it shrank and flew into her mouth. She fanned her face with her hands and blew out a few times before lowering her arms. “Don’t worry though. They said if I gave them meat, they’d clear up the whole misunderstanding!”

Uh…. “You know that’s bribery, right? Depending on the seriousness of the offense, they can execute you. At the very least, they’ll lop off your tail.”

Senior Fluffytail stared at me. Then, her eyes widened. “I was tricked into breaking the law! What’s the punishment for Soul Scouring someone again?”

“…If you don’t damage them permanently, it’ll count as a minor infraction, and you’ll be punished with community service like what you’re doing now.”

“Alright,” Senior Fluffytail said and narrowed her eyes at me. “You should leave first. If you find out what happens next, I’ll have to Soul Scour you too!”

…By saying that to me, didn’t she basically tell me what she was going to do? Well, I’m not a snitch, so it’s fine.