With Phil
"Oh, god. I feel like my heart is about to burst..." Phil gasps as he takes as much air as he can while Seed pats his back gently. It took the poor bunny several hours just to deal with the dean to reinstate him at the university, which, according to Zhao, shouldn't have happened, since she was supposed to take care of that two days ago.
It didn't take long for them to find out the reasons when several committees burst into the room and shouted at the dean for bringing a kid from a fallen rich member back while kicking several kids from a rich family who had been donating so much to the university.
Zhao had tried to get their attention, but the committee dismissed her and even insulted her for being a tiny bunny who should know their place. It's safe to say she was pissed and rolled the decapitated heads of corrupted TOPS members to gain their attention and shut them up.
Not before the entire room was filled with a terrible screech. Phil should've reacted more violently when he saw the head, but for some reason, he simply felt he was about to throw up. He wondered if seeing his siblings hanged up like a butchered piece of meat had messed his mind badly.
The rest of the time was mostly waiting for the dean and the committees to finish the paperwork. Only two thoughts were coming to his mind when he watched them finishing the paperwork while Zhao and Seed threatened them by pointing their weapons at them.
First, whoever came up with the reinstating system for the university should go to hell because Phil wondered how people could live doing a room full of paperwork. Second, what was Seed thinking, teaching Zhao of all bitches on how to instill more fear of God in men by aiming their balls?
Like, Phil knows something is wrong in that head of hers, but that is too much.
"Calm down now, Phil. You're safe with us." Seed says with a cheerful smile.
"...after seeing you guys doing that, I feel less safe than before," Phil mutters. "What are you guys even doing here anyway?"
"I'm here because I owe your friend a...favor," Zhao says, the last part with hesitation, which confirms something. Caelus had threatened her back during the incident involving his 'parents' and forced her to act as a 'bodyguard' for him.
"Did Caelus threaten to shove his baseball bat right through your pussy?" Seed asks innocently. Those words were meant to be something straight from a gore movie, but it ended up sounding like an innuendo, which Phil and Zhao believe it is, judging from their blushing faces.
"W-what the fuck, kid!?!" Zhao exclaimed in embarrassment.
"Seed! You know Caelus isn't someone who would do that!!!" Phil exclaims. He may only have known Caelus for a short time, but he can't imagine him doing something so heinous, even to the person he hates the most.
"...But he looks like he would use his baseball bat, shoving it to her and detonating it like dynamite," Seed explains, looking confused. Both bunnies realize what she meant and sigh in relief. It was just a simple misunderstanding.
"Nah, he won't do that," Phil waves it off. "He'll probably break her skulls to million pieces. I mean, he did get rid of my parents' teeth and leave maximum damage."
"...huh, yeah. He would definitely do that." Seed nods in agreement.
"..." Zhao looks a bit concerned for her safety, silently considering bringing a helmet if she ever encounters him again.
"By the way, why are you still here? Don't you have places to go?" Seed asks Zhao, trying to sound innocent, but her disdain towards the bunny for kidnapping her friend runs so deep she can't hide it entirely.
"Don't worry, I plan on leaving. Just taking a small break before driving away from here. Dealing with those fools is one of the most exhausting jobs I've ever had to do," Zhao grumbles while stretching her back. She didn't complain much about her rude tone, since she was self-aware about how much she messed up.
"..." The duo silently stared at Zhao, who started walking away towards her car, or at least it was supposed to be her car.
"I remember your car was supposed to be bigger than that," Phil pointed out.
"I rented that one." Zhao deadpans before getting into her car and driving away.
"...I hope it'll be the last time I see her," Phil sighs.
"Yeah, I don't like her," Seed responds in agreement.
"It's...more than that. I like to avoid anyone who does shady business," Phil says.
"...weren't you a Hollow Raider before trying your luck in HIA?" Seed calls him out, causing him to fluster.
"W-what I mean is avoiding people who kidnap or outright kill people for business! I may break the law, but I've never gone that far!" Phil exclaims. "A-anyways, let's go back now. I'm very exhausted...."
"Sure," Seed says with a smile before picking Phil up like a plush and starts driving her hover-scooter, causing the poor bunny to blush in embarrassment.
"L-let go, Seed! I can walk on my own!" Phil exclaims as Seed giggles.
"Nope, this is much faster," Seed answers before speeding up as Phil groans.
"Just drop me before we encounter Caelus or the others. I don't think I could handle the embarrassment-!" Before Phil could finish his sentence, Seed had cut him off.
"Too late, they saw us," Phil had never looked so horrified in his life as he turned around. Sure enough, Caelus, Mem, Slyboo, and Meilian just happened to be walking nearby and spotted them.
"...pffft," Caelus couldn't hold himself as he and Slyboo laughed at the scene. Mem tried to reprimand him by slapping him, but she couldn't hold her laughter either while Meilian chuckled at the adorable scene. All Phil could do was comically slump down as his soul crawled out of his mouth.
"S-sorry. Just wasn't expected to be greeted with such a scene," Caelus tried to stop himself from laughing, but he failed. It took a few minutes before he finally stopped. "So, how are things on your side? I hope those idiots didn't try to get you into trouble."
"...sending Zhao was a good idea." Phil admits reluctantly. "I never saw anyone get scared to the point they enthusiastically finished a room full of paperwork."
"...why would they need a room full of paperwork for? It was just reinstating," Caelus asks in confusion. "Don't know how university works, but I doubt it required that much paperwork."
"Trust me, I have no idea," Phil groans before Seed gently places him down. "Where were you guys? I wasn't expecting you to go out with Ms. Meilian of all people."
"We were visiting Qingyi, the officer who helped me settle in and recommended me to Ms. Meilian's apartment," Caelus explained. "She has been absent from work for a few days, and she didn't even visit Ms. Meilian for a while. So, we went to visit her, hoping she was fine."
"Is she?" Phil asks as the quartet looks at each other and shrugs.
"Yeah, you can say that," Caelus responds, causing Phil to raise his eyebrows questioningly.
"...why are you sounding so unsure?" Phil asks in confusion.
"Because she wasn't when we visited her, but she's fine now," Caelus says as Phil tilts his head.
"How does that work?" Phil asks.
"I didn't bother to learn how the Intelligent Construct of her model works." Caelus shrugs.
"...oh, whatever," Phil decided that Caelus wasn't going to explain the details and just gave up.
"...Zhao didn't do anything to you, right?" Caelus says as Phil sighs.
"She didn't, but I still didn't want to be with her. Our encounter was super unpleasant," Phil explains.
"Fair," Caelus nods.
"Alright, now that you boys are finally catching up for a day, how about we all go and eat outside?" Meilian suggests.
"What about your cafeteria, Ms. Meilian?" Phil asks in concern.
"Bah, I already put up the close sign before I left. The residences won't mind if I close for one day. They knew they shouldn't let this old lady work too hard every day without rest." Meilian chuckles. "Now, let us catch a bus and eat some noodles on Sixth Street, shall we?"
"Yeah!"
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Waterfall Soup, Sixth Street
"My....Money...." Nicole wept as she watched Belle and Wise count the Dennies. She had finally earned enough money to pay all the debt she owed the Phaethon Duo, but at what cost?
"With this, we don't have to worry about the increased electrical bills for another 6 months!" Belle exclaims excitedly as she finishes counting.
"And left us enough money for groceries too," Wise nods, ignoring Nicole's weeping as Anby pats her boss's back gently.
"Well, at least we have one debt less to worry about, right, Boss?" Billy tries to be optimistic, but he ends up receiving a slam from Nicole's suitcase. "Ow, she's mad."
"What do you expect? All the hard-earned money is just gone for paying years-old debt," Nekomiya mutters as she plays with her kitten. "She was lucky the Phaethon didn't charge her with interest because they were friends."
"I ain't evil enough to charge a broke person with interest. Trust me, as a once-fellow broke man, I understand the struggle," Wise says while nodding sagely, while Belle spittakes, covering her mouth to hold her laughter.
'Caelus, you have corrupted my brother! But, since it gives him a good humor, I allow it!' Belle exclaims while mentally pumping her fist upwards.
"Oh, everyone's here?" Speaking of Caelus, he just happens to be nearby as he and his group approach them.
"Caelus!!!" Nicole wails as she hugs his legs. "Please, write another story so I can sell more!!!!"
"...you ran out of money again for paying the debt, aren't you?" Caelus asks dryly, causing Nicole to cry harder.
"Hey, Caelus," Wise greets. "It's been a while, huh?"
"It sure feels like it," Caelus says as he sits next to them, along with everyone. "Oh, right. I would like to introduce you guys to my landlord, Meilian. And the pink puppy over there is Mem."
"Hey! I'm a Fairy! FAIRY!" Mem exclaims with a pout. The Phaethon Duo and the Cunning Hares feel their brain rebooting, trying to process what they just heard, with the Cunning Hares widening their eyes.
"She shares a name with a pet..." Belle mutters quietly, but Mem clearly hears it as she puffs her cheeks.
"Hey, I'm no one's pet!" Mem exclaims, causing Belle to rub the back of her head sheepishly. Meanwhile, Wise gently touches the fur of Mem's tail, widening her eyes in amazement while Anby and Nekomiya join in.
As a Thiren lover (A/N: Yes, it's canon. The lore made it as Wise's search history), he has never seen the type of Thiren Mem is, and he is honestly amazed. Her fur doesn't feel like a fox's, but more like a Samoyed's. Her ears look like bunny ears, but when touched, they're quite thick.
Meilian watches the scene with a smile. She remembers how the young man had silently cried in the cafeteria alone not long ago, grieving for his parents. Now, he is hanging out with a friend. Phil was a lonely child when she first found him, and now, he has so many friends. As an elder, the scene warmed her heart.
Meilian took a deep breath before pulling out the book she had bought from Caelus, not noticing everyone except Caelus had paused and stared at the book in horror. As she slowly opened the book, the entire restaurant panicked.
"NO!!!!"
To be Continued