Future Pet Shop

"All rested? Then let’s get moving. After we’re done here, I’ll take you somewhere else fun this afternoon." After finishing their snacks, Sakai Kaori was her energetic self again.

"Where are we going this afternoon? How does it compare to this place?" Sun Qian’s fingers flew across her phone, perhaps recording the inspiration she had just found. After a morning like this, she was looking forward to the afternoon’s travels even more. Cheeky had already taken to the sky, preparing to head down the mountain.

"I can’t tell you that. It would spoil the surprise. If I’d told you this morning we were coming to a place like this, you probably wouldn’t have been so excited to see it, would you?" Mr. Liu Sheng said with a chuckle, still refusing to give anything away.

"Alright, let’s go then!" Sun Qian didn’t press the issue. She dusted herself off and started helping Sakai Kaori pack up. Egg and Hah’Er followed suit, pitching in to help.

’Wait, if we leave now, I’ll have to make a special trip back! That won’t do!’ Shen Yibin started to panic. ’We can’t just leave like this!’ He quickly stood up to stop them. "What’s the rush? The scenery here is great. Let’s stay and play a little longer. We can just go to the next place tomorrow!"

"Bin, only those two big trees are remotely interesting. The forest itself is a bit small—it’s not even as impressive as the view from the mountain behind your manor. A quick look is enough. What else is there to see here?" Sun Qian was still eager to find new inspiration; she had no desire to waste any more time in a place like this.

’Actually, I feel the same way. The scenery here is delicate, but ultimately a bit too quaint; it doesn’t hold your attention for long. On any other day, I would’ve been the first one clamoring to leave, even before Sun Qian said a word. But not today. That orange dot is still nearby. Until I catch that Mutant Animal and feed it the pill, how can I even think about leaving?’

"Since Mr. Bin wants to keep looking, let’s stay. Sun, don’t be in such a hurry. That other place isn’t far; we have plenty of time to rest a bit longer." Sakai Kaori was always one to listen to Shen Yibin. Even though she also felt that only the two Longmao trees were worth seeing, she was willing to stay as long as he was the one who asked.

"Sun, I brought hot water. Let me make you a cup of tea. Mr. Bin, what flavor would you like?" The young woman knelt gracefully on the picnic mat, preparing to perform a tea ceremony for Shen Yibin.

"You two go ahead and have some. I’m just going to pop over there for a minute," Shen Yibin said, pointing to a small path nearby. On his pet radar, that very path led directly to the orange dot.

"I’ll go with you!" Hearing he was about to leave, Sakai Kaori abandoned the tea, scrambled to her feet, and made to follow Shen Yibin.

"No, no, that’s okay. I’ll just go take a look by myself. You two carry on, please, carry on." Shen Yibin smiled awkwardly and quickly slipped into the woods along the path.

"Mr. Bin! Wait for me!" Sakai Kaori grew frantic and was about to give chase when Mr. Liu Sheng grabbed her arm. She turned back, confused. "Uncle Liu Sheng, why are you stopping me?"

"Heh heh, Miss Sakai, just let Mr. Bin go alone!" Whatever Mr. Liu Sheng was thinking, he held onto Sakai Kaori and refused to let go.

"But... this is a forest! What if Mr. Bin runs into a dangerous animal?" Sakai Kaori said, worried. "Please, just let me go follow him!"

"Hey, with Mr. Bin’s excellent Swordsmanship, he can certainly handle himself. Even if he runs into an animal, he’ll be fine. It’s winter, so there won’t be any snakes or bugs, and this isn’t some deep, dark forest. You won’t find any overly aggressive animals here." It was a weak excuse. This was Saitama Prefecture, not the deep jungles of Southeast Asia; what kind of ferocious beasts could there be? And he suspected Mr. Bin probably didn’t want her following him anyway. Seeing that Sakai Kaori was about to protest again, Mr. Liu Sheng had no choice but to hint at his suspicion. "Er, well... it seemed like Mr. Bin drank a lot of water on the way here. Perhaps he’s just going to..."

Shen Yibin hadn’t gotten far, and he almost stumbled and fell when he heard that. ’Seriously, old man, what goes through your mind all day? Where did you even get that idea?!’ However, the excuse did manage to convince Sakai Kaori. She blushed, quickly sat back down next to Sun Qian, and in no time, the two young women began sipping their tea.

Cheeky grumbled a few words of complaint before flying back to Sun Qian’s shoulder to nibble on the berries Sakai Kaori offered. Egg and Xiaoliu were wrestling in the bushes, while Maphario remained perched on Hah’Er’s head, observing the great Longmao tree. Only Hah’Er continued to stare in the direction Shen Yibin had disappeared, as if it had sensed something was up.

’Okay, which way should I go?’ Even though it was less than fifty meters away, that was as the crow flies. Navigating through the dense woods to get there was not going to be easy. He had only taken a few steps when the path curved, leading him even farther from the orange dot.

’Well, looks like I’ll have to cut straight through this patch of woods ahead.’ A real forest wasn’t as easy to traverse as a grove in a park. The space beneath the large trees was choked with a dense tangle of shrubs and vines, leaving no clear path. Shen Yibin had no choice but to steel himself, push aside the vines, step over the bushes, and squeeze through the narrow gaps.

Thankfully, the conditions here were much better than the primeval Qinling Mountain Range or the ice and snow of the Northeast. He wasn’t carrying any luggage, either, so his pace was reasonably fast. He trudged onward, pulling out his phone to check the orange dot’s position. ’Hm? Is this thing asleep? It hasn’t moved an inch this whole time.’

Back on the hilltop, Sakai Kaori kept glancing in the direction Shen Yibin had disappeared. ’Even if he was just... taking care of business, he should be done by now, right? Why isn’t Mr. Bin back yet? Don’t tell me something happened... Should I go and check?’

In reality, Shen Yibin hadn’t run into any trouble at all. The reason he was taking so long was that he hadn’t gone to relieve himself in the first place; he had gone to find a certain unknown animal.

Things were progressing very smoothly. He was now only five meters away from the orange dot’s location. Normally, an animal would definitely react if a person got within five meters, yet on the map, the orange dot remained completely still.

Rounding a large tree, Shen Yibin finally saw the animal. ’Uh... it’s not going to be this easy, is it?’