Tokyo: After years of stagnation, the heiress of the yakuza arrives.

"What's going on? Xiaobai has always been very gentle, how could she suddenly go berserk..."

The zookeeper rushed into the enclosure with a first-aid kit, squatted down next to the fallen elephant, checked its breathing, and then reached out to touch Xiaobai's ears and nose.

After confirming that he had only been knocked unconscious and had not suffered any serious injuries, his tense expression relaxed slightly.

Several other staff members began evacuating tourists and inspecting the warped wooden frames and railings, but the people around did not leave immediately. They all stood outside the safety line, discussing the situation with lingering fear.

"He was fine just a moment ago, how did he suddenly go crazy?"

"Did someone throw something in there?"

"It looks like it's been frightened by something; it's been staring in this direction."

"What could scare such a big elephant? Did it see a tiger?"

"The tiger is several areas away from here..."

In the crowd.

Shido Kuroba had already stuffed Daikoku back into his coat pocket, leaving only a small gap for ventilation. He then stood among the tourists, leaning on his cane, looking innocent and as if he were equally frightened and earnestly analyzing the cause of the accident.

Don't panic.

The more guilty you feel at times like this, the easier it is for others to see through your behavior.

The best approach is to proactively join the investigation and help everyone find a reasonable, scientific explanation that has absolutely nothing to do with rats.

Kuroba Shido rubbed his smooth chin and said with great professionalism, "I think it might be the start of her heat cycle."

Several people around looked over.

"estrus?"

"Yes, when animals enter their estrus cycle, their hormone levels change, making them more prone to irritability. In addition, today is the weekend, and there are many people in the air, filled with the smells of perfume, fried chicken, popcorn, and soft drinks. Under multiple stimuli, the mental stress reaches a critical point, and it is not impossible for them to suddenly go crazy."

A bespectacled man next to him nodded thoughtfully.

"That makes some sense."

Another tourist raised a question: "But Xiaobai didn't seem irritable just now, it seemed more like it was scared."

Kuroba Shido remained unfazed: "That means he didn't sleep well during his afternoon nap and experienced a temporary cognitive impairment after waking up, mistaking the tourists outside the fence for some kind of natural enemy."

"Is this even possible?"

"Of course, even a sleepy person might mistake a clothes hanger for a person, so why can't an elephant be mistaken?"

The people around nodded again.

Makes sense.

It is very much in line with real-life experience.

A young woman looked inside the fence: "But it kept staring in one direction, as if it had seen something."

Shido Kuroba's heart skipped a beat.

Fixed direction.

Isn't that the spot where Big Black was just standing?

We can't let the topic continue like this.

"It could also be a name issue."

Everyone: "???"

If we're not buddies, I can let the previous ones slide, but isn't this a bit too much?

Kuroba Shido said with a serious expression: "It is clearly gray, but it has been called Shiro since it was a child. Over time, it developed a serious identity conflict. It has been suppressing it in its heart. Just now, when it saw its reflection in the pool, it suddenly realized that it was not white at all, and its mind collapsed on the spot."

Those around: "..."

The beginning sounded quite scientific.

Why did things start to go wrong from there?

Kuroba Shido didn't give them a chance to think carefully, and pointed to the ground again: "There's another possibility. There was sunlight reflecting off here just now, and Shiro was suddenly blinded. Startled, it instinctively backed away, but its body was too big to control, and it ended up crashing into the fence."

The zookeeper looked up at the spot where the sunlight was shining, then looked at the pool.

There is indeed a reflection.

"Possibly."

The zookeeper nodded: "Xiaobai must have been suddenly stimulated just now. We need to check the surveillance footage to find out the exact reason. Everyone, please stay away from the enclosure for now."

The surrounding tourists suddenly realized.

It turned out to be the case.

A sudden animal accident, thanks to Shido Kuroba's efforts, was successfully transformed from "Dahei scaring an adult elephant into a case of an accident caused by a combination of factors including estrus, lack of sleep, odor stimulation, sunlight reflection, and identity recognition disorder."

As for what the truth is, it's no longer important.

Kuroba Shido concealed his merits and fame, and while the people around him continued to discuss, he quietly withdrew from the crowd and limped towards the outside of the elephant area.

Hey.

Hey.

Hey.

The cane hit the ground faster and faster.

After rounding the corner, Kuroba Shido immediately accelerated, leaping dozens of meters before stopping behind a tree and letting out a long sigh of relief.

"call……"

Aftermath.

They escaped death once again.

Shido Kuroba lowered his head and opened his coat pocket. Big Black cautiously peeked out from inside, its beady black eyes clear and innocent, as if the thing that had just frightened the adult elephant out of control and crashed into the wall had nothing to do with it.

"Are you still pretending?"

Kuroba Shido extended a finger and gently tapped the big black head: "The boss brought you to the zoo to broaden your horizons, not to cause trouble. A mouse scared the elephant unconscious. How is the elephant supposed to face the zoo after this?"

Big Black: "..."

It silently shrank its head.

Elephants are timid.

What does it have to do with it?

Big Black didn't even do anything; he just peeked out of his pocket, and the other person started going crazy on the spot.

"Big Black, let me warn you in advance: the cost of the fence, the wooden frame, and the elephants' medical expenses combined is so high that even if you sold your whole family, you might not be able to afford to pay for it all."

Big Black's body stiffened.

"If you get caught, you'll stay at the zoo and work to pay off your debts. You'll perform to scare the elephants during the day and play the role of a rare species in the rat enclosure at night. Your wife and Xiao Hei can even come to visit you in prison."

Big Black clung to Kuroba Shido's fingers, and a will to survive gradually appeared in its beady black eyes.

No.

He also has a wife and children at home.

They cannot stay at the zoo to work.

Seeing that Daikoku finally realized the seriousness of the problem, Kuroba Shido nodded with satisfaction: "Keep a low profile from now on. Just follow the boss and get by. The most important thing is not to cause trouble for the boss, understand?"

Big Black nodded quickly.

"That's more like it."

Kuroba Shido put it back in his pocket and was just about to look for the next safe area when his phone suddenly vibrated.

Onodera Zannen sent a message.

[Shido-kun, I've finished eating. Where are you now? Are you still feeling unwell?]

The tone was normal.

There were no questions asked.

There was no rush.

It even carried the thoughtfulness of a senior student.

But as Kuroba Shido looked at the message, he felt cold sweat break out on his forehead again.

He's not far from being able to enjoy the taste of food.

Once they bypassed the road ahead, they could see the fast food restaurant's glass windows from the side. Just to be safe, Kuroba Shido didn't reply immediately, but instead quietly crept over, leaning on his cane.

Advertising sign.

shrub.

garbage can.

Using everything that could conceal his figure along the way, as if he were carrying out some kind of reconnaissance mission, Shido Kuroba made his way to the tree opposite the fast food restaurant, only showing half of his face to observe the situation inside.

Onodera Zan'one is still in the same spot.

Yoshiko Sawamura was eating fries across the street.

Ritsuki Sawamura didn't leave either.

The three of them continued to have a very smooth conversation.

The Black Feather Warrior said, "..."

You can't go back to this place.

He was supposed to only be dealing with his senior.

Going back now would mean facing his senior, a suspected pink-haired online friend, and a suspected online friend's mother all at once. Any question from any of the three could expose his identity on the spot.

Especially Onodera Zannen.

It's completely unknown how much information the senior student managed to extract from Ritsuki Sawamura.

run away.

We must continue on the run.

Kuroba Shido looked down at the big black thing in his pocket, and a perfect reason quickly came to mind.

"Big Black, it's time for you to repay your boss."

Big Black: "???"

What does that mean...?

"Lie down."

Big Black hesitated for a moment.

Kuroha Shido bought a small cup of vanilla ice cream from the ice cream cart next to him, scooped up a little with the included wooden spoon, and waved it in front of Daikoku.

"Good performance, here's a treat."

Big Black lay down without hesitation.

Limbs spread out.

Close your eyes.

Even its breathing became weak, as if it might leave this world of rats at any moment.

Kuroba Shido nodded in satisfaction.

Good little brother.

This is the professional competence cultivated through long-term cooperation.

He took out his phone, snapped a picture of the big black dog lying on the tissue, deliberately avoiding the surrounding environment, and then sent it to Onodera Zannen.

[Senior, Dahei seems to have heatstroke. It suddenly became weak and lethargic. I'm trying to cool it down, and it might not be able to get back for a while.]

Message sent.

Kuroba Shido looked down at Daikoku again: "Stick your tongue out a little, otherwise it won't look serious enough."

Big Black opened one eye.

"ice cream."

Big Black immediately stuck his tongue out a little.

Shido Kuroba took more photos.

profession.

That's incredibly professional.

The man and the mouse worked together seamlessly. Anyone who didn't know better would have thought that the big black horse was about to suffer from heatstroke and end its short but incredibly strong life.

The phone vibrated quickly.

【Okay, I understand. Shido, please take care of Daikoku first. No need to rush.】

Upon seeing the reply, Kuroba Shido finally smiled with relief.

The senior student believed it.

If we could just delay for another half hour, the Sawamura mother and daughter would definitely leave, and the fast food restaurant's crisis would naturally be resolved.

Stable.

This is definitely going to be a sure thing!

……

Inside the Kendesheng fast food restaurant.

Onodera Zanne looked at the photos sent by Kuroba Shido.

The photo was taken very close up, and most of the surrounding environment was avoided. Only the big black cat was lying on the tissue, with its limbs outstretched and its tongue sticking out a little. There was also a small wooden spoon with ice cream next to it.

It really does look like heatstroke.

The premise is to ignore the black eyeball that is secretly moving towards the ice cream beneath Big Black's tightly closed eyes.

Onodera Zanneo watched quietly for a few seconds.

It wasn't exposed.

She put her phone away and then looked at the Sawamura mother and daughter: "Excuse me, the pet that the person traveling with me has seems to be feeling unwell. I need to go and check on it."

Yoshiko Sawamura put down her fries: "Is it serious?"

"There shouldn't be any major problems."

Onodera Zanne stood up and calmly pushed the chair back into its original position: "I enjoyed chatting with you two today, but I need to leave now."

Yoshiko Sawamura quickly waved her hand: "The pet is more important, go quickly."

Ritsuki Sawamura nodded politely, "Goodbye."

"goodbye."

Onodera Zannen smiled slightly, picked up the meal that Kuroba Shido hadn't finished, tidied up the table, and then walked out of the fast food restaurant.

There was no impatience from beginning to end.

They did not press for Kuroba Shido's exact location.

The purpose of that message was not to confirm whether he was really trying to save Dahei.

Instead, they need a reasonable reason to leave.

Having achieved the purpose of staying here, there is naturally no need to stay any longer.

The glass door of the fast food restaurant slowly closed.

As Yoshiko Sawamura watched Onodera Zanne's departing figure, she couldn't help but sigh, "She's so beautiful, has a great personality, speaks so gently, and must come from a good family. There's nothing wrong with her."

Ritsuki Sawamura took a sip of her soda and said nothing.

Yoshiko Sawamura paused for two seconds, then added, "It's just that her eyesight isn't very good."

Ritsuki Sawamura: "???"

"With such good qualities, she actually likes a strange man with a crooked mouth, crooked eyes, and who walks with a cane."

Ritsuki Sawamura nodded subconsciously.

indeed.

From any perspective, the two seem to be from different worlds.

But as soon as she nodded, she immediately realized what she had done and looked at Yoshiko Sawamura with a cold face: "Auntie, it's very impolite to talk about other people's appearances behind their backs."

Yoshiko Sawamura: "???"

"You clearly nodded just now!"

"I'm stretching my neck."

"Who only does a little bit of exercise?"

Ritsuki Sawamura nodded several times in succession: "Is it okay now?"

Yoshiko Sawamura: "..."

Doesn't this prove it even more?

The great mother felt she had been fooled and reached out her finger to poke Sawamura Ritsuki's cheek. Sawamura Ritsuki raised his hand to block it and grabbed Sawamura Yoshiko's wrist in return.

"Let go, little pink-haired girl!"

"You loosen your grip first."

"Mom grabbed it first!"

"So you should relax first."

"How can Mom loosen her grip if you don't?"

The mother and daughter began to wrestle across the table, one stretching forward and the other bending backward, yet maintaining an air of nobility and elegance on their faces, as if they were merely performing some kind of post-dinner etiquette unique to high society.

The surrounding tourists stared in astonishment.

A little boy, munching on a French fry, whispered, "Daddy, what are they doing?"

The young father paused for two seconds: "He's probably exercising his wrists."

……

Inside the zoo.

Onodera Zannen walked slowly along the tree-lined path.

Standing at nearly 1.8 meters tall, she was very conspicuous in the crowd. Her long black hair swayed gently with her steps. She had a slender figure and a quiet demeanor. Even though she was surrounded by tourists with children, food, and souvenirs, she always seemed to be separated from all the noise by an invisible distance.

Passersby frequently turned around.

Some people speculated that she might be a model.

Some people think it might be a celebrity who travels in a low-key manner.

Some people mustered up the courage to strike up a conversation, but as soon as they got a little closer, they slowed down on their own under that gentle yet distant atmosphere.

Onodera Zannen didn't pay attention.

She took out her phone and looked at the photos that Shido Kuroba had sent her again.

The environment in the photo was indeed deliberately avoided.

But the ice cream scoop was printed with a penguin pattern from the zoo, the edges of the napkin reflected a red and white sunshade, and there was a very blurry blue price tag in the corner.

There are three places in the zoo that sell vanilla ice cream: carts with red and white sunshades and blue price tags.

There's only one place that's closest to satisfying your cravings.

Onodera Zannen put away his phone.

There was no hesitation in the direction.

A few minutes later, she saw the ice cream cart by the path leading to the giraffe area.

Several children were gathered around the stroller.

In the center of the crowd, Shido Kuroba sat on a bench, his expression as serious as that of an emergency room doctor who was trying to save a critical patient.

Big Black lay sprawled on a folded tissue.

There was a small cup of vanilla ice cream and a bottle of mineral water next to it.

Kuroba Shido first used a tissue to wet and wipe the big black head, then picked up a small wooden spoon, scooped out a piece of ice cream that was no bigger than a grain of rice, and put it to the big black mouth.

"Come on, open your mouth."

Big Black opened its mouth very weakly.

Awoo.

The ice cream disappeared.

"You can't eat too much at once when you have heatstroke. You have to eat small amounts frequently to lower your core temperature from the inside out, and then use a wet towel to dissipate heat from the outside. This is called the combined internal and external rescue method."

The children around were stunned.

After Dahei finished eating, just as it was about to sit up, Kuroba Shido pressed a finger down on its belly.

"Keep lying down; your condition hasn't stabilized yet."

The big black thing could only be flattened again.

"squeak……"

A little boy wearing a panda hat stared at the scene for a long time before finally tugging at his mother's clothes.

"Mom, is that boy sick? Can rats get heatstroke?"

The child's mother's expression changed, and she quickly covered his mouth, pulling him back several steps.

"Shh, don't say anything out of line."

Why?

"The principle of retreating for happiness: When you encounter something you don't understand but the other person is doing with great enthusiasm, don't ask questions, don't get close, just step back and let them be happy."

The little boy nodded as if he understood, listening to his mother explain the "principle of yielding to happiness."

The mother and son left quickly.

Kuroba Shido was completely unaffected, continuing to cool down the inside of Daikoku with a small wooden spoon while muttering to himself.

"Big Black, hang in there. The boss won't give up on you. Eat one more bite, and you can be transferred from the ICU to a regular ward after that."

His big, dark eyes were shining.

It felt it could remain seriously ill for a little longer.

Onodera Zannen stood not far away, quietly watching the man and the mouse, as well as the half-empty ice cream cup next to them.

Onodera Zannen: "..."

After all these years, he... is still so special.

[Current Status: Memories, Love...]