He was gone.
Momo was gone.
Vanisho. Escapo. Houdini-ed.
"MOMO?!" Haruka screeched, spinning around her apartment like a caffeinated tornado in a pajama set. "This isn't funny! I gave you chicken last night! Is this how you repay me?!"
She flung open the bathroom door. Nothing but a haunted-looking towel.
Checked the kitchen. Half a chewed sock. No dog.
Looked under the table. Just betrayal and dust.
She yanked open the closet. Nope. Just winter coats and her pride—both untouched.
"Did I—leave the door open?! Did he finally snap and decide he's better off in the wild?!"
She dropped to her knees dramatically. "Oh my god. He's gonna get a tattoo and forget me. He's going to join a gang of alley cats and chew wires for fun."
DING.
Her phone lit up.
Kaito:
Good evening. Don't panic. Momo followed Ryo earlier and ended up at our place. He's with me. He's safe.
Haruka blinked.
Paused.
Read the message again.
Stared at the word.
"…Ryo?" sounds familiar.
Her soul glitched.
Her brain blue-screened.
The dots on her screen didn't even move.
"Who the heck is Ryo?" she muttered, tilting her phone like the name might rearrange itself into something that made sense. "Did he mean Rio? Like the city? A dog beach thing? A café? A robot vacuum???"
She squinted at the name like it personally offended her.
And then—
Her eyes widened.
Her voice dropped to a whisper.
"…Wait. Hoodie guy?"
Her body did a hard reboot.
Error: CHAOS LEVEL CRITICAL.
"HE'S WITH HOODIE GUY?!" she howled, bolting up from the floor like she'd been electrocuted. "MY DOG IS TRAPPED WITH A HUMAN GLOOM CLOUD WHO THINKS 'HELLO' IS AN EMOTIONAL OVER-SHARE?!"
She grabbed her phone again.
Haruka:
Kaito. Who. Is. Ryo. Be specific. Coordinates. Blood type. What does he want with my son?!
Kaito (seen)
Typing…
"Uh. Hoodie guy. My housemate. You've met him. I'm 90% sure he didn't kidnap your dog. Probably."
Haruka screamed into a pillow.
"He has a name?! You're telling me mister passive-aggressive eyes is named Ryo?! And he has my dog?! And you're sending me cryptic texts like we're in a spy movie?!"
She stormed around the room, flinging on a hoodie (backward), grabbing Momo's leash, then flinging it off because he wasn't even here.
She threw it back on for dramatic flair.
Haruka:
I'm coming over. Prepare Ryo for judgment.
Kaito:
I'm feeding Momo apple slices. Bring snacks if you want to join the party.
She gaped at her screen.
"…they're bribing him."
This was war.
And also maybe friendship?
But mostly war.
She pulled her hoodie over her head like a knight donning armor. Except it was pink and had bunny ears.
She jammed her feet into mismatched sneakers, grabbed a leash and a bag of emergency chicken jerky, and prepared for war.
But first—panic video call.
Yuki (Incoming Call)
Haruka answered mid-meltdown.
"YUKI HE'S GONE," she wailed. "MY FLUFFY CHILD HAS BEEN KIDNAPPED BY THE HOODIE CULT—"
Yuki blinked sleepily on screen. "…Isn't it like, 8:30?"
"THIS ISN'T ABOUT TIME, YUKI. THIS IS ABOUT JUSTICE."
"…You're wearing your shoes on the wrong feet."
Haruka looked down.
Screamed again.
Fixed them. "I'm going over there."
Yuki sipped her coffee. "Rescue mission?"
"Rescue mission."
"Dog or Hoodie Guy?"
"YES."
---
A FEW MINUTES LATER
Yuki's door flew open like Haruka was on the run from Interpol.
"Step aside. This is a crisis," Haruka announced, marching in with her bunny hoodie flapping like a cape, emergency chicken jerky in one hand, leash in the other.
Yuki didn't flinch. She sipped her matcha, watching Haruka pace like a caffeinated gremlin.
"Okay," Yuki said slowly. "Catch me up. Dog's missing. Hoodie Guy has him. And now you're dressed like a deranged Easter mascot. That about right?"
Haruka whirled around. "You don't understand, Yuki. This is Hoodie Guy. The guy who probably hasn't smiled since birth. Who treats 'good morning' like a personal attack. That Ryo has Momo."
Yuki raised an eyebrow. "And they're feeding him apple slices. Real monster."
Haruka paused mid-panic. "You're not taking this seriously."
"Oh, I am," Yuki said, deadpan. "But also, you're being dramatic. Even for you."
"Yuki. My dog is in enemy hands."
"I'm pretty sure Kaito said he's safe."
"Safe doesn't mean emotionally unharmed! What if Ryo glared at him?! What if Momo thinks I gave him away?! What if he un-bonds with me and chooses him?!"
Yuki blinked. "Wow. That's some strong first-child energy you've got going on."
Haruka dramatically flopped onto Yuki's couch. "I should go get him. Right now. Rescue mission. Tactical infiltration. I have snacks."
Yuki walked over and gently peeled the bag of jerky from her hand. "Or—and hear me out—you let him stay the night."
Haruka gasped like she'd been slapped with a frozen fish. "Excuse me?!"
"Momo's a smart boy. If he followed Ryo, he must've sensed something. Dogs don't lie, Haru. Maybe Ryo's just a misunderstood grump with excellent snack choices."
"…He bribed my son. That's not bonding. That's emotional corruption."
Yuki grinned. "Still, maybe let him hang out. You don't want to look unhinged barging in at night over a well-fed, happy dog. Also, you look unhinged."
Haruka sat up, clutching a cushion. "Yuki. My maternal instincts are screaming."
"And my logic instincts are whispering. He's fine. Kaito's there. They hasn't adopted him and moved to another country."
Haruka groaned into the pillow. "Fine. But I'm sleeping here. In case he calls. Or texts. Or shows signs of Stockholm Syndrome."
Yuki tossed her a blanket. "You can take the couch. And if Ryo sends a selfie with Momo, I'm framing it."
"…I hate that that's possible."
Haruka pouted, curling up on the couch with the blanket around her like a disgruntled burrito. "If he teaches Momo how to play video games, I'm filing for emotional custody."
Yuki raised an eyebrow as she scrolled through her phone. "Pretty sure that's not a real thing."
"It should be," Haruka muttered. "First it's snacks, then it's shared playlists, then one day I come home and Momo's wearing a headset calling people 'noobs' and ignoring me."
Yuki smirked. "Honestly, kind of iconic."
Haruka groaned dramatically and rolled onto her stomach. "Do you think Ryo knows Momo prefers classical jazz over pop punk?"
Yuki blinked. "Do you know that?"
"No. But it feels like something a good parent would know!"
Yuki reached over, plopped a cookie on Haruka's head like a peace offering. "You're being ridiculous."
"I'm being betrayed in real time," Haruka said into the cushion.
DING.
Her phone lit up again.
Kaito:
Update: I gave Momo a tiny blanket. He's now curled up next to Ryo like a little snowball. Also, Ryo hasn't even realized—he's got Momo wrapped in his arms like a warm pillow.
Haruka's heart squeezed against her will.
She showed the message to Yuki without a word.
Yuki squinted at it, then broke into a grin. "So. Hoodie Guy has a soul."
"…or he's trying to steal mine through my dog."
Yuki tossed her a cookie. "You're sleeping here. You'll survive one night."
Haruka nodded solemnly, staring at the message like it held ancient truths. Then:
"Hey, Yuki?"
"Yeah?"
"…Do you think Momo's warm enough?" Haruka's voice wavered, eyes glistening.
Yuki sighed through a soft smile. "He's curled up next to a human space heater. He's probably the warmest dog in the city, Haru."
Haruka mumbled into her cookie, voice small and defeated—
"…Traitor fluffball."
She fell asleep on her cookie.