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Rinko tapped her pink nails on the kotatsu and listed how to care for her dog.
"Koren-chan needs to be brushed and rewarded with treats. Walk her for thirty minutes. Feed her kibble with a little rice and other things for dinner. Then, let her lounge. If she gets restless, brush her again or give her something to chew."
The saniwa pointed to a storage box filled with furry and rubbery dog toys.
Koren raised her head off Rinko's lap. Her dark ears swayed with her movements.
Ookanehira scribbled on a notepad on the opposite side of the table. He was assigned to take care of Koren all day, as Rinko was busy with meetings; he'd handle this perfectly.
"What about training?" he said.
Rinko frowned and waved her hand in dismissal. "That is unnecessary."
"What do you mean it's 'unnecessary'?" Ookanehira narrowed his eyes at her. Every dog benefited from discipline. Koren was behind in terms of commands compared to Rozuko, as Ookanehira focused on the blonde one. He didn't realize Koren's training was so neglected by everyone. With all the time that dog spent with the sage, some lessons learned had to come out of it.
"Koren is a lapdog. She does not need to know many commands."
The white cockapoo with black ears closed her eyes and resumed resting her head on the saniwa. Every animal had potential. She was underutilized if she spent her life within eyeshot of Rinko. He'd begin to make something of this animal.
*
Ookanehira combed Koren with a pink brush and held her down by the scruff of her neck. She growled while strapped with a muzzle. Her warnings tremored through her body and his hands.
"You want treats, don't you? Stop fussing!" He loomed over her as he knelt. He wanted to finish grooming to start training. The fur scattered on the tatami mat indicated she was shedding for the incoming summer.
"Pardon me, Ookanehira-dono, is something the matter?" Juzumaru stepped into the room. His long black and pale hair flowed and shimmered behind him as he walked. The sunlight highlighted the beads and dark and light shades in his tresses.
"What? N-no, I'm looking after Koren."
"May I groom her?" Juzumaru knelt across from Ookanehira and the dog.
"...sure." He kept his eyes lowered as he raised the tool. Juzumaru's gloved hands grazed Ookanehira's sweaty palm as he took the item.
Koren settled beside Juzumaru. He slowly brushed the top of her head. She closed her eyes and pressed her back on his navy pants. When Ookanehira combed Rozuko, she smiled and tapped her hind leg on the floor as he quickly brushed her. She loved the attention and losing the excess fur. She usually dashed off when they were finished to feel the cool breeze on her yellow coat.
"How are you...?" Ookanehira didn't know how to word his question. Koren was known for her aggression. His earliest introduction to her involved barking and growling whenever he approached the saniwa. Why was her demeanour different with Juzumaru?
"I observed the maidservants grooming her and copied them. I'm grateful for their knowledge." Juzumaru stroked her belly. "Animals can sense a human's energy."
They were sentient beings that felt as strongly as humans and belonged in the citadel. Koren, like any living being, had needs to be met. Juzumaru removed her muzzle. Koren stepped away from the swords and shook her whole form. Her ears flapped against her face. White and black tuffs of fur floated in the air and descended onto the floor.
"May you try grooming her again, Ookanehira-dono?"
"What?"
Juzumaru held the brush up for Ookanehira. His partner was going to watch as he tried to amend things with Koren. If he did it incorrectly, he'd disappoint Juzumaru and only had himself to blame. Ookanehira inhaled deeply to calm his nerves. When facing an opponent in the dojo, sometimes, the best method was to chill one's nerves first.
With trembling fingers, Ookanehira grazed Juzumaru's slim gloved hand to retrieve the tool. He hovered it over Koren. Her brown eyes were wide as she side-eyed him and the pink brush. He shut his grey eyes and relaxed his shoulders, recalling Juzumaru's advice. He combed the other tachi's tresses on occasion without failure; he could handle a dog. When he parted his eyelids, he stroked the tool gently on the back of her neck and then her head. Koren settled against Juzumaru's pants, closed her eyes, and curled her legs.
Rozuko's paws clacked in the hallway as she entered the room. She sniffed at piles of Koren's fur on the tatami mat before sitting in front of Ookanehira; she knew their routine.
"E-excuse me, Juzumaru." The redhead stepped out onto the engawa. Rozuko could teach Koren good habits. Despite differing temperaments, all dogs were trainable. "Rozuko, come."
She followed him out to the garden. She stared at his sneakers hoping for a treat. She'd have to work a little harder than that for food.
Ookanehira held up a treat bag printed with pink cherry blossoms. His agility training course still stood outside: a tunnel, weave polls, and jump sets with varying heights. They started practising months ago and wouldn't be interrupted.
Koren approached Ookanehira, fixed on his treat bag. Good, he had both cockapoos' attention.
"Listen up, you two." Ookanehira looked down at them as all commanders did with their armies. His shadow loomed over both of them. "Follow my orders and receive rewards. I want improvements from both of you. Is that understood?"
Rozuko wagged her tail as she smiled up at him. Koren's gaze remained on his pouch.
Ookanehira pointed to the ground. "Lie down."
Rozuko rested her belly and elbows on the dirt. Koren turned away from him and scratched her ear with her hind leg.
Ookanehira took a kibble from his bag and held it within his palm. He crouched and planted his fist on the grass. Koren turned back to him when she caught a whiff of food. She pressed her nose against his knuckles as she tried to get the kibble hidden in his hand.
"Lie down, Koren." He wouldn't budge until she performed the right move. When he started training Rozuko, he had to be patient until she associated commands with actions.
Koren sat and nudged her paw on his hand. Ookanehira pointed at the ground for her to lie down. She spent plenty of hours lounging around the citadel. Koren whined, stood, and paced in circles. Eventually, when she mimicked Rozuko's position, Ookanehira responded.
"Good." He tossed the kibble on the grass and Koren gobbled it up. Every time he repeated the command with a treat in his hand, Koren figured it out quicker. "You're learning, soldier."
She wouldn't know as many commands as Rozuko, but Koren picked something up with enough dedication. At the same time, one shouldn't forget the usual regiment.
"Rozuko, follow me!" Ookanehira ran through the training course. Rozuko tailed at his side; she smiled wide with her tongue out the whole time. She bounced through the weave polls in record time and then through a purple tunnel following Ookanehira's voice to reach the end of it. She leapt over the jump's highest heights; the grids shook when her paws grazed them, but didn't fall. She was able to complete challenges because of the hours they dedicated.
Koren retreated to Juzumaru's side and he scratched her ear. She opened her jaw wide to yawn. "Ookanehira-dono is working hard for everyone, isn't he?"
*
Koren ate from her red dish as Rozuko batted her kong toy across the engawa. Kibble slipped out and she gobbled up each one that fell onto the wood.
Ookanehira sat indoors and watched the cockapoos. He might purchase a second kong for Koren or a slow feeder puzzle. He longed to purchase a large rose mat; she'd solve it by using her paws to flip through pink petal layers to find treats. He'd convince the sage to buy more enrichment toys. Koren could get her energy out that way, rather than sticking by the sage's side.
"Excuse me, Ookanehira-dono." Juzumaru, holding a food tray, stood by the shoji. "Dinner was served an hour ago. Are you unwell?"
"Huh?" Ookanehira jolted towards the other tachi. "N-No, I'm fine. I'm busy with those two."
Ookanehira gestured at the dogs. Koren licked up the last scraps in her dish as Rozuko swatted the kong. Looking after the pets was a full-time assignment.
"They require much attention." Animals lived, thought, and reincarnated as humans and other creatures; all sentience was equal according to the Buddha. Juzumaru sat beside Ookanehira and placed the lacquer tray on the tatami mat. Their red and blue pant legs were a hair's length from touching. "But please, don't forget to nourish yourself."
What was he trying to get at? Was he worried Ookanehira hadn't eaten yet? His face burned and he looked away from Juzumaru. He didn't mean to neglect himself today; he was busy with something the saniwa entrusted him with. He knew how to keep to a schedule; Juzumaru didn't need to waste his time on Ookanehira.
Juzumaru lifted the tray's lid and the steam of rice, meat, vegetables, and dumplings rose.
The dogs raised their heads towards the tachi. Rozuko hurried to Ookanehira, sat, and stared at the meal. Koren followed behind the other dog and raised her paw towards the tray.
"No, you're already eating!" Ookanehira glared at the cockapoos.
"Sometimes, our master gives human food to Koren-dono," Juzumaru said.
Ookanehira tsked. Of course, Koren picked up bad habits from their master. If he enabled this, the dogs would beg for food every day at the dining hall. Plenty of swords would toss noodles or takoyaki at Rozuko if Ookanehira permitted it.
As Ookanehira didn't want to raise his voice around Juzumaru, he picked up the bowl of rice and mixed it with meats and veggies. He stepped over to Koren's bowl and the dogs followed him, white and blonde tails wagging. He dumped half the bowl's contents into the dish with his chopsticks. The dogs pressed themselves against each other and wolfed down the food together, sticking their snouts and mouths in the dish.
Ookanehira returned to the dinner tray.
"That was very generous of you, Ookanehira-dono." Juzumaru smiled at their pets.
"T-they were begging and I needed to stop them." He'd exercise Rozuko a little extra tomorrow. Ookanehira turned his face away from the other tachi. Why were his ears burning?
"Now, please tend to yourself, Ookanehira-dono."
The redhead obeyed Juzumaru and picked up the plate of gyoza. The dumpling skin was crunchy and the filing soft when he bit into it.
They had a view of the descending golden sun and the garden's trees and glimmering pond. The dogs hopped outside to sniff the bushes and flowerbeds. Their shadows followed behind them wherever they travelled.
*
"Did you miss me, Koren-chan?" Rinko spread her arms wide. Her pale pink kimono sleeves stretched out at full length and touched the floor.
When Koren entered the study, she dashed straight to the sage. She got up on her hind legs as Rinko hugged her. She set the dog on her lap and rubbed her belly. Koren licked the back of Rinko's hand.
Ookanehira sat seiza at her study's entrance. As her attendant today, he was ready to take and execute orders. He'd outperform the Tenka Goken in skills and efficiency. "Morning, Master."
"Good morning, Ookanehira," Rinko said. "So, how was she? Was Koren-chan a good girl?"
"She was adequate." More training was needed on her temperament and following commands.
"Is that so?"
Koren left Rinko's lap and slowly stepped towards Ookanehira. Her snout poked his knee and she stared up at him. Her brown eyes glanced up at his grey ones before she smelled his arm. Was she expecting a treat or order from him? She didn't seem to mind him when he was quieter and calmer.
"It seems she enjoyed her time with you." Rinko grinned. "I can always trust you to do a good job."
"Of course, you can always rely on me!" Ookanehira smirked and straightened with pride. He was a grand champion of swords, after all; he'd master anything in time. "By the way, I'd like to request a new puzzle mat."