Chapter 647: The fate of a dog
Slowly, Hiro approached the shivering dog cautiously. He didn't want to scare it, so he approached it cautiously.
"It's okay, boy," Hiro mumbled, his tone gentle.
Noticing Hiro, the dog looked at him with its glistening eyes. It looked frightened. But it lacked the energy to flee. Hence, it sat there shivering and whimpering.
The dog didn't seem like an adult dog. However, it wasn't a pup either.
The harsh wind threatened to blow him away. However, Hiro stood firmly on the ground. Upon getting close to the dog, Hiro slowly bent down.
With his hand stretched, he approached the dog. He didn't want to startle the poor creature. And he didn't want to get bit either.
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Upon detecting any hostility, Hiro was prepared to retract his hand immediately. Fortunately for him, the dog didn't attack him. Hence, he felt assured.
Gently, Hiro grabbed the dog and lifted it.
"It's okay, buddy. You'll be fine," Hiro said before dashing away.
Hiro knew the hotel staff wouldn't be happy about him bringing a stray dog inside. But even so, he couldn't leave this poor dog out in the open to die.
With water dripping from all over his body, Hiro entered the hotel. The young hotel staff who had let him out upon seeing him was relieved.
However, her expression sank immediately after she noticed the soaked dog in his arms.
"This...," She hesitated to speak.
"I saw this little guy outside shivering in the cold. So, I couldn't leave him there. I'm sorry, but please allow this guy to stay here until the storm subsides," Hiro put on an apologetic appearance.
This had put her in an even more difficult spot. But she couldn't turn him down either. From the looks of it, if she abandoned the poor dog, it would probably soak to death outside.
Though she found this situation difficult, she wasn't heartless enough to refuse shelter.
"Okay. But did you find your phone?" she inquired, her gaze filled with concern.
Hiro smiled at her and nodded, "Yes, I recovered it. Thank you for your help."
After that, the girl offered to help take care of the dog. Having caused enough trouble for her, Hiro was rather reluctant about her offer. Initially, he planned to take care of it.
However, he hadn't thought about it thoroughly.
After all, if he returned with the dog, the coaches would find out he had stepped outside in the storm, breaking the rules. Though they might let him, he wouldn't escape unscathed.
Yet still, Hiro felt rather reluctant to burden the young staff more.
However, the girl insisted on taking care of it. So, he couldn't help but bend to her will.
Then he returned to the room, unnoticed. Before that, he headed to the restroom where he had hidden a pair of extra clothes before leaving.
Since he would be stepping outside in the downpour, Hiro knew that he would get soaked. Hence, he had prepared extra clothes beforehand.
Inside the room, it looked like they weren't even aware of his disappearance. Well, given their engrossment in their activities, it was highly unlikely that they would notice his absence.
It took quite some time for the storm to subside.
However, after a couple of hours, the storm subsided and the sky began to clear. Bright rays of the sun peeked through the gaps of the dispersing cloud.
An earthy smell of soil after the rain lingered around while puddles were formed in many places.
Slowly, people began to fill the streets and the once-empty street started to bustle with activity. The streets looked much more cleaner than before as if the rain had washed away all the dirt.
Now that the weather had cleared, they would depart from here soon.
Hence, before they departed, Hiro wanted to visit the dog he had saved. He also wanted to thank the young girl who had helped him.
"Where are you going?"
Just as Hiro was about to head outside the room, Naoto asked him.
"Not so far," Hiro responded, somewhat vaguely.
Now that the weather had cleared, the curfew had lifted as well. So, he wouldn't get stopped by the coaching staff like before.
However, he still couldn't the hotel premises. After all, they would be leaving the hotel soon. So, though he could step outside the room, he couldn't go far.
Fortunately for Hiro, he had already asked about her whereabouts if he wanted to meet her. So, it didn't take him long to find her.
He found her in the back of the reception.
The girl upon noticing Hiro, revealed a bright smile. However, she didn't exclaim out loud. Instead, she stealthily sneaked outside.
There were a few other staff members there.
"Is he alright, Hannah?" Hiro asked.
Before Hiro left, the girl had told her name.
Hannah nodded, "Yes, he's completely fine."
Hiro felt relieved hearing the news. Before he feared that there would be some kind of complications. But now, upon confirming the condition of the dog he saved, Hiro felt relieved.
Hannah then led him to a warehouse where she had kept the dog. Even though she wished to help the dog, she couldn't do it in the open. Hence, she had to hide him in the warehouse.
Wrapped in a cozy blanket, the dog was sleeping peacefully.
Its fur appeared much more glistening than before. Like golden silk, it seemed to be dazzling with bright radiance.
"Thank you, Hannah," Hiro thanked her, his words sincere.
Before the dog seemed like dying. At least, now he seemed much better than the time he found him. So, Hiro was really glad that he could be of help.
Hannah, however, frowned. Her expression sank as she struggled to speak. She appeared reluctant almost as if something was bugging her.
Noticing the reluctant expression on her face, Hiro couldn't help but ask, "Is something wrong, Hannah?"
At first, she shook her head.
She didn't want to bother him anymore. Even though it was him in the first place who had brought him here, she couldn't bring herself to shove the responsibility of the dog on him.
However, her condition wasn't any better either and she could afford to take care of it.
Being an international student juggling between work and academics, she could barely sustain herself. But after she left the dog out in the open, she was well aware that it wouldn't be long before he returned to his current miserable state.
On top of its starving state, the dog had wounded itself severely.
So, she feared that he wouldn't make it much longer out in the wild.