Momo's curiosity about Junsei's life in the orphanage led to another round of questions. Kimi answered her happily. Junsei kept to the side, listening without comment as Momo and Kimi spoke. Eventually, Momo mentioned that next year they would be applying to U.A.
At the name of the prestigious school, Kimi's eyes widened. "Really? You and Junsei?" she said brightly. "You're aiming to be heroes! That's amazing."
Momo smiled. "I want to be a hero. Junsei, on the other hand, is just coming along. He's aiming for general studies."
Kimi's excitement faltered. She turned to Junsei with clear disappointment. "You were always smart, and from what Sai told me, your quirk gives you incredible strength. It's a shame you're not aiming to be a hero."
"I don't like the thought of me defending humans," Junsei replied calmly.
Kimi looked puzzled, and Momo quickly stepped in. "Don't mind him. He's biased toward the animal kingdom in general, and he doesn't count himself as one of us. It's actually become a joke at school that he's planning to lead an animal kingdom uprising."
Kimi glanced at Momo, then back at Junsei. He had changed, certainly, but some parts of him had never left.
After a moment, Kimi spoke softly. "Junsei… do you still hate the people around you?"
"I hate humanity," Junsei said without hesitation. "That will never change."
The three humans in the room exchanged looks. Kimi tried to keep her voice gentle. "But there are good people out there. You understand that, right?"
"They are the exception, not the rule," Junsei replied. "Most are selfish, cruel, and greedy. Humankind perfected a lifeless evolution, and that is what I hate most."
Confusion spread across the room.
Sai frowned. "What are you talking about? Do you hate that we build society separate from nature?"
Junsei stared at him in silence. There was nothing more he could say. He understood that humans could not feel life the way he did, nor understand what he meant. And even if they did, could they stop stealing life?
Kimi smiled faintly. "Some things never change. He still does the silent staring."
The mood lightened at once as Momo chimed in, "It's better than before, though. Still, there's much to be desired. At least now he responds often. There was a time I had to remind him to reply to people."
Kimi chuckled. "Junsei, how about you come visit me when this school year is over? I'm sure you'll like my place so much you won't want to leave."
"Do you live in a forest?" Junsei asked at once.
Kimi froze. "Well… maybe not the best one in your eyes," she said carefully, "but it's still a good place. I started an animal rescue shelter. I have all kinds of animals, birds and insects too."
Junsei frowned slightly. "Wasn't your wish to become an engineer?"
Kimi nodded. "That was in the past. After the orphanage incident, I had a change of heart. I wanted to work in one, but it wasn't possible for me. In the end, I remembered you and the puppy." She smiled faintly. "That's when I decided to help small animals and save them from the streets."
She paused, then clasped her hands together. "I do my best to give them protection and food, but I can't speak to them like you can. So if they complain about something, please don't judge me and tell me. I'll try my best to fix it."
Junsei nodded once.
——————
Weeks later, after the school year had finally ended, Junsei and Momo found themselves traveling all the way to Akita Prefecture, following the address Kimi had left them. Hours of trains later, the two stood side by side before a modest building. And above the entrance hung a simple sign that read: Animal Shelter.
"This must be the place," Momo said. "Let's go in."
She stepped inside first, with Junsei following close behind. The moment they entered, they found themselves surrounded by cages of every size and shape, metal and glass alike, stacked neatly along the walls and arranged across the room. Inside them were mice, cats, dogs, birds, and insects, just as Kimi had said.
Momo looked around with clear interest, taking in everything at once. Junsei's gaze, however, moved slowly from cage to cage. Wherever his eyes landed, the creature inside went still and silent, staring back at him. One by one, the animals quieted, until before long the entire shelter had fallen into a strange, almost reverent silence.
From the back of the building, footsteps hurried closer. Kimi appeared, her face lighting up at once. "You came! Junsei, Momo!"
Momo smiled warmly. "Hello, Miss Kimi!"
Junsei looked at her and gave a small nod in acknowledgment.
"Come with me to the back," Kimi said. "You must be tired after coming all this way."
She led them outside into a small garden filled with dogs, cats, and a few rabbits. The moment Junsei and Momo stepped in, every animal stopped what it was doing and turned toward them. Slowly, one by one, they moved toward Junsei. He took a dozen steps forward in silence, crouched down, and allowed them to circle him, rubbing against his legs and brushing past his hands.
Junsei's eyes shifted to a large white dog that walked straight toward him. He reached out, rubbed the dog's head, and for a brief moment, a warm smile crossed his face. Momo and Kimi stood behind him, watching without a word. Then Junsei's expression returned to its usual calm stillness as he stood and turned back to Kimi.
"I never thought I would see it again," he said.
Kimi's eyes widened. "You can recognize it?"
"Yes," Junsei replied. "It grew and became old after ten years, but I can recognize it anywhere."
"That's amazing," Kimi said.
Momo looked confused for a moment, then realization struck. "Is that the white puppy from the orphanage you spoke of?"
"Yes," Kimi said, nodding. "I wanted to surprise Junsei. I never thought he would recognize it first. The more I learn about his quirk, the more amazing it seems."
Momo nodded slowly. Kimi gestured toward a small table with chairs nearby. "Wait for me here. I'll bring some drinks and snacks."
As Kimi went back inside, Momo approached Junsei carefully, glancing at the animals around them. "Can I touch them? They won't mind?"
"It's fine," Junsei said.
Momo crouched and gently reached for one of the cats nearby. Almost immediately, animals gathered around her as well. She smiled, laughing softly. "Mother and Father would be horrified to know I'm standing among so many animals and letting them rub against me."
"I didn't know you liked them," Junsei said.
"Before you came to live with us, I wanted a pet, a kitten or a puppy," Momo replied. "But I was denied. Mother said they transfer diseases and I shouldn't touch them."
"You don't need to fear that," Junsei said calmly. "No virus or disease will harm you."
Momo chuckled. "I'm not afraid. The chance of that is too slim. And you're just too biased. Animals can transmit diseases, no one has control over that. We can only be careful and wash our hands."
Junsei didn't respond.
Kimi soon returned, carrying a tray with glasses of juice and a small assortment of snacks. She set it down on the table and smiled at them. "Come over, you two."
Momo and Junsei moved closer and sat around the table.
"I know this place is quite modest," Kimi said, looking between them, "but I hope you like it."
"It's nice," Momo said warmly. "Everything feels friendly here."
Kimi nodded with pride, then turned to Junsei. "So, what do you think? And I'm curious, what do the animals think of me?"
"They like you," Junsei replied. "But they want to be free."
Kimi's face flickered with surprise at Junsei's answer, though it quickly settled back into a gentle smile.
"I'm sure they want that," she said. "Being trapped here isn't the best thing for them, after all. But for their own good, I can't let them free."
"How so?" Momo asked. "There's a forest nearby, right?"
Kimi nodded. "There is, but could they survive there? Most of the animals here were born and raised in captivity. I can't simply release them into the streets, and even sending them to a forest isn't really an option. Would they know how to live? And some of the insects and birds here were brought from overseas, people brought them in and then abandoned them when they didn't want to take care of them anymore."
She let out a quiet sigh. "Those ones in particular can't be set free. They don't belong to this place or its ecosystem. Introducing them could have unexpected effects, harming nature in ways we can't anticipate. Sending them back to their original homes is far too expensive and unrealistic. The best I can do is keep them here and ensure they survive."
Kimi looked directly at Junsei. "Letting them out would be more cruel than keeping them here. They would die out there. Here, at least, they can live and maybe one day find families to take care of them."
Junsei replied. "All creatures die. Their lives continue through what they become. Continuing the cycle of life is their purpose. To keep them here is to tear their existence away from life."
Kimi was clearly taken aback by his words.
"I don't agree," she said firmly. "Who wants to die? Staying alive here is better than dying free out there. And as I said, nature could be affected if we release everything."
"Nature will change and evolve around the new system," Junsei replied. "That's how life works."
Kimi shook her head. "You want them to be free because that's what they want, but what they want is bad for them. It's like children doing something wrong, we stop them because we know what's best. That's our responsibility."
Junsei went silent as he thought [She cannot perceive life as it is.]
Sensing the tension increasing, Momo glanced between them and quickly spoke up. "Miss Kimi, how do you keep this place running? It must be costly to take care of and feed all these animals."
Kimi's expression softened. "There are people who donate money to this place. That helps a lot."
Momo nodded. "And you take care of everything here alone? Isn't that too hard?"
"It is hard," Kimi admitted, "but I manage. Last year I had a friend helping me, but there was an accident. A snake tried to choke her. Luckily she wasn't harmed, but afterward she became afraid of animals. I had to remove all the snakes from this place. I've never heard of or seen a snake act in such a strange way."
"That's too bad," Momo said gently. "But I'm glad your friend wasn't hurt."
Junsei remained silent, listening as Kimi and Momo continued to speak, his gaze drifting back toward the animals, thoughtful and unreadable.