Track 7

And that concludes our segment featuring Leo, Ace, and Shingen showing off their hurdle jumps and frisbee catches~!

Wasn't that incredible! All the police dogs were soaring through the sky at the same time! Their double whammy of cute and cool has completely captivated the entire venue!

GYAAAAH, BIG BOSS IS SOOO COOOOOLLLL~~!!!! PLEAAASE TOSS ME A FRISBEE TOOOOOO~~!!!! MY MOUTH!! I'LL CATCH IT WITH MY MOUTHHH!!

Y-Yachiyo-kun! Come on, sit down! You're bothering the other guests…!

(UH, Sakujiro-san is kind of shaking like crazy?!)

It is taking all of my strength to hold back the tears that are welling up in my eyes, but at the moment Mile and Totomaru were victorious and successfully identified the scents, I was giving them multiple standing ovations in my head!

At this moment, the young master's and everyone's hard work has come to fruition… I have fully imprinted it! Into the memory of both my heart and my retinas!

Woofwoof, woof!

(Even Shumai's eyes are sparkling…! …It's so nice to see everyone succeed, isn't it!)

Truly, what a splendid performance!

I've also heard that these puppies have been staying at the R1ze members' home for a few days in preparation for this event?

Yep. Spending so much time together has definitely deepened our bond. We can do anything together—Right, Mile?

Woof.

What a heartfelt response! At this rate, they could probably head out on an investigation together!

Parting ways is always difficult, but it seems it is time for us to bid each other farewell.

This concludes the promotional performance featuring R1ze and our very own HAMA police dogs! Everyone, please give them one more hearty round of applause!

(It really was a great performance. I'll have to tell them myself when we meet up later….)

…Woof?

(What's that…. It looks like there's a bit of a commotion over there. Did something happen?)

Oioi, take a look at this! There's breaking news… There's been a jewelry robbery in Ward 4!

What, no waaay! That's pretty nearby, right? And… what? They're using dogs for this? That's awful~! These losers need to start over their lives from square one!!

(That must be the criminal group Kafka was worried about—!)

HUUUH!? A j-j-j-jewelry robberyyyy?!?!

...Please stay here with the chief. I am going to investigate the situation and report to the president immediately.

By all means, do heed to the young master's worries, especially you chief! Stay here in the guarded area! Do not leave this spot.

U-understood. Thank you.

(I can't believe it really happened. I wonder if everyone's okay…)

*whine…*

...It looks like there's a commotion over there?

Could it be… they want an encore?! We're ready to go! Right, Leo?

No, this is…

Looks like things are gonna get messy.

Oi, Ward 4's had–

I know! Let's move out!

(...They've made their move.)

(The residents have already been warned in advance. That jewelry store appears to be one of the anticipated targets.)

(I've also leaked the information to the police under the table, so subduing them shouldn't be too difficult.)

Huuh, Liguang-san. It's your ward that's in trouble, but you don't look bothered at all. Did you prep for this?

I am not obligated to tell you anything.

If you already prepped, then you could just swoop in real quick and fix things.

This time, the police need to take credit for it. So this has nothing to do with the Lurong family.

Yeah yeah, you're always so uptight… Hm?

Excuse me! Kosaka-san! May we deploy the police dogs?!

No. One of the roads in another ward collapsed just now, so I sent them and their handlers over.

What…?! Didn't the higher-up's request for more police dogs to be on stand-by at the station!?!

Yes. Of course we followed suit, but there were lives at stake so we couldn't turn down the request from the scene…

(A road cave-in? ...Of all the things...)

They should be back in a few hours. If we really need to deploy the police dogs, we'll have no choice but ask for Leo and the others who are still here.

Even so, all the handlers are out… This is really bad... Can we even instruct the dogs ourselves?

I'll report back to my superiors right away!

Kafka: (Does this mean that there aren't any handlers available right now?)

Oh boy. Looks like letting the police take care of this isn't gonna work out.

Tch…

(No matter what you prepare, there's no way to prevent accidents like this...)

Young master! I see everyone is here as well.

Sakujiro. How's the situation looking?

Yes. On my way here, I have gathered information and discovered that—

A robbery has taken place at a jewelry store in Ward 4. While the human perpetrators have since been apprehended, there are several dogs still on the loose. They are believed to be in possession of the stolen goods.

These dogs were trained to support these criminal activities, and may even attack humans.

Those are the bad guys Kafka was talking about…!

Wooow. Pretty cowardly to not get your own hands dirty.

Dogs that can hurt people… It's dangerous for them to be roaming around freely like that.

Indeed, you are correct Kamina-san. It appears that they were deliberately trained to do so.

I believe that it would be best for you all to wait here with the police until everything settles down, but what do you think? Mr. President.

(...Just earlier, they were asking to deploy the police dogs. Meaning that the current situation is difficult to handle with manpower alone.)

(At this rate, HAMA will be in danger…)

…Oguro. I'm making my move.

Haha, as expected. Do your best, 'kaay.

...L-Liguang. Are you going all by yourself...?! That's… uhm… t-that's dangerous…!

I'm used to this sort of thing. If you're going to worry about someone, worry about yourself first.

Liguang, I'm worried too. I don't want you to get hurt.

…Kamina. There's no need.

(I suppose Liguang could handle it, but…)

Woof, woof! Woof!!

Mile…? Are you saying that you want to be deployed?

Woof! Woof woof!!

...Yeah. I'm sure you're all worried about everyone in HAMA too.

…Kosaka-san. As of now, the only police dogs that can be deployed on the scene are Mile and the others here, right?

Then, please let us conduct the investigation.

(...What a reckless plan. At the very least, everyone except Murakumo and I should be on standby. —However…)

(None of my subordinates are available to move out right now. Since I can't rely on the police like I had planned to, this might be the most efficient way to intercede…)

What are you saying?! I cannot allow that. We can't let ordinary citizens such as yourself do something so dangerous—

I understand, but this is an emergency. I believe that you should use everything at your disposal.

E-even so…

(I suppose the police would never give their permission for something like this, huh.)

……

Oguro. Lend me your ear.

…!

Deploying the dogs here would be the fastest way to resolve this. However, I cannot disregard putting yourself or anyone else into danger. If you agree with me and can guarantee your safety, then I will pressure the police.

Meaning?

To put it simply, you are to prioritize searching for and cornering the dogs instead of apprehending them. If you determine that the dogs are dangerous, you must promise to run away rather than confront them.

We cannot have anyone injured in my family's territory. It is a matter of pride.

…I see.

Got it. That works for me.

nods.

…Let me speak with the deputy chief.

...! Liguang-san. If you show up to the scene….

Deputy Kinosaki…!

This is just how it is. I thought I could let you handle things this time, but looks like I need to step in.

...*sigh*. We didn't expect them to cause a road accident… I sincerely apologize for wasting the information you've provided.

Enough of that. Give us permission already. You're already aware of the family's situation, yes? I'm acting independently.

Hmmm, Kinosaki-san. I see. You have connections with the 4th ward mayor's family.. which means?

….I'll grant you permission to investigate. We also have our reasons for this. Please excuse me from discussing this any further.

Deputy chief….

Kosaka-kun, it'll be okay. He isn't the kind of person who would put dogs in danger.

...This is a special case. However, this isn't a formal investigation. It is merely an extension of the police dog event.

If it's under the guise of "performing in the city", we can grant them permission to work with us. However, if it is determined to be too dangerous, I will ask them to leave immediately.

Of course.

Everyone. It's time to show off the results of all our practice. For the time being, our priority is to find the dogs on the run and corner them.

Alright! Let's do our best, Leo. We're gonna catch the bad guys together!

Woof!

…Renga, you'll be staying here.

Huh?! N-not this again…!

I'm going! I have the stamina for it, I'm pretty confident in my speed too… I'm confident that I can help with the investigation more than you can!

Even so, you can't…!

(What if Renga gets bitten again…)

(What if he almost dies again…)

Honestly, at the time… I had kind of given up, thinking "well, I guess I'll die like this".

(...I don't want that.)

(I don't want him to go through that ever again!)

…Renga, just stand by!

...!?

Why… Why are you being so stubborn about this…!

No matter what you say, I won't change my mind. President's orders—

Oguro.

Even if you put a collar on him, this idiot will just rip it off and escape. Are you okay with that?

…..

C-collar?! You're treating me like a dog again—

Shut up, you're yapping again. There's no time, so just be quiet.

If you're so worried about this useless mutt, then protect him yourself. That's the fastest way to solve this.

…If you do that, then your gloom will clear up.

…….

(...He's right, no matter what I said Renga came to the event anyway. He'd probably do the same thing and join the investigation too. It'd be better if I protected him myself—)

…Fine. Renga, you'll pair up with me. However, you absolutely cannot act alone.

…! O-okay! I promise!

(Wow. Too overprotective. All we're doing is cornering some dogs.)

…Simply thinking of the young master in danger tears apart this Sakujiro's heart...

Howeeeeeever! I thought this might happen! I am so very glad I decided to make these! By all means, please use them.

❓What are those?

Kamina-san. Please excuse me for reaching over your head…

Ohh, these are…

"Fluffy Wuffy! Dog Ear-Shaped Ultra High-Performance Intercoms".

I guarantee their ease of use and quality of performance is top-tier. They do not boast wireless communication capabilities alone, they can also transmit and receive location information— Truly excellent devices if I say so myself!

Furthermore, I have paid great attention to ensure their soft texture and cute appearance. Simply putting them on will increase your cuteness by 180%!

Woah. They feel realistic~ But isn't that besides the point?

…Why dog ears.

Lu-san, would you have preferred for them to be rabbit ears instead?

That's not it.

We are unable to use the police station's intercoms, correct? After all, this is merely a "performance". Under these circumstances, dog ears are the most appropriate.

You're right. It fits right in with the promo for the police dogs. Let's put them to use.

…Wow. It fits like a glove, they don't shift around even as I move. How incredible. Perhaps I can use these in my figure skating shows too.

Young master. Please do take care. I am gravely worried, however… I believe in you more than anyone else.

Thank you, Sakujiro. I'll make sure we all get back safely.

(...Time to switch gears.)

Alright—R1ze, let's move out!