Central City Trilogy: Wishes - chapter 1 A distinctive scent - 1.5
Imported from SF2 with no description.
It was already quite late when I finished tidying up and left Hoshikaze’s place. By the time I arrived at the Seventh Student Dormitory, the dorm supervisor kept throwing disapproving looks at me. After all, Normal University was relatively conservative, so having a dorm curfew still in place didn’t feel entirely out of place, though it was odd for a university.
Room 302 was at the far end of the hallway on the third floor, conveniently next to the laundry and drying area, which meant less walking in the future. However, it was also a considerable distance from the staircase. Standing outside the room, I hesitated for a moment—the scent coming from behind the door was different from what I had expected.
"A chance for a fresh start, remember?" I took a deep breath and opened the door. Sure enough, my worries were justified—two jaguars and a leopard cat, a total of three feline animals. Was I sure I hadn’t come to the wrong place?
“Hey, why are you so late?” one of the jaguars stood up to greet me. I had met him briefly during the Seventh District freshman orientation, so I knew he was a sophomore in the same department.
“I missed the last bus and, well, I’m a bit bad with directions, so I spent a lot of time figuring out how to get here,” I replied, scratching my head with an awkward smile.
“That’s such a typical canine cluelessness,” the leopard cat stood up and remarked. I gave an awkward chuckle but noticed that both of them were staring at me intently.
“See? I told you he really looks like him,” the leopard cat said to the jaguar, exchanging a glance before both burst out laughing.
“Apologies, we were just chatting among ourselves. I’m Saber, a jaguar, and this leopard cat is Siraya. We’re both sophomores in the biology department and members of the Film Studies Club,” Saber introduced themselves as I nodded while beginning to organize my belongings.
“Since I’m part of the dorm committee, Saber and I decided to bring two freshmen from our department into the room. One of them is Xuanyuan,” Siraya gestured to the other jaguar, who gave me a friendly wave. I returned the gesture with a nod.
“And you’re the only Arctic wolf from the biology department with dorm accommodations, so we added you to the list with the intention of looking out for a junior.” Saber explained.
Oh, so that’s how it happened. I was starting to think there had been some kind of administrative error—canines and felines sharing a room didn’t seem like the best idea.
“But honestly, the main reason we noticed you is that you look so much like Miyagi,” Saber and Siraya burst into laughter again. That name—this was the second time I’d heard it today. Must be some celebrity, I guessed.
“Do you like watching movies?” Siraya asked.
“I do, quite a lot,” I replied. I had probably watched over a thousand movies, including a good number of classic films.
“Then you must know Miyagi—the legendary king of B-movies!” Oh, so that’s the type of films they were talking about. Definitely not my kind of thing. I tilted my head slightly, feigning a puzzled expression.
“With his striking looks and dashing gray wolf charm, Miyagi started his career as a young model before transitioning into acting. But since he had absolutely no acting skills, he ended up taking on a slew of bit parts or eye-candy roles, relying on his looks and physique to land gigs,” Siraya recounted with great enthusiasm.
“Over time, his extensive appearances in bizarre B-movies became a selling point. A B-movie without Miyagi felt like something was missing. Nowadays, he occasionally makes guest appearances in films, but his foundation annually donates large sums to help life animals with criminal records reintegrate into society,” Siraya added, though he avoided explicitly stating what kind of criminal records these were. I had a pretty good idea, though—a word so taboo now that it couldn’t even be spoken aloud.
After hearing all this, I vaguely recalled being introduced to someone named Miyagi at a banquet hosted by the Antlers Group. However, I was already tired of hearing remarks about how I resembled some movie star or was “handsome,” so I hadn’t paid much attention. To avoid stirring up certain feelings, I decided not to dig into those banquet memories for now. Perhaps I’d research Miyagi’s foundation later; anyone willing to tackle such a sensitive issue surely had unique merits worth exploring.
“Sounds like an interesting individual,” I replied, trying to strike a balance between politeness and indifference. The last thing I wanted was for this to turn into a dorm movie night—watching B-movies was pure torture for me, and not the fun kind.
“Exactly! To welcome you, we’ve scheduled a Miyagi movie marathon for our upcoming dorm movie night—a legendary B-movie fest with over 200 films!” Siraya’s excitement was palpable, his pupils dilating with enthusiasm. Things were going exactly in the direction I’d hoped to avoid.
“Also… um, one other thing…” Siraya hesitated, glancing at Saber. “We’re not sure about canine habits, but would you mind if we only wore underwear around the dorm?” Ah, the infamous stereotype about canines and their supposed modesty.
“Not at all. I think it’s better if everyone feels comfortable,” I replied, waving a hand and trying to appear sincere.
“See? I told you that whole canine modesty thing about exposing fur was just an urban legend,” Saber chuckled softly.
“Yeah, we’re all male here—what’s there to be concerned about? I’m sure we’ll get along great,” Siraya added with a relieved smile.
The conversation continued in a relaxed atmosphere. The three big cats soon stripped down to just their underwear, their body language noticeably more at ease. As I organized my belongings, I kept chatting with them. With everyone now more relaxed, the big cats quickly settled into a lazy mood, returning to their desks to busy themselves. Taking the opportunity to sort my laundry, I excused myself from the room.