"Woof... woof woof!"
The dog barked wildly inside the iron cage. Cages of various sizes were stacked together, making the facility appear a bit crowded.
The manager of the animal shelter opened the gate. He wore a tight, white coat, looking less like a veterinarian and more like a dog dealer.
Minamoto Tamako followed behind Fushimi Roku, looking tense.
In her memory, small animals should be cute and innocent. Back when she lived with her mom, there were lots of neighbors with pets, all obedient, lively, and adorably charming to death, not like the current situation, where they seemed ready to tear her apart.
The cats in the cages looked even more intimidating than she did, with several scars on their fur, red-rimmed eyes, and grim faces. Perhaps it was the Yakuza of the cat world, overseeing hundreds of stray cats on the streets, killing rats without batting an eye...
"They're all here," the manager said, tapping the cages with a stick. "Feel free to look around."
