"Ooof," Rachel grunted as she stretched her arms. "I think that's the last of the homework. Do teachers always give this much?"
"Sometimes," Megumi replied with a bit of a grin on her muzzle, "Although, you did also help me prepare for the academic team meet this Friday. So, you helped me more than you thought."
"Hey," Rachel said with a mocking tone, "You used me."
"Think of it as a trade for me telling you all about werefoxes," Megumi said as she giggled.
Rachel noticed that Megumi was still in her fox fursona even while doing homework. "It looks like you enjoy being in that form, huh?"
"Yeah," Megumi said with a bit of a nod. "It's really who I am." She rolled on her side and asked Rachel, "So you still thinking about becoming a werefox like me?"
"Well, yeah," Rachel said, "I mean...there's something elegant about you, and it's something that I'd like to have...but..."
"You need to think about it," Megumi finished. "I understand."
"It's just...I hope my father can accept me if I change," Rachel said as she brought her knees up to her chest. "What worries me is that my dad is going to do something stupid, like try to leave the town or something. If I'm going to join were society, it's going to be on my terms."
"I can appreciate that," Megumi said, "After all, you can only change once."
"Anyway," Rachel said as she stretched out her legs, "I think my parents are expecting me home soon. I should get going home." She gathered her things into her backpack before turning back, "And again, thanks for everything."
"It's my pleasure," Megumi said as she waved to Rachel, "And stay safe." With that, Rachel waved goodbye to Megumi. As Rachel walked towards the front doors on the Tachibana Estate, her mind went to her worries. Her dream warned her if that if she didn't make a choice, that choice would be taken from her. While she was willing to become a werevixen, she also wanted to learn about werebears. If her father did something dumb that night, she might not get that chance. While her mind was busy, she wasn't paying attention where she was walking and she ended up hitting something solid. She walked back a couple of steps before she heard a male voice.
"Oh, I'm sorry," the male voice said.
"No, I'm sor...ry..." she said as she took a look at who she ran into. She ran into a young man who didn't look much older than her. She noticed that his clothes didn't exactly hide his figure, and it looked like he spent much time at the gym. Yet, despite his muscle, he wasn't bulky, but rather lean. As she looked up, she glimpsed at his face, and she could feel her heart beating rather quickly.
"You must be new here," said the Japanese-American young man. "My name is Aaron. Aaron Tachibana."
"H-h-i Aaron," Rachel stuttered out. She found it hard to talk all of a sudden. "My name is Rachel Von Doorstrom...I mean Van Direstag." Rachel could feel her face getting warm as she tried to get the words out. "I...uh...live next door. I was with Megumi...learning about...umm...you know..."
"Ah, Megumi. My little sister. And you were learning about werefoxes?" Aaron answered.
"Yeah, I am." Rachel said quietly. "Are...are you a werefox too?"
"Sure am," Aaron replied, "Most of us here are."
"I see," Rachel said softly. She was studying Aaron's body before she asked, "Um...I noticed your name isn't like Megumi's or Akane's."
"Oh that," Aaron said, "Yeah, my parents decided that they wanted a more 'American' name." Aaron used air quotes when he said that. "So, they named me Aaron."
"That makes sense," Rachel replied. She noticed that he was a bit closer to her which made her shrink a little.
"You okay?" Aaron asked, "It looks like you have a fever or something." He put a hand on her head.
"Oh, um, I'm, um fine," Rachel stuttered out. She was torn as to what to do right now. She was planning on going home, but then a part of her wanted to stay with Aaron. All she needed was the right excuse, but she knew her parents were expecting her home soon.