an unlikely assistant

“Umm…was it this way?”

Kai had never really ventured into the city before. He much preferred the simplicity of the beach, where almost everything was either “over there” or “somewhere down that way”. The most complex directions he ever had to follow were the directions to his own apartment; though it was just a matter of taking a left after exiting the beach, he still managed to get lost from time to time.

The directions to this new store, however, were…hard to follow, to say the least. A left here, a right here, another right…and he was back to where he began.

“Awww!!” Kai couldn’t help but feel a little bad about his sense of direction. He knew he wasn’t great at finding his way around, so he had left quite a bit early to account for that - but he didn’t know he would be this hopeless! Maybe this just wasn’t meant to be, he figured, turning back around to go home–

–Before bumping into a bun almost as considerable as he was.

“Woah! So sorry about that!” Kai reeled back in shock, apologizing profusely. That said, he was quite amazed that this bun was able to remain standing - they must be quite formidable!

A hearty laugh breaks through Kai’s repeated apologies. “Hey now, better watch yourself! A smaller bun would’ve been steamrolled by that!”

Hearing this, Kai raised his head, finally able to get a good look at the would-be victim of his sheer presence. She was by all accounts a massive bun, not much shorter than Kai himself. Her stature was offset by her cutesy peach color adorned with sprinkles and fruits, not to mention her surprisingly cheerful demeanor despite the situation.

“Are you alright?” Kai couldn’t help but ask, still feeling guilty.

Another round of laughter echoes throughout the busy streets. “I should be asking you the same thing! You’re lost, huh?”

Kai’s eyes widen. “Was it that obvious?” He can’t help but blush from embarrassment.

“Completely!” The bun places a hand on her hip, smiling. “You must be new to the city, huh?”

“Mm…kinda. I’m usually at the beach, but…” He sheepishly puts a hand behind his head, looking away. “I heard there was a new store in town, and I wanted to check it out.”

“Oh?” With a curious tone, the bun tilts her head. “And what store might that be?”

“Umm…what was it?” Kai began to look around, hoping desperately for some sort of sign that might remind him. All of the buns at the beach were so excited about it, and it sounded like so much fun, but… “Perfectly…Peeps?”

No, no, that wasn’t it, at least he didn’t think it was. “No, um…Petted Peps?” The more he attempted to guess, the more sheepish he became.

It was clear the other bun was trying her hardest to hide yet another round of laughter. Clearing her throat to recompose herself, she gestured happily at Kai. “Well, I may not know of a Perfectly Peeps or a Petted Peps, but you’re talking to the owner of the one and only Pedigree Pets!”

“Oh!!” Kai’s hand immediately moved to cover his gaping mouth, his face turning red. “You’re the owner?! I’m so sorry! I-I’m not so great at remembering things…”

“Hah! Don’t worry about it, honestly. Your names have charm, that’s for sure! I’m Quince - I was just on my way to open up shop. If you were headed there anyways, why not join me and little Mademoiselle?” A cheerful - and quite delicious looking, Kai thought - creature at the end of a red leash jumped up happily in response to Quince’s words.

“Would that really be okay? I don’t want to trouble you!” Kai had already made enough mistakes here, he figured, continuing his apologetic tone.

“It’s more than okay! I could actually use the help, if you don’t mind. I’ve been flooded with customers, and I’ve got a few imps that need some taking care of!” Noticing a small, black silhouette hiding behind Kai, Quince nodded. “Seems like you’ve got an imp of your own, so I’m sure you know how it all works.”

“Huh?” Kai looked around. “An imp? What’s that?”

Quince looked incredulous. “Wow, you’re just full of surprises, huh? Unless that little shelon doesn’t actually belong to you?”

“Shelon? Oh!! You mean Baby, I think!” As if on cue, the creature in question floated its way up towards Kai, letting him pet it with his large hand. “Baby is just Baby. I don’t know where he came from, but he loves to follow me around, and I love him a lot!” Kai couldn’t help but smile at his miniscule companion, who gently squeezed his eyes shut in response.

Such a sweet interaction was all Quince needed to know Kai would be perfect for the job. “Well, it’s settled, then! Baby and…” She gestured curiously to Kai.

“Huh? Oh!” It took a moment for Kai to realize what Quince was wanting. “Kai! I’m Kai! It’s really nice to meet you!”

“Kai! It’s great to meet you as well! Come on and follow me, and try not to get lost, alright?” Quince gave one last laugh before heading down the street, with Kai following diligently behind.

It wasn’t long until the two of them had reached their destination - in fact, it was much shorter than Kai would have ever expected. He felt a little silly for having such a bad sense of direction, but he figured it wasn’t such a big deal. He’s great at other things, after all!

There was already a small crowd gathered at Pedigree Pets, a lively bunch of buns excited to see what the new store had to offer. Quince gently made her way through, excitedly welcoming her new customers. After unlocking the door, the two of them made their way inside after the initial crowd of buns had passed through, though it was a slightly tighter fit for Kai.

The interior of the shop matched Quince’s aesthetic perfectly - sprinkles, fruits, and all sorts of cute things adorned the shelves, capturing the eyes of both customers and imps alike. Baby was especially drawn to the yummy looking treats available, floating towards them and flailing excitedly.

“Hah, he works fast, doesn’t he?” Quince spoke up, poking Baby gently with a sturdy finger. “Lucky for you two, this is exactly what I wanted you to help out with! The imps here love my sweets, and I’d like you to hand them out to them all!”

“Ohh, that sounds like fun! Doesn’t it, Baby?” Perhaps unintentionally, Kai was beginning to match Baby’s excited movements. “All of these little critters…these are “imps”, right? They’re really cute!” Smiling, Kai looked around at all of the unique pets in the store.

“You got it!” Quince began, handing Kai a small pail of treats and taking a few out. “These guys are super smart, y’know. Watch this!”

With a treat in her hand, Quince knelt down towards Mademoiselle, holding her hand out. “Alright Mademoiselle, paw!”

To Kai’s great amazement, Mademoiselle gracefully lifted up her right paw and placed it into Quince’s open hand. “Wooowww!!” He couldn’t help but clap for the display. “Amazing!”

“Right? She’s my pride and joy!” Quince rose back up before being accosted by an orange puffball. “Hey now, don’t think I’ve forgotten you, too! I love you just as much, Peach!”

“Peach?” Kai questioned, his thumb and index finger resting on his chin.

“Yup! That’s this fluffy little gremlin right here. Cute, right?” The imp in question turned curiously to face Kai before leaping over to him. “Go ahead, try feeding them!”

“O-Oh, sure! Here you go, buddy!” Kai nervously reached into the pail and pulled out an especially sweet looking snack, hoping to impress Quince with his immaculate caretaking capabilities. Before he could even fully present it to his recipient, however, it was quickly devoured. Who would have thought such a soft, innocent looking imp would have such a voracious appetite? Kai couldn’t help but relate to that a little bit…

With another laugh, Quince gave Kai a thumbs up. “That’s how it’s done! Go ahead and hand those out to all of the little guys here. No need to hold back!” Quince continued, “Some customers have their own imps, so feel free to hand some out to them as well. Even Baby can eat as many as he’d like!”

Filled with joy, Baby couldn’t help but do a small flip at the idea of such delicious treats. “Yay!” Kai exclaimed in Baby’s place, “Baby’s never had anything like this before! How exciting!”

“Just be careful, alright?” Quince shrugged, her cheerful tone unchanged. “Imps can change color depending on what they eat. Personally, I think that’s part of the fun, but somebody across the road might disagree…” Shooting a quick glare to the entrance to her store, Quince sighed. “Nevermind that old stick in the mud, though, just have fun! If you want, I can follow you around and help out for a little bit.”

“S-Sure!” Kai didn’t fully understand what Quince was talking about, he was just excited to help out. “Changing color, huh? That could be pretty neat! Here…” Shuffling around some treats in the pail, Kai pulled out an ocean blue treat - surely something like this would be Baby’s favorite, right? “This one's for you, Baby! You’d be so cute in blue!” Holding the treat outwards excitedly, Kai patiently waited for Baby to decide. It didn’t take long for the little imp to deliberate - the treat was just too tempting! He nibbled it up in seconds, excited to see his resulting changes.

“...” The group of three held their breath in anticipation, waiting…and waiting…

“Um…” Kai was the first to break the silence, unsure of how much time had passed. “Does he need to eat more treats? Nothing’s happening…”

Quince chuckled, “Maybe Baby isn’t ready for change yet? There are a few imps out there that seem to be immune to any changes caused by food…”

“Aww!” Kai couldn’t help but sound disappointed, making Baby a little sad. “O-Oh! I’m sorry, Baby!” He gently took Baby in his arms, pressing him up against his massive chest in a warm hug. “You’re perfect the way you are! You don’t have to change at all!” Struck with an idea, Kai quickly reached back into the pail of treats, now brandishing ones of various sizes and colors. “This just means you get to have as many snacks as you want!”

Elated, Baby happily chowed down on each little treat, easily eating more than his own weight in sugary snacks. All of this eating, while enjoyable, was starting to take its toll on Baby, however. He sleepily landed in Kai’s open hand after clearing it of all traces of food, completely exhausted. The tiny shelon seemed completely miniscule cradled in his owner’s hand, and quickly fell asleep.

“Ohhh…!!!” Kai was almost in tears at the precious sight. Baby often liked to sleep on Kai’s shoulders, but he had never fallen asleep directly in his hand like this! Not wanting to disturb him, Kai slowly moved Baby onto his shoulder so he could sleep in a more familiar spot. Quietly, Kai motioned to Quince with an invigorated thumbs up, indicating that he was more ready than ever to work - silently spurred on by his adorable little buddy snoozing away.

Quince couldn’t help but smile at the two. Kai may not have known what an imp was even just hours earlier, but his love for them was apparent. “Alright then, let’s see what other imps await us, eh?” Leading the way, Quince walked off, her own two imps following close behind.

“Wahh! Dusty, get down here!” Two arms from the crowd of customers shot upwards, flailing desperately towards a sparkling imp lazily floating around. The sudden commotion caught the attention of both Kai and Quince, who hurriedly made their way over.

“Hah, looks like this one’s a little restless!” Quince noted, looking up at the imp, then back at Kai. “That’s a stellaram. Usually they’re pretty calm, but I think this little guy might be caught up in all of the excitement…why not hand them a treat?”

“Right!” Kai dug around in his pail, this time fetching a dark purple treat adorned with golden sprinkles. “Something like this seems right…here you go!” Holding the treat out near the stellaram, it gently floated down to slowly nibble on its snack. Up close, it looked so soft…Kai couldn’t resist, putting a large hand out to softly pet the imp, lightly squishing its thick fur. “Wah…” The soft tactile feeling immediately put Kai at ease, his expression matching that of Baby’s own sleepy face. “So soft…” It was unlike anything he had ever felt before. So squishy…so plushy!

After finishing its treat and moving away from Kai’s unintentionally imposing grasp, the stellaram returned to its owner, satiated. “There you are!” The bun sighed, “Thank you for getting him down! Honestly, I didn’t expect this guy to be as adventurous as I am…but I guess he learned from the best, isn’t that right, Dusty?”

The three buns shared a light chuckle as Dusty nestled next to his owner, his starry patterns blending in perfectly with the purple bun’s own starry motifs. “Super, right?” Quince spoke up, “Glad to see you and Dusty are getting along!”

“That’s right!” The purple bun responded, punctuating her enthusiasm with a cheerful pose. “We’re best friends! And it’s all thanks to that super special trade you offered me, you know! You’re the best, Quince!”

Quince laughed, shaking her head. “Oh, that was nothing. If you ever manage to come across any more of Dan’s wagashi I’d be happy to trade again!”

“Wow~ For me? You’re too kind!” Super placed her hands on her cheeks, blushing with embarrassment before looking up, very up, at Kai. “Thank you again for the help! A big guy like you would be super helpful to have around…if you’re ever in the mood for some adventuring, come find me!” With a sassy wave, the purple bun turns to leave, Dusty tucked firmly in her arms, sound asleep.

Kai could only smile and wave as she left, mesmerized by just how sparkly she was. So mesmerized, in fact, that a sudden flutter of green in front of him caused him to jump. “Ah!” He let out a quick yelp, covering his mouth to prevent further noise - Baby was still asleep, after all!

The mysterious green fluttering turned out to be a lepidaisy, digging into the pile of treats to find a flower to nibble on. “Ohhh, aren’t you cute?” Kai smiled, using a single finger to gently pet the space between its antennae.

“Ah, a fan of that one, huh? Lepidaisies are great imps, usually pretty shy…looks like this one likes you, though!” Quince smiled, “Why not try making it do a trick?”

“A trick? Hmm…” Kai wasn’t quite sure what that entailed, especially with an imp so small. “Oh, maybe it can do a flip, like Baby likes to do!” But how could he get that to happen?

At a loss for anything else, Kai simply drew a circle with the index finger on his other hand. Maybe that would be enough for it to get the idea? He repeated this motion a couple of times before dragging out another flowery treat, presenting it for the lepidaisy, but not feeding it.

“Now you try! Okay?” With another circle, Kai commanded the imp. Much to his surprise, the imp began to move…slowly rotating itself while standing. “Wow!!” It wasn’t what he had planned at all, but the imp actually turned around! That was kind of a trick, wasn’t it? Kai was so amazed that he simply turned to face Quince, eyes sparkling with pride.

“Ooh, nice work!” Quince laughed, “I think this one likes you!”

“Really?!”

“Only 9999 carats and you can take him home!” A huge smile spread across Quince’s face, contrasting the look of pure shock that was now present on Kai.

“That’s…” Kai wasn’t sure what to think. He had barely understood the concept of money, let alone the concept of having to pay for an imp. Who knew if Kai could even count that high? He didn’t even want to try it.

Quince couldn’t help but laugh at his reaction. “How about this - you come back and help me again throughout the week and he’s yours.”

“Really?!” Kai’s usual excitement quickly returned to him. “I’d love that!” He was already having a lot of fun helping out around the shop, and to think that Baby could get a new friend out of it…what a wonderful opportunity!

“Hehe, yeah, it’s no problem! It’s been great having you here. Even the imps seem happier with you around!”

Kai couldn’t help but blush at the praise. “You’re too kind, Quince! Thank you!”

From then on, the two buns would work closely together at Pedigree Pets. They were an unlikely duo, massively built but surprisingly tender when it came to caring for imps. It was quite a spectacle to customers, that is, until Kai eventually forgot his way back to the store. He even wrote down directions for himself to reference, but he couldn’t keep up. Perhaps it just wasn’t meant to be, Kai figured - but there’s always a chance that the two may run into each other some time in the future…