The park had been peaceful exactly three minutes ago.

Now, Kaoru was crouched on the ground near the pond, soaking wet from the waist down, cradling a trembling ball of mud and fur that vaguely resembled a puppy. His shirt — already cropped — was now also splattered with dirt and pond scum. One of his sneakers squelched ominously. His messy brown waves dripped water into his eyes.

And he was grinning like an absolute idiot.

"Okay, okay, you're good now, little guy," he muttered, holding the shivering creature against his chest. The puppy — some kind of tiny mutt, maybe a few months old — had apparently decided that chasing a duck into the pond was a great life choice. Kaoru, without thinking (as usual), had vaulted the low fence and waded in after it, because of course he did. He couldn't just let the thing drown. What kind of monster would he be?

But now he had a problem: he had no idea what to do next.

The puppy whined, wiggling in his arms. Kaoru glanced around the park, chewing his lip. No owner in sight. No collar. Just one very wet, very pathetic puppy and one very wet, very clueless drummer.

That's when he spotted someone nearby — a figure standing not too far off, close enough to have probably witnessed his entire ridiculous rescue mission.

Kaoru's face lit up instantly.

"Yo!" he called out, jogging over without hesitation, puppy still clutched to his chest, leaving a trail of wet footprints and pond water behind him. His grin was wide, unbothered, completely shameless despite looking like he'd just lost a fight with a swimming pool. "Hey, sorry to just— but do you, like, know anything about dogs? 'Cause I just fished this little dude out of the pond and I have no clue what I'm supposed to do now." He laughed, a little breathless, eyes bright with that manic energy that never seemed to dim. "I mean, I couldn't just leave him, right? But now I'm kinda winging it here."

The puppy yapped weakly, as if agreeing with the assessment.