Comfort Zone

Chapter 18 - Collar

Suzuka strode through the city with Asahi after school.

"I guess we can start with the pet store," Asahi said.

Suzuka blinked. "Where else would we go?"

"You'll see if we don't find anything good."

The city had two pet stores. One was for animals like fish and lizards, while the other was for cats, dogs, and birds. Fish didn't wear collars, so they went to the latter.

The store had quite a wide selection, with half an aisle dedicated to them.

"These are no-slip collars," Asahi said. "They help keep the animal from slipping out when they're on a leash. Might be good for Nanmei, but I don't think you need it for Neko."

Suzuka nodded. "I agree. I'm not really going to walk her."

"Rope collars... aren't really cute, are they? Neko's cute, she needs something cute."

Suzuka considered it, then again agreed.

"Then, chain is out, too. How about leather? That's pretty stylish."

Suzuka picked up a leather collar and played with it a bit. "It feels a bit rough. It might be uncomfortable, and I don't think it suits Neko's style. She's kind of more childish almost."

"Comfortable, huh." Asahi took two different collars and handed them to Suzuka. "This one is hemp, while this one is neoprene. They're both soft. Hemp is a bit nicer feeling I think, and neoprene is waterproof."

Suzuka put the leather collar back and felt the new ones. "These do feel better. Waterproof would be nice, then I wouldn't have to take it off when we bathe."

"Eh?" Asahi frowned. "You bathe together?"

Suzuka flinched. "Um, she doesn't like bathing alone, but her not bathing would be bad..."

"Hmph. Well, try them on, see how comfortable they are."

"Ah, good idea."

Suzuka set the neoprene collar aside and wrapped the hemp one around her neck. She struggled to close it.

"Um, help."

Asahi sighed, then stepped closer and fastened the collar.

Suzuka tilted her head left, right, up, and down. She twisted her body and jumped a few times. She then nodded and took off the collar, trading it for the other with Asahi's help, and went through the motions again.

"Yeah, they're both comfortable," Suzuka decided. "The hemp one is a bit better, but waterproofing is good."

"Does Neko care about waterproofing, or just you?"

"Good point."

Asahi handed over another collar. "You should also try this one. It's cotton with a nylon core."

Suzuka changed into it and tried it.

"This one is very soft!"

Asahi nodded. "It's not as durable as the others, though. You'd have to replace it more often."

That gave Suzuka pause. "Neko is immortal, so she would probably want something that would last a long time."

Asahi collected the three types of collars. "The cotton one is the most comfortable, but least durable. The neoprene is the most durable, but least comfortable. The hemp is in the middle. What do you think?"

"Of these, I think the neoprene is best," Suzuka decided, glancing across the various collars on the wall. "It has the most interesting designs, too. But, these are all of human make. Aren't there any good like, magical materials?"