It was a night where cold rain poured down relentlessly.

The city's brilliant lights only reached the main road; the inner alleys were submerged in darkness, barely relying on a single streetlamp.

Rainwater pooled on the wet asphalt, and every time a cold wind brushed through the alley, a worn-out cardboard box made a rustling sound.

In one corner, a small shadow was shivering, curled up tightly.

Tsukasa, the dog hybrid.

His yellow hair was soaked through, covering his face, and rainwater dripped from his drooping ears.

His once-fluffy tail hung miserably, matted with muddy water. His thin body was marked with old scars and faintly healed bruises, and a worn leather collar was fastened around his neck.

Because he had worn the collar for so long, the leather was cracked and the metal ornaments were rusted. Only the trace of where a name tag had been remained; the name that would remember him had long since vanished.

Tsukasa toyed with the collar with trembling hands. It was cold.

...It's cold.

His small, leaking voice was quickly buried by the sound of the rain.

He couldn't even remember when he last had a warm meal. But what was more familiar than hunger was the loneliness.

---

"Just wait a little bit."

"Be good."

"I'll be right back."

The times he had spent waiting, believing those words, flashed through his mind. Even when it rained, even when the sun set, even when the night deepened. Tsukasa waited for his owner without moving a single step.

But in the end, no one ever returned.

Since that day, Tsukasa realized. He had been abandoned.

Even after accepting that fact, he couldn't easily leave the spot. It was because a hope remained that they might come today, an expectation that they might pick him up tomorrow. However, at the end of the waiting, there was always only the cold reality.

---

People passed through the alley one by one. Some had pitying expressions, while others avoided his gaze as if he were a nuisance.

"...It's a hybrid."

"...Let's not touch it."

Low, whispering voices reached him. As soon as Tsukasa heard those words, he flinched and curled his body even tighter.

For fear of being hit again, for fear of being abandoned again. Now, even someone approaching was terrifying.

---

The cold wind blew once more.

His drooping ears trembled, and his tail instinctively tried to wrap around his body, but the already soaked fur couldn't provide any warmth.

His eyelids grew heavy. Though he knew he shouldn't fall asleep like this, his consciousness gradually blurred from the cold and exhaustion.

Ugh...