Chapter 9: Boss, Your Snake is a Spirit!
"Sir, do you like this little hamster?" the Shop Assistant's voice pulled Chi Feichi from his thoughts.
Chi Feichi just realized he had been staring at the hamster in the Glass Tank for quite a while. He glanced at the hamster again and said, "No, it's not that. I just noticed that this hamster's legs are shorter than the Healthy Mouse we studied in class, almost five millimeters shorter, and its hind legs are too thin..."
The Shop Assistant blinked, looking dumbfounded: "..."
Chi Feichi continued, "When it grows up, it will look better than other hamsters in terms of appearance, because if you fatten it up a bit, it'll look like a dumpling. However, because of this, it will be slightly inferior to other hamsters in terms of exercise. And if the hamster itself is also averse to exercise, its health will be worse than other hamsters."
The Shop Assistant quickly explained, "The ones you studied in class were White Mice, right? White Mice generally have longer legs than hamsters..."
"No, I'm studying Veterinary Medicine, which is to say, I'm a Veterinarian. Compared to White Mice, we mostly observe common Pets," Chi Feichi said.
The Shop Assistant sweatdropped, okay, since he's studying Veterinary Medicine, he definitely knows the difference between hamsters and White Mice...
This hamster, compared to other hamsters, indeed didn't seem to like exercise much.
Under the Shop Assistant's somewhat regretful gaze, Chi Feichi left this Pet Shop and continued walking forward.
He hadn't walked far when he heard a spirited cry:
"Snakes for sale! Snakes for sale! Can roll around and act cute, can hunt on its own, cheap Red-Banded Krait, only two thousand Japanese Yen, two thousand Japanese Yen! Rare and smart Mutant Red-Banded Krait, take it home!"
Chi Feichi: "..."
He used to hear this kind of hawking often back in the country, but in Japan... in his inherited memories, never.
Even when Shopping Malls hold events, they just get a girl to read lines in a very formulaic way. This kind of hometown flavor, it's the first time he's heard it!
So, he stopped and turned around.
At a Street Shop, the Boss was busy sweeping with his head down.
In the Glass partition by the door, a gray and black Snake stood upright, its black Eyes staring straight at him, its Snake tongue flicking rapidly.
At first glance, it looked quite scary.
However, what this thing was saying was: "Sir, buying a Snake? I'm cheap, only two thousand Japanese Yen, not even enough for a decent meal out. I don't bite, just please don't make me eat Loach again. Or, you can let me hunt for myself, I'm very easy to keep!"
Chi Feichi was silent for a moment, then walked into the Shop, "Boss..."
Your snake is a spirit!
"Ah, welcome!" The Boss, who had been sweeping with his head down, quickly put his broom aside.
This was a Shop specializing in selling exotic Animals—Snakes, lizards, spiders. As soon as you stepped inside, you could feel the temperature drop noticeably.
But the Boss was quite friendly, "Are you looking to buy a Pet?"
Snake: "Over here! Over here!"
Chi Feichi turned to look, noticing that the Snake in the Glass Tank had turned around and was still staring intently at him.
The Boss's face darkened slightly, and he quickly added, "Most of the Pets in our Shop are quite docile. This Snake just likes to stare at people, but it's not malicious..."
The Snake coldly hissed, "Blame me for not selling? If you'd sell me, would I be staring at everyone who walks in? Even if you can't sell me, at least change my diet!"
Chi Feichi ignored the 'Snake Speech' and observed it for a moment, "This Snake looks like a Red-Banded Krait from its markings, but it's completely lacking in red. What breed is it?"
"Ahem," the Boss said, a little embarrassed, and pulled out a booklet. "It's definitely a Red-Banded Krait. We have certification from the breeder here. Every Snake is registered. Its Parents are pure Red-Banded Kraits, see..."
Chi Feichi looked down at it. The booklet did indeed contain very detailed Information.
Its Parents' numbers and Photos were all there. Those two Snakes were beautifully colored, red and black, without a hint of gray. He had no idea how this one turned gray and black.
The Boss continued his sales pitch, "Actually, this Snake is still quite good. Red-Banded Kraits usually have a rotten, fishy smell, but this one is practically odorless, very clean."
Chi Feichi gave the Boss a deep look. Did he take him for a fool? "Although Red-Banded Kraits are classified as Non-Venomous Snakes, they are Rear-Fanged Mildly Venomous Snakes. The Toxin is generally harmless to humans, but there's no guarantee that this Mutant one hasn't developed a Toxin harmful to humans."
Its breed was hard to identify, and it was uncertain if the mutation made it dangerous. That was probably why this Snake hadn't sold.
Boss: "..."
He'd run into someone who knew his stuff. What to do?
The Snake frantically flicked its tongue beside him, "Sir, I don't bite!"
Chi Feichi ignored it and continued to the Boss, "This Snake is at least three years old, right? Red-Banded Kraits generally live for about 6.1 years. If I buy it, even with good care, I'll only have it for about three years."
Boss: "..."
Snake: "No, no, no! I feel great! I'm still young!"
Chi Feichi: "Besides, Red-Banded Kraits raised from Adult Snakes tend to be more temperamental. People usually buy Young Snakes or Snake Hatchlings and raise them from young. Those raised from a young age are very docile and won't be aggressive when they grow up."
Boss: "..."
Snake: "I've watched people come and go since I was a hatchling! I'm friendly to humans! I have a great Personality!"
Chi Feichi looked at the speechless Boss and sighed.
No wonder it hasn't sold. You're less thick-skinned than a Snake...
The Boss chuckled awkwardly and changed the subject, "Actually, you could look at some of the others. We have normal Red-Banded Kraits too. Oh, and Corn Snakes! Corn Snakes are docile and can live up to 15 years. They're great for Pet Keeping..."
The Snake slumped down weakly, "Sir, look at me again, just one more look! The black-hearted Boss has fed me small Loach for three years! Three years! I haven't tasted anything else, just watched the other Snakes get extra treats. Is it just because my color is a little weird?... It's a snake's life..."
"No need to look," Chi Feichi said, stopping the Boss who was about to lead him away. "I'll take this one."
The Boss blinked, surprised, and looked at the Glass Tank.
The Snake in the Glass Tank immediately straightened up again, its Eyes fixed on Chi Feichi.
"How much?" Chi Feichi asked again.
The Boss snapped back to reality. "Two thousand Japanese Yen," he said, a set price, including a care manual and certificate, and even a Plastic Carrier as a bonus. He practically sold the Snake with the relief of getting rid of a plague, gratefully watching Chi Feichi leave the Shop.
This Snake really knew its price. It hadn't been wrong earlier.
After leaving the Shop, Chi Feichi turned into a nearby Alley and set the Plastic Carrier on the ground.
The Snake in the Plastic Carrier lay there lazily flicking its tongue. "Little mice, little frogs, baby chicks, little fish... hey, hey, what are you doing?!"
Chi Feichi pinched the Snake behind its head and lifted it up, sizing up the Snake in front of him.
Before... no, until he met this Snake, he'd never considered keeping one.
Even if he wanted to train a helper, Snakes had many drawbacks.
Snakes can't see much at night, relying mainly on their tongues to sense vibrations or their built-in 'heat sensors' to perceive the world around them. Searching for non-living Things would be almost useless.
Besides, Snakes generally weren't very intelligent, mostly driven by instinct. Cobras were probably the smartest, but even if he wanted to keep one, he couldn't.
And Snakes were cold-blooded, they needed to hibernate.
Originally, he'd been leaning towards getting a Cat or a bird, Creatures that would be useful for searching. Once he'd established Communication and trained them, they could help him gather Information...
But this one was highly intelligent, almost human-level.
The Snake let Chi Feichi hold it, not daring to resist. Getting sent back for biting someone would be a minor issue, the real problem was that this guy was holding it by its neck!
What was this guy going to do?
It had heard that some humans ate everything. Could it be...?
In the dim Alley, man and Snake stared at each other. Both human Eyes and snake pupils were calm and indifferent, but their minds were racing.
Finally, Chi Feichi broke the silence, taking out his Keys from his pocket. "Can you see what I'm holding?"
The Snake stared for a moment, flicking its tongue and muttering, "Playing this game with a snake? Is he one of those crazy snake people humans talk about?... Will I not even get Loach anymore? My life is so hard..."
Chi Feichi's face darkened slightly, and he said in a low voice, "I don't know if your life is hard, but if I count to three and you still don't answer my question, I guarantee you'll be on the menu tomorrow."
The Snake suddenly raised its head, its round Eyes still expressionless, but it was clearly startled.
Chi Feichi started counting, "One, two..."
Snake: "Yes! Yes! Yes! I can see it! It's Keys, right? I know what that is!"
Chi Feichi nodded, then thought for a moment. "You recognize it? So, you can see things clearly at night? The problem is just recognition?"
"I can see..." After the surprise, the Snake seemed to suddenly cheer up, nodding its head up and down like a pecking chicken. "Actually, I know quite a lot! Look, I know that when you humans mean 'yes' or 'correct', you nod like this..."
Chi Feichi: "..."
This... no, this idiot!
Of the usual Snake drawbacks, this one didn't have the low intelligence Problem. And if it could see at night, hibernation wasn't a deal-breaker. He was too lazy to go out much in winter anyway.
Actually, come to think of it, Snakes had their advantages too.
He only needed to feed it once a week, and no walks required...
The Snake shook its head until it was dizzy, then stopped and sighed, "From birth until now, this is the first time I've communicated with another living being. Humans don't understand me, they don't realize I'm learning from them, and other snakes can't grasp what I mean. They just move around, hunt, and rest..."
Chi Feichi looked into those Snake pupils, seemingly cold and emotionless. He felt a faint stirring in his heart, but quickly regained his composure. Still, his tone softened slightly. "My name is Chi Feichi, i ke hi oso."
With that, he set the Snake down, took out a pen and Notebook, tore out a page, wrote the Text, Katakana, and Romaji, and placed it next to the Snake's Eyes.
"You'll be called Fei Chi, hi a ka..." Chi Feichi tore off another page, wrote it down, and placed it next to the previous note. "Perfect. As a Red-Banded Krait that isn't red, it suits you."
Fei Chi stared intently and nodded, this time without chattering.
(End of Chapter)