"Can I come with you when you act tonight?"
At the school gate, Jason turned and asked, fists clenched, his face full of determination and manly resolve.
With a smack, Miao Mu raised a hand and slapped him on the head, then grabbed his ear and shook it hard. "What the hell are you thinking? I'm going to chop people up, not on a picnic! Go to school properly. Don't bully your classmates, but don't let them bully you either. Go back to Arkham after class. I'll have Sheriff Myers handle your dinner—and your homework!"
The parents nearby frowned repeatedly at Miao Mu's rough behavior. Some even wanted to call the police.
"Oh, right. This is your allowance. Don't buy random crap. Eat lunch at school and figure it out yourself!"
Miao Mu pulled out his wallet, stuffed with a thick wad of green bills. He had only gotten paid a few days ago, and he was a bona fide rich man now. He pulled out several bills and stuffed them into Jason's backpack.
"Let Bastian eat less cake. He needs to lose weight!"
Miao Mu glanced at the huge rat hiding in Jason's backpack and gnawing on bread, his expression solemn.
Bastian, who was holding a piece of bread and taking a bite, froze on the spot. The bread in his paws instantly lost all appeal.
As Ratcatcher Otis's companion, Bastian was no fool. It knew perfectly well what losing weight meant, and what exercising while going hungry meant...
"All right, it's not like we're saying goodbye forever. Get inside and go to class!"
Miao Mu gave Jason a push. Jason headed into the school, but when he reached the gate—
Jason suddenly turned around, cupped his fists with his left hand over his right, dropped to one knee,