“Well, that may be a bit extremely. It’s more like pandas forever altered my view of them.” Tsubaki took a deep breath, preparing herself to relive the moment.
“Alright then…” She began. “You see, when I was being raise I was extremely sheltered. I knew very little of the outside world minus what my family told me or what I read. My whole world was the Yayoi manor and the manors of the other Duodecim families. To say I was ignorant of many things at that time would be an understatement. And because I was so sheltered, I didn’t know much about animals either.
“It was when the twelve families met at the Yayoi manor for the monthly meetings. It was actually my sixth birthday at that time, so the families gave me a bunch of presents as a show of goodwill, as well to show off their wealth. I was given toys, games, clothes, everything a young girl could want.
“One of the families, probably wanting to outdo the others, actually gave me a panda for the occasion. Two actually, a son and mother. They were brought to the manor in a special ars for capturing animals and were left in our garden to get use to their new home. Like you, I thought they were cute at first too, especially the cub. While the families were meeting and discussing things I didn’t particularly cared about at the time, my excitement and curiosity got the better of me. I had read a bit about pandas and only saw them at cute and innocent creatures at the time. And with that thinking I rushed into the garden to pet and play with the baby panda and its mother…” She paused, biting her lip before continue.
“Noel… I’m sure you know how protective a mother bear can be toward their cubs, regardless of their specific species. The moment I approached the cub, the mother saw it as a threat and slashed at me. It… it…” She clutched onto her right arm, looking away from her friend. “It broke my right arm and three of my ribs that day. When my father came to my rescue he quickly put the two down right in front of me.” She let out a sigh, relieved the worst part of the story was over.
“After that, I was cared for in the Yayoi Manor for months until my arm healed. Ever since then my view of those so-called cute and lovable pandas were forever skewed. That’s why they’re untrustworthy creatures. They appear innocent and adorable due to the media and overall appearance, but are just as savage and wild as any other bear…”
“I’m so sorry,” she said quickly, reaching out to rest her hands on Tsubaki’s shoulders, a frown tugging at her lips. “I...I didn’t realize that happened.” All of the teasing tone was gone and she felt absolutely miserable for speaking with her the way she did. If only she knew earlier. Without a moment’s hesitation she pulled her in for a hug and hid her face in her shoulder. “I’m so sorry...”
