Chapter Text
Shiori sat in the examination room, waiting for the Family Doctor to come back with her diagnosis. She glanced around, having only ever been here for brief health checks. It was frigid and she was getting cold. She was dressed in a family owned nemaki, that was thin and provided no warmth in the sterile room she was in. She sighed impatiently, when the door finally opened. The Family Doctor, Dr. Kumiko Kawamura, walked in. "Hello, Lady Nakagawa. I have your results ready." Dr. Kawamura said, smiling gently. Shiori straightened and gestured for her to continue. "I'm afraid it's a serious diagnosis. You have Mors Per Solitudinem, otherwise known as Death by Loneliness, or Loneliness Syndrome. It affects individuals that don't have a pack." Dr. Kawamura said, checking to make sure Shiori understood. Shiori stilled, her eyes wide with shock. "Is... Is there a cure?" Shiori asked, her voice coming out hoarse. "There is. You need something that you can form a pack bond with. You could get a pet, if you'd like, but I suggest the Infantem Eu Program, it provides a much more permanent solution." Dr. Kawamura said, grabbing a packet from just out side the door and handing it to Shiori. Shiori flipped through the pages, reading intently. "So, how would this work?" Shiori asked, glancing up at the Doctor. "They would interview you, take a look at the house, and then they'd help you set up and deliver the Pup to you as soon as they find a match." Dr. Kawamura answered. Shiori nodded and went back to reading.
Once she was finished, she placed the packet down and turned to the Doctor. Dr. Kawamura was looking at her, waiting for an answer. "I'll... I'll do it. The Program, I mean." Shiori mumbled, barely audible but loud enough for the Doctor to hear her. Dr. Kawamura nodded. "I'll contact the program coordinators and set up an interview for later this week. I'll let you know when it's happening." Dr. Kawamura said, before leaving. Shiori got dressed in the clothes she'd brought to the appointment and left the room afterwards. Then, she headed to her own room, wanting space to figure her mind out. Silently, she shut the door behind herself, and walked over to the bed before collapsing onto it. She groaned to herself, not wanting to worry the staff. "How the hell am I supposed to raise a pup, if I can't even handle being alone?" She asked herself. The thought of having a pup, someone to call pack in her home left her with a feeling of longing. She wanted to have that, but she didn't make friends easily, and her parents refused to move back to the manor. So, this seemed like the best option. She sighed to herself again, and turned on her TV deciding to distract herself and not dwell on the future any longer. A show about a Mother and Pup was the first thing she saw. She groaned again and rolled her eyes, before changing the channel. Soon, it was on a random cooking show and she left it on that. An hour later, Dr. Kawamura texted her. "The interview will be on Tuesday. The interviewer will be here at One fifty-two PM." The text read.
Shiori texted back a thumbs up and put her phone away to watch the mind numbing cooking show. Briefly, she wondered what the interview would be like, before quickly shutting that train of thought down. She didn't want to think about it. She wanted to keep her mind off of it until the time came to deal with it. With a sigh, Shiori got out her lap top and began doing her work that she'd missed. She needed to complete it before midnight, and right now, nothing else would distract her. With that, she worked for the rest of the day.
TIMESKIP TO TUESDAY
Shiori watched from her spot on the couch as the maids and butlers tidied up the house around her. The interviewer would be arriving soon, and Shiori had been ushered to just sit on the couch and wait. Two hours later, at One fifty-two PM, the Interviewer, a woman wearing military grade scent patches, walked into the reception room. "Hello, I'm Nobuko Muramoto. Are you Shiori Nakagawa?" Nobuko asked, sitting on a cushioned chair next to the couch. "Yes, I am." Shiori replied. Nobuko nodded, writing down the confirmation. Then, she looked back up at Shiori. "So, I'll interview you, then have a look around the house to make sure it's ready for a Pup to live in it." Nobuko said. Shiori nodded, pinching her arms to keep calm. Nobuko noticed what she was doing and grimaced quietly. "If you'd like we can start the interview?" Nobuko asked, and Shiori nodded in agreement. "Okay, first question. Do you have anybody who you would consider becoming pack to you and the Pup?" Nobuko asked. "Shiori thought about that for a moment. "I... I really don't know. No one that I can think of at least." Shiori answered, feeling small. Nobuko nodded and wrote the answer down, before asking another. "Do you have any extended family in the area?" Nobuko asked. Shiori paused, not quite expecting that question. "No, My parents were both only children and they only had me. Then, once I presented they moved to the suburbs." Shiori explained. Nobuko nodded and wrote that down. "Do you have any pets?" Nobuko asked. "No, I don't have any pets." Shiori replied, as Nobuko wrote it down. "Do you have any traditions?' Nobuko asked. "No, my parents didn't pass down any traditions to me." Shiori replied.
Nobuko wrote that down, and then flipped the page of her papers over. "Okay, now, What forms of discipline do you plan on implementing?" Nobuko asked. "I plan on using groundings." Shiori answered. Nobuko nodded and wrote that down. "Is there a religion that you follow?" Nobuko asked. "No, I don't really feel a pull towards any religion." Shiori replied. Nobuko nodded in agreement as she wrote it down. "That's understandable. Not many people admit it as easily as you have, though." Nobuko replies, as she finishes writing. "Okay, now how about education? What are your plans for education?" Nobuko asked. "Nursery, and then private schooling. I have the money to pay for it, so that's not an issue." Shiori explained. Nobuko nodded and wrote that down. "I need to inform you, that there is a nursery included in our program that you can send the Pup to while you work." Nobuko explained. Shiori nodded. "I'll send them to that one, then." Shiori replied. "Okay, let me get you the paperwork right now, and I'll file it when I get back to work." Nobuko replied. Shiori nodded, feeling a bit more confident about this meeting. Nobuko grabbed the papers and handed them over to Shiori, who read through them and signed where she needed to. Once she was done she handed the papers back to Nobuko, who put them away.
"So, Shiori, what would you say your strengths are?" Nobuko asked, getting out the paper she was writing on again. Shiori thought about it for a moment. "I'm resilient, I don't settle for less than the best, and I work hard." Shiori answered. Nobuko smiled softly and wrote that down. "Do you have any hobbies? Maybe something you could share with the Pup?" Nobuko asked, still smiling. Shiori flushed softly and nodded. "I-I'm great at sewing. And costume making. The pup will always have a Halloween or Play costume of the highest quality." Shiori said, still blushing. Nobuko smiled wider and wrote that down.
"Okay, now for childcare, I'm going to write down the nursery, is there anything else you'd like to add?" Nobuko asked. Shiori shook her head. "No, nothing I can think of." Shiori replied. Nobuko nodded and wrote down the nursery as a response. "Okay, now what does your work schedule look like?" Nobuko asked. "I mostly work from home, but occasionally I'll be called into the office. I'll still need the nursery, because I doubt a Pup will allow me to work without worrying about them." Shiori explained. Nobuko nodded and wrote that down. "Okay, that's the end of the interview, now I'll need to do a quick house study and I'll be out of your hair." Nobuo said.
Shiori nodded and turned to a random maid. "Give her a full tour of the house, make sure to show her everything." Shiori said, watching as the maid lead Nobuko away. She couldn't help but become nervous once more as she watched them leave. She waited in the reception room, anxiously waiting for them to come back. As she waited, she tried not to let her mind wander. Finally, after fifteen minutes, Nobuko and the maid returned. Nobuko was smiling and seemed satisfied with what she'd seen. "That's all I need for now. Our office will be in contact once you've been approved. Then we'll go from there." Nobuko told her, gathering the remaining papers and then the maid from before lead her to the front door and Nobuko left. Shiori let out a breath and smiled shyly to herself. Then, without another word, she went to her room to retire for the evening.