Under the Moon

Barnaby's experience in Japan was varied. Although his first impression was terrible, after he met Newt's friend and was rescued from a tight spot, that impression became more positive, though he kept his belongings close at all times.

The food was mostly quite delicious, very different from what he was used to, as Hogwarts generally served only English dishes. He tried several kinds of dishes, from ramen to stinky tofu and pufferfish. Not everything was great, but the number of times he had to rush to the bathroom to expel the food was few.

His favorites ended up being the creative vegetable dishes and some inventive drinks that weren't available in Britain, like melon soda with vanilla ice cream.

While on his gourmet tour, Tanaka internally wept every time he saw the bill for the food he had confidently promised to cover.

On the third day, he was taken to various shops to buy souvenirs for his friends and his father. From a classic, old candy shop to temples dedicated to various deities to workshops of great craftsmanship.

Thanks to Mr. Tanaka's connections and familiarity with the vendors, he was able to get several discounts.

Setting aside his private stash of varied snacks for himself and Sanshi, he bought some boxes of sakura mochi for Newt and Tonks as he had promised, including a white kitsune mask carved from two-hundred-year-old Japanese cherry wood.

Later, he would enchant the mask with some curious spells and gift it to his girlfriend, along with the millennia-old basilisk hide handbag he had been painstakingly working on during his free time.

The amount of hide at his disposal was limited, and he didn't want to make a single mistake, so he took his time.

He asked Tanaka if he could get a few bottles of sake and umeshu, intending these mainly for the Hogwarts professors (excluding Dumbledore), the caretaker Filch, his father, Newt, and of course, Nymphadora's parents.

It would be a huge mistake on his part to bring back gifts for his girlfriend but forget about her parents.

Unfortunately, Tanaka explained that he couldn't buy those drinks due to the laws and Barnaby's age, but if Barnaby gave him a list, he could package everything for him and send it to Newt's house later.

Tanaka really enjoyed drinking when he didn't have to handle wood, and he knew the best traditional producers with the finest quality, though the price was a bit higher—it was worth it.

Barnaby quickly calculated to gift a bottle of each type, forming an elegant box of two bottles for each person, and after hesitating for a minute, he secretly added a few extra barrels for himself. It wasn't that he intended to drink irresponsibly in secret while underage, but he could store the barrels in the underground cellar that should be finished by the time he returned, let them continue to age over time, and open them when the moment was right.

Each barrel contained two hundred twenty-five liters of drink, and given their cost, he limited himself to ordering four of each, arguing that since his father was half-giant, he needed bigger gifts than just bottles.

He simply omitted that he would keep six barrels while his father would only receive two. And even then, it would be enough for him to enjoy for weeks if taken in moderation.

It hurt his wallet when he handed Tanaka the money to make the purchases on his behalf, but he needed to leave room for other barrels of drink in his cellar.

He wasn't going to make it overly large, but he was definitely going to have barrels of Burgundy wine, firewhisky, British gin, butterbeer, orange cointreau, Catalan cava, German dark beer, apple cider with hints of strawberry and lime, Cuban rum, and well, the variety was going to be guaranteed.

Maybe it would turn out that when he took his first sip of alcohol in the future, he'd discover he didn't like drinking—that wouldn't be a problem. He'd have a great selection of drinks for when he hosted guests in the future.

And if he did like it, well, he'd have drinks for a long time.

Plus, let's not forget that Sanshi and Tonks would be drinking too. It's not like he was going to drink it all by himself…

So, when Tanaka asked if he also wanted soju and other drinks, he had to decline for the moment. Instead, he urged Tanaka to help him finish the furniture designs and asked for advice on the shape of his house.

He had no intention of adding Japanese designs to the building, but the idea of planting a handful of bamboo near the lake seemed tempting.

But not everything was positive. Barnaby felt uncomfortable with the number of curious looks he constantly received while moving from place to place, not only for being a foreigner but also for his peculiar size and natural hair color.

Every time he entered a new establishment, the staff were stunned when he started speaking fluent Japanese and took a while to react—at least when they didn't ignore him outright and assume that Tanaka was the leader of the group and the one they should communicate with.

Perhaps sensing his discomfort, Tanaka had the brilliant idea to show him a protected area built thanks to Newt in the past, where several groups of Occamy lived.

This time, it was Tanaka's turn to be speechless at how easily Barnaby managed to get along with the magical beasts, causing the caretakers to unconsciously check their own uniforms to make sure they were the ones feeding the Occamy and not the newly arrived foreigner.

So, why did it seem like they were more comfortable with him than with the hand that had fed them since they were hatchlings?

But while several were disheartened or jealous, a few observed the redhead's interactions closely, hoping to learn and improve their rapport with the Occamy.

Tanaka secretly nodded when he saw the latter group and noted their names, intending to suggest to his superiors that they be promoted in the future.

His thoughts were interrupted when Barnaby approached him with a whispered request.

"You want to bring a creature to play with the Occamy?" Tanaka repeated in a low voice, puzzled so that only the two of them could hear the conversation. "Don't tell me you did a 'Scamander' and have several of them around here?"

Barnaby was left speechless.

Had "doing a Scamander" become a popular expression?

He didn't know how Newt would react to this news—would he be flattered or confused?

Helpless in the face of Tanaka's reaction (although understandable considering he knew Newt), Barnaby had to explain himself superficially to clear up the misunderstanding.

"I see," Tanaka rubbed his chin with his hand. "Are you sure there won't be any problems?"

"Yes, it's completely docile," Barnaby assured him.

Tanaka nodded, and trusting him, went to speak with the guardian of the protected area. Half an hour later, Barnaby was allowed to bring the creature on the condition that he would allow the caretakers to take notes while observing, as well as answer some questions, as long as they weren't sensitive.

Barnaby tapped the ground with his staff, causing the eyes of the Qilin's head carved into it to begin glowing, resulting in a part of the ground rippling as if it were liquid, from which the creature he decided to introduce to the Occamy emerged.

Tanaka was expecting something, but definitely not something as beautiful as what he saw.

A beast with an elongated, slender body, quadrupedal stance, and covered in pale pink scales. On its back and head, it had some fin-like features with yellow spots, while its tail, belly, and legs were covered in purple fur. Its head was fox-like, with several whiskers.

Some caretakers were confused and mistakenly thought for a minute that it was a hatchling Antipodean Opaleye. Though none had ever seen one, they had only read about them.

"Is this a new species of dragon?" Tanaka unconsciously thought as he watched the creature secrete a pleasantly scented foam and perform elegant movements, seemingly dancing under the moonlight.

The Occamy, initially cautious, soon joined in and had fun as they slid and played in the foam without disrupting the creature's dance.

"Barnaby-san," one of the female caretakers couldn't contain herself and asked with heart-shaped eyes, "What is the name of this beautiful creature?"

Barnaby stepped back, startled, not by the question but because his hair stood on end at the sight of the caretaker's strange eyes.

Is this some kind of local fashion magic?

How creepy!

"Tamamitsune," he replied once he made sure he was at a safe distance from the woman. "Some also call them Mizutsune."

The caretaker repeated the names several times, while the more experienced caretakers snapped out of their stupor and began frantically scribbling in their notebooks without taking their eyes off the Mizutsune. Some, confident in their drawing skills, even sketched several outlines.

Tanaka watched the magizoologists' behavior and felt he was going to have a headache when they tried to leave the reserve...

"Well, at least Barnaby seems much more relaxed after coming here," he told himself, trying to console himself.

Meanwhile, Barnaby had his own thoughts.

"I miss Sanshi and Tonks…"