Mean while, outside, Toho Iwata had gathered up the courage to talk to the mighty Wolf Brothers. “I hope you received my note. Please, I beg of you, ask any price of me, I will grant it.”

The eldest brother snorted. “What do you have that we could want?”

“A date with Inuko, perhaps?” piped up the younger one. The older one shot him a dirty look, and then turned back to Toho.

“You may or may not know of this, but Masanori keeps a small Kioshi mammoth as a pet…Betsy.” whispered Toho. “She was originally going to be the main course at his daughter’s wedding. Unfortunately, the groom had to commit seppuku for unrelated reasons. Ever since then, Masanori has kept the thing as a pet and refuses to have anyone eat it.”
The older one looked at him thoughtfully. “So, we give you a big mammoth, and you give us a tiny one? Doesn’t sound like a fair trade to me.”

“Kioshi mammoth are bred for their flavor. And besides, this mammoth means very much to Masanori.”

“Well, if it means that much to him……we will chase the largest male we find here. Just be ready to catch it in a few hours.”

With that, the brothers disappeared, taking the box of sake bottles with them.