Chapter 5

Chapter 5 "I'm heading off to work now. Don't worry, I'll keep an eye out for that kitty for you, Shinobu." "Thank you, honey! Have a safe trip!" I waved and smiled brightly as I saw Yoshikage Kira out the door. The moment I felt Photo Dad's monitoring gaze leave along with Hayato Kawajiri, my expression instantly went blank. I grabbed the cat carrier and cat treats from the house, preparing to head out and hunt down that cat. Perhaps because I had satisfied him with my hands last night, Kira had been in a genuinely good mood over the past two days, brimming with energy every morning. If doing that could lower his murderous impulses, I was more than willing to do it—I'd happily work like a farm hand ten times a day if I had to. But I knew there was something off about that cat. He was entirely capable of catching a cat, yet he had deliberately let it escape yesterday. While I couldn't guess his exact reasoning, anything he wanted to keep me away from had to be crucial. Whatever the case, I was determined to find the cat first. Since time was of the essence, as I stepped out wearing my kitchen apron and holding the cat carrier, I ran into my neighbor, Mrs. Yamada, who was also opening her door. She stared at me with a scrutinizing gaze for a moment before greeting me with a radiant smile. "Good morning, Mrs. Kawajiri. You look like you're in a hurry—is something urgent going on?" "Ah, good morning, Mrs. Yamada. I saw an injured stray British Shorthair yesterday, but I couldn't catch it. I'm heading out to look for it again today so I can take it to the vet." I greeted her back with a fake smile, sizing her up as well. Mrs. Yamada was wearing a lovely dress and full makeup, but my guess was that she was just stepping out to throw away the trash. Thanks to the intense social pressure placed on Japanese housewives, the female competitive environment here was fierce, with everyone constantly comparing themselves to one another. Even when a newly moved-in housewife took her child to the park for the first time, she had to build good relations with the other mothers; otherwise, her child would be ostracized and left with no one to play with. They called this the "Park Debut"—the first time I heard about it, I thought it was completely absurd. "Oh, you are so kind-hearted, Mrs. Kawajiri! I actually just came back from dropping off the trash, and I saw a stray British Shorthair over by the park slide. It had a hole in its throat and looked so pitiful. I wonder if it's the one you're looking for." "Ah, yes, that's the one! Thank you so much for telling me!" Talk about luck! Getting a lead right away proved that housewives really do know everything. I immediately thanked my neighbor while looking at her with a hint of confusion, asking, "By the way, Mrs. Yamada, are you heading out shopping right now?" I had assumed she was just throwing out garbage, so it seemed the trope about Japanese women putting on full makeup just to take out the trash wasn't entirely a stereotype after all—though perhaps not everyone was like that. "No, I'm heading out for an affair, Mrs. Kawajiri," Mrs. Yamada replied. "..." ...Ugh. I was completely stunned by what I had just heard. Was that really something you just say out loud?! "Now that my husband has left for work, of course I have to go have some fun. Mrs. Kawajiri, I heard that you and your husband have reconciled recently. We were actually thinking about inviting you to join our club! Tee-hee, as women, we should look out for each other. If you ever need help or don't have time to make dinner, I can even cover for you." Mrs. Yamada made a shushing gesture and chuckled triumphantly at me, as I stood there practically struck by lightning. "My, why so surprised? Just take it as a joke, don't mind me." Holy crap, even this is possible? A neighbor actively hinting that she could help cover for an affair... My worldview just shattered! Classical Japan! However, Mrs. Yamada's words gave me an idea. Maybe I could use an affair as a cover story to get the neighbors to help me with certain things... Of course, not right now. Photo Dad was still spying on us, so I had to find a way to deal with that ghost old man first. "I should get going now. Goodbye, Mrs. Kawajiri." Mrs. Yamada checked her watch, her face shifting to an "I'm going to be late" look. She waved goodbye with a smile, and I maintained my smile as I bade her farewell before heading straight to the park. There weren't many people in the park at this time. Sure enough, near the sandbox by the slide, I quickly spotted yesterday's grey cat. The British Blue was originally lying by the sandbox soaking up the sun. Upon seeing me, it hesitated slightly. But just as I was about to pull out a cat treat to distract it, it stretched its front legs, let out a big yawn, and strolled over to me on its own. Aha! Yesterday's feeding paid off—the cat remembered me. "Good boy! Mommy brought canned food again today!" I immediately popped open a treat can. The British Blue didn't stand on ceremony, stepping right up to me to devour the food. It looked like an ordinary cat with nothing particularly special about it—healthy with a great appetite, aside from that alarming hole in its throat. I felt I still needed to get it to the hospital first. Since Yoshikage Kira had intentionally let it go, I had no choice but to handle it myself. So, as I stroked its head, I spoke to it in a gentle, negotiating tone, "Kitty, your throat is hurt. How about I take you to the vet to get it treated, okay?" It buried its head in the food, purring with content. "Aww, you look so happy! I'll take that as a yes!" The moment it finished the food and started grooming itself, I grabbed the scruff of its neck and slipped it into the cat carrier I had prepared. The British Blue was shocked; once it realized what was happening, it began thrashing violently and yowling inside the bag. Its force was incredible, nearly bursting through the carrier. Left with no choice, I tore open another cat treat and poked it through the zipper gap. It instantly quieted down. Taking advantage of the brief peace, I clutched the carrier and sprinted toward a nearby veterinary clinic. "Doctor, please check on this little cat, its throat is injured!" "Let's get it registered first. What's its name?" asked the receptionist nurse at the counter. "It's a stray I picked up, I haven't thought of a name yet," I replied, shaking my head. "Someone actually abandoned a British Shorthair? How terrible. Let's just register its breed for now. We'll have the doctor take a look first and run a health check," the nurse said. Following her instructions, I released the British Blue from the carrier. The moment it hit the examination table, its fur stood completely on end, and it began hissing frantically at the nurse who approached to draw blood. "Don't be scared, little kitty, it'll be over real quick." The nurse tried to keep her voice as gentle as possible, but the cat seemed deeply wary of the syringe in her hand. Just as the nurse stepped up to secure it, the cat suddenly opened its mouth—and I saw a faintly distorted bubble of air burst from its maw! In the very next instant, the air right in front of the nurse violently exploded. With a sharp scream, the nurse was hurled several meters away, crashing to the floor. The cat continued to glare ferociously at the now-unconscious nurse. I was utterly stunned. This cat possessed supernatural powers, just like the rest of them in this story! It was a Stand user too! No wonder Yoshikage Kira intentionally let it go yesterday—he had likely sensed something. According to the original lore, that power was a manifestation of spiritual energy that only other Stand users could see, appearing like humanoid entities or digital monsters. As a normal person, even though I couldn't see the Stand itself, I could see that mutated ball of compressed air! As the cat puffed its cheeks up again, locking its gaze on the nurse to charge another shot, I snapped back to reality—it was trying to kill her! "Wait, stop!" Purely on instinct, I threw myself in front of the nurse with my arms spread wide, panting nervously as I shielded her from the cat's next air bullet. I didn't know if I could stop it—felines are natural-born killers, and it would instinctively eliminate any threat. The nurse posed a threat to it, but I couldn't just stand by and watch her get killed, so I reacted without thinking! "Don't do it, kitty!" I shook my head at it nervously. The cat locked eyes with me, its yellow eyes narrowing into slit pupils—a clear sign of hunting mode. But just as I thought I was a goner, the cat suddenly retracted its aggressiveness. Its puffed cheeks slowly deflated, and it sank into a crouch on the spot, staring at me quietly. "..." Was that... its way of relaxing? This cat liked me! It didn't intend to hurt me! A strange wave of emotion washed over me, though it made me feel like a foolish woman getting manipulated by a bad guy... "What happened here?!" Hearing the commotion, the doctor rushed out from the back, turning pale at the sight of the nurse collapsed on the floor. "Miss Asada?! What happened to you?" "She suddenly fainted..." I had no idea how to explain what just happened, so I could only help lift the nurse onto the sofa. The doctor didn't suspect anything strange, merely sighing as he said, "She's probably just exhausted. Miss Asada has been dieting lately, so she must have passed out. I'm so sorry for the trouble." "No, no, it's fine. Could you please take a look at this cat?" Feeling guilty, I stepped back over to where the cat was lying, carefully picked it up, and explained its situation to the doctor. It didn't resist me, though it started squirming again as the doctor drew close. "A hole in its throat... that's quite a severe wound," the doctor noted after a brief inspection. "It needs surgical suturing, which requires fasting. But this needs urgent attention. Has it eaten anything?" "It did... otherwise I couldn't have caught it," I answered awkwardly. "Then we'll have to wait a bit. We'll schedule the surgery for this afternoon and put it on an IV first." Saying that, the doctor hurriedly carried the nurse into the break room. I looked at the cat, whose tail was swishing back and forth, and let out a sigh. Right now, this cat only seemed to trust me; if I left it alone at the clinic, there was no telling what might happen. After a moment's thought, I pulled out my phone and dialed Yoshikage Kira. He was bound to find out about the cat eventually anyway. Once its throat was patched up, I'd bring it home. Maybe at a critical moment, a cat with supernatural powers could help keep Kira in check. Since I couldn't hide it anyway, I might as well tell him—while pretending to be totally oblivious to its powers, of course. "I'm sorry, honey. I'm really busy right now and can't leave, so I won't be able to bring you lunch today." "It's alright, Shinobu. I'll just pick up a bento at the convenience store." Kira's tone on the other end was gentle as ever, devoid of any negative emotion. He even thoughtfully offered, "If there's anything you need help with, don't hesitate to tell me. Did something happen?" "Um... I found that kitty," I answered in an anxious tone. "It's so pitiful. The doctor said its throat injury needs surgery, so I have to stay here with it. Oh, by the way... can you give me 200,000 yen tonight?" "..." Whether it was finding the cat or asking him for 200,000 yen that was harder to swallow, Kira fell completely silent on the line.