Kyaru sat in the living room reading a spellbook in her hands as usual. The task Jhin had entrusted to her—managing the affairs of the trading company—she had completed cleanly and efficiently just yesterday, only then realizing how outstanding her talent in this area truly was.
This small pleasant surprise was quickly swallowed by waves of unease. Her eyes were on the book, but her heart had long since drifted away from her body to settle on Kokkoro, who sat nearby.
It's fine... His Majesty already promised me that her life won't be endangered. I only need to bring her there, that's all.
What reason should I use to invite her out?
Shopping?
Kyaru shook her head slightly, vetoing that excuse.
Just two days ago she'd gone out with all of them to buy ingredients—that reason definitely wouldn't work.
The spellbook in her hands had been flipped all the way to the last page, and she didn't notice at all, continuing the mechanical motion of turning the pages.
"Kyaru, what are you thinking about? You've flipped the book all the way to the end and you're still flipping it."
"Huh?!" She lifted her head blankly and blinked, then looked down at the spellbook, finally coming to her senses. "I... I was thinking about a magic problem."
"Here, these are the little dried fish the master made." Kokkoro set a paper bag giving off a meaty aroma down onto the spellbook. "I hope the kitties will like them."
"Oh, thanks." Kyaru stiffly put away the dried fish and went on holding the spellbook, staring off into space.
She had actually thought of a method that wouldn't arouse suspicion and that Kokkoro wouldn't refuse, but she was still hesitating, unsure whether what she was doing was right at all.
After hesitating for a long while, she still decided to use the excuse of feeding cats together to bring Kokkoro to see His Majesty. If she didn't act according to His Majesty's wishes, it might invite even greater trouble.
Maybe His Majesty just wanted to know the true purpose of that commission—after asking clearly, he would let Kokkoro go back. Besides, His Majesty had promised her that her life would not be in danger.
Setting the spellbook aside, Kyaru stood up and extended an invitation to her: "Kokkoro, do you want to come feed cats with me?"
"Me?" At that moment Kokkoro was studying the cuisine of Another World together with Jhin. Hearing the invitation, she opened her little mouth in surprise, doubting whether she'd heard wrong—after all, Kyaru had never invited anyone else to feed cats.
"Ah... mm, lately those little ones have been a bit naughty, and I can't manage them all by myself. You're an elf of the Friend to Animals, aren't you? You shouldn't scare them off."
Since she had so rarely taken the initiative to invite her, Kokkoro turned back in delighted surprise to ask Jhin: "Master, may I go feed cats with her first?"
"Of course, no problem. We'll continue studying once you two come back from feeding the cats."
"Kyaru, wait for me just a moment!"
"Okay."
Kokkoro washed her hands clean, took off her kitchen apron, and ran into the bedroom to change, her slippers making a "pitter-patter" sound. Since she was at home, she'd been wearing the loose short-sleeved top Jhin had provided—simple and refreshing—but to go out and feed cats she had to change clothes.
It didn't take her long to come out of the bedroom. "Let's set off."
"Mm."
"Should I bring along some extra meeting gifts for them?"
"No need. Jhin's dried fish will do."
The two went out together. Jhin, having nothing to do for the moment, walked over to the big iron pot that nearly had a "For Megumin's Exclusive Use" label slapped on it and poured himself a cup of cola, then added ice and took a satisfying sip.
Before long, Pecorine—who had taken the chuunibyou mage out for her daily Explosion—came back carrying her on her back.
"Jhin! Get me a cup of cola, quick!"
Before the person had even entered the house, Megumin's voice had already run in ahead of her. She was now living the blissful life of an immortal—casting [Explosion magic] every day and then drinking her happy water—her sense of fulfillment maxed out.
Pecorine carried her into the house, saw the ingredients laid out on the stovetop, and turned her head around in puzzlement to look around. "Huh, where are Kokkoro and Kyaru?"
"They went out to feed cats."
"Kyaru actually invited someone else to feed cats with her—how nice. I want to go feed the kitties too."
"Just ask her when she gets back. Maybe she'll agree right away."
"That makes sense!"
On the other side, Kyaru walked ahead leading the way with a nervous heart, not saying anything to Kokkoro.
Kokkoro simply assumed she was anxious to go feed cats, which was why she stayed silent and hurried along. After they arrived at the Royal Castle Park, she couldn't hold back and asked: "Kyaru, do you usually feed cats here in the park?"
"Not in a lively place like this. Too many people would scare them, so I usually feed them in a very secluded corner."
"I see."
"Mm."
"..."
A trip that originally needed only ten-odd minutes—Kyaru deliberately led Kokkoro winding back and forth through the park for half an hour. A sense of unease coming from who-knows-where kept her from ever arriving at the cat-feeding spot.
"Kyaru, this is already the third time we've passed this flower bed. Are you looking for something?"
"Huh? Oh... that's right, I'm looking for... looking for that naughty one that's usually around this area. It should be waiting obediently for me over there today." With her back to Kokkoro, Kyaru took a deep breath. "Let's keep walking. We're only a minute or two away."
"Okay."
Kokkoro only felt that she was acting a little strange today, and assumed she was fretting over a disobedient cat, so she didn't think much of it and followed her to a crumbling wall.
What puzzled her was that there was no cat waiting here.
Would all the kitties come running out if Kyaru gave a call?
"Kya—"
"Squelch!"
The sound of a sharp object piercing through flesh came from behind her. Kyaru's pupils suddenly contracted as she twisted her head around to look.
A bizarre creature she had never seen before had pierced Kokkoro's slender body with its dim-purple, eye-studded, razor-sharp tail blade. A great mass of black mist surged from the monster's body, forming a translucent crystal that sealed her within it.
And that monster had burrowed its way out of the body of a silver-long-haired beastfolk. Kyaru gazed at her, and at her sealed companion, and asked in a trembling, disbelieving voice: "Your... Your Majesty, didn't... didn't you say you'd spare her life?"
The silver-haired beastfolk she called "His Majesty" sneered: "She's not dead, is she? What—do you think I did something wrong?"
"But... but..."
But this way... how am I supposed to explain it to everyone else...
As though she'd lost her soul, Kyaru sank weakly to her knees on the ground, the emotion called "guilt" gradually taking hold of her heart.
His Majesty walked up in front of Kyaru. The black mist condensed into a beast's claw that clamped around her snow-white, slender neck and lifted her up on the spot, then slowly increased the pressure.
Kyaru came back to her senses, kicking her legs wildly in the air. She raised a hand trying to grab the beast's claw, but her palm passed straight through it. The suffocation made her heart pound violently, as if in the next second it would burst out of her chest.
Her eyeballs gradually filled with bloodshot streaks, her vision growing blurry and indistinct, a low, hoarse whimper squeezing out from her throat—until a photograph, dislodged by her struggling, flew out from her close-fitting pocket and caught His Majesty's attention. Only then was Kyaru flung to the ground like a piece of trash.
____
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