Chapter 1 (2/2)

“You turn into a cat when a certain phenomenon occurs.”

Myohan wanted to say no. He was sure he could tell him to stop talking nonsense and go away. If it hadn’t been for the man’s confidence, Myohan would have mocked him and went back home.

“Put that on again. You’ll catch a cold.”

A cool breeze blew. Myohan let out a sigh. He had always had good guts, and today, his guts were signaling danger. Getting stuck with this man was not going to be good, so he decided to run away.

“Well, let us discuss this seriously. We have to find twelve men in total, or, twelve animals, if you prefer it that way. The deadline is before the next year. You must find what changes the twelve zodiac animals into animals and find the twelve.”

Now he was saying ‘you’ instead of ‘us’. Myohan had been feeling it for some time, but this man was used to giving orders than asking. And yes, it was rude, but for some reason, Myohan didn’t feel like objecting to it, probably because his instincts knew the man was his superior.

He tried to make a quick calculation about what would happen if he agreed to help the man and what would happen if he didn’t agree. The former was going to be too much work, but so was the latter. Oh, why he was facing such tremendous hardship?

“Okay, I know that, but I’ve been asking, why do I have to find those twelve animals for ‘you’?”

Yes, drag out as much time as possible. Of course, even that was too much work for Myohan.

“I never said it is for me.”

“Then it’s for me?”

“Yes, almost.”

“Why?”

“Have you ever wondered why you turn into a cat?”

“I can know that if I find them?”

“No.”

Is this man toying with me?

“Well, enough playing.”

“…You can read my mind?”

“You don’t seem to know that what you think plainly shows on your face.”

No, I don’t think so. But the man even noticed that thought and was somewhat surprised. It was the first expression of emotion he showed, so Myohan thought it was somewhat strange.

“You may not find out why you change into a cat, but you will be able to stop turning into a cat.”

The man seemed to be up to having a serious conversation with Myohan. Meanwhile, Myohan didn’t know how much of the truth the man was telling, but he had to listen to him to get out of this predicament.

“And why should I trust you?”

“So suspicious, just like a cat.”

The man kept thinking of Myohan as an animal, even though he had said that Myohan and his kind were humans. Myohan snorted and looked away.

“To doubt the credibility of my story, you should have doubted who I am first.”

“How impatient. I was about to start doubting you.”

“I think it won’t be bad for you. It will be great if you stop turning into a cat, and even if that doesn’t happen, you’ll get some animal friends. Wouldn’t it be nice to know you’re not the only human who turns into an animal?”

“But why does it have to be me?”

“Because you’re a cat.”

Cats were full of doubt. Yes, it was a bit tempting, but it was still suspicious. Myohan crossed his arms and threw his head backwards, making his pale hair dishevel softly. The back of his neck felt cold with the sweat cooling down. But he didn’t wear his hoodie again. He didn’t want to show he was really afraid of catching a cold. Why was this man suddenly messing up Myohan’s life?

“You may think I’m doing this suddenly, but I am not doing this suddenly.”

Did he really read minds?

“I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time, longer than you can ever imagine. This life, this year, the moment when the twelve animals and the cat will gather.”

A corner of Myohan’s lips curled up.

“Do you think speaking like that suddenly will make me pity you?”

The man immediately got rid of his sad face and muttered. Well, it was worth a try.

“It will take at least a month to find each of them. I’m supposed to find the twelve till December when it’s already March?”

“I told you, until February, not December. You can do it.”

“Please don’t say ‘you’.”

Myohan was engulfed in a strange sense of anxiety every time the man said ‘you’, like he was supposed to do it all alone.

“Let’s find the mouse first. You will find him in a week. You can do it.”

The man kept saying ‘you’. Myohan never said ‘okay’ either, but the man seemed to be beliving as he wanted. Myohan wanted to say something in protest, but then he recalled something and looked at his phone in fear. Then he started to run with a speed beyond comparison with when he had run away from the man earlier.

He had forgotten all about it, but he was on his way to school.