“…Would you like to come in and see the cat at my place?”
At Lina Rosewell’s question, I couldn’t help but tilt my head in confusion.
“Lina, did you always have a cat?”
“Ah, um… no…”
Lina trailed off, her confidence visibly waning.
She glanced up at me, then quickly averted her eyes, mumbling under her breath.
“Y-You could say that, I guess…”
Her cheeks flushed bright red. The way she kept fidgeting made her look feverish.
When I stepped closer to check on her, her entire face turned crimson.
What kind of cat is she hiding to be acting like this?
I pointed to Blackie, sitting nearby, and asked her.
“Is it the same kind as this one?”
“Why don’t you just… come inside?”
Lina opened the door and stepped in first.
I followed her into the house.
“Wait here.”
She left Blackie and me on the sofa in the living room and disappeared into her room.
Sssk, sssk.
The faint sound of fabric brushing against something came from inside.
— Meow!
Blackie, now purring softly, started grooming himself.
It seemed like he felt quite at ease even with Lina around.
Come to think of it, despite his proud appearance, he’s a surprisingly docile creature.
“If I can’t find your owner, maybe I should keep you.”
I muttered to myself, absentmindedly petting him. The little guy rolled over onto his back, showing me his belly.
— Meowww!
“… Should I buy cat food or something?”
What a ridiculous thought. Instead, I should focus on finding his owner.
‘It might seem like a hassle, but…’
For some reason, I had a strong feeling that finding this cat’s owner would play a big role in solving the scenario ‘Witch Hunt.’
Maybe it’s the kind of quest that starts like this:
「(New) Side Quest: Find the Cat’s Owner」
— Return the runaway cat ㅁㅁㅁ to its owner. There’s an inexplicable, suspicious aura surrounding this task.
It looks like just another trivial side quest, but as you progress, it weaves into various parts of the story and suddenly turns out to be critical to the main scenario.
Having played games like Fantasy X Academy before, I had developed a knack for recognizing how important these seemingly minor side quests could be.
‘Whether you complete them well or not often affects the main quest significantly.’
Unexpected connections could be made, a crucial item might be discovered, or an important hint obtained.
With that in mind, it’s only proper to approach such side quests with utmost diligence.
“It’s not like I feel sorry for you or anything, and I’m definitely not doing this because I’m bored.”
— Meow!
The little guy nodded as if he understood me, which earned him a satisfied pat on the head.
And then—
— Click!
At the sound of the door opening, I lifted my head.
Fiery red hair, and green eyes so vivid they seemed to hold emeralds.
Her usually cheerful eyebrows now drooped, giving her a hesitant, almost teary expression.
The way her blushing cheeks and flushed ears mirrored the color of her hair only added to her shy demeanor.
But above all, the cat-like ears on her head completed Lina’s overall impression in an instant.
Oh. And she has a tail too.
Lowering her head, she cautiously walked toward me in tiny steps. Once she stood in front of me, she glanced up with a quick look—
— Swish!
And immediately bowed her head again.
“?”
It’s not just me, right? Anyone would find this situation hard to comprehend.
Lina quietly fidgeted with her hands, clasped in front of her stomach.
“Lina. Where’s the cat?”
Lina approached me as I asked her my question, leaning in to whisper in my ear.
“N-Nyah… Nyah.”
The sudden, sweet sound of her voice sent shivers down my spine, a tingling sensation that coursed through my body. My pulse quickened, leaving me slightly flustered—no, wait, what am I even thinking?
“Lina, hold on a sec…”
While I tried to regain my composure from the unexpected attack—
“No! I worked hard to prepare for this!”
Lina pressed herself even closer to me. Her bare, pale legs, exposed by her high-cut shorts, moved between my thighs.
And that tail… where is it even connected?
My thoughts spiraled into a chaotic mess.
Which is probably why I failed to notice Lina’s face inching closer.
She grabbed my hand, guiding it to her neck as she murmured.
“Danya did it. Silvia did too, so…”
“How do you even know about that—”
“I asked them.”
“I doubt they’d answer you.”
“They’re shy. Just asking, ‘Did you do it with Ian?’ was enough to tell.”
Oh.
It wasn’t hard to imagine Danya blushing and snapping back, or Silvia deflecting by pretending to focus on her work.
Good grief.
Lina began to press my hand firmly against her neck.
— Gulp
I could vividly feel the movement of her throat. Lina, struggling to keep her composure, spoke hesitantly.
“T-Today…”
“Huh?”
“Use something other than your fingers to fill my throat… Master.”
With that, Lina slipped out of my hand and dropped to her knees in front of the sofa.
Without hesitation, she leaned toward my lower half.
“Lina, snap out of it—!”
I reached to grab her shoulders, but—
— Thwack!
My arm froze, bound by something as if caught mid-motion.
What the—?
Turning to look, I saw tentacles from the Occult Research Club restraining my arm.
‘Damn it, Lupina must’ve sold her this thing!’
Did Lina really buy those tentacles off her?
If this keeps up, I’ll be defenseless.
Not that I couldn’t deal with these grabby or clingy things, but…
‘They’re expensive; it’d be a waste to destroy them.’
The stingy side of me hesitated.
And in that moment, Lina managed to pull down my lower garments.
“Haaah… it’s so big… ♥”
A long, dark shadow stretched across her flushed face.
As she gulped audibly—
— Meowww!
Blackie lunged at Lina with incredible speed, faster than my eyes could follow.
“Ah!”
Lina, startled, fell backward, yelping as she landed awkwardly.
“W-What’s with you!”
She flailed, trying to pull Blackie off her face, but the cat dodged her hands effortlessly.
‘Impressive.’
Even I was silently awed by his agile movements.
Whoosh, swoosh—!
Blackie wasn’t just a black cat; he might’ve been one of the elite among all feline species.
“Please, I need to eat Ian today, kitty…!”
Eat me?
What am I, a meal?
Before I could voice my objection, Blackie took over, his nimble moves conveying my sentiments.
Slipping out of Lina’s grasp, he climbed onto her back.
Then, with precision, he delivered a cat punch right to her backside.
— Slap!
“Ahh!”
Lina let out a sharp cry as the loud slap echoed through the room.
That move—truly the work of a master.
I watched in awe as Lina, lying on her back, reached out for Blackie once more.
— Swish!
But the little guy leapt high into the air, gracefully twisting his body to avoid her grasp.
Upon landing, he wasted no time.
— Slap! Slap!
Blackie delivered firm, decisive paw punches to Lina’s chest.
First the left, then the right—was she supposed to offer the other side after the first one got hit?
“Hnnngh… haah!”
Lina’s ragged breaths escaped her lips as she clutched her chest and flipped over onto her stomach.
Without hesitation, Blackie climbed onto her back.
And then—
“No way…!”
I couldn’t help but exclaim as I witnessed the scene.
Blackie raised his tail high, like a whip ready to strike.
And just as I predicted—
— Snap! Slaaap!
The resounding sound of the strike filled the room.
Could a cat’s tail really make such a sharp, satisfying noise?
“Hyaaah… too roughhh♥”
And with that, Lina was utterly defeated.
Her body trembled before collapsing limply onto the floor.
— Ssshhh.
With her losing consciousness, the tentacles binding me loosened and disappeared.
“Phew.”
I sighed, freeing my arms. This wasn’t the first time I’d been restrained by these cursed things.
Shaking my wrists, I quickly moved to sort out Lina and Blackie.
Blackie, as usual, casually climbed onto my shoulder, his calm demeanor unshaken.
Meanwhile, I lifted Lina and gently laid her on her bed. She let out soft, shallow breaths, seemingly satisfied in her sleep.
“Mmm…”
She stirred slightly before opening her eyes. Weakly, she offered an apology.
“… Sorry, Ian. I don’t know what came over me just now.”
“It’s fine. More importantly…”
I got straight to the point.
“How did you know I’d come looking for a cat?”
“… Originally, I was just going to ask if you wanted to come over to see a cat.”
“Okay.”
“But then you mentioned looking for one, so I thought it was the perfect timing…”
Ah, so that’s how it was. The right opportunity, seized by someone prepared.
I suppose that’s what this was.
“Get some rest.”
As I turned to leave—
“Hey, Ian.”
“Yeah?”
“I’m really sorry.”
“It’s fine. It wasn’t a big deal.”
“… Okay.”
Lina lowered her head dejectedly but then seemed to remember something.
“Oh, and if you’re looking for information about the cat…”
“Yeah?”
“I heard recently that Danya has gotten friendly with one.”
Hmm. That’s interesting.
This little quest seems to be inching closer to its conclusion.
◆
— Knock, knock.
At Danya’s dorm, there was no sign of life.
Was no one home?
Her usual routine involved either her club activities or her dorm.
‘Come to think of it, I haven’t seen Danya in quite a while.’
Not since she ran off after that encounter with Silvia.
An uneasy feeling crept over me.
“I’m coming in, Danya.”
With a simple spell, I unlocked the door and stepped inside.
And then, I realized it.
Danya was missing.
