“So now you meow?” said Rintaro, with a sigh of defeat.
*
Girl, boy, and cat made their way down the center aisle with its giant towering bookcases on either side. The tabby took the lead, followed by Sayo, and Rintaro took up the rear. The cat stepped silently, Sayo had a light spring to her step, but Rintaro practically trudged.
“Sayo, you really ought to turn back.”
Sayo turned and glowered at Rintaro.
“What? So you’re the only one who can go on fantastic adventures with a talking cat?”
“Fantastic adventures . . . ?”
Rintaro tried again—this time with a little more trepidation.
“There’s no need for you to get involved in this stuff. It’s dangerous.”
“‘Dangerous’？”
Sayo gave Rintaro a hard look.
“So, Natsuki, you’re telling me to shut up and let a classmate keep putting himself in danger?”
“Well, no. That wasn’t what I meant . . .”
“Which is it? If it’s not dangerous, then it should be no problem for me to go with you. If it is dangerous, then it wouldn’t be a good idea for me to let you walk into it alone. Am I right?”
The phrase “straight as an arrow” was coined to describe Sayo Yuzuki, Rintaro thought. He admired her. Compared with the procrastinating, wishy-washy worrier that was Rintaro, Sayo’s argument was clear and persuasive. A weakling of a shut-in like himself couldn’t even try to oppose her.
“Give it up, Mr. Proprietor,” the cat interceded. “Whichever way you look at it, you’re going to lose the battle.”
“I admit I’m in the weaker position, but I don’t need to hear it from you, seeing as you’re the cause of the whole problem,” Rintaro said.
“Well, I guess you could say that. But she saw me. What can you do?”
The cat was throwing out its usual quick responses, but it didn’t have quite the same energy in its voice as before. It was still rather shaken by what had transpired.
“I can’t see into the future,” it continued. “I would never have guessed this would happen.”
“You always act as if you know what you’re doing, but in fact you’re just winging it, aren’t you?” Rintaro said.
“You were outsmarted by me, Natsuki,” Sayo butted in. “Don’t take it out on the poor kitty.”
“What are you talking about? ‘Take it out on’？”
“Well, aren’t you?”
“I’m worried about getting my class rep mixed up in this bizarre thing. I feel responsible, that’s all.”
“Of course it’d be a big problem if anything happened to me. But it’d be the same if anything happened to you, too, right, Natsuki?”
There was quick-wittedness buried in her seemingly casual tone. Seeing Rintaro tongue-tied, Sayo continued her verbal assault.
“You know, your personality’s not all bad, Natsuki, but I really can’t stand this part of it.”
And with that, she picked up the pace, bravely following the cat farther down the long passageway—the antithesis of Rintaro, for whom every action was done in fear.
The cat came over to him and cocked its head to look up at his face.
“Young love!”
“What are you talking about?”
Just as Rintaro managed to mumble his question, the party finally entered the perimeter of a bright white light.