"Hmm? This person…"
The elegant girl with a noble air gave Inaba Tsukiyo a bad feeling; the way she looked at her was like a hunter seeing prey.
After glancing at Inaba Tsukiyo and Yoshino, she ignored them and turned to play with the surrounding cats.
She seemed to really like cats; the smile she showed while playing with them was genuine.
Turning around, Yoshino had already been attracted by the rabbits in the store.
At this moment, a rabbit was holding its carrot, nibbling it in small bites, and merely tilted its head at Yoshino's appearance.
The little rabbit's confused look made Yoshino's eyes light up. She reached out to pet it but then nervously pulled her hand back.
Seeing Yoshino's happy expression, Inaba Tsukiyo also walked towards these small Animals.
However, as she approached the Animal, both the small Animals outside and those in cages sensed a terrifying aura approaching.
All the Animals instantly looked at Inaba Tsukiyo. Although Inaba Tsukiyo had a harmless expression, they seemed to perceive a terrifying figure behind Inaba Tsukiyo.
This terrifying figure was also a rabbit, but a giant one, with crimson eyes and sharp fangs, causing many Animals to whimper in fear.
(fuhai: For some reason, it reminds me of the rabbit doll from Five Nights at Freddy's 4. That terrible game is truly scary and hard to play.)
The Animals' unusual behavior attracted the shop assistant, who was puzzled why the Animals, even the usually quiet ones, were acting this way.
"…"
Faced with such a scene, Inaba Tsukiyo fell silent.
Although she had known this would happen, knowing and facing it were two different things.
Especially in a place with so many small Animals, their whimpers were like needles, piercing her heart, making her feel pain with every breath.
Why? Why was it like this?
She was a girl now, and when she couldn't see before, she didn't feel anything when these Animals distanced themselves.
But now that she could see, seeing these creatures avoid her as if she were a plague god, even she felt very uncomfortable.
"Oh dear~ It seems this young lady isn't very popular with Animals."
At this, a voice, half gloating and half curious, came from behind her.
Turning around, she saw the girl who had been happily playing with the cats now standing before Inaba Tsukiyo.
This girl was holding a white cat in her arms, had a black cat perched on her head, and many cats were following her by her legs.
It felt as if she was beloved by these cats; how infuriating!
Was she showing off to her? Was she showing off how much Animals liked her?
Damn it! This girl… she wanted to cut her! She wanted to tie her to a cross, tie her to an iron maiden full of feathers, and make her suffer torment!
"Uh… please don't emit such a terrifying aura. I meant no harm."
The other party seemed startled by the aura Inaba Tsukiyo was emitting, let out a few soft laughs, and extended the white cat she was holding.
"If you don't mind, how about trying to get along with this one first? This one is quite affectionate with people; as long as you're gentle, it'll be very clingy."
In an instant, the suffocating aura vanished. Inaba Tsukiyo couldn't help but open her eyes, looking at the white cat before her.
"Can I really?"
Tremblingly, Inaba Tsukiyo reached out her hands, a little afraid that the moment she took the cat, it might scratch her face.
Getting her face scratched wasn't the main issue; it was the blow of being rejected by the cat that might leave her unable to move for days.
"Try it."
Under the encouraging gazes of the other party and Yoshino, Inaba Tsukiyo swallowed, taking the cat from the other's hands.
The white cat was a little scared at first, but upon realizing Inaba Tsukiyo wouldn't harm it, it let out a cute meow, stood up, and licked Inaba Tsukiyo's cheek.
"So… so ticklish. You rascal, are you this fond of cuddling?"
The cat's tongue has small, backward-growing papillae, which make its tongue appear spiky.
The tongue is the cat's greatest asset, much like human hands.
Although it was a bit bothersome, this was the first time Inaba Tsukiyo had been treated so intimately by a cat. This unusual feeling must have been gratitude.
"You're such a good person."
Holding the white cat, Inaba Tsukiyo unhesitatingly gave the girl a 'good person' card, which made the girl laugh awkwardly a few times.
Seeing how happily Inaba Tsukiyo was getting along with the white cat, the girl's smile softened considerably.
She was a girl who loved cats very much, and she would spend a lot of time at this pet store or go to cat cafes. Being accompanied by cats could eliminate all her fatigue.
Therefore, the girl firmly believed in one thing: people who like cats are definitely not bad people.
Using the cat as a bond, Inaba Tsukiyo and the girl started chatting, and Inaba Tsukiyo learned that the girl's name was Tokisaki Kurumi.
Well, Tokisaki Kurumi, with the number three in her name, and the girl's left eye hidden by her hair—this hint was already very obvious.
(fuhai: If you don't want your eyes, donate them to someone who needs them.)
"Why does Tsukiyo-chan speak with such an elder's tone? She's clearly just a thirteen or fourteen-year-old girl, so why does she speak this way?"
"Uh... maybe it's because I've experienced a lot. And don't you think this persona suits me? A dignified Little Loli or something."
"Calling yourself a dignified Little Loli isn't exactly a dignified thing to do, Tsukiyo-chan."
Kurumi wiped the cold sweat from her forehead. She had thought Inaba Tsukiyo was a very serious person, but only after chatting did she realize that Inaba Tsukiyo also had her flighty moments.
Initially, Kurumi addressed Inaba Tsukiyo as Miss Inaba, but Inaba Tsukiyo directly told her she didn't like such a formal address and asked her to use Tsukiyo-chan instead.
Now she was saying her persona was a dignified Little Loli? Was she making fun of herself? Or something else?
"Not at all... Look at those characters in games who have been gender-bent. I remember in a certain ship-girl game, there was a ship named Elizabeth. Wasn't she a dignified Little Loli?"
"...Tsukiyo-chan, are you sure you've really played that game?"
Kurumi was silent for a moment, somewhat doubting whether Inaba Tsukiyo had actually played that game.
For certain reasons, Kurumi could slack off even if she wasn't doing anything.
She had played the game Inaba Tsukiyo mentioned and already had many married ships, including Elizabeth.
(fuhai: I remember there's a picture of Kurumi playing a game. But this picture will definitely be banned, so I won't post it.)
But this Elizabeth was not as dignified as Inaba Tsukiyo claimed. When it came to dignity, she felt that Big Brother (Prince of Wales) was more dignified than Elizabeth.
"...No, I just thought this warship was named after a queen, so I thought it was very powerful."
"Honestly, to guess someone's personality just by their name. Your behavior, Tsukiyo-chan, is like judging the appearance and personality of historical figures based on historical records."
"Like King Arthur was a Boy, Alexander the Conqueror was actually a shorty of 1.6 meters, Lancelot was actually a wife-lover, a certain Vampire who was hundreds of years old thought he was very dignified, a certain old woman whose age was unknown kept insisting she was seventeen..."
"..."
Kurumi's words somehow felt very significant. Did she know what she was saying?
As Kurumi uttered the words'seventeen-year-old old woman,' she suddenly felt a chill.
In a daze, she felt herself transported to a strange space, surrounded by countless dense eyes, all staring at her.
As she tried to escape, a severe sense of weightlessness suddenly came over her, making Kurumi feel as if she were in free fall.
"Hey, what's wrong with you, Kurumi? Why did you suddenly stop talking?"
Inaba Tsukiyo's voice brought Kurumi back from her dazed state.
After checking that she had returned to the real world, Kurumi nervously wiped the cold sweat from her forehead.
Why? She had seen so many posts on the internet mocking the seventeen-year-old old woman before, and those people were fine. Why did she only make a light remark and see such a scene?
Could that seventeen-year-old old woman be an ancient god? Even without mentioning her name, why did she have such a strange reaction?
In a corner unnoticed by Kurumi and Inaba Tsukiyo, a small crack in space suddenly opened. It lingered for a moment, then disappeared.
After playing at the pet store for a while, the three of them left.
Yoshino and Inaba Tsukiyo were not suitable for keeping pets, and Kurumi also seemed to lack the time to care for them, so none of them bought an Animal.
However, the three of them became quite chatty, and even Yoshino would softly chime in with a few words.
"I'm sorry, Tsukiyo-chan. I still have some things to take care of. Let's hang out again when we have time."
Having exchanged phone numbers, they would definitely meet again in the future.
No, they would absolutely meet again, after all, Kurumi was approaching her for a certain purpose, which was to gain something from Inaba Tsukiyo.
Inaba Tsukiyo saw through Kurumi's little scheme, but she didn't expose it.
No matter what Kurumi wanted to do to her, she knew that Kurumi was not a bad person. She might do bad things, but she was definitely not the type of character like a Demon King.
If Kurumi needed help, Inaba Tsukiyo would step in.
After bidding farewell to Kurumi, the sun had already set, and the evening sky looked as if it had been burned by fire.
"By the way, I wonder how Shiori and Tohka are doing now? Did Shiori successfully capture Tohka?"
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