Beep!-Beep!-Beep!-Bee….
Kiyono Inori reached out from under the covers and slapped the alarm off, planning to doze a little longer before getting up.
The time was 7:20 a.m.
Compared to high schools back in Shenzhou, life at a Far East high school was practically leisurely. Classes usually started around 8:30, and school let out directly around 4:00 in the afternoon.
What was more, she attended the famously lax and free-spirited Hanasakigawa Girls' Academy.
Under normal circumstances, she would snooze until around 7:40, then wash up, get dressed, and drag herself unwillingly toward school. Sometimes she would be late, but being late hardly mattered.
After all, as long as your grades met the standard, Hanasakigawa did not care much about skipping classes.
But today, Kiyono Inori did not fall back asleep.
On one hand, the Cat System had sent a flood of messages, lines of text scrolling endlessly across her vision. On the other, when she turned over, her calf pressed down on something warm and fluffy.
[Limited-Time Mission Completed.]
[Elysia Cat successfully stopped the battle between the Magical Girl and the Monster Executive, and successfully saved Tokyo City's Gas Safety Inspection Department. Congratulations!]
[Reward: Cat Biscuits +800]
[Due to Elysia Cat's outstanding performance, additional rewards have been granted. Settlement details below.]
[Elysia Cat inflicted mental damage on Magical Girl: Pure White, gaining an additional 100 Cat Biscuits.]
[Elysia Cat defeated Monster Executive: Ratty, gaining an additional 300 Cat Biscuits.]
[Elysia Cat dealt overflow damage exceeding 3000 percent of the target's HP during combat. First kill of a unit from the mysterious side. Achievement unlocked: "Mysterious Killer."]
[Mysterious Killer]
[The equipped unit gains Mysterious Special Attack. Against targets judged to be mysterious, deal an additional 6.66 percent true damage.]
[Whether special attack applies depends on the equipped unit's understanding and perception of the target. If the equipped unit thinks a trash can is mysterious, it can even deal special attack damage to a trash can.]
A golden, glittering achievement unlocked!
Still half-asleep, Kiyono Inori instantly woke up when she saw the ornate, beautifully patterned new achievement displayed in the Cat System. Well done, Elysia Cat!
Even though she had no idea what an extra six-point-something percent true damage actually meant, just looking at the achievement's appearance made it clear that this was a big deal, a high-rarity achievement for sure.
The only thing worth complaining about was how subtle the judgment range seemed to be. The higher your education, the narrower the range of what counted as "mysterious." If you knew absolutely nothing, it might even turn into a universal special attack against everything.
Which raised an important question.
Where was she supposed to find a cat who had dropped out of elementary school, was absurdly strong, and could fully make use of that true damage bonus?
Kiyono Inori lifted the blanket and saw Elysia Cat crawling around inside the covers like some sort of shadowy creature. The bed was filled with the scent of flowers, Elysia Cat's natural fragrance, completely overpowering her body wash and laundry detergent.
"!"
Having been discovered, Elysia Cat immediately curled up into a ball, disguising herself as a long, creamy little bread roll.
A sharp stress mark popped up over Kiyono Inori's head.
She pinched the loose skin at the back of Elysia Cat's neck between her thumb and forefinger, lifted her up, and held her at eye level. Elysia Cat let out a pitiful little meow.
"Good morning, Elysia."
Kiyono Inori carefully examined the outrageously adorable cat, though her words were anything but gentle. "I would like to know why you crawled into my bed."
"Meow, meow meow?!"
Elysia Cat said nothing, only continued to meow insistently.
"Elysia, I know you're still in there," Kiyono Inori said. "Do not pretend your soul has already gone back to your world. Normal cats do not meow like that with a question mark."
"Ah…"
Elysia Cat froze for a long moment.
"Hehe, it is just that your world is too cold," she said sheepishly. "A little cat like me gets really, really cold outside, so I came to borrow some body heat from Inori-chan, meow?"
"That really is smooth talk, my dear Elysia," Kiyono Inori replied with a cold smile. "Do you need me to build you a warm nest? The outside temperature is over twenty-six degrees."
"I do not need one, meow!" Elysia Cat wiggled a bit. "I think it is very warm here, meow."
"All right, you win." Kiyono Inori's expression turned complicated. "Just remember not to lie on top of me when you sleep. I have bad dreams when you do."
"Got it, meow."
Elysia Cat nodded obediently.
Well… Elysia was just a cat, after all. She could not really do anything. Crawling into bed was just something kittens did, right? Kiyono Inori thought helplessly.
She had originally wanted to stop Elysia Cat from burrowing into her bed, but after thinking it over, it did not really seem like a big deal.
Besides, Elysia Cat had pulled off a major feat overnight.
She had earned 1200 Cat Biscuits for her.
"Elysia, about yesterday…"
"Inori-chan, um…"
In Kiyono Inori's bedroom, the girl and the cat spoke at the same time. The girl sounded casual, while the cat was visibly nervous.
"You go first," Kiyono Inori said.
"Well…" Elysia Cat pointed with her little paw toward the phone on the desk, which was currently charging.
"Wow, you helped me charge my phone?" Kiyono Inori rubbed her eyes, looking genuinely touched. "That is amazing. I really cannot manage without you, my dear Elysia."
This was a lie.
Even though playing with her phone in class was a crucial part of attending Hanasakigawa, she very clearly remembered that her phone had been at ninety-six percent battery before she went to sleep.
But still.
Since Elysia Cat was being so thoughtful, she, as the temporary caretaker, ought to respond properly. Strengthen their bond, boost the motivation of this good kitty, right?
At this moment, the girl had no idea what the truth was.
"Hehe, actually, it is not that," Elysia Cat meowed guiltily. "It is just that when I was playing on your phone yesterday, I accidentally caused a little misunderstanding."
"Hm?"
A question mark popped up over Kiyono Inori's head.
She unlocked her phone and checked her browser history, contacts, email, and so on, but did not find anything strange.
"It is Line, meow," Elysia Cat reminded her quietly.
Kiyono Inori opened Line.
She saw a new chat history with an account named "Eekya★Donuts or Soda."
Sumita Mana.
A friend she had met back in second grade. At the time, elders in the Kiyono family wanted her to learn piano, and she met Sumita Mana at the same music training center.
How should she put it?
They were not particularly close. They had only spent about half a year together before losing touch, and most years they barely met more than once or twice.
To be honest, it was only after seeing Sumita's partner, Hatsuka Misumi, at Hanasakigawa that Kiyono Inori realized, "Oh, so that older sister I knew as a kid was Misumi's partner."
The original story barely gave her any screen time. Inori had not even fully registered her as an anime character back then.
Looking at the chat log, Kiyono Inori quickly pieced together what had happened. Elysia Cat had played with her phone, and because she did not know that Line showed read receipts, she had caused a misunderstanding for Sumita Mana.
"So… what did you talk about on the call?"
Kiyono Inori turned to look at Elysia Cat.
…
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Let me know if I got a name wrong. I know basically nothing about MyGO.