"Sora-kun, look at the bounty poster first..."
Ruri quickly sent an internet screenshot.
"How much?!"
Seeing the bounty amount, Sora was instantly shocked.
The missing cat this time was a chubby British Shorthair, and the reward offered reached a staggering 400,000 yen!
Even split between two people, that's 200,000 yen. Many young people fresh out of college don't even earn that much in a month.
Clearly.
The owner of that lost British Shorthair was either very wealthy or deeply loved the cat.
"Have you confirmed the authenticity of the bounty poster?"
Sora quickly calmed down and asked for specific details.
Kuroneko: "Not yet... As soon as I saw the bounty poster and noticed the address was in Tokyo, I told Sora-kun immediately."
"I'll call and ask."
Sora directly dialed the number on the missing cat poster. After confirming the information was correct, he quickly messaged Kuroneko:
"The missing cat poster is confirmed to be accurate, it's not a prank. The British Shorthair hasn't been found by anyone else yet... We can take this commission."
Not being proactive about making money is a problem in ideology.
Earning 200,000 yen in half a day, only an idiot would refuse, alright!
Sora opened a navigation app and quickly planned a route:
"Let's meet at the subway station first, then we'll head to the commission location together."
Kuroneko: "I'm heading out right now."
"..."
Twenty minutes later.
Sora arrived at the agreed-upon subway station and immediately spotted Kuroneko standing in a corner.
At school, Ruri naturally wore her school uniform and didn't stand out. But since it was the weekend, Kuroneko finally changed into her signature Gothic Lolita dress.
The dress was primarily black. Paired with the girl's long black hair, neat bangs, snow-white skin, and faintly discernible cold aura, it inexplicably gave off a chunibyo vibe of someone about to cast dark magic.
"Ruri-san, good afternoon."
Sora walked up to Kuroneko and raised a hand in greeting.
"Good afternoon." Ruri looked up. Seeing the boy in front of her observing her with a subtle gaze, her pretty face flushed slightly, and she quickly crossed her arms over her chest. "Staring at someone is a very rude behavior."
"Sorry, this is the first time I've seen Ruri-san in this form, so I was a bit curious," Sora replied casually. "By the way, this is the image of the anime character 'Queen of Nightmares', right?"
"Eh?" Ruri's eyes suddenly brightened, her voice filled with anticipation. "Sora knows the Queen of Nightmares too?"
Sora nodded. "I watched it when I was a kid. I remember it being a lighthearted children's anime."
"It's not a comedy anime!" Ruri rested her right hand on her forehead and instinctively retorted. "The plot clearly has depth. Only those foolish, ignorant mortals would see it as childish!"
"Yes, yes." Naturally, Sora wasn't going to argue. He suddenly noticed a detail. "Why did the color of Ruri-san's eyes change?"
Their eyes met.
The temperature on Ruri's face rose rapidly, her long eyelashes fluttering shyly:
"Hmph, a mere Sora actually dares to look directly into my [Eyes of the Dark Night] with those mortal eyes. Beware of being cursed... W-Wait a minute!"
Ruri stepped back in a panic, her voice shy:
"Too close, idiot Sora, don't get so close to me!"
"Sorry." Sora took half a step back. "I just saw a bit of impurity in your eyes."
"Eh?"
"Should I take a picture and show you?"
"T-Then fine..."
Sora took out his phone, snapped a photo with a click, and handed it over.
"Damn it..." Looking at herself in the photo, Ruri quickly clenched her small fists. "Cheap color contacts really aren't any good."
No wonder your eye color suddenly changed, you were wearing color contacts!
As they spoke, the subway train roared in, and the two lined up to board.
Half an hour passed in the blink of an eye.
Prompted by Kuroneko, Sora followed the black-haired girl out of the subway.
"This place seems to be... Mount Takao?"
Sora looked around, having a faint impression in his mind: "I remember coming here to play when I was a kid, but it was a long time ago, and I can't remember the specific details."
Mount Takao is a very popular destination for day trips on the outskirts of Tokyo. The mountain isn't high, but the scenery is quite nice, and there are many tourists all year round.
As everyone knows, in a city, those who can live near mountains and water are all wealthy people. No wonder they casually offered a high bounty of 400,000 yen.
"The person who posted the missing cat poster lives in an apartment at the foot of the mountain." Ruri pursed her moist pink lips and looked up. "She said she took the cat to play on the mountain yesterday, but in the time it took her to turn around, the cat disappeared. So, there's a high probability the cat is still on the mountain."
Sora nodded and took out his phone. "Same procedure as before... I'll call that lady again to see if the cat has been found by someone else."
"I'm counting on you, Sora-kun."
"..."
A moment later.
Sora put his phone down. "The other party said the missing cat hasn't been found yet."
Ruri had been eavesdropping on her tiptoes just now. After learning the cat hadn't been found, she was naturally quite happy:
"Then let's get started, shall we?"
Completing the bounty commission on Friday had earned her a massive reward of 100,000 yen. After bringing gifts home, her parents and sisters were all super happy. So, Kuroneko was even more eager to make money now.
"Let's head up the mountain first. The cat food and cat treats we bought before are in my backpack, I brought them all." Sora nodded. "We'll look for stray cats to help while we walk."
There are many ways to go up Mount Takao, such as cable cars, chairlifts, and gentle hiking trails. To find stray cats for help, Sora and Ruri naturally chose to hike up the trail.
"Hah... haah..."
After walking for a short while, the girl's somewhat hurried breathing sounded in his ears.
Sora turned his head to look at the black-haired girl, whose pink lips were slightly parted and who was panting lightly. "Do you want to rest for a bit?"
Clearly, Kuroneko-san's stamina is very poor. She definitely couldn't finish a 1,000-meter run in PE class!
"No need." Ruri clutched her chest with her right hand, trying to regulate her breathing. "We need to find stray cats for help as soon as possible, complete the commission, and go home early. If I go back too late, Mom will worry."
"Then let's keep moving."
"..."
Barely making it halfway up the mountain, Kuroneko's panting became even more hurried, and her forehead was drenched in sweat. Fortunately, hard work paid off. They finally spotted a black-and-white tuxedo cat taking a nap at a resting area.
"...Found one!"
Ruri's eyes lit up, and she quickly stepped forward.
"Meow?!"
The tuxedo cat was clearly very alert. It quickly got up and was about to dart into the woods.
"Meow meow meow~"
Ruri, disregarding her embarrassment, hurriedly opened her mouth and meowed.