"Meow meow meow~"
Ruri crouched down halfway to communicate with the stray cat.
Even though there were no other tourists around, the rapid flush spreading across the girl's pink-and-white pretty face was clearly visible.
Sora stopped in his tracks. He didn't rashly step forward to interrupt. Instead, he opened his backpack, took out a cat treat, and handed it over.
The rest was simple.
Ruri was now the 'Witch of Cats', and with the cat treat paving the way, the tuxedo cat soon called over several stray cats. After eating the canned food and treats, they officially became working cats.
"There's a bench over there. Shall we go rest for a bit?"
Sora pointed to a wooden bench not far away.
"Okay..."
Ruri wiped the sweat from her forehead, blushing as she agreed.
Having found the working cats, the rest was naturally left to them. They just needed to sit and wait for news.
"I'm a bit thirsty. What kind of drink would Ruri-san like?"
There were two vending machines next to the bench. Sora looked at Kuroneko as he inserted coins.
"I-I'm not thirsty..."
Ruri subconsciously refused, but regretted it as soon as the words left her mouth.
Although I don't want to cause trouble for Sora-kun, I really am thirsty... I'll definitely be too embarrassed to buy a drink later!
"Let me change the question." Sora's gaze swept over the vending machine. "Green apple juice, green tea, and orange juice. What would Ruri-san like to drink?"
Ruri: "..."
A moment later.
Sora walked over holding two bottles of drinks and sat down. He handed a bottle of green apple juice to Kuroneko:
"Here."
"Thank you, Sora-kun..." Ruri took the apple juice with both hands, softly expressing her thanks. "I'll give you the money in a bit."
Sora unscrewed the cap and tilted his head back to take two sips of green plum green tea. "Ruri-san said before that we're going to be a party for life, right? So there's no need to be so polite. Next time we take a commission, you can buy me a drink."
"...I'll remember that."
Ruri nodded earnestly in agreement.
A moment later.
Seeing Kuroneko gripping the drink bottle motionlessly, her teeth biting her lower lip with a look of embarrassment, Sora raised an eyebrow in confusion:
"Are you really not thirsty?"
"I..." Ruri's pretty face flushed red, and she shamefully lowered her head. "I used up too much magic power last night... the bottle cap... I can't unscrew it..."
Stop making excuses. You can't unscrew it because you can't unscrew it. It has absolutely nothing to do with using up too much magic power, alright!
Sora silently took the drink bottle from her, unscrewed it, and handed it back.
"Thank you, Sora..."
Ruri, blushing, thanked him softly. She held the drink bottle with both hands and took a small sip.
The cool, sweet juice flooded her mouth and slid down her throat. Kuroneko quickly narrowed her eyes in delight.
I don't know if it's an illusion, but I feel like today's drink tastes even better than usual...
Half an hour passed in the blink of an eye.
Two working cats finally emerged from the bushes, meowing non-stop.
"They found something!" Ruri's eyes lit up, and she quickly stood up. "Sora, let's go."
"Let's go."
The two quickly followed the working cats to find the lost British Shorthair from the bounty poster, but a problem soon arose.
The working cats weren't human and had no concept of taking the main path. Relying on their small and agile bodies, they darted straight into the mountain forest. Sora and Ruri had no choice but to follow, stumbling and staggering along.
Fortunately, Mount Takao is a highly developed tourist attraction, so they didn't need to worry about encountering wild beasts, bear traps, pitfalls, or anything of the sort.
"Hah... haah..."
After barely three minutes, the girl's hurried breathing once again sounded in Sora's ears.
Resting for half an hour and climbing for three minutes—Ruri's stamina was once again in critical condition. Her physical fitness was truly concerning.
They stumbled along for a while longer. Ruri finally couldn't hold on anymore. She propped her hands on her knees, panting heavily. However, as her gaze inadvertently swept over a pile of fallen leaves nearby, the girl let out a sudden gasp.
"Ehhh?!"
Ruri abruptly stood up straight and scrambled backward in a panic. Forgetting she was halfway up a mountain, she missed a step and fell straight backward.
"Careful."
Sora was right behind the girl. He spread his arms and caught Ruri, but the impact was too great. He lost his balance as well, and the two tumbled downwards together.
Luckily, there were many trees on the hillside. After rolling for a short bit, they crashed into a tree and came to a halt.
"Hah... haah..."
While breathing heavily, Ruri dizzyingly lifted her head and saw a smear of bright red on Sora's forehead.
"Y-You're bleeding!"
Ruri's voice was tense, and a hazy mist quickly welled up in her eyes.
Sora covered his forehead with his right hand, softly hissing in pain. "No wonder it hurts a bit... Looks like my luck is bad today."
"I'm sorry, it's all my fault..."
Ruri bit her lower lip with her pearly white teeth, apologizing in self-reproach.
Sora exhaled softly. "Help me up first."
"Leave it to me." Ruri hurriedly hugged Sora's arm and helped him up, her eyes full of concern. "Are you very dizzy?"
"Not dizzy, just hurts a bit." Sora stood up. Covering his forehead with one hand, he dusted off his clothes with the other. "What did Ruri-san see just now? Why did you look so frightened?"
"I..." Ruri's pretty face turned slightly pale, her voice tense. "Under that pile of fallen leaves, there was a lump of something that looked like bloody flesh."
Hearing this, Sora raised an eyebrow slightly. "Let's go take a look."
"L-Let's not, right?" Ruri's voice was tense. "Let's go to the community hospital first to clean your wound, Sora-kun."
"Let's look first." Sora said decisively. "If we don't figure it out, you'll definitely toss and turn tonight and won't be able to sleep, right?"
Ruri: "..."
The two quickly returned to their previous location. Sora brushed away the fallen leaves and immediately frowned.
Hidden beneath the fallen leaves was the mangled, bloody body of a cat.
Ruri quickly looked away, not daring to look closer. "...Is someone abusing cats?"
"Looks like it."
Sora's expression was grave.
Ruri whispered, "Let's stop here for today. We won't look for the lost contracted beast anymore. Let's go get you treated first..."
Before she could finish, several meows were heard. Two stray cats emerged, bringing along a dirty British Shorthair. It was precisely the lost cat.
"Great, it delivered itself to our doorstep."
A moment later, Sora covered his forehead while Ruri carried the lost British Shorthair. The two emerged from the woods, returned to the main road, and immediately headed to a medical post for emergency treatment.
The female doctor at the medical post was quite talkative. While cleaning Sora's wound, she asked him how he got injured.
"It's all my fault..."
Ruri bit her lower lip and recounted what had happened in a low voice.
"Well, so you got injured trying to protect your girlfriend." The female doctor pushed up the glasses on the bridge of her nose, an admiring smile appearing on her face. "The boy did well. Boys should step forward in critical moments."
"G-Girlfriend?"
Ruri widened her eyes, her pretty face flushing red at a speed visible to the naked eye.
"Y-You misunderstand!" Ruri hurriedly explained in embarrassment. "We are not dating!"
The smile on the female doctor's face grew even more delighted. "Going out on a date on the weekend, but being too shy to confess and start dating, only sharing occasional glances and touches of the fingertips... This is the true flavor of innocent young love."
Ruri: "..."