Elysia Cat tilted her round little head, holding a drink between her paws and slurping noisily through a straw with her tiny triangular cat mouth.
"My dear Elysia… if Mobius ever found out you were using your 'fall asleep and turn into a cat' ability for stuff like this, she would absolutely cry. That power was meant to change the world, you know. And here you are, turning into a cat just to eat snacks. Aren't you being a little too greedy?"
Kiyono Inori stood at the concert venue with a heavy look on her face.
Elysia Cat released the straw from her triangular mouth.
"Hey, hey. I already told you this is for research material. Usually I just sneak a bite or two of snacks. Today is special, okay? Don't take the chance to slander me nonstop."
"I just want to know where all that food is even going. Don't tell me magic cats have two stomachs?"
Kiyono Inori was genuinely curious.
What exactly was the operating principle of a "magic cat" created by the Cat System?
After waking up halfway through the concert, Elysia Cat had inherited all the popcorn and drinks Inori bought earlier.
Logically speaking, the amount she had eaten today already outweighed her original cat body, yet her weight had barely gone up at all.
"I dunno, meow?"
Elysia Cat took a sip of cola.
"When I was a cat before, I'd get hungry too, but just a little food would fill me up. Now I eat tons and tons and I'm still hungry. It's weird, meow. It's like a baby growing up or something."
Kiyono Inori froze.
Wait.
She suddenly thought of a possibility.
"When exactly did this start?"
She asked cautiously. All she knew was that the leftovers and snacks in the fridge had been disappearing at an alarming rate lately.
"Hmm, probably a few days ago, around when Inori-chan got back from the hospital, meow. Whenever I turn into a cat, I just really want to eat."
Elysia Cat blinked her eyes pitifully.
"Inori-chan, when you turn into a cat someday, I'll treat you to lots and lots of yummy food too. Don't dislike me, meow."
"…."
Inori thought back.
Discharged from the hospital.
A few days ago.
If she had to point out anything unusual that happened then, it would be her trip to Jarilo-VI, where she witnessed Stelle and the Trash Can Legion setting off a ridiculous chain of butterfly effects.
No way that was related. If trash cans were the cause, the whole world would already be doomed.
There was, however, one other thing.
Around that time, she had used the "Savior Bucket No. 360" to complete a round of calculations with the Emperor's Scepter. The Cat System's processing power had improved, and it seemed to unlock something called "Cat Raising Mode."
Log entries scrolled past her vision.
"Pink Fairy Miss has defeated Strawberry Shortcake x1. Experience increased slightly."
"Pink Fairy Miss has defeated Strawberry Shortcake x1. Experience increased slightly."
"…."
"Pink Fairy Miss has defeated Popcorn x99. Experience increased slightly."
"Pink Fairy Miss has defeated Cola x1. Experience increased slightly."
"Hiss…"
As she flipped through the Cat System's logs, Inori sucked in a sharp breath.
She had originally raised both Elysia and Stelle to Level 4, but now Elysia was nearly maxing out her experience bar just by eating snacks.
Thinking that far, Inori pulled out a piece of chocolate from her pocket.
It was from Sumita Mana.
"Wow. Inori-chan, I love you the most, meow!"
Faced with her beautiful owner's offering, Elysia Cat let out happy little meows of affection.
"Pink Fairy Miss has defeated Filled Chocolate x1. Experience increased slightly."
Hold on a second.
This was ridiculous.
One simulation of the Emperor's Scepter was equivalent to thousands of years of accumulated rewards just to get two cats to Level 4, and now you were telling her that the pink piggy cat could eat her way to Level 5?
Inori immediately queried the Cat System.
Cat System: "Uh, theoretically you need travel experiences, adventure records, and roaming guides to level up. But you know how it is. Once something is only 'theoretical,' theory stops meaning much."
Inori: "Stop dumping walls of text straight into my head. Just tell me one thing. Can Stelle level up by eating too?"
Cat System: "High-quality answer. I don't know. Simply put, it might be a runtime bug, or a bug from when I constructed the cat body. Either way, theoretically it shouldn't work."
Inori: "When is this bug getting fixed?"
Cat System: "I don't know. But hey, everything still runs fine right now. Don't bother fixing bugs. The more you fix, the more bugs appear, and if the system breaks, that would be bad."
Inori stared blankly.
Leveling up just by eating.
She didn't even know what levels were actually for, since they didn't seem tied to combat strength, but this pink piggy cat was absurdly lucky.
"Inori-chan! Why did you steal my cola, meow!"
Inori suddenly snatched the drink from Elysia Cat's paws.
"My dear Elysia, three to four meals a day is the limit. Any more and we won't be able to afford feeding you. I'll drink this cola instead."
"Hmmmmm."
Elysia Cat purred.
"Split it, meow. One sip for me, one sip for Inori-chan."
"Elysia, levels gained from eating won't truly become yours unless you stabilize them properly. Don't become dependent on it."
By the time she finished speaking, the cola was already gone.
She had her reasons.
Even if there was an abnormal leveling mechanism, she needed to restrain Elysia Cat. More importantly, she needed to set a good example.
If Elysia Cat abused a bug without restraint, and if Stelle Cat also had a bug like "gain experience by digging through trash" or "gain experience by hoarding garbage," then things would spiral out of control fast.
She needed to confirm whether Stelle Cat had a bug at all. And if she did, what kind of bug it was. Only if Stelle's bug was harmless could Elysia Cat be allowed to snack freely.
Otherwise…
Elysia Cat attacking snacks was one thing.
Stelle Cat building a mountain of trash at home was another image entirely, and not one she wanted to imagine.
Until everything was confirmed, the cats' bugs had to be kept on a leash.
Outside the Concert Venue. A Dark Corner.
Influenced by Uika's Stand, Weather Forecast, this rain was determined to dump ten plus hours of steady Tokyo drizzle all at once during the concert.
It was pouring.
So hard that the cheap plastic umbrellas the freaks bought from convenience stores barely lasted three seconds.
Rooster genuinely cared about his subordinates.
Seeing them struggle, he allowed them to retreat, while he himself stubbornly remained at the center of the formation, lying in wait.
"Cough… cough…"
Soaked through, Rooster was already showing signs of catching a cold.
"Boss… if this keeps up, I'm worried. Maybe you should come take shelter with us?"
A fan-type freak braved the rain to persuade him.
"No need to say more. I've made up my mind. This plan to avenge Ratty cannot fail. How could I retreat over a bit of rain?"
His eyes shone with determination.
"Boss…!"
The fan freak looked at him with admiration.
As a freak executive, Rooster firmly believed that Ratty's final plan combined with Auntie's strategy could not be so simple. Even this rain was probably part of the freak tacticians' grand design. Retreating now might delay the perfect timing.
"Cough, cough, cough."
Rooster hacked again.
What he didn't notice was the fanatic holding an umbrella behind him, wearing an expression just as resolute as his own.
Sumimi's performance was scheduled to last about an hour.
Only thirty minutes had passed. If their beloved boss stayed out in the rain until the end, he would probably end up hospitalized with a severe illness.
The fanatic freak squad clenched their fists.
They had to end this concert early.
Inside the Concert Hall
"Without anyone noticing,"
"Something precious slips away…"
Five-time national singing champion, the undisputed queen of vocals in the band scene, Miss Donut sang gently beneath a stage bathed in moonlight.
"She's really impressive…"
Inori sighed in admiration. As an idol, Miss Donut more than lived up to the title. What amazed Inori most was her stamina. After singing this long, she still showed no sign of fatigue.
Inori estimated that if she herself were on stage, singing, dancing, and playing instruments, she would already be in a hospital bed after thirty minutes. A live show burned stamina no less than a full sprint.
"Inori-chan's friend is amazing, meow. Being able to show her true self in front of so many people. Everyone really loves them."
The pink piggy cat watched intently.
On the Mu Continent, elegant classical styles dominated. This lively, cute idol style was rare.
"Elysia, can you sing? I want to hear it."
"Meow? Meow? Meow?"
Elysia responded with a few simple meowed notes.
Inori sighed.
"Dummy, I meant when we get back to your world. Right now all you can sing is meowing. And next time you meow, don't add that little inflection."
"Hmph. Why, meow? Don't you like this voice, Inori-chan?"
The pink piggy cat deliberately added the inflection, clearly having fun.
That was when darkness fell.
Sumita Mana's singing voice, the moonlit stage backdrop, Uika's accompaniment and harmonies, even the ambient lights in the venue. Everything vanished at once. The hall plunged into pitch blackness.
"Whoa. Is this another stage effect?"
"No, it's just a blackout!"
The audience began to murmur, until a loud boom from outside turned doubt into panic.
"That… that was a gas explosion!"
"What? There's no gas at a concert venue. Don't tell me the backstage lounge has a kitchen?"
The crowd buzzed nervously. Those near the edges began running for the emergency exits.
"This is an emergency. This is an emergency. A gas explosion has occurred outside the venue, affecting the lighting system. The incident occurred far from the hall. Emergency power has been activated. Please evacuate in an orderly manner under the emergency lights and beware of stampedes."
The emergency broadcast kicked in.
Inori's eyes sparkled with excitement.
While fans fled, she looked thrilled. This was her first time encountering a freak attack. The Cat System had already fed her the internal surveillance feed.
Yes.
It was definitely freaks.
She saw them pull the main breaker, then trigger an explosion in a sparsely populated area. Surprisingly professional. They hadn't detonated it in the densest crowd.
"Wow, this is Honkai from Inori-chan's world, meow!"
"Relax. Haven't you always wanted to see a magical girl?"
Elysia Cat panicked and wanted to rush over, but Inori quickly held her down. When she met Aoi, the pink piggy cat had been asleep, so she didn't know there was a real magical girl around.
Sure enough, once most of the crowd had cleared.
Whoosh.
A flash of pink light streaked across the hall, turning into a red meteor that shot toward the explosion site.
"Did you see that?"
"I did, meow. A pink-haired girl. Should we follow and help her, meow?"
Owner and cat exchanged the same excited look.
The magical girl moved incredibly fast, but not fast enough to escape their eyes. They both got a clear look at her.
Waist-length pink hair tied in a side ponytail. A short skirt in white and pink tones. Classic gloves and boots. White thigh-high socks with subtle cherry blossom patterns.
The only thing that didn't feel "magical girl" was the steel plate on her chest. At that point, it was genuinely hard to tell her gender.
"Let's go."
Command issued. Data fully selected.
For safety reasons, the Emperor's Scepter couldn't be used outwardly. But using it on herself, or pulling others inside, was still possible. Inori classified herself and Elysia Cat under the Administrator Safety Protocol.
In simple terms, even if she accidentally got herself killed, she could retry. Elysia Cat's strength was a bonus. The real purpose was to protect Inori.
After only a few steps, both of them stopped.
Another familiar presence appeared inside the venue. A second magical girl.
Unlike the pink-haired steel-plated one, this one was cautious. She chose to transform inside a backstage room.
Inori: Which magical girl are you going to watch?
Elysia: I'll go after the pink-haired one. Inori-chan, you go find the backstage magical girl. Make friends with her, okay? Then I can meet her too, meow.
One second of eye contact was all it took. Just as they were about to split up, another disturbance appeared.
This one felt completely different from a magical girl.
Inori froze.
She recognized this wave instantly. When she encountered Toyokawa Sakiko and World, Misumi Hatsune and White Snake, that same presence appeared when their Stands manifested.
Wait.
There's another heavyweight here?
Was Sumimi's concert really about to turn into a battlefield for magical girls, Stand users, and freak executives all at once?
…
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Let me know if I got a name wrong. I know basically nothing about MyGO.