The path the black cat pointed out was very strange.
Mori Tsukisa was familiar with this stretch of the street; during the day, it was bustling with people, and most of the camels were tied up here while their owners unloaded cargo, rested with food and drink, or discussed business.
They walked all the way until they almost reached the end, then Bastet touched Mori Tsukisa's ear with her paw pad, signaling the girl to turn.
A narrow dead end.
Posters were plastered on the loess walls on both sides; besides starlets, there were many overlapping advertisements for tobacco and furniture. The further in they went, the cruder and more illegal the posters became.
Mori Tsukisa also caught sight of a few notes written on scrap paper, which vaguely described where to go if your "life was boring" or you "wanted to find some fun"; some were handwritten posters for "smoking products superior to tobacco," stuck to the wall in layers with smelly paste.
Being thicker and newer meant that these guys actually came to update them frequently.
"If you take me somewhere that makes me angry, I'll pull out your whiskers."
Mori Tsukisa wrinkled her nose, thinking this big liar was planning to take an "innocent" and "simple" girl like her to some illegal place.
"Planeswalker, you're so childish." The black cat gave Mori Tsukisa a disdainful look and extended its left front paw, pointing toward the wall at the end of the dead end.
"I'm terrified you'll go around other Worlds badmouthing me." Muttering to herself, Bastet stood up from Mori Tsukisa's shoulder and landed silently. She paced two steps forward, facing Mori Tsukisa directly.
"So, let me show you something new. When you go to other Worlds, remember to praise me—Bastet of this World, Goddess of War, the beautiful Lady Guardian of the Home."
Mori Tsukisa crossed her arms and watched her without speaking.
"Hmph..."
Raising her paw, the black cat began pressing against the wall's surface in what seemed like a pattern, here and there, stopping only after about ten seconds.
"Come here... pick me up! Two more to go!"
Mori Tsukisa stepped forward and lifted Bastet.
"Too high! Lower me a bit. Right, move two steps to the right. Tsk, take a bigger step..."
Crescent-moon-like claws tapped against the earthen wall. From Mori Tsukisa's perspective, she couldn't see any difference in the spots being tapped. However, the black cat was focused, clearly distinguishing the positions. When the final tap finished, a strange sound of gears suddenly rang out.
The yellow adobe wall rippled like the surface of water.
Swish.
"It's too cramped in your arms." The black cat jumped down to the ground from Mori Tsukisa's embrace and turned her head. "Follow me, little Planeswalker."
"Come and see our naturally grown local specialty."
"The other side of this World."
While speaking, the black cat paced forward on her own—just as her head was about to hit the wall, it suddenly vanished, and then her entire body slowly melted into the wall.
—Only a short black tail remained outside, wagging back and forth.
Mori Tsukisa thought for a moment: if she rushed over in a few steps and grabbed that tail to pull it hard, she would most likely be... bitten, right?
"What are you thinking about?" From the wall, the cat's head suddenly poked out again. "Hurry in!"
...Behind the wall, it was still nighttime in Cairo.
Or rather, it was the other side of Cairo.
There weren't many people in this market; most wore top hats and held walking sticks, looking like gentlemen as they looked around. The ladies were unlike the local women of Cairo; they wore high heels, wide-brimmed hats, and black lace veils.
It was as if, behind a single wall, Mori Tsukisa had arrived in this World's Britain?
"See, there are still locals."
The black cat jumped onto the girl's shoulder and pouted.
There were indeed some ladies wrapped in black robes, but in the vast sea of men in suits and women in long dresses, these locals were pitifully few.
The Wizarding World, how is it, Planeswalker?
Mori Tsukisa stood at the entrance of the market and looked inside—the first thing to reach her ears was a massive, noisy clamor of voices!
There were even high-spirited cheers from children and men!
A sea of bustling noise!
"Is there some kind of ceremony going on?"
The crowd was shouting and making a fuss; although there weren't many people, they made this small market feel incredibly lively.
A translucent fire dragon with a red outline flew over from the end of the street. After slowly dragging its long body, it exploded in mid-air like a firework, with gold and orange lights crackling and shining, illuminating the dim ground.
Some parents with children even held their kids up, letting the small fireworks in their hands complement the fireworks overhead.
Small pushcart stalls were lined up, starting from the entrance at Mori Tsukisa's feet and stretching to the end of the street beyond her sight—there were candies that would burn, beef that would make cow sounds when eaten, and some things Mori Tsukisa didn't recognize, dark and murky... that little Boy pestered his parents to buy a blob of it, and after eating it, his face became very large... These... were so interesting!
"This is so interesting!" Mori Tsukisa tapped the tips of her shoes together, laughing lightly as she skipped into the bustling street. "This is the most fun I've had since I met you!"
Bastet really wanted to roll her eyes, but unfortunately, she couldn't.
"These wizards hide on the other side of human life. I only discovered them after waking up from my nap this time."
Mori Tsukisa noticed the inconsistency in the black cat's words. She held up the firework candy she had just bought, and as she spoke, a few sparks came out of her mouth.
"You just said... magic... mmm, this candy is warm... the Wizarding World?"
The black cat flicked her tail, her emerald eyes staring at the remaining half-piece of candy in Mori Tsukisa's hand.
"Why are people living in the Wizarding World called wizards? Shouldn't they be mages?"
"Eh...?"
"Bastet?"
Receiving no answer, Mori Tsukisa looked at her shoulder—this short-haired black cat was staring blankly at the candy in her hand.
Up.
Her gaze followed upward.
Right.
Her gaze followed to the right.
Mori Tsukisa: "...Here."
The girl held out the half-piece of deep red flame candy toward the black cat's mouth.
"I'm not eating that." Bastet turned her head away in disgust, yet her eyes still didn't move from the candy. "Human food, wizard food—it's all so unacceptable to a god..."
"Here." The candy moved closer.
"I am a divine entity; I don't want such filthy things."
"Here."
"I am the unsullied Goddess of War! The Cat Lady of the Night—"
"Here."
"Aow... mmm."
Crunch, crunch.
Burp.
A few sparks, slightly larger than the ones Mori Tsukisa had just produced, puffed out of the cat's mouth.
"That was actually pretty tasty..."
"You're amazing." Mori Tsukisa rolled her eyes. "If only you were golden, I'd have a constant sense of déjà vu about that guy."
"Which guy?" The black cat licked its nose and tilted its head back disdainfully. "Who could possibly be compared to a god?"
"No, in a way, both of you have taken this personality trait to the extreme..."
Mori Tsukisa teased as the multicolored fireworks and lights reflected in the young girl's clear pupils.
This place was far too interesting.
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