"You can't just start a fight over one word."
Outside the menagerie, Bastet sadly cradled her tail, looking at it and then glaring angrily at Mori Tsukisa: "Pulling my tail—what on earth do you want?!"
"Bastet..." Mori Tsukisa rested her face in her hands: "It feels really nice."
One person and one cat sat at the entrance like two sculptures.
"Alright, I just wanted to come take a look, so don't be mad..." Mori Tsukisa hugged her knees and reached out to pet the cat's head, but Bastet was still in a huff and didn't want the girl to touch her.
"Hmph." The black cat turned her head away: "I knew you'd come back. If I weren't worried about you..."
Before she could finish, Mori Tsukisa suddenly leaned close to the cat's ear and whispered: "You said it out loud, that you were worried about me."
Black cat → Sea urchin.
"I! DO! NOT!"
The bristling deep-sea four-legged creature began dancing along the smooth ground outside the menagerie.
Ber—ber—ber
"Heehee... You're so cute. Why don't you... come with me?"
"I am a god, are you stupid?" The black cat cast a disdainful look while still jumping around: "If you could take me away, either this World would have collapsed, or you..."
The black cat suddenly stopped, lowered her head, paced over to Mori Tsukisa's side, and slowly lay down.
"You can come back."
Bastet slowly squeezed out a few words. It seemed some things were so hard for her to bear that she rested her entire cat head on the girl's slender ankle, yet she still wouldn't admit defeat.
"If you want to see me..."
"Let's get this straight, it's not that I want to see you... I'm saying if, if one day you want to see me..."
"Yeah... that's it."
"Anyway, I can't leave."
"It's up to you whether you come back or not."
"...It's fine if you don't come back; I won't miss you anyway!"
Mori Tsukisa looked down at the black cat by her feet, picked her up, held her in her arms, and gently rubbed her chin against the top of the cat's head... then, the young girl lowered her face and kissed her.
"I'll come back for you, Bastet, so don't be sad."
The black cat awkwardly turned her face away, her eyes darting around.
"I—I'm sad? Ha! Ha! Ha... NO! I'M! NOT!"
"Heehee... One more kiss?" Mori Tsukisa feigned moving her face closer, and in response, she got a soft little paw pad with the claws retracted.
It was pressed directly against her mouth.
"No way." The black cat suddenly leaped out of the girl's arms and stood before her with an air of superiority: "It's a deal then—it's you who can't bear to leave me! No taking it back!"
"Yes, it's a deal." Mori Tsukisa nodded gently.
"Tch."
The dim yellow streetlamp overhead emitted heat, its light slipping through the window and spilling onto the girl's western-style dress. The originally black rose prints were reflected as pale gold, and the irregular hemline shone as brilliantly as a Sunflower blooming in the night.
"...Get up already." The black cat glared at Mori Tsukisa: "Your dress is dirty. Are Planeswalkers all this messy?"
"So dirty..."
After the moment of warmth, the problem returned to the person and the cat.
Two pairs of large eyes stared at the square magic lock.
"My divine power can only be 'liberated' once, and I don't plan on using it here." The black cat squatted grumpily beneath the magic lock: "If you have a way, use it. It's not like I'm the one who wants to go in and see the snake."
"A way?" Mori Tsukisa shook her head indifferently: "It's already been used."
"What?"
"Look, she's here."
Looking in the direction of the girl's fingertip—or rather, the faint movement couldn't escape the ears of the person and the cat.
Inside the menagerie, on the back side of the wall.
The other party stepped very carefully. After a long wait, a small, fair foot appeared around the corner of the menagerie... Looking up, half a face was pressed nervously against the wall, cautiously observing Mori Tsukisa and Bastet.
Nagini.
This girl, who had just been captured, didn't know who Mori Tsukisa was, but she knew what the consequences would be if Skender caught her meeting someone privately at night.
But she came anyway.
Because of this little fellow.
Looking down.
A streak of flame-colored long hair.
The woman hid behind the wall, cradling the tiny person in her hands. Her palms were very delicate and soft, which made Arrietty feel as if she had returned to Mori Tsukisa's hands, making her unable to stop dozing off while lying there.
You should know it took quite an effort to persuade this snake lady; if she had known, she would have let Kina come.
"Go on, Her Majesty the Queen is waiting for you." Arrietty rested on Nagini's thumb, lying very comfortably: "She won't hurt you."
Ten minutes ago, just as she was preparing to rest, this cute little fellow suddenly appeared on her pillow.
'Hi! I am the Queen's knight, Arrietty!'
'Do you want to give yourself a chance for a new life?'
'No need to thank me. It's Her Majesty the Queen who wants to make that fat man stumble. I am the Queen's most loyal knight!'
Nagini didn't think she had any future or "new life" left, but looking at the tiny person in her palm, the hesitant woman still cradled her, bypassed the animals, and walked silently toward the entrance of the menagerie.
She didn't even notice that her feet and the hem of her skirt were covered in the black mud from inside the menagerie.
She looked fearfully at the person and the cat not far away, unsure of what kind of mockery or cruel curiosity she was about to face.
"Will... will they take my blood?" the woman asked in a low voice, holding Arrietty up to her cheek.
"What kind of question is that?" Arrietty rolled over and looked the woman in the eye: "Master is not a wizard; she doesn't need your blood."
"Then... do they need my scales and skin?"
She asked timidly, yet her steps moved forward steadily.
It was as if something invisible were pushing her from behind, or as if the young girl ahead were sighing and calling out to her from behind the high dark clouds.
'Come...'
Could there be a situation more tragic than the present?
Maybe death?
She thought, that wouldn't be bad either.
Mori Tsukisa and Bastet watched with amusement as the woman moved. She didn't seem to notice that even as she moved forward slowly and hesitantly, her waist still couldn't help but sway enchantingly... a wonderful and tempting snake dance.
Mori Tsukisa licked her lips, leaned forward a couple of steps, and tilted her head to admire the beautiful scenery in her sight.
Two minutes later, she finally moved to the railing.
Bastet had grown impatient and ran off to play, tail swishing. Inside and outside the enclosure, only Mori Tsukisa and Nagini remained, gazing at each other through the iron bars.
"Hello, my name is Mori Tsukisa," the girl said. She leaned in, her face practically overflowing with joy.
"I... am Nagini."
"You're so beautiful! I spotted you right away!" After Mori Tsukisa reached out to take Arrietty, she flashed a smile. "Would you like to leave with me?"
These words struck the woman's mind like a bolt of lightning. Her deep purple lipstick had long since worn off, leaving only her pale mouth agape. She let out a terrified "Ah!" and quickly retreated two steps.
"I..."
Like a frightened little animal; if one hadn't just seen her transform into a snake, no one would associate this gentle and soft-natured girl with a giant python.
"Shh..." Mori Tsukisa pressed a finger to her lips, then pointed at the night behind her. "Let's go find Hamunaptra. Do you know about Hamunaptra?"
"That's a story from three thousand years ago..."
"Oh, and Laputa. Have you ever seen a city that flies in the sky?"
"Here, this is my Attendant, Arrietty. And that black cat from before... She is..."
"Well... She's not important." Mori Tsukisa shook her head, her black hair finally tinged with silver frost in the dim night.
"Do you want to travel with me?"
Nagini stared blankly at the girl before her.
She was reaching out her hand.
Rings of lunar mist swirled around them. Starting from the girl's hair, tendrils bloomed and stretched out, yet they weren't frightening. Then, they brushed over her neck, kissing her collarbone, upper arms, and forearms like a lover... until—until they wrapped around her wrists, raising the tips of the tendrils.
They swayed gently toward her.
As if saying: Come on, let's go play together!
Come on, it's a very fun journey!
Nagini, do you want to come along?
A soft arm was raised. Tears fell upon it, shimmering in the Moonlight, feeling cool to the touch.
Yes, I do.
-------------------------------
Hope you enjoy this fanfiction if you do and would like to read the next 30 chapters in advance, pls do check out my Patreon.
patreon.com/TLScarlet
Also don't forget to give me a Power Stone if you do like this fiction. Your support really motivates me to continue doing my best in translating, Thanks!!