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"Meow, meow~"
Ruri Goko crouched down, "talking" to the stray cat.
There were no other visitors around, but even so, a soft blush spread quickly across her pale pink cheeks.
Blake stopped a short distance away instead of interrupting. He opened his backpack, took out a tube of cat treat, and handed it over.
After that, things got easy.
Right now, Ruri was the "Witch of Cats." With the treats as bait, the calico quickly called over a few more strays. After polishing off the cans and treats, they officially became working cats.
"There's a bench over there. Want to go sit for a bit?" Blake pointed at a wooden bench nearby.
"Okay…"
Ruri wiped the sweat from her forehead, her cheeks still red as she nodded.
With the "employees" recruited, the rest was up to them. All they had to do now was sit and wait for news.
"I'm a bit thirsty. What do you want to drink, Ruri?"
There were two vending machines next to the bench. As Blake inserted coins, he glanced over at her.
"I-I'm not thirsty…"
Ruri refused on instinct—and immediately regretted it.
She didn't want to trouble him, but she was definitely thirsty… And now it'd be way too awkward to ask for a drink later!
"Then let me rephrase." Blake scanned the machine. "Green apple juice, green tea, or orange juice—what do you want?"
Ruri: "..."
A moment later—
Blake returned with two bottles and sat down, handing her one.
"Here."
"Th-thank you, Blake…" Ruri accepted it with both hands, her voice small. "I'll pay you back later."
Blake twisted open his own bottle and took a couple of sips of plum green tea. "Didn't you say before we'd be partners for life? No need to be so formal. You can just buy me a drink next time we take a job."
"…I'll remember that."
Ruri nodded seriously.
A short while passed.
Seeing her sitting there, biting her lower lip with a mortified expression, clutching the bottle without moving, Blake raised an eyebrow.
"Are you really not thirsty?"
"I…" Ruri lowered her head, her face burning. "I used too much magic last night… I can't… open the cap…"
Stop making excuses. You just can't open it, okay? It has nothing to do with magic!
Blake silently took the bottle from her, twisted it open, and handed it back.
"Thank you, Blake…"
Ruri thanked him in a quiet voice, her face still red. She held the bottle with both hands and took small sips.
The cool, sweet juice flowed into her mouth and down her throat, and before long, she was squinting happily.
Maybe it was just her imagination, but the drink tasted better than usual today…
Half an hour passed in the blink of an eye.
At last, two of the working cats emerged from the bushes, meowing nonstop.
"They found something!" Ruri's eyes lit up as she quickly stood. "Blake, let's go."
"Let's."
They followed the cats right away to look for the missing British Shorthair from the bounty poster—but a problem soon appeared.
Cats aren't human. They didn't stick to paths. Taking advantage of their small, nimble bodies, they darted straight into the woods.
Blake and Ruri had no choice but to stumble after them, one uneven step at a time.
Fortunately, Mount Takao was a well-developed tourist spot. No need to worry about wild beasts, traps, or anything like that.
"Haah… haah…"
Less than three minutes in, Blake could already hear Ruri's labored breathing again.
Half an hour of rest, three minutes of climbing—her stamina was hanging by a thread. Her physical condition really left a lot to be desired.
They staggered along a bit longer before Ruri finally couldn't go on. She bent over, hands on her knees, gasping for breath.
But then her gaze accidentally swept over a pile of fallen leaves nearby—
"Eh—eh?!"
She suddenly straightened, panic flashing across her face as she stepped back—forgetting they were halfway up the mountain.
Her foot slipped.
She fell backward.
"Careful."
Blake was right behind her. He spread his arms and caught her—but the impact was too strong. He lost his balance as well, and the two of them tumbled down the slope together.
Luckily, there were plenty of trees on the hillside. After rolling for a short distance, they slammed into one and came to a stop.
"Haah… haah…"
Still dizzy, Ruri lifted her head—and saw a streak of red on Blake's forehead.
"Y-you're bleeding!"
Her voice trembled, her eyes quickly misting over.
Blake covered his forehead with one hand, wincing slightly. "No wonder it hurts… Guess today's not my lucky day."
"I'm sorry… it's all my fault…"
Ruri bit her lip, guilt written all over her face.
Blake let out a breath. "Help me up first."
"O-okay."
She quickly grabbed his arm and helped him to his feet, her eyes full of worry.
"Are you dizzy?"
"No, just hurts a bit." He stood up, one hand still on his forehead while the other brushed dirt off his clothes. "What did you see just now? You looked terrified."
"I…" Ruri's face turned slightly pale. "There was… something under those leaves. It looked like… a lump of flesh."
Blake raised an eyebrow. "Let's take a look."
"M-maybe we shouldn't…" Ruri said nervously. "Let's go to the clinic first and clean your wound—"
"Let's check first," Blake said firmly. "If we don't, you won't be able to sleep tonight."
Ruri: "..."
They returned to the spot. Blake brushed away the leaves—and frowned.
Underneath was a cat, mangled beyond recognition.
Ruri quickly looked away, unable to bear it. "…Was it abused?"
"Most likely."
Blake's expression turned serious.
"Let's stop for today," Ruri said softly. "Forget about the missing familiar. We should go get you treated first…"
Before she could finish, a few meows sounded out.
The two stray cats returned—this time with a dirty British Shorthair in tow. The missing cat.
"Well, that saves us the trouble," Blake muttered.
A short while later, with Blake holding his forehead and Ruri carrying the recovered cat, the two of them made their way back to the main path and headed straight for the medical station.
The female doctor there was quite chatty. As she cleaned Blake's wound, she kept asking how he got hurt.
"It was all my fault…" Ruri said quietly, biting her lip as she explained what happened.
"Oh, so you got injured protecting your girlfriend." The doctor adjusted her glasses, a hint of approval in her smile. "Nice job, young man. That's what boys are supposed to do in moments like that."
"G-girlfriend?!"
Ruri's eyes went wide, her face turning bright red in an instant.
"Y-you've got the wrong idea!" she hurriedly protested, flustered. "We're not dating!"
The doctor's smile only grew more amused. "Going out together on the weekend, too shy to confess, just the occasional glance and the brush of fingertips… ah, the sweetness of young love."
Ruri: "..."
"....."