"No," Kisaragi Chiyo continued to deny, her expression expressionless.
"Kisaragi in a witch costume.." Hara Kenji held his face, his eyes sparkling with anticipation.
"Don't even think about it." Kisaragi Chiyo remained cold.
"Are you angry?" Matsuda Jinpei rubbed his nose, his expression curious. At this moment, he was like a kitten, pawing at a glass sitting precariously on the edge of the table.
"I. Already. Said. Nothing." Kisaragi Chiyo's tone was somewhat biting. She glanced at the clock and, as if finally being liberated, stood up quickly.
"Time's up, the conversation is over." With that, she turned and left.
"Is this being taken as a personal insult?" Matsuda Jinpei looked toward Hara Kenji on the side.
I wouldn't dare say so." Hara Kenji stood up with great experience and took a step back. "But I know that in the next second, you're going to be..
Before Hara could even finish his sentence, a lop-eared rabbit plushie slammed hard into Matsuda Jinpei's face.
“It's time for us to check out.” Kisaragi Chiyo turned her head, giving both the cat and the dog a warning look in turn.
-----------------------
Author's Note: Thanks to all the little angels for your support, mwah 0330
Chapter 85
After leaving the station, Kisaragi Chiyo luxuriously called a taxi.
According to his own words, the Kobe family had finally transferred the payment for the last commission. Since there was money now, life should be lived more comfortably, not to mention that traveling with a cat and a dog made squeezing onto a crowded train inconvenient.
Matsuda Jinpei didn't comment on this. Rather than sticking his furry head out of the car window like Hara Kenji, who loved excitedly enjoying the feeling of the wind blowing against his face at high speeds, he preferred to lie quietly on Kisaragi Chiyo's lap, stretching out his limbs and lazily enjoying the masterful strokes of her hands.
From its ears to the tip of its tail, not a single spot was missed.
Kisaragi Chiyo stroked it very thoroughly. One of his hands scratched the cat's chin with a moderate force, once the purring, signifying comfort, began to sound, he quietly extended his other hand toward the cat's pink paw pad. He carefully enveloped it with his palm, pressing gently with his thumb. The warm sensation, softer than gummy candy yet possessing a certain elasticity, made Kisaragi Chiyo feel somewhat intoxicated.
The cat's closed eyes suddenly opened a little, revealing two narrow slits. The teal eyeballs within the slits rotated slightly, its drooping long tail lifted up, before slapping against Kisaragi Chiyo's restless hand.
It wasn't heavy, carrying a hint of warning, but to a human, what was the difference between such force and a display of affection?
Kisaragi Chiyo, having been discovered, showed not the slightest hint of guilt on her face. She reluctantly released the cat's pink paw pads and began to devote herself entirely to serving the feline master, earnestly tending to the chin and neck areas to make the cat feel comfortable.
As the vehicle moved forward, the scenery along the roadside outside the car window changed continuously. Hara Kenji squinted his eyes; because he was a large dog, he occupied two-thirds of the back seat, leaving Kisaragi Chiyo and Matsuda Jinpei to squeeze uncomfortably into the window seat on the other side.
Yuan Gougou really enjoyed the feeling of the wind blowing against him, just as Matsuda Jinpei loved being in high places and he loved speed. If Kisaragi Chiyo hadn't forbidden it, Yuan Gougou might have even tried to let out a couple of playful snaps while sticking his head out to catch the breeze, just to express his excitement.
If only dogs could drive, Hara Kenji thought with infinite regret.
But as the wind blew, he suddenly sensed something was wrong; the route this taxi was currently taking did not seem to be the way to the villa.
"Kisaragi" Yuan Gougou quickly pulled his head back from the car window, his fur disheveled by the wind, reported his discovery to Kisaragi Chiyo in a trembling voice.
This car is suspicious!
Having heard those words, Kisaragi Chiyo had not yet reacted, but Matsuda Jinpei, who was lying on his lap and about to sprawl out into a comfortable cat pancake, stood up with a sudden whoosh.
The teal eyes opened fully, the slightly upturned cat-like eyes naturally rimmed with eyeliner; whenever the dark pupils narrowed into slits, it always felt both serious and adorable.
"This isn't the way back." The cat sat upright, its long tail curling around its front paws. Its triangular, clever-looking ears stood erect, twitching from side to side from time to time.
Kisaragi Chiyo couldn't help but reach out to touch the alert cat ears, but then Matsuda Jinmi gave her ears a shake, tilted her head up, looked at Kisaragi Chiyo with an expression that said, 'This cat has no time to play with you.'
“We haven't taken a wrong turn.” Kisaragi Chiyo smiled, her misty gray eyes revealing her good mood.
If she were talking to a Ghost Vigilante that others couldn't see, she would be mistaken for a talking lunatic. But if it were a cat or a dog talking, it would just feel like something excusable.
So, when the driver noticed Kisaragi Chiyo sitting alone in the back seat, smiling at a cat and saying something, he only gave her a curious glance before returning his attention to the road.
"You're sure we haven't taken a wrong turn?" Upon hearing Kisaragi Chiyo's answer, the unease in his heart did not dissipate. Looking at the increasingly familiar streets and buildings all around, he let out a pitiful whimper.
Yuan Gougou buried his head in Kisaragi Chiyo's embrace, his tail drooping listlessly on the chair.
"What's wrong with him?" Matsuda Jinmi used a paw to pat the top of Yuan Gougou's head; he could feel the other radiating negativity all over his body.
Oh, that," Kisaragi Chiyo said with lowered eyes and a slight curve to her lips, speaking to Matsuda Jinpei in a mysterious tone, "you'll find out in a moment.
*
The taxi pulled up in front of the wicked pet hospital.
After paying the fee, Kisaragi Chiyo got out of the car with the cats and dogs.
This was the first time Matsuda Jinpei had been brought to a pet hospital, so everything had to follow the usual procedure and go through registration.
Since Yuan Gougou already had two previous experiences and only needed the final injection, Kisaragi Chiyo did not accompany him inside this time.
However, the scene of the Bernese Mountain Dog being led by the nurse, looking back every few steps on its way to get an injection, did indeed make Kisaragi Chiyo's conscience ache a little.
“What are we doing here?” Held in Kisaragi Chiyo's arms, Matsuda Jinmi wondered if it was just his imagination, but he felt as though Kisaragi's grip on him was tighter than usual, almost as if she were afraid he might run away.
"To register you, for your vaccinations while we're at it." Kisaragi Chiyo followed the nurse into the infirmary with practiced ease. After registration, the doctor was already inside waiting for him.
It was an old acquaintance, the same doctor who had given the Bernese Mountain Dog its shots a few times before.
"It's Mr. Kisaragi." The doctor instinctively glanced behind Kisaragi Chiyo before shifting his gaze to the black cat held in the young man's arms.
Are you bringing a kitten this time?
Yes." Kisaragi Chiyo gently set the cat down. "I'll have to trouble you a lot.
"It's fine, just leave it to me." The Doctor waved his hand, just as he was about to give Kisaragi Chiyo his word that giving a cat a shot was much more convenient than giving a dog one.
The Doctor's gaze suddenly fell upon the cat's four paws. After letting out a long "oh," he said in a strange tone, "It's a cow cat."
"Is there a problem?" Kisaragi Chiyo and Matsuda Jinpei both looked at the Doctor, equally puzzled.
“It's nothing.” For some reason, the Doctor suddenly felt the urge to wipe away some sweat, but he still patted his chest and promised the cat and its owner that his technique was incredibly fast and would only take a few seconds to finish.
Matsuda Jinmi didn't take the Doctor's words to heart. He gave the syringe in the Doctor's hand a disdainful glance, then extended a paw to refuse Kisaragi Chiyo's attempt to cover his eyes, instead reluctantly offering his other front paw to the Doctor.
It's just a shot, isn't it?" Matsuda Jinpei thought to himself. "Why is that guy making a face like the sky is falling?
No." The Doctor looked at the pink paw pads with some difficulty. "The vaccine needs to be injected into the back.
Matsuda Jinmi: ".."
The kitten casually withdrew its paws and, amidst Kisaragi Chiyo's effort to suppress her stifled giggles, turned around to face the Doctor with its back.
Wonderful!" the Doctor said in a high-pitched, encouraging voice. "You are the best little kitty in the whole world.
Kisaragi Chiyo had also heard the Doctor say those words to other cats the last time she visited.
Although he couldn't see what was behind him, that faint sense of danger kept stimulating Matsuda Jinpei's nerves, but the thought that it was just an injection forced him to desperately suppress the urge to flee.
Just a second before the needle was about to pierce the skin, the Doctor suddenly felt his hand go empty; the cat that had been lying there just a moment ago had suddenly vanished.
Kisaragi Chiyo also froze for a moment; he felt as if something had suddenly flashed before his eyes, then Matsuda Jinpei had vanished.
"A cat?" Kisaragi Chiyo looked around blankly. The two of them searched the infirmary for quite a while before finally looking up and seeing a cat hanging upside down from the ceiling, its claws firmly gripping the ventilation grate.
Kisaragi Chiyo: ".."
Doctor: "Once I realized it was a cow-patterned cat hanging up there, I suddenly felt it wasn't surprising at all."
*
Matsuda Jinpei didn't want to recall what had just happened, fortunately, Kisaragi Chiyo did not mention it either; otherwise, Matsuda couldn't guarantee whether he would be driven to a fit of rage and bite Kisaragi right then and there.
As for where he would bite, don't you worry about that.
In short, once they left the pet hospital and returned to their familiar surroundings, both Matsuda and Hara quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
Kisaragi Chiyo sat on the sofa, flipping through the book that had been left aside, which she had only read halfway.
Matsuda Jinpei was on the side, tinkering with his new model.
Only our hardworking Yuan Gougou was commanding his tentacles to clean the house once again, which had not been cleaned for three days.
“Kisaragi,” Hara Kenji said, approaching from behind the sofa. He first pressed his head against Kisaragi Chiyo's cheek, rubbing it gently, before getting down to business: “I just saw something in the mailbox outside; I think it's yours.”
As he spoke, Hara Kenji handed the items he had retrieved to Kisaragi Chiyo; it was a brown kraft paper parcel and a thin letter.
Kisaragi Chiyo first picked up the package and glanced at the address; as expected, it was from the publisher he was currently signed with.
It should be from my editor. He said he's sending over some advance copies of the newly printed edition for me to look over and see if there's anything that needs revising.
A sample book?" Yuan Gougou raised an eyebrow. "Isn't your novel being serialized in a magazine?
"It's probably because the response to the previous few installments was quite good, so I'm planning to release a full novel directly." Kisaragi Chiyo unwrapped the package, took the sample book in her hands, flipped through it casually, then set it aside.
"Aren't you going to take a closer look?" Hara Kenji rested his head on the edge of the sofa, looking curiously at the red cover with white lettering.
The author's name on it was, as expected, Oboro Asagiri.
"There is no need." Kisaragi Chiyo picked up another letter.
Editor Morofushi has always been very reliable.
Editor Morofushi?" Hara Kenji repeated with a smile, "Your editor's surname is Morofushi?
"Did I not mention it?" Kisaragi Chiyo thought back for a moment, only to realize that she really seemed to have never mentioned her editor's name to them.
"Then you know now." Kisaragi Chiyo didn't think it was anything important.
"Little Jinpei.. do you have an impression of this name?" Yuan looked thoughtfully at Matsuda Jinpei, whose eyes had suddenly widened upon hearing that surname.
Matsuda Jinpei: ".."
“What is your editor's full name?” Matsuda Jinpei slowly set down the model parts in his hands, his expression looking somewhat strange.
His full name?" Kisaragi Chiyo rested her chin on one hand, after thinking for a few seconds, she gave an answer: "I think it's Morofushi Hiromitsu?
“..”
What is it?" Kisaragi Chiyo looked at the unpredictable expression shifting across Matsuda Jinpei's face, suddenly feeling a flicker of curiosity herself. "Don't tell me my editor is someone you know as well?
Of course! Matsuda Jinpei screamed silently in his heart.
If the Morofushi you're talking about is the Morofushi I know, then this Morofushi is indeed the Morofushi I know.
But Furuya, didn't you say that Keidan was in charge of logistics and intelligence work? Why did he become Kisaragi Chiyo's editor?!
Kisaragi.." Matsuda's tone was a bit hesitant, "Have you met that editor of yours?
No." Kisaragi Chiyo shook her head. "We haven't met each other in person. I only know that his health isn't very good, so even for work, he works from home.