Seeing this scene, Yukino opened her mouth but said nothing.
She knew this was the best outcome, but her feelings were still complicated.
Like sorrowfully pushing your own wife into another man's arms. Only you yourself could understand the bitterness.
'You little ungrateful thing'
'I spoiled you so much, even bought high-end cat food by the box.'
'And now you switch sides without a second thought.'
"Don't be so sad," Perhaps her expression was too full of resentment, so Kaito said with a smile, "Even though Yukitan has a new owner now, if you have time, you're welcome to come to my place to visit."
Yukino was pleasantly surprised but still hesitant, "But won't I be affected by the Demonic Aura?"
"Once in a while is fine."
Kaito shook his head, "Just like how Miss Hiratsuka has also been around Yukitan but is fine. It's not just because her constitution is better than yours, but also because the time she's been exposed to it is short."
The better one's physical condition, the stronger one's qi inside. That is to say, more durable.
If Miss Hiratsuka had adopted Yukitan instead, she too would've been affected by the Demonic Aura, but not to the point where she couldn't last a few days like Yukino.
[ Shoutout to Hope, David, Vinayak & Joshua for joining patreon. Thank you very much.]
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Chapter 32: Give Me a Transformation!
With the matter here settled, Kaito had no intention of staying long and thus proposed to take his leave.
Although Yukino still wanted to persuade him to stay a bit, she also seemed to have thought of something and, in the end, didn't speak rashly.
She simply expressed her thanks to Kaito once again and took the opportunity to exchange contact information with him.
The way back was still by Hiratsuka Shizuka's car.
When Kaito went downstairs and once again sat in that silver-gray Aston Martin Vantage, the iron-fist female teacher looked somewhat absent-minded.
She even forgot to insert the car key.
Kaito could understand how she felt.
Anyone whose worldview constructed over a dozen years was destroyed overnight would naturally be shocked, confused, or even on the verge of collapse, totally normal.
However, understanding is one thing, for the sake of safety in communication, he still tactfully reminded, "Hiratsuka-sensei, we can go now."
"Huh? Oh oh, oh!", Hiratsuka Shizuka snapped back to her senses and finally realized her behavior was somewhat improper.
She hurriedly gave a dry cough, started the engine, but kept sneaking glances at him from the corners of her eyes from time to time, her face full of expressions that seemed like she had something to say but couldn't.
Seeing her like she had a bellyful of questions she wanted to ask but didn't dare to, Kaito simply spoke, "Hiratsuka-sensei, if there's something, just say it directly."
"Ahem Then I'll go ahead and ask?", Hiratsuka Shizuka looked a little embarrassed, but in the end, her curiosity overwhelmed everything else, and she couldn't help but ask, "Things like Yokai are they common?"
'Yukitan's appearance doesn't differ much from an ordinary cat.'
'At most, it just looks smarter, seems to have more spiritual presence.'
'But intelligent and spiritually aware pets are plenty, surely they all can't be Yokai, right?'
"Of course, they're not common," Kaito organized his thoughts and slowly said, "There are only a few ways for Yokai to be born. Perhaps an ordinary animal cultivating into a spirit, or maybe awakening bloodlines through some coincidence But regardless of which method, the probability is low. Their number might be even rarer than ghosts."
"W-Wait!", Hiratsuka Shizuka swallowed a mouthful of saliva, "You mean, in this world there are not only Yokai, but also ghosts?"
Kaito nodded.
"Let me take a moment," Hiratsuka Shizuka really wanted to cover her face, but thinking she was still driving, she barely restrained that impulse.
She could only sigh inwardly, how come the world suddenly turned into something unrecognizable.
'It really was tough on me to have grown up safely for the past dozen years.'
"If there are Yokai and ghosts, then there must be onmyoji as well, right?", After thinking a bit, she posed another key question.
"Maybe there are," Kaito shrugged. "Though I've never met one myself."
Hiratsuka Shizuka: ""
She just couldn't shake the feeling that he wasn't very reliable.
Still, she silently decided in her heart to go pray at a nearby shrine or temple later.
And pick up a few protective charms while she was at it.
Whether they worked or not, at least it'd put her mind at ease.
The sports car soon stopped in front of a familiar detached house.
After bidding Hiratsuka-sensei farewell, Kaito carried the cat bag and turned into the bedroom.
Releasing Yukitan from the bag, the cat had already returned to a harmless-looking form, and its tail was also back to just one.
Seeing his figure, she quickly trotted to his feet in a fawning manner, her little head rubbing repeatedly.
Kaito casually petted a few strokes. That fluffy touch was pretty addictive.
Then he seemed to remember something and flipped Yukitan over.
The cat lay on her back, limbs in the air, looking a little awkward, but didn't dare struggle. She only meowed in grievance, looking pitifully at her master in hopes of receiving a bit of mercy.
"So you're a little female cat," On the other side, Kaito had also confirmed the information he wanted.
Since ancient times, Japan had legends of bakeneko. In traditional imagery, bakeneko were often evil Yokai that fed on humans.
But there were also stories of kind bakeneko, who often turned into girl-like forms to get close to humans, with gentle personalities and a love for eating fish.
Yukitan's situation clearly belonged to the latter.
But speculation was still just speculation.
Upholding the principle of serious verification, Kaito cleared his throat, pointed at the cat in front of him, and solemnly ordered:
"Give me a transformation!"
Yukitan tilted her head, looking innocent.
'Boss, what are you saying? This kitty doesn't understand, nya~'
One man and one cat, silently staring at each other.
"Legends really aren't reliable," Kaito sighed.
'But it's fine, even if she can't become a catgirl now, that doesn't mean she won't in the future.' [T/N: Man of culture, I see. Ahem!]
He fed Yukitan a handful of dried fish, this was something Yukino stuffed into his hand, along with a few emergency packs of cat food he'd brought back.
The cat was quite happy eating, not even willing to lift her head.
Once she was finally full and satisfied, Kaito tucked both hands under Yukitan's armpits and lifted her into the air.
Then he sat back on the sofa and began extracting intel.
As a cultivator, it was easy to communicate with animals.
It's just that most animals weren't very intelligent, worse than three— or four-year-old toddlers. So the conversation wasn't that meaningful.
But Yukitan was different. As a bakeneko, although she couldn't speak, her intelligence wasn't low. Roughly equivalent to a twelve— or thirteen-year-old child.
"Meow~ Meow~ Meow~"
"You're saying you're a little Yokai born in the mountains and forests, your parents died early, and you grew up alone as a cat?"
"Meow~ Meow~ Meow~"
"You're saying your home was taken over by a very bad, very big dog, and you were even bitten by it, barely escaped after struggling, and have been wandering ever since?"
Another piece of intel on a Yokai.
'If there's time, might as well go take a look.'
Kaito pinched his chin and asked again, "You must've had your own name before, right? What is it?"
The cat nodded, then meowed twice, and scratched lightly on the sofa with her claws, leaving several shallow marks. Vaguely, the word "Kirara" could be made out.
Looking at the newly bought sofa getting scratched like that, thankfully not too deeply, Kaito's mouth twitched.
He angrily scrubbed the cat's head, rubbing her until Kirara was dizzy and disoriented, not even knowing where she was, before he finally stopped.
[The Next Morning, At the Train Station]
There weren't many passengers waiting on the platform, but among them, a blue-haired figure stood out.
A proper lady's dress, matched with light blue lace short socks and black leather shoes, the girl named "Togawa Sakiko" was as graceful and beautiful today as ever.
"Good day, Kurumizaka-kun," Even her greeting sounded sweet like a noble lady's.
"Good morning," Kaito responded as usual.
Sakiko was only 155 cm tall. Among Japanese girls who averaged around 158 cm, she belonged to the shorter category.
But her body proportions were perfect, and her temperament outstanding, so when standing beside Kaito, the overall atmosphere felt very harmonious.
Since they lived nearby and often took the train together, the two had become much more familiar compared to their first meeting.
Usually while waiting for the train, Sakiko would chat with him a bit.
But today, after greeting him, the girl didn't start a conversation. Instead, she was muttering to herself as if memorizing something.
Noticing Kaito's puzzled gaze, Sakiko gave an apologetic smile, "Sorry, I didn't bother you, did I?"
After getting a negative answer, she patted her chest and explained, "The first test since entering school is coming up soon, so I wanted to take advantage of the time waiting for the train to review my lessons."
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Chapter 33: Party Ronin " Hitori Gotou
With Togawa Sakiko's grades, she could actually go to a much better university.
It's not that Shuka is bad, but compared to those top-tier first-line universities, it does fall a bit short.
The reason Sakiko chose this place is very simple: the scholarship is very high.
Shuka was formerly a noble academy, wealthy and generous.
Take this test as an example. The top three can receive scholarships of 200,000, 150,000, and 100,000 yen respectively.
To Sakiko now, this money is very important.
Not only can it improve her living conditions, but also free up more part-time job hours, which she can use to scout for band members.
Right now, Kaito is not short on money. Just the commission earned from Yumiko hasn't even been touched yet, let alone the 100 million yen later transferred by Ms. Mizusaki. [T/N: I changed the comission to 100]
Going to school is just for life experience; he isn't really concerned about exams.
But while he may not care, others can't afford not to care.
Ever since hearing the news about the upcoming exam last night, Bocchi had been restless.
Since middle school, her grades had always been less than ideal.
It wasn't that she didn't try. Bocchi had once worked hard, neglecting sleep and food, burning the midnight oil, but in the end, she could only barely pass.
Even getting into Shuka wasn't through academic merit, but because of her guitar skills, via the special admissions route.
Although her parents didn't have high expectations for her grades, if she were at the bottom of the class, wouldn't she become a laughingstock to the others?
She might even get pointed at
Just imagining that terrifying scene of being at the bottom of the class made Bocchi lose all color, as if a gust of wind could turn her to ashes under the sunlight.
-
"Hey, hey, Bocchi-chan."
[After School, In the Clubroom]
Yumiko looked at the pink-haired girl in front of her and couldn't help but complain, "It's just a regular test, right? Even if you do badly, there's no punishment. No need to be this scared, right?"
Bocchi-chan still maintained her slumped, despairing posture, facing the wall like a cold statue.
Getting closer, you could faintly hear her mumbling, "I'm a mushroom I'm a mushroom I'm a mushroom"
Yumiko couldn't help but laugh, "Alright, alright, stop shutting down."
She pulled Bocchi up and coaxed her like a child, saying, "The test is next Tuesday. There are still three days left. During this time, how about I help you review a bit?"
"R-Really?", Bocchi held her hand excitedly, and in her sapphire blue eyes, there seemed to be a glimmer of hope.
"Why would I lie to you?", Yumiko was full of confidence.
Though she couldn't compare to study elites like Yukinoshita, back in high school, she had always ranked within the top ten of her class.
Tutoring a single Bocchi-chan was more than manageable.
"Uwuu, Miura-san", Bocchi teared up with gratitude.
Her goal wasn't high; she'd be happy if her grades were just average.
In a class, the most inconspicuous people are usually those whose grades are neither good nor bad.
Not good enough for teachers to be proud of, nor bad enough to make them shake their heads.
For Bocchi, that was the perfect ecological niche.
The tutoring location was decided to be the Gotou residence.
After some thought, Yumiko turned and looked at Kaito nearby, and extended an invitation, "By the way, President, you should come too."
"I don't really need to, right?", Kaito didn't look too interested.
He didn't care about grades, but as a cultivator, his senses were sharp and his thinking was more agile than most. Photographic memory was practically a basic skill.
Even if he didn't pay much attention in class, just rote memorization was enough to get decent grades.
"Of course you have to come!", Yumiko put her hands on her hips and righteously declared, "The Supernatural Research Club is a collective. We advance and retreat together, even tutoring is no exception!"
"And besides, you being there can also serve as supervision, to keep us from slacking off."
Bocchi also looked hopeful and softly said, "W-Welcome, Kaito-kun to my house"
Ever since their last meeting, her parents and even her sister had asked several times about Kaito.
Bocchi had also wanted to invite him over again, but every time the words reached her lips, she would shrink back, and could only cheer herself on in her heart, ["Next time for sure, next time for sure"]
And then it got delayed until today.
Faced with the girls' sparkling, expectant gazes, Kaito couldn't bear to let them down and nodded.
