My Childhood Friend Meows Under My Skirt. (GL) - Chapter 2
I was led into the tatami room of the shrine office, and as we waited together, Ms. Kimizu came in with a tray holding tea utensils. She carefully arranged them on the table. Just as I was hoping for some authentic matcha, two bottles of tea appeared from the side.
“Here you go. It’s hot, so please be careful of heatstroke.”
“Oh, thank you…”
“By the way, I just bought this tea set yesterday. I can’t make tea at all.”
At that, both Maki and I slumped in disappointment.
“Were you expecting something? Come on, were you expecting something?”
“Well, yes, I suppose.”
Seeing our reactions, she giggled delicately. Her demeanor and personality didn’t quite match. What a playful person she is.
We had only just met a few minutes ago. What I understood about the shrine maiden, Ms. Kimizu, was that she was somehow elusive, and above all—
“So, about those paw pads…”
She was completely unfazed by the cat curse.
It was as if she had seen this same or even stranger phenomenon many times before.
This was the main reason I had been invited to this room for tea.
“From what I saw of the earlier exchange between Matsuhara-san and Natsume-san, it seems that part of the cat appears like that isn’t the first time, is it?”
“It’s the fourth time,” Maki answered candidly.
“After that, do you ever lose consciousness or anything?”
“Yes, that happens.”
She clearly knew.
She completely understood what was happening to Maki.
Maki, sitting next to me, naturally leaned forward. She had already stopped hiding it and boldly placed her hands, sprouting white cat fur and paw pads, on the table.
“Do you know about this curse?”
“I call it a ‘blessing,’ not a curse.”
“A blessing?”
It had a ring to it that felt vaguely familiar. Where had I heard it before? I felt like a similar word had come up when I talked with Maki long ago.
Ms. Kimizu began to carefully put away the arranged tea utensils. She must have been satisfied just to show them.
“If you stay in this town long enough, everyone hears stories like this at least once.”
Urban legends.
The cats in this town sometimes curse people.
So, Ms. Kimizu must also be a long-time resident of Miyage Town.
“Due to my profession, I’ve heard and seen more of these kinds of stories than most. I’ve even consulted on a few.”
She smiled nostalgically.
“But is this really a blessing?” Maki asked.
“Is there an event in your life that might have triggered this?”
“There is one.”
Since she wanted to hear it, Maki began to recount her story from the beginning. Water droplets from the surface of the tea bottle fell onto the table. With nothing else to do, I brought it to my lips and realized I was thirstier than I had thought.
When she finished her story, Ms. Kimizu replied in a calm tone.
“Indeed, for Matsuhara-san, it may have been a series of hardships. However, from what I gather, that white cat didn’t seem to encounter you on purpose, and more importantly, if that phenomenon hadn’t occurred, you might have been hit by a truck and died.”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
Maki stared at her own hands. She gently stroked the paw pads that had appeared on her palm with her fingertips. I still hadn’t been allowed to touch them.
“Do you know about the black cat?”
“Black cat. Is it about being an omen of misfortune or something like that?”
“No, rather, black cats are symbols of happiness.”
I interjected at Maki’s words. She looked back at me as if to say she had never heard such a thing.
“As Natsume-san said, black cats are considered symbols of good fortune. There’s a saying that when a black cat crosses your path, misfortune will come. However, it’s not that misfortune comes from being crossed; it’s said that happiness escapes when you don’t make eye contact with the symbol of happiness, leading to misfortune.”
“Ah…”
“Both benefits and harms depend on how you perceive things. In that case, why not try to take it positively as a ‘blessing’?”
Maki slowly absorbed the words, pausing, and then replied with unusual seriousness.
“…So, does that mean I can’t go back to how things were? Is there no way to resolve this?”
“No, there is a way.”
Once again, I was taken aback. Just a moment ago, her tone seemed to suggest that she was accepting an incurable illness. This person keeps me on my toes.
Ms. Kimizu began to elaborate on the blessing of cats.
“The mechanism behind these mysterious phenomena is simple; it’s due to a ‘certain power’ that lies dormant in this land. Cats gather from all over the country seeking that ‘power.’ I’ll spare you the detailed explanation, but that ‘power’ tends to resonate particularly well with cats, making it easier to attract them.”
“Is that why there are so many cats in Miyage Town?”
When I asked, Ms. Kimizu nodded.
“The ‘power’ randomly enters the vessel of a cat. Cats imbued with this power often trigger inexplicable phenomena that defy common sense. Sometimes they can control the power themselves, while other times they may unwittingly let it run wild. It varies greatly; some cats don’t even realize they possess this power. Most of the time, the power transfers to the next cat without them noticing, but occasionally, it can involve humans.”
“That’s the phenomenon this time,” Maki murmured.
“Not just limited to merging with cats, a wide variety of phenomena can occur, but since we already understand the original mechanism, we’ve been able to develop some countermeasures.”
Ms. Kimizu concluded like that.
“If the symptoms progress too far, it will be too late, but in Matsuhara-san’s case, I think you’re still okay. So please don’t worry.”
I had come to Miyage Shrine hoping to find even a small clue for a solution, without any particularly high expectations. But upon arriving, I found unexpected gains and developments beyond my imagination. It seems that taking action is worthwhile. Borrowing Ms. Kimizu’s words, this might also be some kind of blessing.
“Can I ask you one thing?” I raised my hand.
“Of course, feel free to ask as many as you like. I usually only talk to specific people, so I’m a bit bored. Let’s chat a lot.”
Despite her gentle and refined demeanor, she laughs often, talks a lot, and teases frequently. She’s a mysterious person whose impression changes with every conversation.
“How do you know so much about the phenomenon happening to Maki? Have there been other cases like this?”
“It’s rare, but I’m not without experience. In fact, it’s one of the patterns I know best among the phenomena caused by cats.”
“Rare, yet you know it well? Isn’t that contradictory…?”
“Indeed. It might be quicker to show you than to explain it with words.”
She chuckled softly, then released her seiza and stood up.
Ms. Kimizu loosened the ties of her hakama and began to pull out the hem of her white robe. Before long, her chest began to be exposed, and I instinctively looked away. In contrast, Maki continued to stare, her expression one of being overwhelmed.
With the white robe completely removed, she pulled it to her chest with one hand and then turned her back to us.
“This is why I know it well.”
With her other hand, Ms. Kimizu lifted her hair. Her long gray hair, nearly touching the floor, rose like a curtain, revealing what had been hidden.
Ms. Kimizu’s back was covered in dense gray cat fur.