Chapter 19: And So, Into the Story {2}
We've added Polish, Spanish, Russian, Turkish, and Portuguese versions to our website!We'll also be posting 10 more chapters today(Eng and all the others at the same time).
Additionally, we removed the "open by ads" feature and fixed the login issue.If you find any mistakes, errors, or have any suggestions, please leave a comment below!
Enjoy(^
---------
"......"
She stayed silent with a stern expression—if I look closely, I can see sweat on her cheek.
She's probably feeling anxiety, unease, and fear all at once.
"If you agree to these conditions, I'll answer any question you have with complete honesty... How about it? Don't you have something you want to know? If so, make a contract with me."
Crap, I don't even know who's supposed to be demanding the contract anymore, and I can't stop acting! Someone please stop my rampage!
"...I understand. I'll make a contract under those conditions."
Right after she squeezed out those words, the door burst open and Kuroka delivered a devastating body blow to me.
"What are you doing nya! Scaring Shirone is unforgivable nya! 'If you want knowledge, make a contract'—what are you, Mephistopheles nya!"
I see... I was going for final boss sensei but ended up as Mephistopheles—looks like my acting still needs work.
"Sis...ter?"
"Nya! Shirone! This is, um, well..."
And so the nekomata sisters were reunited.
"...So that's why I killed that bastard master."
Now the sisters are together, with Kuroka telling her sister everything she knows about what really happened.
"I see... Then why are you in this town now, Neesama?"
"Well, I just happened to drift into this town and it was comfortable..."
"Kuroka-neesama? Please get to the point."
Just like when I first met her, she cuts right through any jokes...
"Ughnya..."
"Why are you clipping your words after coming this far?"
"Shut up nya!"
During this exchange, Koneko turned to me and asked, "Do you know?"
"I know, but what do you want to do? If Kuroka's staying quiet, I can tell you instead."
"...Please tell me—also, you seem quite different from earlier."
"That was just me getting carried away trying to take control of the conversation... Sorry."
I'd rather not dig that up. It's going to be another page in my book of dark history.
"I understand... So?"
"She's been in this town for three years because she was worried about whether her sister was getting bullied by Gremory and her peerage after becoming their servant. She said something like 'I wish she'd forget about me and start smiling like she used to nya~!'"
"Unya~?! You were listening nya!"
Shut up! I'll destroy all the drama if it means these sisters make up!
During our exchange, Koneko looked down, and soon tears started flowing along with quiet sobs.
"Nya nya!? Shirone?! Why are you crying nya! Um... maybe I should disappear after all, Ikki LET US G..."
Just as Kuroka started to say that, Koneko threw herself into a full embrace.
"Nya! Shirone?!"
At first Kuroka flailed her hands around, but gradually they ended up hugging each other—this should be fine.
"Ah, Shirone-chan. I'm going to step out for about thirty minutes, so since Kuroka's probably still panicking, could you make sure your sister doesn't run away?"
"Nya! Wait a minute Ikkiii!!"
Ignoring Kuroka, I spoke to Koneko.
"Can I count on you?"
She nodded slightly. Seeing that, I left the room despite Kuroka's cries of "Don't leave me nya~!"
Thirty minutes later, when I returned to my room, the nekomata sisters were sitting together on the bed.
Koneko was clearly in a great mood—I could tell because she had her cat ears and tail out (relaxation mode?) with a beaming smile... Yeah, she's kawai.
Looking at them together like this, they really do look alike. Beyond the obvious cat ears, their faces are nearly identical. Koneko looks a bit younger right now, but that's natural, and if they had the same hairstyle they'd be perfect matches. Though their measurements are still quite different—
Whomp!
"What were you just thinking?"
A pillow flew at me with fluid motion.
Her intuition seems to be world-class—I think she's plenty cute in a different way from Kuroka, but I should stop thinking too deeply about it.
"...Anyway, I'm glad you two made up. Come to think of it, we never did proper introductions. I'm Arima Ikki, first year Class C at Kuoh Academy High School Division, and I use Senjutsu. Nice to meet you."
"I'm..."
She got stuck there. She's probably wondering whether to introduce herself as 'Shirone' or Koneko... I should help her out.
"I know you have two names—Shirone and Koneko. We probably won't run into each other much at school since you're still in middle school, but next year will be different, right? I'd prefer to call you Koneko if that's okay."
"Why?"
"If I normally call you Shirone, I might accidentally slip up and use that name somewhere. That would definitely cause trouble, and if Kuroka's situation got exposed because of that, it would be a disaster."
"That makes sense. Please call me Koneko—may I call you Ikki-senpai?"
"Sure thing. Nice to meet you, Koneko-chan."
"Please take care of me."
After exchanging greetings, she asked, "So what exactly are you, Ikki-senpai?"
"What am I... a regular person?"
"Ikki, that explanation doesn't work nya."
"But Kuroka, I was born into an ordinary family, I'm not affiliated with any organization, I've never worked as a freelance Senjutsu user anywhere... Aren't I basically a regular person?"
Kuroka denied this.
"Ikki is engaged to the daughter of the great youkai who rules the Kansai region nya. You can't exactly say you're affiliated, but you can't call yourself a regular person either nya."
I see... somewhere along the way, I lost my status as a regular person.
"Ikki-senpai, you have a fiancée?!"
Koneko-chan asked with surprise but also keen interest... Girls really do latch onto these romantic topics, don't they? But how should I answer this?
"She's nine nya♪"
Kuroka-san?! I mean, that's not wrong, but at least let me give some kind of explanation like Here's the situation!
Look! Koneko-chan just moved to the corner of the room at full speed and is looking at me like some criminal!
"Pedo pervert, lolicoan, you're the worst."