… a slap! – and the cheek is burning with pain, the head jerking with a stinging strike of the clawed cat paw. Natsume stared at his companion in shock:
- N-nyan…
- Oh be quiet, you stupid boy! I'm done with listening to your constant whining! Cursed with an eternal life he is, ha! Many people were ready to sell their souls for such a gift!.. not that you'd ever come to appreciate it, you idiotic whelp! You are given such a chance – and the only thing you think of is death!
The boy narrows his eyes:
- An eternal life is a curse to a human! To see growing, aging and dying Toko-san, Shigeru-san, Tanuma-kun, and everyone… no. I don't care how I'm to do it, but I will not live through years of meaningless and solitary existance!
Natsume gives out a bitter sigh and turns away, setting his gaze at treetops in the distance. A brittle silence settles in, with a tension so nervous and heavy it was tangible. A gust of the wind ruffles Takashi's hair, getting strands into his eyes.
A low, muffled voice comes from the boy's back:
- Meaningless and solitary existence, he says… Yeah, yeah. Those people are not the only ones by your side, you stupid boy!..
Natsume opens his eyes, surprised, and turns around – only to see a huge white cat burning with resentment and walking down the street away from him. The boy touches his still aching cheek in disbelief:
- N-nyanko-sensei?.. But you were… Nyanko-sensei, waaait!..