Painted Prison Chronicles

by Sparity Ikari

When Kamijou Touma and Gokusai sisters reunite after a long while, things certainly go crazy for all of them when they found themselves living together through random twists of fate. In their daily life, Touma, Amazora, Kaibi, and Rikuri will learn about each other, with their light, darkness, and pasts revealed. Among the misfortune, comedy, and romance, their bonds blossom anew!

42. Chapter 42

PAINTED PRISON CHRONICLES

CHAPTER 42

I AM A CAT

Surprise! I said two weeks, but here I am, in one and a half. In a totally unexpected turn of events, I had a burst of inspiration and had to follow it, even despite the fact that I am very busy with other things at the moment. But the idea was quite refreshing and I think the effect is worth it.

As you may guess by the title (which some of you may recognize as an allusion to Natsume Soseki's book of the same title), the chapter is in vast majority presented from a perspective of a rather unique narrator: our favourite calico cat, Sphynx. I had wanting to do it for a while, since I give spotlight to many characters, and some people were really, really excited at the prospect, which got me excited too, and we ended up with this chapter. Additionally, this chapter provides a good old Toaru formula of seeing the backstage of the events of previous chapter from a different perspective.

It was incredibly strange, in a good way. I am a dog person, but I am familiar with cats. I can't have one though, due to allergies (solidarity with Haganemiya, you shall see) so I still had to refresh my knowledge for some time to get you the best Sphynx experience I could give you. As many people pointed out, he lives in this whirlwind of chaos that are Imagine Breaker, Grimoire Library, and Ex-Magic God, and does not get enough credit for all he has to put up through while he is just a cat. Well, here is the response for that, an Ode to Sphynx.

I tired to showcase various sides of him throughout the chapter, focusing, like with Touma, on both his misadventures and relations. It has few moments when you might be surprised, but I sincerely hope it will be to your liking.

The reason why I tell you about Sphynx now is that for good lecture of this chapter, it is crucial to have a small glossary. Even though I made Sphynx's thoughts human, the termionology appearing within them are specifically feline-related, so it is best to explain them.

Clowder- A group of cats living or travelling together. In case of Sphynx, it refers to his adoptive family.

Queen- A female cat, could be used in context of mating, but doesn't have to. In case of Sphynx, he calls female humans queens if he considers them potential partners of Touma.

Tomcat- A male cat, equivalent to a queen.

Well, let's get to the Q&A:

BlueJack22: Itsuwa and Kanzaki need a moment together concerning Touma. They are close and deserve to be honest with one another in regards to their feelings. It is one of the few dynamics where I see it going well.

Average Stuffy: Thank you. I was told writing emotions and interactions is my strong suite. And Nephthys should get all the fanfic love and MOAR!

5had0wHand: #SaveKamijousNuts is an girls equivalent to #DeathToKamijouBloodline from Aogami and the other guys in his class XD Russian Orthodox Church is severely underused, so I will try my best to change it in the future. I think pairing up characters for unique and meaningful interactions is one of my favourite things in this story. They are deep on their own, but there can be so much harnessed from the interactions that we may never witness in the show itself. Touma will try to be a good father to his kids, but there is no telling what habits they will pick up from him or their mothers.

FingFangFoom100: Saronia and Hasako have great budding friendship based on their similarities. This interaction is also incredibly important for Maidono's development, moments of which we will see in this chapter. Like I said above, pairing up characters for unique and meaningful interactions is one of my favourite things in this story. Ladylee has big things coming to her, but not in the nearest future as far as my plans tell. And I don't know about Sphynx ARC per se, but this chapter, sure. It is still bigger than I expected and I am super happy for that.

Amad0: I am very happy for your contribution to a discussion about what philosophy encapsulates Kamijou Touma. As discussion here would be rather lengthy, I will be delighted to engage in it in the future via private messaging.

Without futher delay, let's brandish our claws and jump right in!

"I am a cat"

That was what many would assume calico cat named Sphynx would say if he could speak.

They would be, however, only half right.

Sphynx was a cat. And because he was a cat, he didn't think as humans did. He could and did think, and he thought a lot, especially in the extraordinary life he led. But he didn't do so in form of sentences. His actions were driven by vivid images, sensations, and impulses, pheromones, and needs, that could not be put in words inside of his own head.

Human language was not comprehensible for him, as would be his own musings if they were put into human consciousness in their raw form. The thoughts and feelings of Sphynx The Cat that you are about to witness, dear reader, are result of translating them in their human equivalents and bridging the gap of his sensations for the sake of coherence.

With that clarification stated, let's focus on the hero itself.

Yes. Sphynx could never relate the stories he saw.

That didn't mean however that he didn't have nothing interested to share.

(NEARLY THREE DAYS BEFORE KAIRA AND ENKA DISCOVERED THE BODY. MORNING, SHORTLY BEFORE VASILISA AND TSUCHIMIKADO ARRIVED)

Warmth. Intensity. Affection. Overwhelming. Need to breathe.

Sphynx meowed indignantly and wiggled himself out of the embrace of Index Librorum Prohibitorum, who almost crushed him in her sleep.

It was morning. His Mother was not the early riser, and in truth, Sphynx wasn't neither. He was nocturnal, and tended to sleep through morning. But today, his senses became alert and awake for some reason, causing him to snap back into reality.

Index frowned in her sleep and reached in the Sphynx's direction with her hand. Sphynx sometimes got the sensation of being overwhelmed by Mother's attentiveness. She often hugged him and smothered him even when he clearly needed space. She was quite a strange creature.

It would normally be assumed that mothers would share the food, leaving the major part for their children. But Sphynx's instincts told him that Mother would very well devour everything without restraint should she eat the same food as he did (for some reason, she didn't. Even with her appetite, she didn't seem pleased with pigeons he brought her a couple of times)

Like he thought before, Mother was a strange creature.

But even if he did sometimes ran away from her and rebelled, Sphynx felt an urge similar to the one he sensed while something invaded his territory, which was marked with his scent and clawmarks.

Protect. Defend. Shelter. Deter danger.

Mother could be clueless sometimes. Her hunting skills were poor and she frequently was involved in events that made Sphynx's skin crawl. He couldn't understand the meaning of those events, but he could very well understand the danger they posed to one who saved his life.

Sphynx had enough of a sense of identity to know he was distinct from other members of his kind or his prey, and that there was a difference between him and ones he treated as parents.

They were tall, smooth, lacked claws, their senses were poor.

But they saved him. Mother picked him up off the street, leaving the feeling of unpleasant hunger. They were different, but shared many things too, including the love of being fed and rested. He couldn't frame the idea of death, but he knew that his life was in danger that time and she made him live on. And Father was strong. He was the one who fed him and he knew that he was the one who actually guarded their territory.

Cats were not easy to praise others, but Sphynx felt respect for his Father.

As a cat, he perceived reality differently than tall creatures around him. Among other things, he could perceive and read pheromones around him.

Father was often filled with stress. Sphynx could sense that from one whiff of his pheromonal aura.

But he still tried his hardest to pour positive emotions over members of their clowder, inhabiting the territory they called 'apartment'.

Close-to. Bond. Reverence. Obedience. Challenge. Respect.

That was the sign of strength. He tried to ensure safety of those around him, including Sphynx. This was why Sphynx never considered leaving his clowder, even if he sometimes didn't understand his father's attitude, especially towards the females around him.

Mother, referred to as 'Index' by others, saved his life. And even if she couldn't understand his needs sometimes, she clearly radiated the pleasant feelings of warmth and comfort. Father, despite all of his own problems, gave him strength and opportunity to live.

Sphynx had no grasp over abstracts.

But he knew he will protect his clowder.

Loyalty or respect were not particularly feline concepts.

Cats were by nature rather solitary, engaged in protecting their interests, fighting with other cats to keep control over their territory, claim mates, and such.

So perhaps Sphynx was an odd one to develop such an instinct

Then again, as much as he was just an ordinary cat, being branded a misfit would be nothing new for him.

Some time ago, Sphynx vaguely, not even on the level of sensation, realized that his Mother, Index, was not actually his mother. There was other one, in his first memories.

But that Other Mother had no particular interest in him. He was just one of many kittens she had. He didn't even remember what she looked like. Like all cats, his eyes were closed for over a week after his birth. He only recall smell and aura of tired exhaustion.

Yes... He also had three older sister and a younger brother. As was the case with many kittens, he never knew his father.

Little did he know that with his birth, he was set to embark on lifetime of greatness.

Calico cat known as Sphynx was never meant to survive.

But he was about to show those who deemed him a lost cause how much they were mistaken.

(IN THE PAST, SHORTLY AFTER SPHYNX'S BIRTH)

Two scientists in the white lab coats leaned over the long basket, in which brown female cat was lying down with litter of five kittens.

There were three kitten females, two of which were black and one mixture of black and brown, and two males, out of which one was fully brown.

As wasn't uncommon in Academy City, some of the laboratory formulas were of mixed ethical nature and although legally experimentation on animals was forbidden, the more shady institutions didn't really bother with respecting that rule.

They often bred the strong animals to be test subjects and withstand esper formation chemicals. Cats were among the popular ones, because they showed some degree of resistance to rather unfortunate side effects.

"Rather promising batch" said the male scientist with a small smile" Who is the father?"

"How can you keep forgetting that we don't know?" his female colleague adjusted her glasses" They are superfecund. Mother can be pregnant with kitten from multiple fathers at the same time. Well, we could probably verify it on genetic level, but why bother? All it matters is that possible candidates are one of the most promising test subjects. Although, apparently..."

She scoffed at one of the kittens, crawling and trying to get to milk, but being pushed aside by his siblings.

"Wow... she is a calico?"

"That wouldn't be all that impressive. Look!"

The woman shoved her companion a tablet and he inspected it for a moment, before his eyes widened.

"That's a male? But..."

"... the chance of a male calico is one in multiple thousands. Look at this, his chromosome structure is all over the place!"

There was a large: XXY signature displayed on the screen

Calico cat was cat of any breed that showed the tri-colour scheme of his fur, usually white, orange, and black. And such was the little furball in front of them.

Calico cats were also, almost without exception, female, since the X chromosome held the locus, or gene placement, responsible for orange or non-orange colouring. Y chromosome lacked this gene, so it was generally impossible for a male cat to have both orange and non-orange colouring at the same time.

Except one particular instance...

"Well... isn't it a side of good luck to have a calico cat in the mix?"

"Not when it's a male." the female researcher snarled" And definitely not in this line of work, where we want to have strong and resistant specimens. While this one... he has three sex chromosomes, instead of two. He is a mutant, a genetic abnormality. I say we should get rid off him!"

"But he may be of use. I am sure that..."

"Male calicos are weak and sickly. They are not something that should appear in natural scheme of things. He is probably not fertile and will die after first dosage of the drug. And we can't waste resources on the subjects that can't tell us how the effects persist over time. He is useless"

The woman said this in cold tone, but not with any particular malice. She was just stating the facts.

The man looked as if he wanted to say something, but bit his lip, as the chart in the hand of his colleague was flipped.

"Fine..." she grumbled, seeing look on his face" We keep him in the lab until he opens his eyes. But after that, you kick him out. And if you won't do it, I will"

She looked at the kittens again

"As for this litter, this time we have a picked codenames from the selection of stars. I will assign them now..."

Three female kittens were named Vega, Capella and Spica, while the fifth, youngest male kitten was named Deneb.

The fourth, the male calico, meowed quietly, as the hand loomed over, as ominous as reach of death itself.

"Algol" said the voice above him" Small one, don't hold what's going to happen to you against us. You were just misfortunate... to be born, that is."

And so calico cat that was about to become Sphynx was unintentionally given a name, which signaled his strange and tumultuous fate.

What did it mean? Someone unfamiliar would shrug it off. Algol sounded like a rather strange name of a cleaning product or a toothpaste.

But anyone who was acquainted with astrology would shudder at this codename.

Algol, the star in the constellation of Perseus, was one of the unluckiest starts of heavens according to ancient beliefs. It was omen of death and violence. Nothing peaceful was ever achieved under it. And anyone born under its reach would surely die.

Its other name was Demon Star. Unintentionally, it became a perfect nickname for a kitten that no one linked happy future with due to his unusual genetic heritage.

In proceeding weeks, his brother and sisters disappeared one by one. And then it came a time when he was put outside in the cardboard box, with a small stockpile of food.

Placing a note on the box, a man smiled awkwardly to him.

"Stay here. We... we can't keep you any longer if you don't give us any results. And with your genetic makeup, they wouldn't... we wouldn't be able to generalize them. Besides, every data predicts that you will die before long. If you stay, there is a chance someone will pick you up for little time you left. Goodbye, Algol"

The kitten didn't move. He was quiet, as if he closed into himself.

As small as he was, he sensed lack of hope from people in the lab, and even from his mother and siblings, who didn't interact with him in that short time they had together. As if sensing something he couldn't.

But he didn't want to die.

From the earliest moments, he felt something run behind his consciousness, something older than most cognitive functions of his brain, willpower as old as life itself.

Survive. Survive. Survive. Survive.

Don't die. Don't die. Don't die. Don't die

He never had any warm hand comfort him and teach him that.

He had to be strong enough to let his own body carry itself forward with this primordial willingness.

So he waited. And waited. And waited.

Food, mainly milk, became more and more scarce, and then it completely vanished.

Few people walked by. But some shook their heads. Some were too absorbed in their affairs or were in too much of a rush to notice him.

And even with his willingness to survive, his hunger, and lack of interaction started to wear him down.

That was, until he heard voices from above.

Two tall creatures walked close to his box.

The smaller one had a flowing waterfall of silver blue against white-clad black.

The kitten's colour vision was limited. His eyes, superb in the night time could only see blue and yellow in the daylight. He experienced sky and sun vividly, but grass and trees were dull to him. On the edge of green terrain, he was surrounded by dullness and grey hue.

He could not see green and red, like all his cat brethren. And even though the eyes of the female leaning over him were just as dull, there was something strange within them. Emotion of warmth peering from beyond the dullness, something he never felt directed towards himself. And that waterfall of silvery-blue caught kitten's attention.

Maybe it was due to the hunger. Or some other unknown yearning.

But he meowed, as loud as he could.

"Touma, Touma! Can we keep him? Can I take him?!"

"What? No, we can't! I would get into serious trouble for breaching the dorm rules! They don't allow pets!"

"But Touma!"

"I bet they are already pissed at me for all the repairs for the malfunctions that happen due to this rotten luck"

The kitten froze. He didn't like this.

He didn't want to be in the quarrel. He already heard some in the lab and the tone scared him.

He toppled the box and ran away.

"H-Hey! Please, wait!"

The female with silver on her back shouted behind him, but he didn't stop.

He knew she chased him for a moment, but then suddenly vanished.

He paused in confusion and paced around the square he stopped on.

Minutes passed, although he did not know it. He just knew that he waited and waited.

Something compelled him to wait. If he was human, he might have recognize that he was 'hoping' for something.

And then...

"Oh, there you are!"

The female from earlier appeared in his vision. She panted heavily and smiled to him.

"I was looking everywhere for you. I am surprised you are still here... sorry, I had to check some strange mana signature..."

"Nyaaa..." he meowed, looking up at her.

"You look really cute. It would be so sad if you were just left alone here. Are you lost?"

"Nyaaaaaaaaaah..." he meowed again. Somehow, this sounded much more desperate.

"I am kind of lost too. Nearly year ago, I just woke up here and I was pretty much on the run this entire time. Until I found Touma! He is really nice, and gives me food, and is really caring, and gives me food, and lets me stay at his place, and gives me food... I am pretty sure he would love you too, if he just gave you a chance... because... well, as a nun, I should help poor souls in need. So I decided!"

She extended her hands, beckoning at the kitten to jump at them. Slowly, very cautiously, he climbed over and she lifted him up.

"I am going to keep you. I am Index, Index Librorum Prohibitorum, but Index is just fine. And you... oh, you need a name, don't you?"

He watched her, trying to distinguish expressions on her face.

"You look quite smart for a cat. As if you were actually thinking about something... do all cats do that or are you special? That's a riddle... and how many other riddles do you have, little kitten..."

She blinked and smiled. Her eyes, in the colour that the kitten could not distinguish, lit up with sparkles of joy.

"Riddles... that's it! Well, my mysterious and smart-looking kitten, you will be known from now on as Sphynx. They are the noble creatures that guard wisdom and riddles. Oh, Sphynx, do you like it? I am sure we will be best friends! Hop under here, we have to get you into the dorm unnoticed"

She pulled her habit apart a little bit and the kitten now named Sphynx crawled inside.

He couldn't tell if he liked it or not. It was the first of many times he heard his given name.

But he liked the meaning and emotions put into it.

Humans, creatures that devised verbal language, often learned words before associations of meaning with the sound came into their minds.

For cats, it was quite the opposite. They reacted to the meaning, and sometimes, they associated said meaning with the sounds others produced.

And to Sphynx, the named spoken by that strange creature, who was to become his Mother and saviour, sounded very kind and pleasant.

(BACK IN THE PRESENT)

Yet, despite all the odds, the calico cat survived. And not only through condition that was supposed to debilitate him.

Sphynx walked through the corridor and into the kitchen.

Rikuri looked at him and smiled.

"Hello, Sphynx-san. Did you come for breakfast?"

Sphynx froze.

He was still getting used to new members of their clowder.

Three females. Their smell indicated blood bond.

Sphynx guessed from their behaviour and pheromones that they were his Father's queens. Although he could not understand why he didn't claim them yet. He could not sense any smell of consummated copulation. But those three siblings stuck around, so Sphynx assumed his Father had some plans regarding them.

His Father had lots of queens. That was another thing Sphynx respected in him. He strived to have so many female cats on the streets as well.

But again, he couldn't figure out why Father allowed said queens to growl and hiss at each other, and battle for his attention. How could someone so strong be so indecisive?

Curiosity. Repulsion. Strong smell. Death. Danger. Affection. Warmth. Love. Confusion.

This one was kind to him, and loved to spoil him, but smelled like death. It was a sharp, skin-crawling smell , and it was overpowering. The instincts to stay and the instincts to run away fought within him.

Rikuri handed him a piece of meat on the platter.

Sphynx's hair stood up.

His memories of Rikuri handing him food usually ended in pain and stomach-ache.

Nausea. Queasiness. Hurt inside. Reject.

He willed his claws to come out of one of his paws and waved them at Rikuri, who flinched.

"It's alright! It's just a tuna! I didn't give you anything prepared by myself. I am learning from my mistakes"

She tried to reach for him, but the overpowering smell surprised him and he instinctively bit her finger lightly.

"Ouch! W-What was that for?" Rikuri cried out after he let go.

"I have a pretty good idea" answered the slightly younger female, emerging from behind them" He doesn't like the smell of your chemicals, remember? If someone waved a stinking cloth right in front of your face, you wouldn't like it either."

"Oh, right. I guess even if I wash up, it's still strong for him. I will wash my hands again" Rikuri said, walking back to the sink.

Power. Domination. Will. Intelligence. Superiority.

Sphynx liked Gokusai Kaibi. She emanated strength and power, and knew when to claim what was hers. Sphynx could definitely see why she was his Father's queen. Aside from Father, she was the only one which was never challenged by him, either by acting against someone or running away.

Kaibi was just and responsible in regards to Sphynx, but could be just as angry if he didn't behave. But she was very responsible, acting like a mother of family more than his Mother, at times, or her older sibling.

Kaibi took the plate with meat up and closed it to her nose, before giving at few sniffs.

"Alright to me" she articulated clearly and slowly, pointing at the fish.

Gokusai Kaibi's Measure Heart could not link with Sphynx.

But through her knowledge of human hearts, she worked out the pseudo-model of communication with the cat.

She understood better than anyone how to modulate her voice to convey or manipulate emotions. And since Sphynx could not understand full sentences, she always tried to get through him thanks to such affect-based communicates.

Results were largely positive, or at least more positive than anyone else's.

Upon her encouragement, Sphynx also inspected the fish and found it actually delectable. He began happily consuming it, just as pouting Rikuri returned to them.

"Of course it is alright. Mou, why are you two always suspect me of bringing you poison?"

"Because it is your specialty, nee-san. And because we have quite a bit of experience with food poisoning. Hasako almost threw up on one of my limited edition carpets. More than once, mind you"

"But it's getting better! And you won't ever know if you don't let me try to feed you! This time it really was a simple tuna. Look, I am really trying to train to be a good wif-" Rikuri blushed and cleared her throat" It's of great importance to me to cook good food."

"Alright, alright, I believe you. Huh, he really seems to be into that fish?"

"Well, that's because cats have much more sensitive umami taste buds"

"Umami? That's the meaty taste, right?"

"Glutaminian of Sodium. But they lack the receptors of sweetness, so they never taste sweet flavours, like we do"

"That's really sad" Amazora said, entering the room" they can never eat ice-cream? Or cotton candy?"

Sphynx looked at the smallest sibling before resuming his breakfast.

His relationship with Amazora was tumultuous at first, as the sisters never had any animal before and Amazora clearly had no concept of cat's need for personal space. He had to give her piece of his mind. But now, after some mediation from his Father, they started to enjoy each other's company. Sphynx was one of Amazora's favourite playmates, and she frequently sought his attention, almost on the level she was always hanging around his Father.

Surely, they occasionally got their arguments. But he would claw out eyes of anyone who would dare to actually attack her. He would never attack her, either. In a way, she seemed like a obnoxious, but precious younger kitten to him.

"They rather shouldn't. But don't worry, Amazora. For Sphynx, eating tuna is as stimulating as eating ice-cream is for you."

"Huuuuh..."

In her daze, she accidentally stepped on Sphynx's tail.

As the pain shot from behind him, he jumped with a startled sound, straight onto Kaibi.

This would usually not be an issue. He jumped into Kaibi's arms many times before.

But this time, he didn't jump into her arms, but instead, just slightly below her chest.

Sphynx, like all members of his kind, had voluntary control over his claws. He could protract and retract them on each one of his paws or on all of them simultaneously.

However, in surprise, pain, or agitation, they could still come out, as instinctual reaction to threatening stimuli. As he jumped, and landed, the claws came out of their sheaths.

Good news was that the claws didn't reach Kaibi's flesh.

Bad news... was that his claws were all over the front of her dress, piercing the material.

Kaibi gave Sphynx a look. He shuddered.

He saw his Father receive the same stern look at times. Even he looked worried and quickly left the direct area near the angry Kaibi.

"Don't. MOVE" Kaibi said slowly, putting pressure on her words and looking on" Don't you even dare..."

Sphynx loved to scratch things. It allowed him to stretch, sharpen his claws, and perfect his climbing. But his Father went out of his way to get him scratchers, and painstakingly tried to get one important thing across to Sphynx.

"Dresses- no! This- no! No scratching! For both our sakes!"

Sphynx and Kamijou Touma were two males of the house. They had to support one another at times, even if Sphynx's loyalty was a bit different from his Father's.

But they both know, without Sphynx even realizing it, sacred rule of three sisters.

Dresses, sign of their familial bond, were inviolable and untouchable. And for all the kindness and patience Kaibi had, the breaching of this rule would be met with retribution.

Sphynx was terrified. All he knew is that he needed to get away without angering the queen of his Father. He loved Kaibi, but she was the only one who he didn't want to really cross.

But gravity betrayed him.

In a very slow and dramatic fashion, poor Sphynx slid down, leaving trails of peeled of material. Only after few seconds he managed to bounce away.

Kaibi looked down. Her dress was turned into a version with freely showing belly, as the section from down below her bra to just up of her panties being clawed away.

Kaibi's eyes flashed as she slowly turned her head.

"Run" Rikuri said to Sphynx.

He was already fleeing long before she said that

(10 MINUTES LATER)

Sphynx found refuge besides the open window.

He snuck outside after Kaibi lost sight of him after furious chase.

"Where is he?!"

"Now, calm down, Kaibi-chan. It doesn't look half bad for something cut out without precise eye. It's quite daring and exotic"

"It was still new! And expensive!"

"But I am telling the truth. The way it shows your belly is alluring"

"Hmm... you think so?"

"Onee-chan looks like a dancer"

"Amazora, that's not helping..."

"What? Onii-chan likes bellies. Maidono-sensei said so. And Kumokawa onee-san."

"Please, do not compare me to her. Even after all that time, she still strikes me as smug know-it-all. I know she mocks me behind my back"

"Onee-chan, she also does it in front of you too"

"Thank you, Amazora. Your commentary is vital for me not to lose my urge to murder someone right now"

Sphynx growled.

He rather stay out for now, until murderous aura disappeared from around Kaibi.

His vibrissae twitched. He could sense the vibrations beyond the level of their apartment.

Someone was walking towards his territory.

The calico cat pounced down, adjusting his position in flight to land on his paws.

He repeated the process until he found himself on the open section of the corridor, few floors down.

And ran straight into the newcomers.

"Oh, isn't this Sphynx-kun, nya?" Tsuchimikado Motoharu

Recognition. Uncertainty. Suppressed power. Father's ally. Really? Dangerous.

Sphynx allowed Tsuchimikado to scratch him.

He never knew how to assess this human.

From what he could sense, he was like some cats he encountered in the alleys.

Unassuming, but ready to pounce at any moment.

Strength that was masked. Power that was hidden.

But he never sensed outright hostility, that's why he allowed this mysterious human to be so close.

A little female that was with him, Maika, really liked Sphynx, which was reciprocated. She always kept him fed, allowed him to rest, and generally tended to his needs.

Although Sphynx could not discern the relationship between this older human and one he called Maika. They acted like members of clowder at the same level, like siblings, at some times, even though Sphynx could not sense blood relation, while at the same time displaying some hidden courting.

Humans were strange.

But well, Sphynx was just a cat. He should not be bothered by such things.

The female next to him he didn't recognize. She was practically tangled up in the web of smells and hormones. Sphynx stepped back as she reached for him.

"Now, now, kitty, kitty, you look very precious. Let me find some cute clothes for you to match it"

Sphynx jumped out of the ledge of the outdoor corridor around the apartment as a response

"Hmph!" Vasilisa frowned" That was uncalled for!"

"Maybe he sensed something in you!"

"Whatever he could sense would only be purity and goodness. I am beautiful after all"

"Hmm..."

"What is that hesitation I hear, boy?!"

Meanwhile Sphynx righted himself and fell onto the ground, running away from the building.

It only occurred to him after some time of running that it could be ambush on the territory.

But he dismissed it. The blond boy was not hostile. And the woman... had no killing intent.

And if his hearing was not mistaken, his Father could be arriving at any moment.

As much as Sphynx wanted to battle any threat to his clowder that came around, he realized there were some things he could not claw away or pounce at, at the very least not without element of surprise. So some things were better left for Father to deal with any danger, if he was nearby.

Sphynx would feel more confident during the hours of night. There, he had the advantage over humans, whose vision in low light was almost non-existent compared to his.

But now? He was small, and it allowed him to evade attacks, but it was not a good thing in direct confrontation with enemies multiple times taller than him.

Besides, on the more instinctual, selfish level... he did not hurry to go back since Kaibi could still be mad at him. He could as well do some patrolling and walking around.

He didn't see his Father in recent days. Cats did not usually experience feeling of missing, but Sphynx always felt empowered and more confident when Kamijou Touma was around. He was a sensible human, even if life certainly got very tense for Sphynx since he met him.

Yes. When Index, his Mother, picked him up from the streets, it didn't matter to him. He was hungry and didn't want to be wet and miserable outside as the storm was coming up.

But in proceeding months, his instincts, will to live, and any concept of feline sanity he possibly had were tested to their limits.

It was danger after danger, warning after warning. New places, new people, new dangers. Over and over.

He got used to scanning for dangers and analyzing the surroundings thanks to it.

Will to live was etched into Sphynx's being since the moment people around him gave up on him upon his birth. And it was engraved into him even more since Touma and Index dragged him through countless magic side conflicts.

Don't break. Survive. Survive. Don't get killed. Survive. Survive. Survive!

But nevertheless, Sphynx respected Kamijou Touma in the hierarchical structure of his clowder, present within his instinctual perception of people around him.

It wasn't only because Sphynx could tell that he was fast, or that he drawn immeasurable number of queens without realizing it.

Kamijou Touma often treated Sphynx like someone else. Not like an extension of humans, not as inferior one, but as a true member of the clowder. Even though he could think he could never actually understand him, he still spoke to Sphynx as if he saw that there was someone else there.

With many others, even with Mother, Sphynx often sensed a sense of negligence of his perspective.

Still, they were pleasant to him, in their own way. He could forgive their lack of insight.

Humans could truly be a creatures with ridiculously low level of perception in regards to certain things.

But his Father was different. He seemed distant from what normal humans emanated. As he and Sphynx sat together, the cat was sensing emotions he could not name, that Touma did not express in front of the females around the house.

Sphynx could not frame abstract concepts of emotions into words, as he did not use words in his thoughts in the first place. But he knew that sometimes, deep sadness ran through his Father.

Sometimes, to ease this feeling, he rubbed Touma's hand or licked it, and received scratch behind his ears.

Sphynx observed that sometimes, when Father emanated that aura, he communicated with Little One.

Truth be told, Sphynx also missed the Little One.

When she appeared in their lives, Sphynx assumed his Father gave him the most amazing toy in existence. It moved, made sounds, and gave him great practice in perfecting the hunting.

Sphynx had pride in his skills, and took perfecting them very seriously.

So it took him a lot of time to actually register his Father's words that Little One should not be touched.

Why not? It moved, it ran away, it resisted, it was just of perfect size for one or two bites. What could it be if not prey?

But after more and more scolding, he realized that the only things Father explicitly forbid him to hurt or tarnish were members of the clowder or things with their smell on them, in other words, their possessions.

Could it be that the small prey was actually member of the clowder?

Sphynx found that stupid.

But after actually giving it a bit of attention, he discovered that Little One smelled like humans did. It was unmistakable now that he took note of it.

But Sphynx's brain could not match it up. There was no way prey would smell like human, but be so small. So it couldn't be human, could it?

So he continued his hunt, since cats usually went for acting instead of thinking when they couldn't understand something. But he did it with greater reluctance and confusion.

Could anyone really blame him? Little One was small, ran away, felt pleasantly squishy between his teeth and made squeaks when he tried to eat her, which only triggered his predation response.

But then... she started to communicate.

It was even harder than the communications between himself and his clowder members. But it was there. More so, over time, Little One became bolder, even mounting him and shouting something like

'Steed, carry your god!'

Sphynx would be amused if he could.

He couldn't even begin to imagine what a god was supposed to be.

But it was evident from Little One's tone that she expected him to yield to his will. Truly?

She was so small and puny. She had no fur, no claws, no natural weapons of her own. He could eat her easily if she wasn't so resourceful.

So in a way, it could be said that he decided to humour her.

So from some time, he allowed her to ride on him. To let such a tiny, fragile being have a little pleasure in life.

Until recently Little One was just that, little. But she suddenly became bigger and then little and then big again.

Sphynx gave up on solving that mystery, allowing Little One, or Not-Little-One-Anymore-But-Occasionaly-Little-Again be whoever she was.

Right now, he calmly traversed the streets, until he heard familiar voices.

"Listen, we can't keep excusing ourselves away from his life, like we did for the last days. We made a deal, remember? You don't want to have Accelerator breathing on our necks again, right?"

"I know, I know... but I have to mentally prepare. We stumbled on rather awkward situation"

"And whose fault is that? You were the one who got it all complicated!"

"No, you were the one who was dishonest about all of this. Seike, I am not going anywhere if Yakkun is going along"

Two females and one male.

One with purple her smelled like vanilla and old books.

Brown haired female smelled sharply, just like oldest sibling queen in Father's clowder.

And the male had no scent Sphynx could identify, except maybe some perfume and deodorant.

All in all, he knew them. And Seike Taromaru also recognized him.

"Oh, little fella! You are Kamijou's cat, aren't you?"

Yakumaru Itsuki and Sakuragi Naruha stopped frowning at each other, and also noticed Sphynx's presence.

"Yeah... Sphynx, if I remember right" said Yakumaru.

"Are you lost? Or just out minding your own business?"

Seike observed him for a moment, before mischievous gleam entered his eyes.

"Actually, Sphynx-kun, maybe you can help us in something. You see, those two..." he pointed at the girls" Have... pfft... a bit of a convoluted problem. They both fell for your owner... hehehe... and now they are in a deadlock and won't stop annoying because of it!"

"If we are so annoying, then why are you laughing? This is serious!"

"Alright, alright, it just sounds so stupid... you were jealous of each other without realizing it and because of that you actually made your worries true instead of simply talking shit over like normal people... so, Sphynx-kun, decide in the name of your owner, Yakkun or Naru? Come on, you two, extend your hands?"

"W-What is that supposed to be?" Naru blurted out.

"You know, in those TV shows, there are sometimes those funny ideas where they put food over one of the flags and wait to see the food over which flag will be eaten first. This indicates which country's team will win or something like that. So just extend your hands and get him to choose one of you"

"This is stupid"

"Very stupid"

But both Naru and Itsuki extended their hands.

Sphynx lustrated them for just a moment, before hopping into Naru's embrace.

The paper manipulator's face lit up.

"I mean... ha ha! I knew he will choose me, it was obvious pick! Kyah! Oi, don't touch me there! Do you have your owner's tastes?"

Sphynx burrowed his head into two warm, soft mound of flesh in front of him.

Contrary to many humans, he didn't have any perverted intentions.

He just liked softness, warmth, and faint smell of lactic hormones, since it remembered him of his earliest days. And Other Mother, that he barely knew. Although, he didn't like to be suffocated by them, as Kazakiri Hyouka learned back in the day.

Yakumaru reddened and bit her lip, before screaming out.

"Yeah, because that selection is rigged!"

"Rigged? How so?"

"Cats don't like the smell of chemicals just as much as they dislike electromagnetic waves. I bet to him I am super unpleasant to be around. But just wait..."

She pulled out few vials. After minutes of clatter, mixing, and one syringe injection...

Yakumaru victoriously put an apple on the ground.

"An apple?" Naru asked skeptically" What is this going to-"

Sphynx's nose twitched.

And then he bolted out Naru's embrace, tackling the apple and starting to devour it.

"Wha-..." Naru's jaw dropped" What is this?"

"I injected this apple with umami extract. Meaning that it will taste like meat"

"Yuck!"

"Maybe to us, but to him, it's an amazing delicacy. And I bet he never ate meat with such a soft structure"

Sphynx indeed felt as if he was in heaven. After he finished the treat, he looked at Yakumaru, who smiled softly.

"What about it? Was that good?"

He meowed and jump upwards into her arms, before starting to lick her in gratitude.

"S-Stop!" she giggled, trying to cover her face" That tickles a lot!"

"So, what's with that? He chose both of us? That means it's a draw or..." Naru paused.

"... you are both good enough" Seike clapped sarcastically" Wow, took you a while. Really, was it worth to argue so long about that? We are all invited for that dinner with Leader and that pink haired teacher. You need to get along for that. Kamijou wouldn't like to see you fight"

Yakumaru put Sphynx down, as she stared at Naru.

It was true. They also wouldn't like to fight in front of Touma.

"Thinking about it, it's actually rather stupid. For years, we avoided this, and now we had good intentions for one another, until it turned into jealousy and into this" Naru muttered

"To be honest, I am still mad at you." Yakumaru admitted" But by this point, it is not that much of importance who started it or whose jealousy led to this conflict. If we really do have those feelings, we have to deal with them"

Initially with awkwardness, but with rekindled confidence, she extended her hand.

"I am a bit peeved too... but that checks out. Let's try to see who can woo our spiky haired boss better instead of trying to get other to quit. We are friends, after all" Naru sighed, before grinning and shaking Yakumaru's hand.

"Now, was that so hard? Oh, guess what, it wasn't!" Seike put a hand to his lips" If only someone was telling you to do just that for the last couple of the days. Oh yes, I was. Well, hold your applause. I am going to phone Thor-san now, so see ya guys later"

Naru and Yakumaru rolled their eyes at the leaving boy.

"To be honest, Sphynx is the real reconciler here. He really cares about interest of his owner" Naru laughed.

"Speaking of him... where is he?" Yakumaru looked around in puzzlement.

Sphynx was distracted by a bird. He was getting a bit hungry, even after meat-like apple, and decided to pursue it.

On the way there, someone else ran past him.

He knew this smell and footstep pattern. He also recognized the sandals he stared at when she first entered their old apartment.

Itsuwa ran past him, in such a hurry that she didn't even notice him. She seemed to carry spare pair of clothes in her bag.

Well, since she didn't stop, he shouldn't either. The bird was getting away.

Sphynx followed it, until he collided with someone's leg.

"Ow! Oh? It's you... you are his..."

Sphynx could not fathom how he didn't notice that person.

Or rather, how he failed to notice that particular presence he knew very well.

He felt it many times. This was Father's queen that was particularly close to him. He knew she and Father were close, she also helped his Mother quite a few times.

And without fail, he never wanted to have her near him. Just by being close to her, his skin crawled as if it was plunged in both hot and cold water at the same time, making him shiver. His head also hurt immensely.

"Hey, maybe I can help you" the chestnut headed female lowered closer, making his skin crawl even more" I won't hurt you. I can even feed you something nice. So please, just let me-"

Not even promise of food was not enough to keep Sphynx from scurrying away.

Misaka Mikoto huffed in annoyance, looking at her hands.

"Shoot, I was so close. I wouldn't trade my power away, but this downside is always so depressing. If only there was some way to safely turn it off..."

She realized what she just said only after a moment and her face exploded in red hue.

"W-Well, that seems like a good reason to hold his hand... n-not that I was thinking about it before that much, not at all..."

Meanwhile, Sphynx didn't stop until he found himself in front of the wall.

Naturally, that didn't truly stop him either. Cats were one of the most liberty-focused animals and obstacles were meant to be breached.

The wall seemed to steep. But as he walked along, he noticed a small tunnel, perhaps for the water.

That would do. He squeezed inside and kept crawling.

Cats had no direct connection between clavicle and ribcage, with their limbs being connected to a bone, which itself was free-floating on ligaments instead of bones.

Because of that, if Sphynx's head could get inside something, he could always get his body through, no matter how tight the space.

After a moment, he was on the other side of the wall.

He appeared to be in some sort of garden. After a moment of wandering around, he climbed a tree, and then jumped through a window near the branches.

He was greeted by a giant snake, who raised his head upon his entrance.

Sphynx hissed. He hated snakes.

The snake had to feel something mutual. Slowly uncoiling, it rose above him before...

"Ekaterina-chan! Restrain yourself. This kitten just wounded up here by accident, he is not to be your lunch"

Wind. Confidence and Insecurity. Pride. Smell of fabric. Warmth. Kindness.

Kongou Mitsuko picked Sphynx up and inspected him.

"Wait... you are darling's kitten. Or rather, Index-chan's. Are you lost?"

She clapped her hands and smiled.

"Why don't you join me? I was just about to drink morning tea"

Kongou poured a cup of tea for herself and a small vase of milk for Sphynx.

She also gave Ekaterina a few mice to eat. The snake also eyed Sphynx with some equivalent of reptilian annoyance, but allowed him to remain where he was without causing more of a scene.

"Actually, you should probably be careful around here. The Dorms strongly scorn unauthorized animals" Kongou warned him.

She sighed. Sensing the atmosphere of weariness, Sphynx meowed, tilting his head.

Kongou looked at him and smiled

"Don't mind me. I am just thinking about darling said to me recently. He asked why I liked him, and I just can't help but think about it. I said that I admired his courage and bravery, and his kind nature. But even I can see that he still doesn't really believe my feelings to be..."

She blushed, her fingers drumming on the table.

Sphynx sniffed the air. The smell... mating readiness? No, something lower. It was pheromone signature of a queen being ready to courting.

Was that female yearning to be approached, but unsure what to do?

"... the kind of higher order of affection. Is it because I am a lady? I did hear that he has some bad experiences with ladies from Tokiwadai... did it taint his perception of them? If this was only from this, I could work on improving it, but I suspect that he cannot believe my feelings because we are worlds apart."

Kongou got up and began to stroll across the room with a somewhat wistful expression.

"Are we really? That's a funny thing... straight after I joined Tokiwadai, I would not only say that we were, but I would throw that in his face with triumph. As 'How dare you assume that I would even look in your direction, you commoner"

She chuckled and shook her head.

"But I met people who made me realize that social standing was merely one of many descriptions and did not equate to person's character. Both Saten-san and Uiharu-san does not frequent our school and yet they are wonderful companions. And now, that I know that it really doesn't matter, the thought that our worlds may be apart... brings me pain."

Sphynx fell on his back, his head spinning from observing the girl going in circles over and over.

Kongou sat down and took a sip from her cup.

"He warned me that I may not like what I see when I continue to spend time with him. That this misfortune of his will aggravate me. And maybe... maybe it will. I don't know. But what I do know is I still want to try, and I don't want to discard so brave and kind over the fact that something might happen in the future. This doesn't rule out all the great things he did for me and my friends. A lady should always pay her debts, should she have any, and sincerely express her gratitude. Even if I got... ekhm... lost, that first time when we met and actually had a conversation, I saw that kindness in one gesture of protecting my life, even with my insistence that I was strong. I knew even then that it wouldn't matter to him. And right now I know..."

Kongou put a hand on her chest, looking at Sphynx, who observed her while also sipping his milk.

"... that it wouldn't matter to me either. And even though he is the poorest, and I am one of the richest... with those similarities I can't help but be a little hopeful. For us. And now I wonder what to do to not let this slip away. Kongou shall never let opportunity slip, I was taught. But I thought... what if he is right? What if I will be aggravated in a way that will only push more problems onto him? What if I didn't change as much as I thought and my arrogance will bring only more displeasure onto him?"

She reached for her fan, and began playing with it too.

"I do have life beside him, so I tried to engage in it and distance myself from those thoughts. I wasn't trying to run away, just gain some perspective. But the more I did, the more the pain of worry for the future was replaced by the pain of cutting myself off from him in the present. And when I saw him recently in the hospital, it all came back multiplied. It is so strange really... when I was little, I always imagined that, being the heiress of biggest aviation company in Japan, I will be wooed and graciously reject my admirers. That I will be the one in control. And all my life, I was a force of confidence in whatever I got involved in. Sometimes, no, perhaps often, when it should be my better judgement to be more hesitant. When I deemed her my knight in shining armour, I already envisioned dating, marriage, and... more. But now, when I took a step back and reflected on what he said to me, when I actually feel those feelings are genuinely that feeling I read in books, I am a little scared and I turn into mess. Does it mean that it is a real deal or if there is something wrong with me? What should I do?"

Her wide forehead bonked the table.

"Being in love can be hard, huh?"

Sphynx wouldn't be able to give her advice even if he could. And he did.

This female saved his friend, in the past, and protected it with her own life.

But he couldn't tell her.

He was, after all, a cat.

He jumped across the table and started to lick her hand.

Kongou looked up and smiled. She sniffed, straightening herself and fixing her fringes with her fingers.

"Are you trying to comfort me? Well, thank you. Truth be told, I already know what I should do. Be direct, talk about my true feelings. But... I still need to prepare for that. Thank you for listening to my little ramble. Do you want me take you there? Maybe that would give me good opportunity to talk with him..."

She posed with her fan, testing out few greetings.

Sphynx could not physically laugh, but he narrowed his eyes in feline equivalent of a smile.

Suddenly, his ear twitched, and he ran under the table, picking up a premonition of danger.

There was a loud knocking. Kongou froze. None of her friends would knock like that.

But seeing that Sphynx already hid himself, she called out

"Come in, please"

A strictly dressed woman with a brown hair and glasses walked outside.

"Oh, Haganemiya-sama?" Kongou uttered, looking at the Dorm Supervisor" What brings you here? You are usually responsible for Outer Dorm, so I don't see much of you... did something happened?"

"Truly heartfelt concern, young lady" Haganemiya answered icily" but I am A Supervisor General, so in the letter of the law, I am responsible for administration of both dorms. I can go wherever I please. I usually split my responsibility between me and my vice-supervisor. Yet since she is on a leave today, I am visiting Inner Dorm too. And while I am nearby, I took it upon myself to notify you that you are having a training with a group from Outer Dorm today."

"Oh, truly? Well, thank you. You didn't have to go out of your way to tell me in person..."

"Apparently, I did, since you didn't bother to look at your phone and confirm your attendance"

Kongou looked for her phone, and finally found it under one of the pillows on her bed. She gasped in embarrassment upon seeing the unread notifications.

"Oh... I suppose that I lost myself in contemplation and didn't hear it"

"I can see that. Be more mindful in the future"

"Of course, I will"

"Well, not all contemplation, as you put it, is wrong." Dorm Manager walked around the room, talking in a lecturing voice" You have to stay focused on your studies and presentation, and not be lead astray by vulgar frivolities, or... inappropriate conduct"

The pressure put on that last part caused Kongou to flinch slightly.

"Recently, there is a true flood of lovestruck fools around the campus. The root of all of that distraction was detected, but is seems inner work still needs to be done"

"Detected? You speak as if it was not 'dealt with' or something along those lines."

For a moment, the brown haired woman appeared almost... flustered.

But it had to be trick of the light. She blinked, and rubbed her eyes, as if something got inside of them.

"Just because I know who he is doesn't mean he will... it is... it is complicated, and none of your concern. I simply tell you to mind your conduct. Otherwise..."

She paused. Kongou, not daring to make eye contact due to being very much engaged earlier on in dreams and fantasies about the very same inappropriate behaviour Haganemiya described, started to sweat. She awaited the description of the punishment, which would surely be horrible if it deserved such a dramatic pause.

But it never came.

Instead, Dorm Manager sneezed, so suddenly that Kongou jumped, hitting her knee below the table.

"Bless you"

"Excuse me for that" Haganemiya sniffed, rubbing her eyes more fervently." Kongou, you do have a maid assigned, don't you? You need to dust off this room, or let her do it"

"Dust off? Whatever do you mean?" Kongou felt a bit of indignation swell inside her" I abhor dust, not even mention being sensitive to it, it's so icky! Thus, I always keep my room clean and spotless"

"And modest" the older woman added with a pinch of sarcasm, looking at silk carpets, enormous bed with canopy, and best-quality imported wooden furniture.

The Inner Dorm was allowed to have much more lavish decore in the rooms of their residents than Outer one, which was under Haganemiya's watchful gaze almost all the time.

"Thank you. I tried my best to limit myself with what I have at home"

Apparently, that sarcasm flew right over Kongou Mitsuko's head.

But what she said was true. She tended to have a bit of creative chaos around, but it was always clean chaos. As a model and refined lady, she made absolutely sure to stay away from any form of dust and muck. In addition to making her sneeze, it was sticky, itchy, and all kinds of gross. No, thank you.

She noticed that Haganemiya's eyes were slightly red.

"Allergy?"

"Nothing serious, don't mind it. It's not a big allergy, it will pass"

"Well, as I said, it's clean here. No dust whatsoever"

"It is either that or you have a cat in here. Illegally"

Kongou felt her mouth go dry.

"A cat?" she asked, trying to sound calm. She didn't want to get Sphynx into trouble" That's ridiculous. I would never break the rules"

"Everyone says that until the rule was broken" Dorm Manager blew her nose, as she inspected the room." Unauthorized animals pose threat to hygiene norms of this establishment"

"B-But that's truly absurd. Cat being here, I mean. Ekaterina-chan would not lie by so calmly. She would surely try to eat it"

The boa raised her head slowly upon hearing her name, looking sleepily at Haganemiya.

"Maybe so... but if that's the case, you wouldn't mind checking... here!"

In one quick motion, the glasses-wearing woman lifted the cloth on the table, checking underneath.

There was nothing there.

Kongou let out a breath when Haganemiya checked few other places, before frowning and nodding to herself.

"Alright... my apologies. It seems my suspicions were misplaced. Although why..."

She shook her head, turning around and walking outside the door.

"Remember about tomorrow's training session. That's all."

"Y-Yes. Thank you, madam"

Kongou breathed out and smiled once the doors closed.

Somehow Sphynx escaped. She hoped he will find the way out without any trouble.

Outside, Sphynx hid behind one of the marble statues near the entrance to the corridor. He managed to dash outside during the right moment and was now resting in wait.

He heard steps closing in and stopping near his hiding place.

"Nice going" he heard Dorm Manager whisper to herself" You clearly lashed at the girl who got a little bit of good from her romantic life when yours turned on its head. Very mature indeed. Get a hold of yourself, Kawaii. Everyone is looking at you, you can't freak out. Even if your admirer turned out to be a teenager, who said the most heartfelt, and sweet, and appreciating words to you, in the way that no one said before... and no one probably will. Why do I feel so awful? Why can't I just forget that? It's absolutely inappropriate and wrong. But even after he knew all of that, and even after he knew my hidden side, and even after I pushed him away... he still looked at me like on some goddess. He should fear me! I am..."

Her voice grew quieter.

"... not used to such look. It makes me all... weird. And why did he say that it didn't matter if he had to wait for years? Why couldn't he give up on old thing like..."

She shook her head.

"No! Wrong, unacceptable, for countless reasons! He is still one who puts this school in disarray! No matter how dumbly sweet he is in his words about me, or how I find it harder to catch him, or the fact that he even got the audacity to wait until his adulthood... no, no, no! Stupid brain, stupid sentiments, stupid, kind-hearted, spiky haired, goofy-faced idiot making my life a mess! Stupid... ACHOO!"

Another sneeze rocked through the corridor, and Haganemiya Kawaii looked around in embarrassment, which quickly turned into wrath.

"Ugh, stupid allergies! What are those maids doing? If I find them..."

As she stomped away, Sphynx did not waste time. He quickly bolted to the nearest open window and jumped outside.

After wandering around for some time once again, he found himself near the open pools. It was a place where Misaka Mikoto often tested her famous Railgun.

But right now, there was only one person near the edge.

Another queen of Father. By that point, Sphynx was not even surprised.

She had big chest and golden hair, that glowed like rays of light itself.

She just stood there, on the edge of the pool, in the school swimsuit.

Honey. Lactic acid. Changing aura. Longing. Desire.

Sphynx sat beside her. But the girl was just staring at the water.

He couldn't blame her. He didn't particularly like being wet after all.

But after a long moment of absolutely nothing, Sphynx tilted his head and meowed questioningly

"Nya?"

"Ah?!"

Shokuhou Misaki squeaked, startled. She waved her hands like a parody of a helicopter, trying desperately to balance herself on the edge of the pool, and after few more seconds, miraculously fell on her butt by Sphynx's side.

"Ow!"

She looked at him

"A cat? I think I spotted you somewhere before... oh, you are the cat of my prince, aren't you? Is he here?"

She looked around excitedly for a moment, before she shook her head and smile.

"No. If he was here, there would be something exploding, an apocalypse incoming, or crowd of squealing people from class and beyond running around the School Garden, I presume. So you went here by yourself?"

"Nya"

"Heh, sometimes I want Mental Out to work on animals too. If you could speak your thoughts, I am sure you would have a lot to say, with my prince as your owner."

She patted Sphynx on the head.

"Some time ago, during that ball in the United Kingdom, when I messed everything up... I thought I envied you. I thought it would be so nice to be by his side day by day, to wake up by his side, and such... a-although I am still getting there, I have no reason for such envy anymore! That's great, isn't?"

She cleared her throat.

"You are probably wondering what I am doing here. Can you keep a secret?"

She motioned at the pool.

"You know, I think it's a little embarrassing, now that I am showering my prince with all that love I accumulated through the time I was being forgotten, that I do not possess swimming ability. He can't remember that, but during one of our first meetings, I still couldn't swim and it's true to this day. So, while no one is watching, I try engage in practice ability. I made everyone avoid this spot. And besides wanting to show my prince something to behold, the physical exams are coming again and my remotes are confiscated for them. Everyone will see me sink to the very bottom. Again. Surely, I can and do erase everyone's memories but it's getting tedious after dozen times. So, maybe, one day, I will found it in myself to swim..."

She reached the edge of the pool again.

"Alright... here we go..."

She extended her leg and slowly submerged it, as Sphynx watched.

Toes, foot, calves, knee, thigh...

"Oh, I feel so fulfilled already" Misaki said, quickly pulling it back "Let's call it a da-"

"Oh, my goodness!" voice from behind called out" My Queen, do my eyes deceive me? Is that really you? Here? At the pool?"

"Oh no..." Misaki paled" If forgot about Junko. I sent her for shakes and didn't include her in the command..."

Hokaze Junko, after putting the shakes down, went to a cooing and admiring session of Sphynx.

"You are not as cute as Gekota, but you get a honorary spot! Oh, I so wish I could pet you"

In contrast to Misaka family, Sphynx felt comfortable when Junko was around and had no need to run, but could not tolerate direct physical contact. It was as if uncomfortable feeling was stored inside of her body instead of emitted outside.

But her smell was very pleasant. And he liked expression on her face.

"You are so precious. Makes me wonder how Touma-san is doing. I was thinking about making him something during the cooking class, as congratulations"

Misaki turned her head sharply towards her right hand.

'Calm down. There is absolutely no reason to be jealous here. Not anymore. And of Junko of all people. Even if they appear to be awfully close those days, she is equally close to this gutsy maniac. This is Junko, your Junko! She could probably woo entire school just by training to make friends, and still think that it was exactly what she was doing... which, in retrospect, is even more terrifying' she thought.

She suddenly felt Junko's hands over her arms.

"My Queen, it is wonderful that you are trying to swim..."

"Yes... yes, that is exactly what is happening here..."

"So how much did you manage today?"

"Whole..."

"Oh, how splendid! Whole minute on the surface? Whole meter? No... surely not a whole length?"

Misaki considered lying. But Junko's puppy eyes made it almost impossible.

"A whole... leg" she mumbled.

Junko tilted her head and gasped.

"You didn't enter with whole body?"

"Yes! Junko, don't put salt on my wounds!"

Junko thought for a moment, before smiling gently.

"Then I know just the solution. Do you fear water, my Queen?"

"Well... I can't swim, so yes, I am rather reluctant..."

In fact, bodies water and drowning were Shokuhou Misaki's second greatest fear, just after anything happening to her beloved prince, as well as her clique, and just before becoming monstrously obese. That accursed inflatable costume that Mitsuari Ayu chose to confront her at Ground Geo still haunted her dreams.

"Gunha-san says that the best way to confront fears is to face them and try to survive"

Sphynx could applaud such philosophy. It was very cat-like.

Misaki was suddenly pulled up by her arms.

"W-W-Wait! What is happening?"

"My Queen, no one else is around and I am here to save you should you need it. There won't be a better chance"

"J-Junko, anything that musclehead said cannot possibly be good for a delicate lady such as myself. Please stop! Now! It's getting closer" she wailed, looking at the edge" You don't want to have a murder at your conscience, do you?"

"You can't possibly drown, the water is quite shallow here"

"You underestimate me!"

"My Queen... look at me..."

Misaki, with tears in her eyes, looked at Junko, who beamed at her brighter and warmer than sun itself.

"You know I love you, right? You are someone from whom I would give my life for"

"Junko-san..."

"And sometimes, people have to things that most be done, for the ones they love, in order to make them grow"

"N-N-No! You were supposed to say 'I reconsidered, I love you too much to do something like this to you'. No, don't you dare! Junko, I order you..."

Her bag with remotes felt continents away.

"Sometimes, people need just a tiny, little push..."

As much as Misaki tried to resist, there was no competition between her and Junko in direct physical strength.

She screamed as she plummeted towards the pool, trying desperately to grab anything to go back on the shore.

"We already practiced with you holding the edge. It's time to try to feel the water without it"

Sphynx would probably walk away then.

But he felt the hold of doom beside him.

In her desperate attempt to reach shore, Shokuhou Misaki grabbed his tail.

He meowed his highest pitched meow ever, as his paws left the ground and he was yanked into watery hell.

Shokuhou Misaki tried desperately to remain on the surface, trashing in every direction like a fish stunned with electric shock.

"Blubrgughhhh! I am going to di... ghhhhhblububulbul..."

"NYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!..."

Contrary to Shokuhou, Sphynx could swim. He just heavily disliked water, like all felines, except for the tigers. The cold liquid invaded each and every milimeter of his skin, making his fur unbearably heavy and uncomfortable. Everything stung from the chlorine.

He had the instinct to kitty paddle.

But he was stuck together with Shokuhou Misaki, who was making such a mess in the shallow water, that he lost all orientation of up, down, left and right. He couldn't escape and it was a miracle he could even breathe from time to time.

Hokaze Junko crouched by the pool, observing the chaotic whirlwind of limbs, skin, hair, fur, claws, and paws in the water.

"Now, try to calm down. Don't fight the water. Just take a deep breath and float"

"How... burrrrrbgh... can I be calm... when there is a water going up my no... ubbbulubulbulbgh..."

After a while, the calamity calmed down, as Shokuhou Misaki, with a drama of dying star on the stage, sank in the 1,2 meter deep water and rested on the bottom.

(MINUTES LATER)

"*wheeze, wheeze*"

"*wheeze, wheeze*"

Shokuhou Misaki and Sphynx, both on all fours, were wheezing and panting deeply beside the pool, with wet hair and fur, respectively, sticking all over them, their eyes red and with the mentality of someone escaping from marine disaster.

"Excellent! You actually remained on the surface for two more minutes than the last time!"

Hokaze Junko exclaimed cheerfully, but soon became aware of murderous intent around her.

"I-It's a good thing... r-right?..."

In moment of interspecies unity, human and a cat had a surge of vengeful strength.

"HOKAZE-SAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!"

"HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIISSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!"

Pair of hands painfully stretched out Junko's cheeks while pair of claws latched themselves onto her uniform.

"I-I am sowwwwwwwy!"

(SOME TIME LATER)

Sphynx liked Hokaze Junko too much to actually hurt her. He was content with shredding her mini-skirt as the act of vengeance, and she earned his forgiveness while she bought both him and Misaki cat treats and sweets, respectively, to apologize.

He left Tokiwadai grounds and was on the way home when he noticed another familiar duet.

"Stop following me! Again!"

"I am not following you, I am just walking in the same direction"

"This direction seems to be awfully coinciding."

Blond and black hair. White-and-black attire and lacrosse uniform.

Power. Repressed Anger. Domination. Intelligence.

Lust. Lax Attitude. Need for Tenderness. Optimism

First smelled as if she was ready to pounce at any moment, plunging herself straight into the heart of the enemy, despite how small she appeared. While as for second, Sphynx could not really understand why, but the female smelled like ready for mating each and every time he saw her. As if her entire body and pheromones were screaming 'take me, take me, take me' on repeat. Most of which was usually directed at his Father.

Birdway and Lessar looked at him from above.

"Oh, it's Sphynx." Lessar said cheerfully" Came to check on us? You see, me and my best friend..."

"We are not in such worst possible world that I am your friend" Birdway said, her eye twitching.

"Ignore her. She actually adores me, but cannot bring herself to admit it in front of others"

"Do you want to explode?"

"My friends are a bit occupied, so when I saw her miserable lonely self on the street..."

"I was miserable? I was the one who actually took pity on you last time!"

"We relish in the richness of this japanese paradise while we can!"

Something glowed in her pocket. Lessar looked down in exasperation.

"... although we still have to report. Sorry..."

She took out small medalion and blew on it. It spilled cloud of smoke that formed into a holographic-life interface.

"Priness Rimea"

"I see both of you are in one place" the heir to british throne said, looking at them" By that point, you can almost become my representatives to the City"

"Really?"

"You are both quite troublesome, and out of my direct control while in the UK."

"Thanks for the compliment" Birdway said smugly.

Rimea crossed eyes with her, before saying:

"But I do hope you are not creating any problems"

"Of course not. We are representing our country as responsibly and maturely as we can"

Birdway bit her lip and turned to pretend that she needs to scratch her nose to hide how much she wanted to just laugh from notion of Lessar acting responsibly.

"I see. I see no reason to call you back just yet. Inform me of any happenings worthy of notice. Especially if they concern Kamijou Touma"

"Hah, you are saying this to wrong people. I am practically a family to this fool now. THE little sister, most lovable and caring"

"Pfft, caring..."

"What was that?"

"Nothing. My throat was dry. And I am one he doesn't yet realize he will make babies with, so of course, no need to tell me to keep him out of trouble"

"That's... delightful." Rimea muttered, before noticing Sphynx. Her face lit up" Hello there. Long time no seen."

Upon hearing her voice, Sphynx lifted his head and meowed.

"How is life treating you? I miss you in the palace. Reading with you on my lap was utmost pleasant experience. I admit, one could get accustomed. I hope both you and your owner find a good fortune in life... well, as much as it is possible in his case"

Sphynx was left in Rimea's care twice, to disdain of the dogs of the first princess, and the two became quite attached to one another.

"Be sure to treat him to something nice, on my tab. This cat is my companion and deserves a quality time."

After the conversation ended, Lessar whistled.

"Wow, you are friends with first princess? I guess both you and Kamijou have some mojo, don't you?"

Birdway started to scratch Sphynx, who purred in satisfaction. Without realizing it, Birdway smiled and replicated the sound, until she realized that Lessar was holding back her laughter.

"What?!"

"Did you just purr alongside him?"

"N-NO! And even if I did, there is nothing funny about it"

"You secretly like cats, don't you?"

"I don't know what you are talking about"

"So those purchased cat ears are without any meaning at all"

Lessar waved a pair of white cat ears, with a golden filling. Birdway reddened and snatched the accessory.

"How did you take... those are for P-Patricia! That's... that's it! Wah... Why would they be for me. I am not a type to dress in cat ears to look cute. Look! I-I wouldn't be cute at all!"

She put the cat ears on, curled her hands and bent her arms, uttering

"Nya..."

Sphynx jumped up and started licking her face.

"Mrrrrau..."

"S-S-Stop it at once! I am not cute!"

"He seems to have a different opinion" Lessar finally let out a laugh.

Birdway muttered something under her breath, snatched the ears back onto her bag and huffed, dusting off her outfit.

"I don't judge though." Lessar asserted as they resumed walking" It would be fun to be a cat. Do you know female cats can achieve double climax because the males have penile spikes, which apparently makes it super stimulating? Imagine it, double or triple dose of pleasure in place where we have one. Ah, the jealousy"

"Do I even want to know why you know a thing like that?" Birdway asked flatly.

"Hmm, hmm, hmm..."

"Please don't tell me you browse random trivia related to reproduction in your free time..."

"It's called research. I may promised to hold back on trying to sleep with him now, but it doesn't stop me from perfecting any and all tricks I can get for that one glorious moment. I will sleep with him one day, so any bit of knowledge from sexology counts."

"I am not even grace this with actual answer..."

"Pretty impressive, huh?"

"Yeah. I am still impressed that you actually read at all"

"Exactly, I do... hey!"

"So, since it is painfully clear that you are not leaving me alone for now, where are we going to go?"

"KARAOKE! With all you can eat bar!"

"Oh my god! I am choosing the songs this time! If I hear this 'Ding, Dong' bullshit with your voice one more time..."

"You made me listen to 'Hey, brother' five times over! You owe me!"

And so, Sphynx was taken for the karaoke evening.

When he ate and rested for a bit, he took his leave.

Night already descended upon the city when he made it to his territory near the apartment complex. He decided to stay outside and not go back home until dawn.

Night was time of the hunt. And it was also the time of patrolling.

Sphynx run alongside windowsills and emergency staircases, jumping and watching the dark streets below him.

He took his territorial instincts very seriously. He secured a perimeter around the apartment complex, marking it in a way that should be absolutely clear that the area was already taken.

Sometimes others heeded it. But at some nights, the challenges or troublemakers approached.

Sphynx didn't mind that. In fact, on most occasions, he welcomed it.

Why, you could ask?

Sphynx went through a nightmare of a time during his initial period of life with Kamijou Touma and Index Librorum Prohibitorum. There were so many dangers that terrified him. But he still stuck out, riding on his Mother's head and taking it all in.

Not because he didn't want to run away. But because running away would mean serious harm in many instances of chaos of magical conflict.

Because of those times, he was very well aware, probably more than any regular cat, that there were forces in this world he couldn't dream to face.

So instead, he focused on what he could do:

Keeping his clowder safe. And surviving.

Survive was Sphynx's main maxim. And maybe, in the meantime, gain strength to acquire what you want.

Yes, he knew that he couldn't face the challenges his Father faced.

But other cats and dangers of the street were a completely different story for him.

He would make sure no trouble would come here. And he would keep Little One free from any invaders from the outside. Regardless if she was little or not (and there were still times in which she was), whether she was prey or member of clowder, she was important to both Mother and Father. And Sphynx would definitely didn't allow any other cat to touch her.

Suddenly, his ears picked up a sound. He darted to the right and after some jumping, he spotted the commotion he sensed from far away.

His pheromone perception instinctively knew where his territory was supposed to end. He wouldn't get involved if the trouble was outside of it.

But the small queen ganged on by five older, male tomcats was within the boundary.

He growled and assessed the distance subconsciously, readying his muscles.

Down below, in total darkness, the cats had obviously one intent in mind.

It wasn't mating season but their eyes didn't leave much to imagination.

The queen was young, very young even. She hissed at them, but was backed into the corner.

One of the cats stepped forward, meowing fiercely...

... right before Sphynx descended from above, landing straight onto him and kicking up small cloud of dust.

Two more distant cats froze, while two closer ones jumped away.

As Sphynx felt his weight press down, the older cat grunting below him, his eyes darted left and right assessing the situation, with his night vision at full potency. His tapetum lucidum, a reflective layer of cells in the eyes, gathered even the most scattered light, amplifying brightness of the environment tenfold.

Four enemies, excluding the one slightly stunned by his surprise attack. All older and bigger than him.

But that didn't matter. It was all good.

They still violated his territory. Trying to mate no less. He could not let this go.

All cats hissed and pounced at him in that pitch black.

Sphynx rolled over and jumped sideways.

He brandished his claws and took a swing once he was behind one of the attackers.

How was he so certain?

Sphynx had strong, flexible body, hearing that could register sounds from infra to ultrasounds, sharp, retractable claws, sight working in the darkness much better than in the daylight, keen sense of smell and pheromone perception.

But so did his opponents. Those were shared amongst almost all the cats.

But even so... even still... there was a difference.

He slashed at the leg of first cat on his left. He made a sound of pain and tried to bit Sphynx, limping slightly.

But the calico was already evading and sliding beside him.

'I am stronger...'

He sank his teeth into the neck of second cat and shook him slightly, not enough to actually leave lasting damage, but enough to leave him growling in fury and pain. The second cat tried to whirl around to scratch him. He was aiming at Sphynx's belly.

It was the frequent target, which was particularly why cats didn't especially appreciate belly scratches in contrast to licking.

But tha attacker ended up missing and hitting his already bitten companion. As they both hissed from accidentally injuring one another further, Sphynx gathered strength into his legs and jumped upon seeing unguarded queen at the corner of his vision being once again approached by one of the attackers.

'I am faster...'

He ricocheted off the wall and shot into the third cat like a hissing missile of fury, both tumbling and rolling on the ground, relying on their night vision and vibration sensing to make a good hit.

Sphynx managed to sink his teeth into third cat's chest, but couldn't fully commit to the attack, avoiding few attacks aimed at his eyes, natural point to aim at in such scuffs.

He used his see-through eyelid to blink without breaking eye contact with an opponent.

'And I can win'

In truth, for a normal cat, beginning of his new life with humans that took him under their roof was a nightmare. It was conflict after conflict, battle after battle.

Aureolus Izzard. Yamisaka Ouma. Events of Skill-Out Uprising. British Halloween. Othinus. Heat Wave of the Elements. Aleister Crowley. Maidono Hoshimi. Anna Sprengel.

Sphynx witnessed many events, travelled to many places, and was faced with many dangers that he could not even name. Even if he wasn't the main focus of the danger, that didn't make it any less threatening to him.

So he did everything in his power to survive. By kicking, scratching, clawing, and also running. Lots of running and trying to keep his mental grip on what was happening intact.

He was pushed to the limit. But he survived. And it made him mightier than anyone here.

He wasn't boasting. That was just the survival of the fittest.

It was a side that he didn't show to his parents nor to Little One, although she managed to glimpse it few times. It also wasn't the side he particularly like to showcase. But he was proud of having it as well.

Sphynx was more than capable to best any threat his own size.

He pinned the third attacker down.

But before he could finish the assault, he felt pain spread throughout his back.

He was scratched by fourth cat, who hid himself, biding his time, and was now trying to drag him back by the tail.

Sphynx wanted to retaliate, but he knew that the moment he focused on fourth cat, the third will go for him once again.

But before he could, fourth cat unexpected growl in pain and let him go. Sphynx didn't turn around, but the moment of confusion was used by the third cat, who bolted from underneath Sphynx.

He jumped onto the trashcans and Sphynx was in pursuit just a moment later.

The trashcans overbalanced and fell over as the third cat run and then jumped far away. As he landed, he was sure he lost his pursuer.

But then he heard something above him.

And his eyes widened in terror.

Sphynx had one more ace up his sleeve.

He managed to run over the falling trashcan lids, hop onto nearest line of balconies, travel quickly along the railings that were much too thin to keep the balance at that speed and launched himself into the air, rotating few times, before landing and sinking the claws into third cat's back.

No cat in Academy City, maybe even in Japan, not a single one, had better sense of equilibrium than him. Sphynx spent most of his life trying to keep his balance on the head of the nun who tended to run towards food or away from danger, and also found herself in all sorts of situations that didn't exactly caused her balance, and by extension his own, to be steady.

So for months he had a practice of balance, whether he liked it or not. It was hard and annoying.

But... now he could run fast on surfaces that would cost most cats to slip and fall down. He instinctively knew how to right himself on micro-level to not fall.

Not falling was second most common instinct for Sphynx during magic side mayhems, just beside: survive, at all cost.

Fifth cat, finally recovered from the fall shock Sphynx inflicted on him, charged. But Sphynx's wide, slit eyes already observed him.

In just right moment, he went on his hind legs and slammed the attacker to the ground with his front paw.

Sphynx watched Kamijou Touma throughout the fights they were in.

He didn't know what those motions meant or why they were executed.

But motion repetition, as a form of survival or simple play, were not exclusive to humans alone.

Sphynx lacked muscle alignment to actually punch. He was, however, capable of swatting and slapping.

He knew that after his Father hit someone, the chances of that someone not getting back up increased.

So he tried something similar.

It was more of an downward slap or a chop with whole surface of his paw. But effective nonetheless. It sent head of fifth cat painfully into the concrete, earning a growl of pain.

There was a furious hiss of pain throughout the dark alley.

Sphynx willed his claws to retract, jumped off the third cat, and stood his ground, looking at the attackers.

'Obey me. Run' he communicated without words.

The staring continued for a while, before, finally, the cats scurried away.

The queen that was about to be violated also disappeared. Sphynx didn't really care though.

He felt like his work was done.

Suddenly, he felt a light bite on his ear.

He spun around, thinking some of the attackers returned...

... and he was met with the glowing orange eyes of Later.

The pitch black kitten blended into the shadow perfectly.

It occurred to Sphynx that the fourth cat, the one who got him, suddenly let him go as if he was attacked himself. It had to be Later's work, as well as little nibble on his own ear.

She eyed him with a wordless message that said

'You got in trouble again? Really?'

'You are the one to talk' he wanted to shoot back, fluffing his hair slightly in indignation.

Later lived with chestnut haired girl with aura that was absolutely dreadful to Sphynx. How Later could function in it, he had no idea.

The black kitten was also involved in many strange occurrences . She wasn't much of a fighter, but she had a fair share of involvement in various dangers in the City of Science.

That, in Sphynx's eyes, was absolutely incredible.

He felt that out of all the cats out there, Later was the only one who could understand at least a part of the madness he was through. They couldn't relay it to one another in words, but he just knew that was the case.

Their parents were close as well, so it did help a lot to get close to one another.

She put her ears flat, as if saying

'Idiot, I am not going to help you out if you keep getting scratched while fighting like a lunatic'

Or something like that.

But still, she leaned over, and started to gently lick his back, until pain subsided.

Their tails twined around one another, as they rested.

'Why are you here?'

'Felt restless. Wanted to hunt'

'Far from your territory. Your safety?'

'Fine, I am alright. Nothing bad, your wound. Hurt?'

'Hurt, better now. Thanks to you'

This was the way they spoke using their bodies, pheromones, growls, meowing, and much more. Those communicates were short, but very meaningful.

Sphynx was always more of a quick-to-action cat. Later was much calmer and toned down, always curious and composed. That difference was one other thing he loved about her company.

The thought about claiming her did cross Sphynx's mind. Who would be better to mate with than the only queen who could truly understand him and his struggles?

But Later tended to be very elusive and disappeared in moments he wanted to take that step. Nonetheless, she always reappeared by his side when he least expected it, calling him a moron in their nonverbal communication, yet still caring and tending to him. It used to annoy him, but now he thought that she was waiting for something. For a good moment.

So he told himself to be patient, which was highly unusual. A tomcat waiting for a queen? It would be unthinkable for a regular cat.

But Sphynx wasn't exactly a regular cat, no matter how things appeared from the outside. And neither was Later, so it was a given that any relationship between them wouldn't exactly follow standard norms either.

He was willing to test his patience, if it was for Later.

Black kitten was intelligent and kind, especially for cat standards. Her empathy tended to get her in trouble. If Sphynx was a Survivour, Later was a Wittness.

She witnessed Misaka Mikoto discovering Radio Noise project. She witnessed the anguish of Mikoto and her confrontation with Kamijou Touma on the Iron Bridge. She witnessed abduction of Misaka 10032 and was the one of the key factors in the events of Daihaseisai, while being protected by Kongou Mitsuko and her friends.

She was getting into as much of this mysterious trouble as he was?

So why was she the one always biting his ear and looking as if he was the biggest idiot around? He couldn't just left his territory undefended.

Not that this would appeal to Later anyway. As a free spirit, she wasn't really bound to the concept of territory and moved around into many places, just like her owner, one of many clones that were once killed for Accelerator to grow in power.

Then, someone else entered the alley.

No, two people. Two females.

"I thought I heard some commotion... and I was right, they are cats! Isn't that the one you are looking for?"

"Yes, it is indeed/return"

Sphynx knew the black haired woman on the left. Or rather, knew her pheromones, although other parameters did not match, as if there was someone familiar stuck within a body unfamiliar to him.

Nonetheless, he bounded over to her, leapt up and began smothering against her face and neck, purring.

Arisa Meigo, in the body of Shutaura Sequenzia, giggled, massaging Sphynx's head.

"It's so good to see you to, Sphynx-kun. I am happy to know that you look healthy and well. And who is your friend?"

"Companion for one of my terminals/return. Hello, little kitten/return. I am Will of Misaka Network/ return."

Sphynx flinched away, but Later cuddled into the body of a Sister, purring happily.

"I was on my way to speak with Kamijou Touma/return. But it appeared that he is busy, so I shall be back later/return."

The entity who taken over Misaka 10032 smiled at Sphynx.

"Be brave, small kitten/return. We will meet again soon/backspace."

Sphynx licked Later's head, and she purred at him and gave him another small nibble, before they parted ways.

"You look like you have lot of respect for them" Arisa said to Will.

"Why wouldn't I?/return. Sometimes even lives deemed most insignificant can create waves of change big enough to reshape the world/return. It would be highly foolish to look down on them just because they are different and smaller from us/return." Will said with a smile, before she and Later disappeared in the shadows.

Arisa looked at Sphynx.

"Well, that was strange." she whispered to him" I had a therapy session, in a hospital, where there is that girl named Sukemi Rin. I try my best to help her because we have similar mental situation. Well, what I mean, is that Mitsumi... the me who is not me, the combination Shutaura and myself... was there, before we switched places. And then, a girl looking like Misaka-san came along and started to ask about black kitten... and then we went looking... and suddenly she started to talk all different and even more funny... do you understand any of that?"

Sphynx tilted his head. Arisa sighed.

"I figured... w-well, Shutaura would probably expect me to patrol or something like that, but seeing that there is an old friend of mine here..." she snuggled Sphynx once more" We should go out and celebrate our reunion. What do you think? Are you in?"

"Nyaaa!"

"I have plan for all the cute things we can play together with"

(FEW HOURS LATER)

Shutaura Sequenzia blinked, the drowsiness from consciousness switch fading away.

Noting that she was standing in front of her squad, she quickly assumed perfectly trained pose.

"Men, today we will..."

"Pfft..."

Shutaura's eye twitched.

Did one of the Crows just stifled a laugh?

"Is there something funny?"

Now that she took note of it, almost all of her men looked as if they tried to suffocate themselves, or else they would laugh out loud.

"Oh no..." she muttered through her teeth.

She bolted to the bathroom. Behind her, she heard some failing and good hearted laughter rising into the air.

She skidded to a stop in front of the mirror.

Instead of upper half of her military uniform, she wore pink T-shirt with a big white 'NEKO' written on it. And on her face, there were six whiskers drawn with a black marker.

She clenched her fists and roared

"ARISAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

(MEANWHILE)

The sky was slowly starting to lighten, when Sphynx stopped by the hospital, his wounded tended to and disinfected.

Sensing the smell of familiar halls coming from Arisa, he thought he could as well drop by.

His meowing attracted on the window attracted Heaven Canceller.

The doctor stayed up through night or woke up early. Whatever was the case, he let Sphynx in.

"This time without your owner? That's an unexpected event. The fact that it's stranger to not see him in this hospital is quite saddening and disturbing to be honest... but I still have someone who may be happy to see you, even though it's not an hour of visiting"

Fukiyose Seiri wasn't asleep. Even though she was making a recovery from her deep stab wound, and her temperature was a lot more stable, she was still restless.

"Fukiyose-san? You are awake again? Well, someone arrived to see you"

"Huh? It's four in the morning. Who-" Fukiyose turned her head, to see frog-faced doctor placed Sphynx on her bed.

Her eyes lit up

"It's you! What are you doing here?"

"Well, as an exception, I will let him stay with you for a moment."

As Heaven Canceller closed the door, Fukiyose grinned at Sphynx.

The two of them spent three days together during Christmas Period, from 26th to 29th of December, before the entire mess with Anna Sprengel and Transcendents occurred. They had fun together, too.

Fukiyose was very pleased with the experience. Partly because she liked cats and partly, and now she could really admit it, because Touma entrusted her with something... or even someone... close to him.

"Good to see you, furball." she scratched Sphynx under the chin" I wish we could go out and eat something, just like during the break. But, as you can see, I am in a rather pathetic shape at the moment. Yeah, laughable, truly laughable..."

She sighed and rubbed her eyes.

"But good news, we can sleep like we did. Come on!"

Sphynx yawned. He had a long day and night, he also needed rest.

"I promise I won't crush you this time" Fukiyose said, pointing at her big chest.

Sphynx meowed in approval. Nestling himself just in front of her warm bosom, he curled into a ball and lied down. The girl also rested herself, putting one hand on top of him, with face just diagonally to Sphynx's body.

After a moment of silence, he noticed that her hand was slightly shaking.

"They think I don't sleep because of the recovery. But..." Fukiyose whispered" I have nightmares. Nightmares of him... that... not-Kamijou... coming to me with shard of glass in his hand... pressing me against the wall and stabbing it in, counting each time I hurt Kamijou..."

Something wet dripped on Sphynx's head. He hissed instinctively from contact with liquid, but then looked up.

Fukiyose's eyes were filled with tears.

"It was my karma, wasn't it? For all that time... I know that I hurt him, even if I don't understand how I could forget... did he feel like that because of me? I don't like this. I don't want to hurt. I don't want to hurt because I am angry. I don't want to hurt him because I can't put my feelings in order. I don't want our feelings to hurt each other ever again. If he has to hurt, why did I brought more pain for him? I wanted him to be safe, so why did I do it? He forgave me but... since I know how I feel towards him, it's so hard to forgive myself... I am tired of being afraid. I am tired of hating and being angry. And. to him, I just want to be brave enough to say..."

Sphynx was silent guard of words that Fukiyose said next. Those three little words.

True feelings that were kept into closely guarded iron shell for so long that they were almost buried alive. Feelings that, if not expressed to the very end, could not began the process of healing that she needed.

Sphynx licked her cheek, drying it off, and not minding to unpleasant saltiness, until Fukiyose, caressing his back and head, finally drifted to sleep.

(FEW HOURS LATER)

The sun was up and climbing its way up when Sphynx left the hospital and strolled through the city, relatively well rested and ready for the next day.

As walked, he noticed familiar black haired girl with a showing bellybutton, wearing fashionable coat, accompanying the girl with a branched ponytail.

After a moment, the girls, Kumokawa Seria and Kankyougami Hasako, bid farewell to one another and split up. Sphynx decided to follow Hasako.

She was on her way to a park where, although she wasn't knowledgeable of it, she would converse with Ladylee Tangleroad as well as meet Touma and Saronia Irivika.

But for now, she waved to Sphynx, who approached her with happy purring.

Hasako was also on the list of people Sphynx liked. He enjoyed immense kindness and gentleness of her tone of voice, even when he couldn't understand a word she said. She was a calming and soothing presence, much like Later, but in human form.

"You went for a walk? I can completely understand you" Hasako nodded" In fact, I can probably do something nice for you"

She closed her eyes and spread her arms.

The square became greener, the air became sweeter, as if rush of wind flew through it. Flowering plants sprouted from the grass, among them...

"Catnips" Hasako said, rubbing Sphynx's head with worried expression" Oh dear... I didn't think that altering environment in your favour will manifest them... maybe you shouldn't... "

Sphynx already felt attraction and sprung forward, rolling and biting the flower, and inhaling the nepetaloctol, the active substance that gave cats energy and playfulness.

"Be careful." Hasako advised" If you stay in it too long, you will become hyperactive or sleepy"

For 10 minutes, Sphynx rolled around, chewed on, and frolicked in catnip, before Hasako gently but steadily pulled him away, and shifted the environment once again, making catnips go away.

"Maybe I should take you with me..."

Sphynx jumped from her arms and ran away. Hasako knew she could not hope to catch him.

"Or I suppose not... please take care and be safe!"

With that, Beginning Child continued her walk to the park, waving her hand goodbye.

Sphynx was, to be blunt, slightly out reach.

Catnip was both curse and blessing.

It made him very happy and giddy, but also reckless and spaced out. He jumped without control each couple seconds.

But the effects would wear off before he could do anything stupid, right?

(NEARLY HALF AN HOUR LATER)

"What were you thinking?" a voice above him shouted" Do you have a death wish?"

Sphynx coughed.

Yeah, he did manage to do something dumb.

It was a very logical idea in his catnip-high brain.

He thought that he could catch himself fish for lunch.

So he jumped to the waterway...

From the bridge. In the middle of said river.

And in the middle of the jump, the haze of the catnip cleared out.

As he righted himself in preparation, he thought

'So that was a lie, it wasn't just in front of me'

The horrid feeling of water around him encased him from all the sides. He tried to swim but the current was too strong. He thought that it really was stupid.

Sphynx could not keep himself afloat and began to drown.

He wanted to protect his clowder. Mother, Father, Little One, and others. To have family of his own, territory, and queens... and Later. He will never see Later again.

But just then, a female hand grabbed him by the base of his neck and yanked him outside of the water so he could breathe.

Gokusai Kaibi was swimming fiercely, pulling him with one hand, until both of them landed on the shore.

Amazora and Rikuri came running to them

"Are you two okay?"

"Did he make it?"

"Yeah, he is breathing. What were you thinking, you idiot?" Kaibi spat out "At the very least, you are not as unlucky as our resident moron. If we didn't choose this route as the one for the walk, you would be at the bottom of the river by now!"

"Now, now, Kaibi-chan, I am sure Sphynx-chan didn't mean it"

"I am so happy you are okay!" Amazora hugged Sphynx, sniffing loudly, and brushing away tears" I was going to jump and save you but onee-chan didn't let me!"

"Yes, because the thing I needed the most is saving the cat on top of my two anchor siblings. Remember what happened at the monastery beach?"

Rikuri pouted and couldn't find the words for defense, while Amazora protested loudly, saying that she could in fact swim.

"Hey, you three!" A Skill-Out officer came running down the grassy hill" You can't swim in-"

"Ugh, I don't have energy for this" Kaibi's eyes flashed" Is there any way to address your boss? Get back to your duties and don't bother us"

The officer halted in a comically terrified fashion, mumbled 'of course, ma'am' and run away.

Kaibi sighed and raised her hand. Sphynx cowered, expecting a hit.

But instead, the middle sister massaged his head.

"Family sticks together. There is no way I would just let you die"

She got up, wringing her dress from the river water.

"We need to get home to dry. This kind of brings the feeling of deja vu. Since beginning of our living together also ended with me being dunked in the river"

"And so many things happened"

"Yup, so many epic and scary and crazy things!"

"Nya!" Sphynx wholeheartedly agreed.

The rest of the day passed without much of a commotion or noteworthy events.

(THE NEXT DAY)

Sphynx didn't venture out in the morning in the day following the fiasco with falling into the river.

He did, however, accompany Index to the bathhouse, before managing to sneak away to the nearest park.

He chased few pigeons, managed to steal of porkchop from a hotdog stand, and mark terrain in the bushes.

It was there that he also got a splinter in his paw. As much as he tried, he could not put his weight onto it and it stung.

Trying to deal with it somehow, he heard sounds that lured him into small wooden construction.

It was designed as a small, walled archery range. There was only one person inside.

Maidono Hoshimi had a deep frown on her face. She looked at the range when Sphynx entered through the door.

What looked like an archery range was actually high-tech construction. It contained moving targets, which were robotic ragdolls running around the designated area and creating real like discord of real crisis.

Maidono had few stilettos, a silver and golden, long and thin metalic weapons that resembled tools for kneading.

They floated in the air alongside and around her with minimal gestures of her fingers, as if Maidono had her own gravitational pull and orbits.

Sphynx meowed. Maidono looked at him and sighed.

"Hi. I am in a bit of a crappy mood and I am blowing some steam. You don't mind"

Sphynx wobbled around and Maidono noticed his injured leg, her frown giving way to worry.

"Let me see that" she said, stilettos clattering as they fell on the ground.

She examined Sphynx's paw and said.

"That's a big splinter. I have two pieces of news: good and bad. Bad news, removing will hurt. It will be a moment, but it will hurt a lot. Good news: since it is sticking out, I can actually remove it by simply pulling it out by myself, no tools or wasting time needed."

She attracted piece of string used to wrap up electronic-guns that were used on the range. She made it wrap itself around Sphynx's leg, immoblizing it.

She used her other hand to point her index finger at Sphynx's leg. As she pulled it back lightly, he flinched. It was as invisible line was tugging at his paw.

"One... two... three!"

Sphynx was so loud that birds on the trees around the building took flight.

His claws went out and he almost scratched Maidono, but she pulled on the string binding his leg, making him miss.

"It's okay. It's okay... I've got it" Maidono said softly, looking at the long splinter, that rotated in her telekinetic grasp like compass needle." Do you feel alright?"

After few wobbly attempts, Sphynx managed to stand on his leg.

Even still, Maidono decided to make him sit on her shoulder, as she went back to 'venting' as she put it.

She lifted the stiletto and propelled it forward with a flick of her finger and wrist, piercing through the leg of running robots.

They were designed to have a body made of soft material that would changed shape ever so slightly when something was pulled in and out, all on top of solid exoskeleton.

Maidono sighed again and stiletto shot back from the robot into her grasp.

"Apparently, Hasako found herself a new friend" she said, sending few more precise attacks. "I know it shouldn't bother me as much as it does, but I feel pretty... I don't know... mad? Sad? Jealous?"

She looked at the sky with a wistful gaze.

"Or maybe... I am worried about her. Hasako seems so fragile to me. So delicate... I know she is powerful, maybe even too powerful for her own good. And maybe I shouldn't worry about her. But... ones I cared about already slipped through my fingers. Never again"

The stilettos began to twist and bend in her hand, as if steel was nothing but clay.

"Even before I was experimented on and my ability skyrocketed, I was told that I sucked at life. That I couldn't amount to much besides moving things around and destroying them. The fact that I didn't have such precise control as I have now. Now I know people were either afraid or jealous. But as much as I shielded my ears, I could still hear it all around me: freak who only brings calamity and will always end up alone. Alone... and unwanted"

She squeezed Sphynx a little tighter.

"No one ever held high hopes for me. Not my parents, not my peers, not teachers. I was a ridiculous girl, with ridiculous and stupid problems. No one would look my way and waste time, not for long enough to actually have anything to do with me. That's why I started to dress to blend in... I thought that if I were to be ridiculous, it was better to be one with the crowd and slip unnoticed... it was later that I started to use it missions..."

Maidono shook her head, remembering something

"When he defied my ability, survived and gave me reality check... that sounds so stupid, too... but I felt so happy. I felt acknowledged, confided with a great secret, and treated seriously for once... I never felt more devoted to anyone in my life. But then he sent me away, saying that I needed to face my own faults alone and be ruler of my own destiny. For a moment, my heart hurt, but now I realize that he did the best thing. If he fell to my plea, I would have fell back into darkness, only this time, I would serve him. And if I followed that path, I would never meet Hasacchi. The point is..."

She looked at the range filled with moving targets and her hand slowly lifted up.

"I... cannot allow any harm to fall on them. I can't go back to how I used to be, not without rejecting how much those two changed me. And when I think something can happen to either my dearest friend or a guy I love more than anything... I just know that there isn't anything I couldn't control..."

The robot on the battlefield was lifted up. Maidono stared solemnly beyond her extended arm.

Its limbs twisted, neck cracked, and the plastic substance collapsed inward under terrific pressure.

Finally, Maidono lowered the robot to the ground.

"Dark Side dies hard. During battles, it's hard to control my own instincts sometimes... and I am ashamed of it. Because..."

Maidono paused and put a finger on her lips. Sphynx heard it even before she did.

Branches being snapped under someone's foot.

Maidono whirled around and pointed at the door.

They opened suddenly and someone yelped, being thrown into bushes.

"Who's there?!" Maidono stormed out and looked down.

"Ow, ow, ow..." Mitsuari Ayu massaged her aching nose after she was painfully slammed in the face by the door. She raised her hands at Maidono standing over her with an eyebrow raised" I-I am very sorry. I didn't mean to eavesdrop. I was passing by, heard a familiar voice, and wanted to say hello... but I heard all of it, I am sorry!"

Maidono gave her an exasperated sigh and motioned to come inside the range.

Two girls sat down. Sphynx, taking the leisure of sun giving its warmth the most during this time of the day, laid sprawled on their laps, listening to what they were talking about.

"You know" Ayu began" It occurred to me that during all of that time, we never actually have moment to talk together"

"I doubt I have anything Tokiwadai lady would find interesting" Maidono chuckled wryly.

Ayu looked at her with look that suggested otherwise. But for a moment, she simply inclined her head a little in greeting.

"Mitsuari Ayu. Telepath, mind-reader. Cognition, memory, and perception yield to my will. Right now, a level 5 in all but title. Swore revenge on the one who took everything from me and kill Shokuhou Misaki, and got lost on my road there. I like sunny days, festival food, and spending time with ones I love. Dislike darkness, drowning, and people claiming to be naturally gifted. You?"

Maidono looked at her with amusement.

"I kind of figured most of that out"

Still, she decided to play along and mimicked the introduction. She made a gesture with her finger, and bent stilettos straightened themselves immediately with a small metallic 'clang'

"Maidono Hoshimi, that's how I go by at least. Telekinesis. Non-living matter bends to my will. Also a level 5 in all but title. Ridiculed and experimented on, tried to work for Dark Side controlled by other people, before being pulled out of there and started life on my own. I like dancing, flying, and hugging to few chosen people. I dislike chopsticks, being sick, and people who ignore other people's needs."

"Nice to know you"

"Yeah. You know what... when we went to rescue you, I was... not really jealous, but not sure about all that fuss. But now I see you in new light. Besides, I never got to thank you. You gave me my best friend by waking her up"

"I... I wasn't even the one they really wanted for it" Ayu protested.

"But it was you who did it. And I am so happy that you did"

Ayu blushed in silent happiness, even though she already received thanks from both Hasako and Touma.

After a moment, her face got more serious and she slowly asked

"Are you afraid... of losing control of yourself?"

"What? Why do you ask?"

"I heard you just now. That you are so afraid of losing... I assume Touma and Hasako-san... that you might do something that violates trust placed in you by them..."

"Well... yeah, pretty much..."

"But why? Don't you trust yourself more when you got... redeemed?"

Maidono laughed.

"In the normal circumstances? Sure, I am living good life and I think I am pretty decent while doing so. But if anyone would dare hurting them... then I don't know. And I am scared that I don't have the answer right away."

She pulled out two marbles, which began to quickly circle around her hand like electrons around the atomic nucleus.

Sun hid behind the clouds, much to the Sphynx's dismay.

"There was a moment where Veritas spoke to me... and when that evil version of Touma tried to convince us... there was a tiny moment... where I thought of making myself more powerful. There are people... maybe even gods... capable of elevating us even higher. It is so easy for me. To kill someone with my ability. I can't control living tissue, but there are so many ways that it is terrifying. And yet, I couldn't help but consider it, even just for seconds... if I had power to lift entire landmasses, continents even, stepping beyond level 5... could they be safe? Could I protect them?"

"No. Not with his bad luck. And then... you would probably stop being yourself"

The marbles slowed down slightly, as Maidono nodded

"Yes. I got the feeling that I would become obsessed with controlling them, just to keep them out of harm. That's why I stopped myself and remained as I am. But... what if I lose it? What I will-"

"You won't." Ayu put her hand on Maidono's shoulder." The mere fact that you reflected on what it would mean to them and stopped yourself means more than you think."

"But isn't it wrong that I still have those thoughts?"

"Trying to become the strongest to protect isn't something you do as a goal in itself. You want to protect, so you harness strength. At least that's Touma views it" Ayu mused out loud" There is nothing wrong in wanting strength. But strength alone will bring you only solitude. There was already someone who wanted to be like that, who wanted to be so strong that no one would dare threaten him or his peace. And that path was filled with blood and death"

"I still can't allow-"

"Talk about it to them. Say that you are worried. Because, you know, this is what I should have done all the way back during the Biohacker incident. Me and Touma... we were getting closer to each other, but in the end, we parted ways in confusion and without really talking about our feelings, whatever they were. I was swallowed by my own negativity and it... ended very badly. But now he knows what I felt back then. I know that tragic misunderstanding occurred. And I am at peace because of it"

"You weren't the most mentally stable person during past months. Aren't you scared that you will go back to that? If someone were to happen between you and Touma? Or if he..."

"I am worried. About him, mainly, but also about my ability to keep him close. But he promised me that he will never, ever lose me again. I love him for that, more than I fear any what if scenario. We both are plagued by misfortune. We don't know what can come tommorow. If our pasts were suffering, and our future may be suffering, then I think that our present sufferings can be little less awful if we are together. Maybe we can even find love for that moment and be actually happy"

"You say... I fear about him because I love him. I want to make sure he stays with me"

"That can't be guaranteed, I know it full well. It's better to acknowledge it. But... if you talk with him, he will understand that you feel that because you care."

Marbles dropped down, as Ayu gave Maidono a meaningful look.

"Are you worried that... they might really leave you? Were you that alone? Can I... see it?"

"What do you mean... oh..."

"I think it would help me understand you better. It would save time too"

Maidono was silent for a long time, before saying.

"I am not particularly fond in people getting into my brain. Though, I trust you because Hasacchi trusts you. And you are this tragic, romantic heroine of Touma's journey..."

"I-I am?"

"But if you change anything, I swear-"

"I will just look! No altering, promise"

Maidono sighed and spread her arms.

Ayu pulled out her phoned, pointed the lens at Maidono and clicked.

A girl eating alone at the caffeteria...

Teachers accusing her of clumsiness and colateral damage...

Grafittied locker and water in the trousers...

The offer from associate of the lab, going by the codename Veritas...

Painful experiments on her open brain, inducing slide-signal method, that slowly made her fingers grow numb and useless...

The joy of immense power, followed by bitterness of rejection and exclusion...

Eating at the caffeteria again, being the only one using cutlery instead of chopsticks...

The snickering got louder, and louder, and louder under skull...

The small girl in the library, smiling at her, being the only one who spoke to her...

Others getting to her friend because they didn't have the courage to go after her...

Wrath, cold, seething wrath that exploded like fire after seeing the opressors...

Visions of what she wished to do to make them stop. Knives lifting themselves and stabbing their targets, railings coming to life and suffocating them, walls squishing him like tubes of toothpaste...

Tremors and vibrations spreading in every direction, building collapsing on itself, amongst countless screams...

Confusion and terror of what she did, and finally finding the rescue team over the corpse of small girl who wanted to be her friend...

Mitsuari Ayu blinked away tears and sniffed, as Maidono covered her own eyes.

"Those was very... personal memories. Thank you for your trust"

Maidono got up and walked towards the exit, with Sphynx jumping down and .

"But this just proves it"

"What can it possibly prove?"

'We are the same in this'

Maidono touched her head, as the voice resounded inside of her mind.

She looked at Ayu who was gazing at her solemnly, her thoughts echoing in Maidono's skull.

'You are not the only one who lost someone dear to you due to your mistakes'

Images of IDEAL laboratory with young researcher laying dead with Ayu weeping over her corpse, lamenting that the death of the kindest souls always came first.

'You are not the only one who drenched yourself in negativity so deep that you thought you forgot everything else. You said telekinesis could kill in many ways? When I was convinced Shokuhou wanted to destroy my life, and stole my love, do you realize how many ways of using my Mental Stinger I wanted to use on her if I could? And they... wouldn't be pleasant'

Horrifying visions and images flashed in Maidono's mind, some probably worse than physical death.

'You are not the only one who is scared.'

Then, Ayu spoke out loud

"Back then... you wanted to do it? Because of the guilt of that death... just like me..."

"I... did. But never had the courage to take that step"

Ayu came forward and embraced Maidono.

"We took such measures because we were alone. But we are not anymore. We have him. We deserve to feel loved. And we have our friends too!"

Maidono looked as if she didn't know what to do with her body, before finally muttering

"Surprise hug attacks are not fair. Well, point taken... I will still judge if that Saro-whatever girl is good enough for Hasako. But maybe I won't kill her straight away"

"That's the spirit!"

Hearing Index calling to him from the distance, Sphynx took it as a perfect moment to walk away, just as the sunlight once again broke through the clouds.

(THE NEXT NIGHT)

The previous night and majority of next day were dull.

But as the sun set, Sphynx was given the thrill of once again running through the city at night.

Later came to him, and was determined to play chase with him.

As they ran on the buildings with futuristic panorama as their background, he focused on not losing.

That black queen certainly had a lot of smugness for her age and size. Good hearted smugness but smugness nonetheless.

They went back to the level of the ground.

Sphynx wasn't slow, but Later had a lot of practice too. It took him a long while, but he finally pounced at her and they both rolled along the ground.

She laid down, once again blending with shadows, and narrowing her eyes in feline equivalent of a smile.

Sphynx didn't break his gaze.

'Did you want something?' she communicated' Or am I wrong?'

Was she simply playing or not?

Was this it? Was it that moment? He could do it?

Normally, tomcats such as himself would engage in a combat between each other for the female. And the female would then treat the winner to series of rejection, between finally allowing him to be with her.

But as a sweet yet devious dreamer, Later was dilly-dallying all throughout the city, not caring about territories or feline turf wars. Who knew were the battle for her mating right could take place? The thought of losing the only one who understood him to some random fight in unknown place that he wouldn't even know about aggravated Sphynx immensely.

Cats were creatures of the present. She was letting him. And he would have his way. He...

They felt the vibrations with their extended senses before it happened.

And then...

'SPLASH!'

A wet sound echoed, just for a moment, few alleys away.

Later was immediately on her paws, claws brandished.

Once again, if he was familiar with concept of frustration, Sphynx would likely attribute it to the growl that escaped him.

But still, they moved to investigate.

They moved... and moved... and moved...

Until they saw it, clear as day with their night vision.

And the smell of blood hit them.

Their fur stood straight and they froze in place, just before what used to be a human body.

Someone stood nearby, but vanished before they could get a better look at them. Sphynx was almost certain they weren't noticed.

Suddenly, there was another sound from behind.

Something was walking towards them. And it wasn't human footsteps

He jumped in front of Later and hissed warningly.

A silhouette slowly took form.

"Calm yourself, friend" a voice spoke from the darkness." I wounded up here by accident just like the two of you. I have no ill intent"

A lablador appeared, with a glowing smolder of a cigar and a compact, mechanicized backpack, looking at two cats with an expression that was an imitation of a human smile.

Kihara Noukan stopped and waited until Sphynx and Later calmed down a little and allowed him to move.

"Thank you."He sighed, and blew out cloud of smoke before extinguishing the cigar" It seems something occurred that disturb the sense of romance of this calm night. Honestly, can't the old dog just go outside to stretch his bones without something disturbing his peace?"

He looked at Sphynx and frowned.

"Kamijou Touma's companion, huh? And..."

He narrowed his eyes, reding the small silver plate on Later's collar.

"Later. Also reacts to Dog..."

Noukan looked at black kitten flatly. She replied with a soft meow.

"A dog indeed... well, can you or your friend tell me what transpired here?"

Sphynx blinked, his tapetum lucidum flashing. Later tilted her head.

Noukan closed his eyes and groaned at the cat's clueless expressions.

"Of course. Oh sweet mother of science, this is going to be tedious... how did it go..."

It was tedious. Because Kihara Noukan was gifted human intelligence and lifespan when he was a puppy, natural form of dog communication, which would be more or less understandable for cats, was like a second language to him.

It took a painstakingly long moment, since he was out of practice, and communication patterns of cats and dogs were in no means identical. But they were able to communicate with each other enough to get the idea that Sphynx and Later weren't directly involved, and, just like them, Noukan arrived, notified through his hearing of sound he deemed 'suspicious'.

"We stepped into quite the conondrum" Noukan stepped closer to the remains of a body" Your night vision is better than mine. Can you see anything useful?"

Another translation effort... and...

"Me neither. But even so I think something doesn't add up here... this stinks..." Noukan sniffed the air." And not in a physical way alone"

Even if the Sphynx and Later had better eyes, he had better nose.

"The smells are all mixed up. This is not normal. Not normal at all" he muttered, looking around" I feel like I could trace them in one second, and lose them in the next. We may not have means to actually secure the crime scene, but we may look for clues, it might make it easier for others later on"

Silence.

"Oh, for crying out loud!"

After getting through to each other, two cats and a dog walked around, delicately stepping around the perimeter.

They were searching for a while before...

New voices was heard in the perpendicular alley.

"I swear, you are kissing my hand a hundred times for making me go through that..."

"I can kiss more if you want..."

"D-Don't g-get ahead of yourself. As if I let you! B-But, just for the reference, what you had in mind?"

"Someone's coming! Hide for now!" Noukan commanded, and this time, both cats obeyed his tone of voice alone.

"Something off is going on"

There was shouting, rumbling and two people appeared. One, a boy, went ahead for a moment, while the girl stared into the alley.

After a moment, the boy returned.

Sphynx examined them.

The girl smelled like lavender and the boy...

Methane gas.

He felt his eyes water. He felt Later sneezing quietly next to him.

Yup. He knew this human. The smell was abhorrent to their senses, but at least he knew they could be trusted.

They watched as the boy lit up the air above the crime scene and they inspected it with expressions of horror and bewilderment.

"What is going on?"

" I don't know. But maybe our friends will know something about it. It doesn't... it doesn't look like a normal crime"

Noukan thought for a moment, as the teens left, before commanding

"Let's follow them"

Aikawa Enka and Hanamiya Kaira were halfway to main street, when they heard someone clear his throat.

"Pardon me. I assume you are going to Kamijou Touma's place"

Kaira turned around first and her eyes widened in a shock uncommon for her haughty self.

"Who wants to kno-WOOOOOOW?!"

Enka shouted in surprise and disbelief, only partially muffled by his girlfriend's hand covering his lips, as they looked in astonishment at the dog calmly lighting up a new cigar with a robotic arm and a lighter, speaking perfectly in human speech, with two cats flanking him from both sides.

"Y-Yes." Kaira shook the bewilderment first, curtseying in a way she was taught in Tokiwadai" I am Hanamiya Kaira, and this wide-mouthed oaf is my boyfriend, Aikawa Enka."

"Pleasure, although I dislike meeting people in such circumstances. It really violates any principle of romance I have within me. Cutting to the chase, we saw what you did, and we believe we can help."

"We?"

"Myself, and those youngsters here" He pointed at the cats" Now, shall we go?"

"Y-Yes, of course"

"A talking dog. Smoking a cigar." Enka scratched his head" I know this is a City of Science, sci-fi and all of that, but things cannot get any weirder from where I am standing"

"Oh, trust me son" Noukan let out a bark of a laugh, making a circle out of cigar smoke" They definitely can"

(AT KAMIJOU+ GOKUSAI RESIDENCE)

"I see..." Touma sighed" Fukou da... and all seemed so well"

"Is that what you meant when you said that you don't have to look for trouble, and it will find you?" Kaibi asked.

"Pretty much. I will be ready in a moment"

"I doubt not going is an option." Rikuri pondered" There is no one to save here, nothing you can do"

"There is still someone wanting to get Ayu, for whatever reason" Touma pointed out" I want to check this out"

'And it is highly possible that Kamijou No Touma wasn't the only threat to the future' he thought to himself.

"Well, then I think you know us not going is not an option either" Rikuri asserted.

"Really? But-"

"If you use 'we don't know if the opponent here is someone you can face', that's not going to work" Kaibi said.

"We can be useful in many ways. And we won't know what we can do unless we see what's going on" Amazora cheered.

"Okay then, but stick together. Othinus, Index? This might not be related to magic side at all-"

"You are foolish to even think we will stay while you may face the danger, human"

"You are stupid to even think we will stay while you risk your life for us, Touma"

Touma looked up and clicked his tongue, before getting up and walking to the exit.

"Alright then. Kaibi, call Hamazura for me. He might be needed here."

"Why?"

"I explain later. For now..."

He walked out, moved across the corridor and knocked on the door repeatedly.

"Youen! Kaai! Sorry to wake you, but it's urgent! Youen! Ka-"

"Alright, alright, I am here..."

The door opened, and Touma instinctively looked in front of himself, before lowering his gaze to the yawning Youen, with her hair undone, wearing a bed robe that (thank gods) covered everything that should be covered.

Still, she squeaked, blushed and covered herself even more, making Touma pleasantly surprised. Maybe her time with him was slowly changing her mindset when it came to chastity befitting her age?

"I-Is there any reason why you want to urgently see me in the middle of the night?" she asked, with innocent tone that seemed horribly out of place when it came to her, even if it gave her cute charm that a girl like her was supposed to have.

Her expression was so hopeful that Touma felt his heart twisting, but he nevertheless said the truth that needed to be said

"I was wondering if you had any expertise in forensics? We have a case with a mysterious dead body and someone like you-"

"Oh. I see. Right. Bloody murder. Gross stuff, that's us after all. Sure, right" Youen tried to not show how much her hope was shattering second by second. Still, she retained her sweet demeanour" We could help. This is more my sister's area, so... Kaai!"

No answer.

"Excuse me for a moment..." Youen said sweetly, before turning around and roaring furiously into depths of the apartment" Kaai, get your lazy butt over here!"

"Coming, coming..."

And indeed, Kaai finally appeared and Touma shuddered.

If Youen changed from being around him, Kaai remained same old Kaai.

"Sup', neighbour?"

She had cucumbers on her eyes and mask that looked like ones made of mud, except it was clearly moving and crawling over the area of her face. As pyjamas, she had a t-shirt, that was clearly not working as it should.

"Kaai-san, cover yourself!"

"Oh? Fearing our jealous Youen-chan will claw out your eyes?"

"K-Kaai!"

"The point is that I shouldn't have to see that!"

"Boo, you say as if it was something awful. Nurturing and slicing off lipids takes time. And it's not my fault shops don't have anything for both my age group and chest sized combined"

Finally, she did get dressed up better and tidied herself, while Touma explained the situation.

"Hmm, sounds super filthy. I am in!"

"And I am too" Youen chimed in" My creatures can still pick up something that may be a lead"

In truth, she didn't want to leave Kaai alone with Touma. Not out jealousy or anything like that, but her twin fulfilled her sisterly role a bit to well, always digging up some embarrassing story about Youen straight in front of her crush. Even if Touma didn't reciprocate it as it was, that was no excuse to muddle it down.

Touma moved on to make more calls to other people and prepare everyone to go outside, into the night.

(MEANWHILE)

Sphynx watched his clowder assemble its forces.

He looked at his Father, Mother, Little One, Three Sibling Queens.

And in that moment he was happy.

Even though they walked to danger together, he was sure he was in the right place.

Of course it was hard. Of course it was beyond his understanding. Of course that in the scale of everything he held no major significance.

But here he was nonetheless. Male calicos were supposed to be frail and weak.

Yet he survived.

He was left alone to die and faced death on many occasions.

Yet he survived.

No cat should be alive or sane after madness that happened around him

Yet he survived.

And he planned to keep on living.

Even if it wasn't amounting to much, he wanted to have his part in this story.

He did not know the concept of fate.

But if he did, he could consider it.

He never known it, but they were truly a peculiar group.

'Why are you even alive? You are a monster, that brings nothing but misfortune'

His Father was hurt repeatedly and faced malice of fate all his life, yet he smiled in kindness.

'This is the only thing you should be doing, the only thing that you were born to do...'

His Mother was treated like a tool and stripped of her past, yet she loved him so much.

'What is reason to be alive if I can't even be understood and loved by a single being...'

Little One was so lost that she almost destroyed everything without return, yet she found her happy ending and befriended him after some strife.

'If you put so many masks, building this painted prison of lies, you slowly forget what were you fighting for in the first place'

Sibling Queens' family was torn apart and they had to hold on into each other through pain, yet they discovered the happiest and strangest family in the world.

'Don't take this personally, but you are a mistake. You shouldn't be alive at all'

Sphynx was never planned to live a long life, and leave any mark in history, yet he was here, surviving and standing side by side with his loved one.

He was ready to challenge life again.

He would live. Grow older. Make love to female he loved. Have a lots of kittens.

And remain with only ones who ever wanted him as long as he could

Later brushed on his side. He licked side of her head, and she purred in approval.

"Youen , Kaai, and Noukan are waiting. Let's go!"

God of Pestilence.

Grimoire Library.

A Former God of Magic

A Triad of Assassin Siblings.

Survivour of Demon Star

Academy City's Silent Witness

They all stepped forward, ready to challenge fate once again.

(TO BE CONTINUED)

And here we are, at the bottom.

There are quite a few things to talk about.

Firstly, some notes on Sphynx's backstory. I think it is not improbable to think that Sphynx would be kicked out or suffer in the community of scientists wanting genetic purity or resilience. Calico males do have three chromosomes, which often leaves them sickly, vulnerable, and with fertility problems. While they are just as loyal and lovable as any other cat, there are recorded cases of discrimination from veterinarian and feline societies against them, which is partially reflected in Sphynx's earliest days.

In vein of animals often becoming more similar to their owners, I wanted to give Sphynx similarites with Touma, especially with their backstories, somewhat reckless drive to action and protecting their loved ones. He also has skills that, although simplified to match his cat self, are derived from his experiences with each member of his family (his swatting/paw slapping from Touma's punching, his equilibrium from riding on Index's head, and his battle ferocity and speed from the times he carried or protected Othinus). There is a bit of a rift with how Sphynx perceives Gokusai sisters, since they are new to family from his point of view, and he sees them more like his Father's/Touma's mates, but he still has warmth to them.

Later/Dog... well, hear me out. Later's gender was never specifically revealed, as in Sphynx's case. None of the official materials list it, and there was even a commentary that Misaka Imouto's name choices don't really hold weight since she was just having fun and didn't really bother to check cat's gender. Also, all in all, Later is neutral name. So some may be angry, but I do claim that for this story, unless proven otherwise, she is a female kitten. Most importantly, can you imagine it? It's most perfect couple of any cats I saw. Sphynx and Later are the only cats in the city who can understand each others experiences and life. To put it a bit over the -top, Later is like Othinus for Sphynx who is like Touma. Over the top, but I just fell in love with the concept of those kittens, that were through so much, falling in love and having kittens one day, should Sphynx be able to (since male calicos can have fertility problems). Guilty as charged, I will die on that hill.

And wow... it made me realize how many people in the City can have hidden hurt inside them? Sphynx was acting like a silent therapist in some cases, especially when it came to Fukiyose, Kongou or Maidono.

There were quite few interesting threads of emotional dillemas here. I am trying to develop a side of Kongou that is more mindful and even unsure about love, Fukiyose who is new to her feelings and trying to get through her fears and guilt, Maidono who is haunted by her mistakes and fear of losing control if two people she loves the most would die, finding unexpected companion in Mitsuari Ayu... and also Gokusai sisters being best family unit ever.

I really like the image of Noukan being Sherlock Holmes and Sphynx + Later being Watson. To be honest, I really like the whole team that is gathering to solve this mystery.

But for that, you need to wait a little bit more.

See you around in some time. You are awesome, and thank you for reading!