Chapter 3 - The Interview
Back at Odomari Village, Lillian and Byakuya awaited Senku's return. When they heard rustling amongst the trees and caught sight of his unmistakable, spiky hairdo, a look of relief washed over them.
"Senku, there you are," Byakuya called to him.
"We were really startin' to worry," Lillian added.
"Can't talk! I've got an emergency!" he declared, rushing right past them, hoping to find a local who might be able to help him.
After a good five minutes of running around aimlessly, Senku eventually came across the only guesthouse in the village, which would ultimately serve as their lodging for the night.
Fortunately, the hostess was well equipped with mild soaps, a first aid kit, and best of all, antibiotic ointment. Apparently, cat bites, while a rare occurrence, weren't altogether an impossibility, so it was common practice on the island to have treatment readily available.
"You were lucky the bite was not too deep. You should be more careful from now on. And show the cats more respect," she hostess scolded, slapping him upside the head with a paper fan before heading to the kitchen to prepare lunch.
Although it didn't hurt, Senku still rubbed the back of his head in surprise.
On her way out, the hostess crossed paths with Byakuya who carried Senku's backpack in tow.
"So, your big emergency was a little cat bite?" Byakuya asked mockingly, tossing him his bag now that he was all bandaged up.
"It's not a joke. A cat's mouth is riddled with bacteria that can lead to serious infections if their saliva enters your bloodstream," he explained, making Byakuya pale and grow embarrassed by his own ignorance. Although, in actuality, he had been bitten by a girl, trying to explain that to any sane person would be far too humiliating.
"Gee, what rotten luck. Did you at least get your phone back?" Lillian asked, appearing from behind Byakuya.
That's when Senku realized that in his panic, he completely forgot about his cell phone and left it in the hands of that cat-girl.
"Shit!" he exclaimed, getting up from his seat, pushing past them to make his way to the entrance.
"You mean you did all that running around and all you have to show for it is a cat bite?"
Byakuya couldn't help but snicker at his son's misfortune, earning a backhanded smack to the chest from Lillian.
"Don't laugh at him! Not only did he lose somethin' important, but he's hurt, to boot. Would it kill ya to be a little more considerate?"
"Save your sympathy. I'm getting my phone back right now," he declared.
Once arriving at the main entrance, he forcefully slid open the door and much to his surprise, standing right outside was the cat-girl.
"It's about time you realized," she said with a sneer. "Forget something?"
She held his phone up on display, taunting him with it. He made a grab for it, but she pulled it just out of his reach, hiding it behind her back.
"Ah, ah, ah. Not so fast," she warned, wagging her index finger at him.
"We made a deal, and I'm gonna make sure you keep your word. In the meantime, I'll hold onto this for safekeeping," she said, bringing his phone into view once more before wedging it into her cleavage.
"Pft, you think that's gonna stop me?" he said unflinchingly.
"You're welcome to try," she challenged, holding up a single hand while exposing her claws once again.
"Alright, fine. You've made your point."
"Good! Now, I hope that by coming here, I've made it clear to you that I can be trusted," she boasted, smiling pridefully.
"Tch, heh, heh. Don't give me that crap and try to act all self-righteous. This obviously wasn't your first stop," he accused, making her lose her arrogant façade.
"How could you possibly know that?"
"Easy. You're much faster than me, and yet I got here before you. Let me guess. You went to the port and you still couldn't take even a single step off the island, right?"
"Hah! It's astonishing just how shrewd you are. I'm sure if anyone can solve my problem, it's you."
"Heh, well that remains to be seen. First, I've got to learn more about your abilities and their limitations. So, Lioness, now that you're here, we can get down to business."
"Right! Oh, and I'm not a lioness. I'm a…"
"A bakeneko, right? Otherwise known as a ghost cat."
She was stunned silent at first, but was ultimately left impressed, yet again.
"So, you were able to determine that much, huh? Can't say I'm surprised. The more time I spend with you, the more intriguing I find you."
"I could say the same about you. It's exhilarating. Tell me everything."
…
Now within the tearoom of the guesthouse, the pair sat down to exchange information. Or at least, that was the plan, until the cat-girl's curiosity got the better of her and she started messing with every little thing she came across.
She pressed her hands and face against the glass of the refrigerators stocked with beverages for purchase, and nearly broke a few ceramic lucky cat figurines that lined the shelves, but managed to catch them with her quick reflexes. However, the thing that fascinated her most was the water cooler.
After pulling a notebook from his backpack, Senku turned his attention to the cat-girl and found her with her head lodged under the spigot of the water cooler, catching the water in her mouth. Sweat-drops trailed down his temples from just watching her.
–This lioness is a real piece of work–Senku thought to himself.
"I told you, I'm not a lioness," she reiterated, stopping what she was doing.
"Yeah, sure. So, what do I call you? Do you even have a name?" he asked, doubtfully.
"I do, actually," she confirmed, much to his surprise.
"It's Kohaku. A villager gave me that name. Something about how my golden fur at sunset reminded her of amber. But that was decades ago. She's dead now," she stated nonchalantly before going back to catching water in her mouth.
As entertaining as it was to watch her do something so ridiculous, he needed her full attention to gather more information about her. So, he got up and dragged her away from there, making her kneel at the table while he grabbed a paper cup and filled it with water.
When he turned back around, he found her playing with the kettle suspended on a hook over the hearth that was built into the table for brewing tea.
He shook his head and sighed in exasperation. It was like dealing with a child.
After removing the kettle from her reach, he placed the cup of water in front of her, which she grabbed and looked into with curiosity. Noticing the water contained within, she brought the rim of the cup to her lips, experimenting with lapping at the water before tilting the cup. Of course, she spilled some water on herself, making Senku chuckle.
If nothing else, watching her struggle with common, everyday things was good for a laugh.
"Alright then, Kohaku," he began, as he sat beside her and opened his notebook. "We're gonna tackle your problem using the Scientific Method!"
"You see, this method can be broken down into seven steps. These are: Question, Research, Hypothesis, Experiment, Data Analysis, Conclusion and Communication," he explained, jotting them down in his notebook as a flow chart. "But for our purposes, we can ignore the last step. Yours is a unique case, so, I don't see much point in publicizing our findings."
"Okay… so, then we start with step one, right? What question are we asking?" she wondered aloud.
"Step One is easy. For some reason, you can't step even one millimeter off this island. So, the question we need to ask ourselves is 'Why?'. More specifically, 'Why are you trapped on this island?' And the best way to determine that is by figuring out what's got you tethered here. That's where Step Two comes in–Research."
"And, luckily for me, you've had more than a century to conduct research. So, we'll start by compiling all the data you've accumulated over the decades, together with my own observations and then proceed to Step Three—forming a working hypothesis."
"Get ready Kohaku, cause I've got about ten billion things I wanna ask you. Like, what else can you do besides read minds and shape-shift? Can you do other transformations? And now that I think about it, when you were on top of me in the woods, your weight was consistent with that of a human, not of a cat. Which means your body seems to ignore the principle of Conservation of Mass! Oh, this just got ten billion times more exciting," he exclaimed with great enthusiasm as he started to make notations in his notebook.
"Conser-what of Mass?" She asked with the most perplexed look on her face.
"Conservation of Mass. It's a fundamental principle of thermodynamics that states that matter can neither be created or destroyed–only transformed. Even during chemical reactions, the mass of chemical reactants before a reaction remain consistent with the mass of the chemical products after the reaction. So, basically, mass should remain consistent within a closed system."
"And while technically, living organisms are open systems with the potential to grow over time—assuming you can still be considered a 'living organism'—such a drastic change in size doesn't abide by the known laws of Physics. You would've had to absorb matter at an alarming rate to pull off something like that, and then release a ridiculous amount of energy, probably in the form of steam, whenever you turn back into a cat. But I didn't observe any of that whenever you transformed. Which is what makes this whole thing ten billion percent fascinating."
His whole rant just left her looking even more confused. Her head was literally reeling and she had to grab hold of it to keep it still.
"I don't have an clue what you just said, but I'll just trust you know what you're talking about. Anyway, you have too many questions running through your mind. What do you want to know first?"
"Hmm... let's start with your earliest memory. What's the first thing you remember from after your death?"
"Not much, actually. I just remember hearing the villagers' prayers for my soul so that I wouldn't become a vengeful spirit, as well as petitions for good luck. But, I could only hear their thoughts because I didn't even have a body back then."
"No body? Interesting," he commented before writing in his notebook. "So, when did you manifest a physical form?"
"Around the same time that catches for fishing were especially poor. I got a lot of pleas for a better fishing season, and that's when villagers started leaving me food offerings. All of a sudden, I could see my surroundings and walk around within the perimeter of my shrine."
"Just within that small area? But you're able to roam the entire island now. When did that change?"
"Well, I think it happened when the island started becoming popular with tourists. People would come from all over Japan to see 'Cat Island', and the locals started selling those cat idols," Kohaku explained, pointing to the lucky cat figurines.
"One day, a little girl left one of those idols at my shrine. I can still remember her thoughts. She really liked the figure and was excited to take it home, but when she visited my shrine and heard about my death, she felt so saddened, that she gifted it to me. That was the first time I was able to set foot beyond the red fence."
Senku nodded, making another notation. "And how far could you travel after that?"
"Not far. Maybe ten meters. But eventually, more and more people started leaving me all kinds of offerings. Some were random objects like cat toys and painted stones, while others included monetary donations and sentimental items."
"And, while I'm still not sure why, my range of travel varies depending on the significance an offering holds. For example, see this bell?" She asked, raising her hand to her neck and lifting her chin. "It was gifted to me by the same woman who gave me my name. Apparently, it belonged to her pet cat who died after fifteen years. It was so important to her, that I was able to travel as far as her home in this very village."
"Got it! That's some vital information you gathered. Ten billion points to you, Lioness." This information got him especially worked up has he started writing down some potential theories. "That also explains why you went for my cell phone. It's essentially my lifeline to modern civilization. Speaking of which... why start stealing from tourists. Seems like you get plenty of offerings already."
"Well, all those offerings have given me all kinds of range and abilities over the years, but none have been enough to let me break free of this island. At first, it wasn't so bad. Having free range of the island was better than being stuck at the shrine, but I'm sure you've noticed it. This island is practically deserted. If not for the tourists, this island would've been left in isolation a long time ago. It's only a matter of time before the last resident dies. What'll I do then? That's why I have to leave from here, no matter the cost."
"Fair enough. I know I'd probably die of boredom after just a decade trapped on this island. Now, then..." he said, with his eyes burning with anticipation. "Let's get to the good stuff. Tell me about your abilities."
Kohaku was a little alarmed by his enthusiasm, but obliged to his request.
"Okay, first of all, similar to my range, my abilities become stronger and increase in number whenever an 'offering' is something of great importance. So far, I've been able to read minds—although, only those of shrine patrons—I can do anything a regular cat can do, even in this human form, and I can even command other cats. I don't age, I can eat just about anything without being poisoned, and I've even been able to walk through people's dreams at night. That's my favorite ability, because it's the closest thing to experiencing the outside world. And you already know about my transformations."
Senku was busy writing all of this down growing more and more excited by the second. "Excellent! What about other ghost-related abilities. Can you fly, turn invisible, phase through walls, or possess people?"
"Why would I ever want to posses people? Do I look like a villain to you?" she asked, rather insulted. "And flying? Do you see any wings on my back? For such an intelligent human, you can ask some dumb questions."
"Tch, heh, heh. Relax, I was just wondering. And don't be so quick to judge. Possession could be the very answer to your problem. If you can't leave the island on your own, then hitching a ride in someone else's body could be just crazy enough to work."
Kohaku took an immediate disliking to this idea and gave him an indignant frown. "What kind of scumbag are you? I'd rather remain on this island for all eternity than to steal someone else's freedom, like that."
"Okay, okay. I get it. Possession isn't an option. What about your transformations? Can you only turn into a human? Or can you take on other forms as well? For instance, cats are adverse to water, so, maybe your body can't set foot in the ocean. If that's the case, then you could transform into a bird and fly to the mainland."
Kohaku thought about this for a second, before shaking her head. "It's a clever idea, but no, I can't turn into a bird. Except for changing my size, I can only take on a human form."
"Nuts! Well, there goes two of my ideas. But don't worry, I'm just getting started."
...
After nearly an hour of talking, his notebook contained several paragraphs of information on Kohaku. From the nature, potency, and duration of her abilities, to the various offerings attributed to each unique ability, together with all her previous attempts and progress she's made at trying to leave the island. A few pages were also dedicated to things that Kohaku couldn't quite understand.
"So, is any of this stuff really going to be helpful?" she wondered, taking the notebook away from him and flipping through the pages.
"I've been trying to keep up with your thought process, but I don't understand even half of what you've been thinking."
"Mmm… maybe... Maybe not," he admitted. "We don't know what might be relevant moving forward in our investigation."
"We're dealing with concepts entirely outside the scope of my scientific knowledge. And although there's been small strides in the field of paranormal activity, there's never been a proven case of full blown manifestation. Quite frankly, we'd be better off relying on mythology and folklore—something I know next to nothing about."
"But, you've still got at least a few more ideas, right?"
"Sure, but it's all just speculation on my part. In any case, it couldn't hurt to have more information. Lend me my phone so I can do some research online," he requested, holding out his hand.
When she hesitated for a moment, he spoke up. "Seriously? You still don't trust me after all the time I've invested so far? I've written non-stop to the point that my hand feels like it's gonna fall off, and with a wounded wrist, no less," he added with a scowl.
"Hah! I know you're mainly doing this to satisfy your own curiosity, but I'll admit you're pretty upfront and speak your mind, so, I'll take your word at face value," she conceded, pulling open her yukata slightly, to retrieve the device nestled in her chest.
"Hey Lillian! Have you seen Senku? The hostess says that lunch is ready," called Byakuya in English, just before he slid open the door to the tearoom, catching them both off guard. The two directed their attention to the door and found Byakuya rubbing an eye with his fist, indicating he had just woken up from a nap.
"Oh! So, you were both in here... Hmm?" Once Byakuya's vision settled, he realized the error in his assumption. "You're not Lillian."
Upon closer inspection of the scene, Byakuya had to do a double take, rub both eyes vigorously, and pick his jaw up off the floor. After getting over the initial shock, Byakuya gave Senku the same sly smile he had given him just a few days prior.
Senku turned to look at Kohaku and knew exactly what his father was thinking. Meanwhile, Kohaku's face turned a deep shade of red, as she wrapped her arms over her chest, upon hearing what passed through Senku's mind.
"It's not what it looks like, old man," Senku immediately denied, speaking in Japanese.
"Oh yeah? Care to explain? I can't wait to hear this."
"Kohaku was just about to hand over my cell phone."
"Kohaku, ey? So, you've only just met this girl and you're already on a first name basis? You move fast, son," he teased.
"Tch, you know I don't give a crap about formality," he countered.
"True enough. But am I supposed to believe that this lovely young lady is a thief, and that she's got your cell phone tucked away in her clothes? I thought it got stolen by a cat."
"Whether you believe it or not doesn't change the facts," Senku grumbled, pinching the bridge of his nose. "And being attractive doesn't automatically disqualify a person from stealing."
"So, you admit you find her attractive," Byakuya said with a snicker.
"YOU'RE TOTALLY MISSING THE POINT, OLD MAN!" he shouted in irritation.
"Look lioness, just give me back my phone so I can get the geezer off my back," he demanded.
All he heard was a meow in response. Senku looked at Kohaku in surprise.
—What? Why? Why did she transform into a cat right now? Unless… Could it be that it wasn't intentional. In fact, now that I think about it, this isn't the first time this has happened. But what triggered it?—
"D-d-did that girl just…did she just…turn into a cat?" Byakuya was utterly dumbfounded.
Senku quickly grabbed his phone from off the floor and tapped it against Kohaku's head, just as he had done earlier. She instantly turned back into her human form.
Byakuya was so alarmed that he stumbled backwards, falling flat on his rear end.
"She…she…," he struggled to form a coherent sentence, only able to point a shaky finger in Kohaku's direction. "She j-just did it again!"
"Well, looks like the cat's out of the bag." Senku said while picking his ear before shaking his head at yet another unfortunate pun he had made.
"This is no time for jokes! Just what is that girl?"
"I'm a…" Kohaku began to explain.
"Hey y'all! Look at this precious little kitty I just found. A'int she just darlin'?" Lillian burst through the door, cradling a blonde kitten that strongly resembles Kohaku's cat form, but with golden eyes instead of blue.
"Ah! Keep that thing away from me!" Byakuya recoiled in fear, retreating into a corner of the room.
"What's the matter? I thought you'd already taken somethin' for yer allergies."
"Relax geezer. She's not dangerous, and that's just a regular cat."
"Huh? Did I miss somethin' here?" Lillian questioned with a tilt of her head.
That's when Lillian finally noticed the fourth person in the room.
"Oh, hey there." she greeted, stepping over Byakuya who was still cowering in the corner.
"Pardon me. I didn't see ya there," she apologized, taking a seat across from Kohaku. "I'm Lillian."
"Don't bother, Lillian. She only speaks…" Senku started to say.
"It's nice to meet you, Lillian. I'm Kohaku," she replied in perfect English.
"You speak English?" Senku gave her an incredulous look.
"Hah! Is that so strange?" Kohaku asked. "By the way, did I hear something about lunch?" Kohaku asked, leaving the tearoom and following her nose toward the smell of food.
"Y'know, now that you mention it, I'm starved." said Lillian, following after Kohaku.
Senku just stared off into space, mouth agape, with his eyebrows twitching in disbelief.
—Tch, heh, heh. That lioness is just full of surprises— he thought to himself as he went to join them.
Meanwhile, Byakuya, who was still stunned by Kohaku's transformations, was once again left behind—alone and forgotten.
To be continued...
A/N: And here's chapter 3! Woohoo! *o*
Sorry for the wait, I was busy working on the prompts for SenHaku Week. But now that that's done, you can expect more updates in the coming weeks.
As the first fanfic I've ever published, this story is near and dear to my heart. I hope you've enjoyed reading.
Bye for now, and I'll catch you in the next chapter.