Kaito's lips curved slightly as he couldn't help but smile.
Though just a little demon who couldn't even take human form, it was somewhat clever.
Clearly scared when it first saw him just now, perhaps thinking it couldn't escape anyway, so it chose to act cute and beg for mercy.
Yet that smile was like blossoms flooding the city. Pure-white pear blossoms in the snow. Hiratsuka Shizuka clutched her chest, feeling as if her heart had just taken a critical hit.
Yukino also seemed a little dazed and murmured, "Looks like Yukitan really likes you."
"Likes me?"
Kaito neither confirmed nor denied, his smile fading as he casually grabbed the scruff of the cat's neck, staring straight into its eyes, "Are you going to come willingly, or shall I help you?"
The two girls looked a bit confused, exchanged glances, and saw puzzlement in each other's eyes.
"Meow~", Yukitan tried to keep pretending, widening its innocent eyes with effort. What bad intentions could a kitty possibly have?
But seeing the faintly unfriendly look on Kaito's face, it immediately shivered and lowered its head a bit pitifully.
The next second—
A faint layer of black mist suddenly emerged around its body, visible to the naked eye. Its pupils gleamed with a strange light, and its teeth grew sharp at a speed visible to the naked eye.
At the same time, behind Yukitan, a brand-new tail suddenly sprouted like bamboo shoots after a spring rain.
"W-what is that thing?!", Hiratsuka Shizuka was clearly shocked by the sudden change. She instinctively shielded Yukino behind her and swallowed hard.
"According to local Japanese belief…", Kaito shrugged, "This should be a bakeneko."
Hiratsuka Shizuka: "?"
The iron-fist teacher's mind was full of question marks.
She suddenly recalled what Kaito had said earlier on campus.
Back then, he looked at her once and said she had Demonic Aura on her.
'Wait a sec, dude.'
'I thought he was just another chuunibyou case, but turns out he was serious?'
Yukino's pretty face also showed a faint trace of red.
The scene before her clearly shattered her worldview.
'There are actually real monsters in the world? And it is my own obedient, sensible Yukitan?'
"Could it be… some mistake? Yukitan has never had the intention to harm me."
Even Yukino felt her own hollow defense was too weak and unconvincing.
The evidence was clear, and she saw it with her own eyes. How could it be a mistake?
"It certainly didn't intend to harm you."
If it had been a malicious monster with ill intent, Kaito would have suppressed it the moment he saw it.
By now, it probably would've been turned into a cat pancake… or maybe Catball-chan?
It was precisely because he didn't sense the unique bloody scent of man-eating monsters on Yukitan that he gave the kitty a chance.
Kaito paused, "But even if it does nothing and just stays by your side, it's already harming you."
Monsters have Demonic Aura, ghosts have ghostly aura.
Ordinary people approaching them rashly would only deplete their own vitality. That's the origin of the phrase "humans and monsters walk different paths."
Even Mizusaki Aki, who was merely a regular earthbound spirit with little strength, still severely drained Nagasaki Soyo's vitality after possessing her, and Kaito had to step in to recharge her.
Though Yukitan was a bakeneko who couldn't even shapeshift yet, just a little monster. Even so, its strength far surpassed Mizusaki Aki's. Therefore, when Yukino interacted with it, her vitality depleted even faster.
Fortunately, she hadn't raised Yukitan for long yet. The only symptoms so far were fatigue, and with some proper care and rest, her lost vitality could recover naturally.
But if more time passed and the Demonic Aura seeped deeper into her body, it might even damage her foundation.
This statement hit like an earthquake, shaking Yukino and Shizuka's worldview to the core.
"Classmate Kaito, do you have any solution?", The first to lose patience was Hiratsuka Shizuka.
Yukino was, after all, her best friend's little sister. No different from her own in terms of closeness.
Seeing the girl's life at risk, there was no way she could stay calm.
"It's quite simple."
Kaito raised his brow, "To untie the bell, you must find the one who tied it. Since it's Yukitan that caused Miss Yukinoshita to become like this, just send it away."
That was indeed the best solution. To solve the problem at its source.
Hiratsuka Shizuka looked serious as she turned to the girl beside her, "Yukino."
She knew Yukino really loved cats. But pets could be bought anywhere. Send this one away, and the next could be even more obedient.
"But…", Yukino still hesitated.
Though they hadn't been together long, emotions didn't necessarily depend on how long.
Some people click at first meeting.
Some people know each other half their lives and still find each other unbearable.
Reason told Yukino that sending Yukitan away was the optimal solution. After all, Kaito had made it clear. Humans and monsters walk different paths.
But emotionally, she couldn't bear it. It was too hard to make the decision to abandon Yukitan.
After hesitating for a long while, Yukino finally whispered, "May I ask… if we send Yukitan away, where would it go?"
After all, this wasn't an ordinary kitty. It was a real, bona fide bakeneko.
You couldn't just treat it like a pet cat and release it somewhere random, right?
The most convenient method, of course, would be to kill it directly.
She was afraid of hearing that kind of answer from Kaito.
To Kaito, anything that harmed humans, whether monster or ghost, deserved to die.
But from what it looked like, Yukitan had no intent to hurt anyone, nor had it caused a major incident, so it didn't deserve to die.
He thought for a moment, then simply proposed, "How about you let me take it?"
Humans and monsters do walk different paths, that much was true.
But as someone who had once reached the Nascent Soul stage and was infinitely close to the level of 'immortal,' Kaito could be called half an immortal even without transcending tribulation.
'So then… what does the path between humans and monsters have to do with a half-immortal like me?'
"Really?", Yukino's beautiful eyes lit up.
'Kurumizaka-kun can see through Yukitan's real identity at a glance and even made Yukitan fluff up in fear. He is clearly not ordinary.'
'Yukitan's Demonic Aura harmed me but couldn't harm Kurumizaka-kun.'
'He really is the most suitable person to take Yukitan in.'
"It's no trouble at all," Kaito opened the cat carrier and placed it in front of Yukitan.
The silver-white kitty seemed to understand that it had found a new owner. After a soft "meow," it stuck out its pink little tongue and licked Kaito's fingertip, then eagerly dove into the bag.
Seeing this scene, Yukino opened her mouth but said nothing.
She knew this was the best outcome, but her feelings were still complicated.
Like sorrowfully pushing your own wife into another man's arms. Only you yourself could understand the bitterness.
'You little ungrateful thing…'
'I spoiled you so much, even bought high-end cat food by the box.'
'And now you switch sides without a second thought.'
"Don't be so sad," Perhaps her expression was too full of resentment, so Kaito said with a smile, "Even though Yukitan has a new owner now, if you have time, you're welcome to come to my place to visit."
Yukino was pleasantly surprised but still hesitant, "But… won't I be affected by the Demonic Aura?"
"Once in a while is fine."
Kaito shook his head, "Just like how Miss Hiratsuka has also been around Yukitan but is fine. It's not just because her constitution is better than yours, but also because the time she's been exposed to it is short."
The better one's physical condition, the stronger one's qi inside. That is to say, more durable.
If Miss Hiratsuka had adopted Yukitan instead, she too would've been affected by the Demonic Aura, but not to the point where she couldn't last a few days like Yukino.
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