Chapter 12: My Turn to Talk 

　Henry the black cat meowed, "Nyaz -aat?", then quickly cleared his throat and said, "Hmmm!" Perhaps he was trying to cover up his purr.

“Excuse me. I’m just so surprised. If you’re not from this world, then which world are you from?”

“It’s very similar to this world, but it’s a completely different world. I was a restaurant owner in that world as well. But when I got sick and went to the hospital, I found out that my illness was far gone.”

　Saying this, I look at my hands. The backs of my hands, which had been emaciated and bony and scaly, are back to healthy, plump hands. Mr. Henry doesn’t interrupt a word, but waits for me to speak. After some hesitation, I decide to talk about magic as well. If I don’t talk about magic, a new secret will be created.

"The doctor in the other world told me that I didn't have much time left. In the end, it was even difficult for me to speak. That's when my grandmother told me, ‘If you go to that world, you’ll have to live on your own. In return, you can start over with a healthy body,’ and she gave me the knowledge and power of magic…. But it’s hard to believe a story like that, isn’t it?”

　Even when I say it myself, it sounds fake. I thought he would laugh, but he didn’t.

“I’m sorry, but I still don’t understand this concept of ‘another world’ you speak of. What I do understand is that your grandmother was a sorcerer. And one who could use higher magic to bestow knowledge and magic power to others. And she knew about this world. So there are sorcerers in that world you speak of.”

“No, there aren’t. There are no sorcerers. They exist only in the world of imagination. I had no idea that my grandmother could do magic until that moment. So I thought she had lost her mind. But I was really sent out into this world. My illness, which was terminal, was gone by the time I came here. My grandmother was telling the truth.”

　Henry listened intently, and his next question was a surprise.

“How old is your grandmother?”

　

“Seventy-eight.”

“What is her name?”

“Riyo Sasaki. Sasaki is my grandfather’s surname. My grandmother’s family name is Goto, but I’ve hardly ever heard anything about her family. It seems like she was estranged from them.”

　Henry, who had been listening intently, cocked his chin with his hind legs. He seemed to be doing it unconsciously, and even after that  his face remained serious. In a small voice, he mumbled, “That sounds like ……,” and then he was thinking again.

　But more importantly, Mr. Henry, aren’t you going to ask me if I can do magic?

“Is there something about my grandmother that’s bothering you?”

“No, I can’t say yet. It’s not in my nature to speculate, so I’ll look into it first.”

　After that, Mr. Henry wagged his long tail from side to side in thought. Every time the tail hits the floor, it makes a nice swaying sound. It is a long, sleek tail.

“It's been a while, how are you doing?　Do you think you can go back to being human?”

　His black whiskers turned down dejectedly again in a moment.

“Not at all. Before I changed into this form, I felt hot and clammy all over my body, but there is no sign of that at all. Maybe there are no feverish symptoms when I’m about to change back into my human form. After all, the last time this happened was twenty years ago, and it was when I had a high fever, so I don’t remember anything.”

“I see… Anyway, you won’t be able to go back to the lodgings in that state, so please stay at my place tonight.”

“No, I would rather not stay overnight at a woman’s house. If you don’t mind, please let me sleep under the eaves of the roof.”

“You are going to sleep outside in the middle of winter?　You’re a human being after all, and you will catch a cold for sure. Besides, people would be surprised and scared if they saw such a big cat. It would cause a big commotion. Some might even attack you. Please stay at my house. That is non-negotiable.”

　I seriously recommended it. It’s really true that I’m worried. Just …… a little bit, just a little bit, (I don’t want to give up this kitty!) I don’t want to let go of this cat! It’s because I’m sick and tired, I just can’t help it. My grandma used to say many times, “Mai’s love for cats is like an illness.”

“Yes. I certainly don’t want to cause a ruckus. Would it be alright if I slept here?”

“Of course!　Please do.”

　That night, I folded the blankets and placed them in front of the fireplace to make a bed for Henry, who seemed depressed because he could not turn back into a human being. （I thought, “Should I get him a box?”) I thought about it, but decided not to, thinking it would be rude to treat him too much like a cat.

　After adding wood to the fireplace, I called out to him.

“Um, what if?　If you’re still a cat tomorrow morning, you won’t be able to go to work, right?　It wouldn’t be good to be absent without permission, would it?”

“If I was absent without permission and then didn’t even return to the dormitory, they will think something had happened. Ah, this is really troubling. I live my life by the rules and in peace.  To be absent without notice and be thought to be missing is unbearable.”

“I’ll be the contact person then. Who and where should I notify?”

　Henry the cat’s eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. He looked at me with a “Oh, I’m saved! “ look. So cute! He’s much more expressive than when he’s human.

“That would be a great help. Now, if I still haven’t turned back into a human by tomorrow, could you please deliver a letter to my adoptive father?”

“I understand. I will write the letter for you. I have your clothes here, so please put them on when you return to your human body.”

　　Henry nodded dejectedly.

“Thank you very much. I will never forget this kindness.”

"You're welcome. When I first came to this world, I was also helped by a kind couple. When you are in trouble, it is mutual. So, I know this is a bold request, but… can I just pet you a little?”

“Eh?　Oh, you liked cats, don’t you? Please do. If you don’t mind my body like this, please pet me as much as you like.”

　Willingly, he held out his head to me. whoo! whoo! Whoo! Whoo! Whoo!

“Well then, if you’ll excuse me.”

　I knelt down and stroked his round, smooth head with my palm. Wow. His fur is so soft and fluffy. It feels so good. After a scattering of head strokes, back strokes, and throat strokes, Mr. Henry let out a low “dool-lulu-lulu” purring sound in his throat.

　Ah, cats are great. A talking big cat is the best. And this size. I even feel a sense of elation, as if I were petting a leopard or a lion.

　I really want to roll Henry the cat over on his back and bury my face in his belly, but no, absolutely not. He may be a cat now, but this is still the serious Henry!

　I pet him for a while, but I felt like I could pet him endlessly. So I stopped with a heavy heart.

“Thank you very much. I was able to replenish my cat component to full strength. I am happy to pet you as much as I want. Thank you very much!　Well, good night.”

“Good night, Mai.”

　As I was leaving the store to go upstairs, I heard him mumbling behind me, "Full?　Pets?" I closed my eyes and groaned, “Crap. You’re too cute, Henry the cat.”

　I went upstairs into the bedroom, exclaiming, “It’s so cold! And got into bed. I gently sniffed the palm of my hand and found that it did not smell like a cat’s sunny scent, but rather like the soap that Mr. Henry uses. “It’s not a cat’s scent,” I thought, a little disappointed.

　When I got into bed and remembered this and that, the signs that Mr. Henry was half cat-beastman were everywhere.

　When I was with him, the cats never showed up. I think that was because they sensed cat Henry’s presence and didn’t come out.　He’s a huge cat, isn’t it? Of course they’re careful.

Didn’t Henry seem strangely serious when he asked, “Do you like cats?”

　And he has an overwhelmingly sensitive tongue. （He didn’t eat anything so hot that I wondered, “Do you really need to cool it down that much?”)

　The same is true of the beautiful way he ran. Looking back on it now, I think it was beautiful because he ran with a steady axis, just like a cat running.

　It is understandable if he is half cat that his muscles are well built even though he does office work every day as a civil servant.

“I see. He was a cat.”

　If beastmen live on the old continent, does that mean there are many cat-type beastmen there? I would like to visit the old continent someday, though It's probably not that easy to get across the sea. I guess cat-type beastmen don’t stay in cat form …… do they? If Henry’s mother worked as a laundry attendant, then she was usually in human form.

“Oh my, this world may seem similar to that one, but it’s completely different. There’s so much I don’t know.”

　But from now on, if I don’t understand something, I can ask Henry, who seems to know a lot. This is a wonderful thing. I’m glad I talked to him.

I wonder if Grandma knew about beastmen when she said, “Mai, smile and live.” I have been searching for the knowledge that my grandmother gave me since a while ago, but I can’t find the word beastman. All she gave me was knowledge of magic, and I have almost no information about this world, beastmen, or other countries.

　Was there a limit to how much knowledge she could meddle with and pour into my brain all at once?

　But still, I wonder how that magic was done. If I could use that magic too, I would be able to impart my knowledge of the world into Mr. Henry, much more than I can explain in words.……

　No. No. No. No, no, no. This idea is dangerous. I have only been learning magic for seven months. I’m a novice, just a hair short of an amateur. If I do that to someone else’s brain and it fails, I will damage Mr. Henry’s brain. Let’s not do that.

　That night, I slept contentedly, repeatedly remembering the feel of cat Henry's fur.

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