At 16:00, Neko watches as the distant clouds travers the smooth sky gradually turning the scenery grey as she perches on the roof of Ran's house like a leopard. Matching the dimness of the Higashiurawa suburb is the turmoil in her head as she is unsure of how to retrieve that sash or even if such a thing is worth it, the Catgirl has sunk so far into the sea of love that the thought of letting go chokes her & that's regardless of whether her German Gentleman feels the same.
She could sit there for hours more processing the convoluted mosaic that makes up her dream for a life with Klaus but that would be opening a can of worms large enough for Harpies to spawn, "I hyave to make a myove soon nyah" she tells herself even though her limbs refuse to obey. Her frame remains still, "it's too dyark witheowt my pyotion even after this waiting" this nocturnal predator takes out the bottle of Masking Potion from her handbag to confirm its hollowness by scanning the bottom of the transparent glass vial for any trace of liquid.
Neko: "Hye"
The bottle is completely barren, "A tiny drop kyould sustain my Hyuman form for a few minutes, tyops" however that thought is irrelevant as there is no potion left. She hisses at the circumstances she's trapped in, "if I abyandon this mission neow & gyo home there's a chance that Hyaru won't suspect a thing" comes to this wishful thought as she places the bottle back in her bag, this option is weighed by the drawback. That returning home empty handed would render this ordeal completely pointless not to mention the impression left on Klaus if he says that she lost his first gift to her, the image of a central European prince pops into her mind. The German Gentleman wears an ornate green military uniform stands beside a clear lake reflecting the blue sky with a castle atop a hill on the other side, he turns to her with a smile & bouquet of flowers as pink as her hair. "I kyan't gyo home without that sash" she concludes with an all clear from her head to proceed with the original plan.
With that she gets up from her sitting position & promptly crawls along the ridge of this tiled roof, like a panther she sleekly slides until she reaches the edge of the roof overlooking the front of the house with the road ahead. "I'm gyoing to hyave to be sneaky" she tells herself before pausing for a deep breath, gently closing her eyes, letting the charge build up from within. She gradually exhales, loosening her grip on the roof's eave, as pressure in her legs increase her tail sticks up like the stem of a plant. With her shoulders dropped & her arms stretched she eyes spring open as she vaults off the roof, her legs release pushing her body forward while her fingers straighten to cut through the air like the conical tips of rockets.
She descends with all limbs out like a winged squirrel at such a speed the wind hardly has time to ruffle her hair before she lands on the ground on all fours, "anyother successful landing nyah" she smirks at the result of her agility for a moment before she rushes to the nearest bush to hide. With her predator instincts she silences her breathing & puts weight on her hips to maintain a strict balance while standing, this allows the Catgirl to control her stance when moving to create minimal noise to move stealthily from street to street during daylight hours.
"This is syo risky…but desperate times & what nyot" she contemplates as she assesses what's ahead, Ran lives on a very quiet road with barely a sound as most residence work pretty late & would commute from as far away as central Tokyo. This leaves Neko a clear avenue to sneak through the neighbourhood to retrace her steps & track down those Gangsters, "I just hyave to find the spyot we last met. Nyo doubt Hyoshi scared them off" she considers the difficulty of location them a third time after that stunt pulled by the Esper just the night prior, but this does not deter the Catgirl since her persistence has led her to victory many times in the past.
--
| ノラリノラリ |
Slow footsteps reach Neko's large ears as she's about to turn a corner to enter a larger, street & so she quits her advance, snuggled against the outer wall of a house she tenses her should & holds her breath hoping for this individual to pass without getting curious. She stiffens her frame, "Just bee calm, they will pyass" the Catgirl reassures herself.
| ノラリノラリ |
The footsteps gradually grow louder indicating to this Feline that the person is getting closer, all this is picked up by her cat ears. She keeps her eyes piled to see that the person crossing is an old lady wearing a grey cardigan over a purple dress, Neko's pink tail drops & hides behind her thigh just so she doesn't create any unusual movement which could grab the attention of this lady.
Thankfully, the lady notices nothing as she passes the gap without moving her head. She finally crosses to the other side & walks on until disappearing behind the green fence which stands tall & long to Neko's right.
Neko: "Phew nyah"
Unable to help herself, this Catgirl lets out a sigh of relief out loud while dipping her head & loosening her shoulders. "This is gyonna be hyard nyah" she thought as she looks on at the empty, nevertheless she chases this goal in the same stealthy manner she's done so far, using the gaps between buildings & subtle crevasses unknown to most people to reach her destination without being seen.
As the sky gets darker & the lamps illuminate the streets Neko arrives at the spot she last saw the Feline Gangsters, the long alley which forms the border between the suburb of Omagi & the park with the same name. She stands at the centre of this path with the stone wall at her left & a secluded lamp ahead of her, she stares at the cracked cobblestone depicting the aftermath of the Gangsters' confrontation with Hoshi. Neko remembers this alarming event with deep unease as this was where she lost the Gangsters & by extension her sash, "I knyow she did that to protect me but…" she comes to an understanding that Hoshi did that with noble intentions to protect her from those brutes. Lowering her gaze, she spots just a few steps from her position a small collection of shards placed in a patch of stone that had been stained dark green, "the pyoison" she notes to herself the vial of poison that had been smashed by the Esper during that altercation.
"Hyoshi-chan was right, if I hyad swallowed that I kyould hyave died" she calmly approaches the wreckage of the vial with a forlorn expression on her cute face, only stopping before the light from that lamp engulfs her. It is here she takes a quick peek at the blackening sky above & the fleeting clouds to check for signs of the Esper, even with the blinking lights of planes passing by at a snail's pace the air above feels strikingly empty. "Nyo sign of Hyoshi-chan, probably for the best that she dyoesn't stop by" she thinks to herself as she continues to embark on this journey alone.
As she presses down the stone path combing for clues on the Gangsters' whereabouts in an expedient manner, she scans the tiniest details in the dirt & inspects the very air of this place with her strong nostrils only for nothing to come up. No reading to work with, "I wish I was a dyog right neow" she thought while shaking her head & rolling her eyes. "If I kyan nyot track them I'll hyave to get creative nyah" with her thinking hat on she paces up & down the path twiddling her long pink hair as she does so, she stops her advance dead when a question pops up in her head. "Heow did I meet them in the first place nya?"
Such a query is so overt the Catgirl takes a moment to reflect on how she didn't conceive of the idea earlier.
Neko: "Nya I am a genius nyo myatter what Myori from the café says"
She whispers to herself while displaying a triumphant smirk as she gets her found out, a wave of confidence follows her action to enter the Jinx app. "I will need to register under a new accyount before messaging them".
--
Pyokipyo3: [Hello, I found your post about a potion that lasts crazy long. Do you have any with you to sell?]
Taku: [Yeah we still have some]
Pyokipyo3: [Splendid, I'm in the Higashiurawa area now & need it as soon as. I'm in a "need something strong immediately" situation]
Pyokipyo3: [I can pay a little extra]
Taku: [We aren't far from there, but our stock is low soo we can talk about another time]
Pyokipyo3: [I need it now]
Pyokipyo3: [I can pay you \30,000]
…
Taku: [How soon can you get to the Shiba reservoir?]
Pyokipyo3: [I can get there in 45mins]
Taku: [Then you we have a deal, come with the money & I'll have the potion for you]
--
"He took the bait nya hya hya" Neko chuckled to that thought.
Chuffed by her skilful maneuver, the Catgirl wonders through the dead of night narrowly avoiding paths leading towards Human activity. Luckily for her this part of Saitama gets considerably quiet past midnight which it is.
| ニャー | cat noise
At 01:17, the Catgirl traverses the greenery surrounding the Shiba river which flows perpendicular to the suburb. This indicates to her that the reservoir isn't far so she must plan her actions carefully to outsmart the Gangsters to get her sash back, "& maybe my myoney too nyah" she added.
With the knife secured in her bag she searches for the nearest river crossing while her mind calculates who to go about handling the Gangsters.
--
The time is 01:38, the distant lights flicker like glow worms along the horizon leaving darkness to set on the reservoir. Along the banks of the water is a line of bushes with leaves thick enough conceal the stems inside making them an ideal place for a frightful Feline to lie in wait for her prey.
As time slowly marches forward Neko remains still & as silent as a mouse, she carefully regulates the pressure on her legs to control balance while occasionally sneaking a peek from the thin gaps in the foliage. These peeks are rapid to not reflect light with her pink eyes however these short looks are just enough to get the picture as even without a flashlight she can see everything with her night vision, this routine continues for several more minutes until she picks up some movement nearby prompting her to freeze like a statue upon the sound of footsteps closing in towards her location, she even switches to only breathing deeply to remain quiet.
"I kyan't stick my head out to see who it is syo I'll need to rely on scent & sound" she acknowledges that this wonderer could be someone else & that making sudden moves would compromise her plan to jump Taku with the knife, wishing to maintain the element of surprise she chooses not to act. She keeps still with both arms grappled onto thick branches & feet planted in the ground, all that moves now are her radar-like cat ears & nostrils optimised for receiving the faintest of smells.
With one strong whiff she's able to smell the marshy cattails & rush plants growing by the water, they produce a sharp enough scent to block out most of the other odours in her environment however something alien to this reservoir approaches. With another whiff she's able to pin down what it is, a potent wave of fruity aromas engulfing the air making it toxic to breath in. "Yuck…that familiar scent can't be anyone else" she pins this down to Taku as her nose remembers his overuse of deodorant, "that sleaze byag must be kyoming closer" she reckons while activating her ear radars.
| テクテク | footsteps
The subtle tapping of his feet intensifies as he approaches.
Taku: "Pyokipyo, I'm here nyah"
He calls in his high boyish pitch. Listening in on the announcement of his arrival, Neko slowly turns her head & tries to get a better view through the dark green floral surrounding her only to see that he's a few meters away from the bush she hides it. Through the tiny gaps she can see the sordid Catboy in his leather jacket & pointy cat ears sticking from his curly grey fringe, with hands in his pockets like always Neko sees her target. "It's him, I'm gyoing to pyounce as soon as he turns his byack" with that plan in place she's ready to engage. However, he kept staring in her direction, "hyas he spotted me nya?" she asks herself before narrowing in on his eyes. "Hyang on neow, he's nyot staring at me" following the trajectory of his eyes she understands that he's staring at something behind her. "It must be the reservoir, nyah" she concludes while giving a small sigh, but this relief is short lived as the Catboy makes another call.
Taku: "Pyokipyo!"
He shouts that Neko's fake username once more sounding more like the scream of an Iriomote Cat as the screech echoes across the water, the covert Catgirl who camps several meters away keeps her ears shut from the loud screech.
Taku: "I kyan't believe she's gyoing to waste my time like that, that stupid bastard. Bakayaro!"
Taku turns his head to shout even more profanities before stepping away, he takes his right hand out to reach for the phone in his jean pocket, but little does he know that the one he seeks is the girl watching him with the fiery eyes of vendetta. "His byack is turned, quickly it's neow of never!" She proclaims in her head as she springs from her spot like an Olympic runner the rustling leaves cause Taku's ears to sharply ping up, "He has the phyone in his hyand. Neow Neko!"
| ドドド | sprinting
Neko: "Nyaaaa!"
Taku: "Hssssss"
Like an angry street cat, she yawls a ferocious war cry as she charges like a train at the hissing Taku who hastily switches his posture to meet his foe. Shoving the phone in his jacket pocket to free his hands to meet Neko with a defensive stance, showing his razor-like claws to the advancing Catgirl to which she counters by pulling from her bag the large kitchen knife before throwing down said bag & driving the blade toward Taku.
From then on his furrowed eyebrows lifted & his tense cheeks loosened, in the process he takes a step back while his fluffy tail shrinks as id retreating between his legs. Thinking that's all he's got for a fortification, Neko's lips form a slight grin as she sees victory ahead of her in the form of a weakened thug caught by surprise. With both her hands on the handle she drives it forward however Taku narrowly dodges it, the knife speeds past his slim torso only for Neko to rotate the angle of attack by twisting her wrists causing the blade to veer to his chest.
Taku: "Nyah"
He sees this change & so jolts his hips to send his right arm out to catch her only for it to come in between his vitals & the blade intending to deal a fatal blow.
Taku: "Nyaah ahh!"
The Catboy screams out his lungs upon contact with the knife, like a stigmata it pierces through his palm. The sharp point of the blade coated in a dark maroon fluid that now oozes from his hand.
Taku: "You bitch, you…"
His whole right arm sluggishly folds into him like a steel beam bending with the pressure, this however frees his left arm to retaliate & avenge its right sided brother. With the adrenaline from the pain of being stabbed Taku lunges for Neko's eyes using his claws as pincers to slice through the air & yet he is blocked, she swiftly raises her elbow to block this retaliation. This action is followed by a firm yank of the knife.
Taku: "Hyaa!"
This doesn't release the blade, which is locked into his flesh, it had the opposite effect of bringing his arm closer to her by pulling it along where it causes great pain for the Catboy.
Taku: "You bitch that hurts!"
Neko just stares at the wound with no clue on what to do, "I just stabbed syomeone over a sash, didn't I nya?" As the reality of the situation sets in the frenzy in her mind gradually dissipates & so does the fire in her eyes.
Neko: "Sorry"
She faintly whispers.
Taku: "Hya?"
He reacts to such an unbelievable mutter with loud contempt & eyes of violet staring daggers at her with murderous intent, the fingers of his bleeding right hand gradually loosen to dispel some of the pain, but his cheeks stay tensed & his grey eyebrows stay fixed to a small point above is little nose.
Neko: "You will take me to Uroi"
She applies pressure to the knife & gently twists it from side to side causing further pain so that Taku would comply but all he gets are cries of agony.
Taku: *cries out*
After such a cry echoes through the expanse what follows is death silence leaving Neko to feel empty as if she has just entered a void, this isn't helped by her stillness tone as she watches for acknowledgement from Taku. Not even a nod from him to acknowledge her request, the Catboy in utter discomfort is forced to soldier on by biting his bottom lip. "What should I do from here nya?" She asks herself now that her foe stands in front of her with his dominant hand wounded as she hoped would happen & yet she's still idle unable to proceed with the next step in her plan to retrieve that sash. "It kyan't be just abeowt that sash nyah".
"If nyot me, these gyangsters would terrorise annyother helpless Myonster" here she abruptly realises how treacherous these Gangsters can be. "This Taku_Ro17 thought I was syomeone else so they would have stolen or beaten annyother bystander without a second thought" upon further consideration the Catgirl puts her mind to the idea of others becoming the victims of these Gangsters & brutal things could get. "I hyad Hyoshi-chan to thank for saving me last time but nyot everyone hyas a powerful Esper protecting them nyah" this recognition acts as fuel for her motive to oppose these Gangsters .
???: "Neow why would you assume he is alone?"
Her slight power-high was broken upon hearing that deep commanding voice Neko froze & her hair became sticking up like the stems of the cattails by the water, "it's him" she realises.
| テクテク | footsteps
A pair of heavy footsteps send a metaphorical blistering wind the Catgirl's way, the thought of facing against them causes her to shiver which is contrapuntal to assured she was when confronting Taku. Her whole plan rested on taking this feeble Catboy down & using his life as a bargaining chip against Uroi but now that he, most likely Danto too are approaching her the confidence is gone, all that remains is her unease sticking out as much as her pink jacket contrasts the dark shaded grass around her.
Uroi: "You are the most insane kyatgirl I've ever seen in my life"
That authoritative voice grows louder, the footsteps too. Neko's head frantically turns every direction until two large figures emerge from the top of the slope in a short distance away from her position, upon longer inspection she identifies the two characters as Uroi in his black shirt & Danto with that single eye piercing through the shadows.
Uroi: "& that's a kyomplement"
He adds, standing proudly with his chest out & malicious grin as he oversees the activity before him. His eyes gleam with hostility once he focuses on the blood dripping down Taku's wrist & onto the dirt, the animus in his demeanour intensifies despite his large grin. "Oh nyo, I'm screwed nyah" Neko comes to this thought just as she read felt the aura around Uroi & read the intentions through his alarming expression, this becomes further justified as soon as the other figure in the form of fat bastard with one eye steps out before proceeding to slide down the slope.
due to the lack of light in this mash-land Neko only has the cat's plump outline & some minor details however looking at his right arm she notices a short yet potentially sharp stick grasped firmly in his hand. "Is he bringing the sword with him nya?" the Catgirl stiffens up upon seeing the O Tanto sword in Danto's hand, this causes her to lose grip of the petty kitchen as Taku brings his injured arm close where he can tend to his wound. Neko pays no attention to this as she watches Danto begin to charge at her like a large fearsome gorilla with that blade in hand cleanly slicing the air like the beak of a falcon. Neko takes a step back but aside from that she that she is virtually paralysed with fear to Danto's attack, separated from her weapon she has no counter whatsoever. "Is this where I die nya?"
| ガサガサ | rustling grass
The silence surrounding the reservoir is suddenly broken, not by the screams of Taku or Uroi's chuckles of amusement but by the sound of heavy footsteps in the tall grass accompanied by the swings of some thin metallic object in the not-so-distant field between the Felines & civilisation. These sounds are picked up by the Gangsters as well as Neko who's ears twitch, Danto stops his advance dead to check his enviroment. Uroi stands atop the slope giving him the best position of all to investigate the situation by scanning the horizon for movement like a watchman, only for his eyebrows to jolt up once he sees someone marching through the grass.
| トコトコ |
The sighting of this individual fills the gang leader with increasing suspicion, he clenches his fists & accentuates his brown eyes. he watches & watches as this person comes nearer.
Uroi: "Taku"
He calls the name of his skinny underling with a forceful whisper to conceal his voice, upon turning toward Taku his face displays a different vibe. Contrasting his earlier look Uroi now precautious as if the confidence in his demeanour vanished.
Taku: "Hai"
The Catboy with the knife still jammed in his hand pounces on Neko in attempt to restrain her from behind using his undamaged left arm.
Neko: *caterwauls*
Neko lets out a loud cry as she wrestles Taku off her back, she vigorously jolts her back resulting in the Catboy in his weakened state to be launched off. At this moment she's free but not for long as Danto who saw the whole thing with his single eye resumed his charge & bolted, he brings his bulky arms out to grab onto Neko & with his weight he forces her to the ground.
Neko: *caterwauls again*
She makes another loud wail as her back hits the ground, the enormous weight of this former Sumo wrestler comes crashing down onto her slim figure. Even though she lacks the strength to get Danto off her she still fights his restraints by flailing her arms & legs until he manages to pin three of her limbs down, with his right hand he points the O Tanto blade to her neck.
Upon realising there is a sharp object resting on her neck the Catgirl stalls, with her anger no longer channelled into fighting back she glares at his large eye & hisses ferociously.
Uroi: "We gyotta scram, syomeone's kyoming"
Rushing down the slope is Uroi with a faster rate of speech as he races to Taku, Neko directs to him as he transitions from the grassy hill to the same dirt ground, she's forced to lie on.
Taku: "Look at what that bitch did to me"
The Catboy only responds by directing Uroi's attention to the knife in his palm, he brings it closer to his boss who immediately takes action to stop the bleeding. The boss takes a portion of his ironclad behaviour off to show concern for his subordinate in his moment of need.
Uroi: "Dyon't worry Taku-kun, I should hyave byandage in my pyocket"
In tandem with what he's saying, Uroi yanks a roll of swathe out of his back pocket & proceeds to wrap some around Taku's tinier hand. The Catboy softens his gaze at the arrival of his paragon & takes deeper breaths to subdue the pain, he's able to stand stronger now that the bandage is tightly sealing the wound. He is ready to send his revenge to the Catgirl who did this but just as he & his saviour turn to the captured Neko.
| バタ | something falls to the ground
A silent flash hits all their eyes like a bus temporarily blinding them, this mysterious light coming from the corner repels the darkness exposing the bright blood stains on the ground & the handbag Neko had dropped in all the commotion.
The first to regain their sight is Uroi who senses that they are compromised so he runs to Danto.
Uroi: "I need that sword Danto"
He brings his mighty arm out to grab it from the Danto before getting into a guard position beside cyclops cat, raising his left arm behind his right & points the blade upwards to expose the sharpest edge. Anticipating a fight, Uroi keeps this guard position up & checks the coast for potential threats but all he sees right now are the blinded Taku & the source of that infamous light being a tiny ball resting in the dry dirt. As his eyes adjust the details become clearer & the movement in the grass comes forth in the form of a full figure with two horns protruding from their head, chopping away at some measly flora impeding their way with a slightly curved katana. this character wearing a black tactical suit akin to secret agents in American movies which allows for stealthy approaches while accentuating the contrasting bleached blonde colour of this person's hair as they reveal onto the Gangsters their presence with one foul look.
Neko: "Hyaru-san"
Even as her vision is temporarily impaired by the flash her little nose still works remarkably, the familiar scent of the Oni Homeowner reaches her nostrils. It's here that her hopes begin to rise much like her cheeks do as they form a small grin, "I am saved"