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⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀┋ P1: PURR-FECT INTRIGUE ┋
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"Stupid cats."
John was completely drained at his desk by the end of classes after the escalating comments that became increasingly obsessive throughout the afternoon, making it nearly impossible for him to follow the class. But he hadn't given up the whole time, and his plan had been a success.
By the time everyone left, he stood up, maintaining his composure as he turned his back on the three cats that were watching the brown cat with a slight growl emanating from their throats. If what they had said was true, then he had exacted revenge by staying calm throughout the class, causing them to miss the "show" they had paid to see. Before leaving the room with his backpack, he glanced sideways at the feline to give it a mocking look, but he ended up finding himself face to face with Eleanor, who placed her hand on his shoulder. She stared at him with her usual cold gaze, and John tensed again.
"The photo, the photo, the photo, the photo, the photo, the photo..."
He swallowed hard, hearing the felines murmuring again as they saw him nervous once more.
"He's still in the room. The show goes on," the brown cat told them, trying to calm the situation.
"So far, he hasn't made any gestures like he understood us," remarked one of the cats beside him.
"...Isn't she the owner of that rich girl cat? She has a cold look."
"But why is she getting so close? Is she going to confess?"
The ears of both guys, both John's and the brown cat's, perked up at the last feline's words.
"John. The photo."
The coldness in her words was enough to send chills down his spine, yet he maintained what little composure he had left. He clenched his fist and tried to come up with a quick response.
"The photo? I don't know what you're talking about..."
"Your kitty. I'd like to see that photo again. I feel like I know her from somewhere..."
The earlier feline was relieved to see that the attention had shifted away from him to focus on Eleanor, who began drawing the brown cat's attention as it quietly entered the classroom.
"Aaah... that photo. You probably mistake her for someone else. It's a very old photo."
"I remember every cat I've ever seen in my life. No matter who it is, it's engraved in my mind."
The brown cat continued advancing, putting the guy on alert.
"What if we go talk somewhere else...?"
Eleanor released his shoulder and kept her gaze on John.
"There are five cats in the room right now. Three of them outside, two in here."
In a silent step, the girl quickly turned to look at the cats behind her, causing them to take a step back upon meeting her gaze.
John stayed silent for a moment. Confused more than anything.
"How is it that—?"
"The gray cat in the tree is from the Berlin family, three blocks from the school. The next two accompanying him are from the same father, siblings, but I doubt they know it; they don't seem to recognize their relatedness. And as for this brown cat..."
Meows started to come from the tree as the gazes of the brown cat and the girl locked onto each other.
"I don't know that one. But I know it's been hanging around the school until now and seems to be following you. Is it yours?"
"N-No way. It's more like a stalker," John commented, somewhat scared by how confidently the girl mentioned these details, "How do you know all this...?"
The brown cat retreated to the window, staying there, ignoring the pair of siblings who were meowing at each other trying to figure out if what the girl said was true.
"I...," the girl's voice faltered for a moment, running her hand through her hair again, "...love cats."
"But yours is too much..."
The girl in front of him knew every cat she had seen on the streets, able to find patterns in details within her sight to figure out things no one else would notice.
"And why do you want to see the photo I have of my cat...?"
"I'll say it again. She feels very familiar to me..."
The brown cat signaled John with its paw to end the conversation and quickly leave the place.
At that moment, John realized how dangerous the situation was. She could pinpoint Molly's location if she decided to start giving hints about her appearance. However, it was also a unique opportunity to understand one of the loose ends he hadn't been able to grasp when he first saw Molly.
"I really... I really want to know what happened to Molly when I left."
He put his hand in his pocket, taking out the photo he had kept there. The growls from the brown cat soon sounded, signaling him to stop. However, John swallowed again, doubting his actions. Eleanor didn't hesitate to place her hand on his forehead and cheek.
"Pale, again."
"Again...?" John asked, moving her hand away.
"Oh, forget it. You're pale, that's all."
A moment of silence lingered between them, with a shorter distance than before. John closed his eyes and pocketed the photo again, taking a step back.
Accidentally bumping into someone, who placed their hands on his shoulders. Just by their presence, he sensed a cold gaze. It was Emi. She wore a friendly smile, yet her silence revealed her true emotions.
"Thanks for waiting, John. Shall we go?"
About to say something, John was grabbed by the arm and led away from the classroom, leaving Eleanor with a confused look inside. She turned towards John, who was quickly being taken by Emi, waving goodbye.
"...He's acting weird."
"Meow."
The brown cat was behind the girl, staying with her and echoing its meow in the room. Girl and cat were left alone, but John was already too far away to understand what was happening.
***
Reaching the first floor, John was released and allowed to rest after a long, brisk walk down all the school stairs. He was exhausted but relieved in a way. Emi had saved him from something significant.
She, on the other hand, quickly recovered from the escape, looking up and turning to face John, slightly sweating.
"...You... I thought you'd go alone this time," John remarked, also standing in front of his friend.
"I was... waiting downstairs. I wanted to prank you, but when I came up, Eleanor was harassing you. Of course, I'd do something... I noticed you were pale. You've been like that all class because of her constant threats."
Emi sighed, stretching her arms, avoiding eye contact with the guy.
"I told you she's awful..."
John wiped sweat from his forehead and thanked Emi once again for her help. He was tired but could catch the bus without a problem.
He glanced around, noticing the cats from before walking towards a wall and climbing it to leave the university. However, the brown cat wasn't with them. In fact, it wasn't nearby...
"Never mind, better for me."
John hoped things would calm down for the remainder of the day since he still had to figure out what the feline had traded for the photo and what had been tormenting him throughout the entire class.
That strange bracelet.
"Emi hurried ahead, telling Jhon to hurry up so as not to miss the bus. Jhon followed behind, searching in the bracelet's medallion for something he could do with it or at least understand it. He took it with his other hand and tried to remove it. He couldn't. Jhon stopped and listened again to Emi's call, but he attempted to remove the bracelet again. Once more, he couldn't. He tugged it a third time, tried to slip his finger underneath it, attempted to pull it off with his teeth... Nothing. It was stuck on his wrist just like the Omnitrix.
Jhon gritted his teeth, closing his eyes with an expression that blended anger and confusion. 'What the heck did that cat give me!? This seems straight out of Doraemon!'
While Jhon tried to get it off like Nobita, he watched as Emi stopped the bus for him, giving him a moment to get on despite his commotion. He thanked her for the support, and both boarded in the direction of their homes.
Jhon hid the bracelet by placing his backpack in front of him, trying not to talk about what he had attempted. 'Once I get home... I need to have a serious talk with Molly...'
'Who's Molly?'
He quickly covered his mouth, turning to look at Emi, who had a fixed gaze on him with her dark red wavy hair twirling around her finger as she became interested in his words. 'Is Molly your neighbor or something?' she asked, while Jhon felt time freeze for a moment, moments where he realized he had resolved the issue on his own.
'Y-Yes. She's a neighbor of mine. Sometimes I like talking to her...' Jhon replied, trying not to appear too nervous.
'If that makes you feel better, then it wouldn't hurt to talk about it.' Emi's words echoed a bit in the boy's head, making him pensive...
'I won't tell Molly about Eleanor... If what the brown cat said is true, then I don't want to imagine her getting upset. If she wrecked the room over the name, she'll surely demolish the house over this.'
The bus honked, and Emi stood up, waving her hand in gratitude as a farewell to Jhon. 'See you tomorrow, take care and rest.'
'Uh... Yeah, yeah.' He simply replied, leaning back against the bus seat to rest after the turbulent day he had.
No one was seated beside him, so he looked back at the bracelet, trying to press and pull it off, but it was impossible. He pressed it just as a certain boy did to transform into an alien, but it was obvious it wasn't an Omnitrix. 'It's just got super adhesive or something...' he thought to himself, avoiding the mistake of speaking aloud again. That nearly undid all his prior efforts not to reveal the secret to Eleanor first.
There were no cats around due to the bus speeding through the streets, making any murmurs he could hear quickly fade from his ears. So, for the remaining journey home, he relaxed and decided to rest, reclining without putting too much force on his shoulders to let himself sink a little into the seat, letting out a tired sigh.
***
'You're home!'
After closing the door of his house, a gentle and affectionate voice sounded from the kitchen, hearing the heavy footsteps of the huge feline running towards him to hug and squeeze him against her cheeks.
Jhon's eyes widened feeling the lightness in her tone as she greeted him, understanding her words for the first time. He had entered the door intending to demand an immediate explanation for everything that had unfolded, but the soft embrace between her paws and the beautiful innocent laughter she emitted while rubbing against him enveloped him in such tenderness that his brain immediately released all grievances and anger, feeling his body lightening from the overload of cuteness.
'Jhon? H-Hey, wake up.' The feline held him in her arms, noticing him feeling a bit down, observing his low energy and paler-than-usual complexion. 'Jhon?'
However, he was in his own paradise, letting himself succumb to the discomfort his body had given him after all the tension of a single day.
Molly started to worry, looking around trying to figure out what she could do. She quickly headed to their room, where she laid him on his bed and placed her paw on his forehead, feeling the boy starting to run a fever.
'No, no, no,' she repeated to herself, searching for something she could do to help him. She placed her paws on his hand, gazing at him intently to provide moral support and encourage him to stay well, noticing the bracelet he was wearing."
"What... What is this?" she wondered, taking it with her paws, wearing a confused expression.
"I don't know either... that silly cat from earlier exchang...— sorry, gave it to me..."
John might have regained consciousness for a moment upon hearing his worried friend, who shook all her fur when she heard him respond to her question.
"Can you... can you understand me?" she asked, instantly blushing on her beautiful face.
The guy nodded, laughing slightly, only to start coughing shortly after.
"It's because of this bracelet... I don't think it has anything to do with... how I'm feeling now," John paused for a moment to cough, looking at Molly with concern, "he told me several things... which have left me even more confused. He's told me a lot... and at the same time very little. And that fool keeps calling me 'idiot'..."
John chuckled a bit, causing Molly to laugh too because of his contagious laughter. However, she softened her gaze and headed towards the kitchen.
"W-We'll talk as soon as you rest well. I'll start preparing some soup for you, okay?"
John looked at her, touching his forehead to understand his condition.
He held his gaze firmly on his friend, and after a sigh, he smiled at her.
"We're a couple... right?"
The feline looked at him and nodded, scratching her reddened ear a little.
As he understood it, she didn't know that he hadn't realized the situation until that moment. She maintained the illusion that he had accepted her feelings knowing what she was expressing, perhaps due to the honesty of his previous meows.
He had returned from school with the intention of talking to her about the subject, knowing that he would shatter that idea... but it was no longer possible.
Or rather, he rejected the idea.
With such a loyal, affectionate, and attentive friend like her... John seriously considered it and decided to accept what had happened.
He would accept his new relationship.
While his body begged for rest, he tried to change out of his clothes to avoid soiling his school uniform. He went to the bathroom, telling Molly he could go by himself. He refreshed his head and drank some water from the tap, looking himself in the eyes in the mirror.
He scratched his hair, noticing something that caught his attention.
A small white hair. A gray hair.
Possibly due to stress, John knew he couldn't let it be seen by Molly, who could be heard from the kitchen asking every couple of minutes if he was okay. Her concern made his heart beat faster, and he began to suppress his love to keep himself stable and reached his room, where he lay back on his bed.
He put on his pajamas, noticing his agitated breathing. What were the odds of getting sick so quickly? Was his immune system that bad?
Was it because of the bracelet? Was it because of Molly?
"No. It's not because of either of those two reasons," John thought, "it's most likely due to my poor diet before and the constant harassment all day..."
As soon as he saw the brown cat again, John was ready to have a serious talk with him. All the confusion and disturbance that was once directed at his feline were now solely aimed at the cat that bothered him daily.
John looked at his arm and tried to get a better look at the bracelet, noticing some small lines drawn above the side of the medallion. He noticed they were very similar to the ones in the book the cat had brought him recently, confirming to him that everything the cat brought him was indeed from another place.
Another world...
"Mifus..."
At that moment, Molly entered the room with a metal tray in her paws, carrying a large bowl of hot soup, some rice, and a glass of chamomile tea.
"T-Take this, okay? It will make you feel better. I promise," the feline said, taking a spoon and scooping up some soup, blowing on it to warm it up.
John remained with his arms supporting him on the bed to sit up and accept the food.
"Why is she so caring for me...?" he thought, while the feline gestured for him to open his mouth, giving him the soup with the spoon.
The taste, as always, was incredible. He never believed in talismans or shaman herbs... but for the first time, he was convinced that something beyond his understanding was capable of healing him, and how blessed he was to have it all to himself.
The love of a beautiful cat who treated him like her servant, whom he could call by name and she would come running to see him, taking care of him when he was unwell and becoming happy just by seeing him.
All the emotion rushed to his head as he savored each spoonful, feeling that just the fact that the soup was made by the cat he cared for so much was enough to heal him. A new love had been born.
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