The second day after escaping from the clutches of the White Wing Lord, the exhausted and injured Shinji finally couldn't hold on any longer. He had to float and sleep facing the sky with his back to the water. Of course, before falling asleep, he didn't forget to set up concealment and alert magecraft.
He slept very soundly, from noon until dusk. When the sun was about to set and Shinji opened his eyes, ready to stretch his muscles, he found a black cat on his body. At that moment, the black cat was biting his right hand.
Shinji was stunned, and various thoughts flooded his mind.
Where did this cat come from? How did it get past my defenses and onto me?
No, that's not the right concern. First, I need to determine if it's a familiar of Ortenrosse. Ordinary black cats wouldn't run to the middle of the Po River and bite my right hand.
Right hand... right hand!
A curse!!!
Damn it, if the curse worsens—
Uh... uh...
It doesn't seem to have worsened; it even alleviated a bit. Is it an illusion?
No, it's not an illusion. It indeed eased a bit. Did something happen to the relic while I was asleep? Or did the black cat eat it?
Thinking of this, Shinji laughed at himself.
He had inherited Scáthach's legacy and considered himself knowledgeable, but he had never heard of a cat that could eat curses. Besides, even if such a thing existed, it shouldn't be so coincidental to encounter it the day after being cursed. [: Protagonist Plot Armor!]
However, he quickly overturned his initial thoughts—this black cat that suddenly appeared indeed could devour curses. Every once in a while, it would bite Shinji's right hand, devouring a bit of the curse.
And this action dispelled the suspicion that it was a familiar of Ortenrosse. Ortenrosse wouldn't be so bored as to curse him first and then send a familiar that could devour curses.
So, what exactly is this black cat? And why did it appear here?
With these questions in mind, Shinji started interacting with the black cat.
"Come on, tell me, where did you come from, and how did you find me?"
The black cat glanced at Shinji without any response.
"Are you hungry? Should I catch a fish for you?"
The black cat lay down, closing its eyes.
"Uh, at least make some sound."
The black cat remained silent.
"So aloof." Shinji felt helpless.
But he didn't give up. Whether it was a coincidence or someone deliberately sent the black cat to him, he decided to keep the black cat by his side. He didn't have a familiar yet, and this extraordinary black cat was just to his liking.
Thus, a prolonged battle began.
Sleeping and playing with the cat during the day, he stayed highly vigilant at night, half to escape and half to fight the curse.
Ortenrosse's curse was extremely peculiar. At night, it became exceptionally active, and sporadically it would erupt, causing Shinji immense suffering.
In this state, Shinji could only hide in the Po River like a wild man, eating raw fish when hungry and drinking river water when thirsty. This went on for more than half a month. It was only because of his strong physique and the protection of the relic that he survived. Anyone else would have long succumbed and become a floating corpse in the Po River.
One day, after the black cat had devoured about a quarter of the curse on his right arm, Shinji could finally spare some energy and magic to do other things. This marked the end of their life in the water.
During this period, Shinji's hair and eyebrows fell out. Although Ortenrosse's curse was suppressed by the Buddha's light, this suppression was not complete. Occasionally, small amounts of the curse would break through and spread throughout his body.
Because it was only a small part, it didn't cause substantial harm to Shinji's resilient body and was quickly expelled by his immune system and magic resistance—through his pores.
As the curse was expelled, the relatively fragile and neglected hair was affected, leading to necrosis and falling out, resulting in the shiny bald head that Lorelei and Sakura had seen.
"—So, you still don't know what it is?" Lorelei asked after hearing Shinji's account.
"Just as you said," Shinji nodded, then shook his head. "But what it is doesn't matter. What's important is that it helped me, so I will take care of it. As long as it wants to stay with me, I'll keep it for life."
"Aren't you worried that it might be hiding some danger?" Lorelei reminded him.
"I survived the most dangerous ten days; what else is there to worry about?" Shinji replied with a confident smile. "Bring on any danger that comes."
"You seem... different?" A strange light flickered in Lorelei's eyes.
"People change, especially after going through something like this."
In the past, Shinji always thought his abilities were inadequate, and he had to be extremely cautious, even cowardly, to avoid losing his life. But after escaping from the White Wing Lord, Shinji realized that his strength wasn't as weak as he had believed. He now had more confidence when facing danger.
Of course, his confidence was one thing; his family's concern was another.
"You may not be worried, but your mother and I were," his father, Byakuya, was the first to speak. "You were missing for a month, and your mother and I were worried sick. Can't you think about us?"
"Yes, exactly," Kariya spoke second. "The Matou family may not be a prestigious clan, but we do have some influence. We're already quite satisfied with our situation. Compared to the growth of the family, we elders would rather see you safe and sound. You don't want Sakura to worry about you, do you?"
"Brother—" Sakura held Shinji's hand, her eyes pleading.
"Can't say no to you guys." Shinji's face showed a hint of helplessness, a happy helplessness. "I'll be more careful from now on and won't make you worry again. But I must take care of Len since it saved me. You don't want me to be ungrateful, right?"
"True enough," Byakuya thought for a moment and agreed.
"Is its name Len?" Sakura lowered her head and cautiously brought her face close to the cat. "Such a cute name. I'll go prepare some cat food for it."
"No need," Shinji waved his hand at his sister. "It doesn't need regular food. I tried feeding it fish before, and it only ate a few bites when it was in a good mood."
"That's so strange," Sakura blinked at Len.
Behind her, Kariya seemed deep in thought. "Seems like we should investigate its origins thoroughly."
Just as Kariya was considering whether to go to the underground library for research, a cool voice came from above. A woman with long silver hair walked down the stairs.
"There's no need to investigate; I know what it is."
Shinji looked up and met an exquisitely beautiful face, almost inhuman: "Justeaze, you're here."
"Welcome back, Shinji." The cold face softened noticeably.
"Ah, I'm back." Shinji's lips curved into a gentle smile as well. "By the way, you said you know what it is?"
"Yes, I know. It's a nightmare demon."
As soon as the word "nightmare demon" was spoken, the black cat suddenly opened its eyes and bared its teeth at Justeaze.
Shinji gently patted the black cat's back, the smile on his lips growing wider.
"It seems Len was indeed the right name to choose."
PS: Len (レン, Ren) is the main heroine in the main story of Kagetsu Tohya. She also appears in Melty Blood Re-ACT. At the end of Kagetsu Tohya, she formed a contract with Shiki Tohno.
PS2: Nightmare Demon is an incubus/succubi.