Chapter 5: It's haunted!
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Tom's entire body trembled so violently that, if one ignored the fact that he was a living being, Elric Bradley might have thought someone had strapped a massager to his legs; his calves were nearly numb from the shaking.
Compared to the brave Tom who had once taken down Ryuunosuke, a foe much larger than himself, this quivering, timid version was unrecognizable.
If the direct approach didn't work, then Elric could only try a gentler method.
"It's okay, trust me. I just need you to go in and open the door," Elric said softly, reaching out to pat Tom's head, hoping to calm the frightened cat.
"Once you're inside, all you need to do is unlock the door. Don't be scared. Besides, even if there is a ghost, you'll be fine...right?"
Tom, who had started to calm down a little at Elric's earlier words, loosened his tight grip on Elric's legs. However, as soon as Elric's tone wavered with uncertainty, Tom's fragile calm shattered. His heart leapt into his throat, and he froze in terror.
He wasn't just scared; he was utterly petrified, the kind of fear that seemed to drain the very color from his fur.
For a few moments, Tom resembled a cat doused in white paint, pale and stiff from fright. Then, as if snapping back to reality, his color returned, and he shook his head wildly at Elric. His movements were so frantic that Elric could feel the rush of cool air from the motion.
"Well, there's nothing else I can do," Elric sighed dramatically. "I was planning to use the money I saved on rent to buy you cake and milk, but I guess that's not happening now. What a shame." As he said this, he slowly began to walk away, deliberately giving Tom time to reconsider.
Of course, this was all a bluff. Being an illegal resident, Elric didn't even have the means to rent a house, let alone save money for treats. Even if he had proper documents, he could barely scrape together enough cash to afford a place. Ryuunosuke's wallet had held too little, which was no surprise. Maybe Ryuunosuke had stashed his money elsewhere, but Elric wasn't about to go hunting for it.
In truth, Elric hadn't known what to do with Ryuunosuke after capturing him. Killing him was out of the question—Elric wasn't a killer. Letting him go would be like setting a tiger loose to roam free. Ultimately, Elric decided to leave it to Tom, though the way the cat seemed to store Ryuunosuke was perplexing. At first, Elric had carried Ryuunosuke himself, but at some point, he noticed the man had vanished. Yet when he asked Tom about it, the cat could simply pull him back out, as if from some sort of four-dimensional pocket.
For now, though, Elric focused on baiting Tom's greed. If the cat wouldn't budge, Elric would have no choice but to break a window. He needed to stay in this house one way or another.
Tom, however, grew restless at the thought of losing the promised cake and milk. The mere possibility of going hungry was intolerable.
It still understood the difference between one meal being full and the next being hungry.
Steeling himself, Tom released Elric's legs. His eyes sharpened with determination, and within moments, he was ready for action.
Elric felt his calves relax as the trembling ceased, and when he turned, he couldn't help but smirk. Tom had armed himself with makeshift "armor."
A small pot served as his helmet, a trash can lid as his shield, and a spatula as his weapon of choice. Tom was ready for battle.
Then, Tom walked toward the door with a heroic spirit. However, the closer he got to the door, the more his confidence seemed to dwindle, and his figure seemed to shrink.
By the time he reached the door, Tom hesitated briefly before taking a deep breath. He shoved his upper body through the crack in the door while his hind legs kicked frantically outside, trying to squeeze the rest of his body in. After some struggle, he finally managed to push himself all the way through.
Once inside, Tom glanced around cautiously. The house was covered in spider webs, giving it a creepy and unsettling atmosphere, but there didn't seem to be any immediate danger or ghosts.
Relieved, Tom exhaled and prepared to turn around to unlock the door. However, as he moved, something at the edge of his vision caught his attention. At the far end of the corridor, a white, floating figure appeared, its eyes glowing with an eerie red light.
If Tom could speak, he would've surely screamed, "Wow, there really is a ghost!"
"Medicine!!!" Overwhelmed with terror, Tom forgot all about his makeshift armor. He let out a panicked scream, leaping upward and clinging to the ceiling with his claws, trembling violently.
The ghost, seemingly unfazed, began to drift toward Tom with a menacing intent. But before it could get any closer, a medium-haired girl in a blue kimono and a red jacket appeared behind it. With a swift, clean slash of her knife, she cut the ghost in two. The specter dissolved into nothing but faint wisps of spiritual energy, disappearing completely.
"With that, the last ghost here is finally dealt with. Seriously, what kind of world have I ended up in? The number of ghosts here is ridiculous…" the girl muttered to herself. Just as she prepared to leave, she noticed the light blue cat clinging to the ceiling above the door.
"What? Just a cat? But how is there a living cat in this place?"
Though the girl found Tom's presence odd, she didn't dwell on it. She sheathed her blade, opened a nearby window, and left the house.
Tom, still clinging to the ceiling, cautiously observed the room to ensure the ghost was truly gone. Once satisfied, he dropped to the ground, sprinted to the door, and unlocked it. Without hesitation, he leaped out and threw himself onto Elric Bradley, trembling uncontrollably like a frightened tiger cub.
As soon as Tom opened the door and bolted outside, Elric, who had been keeping watch, was startled. He immediately began to question the panicked cat.
"What was that scream just now? What happened in there?"
Elric had heard Tom's sudden scream and was about to lie down to peer through the crack in the door when Tom burst out, clearly terrified.
Hearing Elric's question, Tom jumped off his shoulders and, without a word, began miming what had happened. First, he pulled the corners of his mouth with both hands, baring his fangs to imitate the ghost's terrifying expression. Then, he shaped his hands into claws and waved them menacingly.
Next, he picked up his discarded spatula, swung it dramatically through the air as if fighting an invisible foe, and then threw it aside. Returning to the spot where he had "fought," Tom mimed the ghost again, placing both paws over his heart and collapsing forward in mock death.
At this point, Tom's pantomime performance, in which he played both himself and the ghost, came to an end.
"So… you're saying there was a ghost inside... and you killed it with a shovel?" Elric asked, trying to piece together Tom's exaggerated gestures.
Tom paused, about to shake his head, but then a thought struck him. If his new master believed he had handled the ghost, wouldn't that earn him extra cake in the future? Changing his mind, he nodded enthusiastically, puffing out his chest with pride. He placed one paw on his hip and gave Elric a confident thumbs-up with the other.
Seeing Tom's proud nod, Elric's eyes lit up in admiration. He grinned broadly, gave Tom a thumbs-up in return, and shouted, "Oh? Tom, well done!"