“Senior... We failed. The plan to dispose of the cat won’t be executed.”
“Damn it!”
The man, addressed as senior, kicked a nearby building pillar in frustration.
— Thud, Crumble
Dust flew everywhere, and bits of stone fell to the ground.
He brushed off his leg and muttered under his breath.
“... What on earth is that professor doing?”
“Apparently, he tried but couldn’t make it work.”
“Hah. A bunch of idiots whose heads are filled with nothing but academics.”
“Senior, but Professor Lichten used to be...”
“Shut up.”
“Yes, Senior.”
The senior—Evan—let out a rough sigh.
Everyone around him was an idiot, no exceptions.
In hindsight, maybe they should have resorted to forceful measures.
... No.
Evan shook his head.
‘That person’ must have a purpose behind every order.
They were nothing but loyal servants who carried out those commands.
That person demanded the blood of more seeds and instructed their agent on how to collect it.
If that’s the directive, then so be it.
Evan crossed his arms, lost in thought.
Everything was Ian Blackangers’ fault.
The failure during the last Blooming Event was a painful one.
He still couldn’t understand why those higher-ups despised him so much.
‘If I ever get the chance, I’ll kill him.’
Evan’s musings were turning into anger when his subordinate interrupted.
“So, what do we do now, Senior?”
“Somehow, we need to gather the cats. We’ve already turned the seeds into cats; there’s no alternative.”
“And once we gather them—”
“We’ll kill them all at once.”
“And if another variable shows up, like someone like Ian...”
“Don’t worry.”
Evan rolled up his sleeve, revealing a black crow emblem on his forearm with the number 5 engraved below it.
“Now it’s time to resort to force.”
◆
After the committee meeting, I gathered the scattered group of students.
“Huff- Ian, Brother Ian! Huff! Did you really cancel the notice?”
Elena ran over, panting as she asked.
“Catch your breath first.”
“Inhale— exhale!”
“Yes, I did. The stray cat capture notice has been revoked.”
“Amazing! This is the first time I’ve seen something like this during the student council’s term! As expected of you, Brother Ian!”
Watching her bounce with excitement, I scratched my chin.
It wasn’t such a big deal. More importantly...
“Any trace of Danya?”
“We couldn’t find Sister Danya!”
Elena babbled on, and Silvia chimed in from beside her.
“Same here. I prepared everything Ian requested, but the area is too vast, and there are too many individuals.”
I had expected this.
“What do we do now...? If we can’t find Sister Danya like this...”
Elena drooped her head in disappointment.
I patted her head and spoke.
“Don’t worry. We’ll find her, no matter what.”
“But we’ve searched so much and still can’t find her.”
“That’s because our search method is too weak.”
“... Weak?”
Yes.
Up until now, our search methods had lacked impact.
“Can I drive it?”
Elena’s eyes sparkled as she asked, her voice brimming with excitement.
I nodded benevolently.
“Of course. You’re the star of the show, Elena.”
“I’m so moved!”
Well, not exactly.
“I’m even more moved. Elena, your self-sacrifice is truly extraordinary.”
“Haha! This Elena is a faithful servant of Deus—wait a moment. Sacrifice?”
Elena’s gaze trembled as she looked at me. Then, her eyes shifted back to the vehicle.
Her attention was drawn to the cross-like frame on top of the car.
It was equipped with ropes sturdy enough to securely tie someone down.
Elena stared at it uneasily for a moment, her shoulders trembling as she shook her head.
“Surely not.”
“Not what?”
“I believe in you, Brother Ian. You wouldn’t be so cruel.”
“That’s right.”
“Then I’ll just sit in the back seat, yes?”
Elena pointed to the perfectly normal back seat.
“No.”
“Then... the front seat? I’m short, so my peripheral view would—”
“Elena.”
“... Yes, Brother Ian.”
“You know where you need to sit.”
Elena clenched her eyes shut.
“... Just tie me up gently, please.”
◆
— Sssaaa!
Cool wind brushed against my face, refreshing and exhilarating.
“So this is the charm of driving.”
Silvia muttered, holding her windswept hair beside me.
I agreed. It had been a long time since I’d felt this kind of speed. Not that it was particularly fast, but still.
The one truly experiencing the thrill of speed, however, was elsewhere.
“Ahhhhhhhh!”
The piercing scream came from above. Elena, of course.
I leaned out the window to check on her.
“Are you okay?”
“You’ll regret this, Brother Ian!!!”
“You seem to be enjoying it.”
Satisfied with her “status,” I turned my attention back to the scenery.
Behind the vehicle was an impressive sight: countless little furballs with short legs chasing after us.
At least several hundred cats were sprinting to keep up, a veritable feline stampede.
We wove through the academy grounds, dodging bewildered cadets gawking at the unusual procession.
“Once we round that building and turn right, we’ll reach the end. There’s a large plaza where we can gather all these cats.”
After completing the final turn—
— Screech!
The magitech vehicle came to a smooth stop.
I quickly got out, ready for what was to come.
Meow!
Hiss!
Mrowww!
A deafening cacophony of meows followed, as the swarm of cats barreled toward us.
No, not us—Elena.
Whoosh!
The moment was surreal.
Like a synchronized wave, the entire feline army leaped toward her.
Silvia murmured in awe beside me.
“It’s like a rain of cats.”
It was truly a spectacle.