What a strange guest, Rika thought.
The moment she looked over just now, it was as if she had seen a terrifying shadow, causing several classic scenes from horror movies to instantly flash through Rika's mind.
"I'd like to check in." As if not noticing the other person's unusual reaction, Kisaragi Chiyo pushed the ticket proof, which had been handed to her by Inspector Megure, across the table.
This.. there should be a record of it, right?
Ah." Rika took the ticket from him with both hands, letting out a small gasp of surprise. "Are you a guest who won the amusement park's grand mystery prize?
"Please wait a moment, I will check you in right now." Rika paused again as she spoke, looking around curiously. She noticed that, besides the blond man, there was no one else beside the young man whose long hair covered his right eye.
"This ticket allows you to bring a family member.. May I ask you.." Rika's tone was cautious, as if she were afraid of accidentally touching a nerve, yet she also thought that perhaps the young man was simply unaware of the matter.
“Family member?” Upon hearing this term, a very faint smile played across the young man's lips.
The expression on his face carried a certain gentle warmth, a change that caused Rika to momentarily forget the strange sense of danger and the chill that the young man had instilled in her the first time she saw him.
"They are my family." The young man with misty gray eyes held up a black cat with white paws in both hands.
It was a beautiful black cat.
Rika had never seen a cat with eyes that were so bright and clear, like gemstones, in that shade of teal.
"It's truly beautiful," Rika praised sincerely.
"I think so too." The young man smiled again, a gentle ripple shimmering in the depths of his eyes, the silver tassel earring by his ear swayed slightly as he lowered his head.
A hand in a black glove stroked the top of the cat's head, seemingly soothing the cat's dissatisfied mood.
"Of course, this child as well." The young man's gaze shifted to the side, at that moment, a loud, crisp bark rang out.
It sounds like a very energetic child.
"Alright." Rika looked at the Bernese Mountain Dog standing behind her, its front paws already resting on the counter, nodded with an unchanging smile.
She was no novice, she should have been used to seeing anything.
Because according to the requirements, family members staying overnight must register their names. May I ask, sir, what are the names of these two family members of yours?
"His name is Hagi." Kisaragi Chiyo reached out and pointed toward the Bernese Mountain Dog that was curiously observing its surroundings, but when she looked at Matsuda Jinpei, she suddenly found herself at a loss for words.
Because Matsuda Jinpei had not yet had the chance to register him after the adoption, he hadn't been given a name yet.
As for Jin.." Kisaragi Chiyo asked, her eyes lowered as she sought the cat's opinion, "then how about calling him Gin?
Before Matsuda Jinpei could express an opinion on this name, Amuro Tooru spoke up first.
Wait a moment." Amuro Tooru looked at Kisaragi Chiyo with a smile. "I personally feel that this name might not be quite appropriate.
“Oh?” Kisaragi Chiyo tilted her head, a hint of confusion appearing in her eyes. “What's unsuitable about it?”
The killing intent is too strong.
Kisaragi Chiyo: "?"
Anyway, how about something else?" Amuro Tooru suggested with enthusiastic friendliness, feeling the lingering pain in his head after being pummeled by the cat's paws. "I think 'Mimi' is very cute, what do you think?
Matsuda Jinmi: ".."
Matsuda Jinpei said nothing; Matsuda Jinpei remained silent, taking a deep breath before slowly letting it out.
Then, amidst Kisaragi Chiyo's startled cry, he swiftly and agilely broke free from the other's hands, lunged forward, accurately kicked Amuro Tooru in the face with his heel.
"Guest!" Rika cried out, covering her mouth, her eyes wide as she stared at the blond man who was locked in a struggle with the cat.
It was clearly a weak and cute cat, but under the hands of a human several times its size, it didn't fall behind at all. In fact, because of its agility far exceeding that of a human, it toyed with the blond man so much that veins began to bulge on his forehead.
When the soft, furry pink paw pads struck his head, they made a dull, solid thudding sound.
After all, it was a cat, Amuro Tooru really couldn't bring himself to use any force, which resulted in him being driven back step by step under Matsuda Jinmi's punches. Even though he was a bit annoyed, Amuro Tooru had to admit that although the cat's paw pads were painful when hitting someone, they were also quite soft.
Of course, Amuro Tooru wouldn't say that last part out loud.
"That's enough, isn't it?" Amuro Tooru raised both hands in a helpless gesture of surrender toward the cat, which was perched atop his head with a calm, composed, entirely victorious demeanor.
You've hit me so many times, it's time to cool off.
It seems you don't particularly like that name," Amuro Tooru said with a wry smile, his eyes curving. "Then how about we change it to something else?
"What about a Mazda?" Amuro Tooru looked around the room, his gaze finally landing on a car exhibition magazine lying on the counter.
The latest issue happened to feature a classic white Mazda sports car on its cover.
The cat atop his head looked down at the blond man from a height, its slender pupils narrowing into thin lines within its teal eyes, gazing with a scrutinizing look at the man's smiling, purplish-gray eyes.
It seemed like he was just mentioning it in passing; there was no other information to be found in that goosebump-inducing smile.
This guy had become completely difficult to deal with, but he was as annoying as ever, provoking him from the very first moment he laid eyes on him.
Matsuda Jinpei stared at Amuro Tooru for several seconds before slowly withdrawing his gaze; he licked his paws unhurriedly, then kicked out forcefully with his hind legs, the recoil nearly causing Amuro Tooru to stumble and fall.
Amuro Tooru: ".."
Amuro Tooru clutched his head, estimating in his mind that Matsuda Jinpei weighed about seven or eight jin, he looked up at the black cat in white gloves, which was already lying steadily in Kisaragi Chiyo's arms.
Under Kisaragi Chiyo's soft-spoken inquiry, the black cat gave a slight nod at the name Mazda, reservedly indicating its reluctant acceptance.
"Then just fill in Hagi and Mazda." Kisaragi Chiyo lowered her eyes, reaching out to stroke the head of the Black cat resting comfortably in her arms, her two fingers gently kneading its ear tips.
The sensitive, slightly warm tip of the ear twitched uncomfortably and pulled away from her hand.
Kisaragi Chiyo took the room card from the front desk, said goodbye to Amuro Tooru, then, with one cat and one dog in tow, headed toward her room with her luggage.
*
"Don't you want to ask me anything?" Matsuda Jinpei crouched in the middle of the soft large bed, his tail wagging. Beside him, the industrious Hara Kenji, under Kisaragi Chiyo's command, had already released his excited tentacles and begun to clean the entire room, leaving even the crevices in the ceiling untouched.
"What would you want me to ask you?" Kisaragi Chiyo took out the necessary items from the suitcase, which included toys for both a cat and a dog.
I respect your privacy and your secrets," Kisaragi Chiyo said, her curiosity not being particularly intense. "Or you can just tell me once you've thought things through and figured them out.
"That Mr. Amuro doesn't look like a bad person." After Kisaragi Chiyo finished saying this, she unsurprisingly heard a scoff from the cat behind her.
His childish behavior was just like that of an elementary school student.
At least his impression of him was quite good." Kisaragi Chiyo thought of the other's identity. "Someone he knew before he died? A detective who cooperates with the police?
Such a guess was not unreasonable; here, it seemed that detectives participating in police investigations had become a common and natural occurrence.
"By the way, I brought this too." Kisaragi Chiyo turned to face Matsuda Jinpei, as if performing magic, she pulled a cat teaser with a bell and a feather tied to the end of a string out of the suitcase.
Even though Matsuda Jinpei had been watching the whole time during the unpacking process, he had no idea when that thing had been stuffed in there.
I told you," Matsuda Jinpei restated with a serious expression, "I'm not a cat.
"I know." Kisaragi Chiyo smiled faintly, waving the cat teaser in her hand; the feathers at the end of the string fluttered lightly in the air along with the sound of the bell.
Matsuda Jinpei said nothing, his gaze falling uncontrollably upon that cluster of brightly colored feathers; although he clearly wanted to act as if he didn't care, his teeth and claws were itching with anticipation.
His ears perked up, his long tail thudded against the quilt one beat after another, making soft slapping sounds.
Kisaragi Chiyo was very patient, constantly using the cat teaser to challenge Matsuda Jinpei's patience.
It wasn't until the feathers lightly brushed against the tip of his nose that Matsuda Jinpei could no longer endure it; he lunged forward with his front paws and snapped his jaws shut around the cat teaser.
“What are you.. doing?” Hara Kenji asked with a look of confusion, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. Having just finished cleaning the entire room, he turned around and saw a person and a cat having a wonderful time together.
"Land fishing," the young man replied without even turning his head, his attention completely focused on the tug-of-war with the cat.
The intense tug-of-war between Kisaragi Chiyo and Matsuda Jinpei had reached a fever pitch, a stage where neither was willing to be the first to let go.
"The cat teaser is about to break," Hara Kenji said with a yawn, offering a kind reminder, while his tentacles boredly patrolled every corner of the room.
Just like what Kisaragi Chiyo had said about him before, it was that bad habit of needing to mark his territory in every single place he went.
Although what he said was the truth, unfortunately, neither the man nor the Black cat, who were already caught up in their argument, had any intention of listening to him.
Hara Kenji could only shrug helplessly, deciding to take a shower first and then head to bed for a nap.
After all, if he went to bed without taking a shower after cleaning up, Kisaragi Chiyo would surely kick him off the bed in anger.
I say, Matsuda." Kisaragi Chiyo's eyes were fixed tightly on the kitty on the bed, whose entire body, even its whiskers, was straining with effort. She advised, "How about we just call it a draw? Why don't you let go and take a step back?
"If you're going to step back, you should let go first." Matsuda Jinpei retorted, his voice somewhat muffled as he bit down on the end of the cat teaser.
No way." Kisaragi Chiyo refused without the slightest hesitation. "Since you've already hooked me, why would you let go?
I told you, I'm not a cat, I certainly can't be a fish.
Then let go of the hook.
“..”
“I say, Kisaragi.” Matsuda Jinpei thought for a moment and came up with a compromise. “How about we each take a step back and let go together?”
"Ha.. I think that sounds good." Kisaragi Chiyo's breathing was a bit ragged; in the standoff with Matsuda Jinpei, he was already feeling somewhat exhausted.
Then I'll let go when I count down to one?
"Good idea." Kisaragi Chiyo nodded calmly in agreement.
Three, two, one.
“..”
Then, when Hara Kenji came out after his shower, he saw a person and a cat still locked in a stalemate.
No, seriously, what on earth are you two holding out for?
Hara Kenji suddenly felt as if he had been isolated once again.
*
On the other side, Miss Rika, who had leisurely returned to slacking off, had just seen the exciting part of the movie when she was once again interrupted by the guests arriving to check in.
"We'd like to check in." The speaker was a tall, thin, middle-aged man with a beard and slicked-back hair.
Standing beside him was a young girl, as well as a little boy wearing glasses who was not yet as tall as the counter.
Of course, dear customer." Rika wore a sweet smile on her face. "May I ask your name?
Mori." The man spoke: "I am Mori Kogoro.
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Author's Note: Thank you for the support, my little angels. Kisses to everyone 030