The bushes rustled. Audrey and Susie immediately turned their attention toward the sound.
Under their combined gaze, a strange creature emerged from the thicket. It was shaped somewhat like a steamed rice cake — about half a meter wide and three-quarters of a meter tall. Its body was a pale bluish-gray with darker blue-gray vertical grooves running down its sides. On top of its head was something like a lid, and on the front-facing side was a small opening — from which poked out a little black cat-like head. A black tail stuck out from the right of the head, and its eyes were also black, bright and round, encircled by a golden ring that separated them from the cat's face.
It was a Cat-Cake.
"It's so cute!" Before Audrey could even say anything, Susie had already dashed over, circling the Cat-Cake in excitement.
"Can I keep it as a pet, Audrey?" Susie asked eagerly, her tail wagging.
Audrey knew perfectly well Susie was just trying to change the subject, but she couldn't deny that the Cat-Cake's adorable appearance was tugging at her heart too. She walked over, crouched down, and studied it carefully.
"What kind of… animal is this?" Audrey asked curiously, though she suspected Suzie wouldn't know either.
Sure enough, Susie shook her head. "I don't know either, Audrey."
"Wuu…" The Cat-Cake made a soft sound.
"It says its kind is called Cat-Cakes," Susie translated seriously.
"Eh? You can understand it?" Audrey blinked.
Suzse nodded. "Um, yeah… I don't know why either. Maybe because I'm a dog?"
She leaned closer and sniffed. "It smells delicious! Like pastries…"
Tentatively, Susie stretched out a paw and poked it. It felt soft and bouncy. "What's your name?"
"Wuu…" The Cat-Cake didn't dodge Suzie's paw. It just looked up at her with eyes so bright they reflected light.
"It says its name is Trash-Cake," Suzie translated.
"Trash-Cake…" Audrey repeated the name, glancing over the creature again. Indeed, it did look a bit like a short, squat trash bin.
She didn't reach out to touch it though. Although she was still new to the supernatural world, she at least knew one basic rule — don't touch unfamiliar things.
"Alright, Susie. You're bothering it," Audrey said in a gentle but warning tone.
As a fellow spectator, she trusted Susie would understand the hidden meaning behind her words.
And she did. Suzie reluctantly withdrew her paw.
"Can I keep it as a pet, Audrey?" Susie asked again, looking up with pleading eyes.
"Wuu…" Trash-Cake scooted back a little.
"It said yes," Susie declared confidently.
"It definitely didn't say that!" Audrey protested.
But the Cat-Cake had already turned around and was bouncing away in quick hops.
"Ah, it ran away…" Susie said, visibly disappointed.
Monday afternoon.
"Stormwind Mountain Villa, author: Fors Wall." Sairuis flipped through the novel in his hands. It was Miss Salted fish's proudest work — and her most famous.
The novel told the story of Miss Sissi, 1.65 meters tall and weighing 98 pounds, who became a governess at Fruys Mountain Villa.
At first, it read like a romance novel. But later, the appearance of a "vengeful spirit" shifted it abruptly into the supernatural genre. Luckily, this world hadn't been invaded by the famously prudish "Three Ghosts of the Huang Clan," or Miss Salted fish might've been banned already.
As the story went on, Miss Sissi revealed herself to be a detective and delivered a grand deduction scene, instantly debunking the so-called ghost and snapping the plot back to a materialist direction.
Then, the male lead was struck on the head, lost his memory, and began a tear-jerking emotional arc. It was a perfectly standard strong-female-protagonist web romance — Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre, Detective Conan, and K-dramas all rolled into one.
One couldn't help but wonder — was this another one of Roselle's creations?
"Cliché. Boring," Sairuis said, tossing the book aside.
[How could you say that? This book is famous!]
"Heh, that's exactly why I have to criticize it. If I don't mock popular stuff, how else can I show that I'm cultured and different from the masses?" Sairuis waved dismissively.
[Fair point — but honestly, yeah, it's not great.]
"It's… okay, I guess."
[Are you picking a fight with me now?]
…
As the gray fog rose, this week's Tarot Gathering began.
(End of Chapter)