Chapter 52: Terrifying words.
Let's go back to November 17th.
This world is a furry paradise, but for people with hair allergies, it's the complete opposite.
Although Morofushi Sora'aki is not allergic, he seems to be sneezing more frequently lately, though he doesn't know if it's just his imagination.
Morofushi Sora'aki pinched his nose and looked at Matsuda Jinpei with suspicion. Matsuda Jinpei immediately narrowed his eyes and retorted, "You'd be better off doubting Hagi than me. He's a long-haired dog!"
Hagiwara Kenji looked completely innocent: "No! Even if I have long hair, it doesn't mean I'm hairy! And I don't shed hair!"
"No, you've misled me—I'm not turning into a dog! Why would I shed fur! And what I shed is... I'm not that old yet!!"
"..." Just then, Morofushi Sora'aki squatted on a sofa and looked around for a while. Then, he rolled a lint roller on the sofa with something he didn't know, stared at the black and white cat and dog fur on it, and said, "Have you forgotten that your colors are different?"
Matsuda Jinpei: "..."
Hagihara Kenji: "..."
Kenji Hagiwara smiled and pulled something that looked like toothpaste from his pocket: "Edible hairball remedy, how about a bite, Sora'aki-chan?"
This time, it was Morofushi Sora'aki's turn to remain silent.
Although it has been said many times, Morofushi Sora'aki has once again confirmed that the setting of this world is absolutely ridiculous.
"Alright, stop fooling around. Think about Morofushi's matter." Matsuda Jinpei took out a cigarette candy—because there was a minor here, this was Matsuda Jinpei's final concession.
Matsuda Jinpei, with a cigarette-shaped candy dangling from his mouth, said, "The address and time are confirmed, so what are you planning to do then?"
As for why the two of them would readily believe Morofushi Sora'aki's nonsensical words, the reason is simple: because he has a face that clearly resembles Morofushi Hiromitsu's. Secondly, this world is inherently unscientific.
"Aren't you explosive disposal police? What about the bomb?" After rolling all the lint off the sofa, Morofushi Sora'aki sat down with a lint roller in one hand.
"Hah?"
"Catnip bombs or something?" Morofushi Sora'aki asked.
Matsuda Jinpei's pupils dilated in shock: "Where did you know that?"
Morofushi Sora'aki: ...So it really does exist.
"That's terrifying." Hagiwara Kenji tried hard to control the corners of his mouth that were about to turn up. "I'm suddenly very curious whether you, Jinpei-chan, have ever been infected."
"Are you underestimating me? This kind of bomb appearing in front of me, less than—"
"I know, I know, three minutes~" Kenji Hagiwara interrupted with a smile, "Isn't the location an abandoned rooftop? With a little control, no one will get hurt."
"And using things like catnip bombs, because these things are difficult to make at home, might draw attention to other crime-related individuals or organizations if someone notices them?"
Catnip bombs don't actually contain catnip inside bombs; they're like how different car models have abbreviations or descriptive nicknames.
The so-called catnip bomb is not just catnip that works on cats. It is a special smoke bomb that emits a special odor after detonation, causing hormonal changes in the human body and resulting in loss of bodily control. It is less lethal than a regular bomb but more dangerous than a smoke bomb.
We only use this term for ease of understanding and explanation during daily work.
"And bombs are the easiest way to fake death, aren't they?" Hagiwara Kenji joked, "Aren't you and I examples?"
Matsuda Jinpei: "..."
"But we still need to be careful." Hagiwara Kenji pondered for a moment, "After all, we might accidentally hurt Furuya-chan and Hiromitsu-chan, right?"
"Huh? Hiromitsu is one thing... but Zero is a cat too?" Matsuda Jinpei was genuinely shocked this time: "Isn't he a dog?!"
"Huh? Isn't Furuya-chan a cat?" Hagiwara Kenji hadn't expected to have such differing opinions with his friend here. "Also, I'm sure of it now, when you called me a dog before, you really were insulting me!"
"But then again, catnip is just a name; it doesn't actually only work on cats!"
"Didn't you start it first?"
Seeing the two grown men arguing amongst themselves, Morofushi Sora'aki suddenly spoke up, "I've given you the time and address, so I'm going home now."
Matsuda Jinpei and Hagiwara Kenji both paused for a moment, then asked, "Aren't you coming along?"
"I still have to go to school, and I've been here for a week already." Morofushi Sora'aki gave an impeccable answer.
The two fell silent: "Ah...that's true."
"I almost forgot you're a minor..."
Do you want us to give you a ride?
Morofushi Sora'aki made his thoughts clear with his actions. He opened the door, found a secluded spot, and had Little Stone take him home.
On the sofa where Morofushi Sora'aki had just been sitting, only a cute and realistic plush cat doll remained.
When Morofushi Sora'aki got up, he sat on the bed for a while before glancing at the calendar to make sure he needed to go to school today. Only then did he change into his school uniform and head to school.
Upon arriving at school, Nozaki Umetarou patted him on the shoulder and spoke to him: "Morofushi, I showed your opinion to Sakura yesterday, and she didn't think it was very good. Do you have any other opinions?"
Morofushi Sora'aki instinctively replied, "Beast transformation."
Nozaki Umetarou: "Eh?"
Before Morofushi Sora'aki could continue, Nozaki Umetarou had already figured out what he meant: "Oh! I get it, you mean something like a school anniversary celebration, and then we'll have an animal-themed café, right?"
Morofushi Sora'aki thought for half a second, recalled the actions in other comic, and thought the idea was good, so he didn't object: "Hmm."
Nozaki Umetarou is a comic artist who is easily inspired, but whose inspirations are also very subtle. When he mentioned this inspiration to Sakura Chiyo during a break between classes, Sakura Chiyo became more alert this time: "Morofushi-kun, are you talking about some kind of gorilla?"
"Hmm? Sakura, you like gorillas?"
"...No! No—so what else did Morofushi-kun say? Please finish what you said at once, Nozaki-kun!"
Nozaki Umetarou replied, "Morofushi didn't say anything, he just said two sentences to me."
"..." Sakura Chiyo coughed lightly, finally relieved. She patted her chest, her expression becoming expectant: "So what animal will Mamiko be? A rabbit?"
"I think rabbits and cats are both good choices." Nozaki Umetarou handed his sketch to Sakura Chiyo: "What do you think?"
Sakura Chiyo: "..."
Sakura Chiyo's expectant gaze turned into a deadpan look of "I knew it would happen."
"Um, is it possible... that everyone wants to see Mamiko and Suzuki wearing animal ears, instead of wearing mascot costumes and serving coffee, Nozaki-kun...?!"
"...While she's not unlovable." Sakura Chiyo covered her mouth with her finger, surprised. "Eh? Maybe she'll be surprisingly popular like this?"
"Right, that's what I think too." Nozaki Umetarou used data to illustrate his point: "From what I've observed, this is the most popular attraction for children in the amusement park!"
The two hit it off immediately, while Mikoshiba Mikoto, who had somehow passed by, hesitated and asked, "...Is there any necessary connection between being popular with children and being popular with high school students?"
However, nobody paid any attention to him.
The flow of time is different in each world—or rather, it can be controlled by the system. Morofushi Sora'aki only needs one day to directly arrive at December 7th in the [Beastified World].
The familiar landing spot was the perfect location for sniping. Morofushi Sora'aki didn't plan to get too close. He adjusted the binoculars he'd somehow acquired and placed them in front of him.
Then he saw a familiar scene through the telescope, two familiar people: one was Morofushi Hiromitsu, and the other was a long-haired man in a knitted hat whom he did not recognize.
No one knows what Hagiwara Kenji and Matsuda Jinpei did beforehand, but just as Morofushi Hiromitsu and the long-haired man were talking, the bomb that the two bomb disposal police officers had hidden exploded.
The smoke from the bomb was so thick that it completely obscured Morofushi Sora'aki's view. Through his binoculars, he could only see Furuya Rei suddenly push open the door and rush in, then shockingly run into the smoke... Hmm? Did something just flash by?
Morofushi Sora'aki was stunned for a moment, staring at the familiar cat that appeared where the smoke was thinner for a while—wasn't this the doll he bought!
So, what was that expression on Furuya Rei's face just now...? Morofushi Sora'aki cleared his mind, deciding it was better not to think about it too much.
Then came an even bigger explosion, which destroyed the rooftop so completely that it was no longer visible.
But since both Matsuda Jinpei and Hagiwara Kenji have intervened, Morofushi Hiromitsu should be alright. Morofushi Sora'aki nudged the amulet hanging next to the binoculars: "Alright, let's go home."
The amulet swayed slightly on its own. Not long after Morofushi Sora'aki disappeared, Morofushi Hiromitsu, who was being carried away from the spot by his two friends, looked shocked: "Matsuda? Hagiwara?...Wait, are you the real people?"
"Is it really him or a fake?" Matsuda Jinpei muttered to himself, looking at Morofushi Hiromitsu, who was unharmed but looked rather disheveled and tired. "It turned out that what was predicted was absolutely right."
"Surprise! How about it, are you surprised to see us?" Hagiwara Kenji said with a smile, "But this place is probably still quite dangerous, let's go somewhere else to talk!"
After confirming it was him, Morofushi Hiromitsu did not refuse, but glanced at the rooftop and said, "I'm a little curious, what was the point of you throwing away that plush cat...?"
"Speaking of which, when Hagi suggested I throw away the cat, I thought Furuya couldn't be that blind, right? But his reaction was like, 'Did you mistake the doll for you?' His expression was just short of saying 'Hiro'." Matsuda Jinpei mocked.
Morofushi Hiromitsu suddenly realized, then smiled and said to his two classmates, "...But why a Ragdoll cat?"
Looking at his two completely stunned colleagues, Morofushi Hiromitsu said, "I don't think I ever said I was a cat, did I?"
—After careful consideration, Hagiwara Kenji realized that Furuya-chan's expression at the time seemed to be more of a mix of bewilderment and confusion.
"Then why did he rush in?" Matsuda Jinpei asked.
"Probably to deal with Rye's body... cough, I mean, to save him?"
"You seem to have said something terrible, Hiro-danna."