The cat watched the woman and approached with graceful, silent steps.
The woman knelt on the ground with her head lowered, completely unaware of the cat.
By the time she noticed it, the cat's emerald-green eyes were practically pressed against her face.
"Ah! Aah!" the woman screamed, falling onto the ground. She immediately turned and crawled forward, scrambled to her feet, and bolted.
The cat chased after her.
The woman ran back to the corridor she had come from. She looked back in terror and, not watching where she was going, crashed into the paper door.
Dust fell onto her face and got in her eyes. She coughed twice and tried to stand up, only to see that the cat had already run to her feet, blocking her way.
"Ah!" The woman could only retreat, backing into the room.
The cat deliberately closed in, forcing the woman to keep backing away until she reached the inner room and her body pressed against a door.
Trembling, she reached behind her and opened it.
A wave of heat rushed against her back.
The woman trembled even harder. Her eyes shifted sideways, and she turned her head slightly to look behind her.
Behind her was a hot spring pool enclosed by a bamboo fence, its steam rising into the sky.
Tears streamed down the woman's face.
The cat relentlessly moved closer by another step.
"N-no... Don't come any closer. Don't..." The woman shook her head, caught between advancing and retreating.
"Meow!!" The cat let out a piercing cry.
The woman instinctively backed away in fright.
Gurgle, gurgle... Splash...
The water in the hot spring pool suddenly began to churn. It surged over the edge, soaking the woman's slippers.
I saw the water's mesmerizing play of light and shadow.
The shallow film of water