Mrs. Shimada's eyes rolled back as she was choked, her face turning bluish-purple.
"Madam!" Tanaka rushed over and grabbed the man's arm, trying to pull him away.
Mrs. Shimada flailed her arms and legs, but couldn't break free. Her struggles gradually weakened.
Just then, more people rushed out of the inn and finally pulled the couple apart.
Mrs. Shimada coughed several times, then lay on the ground, gasping for breath. The man was panting too, glaring at her as if he wanted to kill her.
The black-and-white cat watched in silence. It felt neither happy nor sad. It was merely a bystander.
The scene in the dream shifted. I followed the cat as it lay on the inn's roof, basking in the moonlight. The next moment, sunlight bathed its body.
I heard an argument coming from the inn below. The cat didn't care in the slightest. My body sank, passing through the roof and into the inn.
Mrs. Shimada was arguing with her husband again. This time, she was the only one yelling. The man reeked of alcohol and clutched a bottle. He didn't even look at her, completely ignoring her.
After cursing for a while, Mrs. Shimada stormed off.
I sensed the cat's vision.
From the cat's perspective, Mrs. Shimada called Tanaka over and left through the inn's back door.
The cat didn't follow. It yawned, rolled over, and went back to sleep.
I flew above the inn, gazing toward the mountain path. The branches blocked my view, but every so often I caught sight of Mrs. Shimada and Tanaka. They had indeed gone to the shrine.
The cat's ears twitched, and its figure suddenly vanished from the roof.
The scenery around me changed, and I landed on the shrine roof with the cat.
The mound of earth beside