Cook cut Kou off without hesitation, his tone leaving no room for discussion.
His golden, slit-pupil eyes glared coldly at Kou, and his catlike face was full of disdain:
"Putting aside the grave disrespect of comparing noble me to that stinking dog—"
His voice grew even colder:
"After subjecting me to such severe mental humiliation, you still have the nerve to shamelessly come asking me to do something for you?
Uchiha Kou, where's your shame?!"
His tail whipped through the air with a sharp snap:
"I've never met anyone as shameless as you!!"
"Uh..."
Kou looked at the indignant kitty before him. Knowing he'd gone a little overboard with his love of cats, he sighed inwardly:
What a troublesome guy. Looks like I'll have to pull out the heavy artillery if I want him to cooperate...
As he thought to himself, he skillfully slipped his right hand into his pocket.
Cook was in the middle of an impassioned rant and paid no attention to Kou's movements. His cat mouth kept going:
"Even if you beat me to death or I jumped off this seaside cliff, I would never submit to your tyranny!! I absolutely—"
Before he could finish, while the last syllable still lingered in the air, a pungent scent wafted into his nose.
"Sniff, sniff."
His nostrils flared wildly, and in an instant, his previously slit pupils turned round.
"Hm? Th-this is..."
His indignant tone softened at once, as if something had melted it away.
Cook stared fixedly at the little bottle Kou held beside his nose. The anger vanished from his catlike face in an instant.
A "purr, purr" sound came from his throat, and his whole body began to tremble slightly.
"Th-this suffocating feeling, like being wrapped in a python's coils..."
His voice grew strained, as if he were using the last of his willpower to resist some indescribable temptation:
"This is..."
Kou said expressionlessly:
"Catnip. Ninety-nine percent pure."
"R-r-rarity..."
Cook's eyes instantly cleared.
His whole body collapsed onto the ground as if he'd lost all his strength, like a salted fish washed ashore.
Kou crouched down with a beaming smile, his dark eyes full of triumph:
"Granny Cat must keep a pretty tight watch on this stuff, right?"
"You haven't had any in ages, have you, kitty~~"
Cook clutched his nose with a paw, as if resisting some indescribable temptation.
"Y-you despicable human—"
His voice strained as if he were using the last of his strength to force out the words:
"How dare you use such a vile thing to insult my will!!!
You!! I will never, ever submit!!!"
Mei Terumi looked at the utterly resolute black cat, then glanced at Kou, who stood nearby with an impassive face. A trace of helplessness flickered in her emerald-green eyes.
"Ugh, this is a problem."
She murmured inwardly:
"This cat looks like he's genuinely resisting. Looks like Kou's plan is about to fall through..."
Three seconds later.
"Kou, oh, Kou, Kou-kou~~"
Cook put on an unbelievably sweet, bubbly voice and begged in a babyish tone:
"Please, please let me have one more sniff, meow. Just one, meow~~"
He rubbed against Kou's pant leg, his golden slit-pupil eyes now completely round, brimming with pleading light.
Mei Terumi stared at the scene before her, utterly exasperated, and covered her face.
"I actually thought this guy's cat would have some standards... I was so naive. I really was."
Kou completely ignored Mei Terumi's exasperation. He looked down at Cook haughtily, his dark eyes utterly devoid of warmth.
"What did you just... call me?"
The black cat swallowed. In that unbelievably sweet, bubbly voice, he said in a babyish tone:
"Of course, my dearest partner—"
"Kou-kou~~"
Kou stared at him coldly, not a trace of amusement in his dark eyes:
"Before I took out the catnip, you called me Kou-kou. I let it slide.
But now that I've taken it out... what should you call me?!!"
The black cat's pupils shrank abruptly.
He sprang upright on his hind legs, waving his front paws in the air as if welcoming some great being:
"Daddy Kou! Lord Kou! God Kou!!!"
His voice grew louder and higher:
"Master!!! I remember now, I remember everything—"
He drew a deep breath, his chest swelling high:
"You're my master!!!"
"Hey! Good kitty!!"
Kou said with a chuckle, then tipped the bottle of catnip in his hand onto the ground.
The grayish-green powder spread into a small patch on the sandy ground, giving off a rich scent no cat could resist.
"Awooo~"
The black cat's eyes lit up as he pounced.
He buried his whole face in the pile of powder, making a "snuffle, snuffle" sound.
Taking the opportunity to rub the little cat's belly, Kou chuckled and said to Mei Terumi beside him:
"Hey, this kitty isn't dumb!!"
Mei Terumi looked as if she couldn't bear to watch. Her emerald-green eyes had gone completely numb:
"...Just destroy the world already. Get it over with."
Her voice was faint, as light as a sigh.
Kou continued, turning to Cook with a chuckle:
"After you finish licking up my catnip, you'll help us find the way, all right?"
"Snuffle, snuffle... Mm-hmm."
Cook's response was the sound of him eating, blissful as a gourmet.
Mei Terumi watched them in despair, her emerald-green eyes full of tearful hopelessness.
"Was it really the right choice to ask this unreliable guy to help me?"
She thought of Sora, the man who always smiled warmly, who could always solve every problem, the companion who trusted her completely.
"Sora..."
She whispered inwardly, on the verge of tears:
"Did I make the wrong decision?"
But by now, there was no turning back.
The sea breeze swept through the forest, carrying a salty tang and the sound of distant waves.
The forest ahead was deep and still.
Before you continue