Inside the dormitory elevator, a young man and a young woman waited for it to reach the first floor.
The boy wore a bizarre smiling mask. The girl wore no mask, but held a cat mask in her hands.
"Why am I..."
Kamuro couldn't understand how she'd somehow ended up going out with U Amakusa in masks. They'd even gone to his room to get them.
"Quit dawdling and put it on."
When Kamuro still hadn't put on the mask, U Amakusa took the cat mask from her and pulled the elastic over her head.
After all... what they were about to do might attract a bit of attention.
Picking up where we left off, U Amakusa had claimed he knew how to find the orange cat, and Kamuro was only half convinced.
She didn't believe him because the school was so big. They couldn't possibly find the cat in a short time.
She believed him because... U Amakusa was a little uncanny. He always seemed to know things for no apparent reason.
But... just thinking about the method he'd suggested made Kamuro feel embarrassed.
"Your method... is it really going to work?"
"Of course. It's a male cat, right?"
"Miyata checked with the owner of the cat shop. It really is a male."
"Exactly. So there you have it."
U Amakusa spread his hands, then patted his chest confidently. "It's guaranteed to work. Just trust me."
"Fine, then."
Kamuro felt a headache coming on. She wanted to press the inner corners of her eyes to express how exasperated she was.
U Amakusa's so-called solution was...
To record the mating call of a female cat through a loudspeaker, then walk around playing it on an endless loop to lure the orange tomcat out.
Was that something a normal person would come up with?
Of course, this was only a cover. U Amakusa already knew where the orange cat was.
He kept mapping out routes, then checking Kamuro's reactions. If he got nothing, he'd try another route.
He'd learned that he and Kamuro would find the orange cat in a small park at 6:57 p.m.
But there was another reason for using this method... U Amakusa was bored and wanted to stir up some fun.
Wasn't this entertaining?
Kid, don't be afraid to live boldly. There are so many spectators in your life.
If you act weird, you'll have more spectators than you can imagine, kid.
There really weren't that many spectators in life, but you could make it seem that way.
While U Amakusa was excited about what they were about to do, Kamuro was mostly embarrassed. Her cheeks had even turned red.
Ding—
The chime rang, announcing that the elevator had reached the floor where its passengers were to get off.
Full of anticipation, U Amakusa began fiddling with the loudspeaker in his hands, as if it would start playing the prerecorded cat calls at any moment.
Luckily, there was no one outside the elevator when they stepped out. Otherwise, with the mask U Amakusa was wearing, someone might have reported him as a thief and had him hauled away.
Once everything was ready, U Amakusa realized something seemed to be missing. He looked back and saw that Kamuro was still standing in the elevator.
When their eyes met, Kamuro's expression beneath her mask was full of indecision.
"...I think I'll stay here..."
"Oh, quit making a fuss. We're already here."
U Amakusa couldn't be bothered to say more. He grabbed Kamuro by the wrist and led her out of the elevator, heading outside the dormitory.
Before long, they were a hundred meters away from the dormitory. Curious onlookers were already watching the masked pair.
At that moment, Kamuro wanted to make the mask part of her face so she'd never have to take it off. She didn't even notice that U Amakusa was still holding her wrist.
"Alright, let's start here."
With that, U Amakusa raised the loudspeaker and pressed the start button.
"Meow~ Meow meow~..."
The sound carried more than a hundred meters. The curious stares around them turned into the scrutinizing looks people gave to strange eccentrics.
Why did I agree to U Amakusa's plan? And why did I come along to do this with him?
Doesn't this guy have any shame!?
U Amakusa: Shame? What's that? Is it tasty?
As more and more people gathered—and all of them walked around the two of them—Kamuro's embarrassment reached its limit, and she wanted to run away.
Just as she was about to flee, she realized U Amakusa was still holding her wrist. That meant everyone had seen him leading her around!
At the thought, Kamuro quickly pulled free of U Amakusa's grasp. Her face grew hot beneath the mask.
The loudspeaker kept blaring.
"Meow meow meow~~~ Meow meow~"
U Amakusa could feel Kamuro struggling against his hand, but he didn't mind and let go.
U Amakusa looked reproachfully at the "person in the cat mask." "I'm helping you, and you're trying to run away?"
It's not like I asked you to help...
In a fit of anger, Kamuro had almost said those words, but swallowed them back down. She glared through her mask at the "person in the smiling mask" and said, "Why'd you have to use such an embarrassing method?!"
"It works, so just trust me. I guarantee we'll find that orange tomcat in heat today."
"Shut up! I think you picked this method on purpose!"
Caught red-handed, U Amakusa put on a wounded look and clutched his chest. "I was only trying to help you with all my heart, and yet you treat me like I'm worthless."
Damn it! This bastard! Why does he always say such flippant things?!
With people watching them, Kamuro's face, red with shyness and embarrassment beneath the mask, finally boiled over.
"Shut up, shut up!!"
She raised her arm and locked it around U Amakusa's neck, gripping her other hand to keep the hold secure.
U Amakusa frantically pounded on Kamuro's arm. "I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die! Let go, you violent woman!"
After giving U Amakusa a token beating, Kamuro let him go.
"Hmph!"
Once Kamuro released him, U Amakusa caught his breath and pretended to angrily scold her.
"You! I was trying to help you, and you put me in a chokehold?!"
Kamuro shouted back, "You're the one who said something so embarrassing and flirtatious! There's a limit to how much you can tease someone, you pervert!"
After saying that angrily, Kamuro turned her head away and murmured, "I'll treat you to a few meals after this is over..."
Kamuro knew U Amakusa had come to help her. She wasn't so spoiled that she'd go this far with someone who was helping her.
It was just that... this guy was so damn annoying! He kept pushing his luck!
Did he go around saying things like that to girls all the time?!
Before you continue