Kitty Killer Wasn't Exactly Cold

Just as the impact was about to happen, Little Cat's calm voice drowned out the entire scene:

"Sure enough, you're bad people."

Had the air frozen solid? Or had an invisible giant hand seized everyone?

Fang watched in astonishment as the people before her seemed to slam into an invisible wall. They had hit it so hard their faces were flattened, blood spurting from their noses... Amid the cries from Mama John's employees, the bespectacled girl shielding Elva with her shield was the first to notice... A transparent cube had enclosed those people within it.

More terrifyingly, the sturdy barrier that their daggers could not pierce was visibly shrinking.

Perhaps realizing the gap in strength, the people who had been so vicious moments ago were now left with nothing but panic and screams.

Matilda sensed Amiya's reluctance and her signal to stop at the right point. After piling the group together and tossing them outside the alley, she stopped bothering with them.

Amiya, who had been worried that things would spiral out of control, also let out a breath... It seemed her friend possessed at least a basic degree of self-restraint when it came to violence.

After watching the people from Mama John's scramble away, the young officer named Fang frowned and asked:

"...What exactly is this Catastrophe you mentioned?"

Before Amiya could begin answering, a deep male voice came from outside the alley:

"...Look at the sky. It really does feel like a Catastrophe is gathering..."

"Domien!!"

Seeing the scruffy Lupo uncle, Elva ran over first with her suitcase in hand. The local Rhodes Island employee quietly reminded the others from behind:

"He's the Red Hand Gang's second-in-command. He's the person I wanted to bring you to meet."

"Ah... little ones from Rhodes Island... Hm? Does your company specialize in employing minors... Well, anyway, come with me..."

"Um... the evidence of the Catastrophe..."

Seeing Amiya holding up her phone as though she wanted to show him something, Domien pressed his lips together and shook his head.

"No need. The Catastrophe is more urgent... What's wrong? You seem surprised?"

"Yes... One of my... employees, who is also this child's older sister, worked hard to provide evidence that Ticarondo is experiencing a Catastrophe. But no one was willing to believe us... I thought..."

"...Was it that they didn't believe you, or that they had no way to help and simply pretended not to see? The adult world is complicated, kids... Don't become such boring adults too quickly."

He habitually ruffled Amiya's hair. Only afterward did Domien remember that she had been introduced as Rhodes Island's leader. He quickly pulled back his hand, then bowed apologetically to Theresa, who appeared to be her guardian.

The fake Feline, who had been observing all along, merely shrugged and tilted her head to show it was fine. Her child was adorable; anyone would want to pat her... She understood.

"As for why I said we don't need so-called evidence... Ticarondo went through something similar ten years ago..."

"What?!"

As though confirming his words, thunder boomed in the sky at the same time as the alarm on Amiya's Terminal went off:

"...How can this be? It was only a yellow alert just now... The Catastrophe index..."

"A sudden Catastrophe without warning... That's practically a specialty of the Ticarondo Great Plain."

Though his expression was serious, the uncle did not seem particularly tense.

He even strolled out of the alley at an unhurried pace. When everyone followed, they discovered that quite a few young people with red armbands had already begun shouting, "A Catastrophe! Grab your emergency kits and get to the shelters!"

The man waved, and a van pulled up by the roadside.

"Come along. I'll take you to Thunderstone... He's the head of the Red Hand Gang."

PS: Sob, kitty.

PS: The plot just happened to hit a chapter break, so I stopped here. But I figure ending the chapter here probably won't feel great for everyone, so I'll write another chapter in a bit... You can look at this adorable Suzuran first.

SPP: I still haven't recovered. Every time I launch Ark, my heart hurts... QAQ

The Mystery of the 2nd Medic: 039 On the Plain

The clouds that had once hung high in the sky turned black and gloomy, their massive shadow blanketing the city.

The gale howled, and flashes of lightning pierced the clouds, casting people's faces into shifting darkness... Only the enormous, muffled rumble proved that it truly existed.

The van carried the now doubled group onward. Along the way, Amiya could see Red Hand Gang members helping one another nail boards over building windows to protect their homes.

"...That's how people defend against cold waves and storms, right? Has the Red Hand Gang not informed everyone that this is a Catastrophe rather than an ordinary cold wave?"

"The person among us who knows Catastrophes best was trapped in that alley... Normally, Elva determines what kind of Catastrophe it is and explains it first. Then Thunderstone makes a decision and informs everyone... This time, the timing was unfortunate."

As he spoke, the Lupo uncle looked toward Elva, who had stretched her hand out the window and was constantly sensing something. Only then did everyone learn that this short-haired Lupo, who looked rather young, was the Red Hand Gang's Catastrophe Messenger. Seeing that Elva was still assessing the situation, Uncle Domien politely shook his cigarette pack toward "Sister Xia." When the fake Feline gestured toward the two even younger children, the uncle thought for a moment, then merely put a cigarette between his lips without lighting it.

"Ten years ago, Elva's mother... The Catastrophe Messenger who saved Ticarondo came to this city through the wind and snow with climate analysis data in hand... But the Infected were not permitted to enter the city then, so that Catastrophe Messenger could only send her child inside to escape the Catastrophe... while she herself disappeared into that blizzard.

"And now, another unannounced Catastrophe, and another Catastrophe Messenger with a child has delivered climate data... Fortunately, the Infected now have their own mobile city block. No matter what, things cannot be worse than they were ten years ago..."

As he spoke, the uncle looked back at the short-haired Lupo glaring at him and shrugged with feigned ease.

"Sorry, Elva... I know you don't like people bringing up your childhood, but you are our Red Hand Gang's Catastrophe Messenger. Ticarondo's local weather forecast had no information whatsoever about a Catastrophe... These friends from Rhodes Island, do you think their information is reliable?"

"...The changes in air pressure are obvious, and the abnormal airflow is visible to the naked eye. If this is merely this year's cold wave arriving early... then its intensity is far too frightening... I agree with this little Cautus. It really should be a Catastrophe... We just don't know how much time is left..."

The atmosphere in the vehicle fell silent. Before the Catastrophe was confirmed, Amiya had felt she had countless things she wanted to say—urging everyone to prepare, urging them to act quickly, to seize every second of the time Medic had bought them.

But... now that the dark Catastrophe clouds were pressing down upon the city, the pressure that had weighed on Amiya's heart and driven her to act seemed to vanish all at once.

Little Bunny silently looked up at the sky. Now everyone had noticed the signs of the Catastrophe's arrival... Everyone had begun saving themselves.

She no longer needed to do anything for them. What she needed to do now was save Rhodes Island itself.

With that thought, Amiya quickly used her phone to check on Rhodes Island's main vessel.

Fortunately, thanks to Medic's warning, Rhodes Island's main engines had remained idling... When Ticarondo's Catastrophe index exceeded five percent, Kal'tsit granted Closure permission. The Rhodes Island Landship immediately detached from Ticarondo's core district and headed swiftly downwind alongside the many small wilderness vehicles.

Just as Amiya refreshed the Contingency Contract program again and the system indicated that the Catastrophe index in the Ticarondo area had rapidly crossed the warning line of sixty, the communicators on the three silent probationary officers also began to ring.

[Calling probationary squad, reserve officer Fang!]

[This is Ticarondo Guard Headquarters. Respond if you can hear us!]

"I'm Fang! Go ahead!"

[We have just received an emergency report from the Tikarendo Catastrophe Observation Station. Wind speed, air pressure, and airborne Originium dust concentration are currently rising rapidly. All indicators have exceeded critical levels...]

[It can be determined that a highly destructive Catastrophe is occurring!]

[We are hereby informing you that, in response to the Catastrophe, the Ticarondo mobile city cluster will begin an emergency relocation. The Fourth District... that is, the Infected block... cannot keep up with the city cluster's response speed. The Core City will unilaterally detach from it to ensure the mobile city can successfully evade the Catastrophe.]

[Return to the Core City for shelter as soon as possible!]

Inside the quiet van, even turned down to its lowest volume, the police communicator's voice was painfully sharp.

Fang first looked helplessly at the expressionless people around her, then hurriedly called back.

"W-What?!"

[Repeating: regroup immediately and proceed to the Core City for shelter!]

"But the civilian evacuation work in the Infected block..."

[That is not your duty. Time is limited. Stay safe. Over.]

Everyone could see the helpless panic on the Kuranta girl's face. Yet neither the gang members nor the Rhodes Island employees voiced any objection to what the communicator had said. Elva even comforted Fang with a hug.

Seeing how heavy the atmosphere was, Theresa, a woman who seemed capable of maintaining a smile and calming people's hearts at any time, spoke to Domien, the Red Hand Gang's second-in-command.

"The situation looks severe. The government actually issued a detachment order so decisively... It's a valuable mobile city. Are they simply abandoning it?"

"Well... the communicator just said it too. Our response cannot keep up... For one thing, the operators are all Red Hand Gang people. We have never coordinated with government departments...

"Also, this district's facilities are all outdated. Even starting the engines requires manual operation... They were only telling the truth. We really cannot keep up."

After saying that, the uncle motioned for Elva to release Fang.

"Young officers, when you first came here, Thunderstone said you were very good. If you kept going, you would definitely become remarkable people... But the premise of all that is that you have to stay alive... Don't feel indebted to us. You have passes, so get out at the intersection later and hurry to the Core City for shelter."

"...No... We can't just leave things like this."

Though hesitant, Fang looked at her two companions. After receiving their nods of encouragement, she still decided to stay.

"We'll stay and help you organize the evacuation too... We are officers of the Fourth Block. How can we abandon the people we are supposed to protect and leave on our own?"

"Fang is right!"

"I agree too~"

Seeing his gang's "daughter" and her friends reach a consensus, Domien turned his gaze once more toward Amiya, who was continuously operating her phone.

"So, does the expert on Infected issues have anything else to add? Or will you act independently from here? If so, I hope both sides will instruct our people to divide up our areas of operation and responsibilities..."

Seeing that although he was expressionless, his tone carried a trace of distrust, Amiya put away her phone and raised her head.

"...Without question, our hopes and objectives are completely the same right now... The Rhodes Island Landship left half an hour ago to evade the Catastrophe, but the employees who disembarked have nowhere to go. Now that the Ticarondo government has decided to detach early, it is already too late to process the procedures needed to enter the Core City... I believe helping others now is saving ourselves. Do you agree?"

"That makes sense... But... are you really just a company?"

As he said this, Domien glanced at Matilda, who was playing with glass marbles. The girl was making the balls float in midair and revolve like stars... Recalling how she had effortlessly thrown Broken Ear's group out of the alley earlier, Domien truly did not want to become enemies with such an eerie person at a time like this.

"Anyway, we'll see what Thunderstone says about cooperation. Our base is right there..."

Following his gaze outside, they saw a three-story building marked with a pair of horns and crossed daggers. Various vehicles were scattered along the roadside. It was obvious that the Red Hand Gang members were still grumbling at an unhurried pace while carrying out their "cold wave defense measures," clearly unaware of the severity of the situation.

Elva and Domien led everyone into the building. Amiya, holding Theresa's hand in one hand and Matilda's in the other, immediately spotted the burly Forte man.

"Domien! Elva and her friends came too... And there are unfamiliar faces as well... Have a seat first. The cold wave came a little early, but we've prepared dinner. If you don't mind..."

"Thunderstone! This is not the time for that. It isn't an ordinary cold wave. It's a sudden Catastrophe, and a very serious one at that. Tell everyone to head for the shelters immediately!"

Seeing his adopted daughter slam her palm onto the table, the middle-aged Forte man named Thunderstone, with Columbia-style dreadlocks and a full beard, smiled and pressed down with his hand.

"Our gang members are already organizing the response. Everyone is busy moving supplies, and shutting down the factories completely takes time... But don't worry, it'll be fine. This time, everyone can safely stay home and ride out the Catastrophe..."

"They can't stay home."

Though she knew the situation was urgent, seeing Elva so anxious that she did not know where to begin, Amiya took out her phone and opened the calculation data Medic had made public through Contingency Contract.

"This Catastrophe's intensity is a hundred times worse than predicted... Although Sister Medic predicted its speed of onset as accurately as possible, judging by how quickly the Catastrophe Cloud gathered and formed, its release has likely entered a countdown... The Catastrophe will arrive no later than six tonight..."

Listening to Amiya, the Forte named Thunderstone looked at the local Rhodes Island operator, who had removed her glasses and scarf, then awkwardly waved his hand. His expression immediately turned serious.

"...A Rhodes Island Catastrophe Messenger... No later than tonight... Then what if we go by the earliest estimate?"

"It could happen at any moment... Officer Fang received word not long ago that the Core City will detach. This district will likely have to find a way to deal with the Catastrophe alone... Scattering people in their homes is not an option. We need to gather them in the mid-level shelters. Most importantly, we must move quickly... Though we already hurried here as fast as we could..."

Seeing his adopted daughter Elva nod frantically, her little ears flapping back and forth, the towering gang leader stood up and picked up the telephone on the table. Then he swept out one broad hand.

"If even Elva says so, then we can only believe it! Everyone, the plan has changed... Notify your subordinates immediately. Have everyone in the block go to the mid-level shelters! Stop moving supplies too. Leave what has already been delivered alone, and bring the rest to the shelters for distribution.

"The eastern area has the most people. Domien, you're responsible for organizing the evacuation and maintaining order... Truso, lead a team to ensure the routes to the shelters remain clear. I hope everyone listened when we told them not to pile too much stuff in the corridors. Raymond, take people to prepare maintenance on the power furnaces. If the Catastrophe affects the power system, repair it immediately. Have Raphael inspect the water and fuel lines, shut them off, and switch them to internal circulation... Since the main district is detaching, we can only make this old fellow move on its own... The mobile mechanisms can only start after all blocks switch to internal circulation. Considering we can't count on those gentlemen in the Core City to wait for us in an emergency, we can only handle it ourselves first..."

Watching the Red Hand Gang begin assigning every task in such detail, Amiya and Theresa were not the only ones who saw him in a new light. Even Fang, Kroos, and the bespectacled girl wore expressions of admiration... Except Matilda. Little Cat did not seem tense in the slightest. Even at an unfamiliar gang headquarters, as long as she did not sense malice directed at herself, Matilda continued playing with the glass marbles she had casually picked up from somewhere.

"...That is a very thorough evacuation procedure... Either he has been through this many times, or he considered everything carefully from the very beginning... Just as you said, Thunderstone is an incredible person."

"Mhm~ Thunderstone is amazing."

After enviously watching the intimate exchange between the young officer and the gang girl, Amiya turned to look at Theresa. Seeing Little Bunny's worried expression, the princess, still maintaining her fake Feline appearance, tilted her head slightly before lifting Little Bunny into her arms.

"Is Amiya worried about the others?"

"Yes... There's a message on my phone saying someone was refused entry to a shelter... Will they be okay?"

Although he had been busy assigning tasks, Thunderstone had not ignored the strangers his deputy had brought. Hearing Amiya's words, the man as tall as a tower happened to put down the telephone.

"Refused entry? Did you find some company's private lot? If it's a private shelter, then something like that could indeed happen..."

But after checking her phone again, Amiya sadly shook her head.

"No... It's an ordinary shelter... But... my... employee... was refused entry."

The girl's words made the burly man scratch his head in confusion. As far as he knew, although everyone in this block had minor private conflicts, they were nothing serious. Even when encountering strangers, they should not shut them out in the middle of a Catastrophe.

However, what Thunderstone could not understand, Theresa roughly understood.

"Perhaps... because he is a Sarkaz?"

Just as Thunderstone showed an expression of realization, Theresa noticed that Amiya in her arms had a pained expression... Sensing that her Crown had been stirred, the princess gave a bitter smile and rubbed the girl's head.

"You don't need to be so considerate of me... Nor do you need to force yourself to get used to this feeling... Sarkaz being displaced and discriminated against is not something that started yesterday... There are heavy... historical burdens behind it..."

Seeing the woman holding Little Bunny smile with a trace of tragic beauty, Thunderstone spoke while holding the phone.

"When a Catastrophe comes, race does not matter. I have already given the order. If the people at that shelter still refuse to let him in, he can come to one of these Red Hand Gang shelters..."

"Oh? You're not afraid? Of our... demon folk..."