The black cat crouched by the roadside and looked up. Its glossy coat proved it wasn't a stray, and its large amber eyes seemed full of shock.
Could a cat really have such a human expression?
Soi Fon looked a little puzzled.
Shiraishi noticed her gaze and glanced at the black cat. "Do you want to pet it?" he asked with a smile.
"No, I'm not interested." She shook her head. She felt nothing for the black cat, a far cry from her later obsession.
"Don't be shy. There's nothing embarrassing about petting a cat. Let me teach you how to approach a cat outdoors."
As he spoke, Shiraishi tore open a package of chiffon cake, crumbled off a corner, and held it out on his palm. "You have to use both carrot and stick. Intimidate it with a murderous glare to keep it in check, then lure it with food. Here, kitty."
The black cat met his carefully crafted fierce glare, lowered its eyes, and raked five claw marks across his palm. Then it turned and sauntered away.
"Haha, you're so lame." Miyamoto Ikumi burst into laughter without holding back.
"Idiot," Soi Fon said coldly.
Shiraishi wasn't angry. He shook his head with a wry smile. "It works pretty well on dogs. Tsk, cats really aren't as cute as dogs."
"Do you want to get that checked at a clinic?"
Unagiya Kaoru looked at his bleeding palm, worried it might cause rabies.
"Dates like this are rare. How could we go somewhere as unlucky as a hospital?"
Shiraishi declined with a smile.
Miyamoto Ikumi looked astonished. "Aren't you two brother and sister?"
Walking together at 185 and 150 centimeters tall, the difference in their heights made them look more like siblings than a close couple.
"She's a legal loli," Shiraishi said proudly, putting an arm around Soi Fon's shoulders.
Miyamoto Ikumi's eyes widened further, and she didn't know what to say. A man who couldn't even afford a meal had such a cute girlfriend?
"True love conquers all. Oh, right, young Unagiya, do you have any more money?"
"Yeah." Unagiya Kaoru took out his wallet, but didn't have time to count it.
Shiraishi snatched the bills out and said generously, "Lend it all to me. If we get a chance to meet a hundred years from now, I'll pay you back tenfold."
Unagiya Kaoru thought this guy was really funny. "Haha, sure! What's your name, big bro?"
"Shiraishi. Later..." He opened his mouth, then realized Soi Fon was watching him. He hurriedly pulled Unagiya Kaoru aside and whispered, "Later, come find me in Rice Village, West District Ten. Got it?"
"Is there a place like that in Japan?" Unagiya Kaoru frowned slightly. He wasn't worried about the money; he didn't care about it at all. He simply wanted to spend more time with Shiraishi. Maybe he could reach another, mysterious world.
Shiraishi kept him guessing. "When the time comes for you to know, you'll know."
"Is that so? I'll do my best to find it."
Unagiya Kaoru smiled. He was even more curious about exploring the unknown.
Without a little curiosity and a desire to explore, how could anyone call themselves young?
Shiraishi admired young people like him, but he also understood that someone like that was destined not to live long unless fate favored them.
Did fate favor Unagiya Kaoru?
The answer was no.
If Shiraishi remembered correctly, there was indeed an Unagiya in the original story. Ichigo Kurosaki worked there part-time, and the owner was a single mother who had lost her husband and was raising her son alone. Her name was Ikumi Unagiya.
"Being too curious isn't a good thing. There are always some secrets in this world that shouldn't be dug up. I hope you find out later rather than sooner."
"Okay." Unagiya Kaoru agreed, but from his expression, he hadn't taken it to heart.
Shiraishi said no more. He slung an arm around his shoulders and returned to Soi Fon's side, then took her hand. "I won't intrude on your time together any longer. See you."
"What nonsense are you spouting? I-I'm not in that kind of relationship with this guy." Miyamoto Ikumi bristled with embarrassment.
Unagiya Kaoru waved with a broad smile. "See you."
Shiraishi left the street holding Soi Fon's hand. After they had walked two blocks, he sensed someone's gaze on his back. Was he being followed?
"Strange," he muttered.
Soi Fon looked up. "What is?"
Shiraishi lowered his voice. "Someone's following us."
"No way." She sounded a little surprised. The Stealth Force specialized in tracking and counter-tracking. No one could follow her without her noticing. Oh, the man beside her was an exception.
His ability to conceal his Reiatsu completely was just too outrageous.
"My spiritual senses have always been sharp."
Shiraishi wouldn't feel anything from an occasional glance, but if someone kept staring at him, the discomfort of being watched would rise in his heart.
Soi Fon didn't question him further. "I'll count to three, then we'll turn around together. You look left, I'll look right."
"One, two, three."
With that, they turned around at the same time and scanned the street, but found no one suspicious.
Shiraishi looked up, then lowered his gaze to a black cat on the ground. "Is that the cat from before?"
"You're making too much of it."
Soi Fon made the remark, realizing why she hadn't noticed. It was a cat, not a person.
Shiraishi rubbed his chin. He hadn't realized it before, but seeing the black cat again, he couldn't help wondering: was it really a cat?
If he remembered correctly, Yoruichi Shihōin, the former captain of the Second Division, liked to take the form of a black cat when she walked around the World of the Living.
This woman... All sorts of thoughts flashed through Shiraishi's mind. "That cat must really like you, to follow us around. Why don't you try picking it up?"
"I told you, I'm not interested in cats."
Soi Fon didn't want to pick it up.
"Come on, give it a try." Shiraishi clung to her arm and wheedled, a 185-centimeter man acting like a coquettish little girl.
Goosebumps rose on her arms at once, and she almost couldn't keep her small face expressionless. She kicked him. "I'll do it. Please, talk properly."
"Okay." Shiraishi let go.
Soi Fon approached. The black cat didn't run away; it stayed where it was and watched her come all the way over. Then it jumped and landed steadily on her shoulder. "Meow."
The black cat lounged lazily on her shoulder, its soft fur brushing her cheek. It didn't feel as bad as she had imagined.
Yoruichi.
Shiraishi was almost certain that this black cat was that mature beauty. His gaze fell on her tail.
He had been curious for a long time. The four limbs and the head all had their counterparts, but what body part was the tail?
"Why do you keep staring at the cat?"
Soi Fon asked irritably.
Shiraishi answered honestly, "I'm very interested in this black cat."
"..." Soi Fon's expression grew complicated, and she said firmly, "Don't you go near it, pervert."
"Your mind is filthy." Shiraishi shook his head, took her hand, and continued forward. "Let's go to the amusement park. For a long time now, I've wanted to ride a Ferris wheel and admire the scenery at night..."
"Mashi Amusement Park closes at five in the afternoon."
When they reached the amusement park, Soi Fon pointed at the business hours posted by the entrance.
Crack, crack. A piece broke off Shiraishi's dream, then automatically filled itself back in. "It's fine. Let's have fun first. I have a better plan."