Chapter 91 Beware of Lightning

91.

Due to the expansion of my company's business, I had to move from Tokyo to Yokohama.

Before leaving, the elders in my family warned me not to go out at night unless I had an intention to go out.

I've also heard all kinds of gossip about Yokohama, but the serious looks of the elders always make people feel that they are too exaggerated - haha, so when I was blocked by a group of children and robbed, I really didn't know what expression to show.

Fortunately, this group of children from the slum, known locally as Leibo Street, was stopped by another orange-haired boy who hurried over. He sincerely apologized to me on behalf of his companions, looking self-blaming and guilty.

But what does this have to do with him? I had a lot to say, but in the end I just sighed, took out a handful of candy from my purse, and stuffed it into the other person's hand.

This is just a small episode.

But the city of Yokohama is indeed different from what I imagined: even in the wealthy neighborhoods with strict security, you can always hear fighting and gunfire at night.

No matter day or night, people who leave the main road and walk on the side roads are always in a hurry, as if they will encounter terrible things if they walk a little slower.

A kind neighbor lady told me to stay away from people who wear black or dress in a distinctive and unique way, because they are an unspeakable presence in this city.

"Everyone knows it." The lady holding the little Pomeranian sighed, "I don't really understand what the black gangs and the superpowers are, but these people, the timid ones at the top -" she paused, with contempt on her face, "are so scared that they dare not do anything."

For the first time, I doubted whether it was right to stake the company’s future on this.

Fortunately, I managed to get in touch with a port trading company in Yokohama.

Although life in this city is more difficult and troublesome than I imagined, I am confident that I can make a career and let my family know that I did not make the wrong choice when I gave up politics to go into business.

I like to take a walk along the path closest to the port in the evening. When I look at the sea, the fatigue from a day's work will slowly dissipate in the sound of the waves.

It was this habit that made me see a creature that seemed to be out of place in this world. Was it perhaps just an illusion? Because that inhuman being disappeared from the road in the blink of an eye.

"Do you think you are sick from overwork?" After listening to my description, the neighbor lady thought for a moment and handed me a small card mysteriously. "If you are not afraid to go to Leibo Street... there is a famous black doctor there. Maybe he can solve your problem."

"But my husband said that the doctor has found a new job and may not continue to run the store."

Leibo Street? The image of the orange-haired boy flashed through my mind. I wonder how those kids are doing now? I was a little worried. When that kid apologized, the other kids didn’t look very friendly.

I hope they can spend this winter safely.

*

"Name, age, symptoms."

"Uh, Yamamoto Taro." I lowered my head, sitting awkwardly in the dim room, "Um, age... 28..."

In the end, it happened. I covered my face with my hands, and couldn't believe that I actually came to a small clinic with no registration number to see a doctor based on the enthusiastic recommendation of my neighbor.

The doctor in a white coat and with a languid look on his face tapped the table with his pen and repeated his question: "What are your symptoms?"

"Ah... sorry." I sat up straight. "Doctor, here's the thing. I was walking near the harbor a few days ago, and I saw a mermaid."

Hmm...according to the common name, it should be a mermaid, right?

"Oh?" The doctor seemed to be interested, his eyes brighter than before, "Mermaid?"

"Yes." I nodded and gestured with my hand, "It's the kind that is half human and half fish... mermaid."

"Mermaid..." The doctor stroked his chin, thinking, "Legend has it that this is a fantasy creature whose tears can turn into pearls. Even if it's a merman, it's worth a lot..."

"Huh?" I realized that I didn't explain it clearly and the doctor misunderstood me, so I started again, "No, no, no, doctor, what I saw was not the kind of mermaid that can move like a human on top and a fish on the bottom."

"It's a mermaid with hands and feet, half fish, half human, half fish, holding a fork."

The doctor was silent.

The child with a bandage on his face, who had been playing with bottles and jars behind the doctor, burst out laughing.

The doctor sighed and wrote a line on the paper in a perfunctory manner, in words so sloppy that only he could understand: "After diagnosis, you have delusional disorder and hallucinations, which is a bit serious. Let me prescribe two bottles of physiological sodium chloride solution for you, and you go back and hang it up."

"Resist yourselves, read less novels and get more sleep. Thank you for your 5,000 yuan, Dazai-kun, I will show you off."

"The next one—"

Is that so?

I refused to accompany the babysitter, and walked out of the clinic with two bottles of water in my arms, staring at the clouds above my head and thinking for a few seconds...

I actually spent 5,000 to buy two bottles of saline solution!!

He is really worthy of being called a black doctor, black, too black!

But having already bought it, I took the saline solution home, diluted it with some water and added some sugar, then tasted it... well, it tasted like ordinary saline solution.

This day, I went for my evening walk a little earlier than usual.

Unexpectedly, I saw the mermaid again.

Still so... fishy.

Since the doctor said it was an illusion... I looked at the mermaid approaching me, and the smell of the sea became stronger and stronger. If it was an illusion, it would disappear if I closed my eyes, right?

I gritted my teeth and didn't turn around and run away. Instead, I chose to close my eyes.

After a few seconds, I was not attacked and I no longer smelled the fishy smell of the sea, so I slowly opened my eyes - there was nothing in front of me.

It turns out it was really an illusion!

I was shocked. Dr. Mori, although he was a black doctor, was his medical skills so amazing? He was even better than the doctors in the top hospitals in Tokyo. Could it be that what he gave me was not just ordinary salt water, but some newly developed special medicine?

A miracle doctor, truly a miracle doctor!

But... I stretched out half of my body and looked into the alley next to me - nothing.

Was the flash of orange I just saw also an illusion?

Or a wild little orange kitten?

*

The problem of hallucination was solved, but a few days later, I encountered a new problem -

My house, no, the entire neighborhood where I live, was visited by strange thieves: the glass windows and door locks of all the houses were stolen.

They weren't anything valuable, but... I looked at the door without a lock and wondered why they stole these things.

Some are angry, some are confused, some are terrified, but it is undeniable that everyone has started to take anti-theft measures - after all, what was stolen this time was just worthless things, but what about the next time, and the next time?

The anti-theft measures were useless because when we woke up the next day, the newly installed glass and door locks were stolen again.

This time, security guards were hired to patrol the place at night - still to no avail.

Once, twice, three times... everyone in the community gradually gave up the struggle, and the anti-theft and night alerts were also cancelled.

But I think we can't go on like this.

So I found the Armed Detective Agency with the letter from my elders.

I decided to entrust them to find this strange thief.

"Every night, a strange thief comes to the neighborhood where I live to steal things." I organized my words. "Although they are all worthless, this behavior has caused me trouble."

The blond boy with a pigtail sat opposite me with a serious look on his face. He pushed his glasses and asked seriously, "So, do you want to find this thief?"

"Excuse me, what was stolen from you? Depending on the amount..." the blond boy quickly flipped through the notebook in his hand, "the commission we charge will also be different... By the way, do you want to recover the stolen items?"

Hmm? What are you doing getting the glass and door locks back for?

I shook my head: "No need to recover it. What was stolen from our neighborhood was..."

"Glass windows and door locks."

The black-haired boy who had been eating snacks in the back suddenly let out a goose cry.

I looked at him blankly, then at the blond boy, and continued, "Actually, I want to find the thief and ask him why he stole our glass and door locks..."

After a pause, I continued, "I can provide some clues about the thief's appearance, because I slept late last night and seemed to have seen the process of the thief committing the crime."

"Please go ahead." The blond boy took out a pen, "I'll write it all down."

"That thief..." I said uncertainly, "seems to be wearing a dark jumpsuit? His eyes were bright, his hair was red, his teeth were white, and he smiled happily after stealing the glass and door lock..."

"Hey, are you talking about Cat Man?"

Before I could finish my words, I suddenly saw an enlarged face appear in front of me - and I was so scared that I let out a strange scream.

What is this? Moving cat ears? Wait! Is that a tail? Isn't that a costume? No no no, this person... has chocolate skin and red hair!

My eyes widened, and I looked at the other members of the detective agency in disbelief: "You guys..."

"Are you guys in the same group?!"

The blond boy struggled to say something, but the smiling red-haired cat grabbed his neck and laughed: "That's right, meow, they are from the same nest as the cat man, and we are the top and bottom relationship."

What kind of messed up relationship is this?!

"Manager, please stop talking nonsense."

The blond boy finally broke free, opened his notebook, and said seriously: "This is not in my plan. I am working now. If you are here to give snacks to Mr. Ranpo, please go there."

He looked at me and explained seriously: "This is the manager of the pet store downstairs from the detective agency..."

"It's the Dao Chong Luan Wu clothing store."

"Okay, the manager of the pet clothing store, he is considered..." The blond boy hesitated, "He is half a friend of Mr. Ranbu?"

"Half?" I was a little confused. "Can friends be counted half and half?"

"Ah... this..." The blond boy became a little embarrassed, "Because... the store manager hasn't admitted that Mr. Ranpo is his friend yet..."

"Hey, Kunikida, I heard you!"

"I'm so sorry Mr. Ranpo!"

…

It seems like my commission was terminated in such a strange way?

I sat in the pet shop downstairs from the detective agency, staring at the tea in front of me in a daze. Why did I come here? Shouldn't I go back to work?

Ah...it seems like the strange cat man enthusiastically invited me to sit downstairs, and the two people from the detective agency were also invited. Then I...came here in a daze?

"Yes, that's right, meow. The full name of Catman's ability is Disney's Runaway Catman. He can transform into an invincible Catman summoner and can also understand the language of all pets."

I saw the strange cat man holding up the little Pomeranian in his hand with a serious expression: "Right? Hasebe."

The little Pomeranian wagged its tail vigorously and responded happily: "Woof!"

This ability... does anyone really believe it? I took a sip of black tea to hide my embarrassed expression. What about listening to the language of all things, a mysterious superman at night, a secret organization protecting the city...

I haven't dreamed of such a second-year fantasy since ten years ago.

Unexpectedly, the young man believed it and even carefully wrote down every word the other person said in his notebook: "Disney...can understand the language of pets..."

"Yeah, that's right, it's an ability as amazing as my super reasoning." The black-haired young man known as Mr. Ranpo opened his eyes and added from time to time, "Mr. Cat's ability can also be super-evolved."

"Oh, so that's how it is. The store manager is really amazing..."

No, no, no, this is obviously a lie! Are the people from this detective agency really trustworthy? Did the elders at home really not give me the wrong letter?

I took another sip of tea.

Maybe it was because I stayed up too late last night. I kept hearing the vague voices of strangers around me, and I could always feel some weird, uncomfortable gazes.

But when I looked behind me, all I saw were a bunch of cute little pets in cute clothes.

"host……"

"...Damn it, Hasebe..."

"Cunning...Hand in hand..."

"…Why…the Lord…is not me…"

But the auditory hallucinations did not disappear.

Is my condition getting worse? I put down the cup and shook my head uncomfortably. It's so strange... Why do I feel like I shouldn't be like this...

I should be... a fluffy little cat... am I... am I dreaming? Ah, yes... cats don't need to work, that's for humans... bipeds... After waking up, I want to go home quickly... No, I want to go to the rooftop to bask in the sun... and comb my fur...

"Sir? Are you all right, sir?"

The voice of the blond boy pulled me out of that strange feeling of illusion.

My body trembled unconsciously, and the tea in my hand spilled onto the sofa. I quickly stood up and apologized to the cat man: "Sorry." I bowed to him hastily, "I slept too late yesterday... I will compensate you!"

"Ah..." I saw the cat man wagging his tail and said nonchalantly, "It's nothing, but what did you want to talk to the cat man about just now?"

"Yes..." I trailed off, "I want to know why someone comes to steal our glass and door locks every day."

"What? There is such a thing? It's too disgusting!" The cat man said righteously, "We, the cat men of Eozea, never steal things. We always get what we like with our own efforts... I won't say anymore. I'm going to collect the sycamore trees that just refreshed on the roadside. We'll talk next time."

I watched the cat man run to the window, smile at me affectionately, and then jump out with a giggle.

I opened my eyes wide and hurried to the window, only to see the dark-skinned cat man leap three feet high, hopping forward, and occasionally doing somersaults...

It was strange, but it moved very quickly, almost in the blink of an eye, and I could no longer find the cat man.

Is this... is this a unique way for monsters to move? Or can this fancy and laborious method really speed up movement?

But soon, I saw the other person running back carrying a tree, but he did not go upstairs. Instead, he continued to move forward with wild laughter, kicked down another tree with one foot, and then ran wildly carrying two trees - behind him was a group of staff members wearing EPA uniforms, running breathlessly.

It seemed... it seemed like he just took our glass, and that was already showing mercy? I left the window in a daze. At least... at least he didn't trample on the cars in the neighborhood like a trampoline.

The blond boy looked at me sympathetically, and finally, he gave me the result of my commission: "You saw it too."

"So the conclusion is that the other party just wanted to do this."

After leaving the pet store, I stood on the side of the road. After digesting the result for three seconds, I resolutely called Dr. Mori's clinic.

Yes, this must be an illusion caused by overwork. As long as the miracle doctor gives me some saline, these bizarre hallucinations will disappear from my world!

"Doctor," I said seriously, "please give me a few more bottles of saline solution." I gave a number, "I'm willing to give this amount."

"...Okay, no problem. I'll have Dazai-kun deliver the goods to your door."

*

Ever since I learned that there was such a... strange cat boy monster in Yokohama, the presence of the cat boy monster began to gradually increase in my daily life.

For example, my neighbor on the other side is a successful businessman - he is rich, selfish, shameless, and conscienceless, overweight in middle age, loves to give orders, and has several mistresses - and his most favored one lives next door to me.

One day, the wife of the businessman’s neighbor finally discovered his infidelity, and with a group of bodyguards, she angrily rushed into the community and broke down the door - but she discovered that there was no need to break down the door because the door locks were stolen every day and everyone was too lazy to replace them every day.

Although she was confused for a moment, the rich lady still rushed into the villa angrily, grabbed the businessman who was not wearing any clothes and looked a bit unsightly, and stood at the door of the villa and cursed the businessman who had made his fortune by living off his wife.

I was enjoying the melon so much that I looked up and saw the strange cat man squatting on a telephone pole, wagging his tail and enjoying the melon.

As if he noticed my gaze, he first turned his head away, his ears standing up in fear, then he hesitated for a moment, took out a door lock from his pocket - it looked like it had been newly pried off - and threw it to me reluctantly.

"I took too much, so I'll give you one. Don't tell on me." He paused, flicked his tail, and said, "Don't think too much. Cats are not the same."

Huh? My brain was quickly filled with countless question marks of all sizes. When I looked up again, the cat man who had finished eating the melon had disappeared.

I looked at the door lock in my hand, thought about it, and threw it into the cupboard - it’s better not to leave it outside. If the neighbor’s wife sees it, I won’t be able to explain myself even if I have ten mouths.

For example, there is always a random piece missing from the green belts around me. Sometimes it's a tree, sometimes it's a bush, and sometimes it's a bunch of flowers... The staff in charge of greening always fills in the gaps with a curse and throws the cleaned red cat hair into the trash can.

It seems that the cat boy monster has a serious hair loss problem. Maybe cats will turn into dandelions when the seasons change.

For example, the stores under my name always call me every now and then. Either the buns in the breakfast shop were stolen, or someone ate and rushed in the cake shop, but even if I call the police, they can't catch the culprit.

Looking at the surveillance again, I found that it was a cat-man monster who swaggered into the store, took the food and walked away.

However, because the cat boy monster always comes to buy for free, other people are curious about "what it's like to be in a store that is always eaten by monsters", and the flow of customers has increased.

Later, when I went to check the shops, I found that all the shops around me had printed pictures of the cat man and marked: "The food is certified delicious by the red cat monster."

Well, some fake stores posted photos, but within a day, the real owner angrily wrote in an indelible black marker in the most conspicuous place of the store: Tasty, where is the cheating cat? ! Money back! Curse you!

…

The locals seemed to slowly accept this somewhat strange cat monster, and some people even organized a folk organization called "Only Cat Cult", claiming that the cat monster is also a kind of feline and everyone should protect him.

I didn't quite understand and was shocked.

Until I had another hallucination and saw the mermaid while walking in the harbor.

But this time, no matter how I closed my eyes or opened them, the mermaids in my hallucination did not disappear - so I realized that these were real monsters.

And I am about to end this short life.

"Why don't you run?"

I saw a ball of fire rising from the feet of a mermaid, burning the fish-man who made a shrill sound to death; I saw a strange cat monster leap down from midair, holding up a book and summoning green elves that shouldn't exist in the world; I saw flying cherry blossoms and the sharp light of a knife...

I saw God.

…

I found the neighbor lady, and I knew that she was a member of the "Only Meow Meow Cult".

"Oh, you want to join too?" The neighbor lady was a little surprised. "I thought you weren't interested."

"I wasn't interested at first." I shook my head a little embarrassedly, "but a few days ago, I was saved by the cat god."

"Oh, isn't this wonderful?" The neighbor lady said with a smile, "My child was also saved by the cat god."

"Come on, I'll take you to the base."

The base of the "Only Meow Meow Cult" is bigger than I thought - I also found the rich lady who came to capture the merchant and the merchant's mistress at the base.

"The cat god has fulfilled my wish." The rich lady teased the child in her arms slowly, "That ○○ finally disappeared. What kind of x actually threatened my sister to be his mistress? Doesn't he even think he deserves it?"

"What's more, the cat god saved my sister."

"Well, after being kidnapped, I never thought I would see my sister again." The beautiful mistress said shyly, "Sister, we must raise the child well. Who knows, the cat god might accept him as a servant."

"Haha, of course." Mrs. Fu said confidently, "None of the next generation of Yokohama can fight now!"

…

Well, occasionally among the followers of the Cat God, there are some people with interesting stories.

After the party, when I returned to the community, I heard the security guard at the gate complaining that the glass of a villa had been stolen again.

Ah...Does the Cat God still need glass?

I thought about it and called the manager of the community and told him that from now on, I would be responsible for the replacement costs of glass and door locks in this community.

The cat god is protecting everyone. It's just glass and door locks. Take them if you want. He only takes such a small reward. Those ignorant people should be grateful!

When I got home, I stared at the Persian cat playing with the ball of yarn for a while. Then, I picked it up and said seriously, "Meimei, since the Cat God was transformed from a cat, Dad believes that you can do it if you try hard."

Persian cat: “Meow?”

Walking into the bedroom, I made a call that I had never planned to make again in my life.

"Well, uncle, it's me, well, yes, I've thought about it."

"You said before that no one is willing to take over the position of Mayor Yokohama, right? Well, I am interested."

I want to be the supporter of the cat god.

"Starting from the bottom? That's okay. I can accept that."

To protect the best cat god in the world!

"Well, don't worry."

I smiled slowly in the study.

"I will definitely not bring disgrace to the name of Shize."