Successful cat girls know a lot about fish.

Following the events at the merit centre, the three of us ended up at Aixa's apartment. I was sitting opposite Yui at the kotatsu in the living room while Aixa cooked the tuna.

“You don't have to force yourself to stay here. Take advantage of the fact that Aixa is in the kitchen and escape.”

“I can't-nya, the tuna offer is something I can't refuse-nya.”

“Is fish really that important to cat girls?”

“Since you're from another world, you won't know, but the success of cat girls is directly proportional to their knowledge of fish.”

“Success?”

“I don’t know what they teach in your schools, but in my world, classes were all about fish and how to cook them. The tuna course I'm taking now is the last and most difficult.”

“I see. That's why you couldn't resist Aixa's offer.”

“Exactly-nya. If she really is as good a cook as she says she is, I'll ask her to be my teacher-nya.”

“By the way, do you go to university? I couldn't find one anywhere in the city.”

“I see-nya. It seems you're new here. Let me give you a quick geography lesson-nya.”

Yui opened the backpack she was carrying and took out a notebook and a pencil.

“Pay attention-nya. Imagine this circle is Limbo.” On a blank sheet of paper, she drew an irregular circle and divided it into four equal parts. “This is divided into four main areas: the metropolis, where we are now; the desert, which has been growing lately; the jungle, full of trees and vegetation with a large, deep lake in the centre; and the snowy mountains, where I come from-nya.” She picked up the pencil again and drew four lines, each starting from a different quarter of the circle. “In turn, you can reach other places from each zone: from the desert, you can reach Hell; from the mountain, you can reach Heaven; and from the jungle, you can be reincarnated.”

This information is too important to have been unknown to me before, but I still don't understand what it has to do with my not finding any schools in the city.

“What differentiates the areas is not just their biomes, right?”

“You got it right-nya, both the culture, architecture and the people who live there are different in each one-nya, although it doesn't mean that you can't live wherever you want.”

“So, could we say that it is designed this way to accommodate all kinds of worlds?”

“You are very intelligent-nya. That's precisely why I have to go to the snowy mountain area to study-nya. There are private teachers there who can help me with my area of expertise. To answer your question, there are hardly any universities or schools in Limbo-nya. There are only about ten in total, which is why I study with private teachers-nya.”

“Isn't it tiring to travel every day?”

“Yes, it would be, so I travel there every two weeks and stay at a residence-nya.”

“I see.”

Before we could continue our conversation with Yui, a pleasant smell filled the room in a matter of seconds. Aixa had finished cooking and was bringing the dishes to the table. She placed three plates on the table and sat down with us.

“Tell me what you think.”

Yui and I took a bite of Aixa's dish.

“Delicious!”

We all responded unanimously, and Aixa's face reflected her satisfaction at knowing that we liked her food.

“Well, Yui-chan, is there anything you want to tell me?”

What kind of question is that? Don't tell me Aixa overheard the conversation I had with Yui!

“Ggggh, it's okay! Even though you're a pervert, your cooking skills are great. Please make Yui your student.”

“If I make you my student, will you let me pet you?”

“It seems I have no choice…”

“Wait a minute, Yui. Take your time to think about it. Are you really going to accept that condition?”

“I don't think I mentioned it, but my goal is to be reincarnated so I can finish my studies in my world-nya. I can't afford to stay in Limbo for too long to achieve that. In fact, I died of cardiac arrest while studying in my previous world-nya.”

It seems that I tried to adapt to this new world too quickly. I hadn't taken into account the fact that in order to inhabit Limbo, you have to be dead. It's sad that I died so young, and even sadder when I think about the many small children I saw while walking through the city.

That must be the main reason why there are no schools or universities. Most inhabitants probably see Limbo in the same way that Yui does: as a brief stopover before moving on to either heaven or reincarnation.

“I guess it's not my place to stop you, Yui.”

“So, do we have a deal, Yui-chan?”

“Yes-nya...”

After practically swindling Yui, Aixa shook her hand.

We continued eating until the fish was finished, then washed the dishes. Afterwards, we each went home, but not before agreeing to meet at Aixa's house tomorrow at lunchtime.

※ ※ ※

I woke up, got ready, put on the same clothes I had been wearing for two days and went for a jog in a different part of the city while waiting for the agreed time to go to Aixa's house.

After a couple of laps, I heard a familiar voice.

“What are you doing here-nya?' Were you stalking Yui? Pervert!”

“Well, knowing where a college cat girl lives does catch my attention, but this time it was just a coincidence.”

“That answer doesn't reassure me-nya. As a friend of the perverted elf, I don't know if I can trust you-nya.”

“I don't see the logic, but I suppose it's better to be safe. By the way, what are you doing so early?”

“I was on my way to my teacher's house-nya. Even though we agreed to meet for lunch, I wanted to take the opportunity to learn from her this morning-nya.”

“I'm sorry to tell you this, but Aixa doesn't get up that early.”

“So Yui wasted hours of sleep for nothing-nya…”

As she thought about how to comfort Yui, her stomach began to speak for her.

“Are you hungry?”

“Yes-nya. I used the last of my merit to pay you for finding my keychain, so I didn't have any money for breakfast-nya.”

I suppose that was the real reason she wanted to visit Aixa so early. I'm in no position to judge her though, since I did the same thing.

“Although I appreciate the merit, I don't feel good about taking all you had. Would you like to come and have breakfast with me?”

“Nya! Are you asking me out on a date-nya? Well, it seems I have no choice, but keep in mind that I only accepted because I have no more merit, nothing else!”

“Do you dislike the idea of going with me that much? If you're uncomfortable with it, we can go to the merit centre and transfer your merit.”

“No need-nya! The thing is... Yui is very hungry! Let's hurry up and go for breakfast then-nya.”

“Okay, do you know anywhere we can get breakfast?”

“I've heard great reviews about a place-nya, even though I've never been there myself.”

“I'll follow you.”

After walking for about 15 minutes, we arrived at the restaurant, which had an attractive Japanese aesthetic. When we entered, a waiter greeted us and showed us to a table.

“Hey Yui, I was looking at the menu. How much credit did you have?”

“More than enough for two dishes, don't worry about it.”

We continued browsing the menu, and when we had made up our minds, we called the waiter over.

“One taiyaki with blackberry jam and water, please-nya.”

“I'll have an omurice with apple juice.”

The waiter wrote down our orders and went to the kitchen.

“I didn't know you knew about taiyaki, Yui. They were quite popular in my previous world.”

“What a surprise, Yui. I discovered them in Limbo and was fascinated by their shape and the variety of flavours. In my previous world, all diets were based on fish.”

“Here is your order.”

“Ah! Thank you.”

I was surprised by how quickly the order arrived. If we were in my previous world, I would definitely have given it five stars.

We finished eating, and I paid for both our meals. When we left the restaurant, there were already more people walking in the streets. With no way to check the time, and hoping not to be late, we went straight to Aixa's apartment. It was on the fourth floor. After climbing the stairs, we knocked on her door and realised it wasn't locked.

“She must be waiting for us-nya.”

“Let's go in before it gets any later.”