The Nine Lives Magic Tournament

Humans sat on the left, Nekos on the right.

Between them stretched an empty aisle, an invisible border dividing the soft murmurs and the faint scratching of claws on wood.

Koori sat in the second row among the humans, her hands folded neatly on her lap.

Her gaze drifted nervously toward the podium, where the teachers had taken their seats.

Hale sat in the center, flanked by Hiro and two other human colleagues; the rest of the faculty were Nekos.

Her eyes lingered on him for a moment.

Then, suddenly, a light touch on her shoulder.

“Hey, Koori-chan…” Mitsuki’s voice was soft, almost hesitant.

Koori blinked in surprise, then lowered her head. “Mitsuki…”

She slid into the seat beside her, set down her bag, and cast her a sideways glance, but Koori looked away.

A brief silence hung between them.

“I… I thought you didn’t want to talk to me anymore,” Koori whispered at last.

Mitsuki arched a brow. “Eh? What are you saying?”

“Because of yesterday. I scared you. I saw it in your eyes. Aren’t you… afraid of me?”

Her voice sounded fragile, almost guilty.

Mitsuki let out a soft sigh, leaned closer, and whispered, “So that’s why you’ve been acting all weird today.”

She crossed her arms and smirked. “Well… yeah, you did scare me a little at first. But after that, I thought it was actually… kind of amazing.”

Koori stared at her, surprised.

Mitsuki leaned back with a grin. “Besides, I promised Amiteji-sensei I’d keep your secret, remember? That makes us partners, right?”

Koori blinked, and a small, hesitant smile touched her lips.

“Then… we’re still friends?”

“Of course we’re still friends, dummy. Stuff like that doesn’t change overnight.”

Mitsuki’s voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper as she leaned closer.

“But you’ll have to tell me more about that magic of yours later, okay? I’m really curious.”

Koori nodded, a soft laugh slipping out, light and genuine, a sound that lingered in the hush of the room.

A few students turned to glance their way, but the whispers around them faded as the microphone crackled and the principal stepped up to the podium.

He stood tall in his dignified black robe, his voice deep and rolling through the auditorium.

“Dear students,” he began, “a full year has passed since the second Kyūmei Mahō Taikai was held with great success.”

He paused, ears angling slightly backward.

“Back then, the most gifted Neko students of our country proved that our race’s superiority lies not only in intellect, but in the sacred power of magic, a power bestowed solely upon us Nekos.”

Approving meows rippled through the Neko rows.

On the human side, silence.

Hale’s eyes flicked briefly toward Hiro, who remained perfectly still.

“Therefore,” the principal continued, “it is my great honor to announce that our academy has been chosen to send its very own team to this year’s national tournament.”

Excited voices and cheers burst from the Neko rows, while on the other side, only startled murmurs stirred.

“The qualifying rounds,” the principal went on, “will take place in December. The team that triumphs will earn the privilege of representing our school on the national stage.”

He cleared his throat, waiting patiently as the noise subsided.

“…And the champions,” his tone lowered to a reverent hush, “shall, as tradition dictates, receive their award from our great leader, Nekogami, in person.”

A hush fell over the room, followed by a wave of whispers.

Hale lifted his head.

Nekogami… personally?

The auditorium still seemed to hum with the echo of the principal’s final words.

Between the Neko rows, student representatives hurried about, handing out colorful flyers stamped with the tournament’s emblem, a stylized cat with nine tails.

The pages listed dates, rules, and, in golden letters:

The Third Nine Lives Magic Tournament - 九命魔法大会 - For the Glory of Neko-Nippon

Koori tilted her head slightly.

“A… tournament?”

Beside her, Mitsuki leaned in, voice low and tense.

“Ugh… I hate this stupid tournament. Every year since their rule, they use it to show us humans our place. And now Nyansei High is joining too… seriously, what a pain.”

Then, lowering her voice, she grinned mischievously. “Hey, maybe you should enter too and use your magic to wipe the floor with those cats, huh?“ 

She let out a small, teasing laugh while Koori glanced at her, not fully understanding.

"I should... enter?", she mutterted, then looked toward the front.

Hale sat motionless, a faint crease between his brows. 

She could feel something turning behind his eyes, the quiet pull of a plan forming.

The mark on her chest pulsed once, in rhythm with the one on his wrist.

“Hale…” she breathed.

Then, behind the podium, a flicker of movement caught her eye.

Among the high-ranking staff stood a small, stocky figure, a Pallas’s cat in a dark trench coat and round glasses.

Her gaze drifted over the crowd, calm yet deliberate.

It never lingered on the Nekos, only on the left side of the hall, on the rows of human students.

Searching. Measuring.

A shiver ran down Koori’s spine, though she couldn’t say why.

Then, with a faint click, the microphone went dead, and the crowd began to rise from their seats.

***

Later that evening, the small apartment was filled with the soft scent of tea and simmering miso soup.

Hiro set the flyer down on the table, worry creasing his face.

“I don’t know, Heiru-san… this really doesn’t sound like a wise idea.”

Hale leaned back, arms crossed, and exhaled slowly.

“But it might be the only way for us to reach Nekogami.”

“Maybe so,” Hiro replied evenly. “But as contestants? You’re aware only Nekos are permitted to join, right? The registration requires a Nekotheurgic signature. Without one, you’ll be exposed instantly.”

“But it says right here,” Hale countered, tapping the paper, “For participants who value anonymity. If we disguise ourselves, we could slip in unnoticed. No one would ever suspect humans.”

“Perhaps,” Hiro muttered, skeptical. “But you’d still need a valid student ID. And that’s… not something you have. And even if you did, this isn’t some friendly school event. By the finals, you’ll be facing the strongest Nekos in Japan.”

Hale fell silent, his thoughts churning. 

If we do nothing now… this world might never change back to the way it was.

He straightened.

“Hiro-san,” he said quietly, yet with resolve. “This might be our only chance to put things right. You have to understand, all of this is my fault. And if there’s even the smallest way to fix it, I have to take it.”

He bowed deeply.

“Help Koori and me enter this tournament. As a team.”

Hiro studied him for a long moment, brow furrowed, then sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.

“Honestly, Heiru-san… you really never change, do you?”

He leaned back, staring out the window as if the answer might be hiding somewhere in the city lights.

“You do realize what you’re asking, don’t you? This isn’t some casual favor. I’d have to pull a few strings, forge documents, falsify lists…”

Hale remained bowed.

Hiro finally shook his head, a tired smile crossing his lips.

“Maa… shikata ga nai, huh? Fine. I’ll see what I can manage. But don’t expect me to approve.”

Hale straightened, relief flickering across his face, and bowed again, quicker this time.

“Thank you, Hiro-san.”

Hiro’s eyes drifted toward the corner of the room, where the steady rustling of pages filled the quiet.

“I get that you need a team partner... But does Koori-chan even understand what she’s getting herself into?”

Koori sat on the floor, wrapped in a thick blanket, surrounded by a chaotic half-circle of books.

Some lay open, others stacked in wobbly towers, while she was completely absorbed in one of them.

Hale nodded.

“We talked about it. She said she’s tired of watching people suffer because of one cat. If there’s something she can do to change that, she wants to do it, even if it means fighting.”

I still hate dragging her into this… but what choice do I have?

Hiro remained sceptical and raised a brow.

"But does she even know what fighting means?"

"Well..." Hale glanced over to her. "I... think so."

Technically we already fought together down the underpass...

Meanwhile, Koori bent over her book, oblivious to their conversation. 

Her eyes grew wider with each line she read, until her face turned bright red.

“Fascinating… cats do… things like that?” she whispered in disbelief.

Hale blinked. “What on earth are you even reading?”

She looked up, her breathing quickened, her expression a mix of confusion and excitement.

“A story,” she said quickly. “It’s called… Fifty Tints of Fur.”

Hiro and Hale exchanged a silent look of concern.

“You didn’t get that… from the school library, did you?” Hale asked cautiously.

Koori shook her head.

“A classmate lent it to me. But I don’t really understand why the cat keeps wanting that woman to put the collar on…”

Hale pinched the bridge of his nose, clearly regretting having asked.

Then he cleared his throat. “Anyway… I’ve already seen what Koori can do with her power. But if we want a real chance, I need to learn how to control mine too.”

He looked down at the mark on his wrist. 

A faint shimmer of frost traced his skin as he clenched his fist and slowly opened it again.

Then he met Hiro’s gaze.

“That’s why,” he said with a crooked smile, “our training starts tomorrow.”

Koori turned another page, frowned, and murmured in disbelief:

“…Oh my! Doesn't that hurt?”