Ice Knight & Volcano Kitten

From the window of the Literature Club room, Hale looked down at the school grounds, where students and visitors moved in dense clusters between ticket stands, banners, and food stalls.

The noise reached all the way into the stillness of the clubroom: voices, music, the humming of small camera drones.

Where there had been only a flat, gray patch of grass weeks ago, an arena of glass and metal now towered above the schoolgrounds, raised from the earth by the magical power of Nekotheurgy.

Hale leaned against the window frame with a quiet sigh.

“Unbelievable… I didn’t expect the qualifiers to be this massive.”

Koori sat on the windowsill beside him, knees drawn up, her gaze uneasy.

“And we’re supposed to… fight in front of all those people?”

“Looks like it.” Hale offered an encouraging smile. “Don’t worry. We trained hard these past weeks. We’ll handle it.”

A soft knock sounded, and moments later the door opened.

Hiro stepped in, a folder under his arm.

“It’s just me,” he said, his tone as matter-of-fact as ever. “Are you ready?”

“Depends on whether you were successful, Hiro-san,” Hale said.

Hiro nodded and placed two small cards on the table.

“Your IDs. Complete with a nekotheurgic signature. Kawashima-san already submitted the registration for you. You’re now officially participants in the Kyūmei Mahō Taikai qualifiers.”

Hale picked up his card.

Hyouga Sōma (氷牙 颯真) – Breed: Otocolobus manul – Rank: Kakusei.

He stared at Hiro. “I’m supposed to be a manul?”

Hiro nodded calmly. “You’re an exchange student from Hokkaidō. Frost-resonant Nekos are common up there, so it’s a perfect fit. Besides…” He eyed Hale’s face with an unusual grin. “Hardly anyone could tell the difference between a real manul and you, anyway.”

“Very funny,” Hale muttered, slipping the card into his pocket.

Koori lifted her own card carefully.

“Hon’o Akane (焔尾 紅音)…,” she read, then looked at Hiro in dismay. “Does this mean I have to respond to another new name?”

“No, no, nothing like that, Koori-san. The name only exists on paper." Hiro explained. “You’re posing as a Somali Neko from Okinawa. Their resonance lies in fire and earth magic. It happens to be the closest to your… abilities.”

Koori relaxed a little, gaze returning to the card.

“Akane…” she repeated quietly, testing the sound, not as something she had to be, just something she could be.

Just then, Mitsuki entered, carrying a stack of cardboard boxes.

“Um… would someone mind giving me a hand…?” she asked in a careful, almost apologetic tone. 

“We appreciate it, Kawashima-san,” Hiro said, taking a few boxes from her. “Are these the ones?”

Mitsuki straightened her posture a little and nodded.

“Exactly! Your costumes!”

Koori’s eyes sparkled.

With theatrical flair, Mitsuki pulled out a bright orange firefighter’s jacket: thick, fireproof, with reflective stripes.

Hale blinked. “What… is that supposed to be?”

“A retired jacket from the school’s Firefighting Club!” Mitsuki declared proudly. “And to make sure no one sees her face…”

She dug out a white theater mask, simple cat features, painted stripes, narrow slits for the eyes, and a huge dark-blue hood with floppy fabric ears stitched on.

“Tadaa,” she added with visible satisfaction.

Koori slipped on the mask and hood; the ears flopped sideways.

“I can’t see very well…”

Mitsuki leaned forward with concern.

“That’s the point. Nobody can see you either,” she reassured her gently, smiling with relief.

Hale tried not to laugh as Mitsuki opened the second box.

With ceremonial flourish, she pulled out an old naval uniform top, a heavy blue-gray coat with a double row of buttons, a little frayed at the edges.

Along with it came a bizarre helmet: silver-painted, with two cat ears attached to the top and a narrow visor.

Hale stared at it.

"Uhm..."

“For you, Sensei!” Mitsuki said cheerfully. “It was the only one the theater club had left in your size… but no one will recognize you under the helmet, so it’s perfect!”

Hale reluctantly took the helmet and put it on, while Koori peeked out from under her hood and giggled.

“You look so… grim.”

“I suppose that’s better than being exposed…” Hale grumbled beneath the helmet.

“Wait!” Mitsuki reached into the box again. “The most important part!”

She pulled out two pairs of oversized cat-paw gloves.

Koori immediately slipped hers on. “Oh! They’re so soft!” she said, waving happily with the oversized paws.

Mitsuki glowed with satisfaction.

“Alright… that should do it. Ice Knight and Lava Kitten are ready. You look fantastic!”

Silence.

“Please tell me you didn’t actually register us under those names.” Hale whispered in horror.

“Y-you don’t like them? Too late, they’re already on the roster…” she said softly, her pout more embarrassed than playful.

Hale ran a hand over his helmet. “Those sound like cheap superhero names…”

Koori tilted her head thoughtfully. “I think it sounds… fitting.”

“See?” Mitsuki straightened with renewed confidence. “Koori-chan just understands style!”

Hiro, who had watched silently until now, stepped back and examined both carefully.

“Well… the important part is that no one recognizes you. And I think we pulled that off.”

Then he pointed to the large clock.

“Anyway you should get going soon. It's almost time.”

When they prepared to leave, Mitsuki's expression softened.

“Please be careful, both of you. And… thank you for trusting me, Amiteji-sensei.”

Hale nodded. “Thank you, Kawashima-san. Telling you everything was definitely the right choice.”

Mitsuki turned quickly so they wouldn’t see her reddening ears.

“Tss, It’s nothing. I only did what anyone would...”

Hiro stepped beside Hale, voice firm:

“And remember: No normal voice. No skin. No unnecessary movement. If anyone realizes you’re human…”

“…it’s over,” Hale finished grimly. “I know“.

He and Koori exchanged one last breath, inhaling at the same time.

“Well then… let's go” he murmured.

***

When they stepped onto the courtyard, a storm of noise, music, and food scents hit them at once.

Drones hovered overhead, banners and neon signs flickered.

“So many…” Koori whispered, pulling her hood lower.

“Don’t panic,” Hale muttered through the helmet. “Just… act natural.”

They pushed toward the main stage, where participants waited in groups, some masked, others boldly unmasked.

Hale spotted Torao Rinji.

The tall, sand-colored tomcat stood with his partner, arms crossed, gaze fixed straight ahead.

So the class respresentive is participating too, huh?

Hale lowered his visor; Koori adjusted her hood, the fabric ears flopping forward.

Suddenly, a calm, smoky voice sounded behind them.

“Interesting. Very interesting, nya.”

They spun around.

A Neko stood there, hands in her coat pockets, a cigarette resting at the corner of her mouth.

The narrow yellow eyes behind her glasses scanned Hale from head to toe, slow, deliberate, like she was taking inventory.

“Ice Knight and Lava Kitten, correct? I happened to see your registration entry.”

Her tone was casual. Too casual.

Hale forced his voice lower.

“Do we… know you?”

The cat shook her head lightly.

“No, no. I was simply curious. It’s not every day we get a pair competing under full anonymity.”

Hale’s pulse jumped.

Who is she?

She took a drag, exhaled a thin ribbon of smoke, and continued:

“And registering only yesterday, right before the deadline… without any advisor listed… that’s rather unusual, nya.”

Crap. She’s digging already.

He raised a paw stiffly.

“W-we're new students. We just wanted to participate, without stirring too much attention in our class. Nya.”

One eyebrow lifted.

“Mmh. Of course..."

The manul stepped in front of Koori, stopping directly before her mask.

She exhaled smoke upward and gave a thin smile.

“Well. I always find new faces interesting. Especially… unexpected ones.”

She raised a paw toward Koori’s face.

Damn it, she’s going to...!?

Hale’s mark pulsed, reacting to Koori’s, as he felt her unease.

He tightened his fists, ready to intervene.

But she didn’t touch the mask.

Instead, she traced a single claw over the edge of Koori’s fake ear.

A thin layer of frost settled over the fabric.

“There. Now they sit straighter.”

She opened her mouth as if to ask another question, but a sudden sound sliced into the air above them.

BZZZZZT. ATTENTION. SMOKING IS PROHIBITED ON SCHOOL GROUNDS.

A small drone hovered inches from her face, its red warning light blinking furiously.

PLEASE EXTINGUISH YOUR CIGARETTE IMMEDIATELY.

The Neko exhaled slowly through her nose, plucked the cigarette from her lips, flicked it expertly against the drone, and glared at the hovering machine.

“There. Satisfied?”

THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION.

The drone performed a cheerful little spin and zipped away.

“Honestly… these things have gotten worse since the last update, nya.”

She seemed to remember Hale and Koori again, but only for a heartbeat.

“Well then… enjoy the tournament,” she said flatly.

With a flick of her tail she turned away, glancing back one more time, her eyes razor-sharp.

“...Im looking forward to watch that magic of yours, Ice Knight.”

Hale froze as she vanished into the crowd like a shadow.

What is that supposed to mean?

Koori breathed shallowly, pressing close to him.

“Who was that? She… she scared me.”

“No idea,” Hale murmured. “But she definitely asked too many questions.”

But before they could discuss it further, a sudden surge rippled through the crowd.

The giant holo-screen above the stage began to flicker, and the speakers blared:

THE DRAWING OF THE PRELIMINARY MATCHES BEGINS NOW